Sally didn’t know hoe long she had been drifting in and out of consciousness, but the first thing came in her mind when she opened her eyes again for the first time was Ang Hwa, wailing her lungs out pitifully, her tiny fists flailing in protest. Quickly she searched for any sign of injuries on her daughter’s tiny body, fear clouding her mind. She sighed in relief when she found out that not even one scratch marred the baby’s milky complexion. She assumed she had shielded her from the flying debris of the explosion somehow miraculously, although she doubted the thought herself. It all happened too fast even for her to react, especially in her current condition. She couldn’t even shift her body on time to protect her own body.

     Glancing upwards, Sally shuddered involuntarily as a stream of warm sunlight touched her skin, dust floating down from the void that the explosion had created on the ceiling of the basement. She remembered. Thunderous and powerful the explosion was, causing her ears to ring and her eyes to tear. A bomb apparently landed on top of the mansion’s ruin, and the ruin couldn’t prevent the chains of explosions from destroying layers of piles of crumbled walls down to the ceiling of their basement, and ended up blasting the cemented plane all together. By her calculation, they should be dead by now if it weren’t for…

     “Wu Fei!” she gasped, her eyes searching wildly for the figure of her husband as stream of recollection flooded her mind. How could she forget! Wu Fei shoved both of her and her baby aside as the explosion occurred, his cry of anguish travelling to her ears in painful wave of spasms. She had knocked her head on the wall and lost her consciousness as the blow intensified, wasn’t even given the chance to think of her husband. Where was he? Everything was very quiet the moment she woke up, and the silence started to grate her nervous system. She was worried for Wu Fei. Did he make it? Was he okay? She would never forgive herself if something happened to him.

     Her eyes darted to her left and right, trying to make full use of the available light. Sally clutched the hiccupping baby to her chest, her heart pounding wildly as she frantically skimmed the chamber for a sign of her husband. Curses. The light’s range was not very wide, and the area below the still intact ceiling was very dark. No matter how hard she focused her ears and her eyes, she couldn’t catch anything. Not even a single sound.

     He had to be alive. He had to. The explosion was not a direct one; the ceiling and the ruin must have reduced the impact, so he had to survive somehow. Perhaps injured, but not dead. But she couldn’t help the thought of her husband didn’t survive at all incurring in her mind, haunting faces of possible reality showing her visions of Wu Fei’s handsome face, charred and marred, so cold and pale with death. Her husband could be anything but alive judging from the size of the explosion.

     Slowly she staggered up to her feet, leaning her back on the wall for support. She cursed inwardly when her body swayed, almost losing her equilibrium, her head dizzy. She was stronger than she was hours ago, but clearly the effect of the explosion still took its toll on her body. Plus she hadn’t regained her full strength after the birthing process. However, as she braced herself, she erected her spine like the soldier she was and continued walking very carefully, her vigilant eyes taking note on even the slightest sound of movement around her.

     It was no use. The chamber out of the range of the sunlight was too dark, and she couldn’t outline even the nearest object two metres from her location. She couldn’t risk walking further either. She was afraid she would trip on some unseen object and fell, crushing the baby with her weight in the process. Having her mind occupied by worried thoughts of her husband was more than she could bear. She couldn’t let herself being crushed by the thought of injuring her own baby.

     She had to think of something. And fast, very fast.

     “Wu Fei…what would you do?” she spoke to the empty air, imagining her husband beside her, scolding her for her sentimental weakness. She even could hear him scowling and grumbling, his face twisted in such a way that his brows knitted in the middle.

Think clearly, woman! Use logic. And if that doesn’t work, use your guts!

     Sally let out a trembling smile at the imaginary voice admonishing her. As she looked up again at the streaming sunlight above her head, she let out a shaky breath, prayers silently made. She had been in worse situation, with scarce food and clothing, but she had practically noone to worry about. No burden whatsoever. This time she had a baby with her and a husband whose survival was still unknown. She knew she had to keep looking, but she couldn’t help the sinking feeling of hopelessness, and the drifting imagination of the smell of death. Shaking her head rapidly, she tightened her hold on the baby’s tiny form and renewed her resolution, determining not to stop looking, at least until she found his body.

     “Wu Fei!”

     Carefully she stepped into the darkness once again, one hand holding onto the baby while the others grasping for unseen object she might encounter on her way. Wu Fei had to be alive, she told herself several times, smiling as her confidence gradually returned. She had faith in him. He wouldn’t leave her before his time. Her husband would come back to her, alive and well, and all ready to scold her with her woman’s sentimentality.

     “Wu Fei! Please, answer me!”

     He must have been thrown off somewhere, losing his consciousness. He must be…

     “Wu Fei…! Oh!”

     Sally gasped out loud as her feet tripped on a big, unseen log that her hand failed to feel, desperately trying to protect the baby as she crashed her side on the floor. Piercing cry left her mouth as she sensed sharp pain shot through her right arm, and she could feel her warm blood oozing from the wound, probably cause by a jagged chunk of stone. Ang Hwa, startled by the cry, started wailing once again. Sighing in defeat, Sally ignored the wound in her arm and started rocking her child back to sleep, whispering and murmuring gentle words softly.

     “Stupid Sally,” reprimanding herself, she bit her lower lips, holding the tears threatening to flow out. She shouldn’t look for Wu Fei when she couldn’t even guarantee the safety of their own baby. Wu Fei wouldn’t be too pleased if he heard this incident. He had appeared indignant in front of her, but she knew he loved the baby from the moment she was born. If something even happened to Ang Hwa, she could never have the nerve to face him, even in the other world later.

     The sunlight shifted slowly as she kept still on the spot, didn’t dare to venture another reckless step. Sally ripped the edge of her dirty clothing and wound it around her arm tightly to stop the flow of the blood, certain that she would catch fever that night from the infection. At least she wouldn’t suffer from blood loss.

     However, as she tightened the knot of the cloth around her arm, her ears caught a low moan, so low that she almost missed it entirely. Snapping her head up, she finally had a better look of the object that had tripped her earlier. It was…the tip of Wu Fei’s well-worn boots! Sobbing in delight, she set Ang Hwa carefully on the ground, before rushed to pull Wu Fei into the light, her heart’s rate doubled as anticipation slowly yanked her self control. It was Wu Fei! Embracing the man readily, she stroke the unbound long midnight black hair tenderly, her nostrils flared as she savoured his familiar scent, and the feel of his body, alive and once again in her arms. She tightened her arms when his dead mass sank into her body, smiling as she lowered him slowly on her lap. His condition triggered a big gasp from her, however.

     There he was, head pillowed by her lap, his eyes closed firmly. He was still breathing, and she was glad for that, but her instinct as a doctor made her notice the amount of small wounds inflicting on his usually unmarred skin. There were three big gashes, which had dried naturally, one on his left arm, one on his leg…and one on… Sally winced upon seeing the wound. Her eyes teary as she gently touched his face, a long cut running from his left temple to his cheek. Had they been in the headquarters, she would see to him getting proper medication, and the wound wouldn’t leave even the faintest mark. But apparently this one would blemish his face eternally.

     A low groan, and his eyes fluttered open. He closed his eyes again as a stream of offending light invading his eyes, almost drifting into consciousness once again as dizziness engulfed him, but he forced his eyes open, only to be confronted with his wife’s teary face. She was…her tears…they were beautiful. The sunlight seemed like a halo around her head, crowning her reddish hair with a soft sheen. She looked like an angel that way. He wondered why he had never seen those qualities in her before. No, correction. He didn’t want to see. He was blind, all the time.

     Fingers touching the streak of tears on Sally’s face, Wu Fei forced a smile, his voice gentle as he told her, “Alive.”

     “Yes…alive!” she almost choked on her own words as she grasped the fingers with own hand, her grip tightened as new tears of joy sprang to her eyes. “We’re all alive, Wu Fei. All of us!”

     Smirking, he lowered his hand to his side, his expression satisfied.

     “Good.”

     Then, holding his breath from the raging pain invading his senses, he rose to the sitting position, shifting back so he could rest his back against the wall. He took his time to appreciate the fact that he and his family had just survived one bog explosion, closing his eyes in appreciation as he felt the warmth of the sun seeping into his skin. He was hurt, sore all over, but it had been worth awhile. His family was alive, together with him. He even had to be grateful there seemed to be no fatal wound in him miraculously. The fact that there was still a war going on up there didn’t escape his mind, but it seemed less important now than losing his family altogether. The moment the ceiling exploded, only one thing crossed his mind.

     He loved his family. He didn’t want them to die.

     Especially Sally.

     He wouldn’t deny the fact that he was still confused, but he also couldn’t deny something that was budding between them. Whether it would grow or not, he didn’t know. The only thing he was certain was that Sally was irreplaceable. She was the one and only partner of life for him, and he would do anything to shove death aside, to prevent it to take her life away.

     He would protect them with all his life, even if he had to discard his code of honour. He would do anything for them.

     Sighing genuinely for the first time since the war begun, Wu Fei brushed a strand of Sally’s disarray hair out of her face. Cupping the beautiful face with his palm, he stared into the blueness of Sally’s eyes, secretly amused upon seeing the shock in there.

     “Sally, we have to get out of here,” calmly he told her, “This place wasn’t safe anymore.”

     “WHAT?!”
     Two children, a boy and a girl with fine blue black hair and chestnut hair, jumped in surprise as they heard a bang from the other room. They looked at each other questionably, their innocent faces clueless, before they shifted their eyes to their mother, a pretty young woman with shoulder-length black hair and small, lean frame. The woman put a finger in front of her lips as a sign they had to keep quiet, and smile reassuringly as the two children nodded in obedience, reluctantly returning to their board game, although occasional glances toward the door where their father was confirmed their curiosity and discomfort.

     Another bang could be heard, and then, “You mean all the communication system has been sabotaged?! Jesus Christ, Quatre! What kind of enemy they are facing?”

     There was another murmur from behind the closed door, apparently answering daddy’s question. The children looked at mommy’s once again, their eyes practically begging for her to enlighten their curiosity. Mommy, her expression stern, shook a finger at them and continued reading her magazine, pretending to be all indifferent by the commotion, although her eyes spoke different truth in volumes. There was hardness in the indigo blue eyes, and contempt. Whatever happened inside mommy certainly didn’t like daddy to be involved.

     The girl, couldn’t resist her curiosity, finally gave into her instinct and crept near mommy, tugging on her skirt gently to attract her attention.

     “Yes, Mathilde?” Glancing swiftly, mommy gave her a sweet smile, encouraging her to continue.

     Cupping her palm around her mouth, Mathilde whispered, forcing mommy to bend so that she could hear what she was saying, “Daddy’s angry.”

     “Not with you.” Mommy answered her, also whispering, a touch of gentleness in her voice, “Not with Maximilian either,” She glanced at her other child to emphasise her point and smiled in reassurance at him.

     “But he is still angry,” the little girl pouted her mouth prettily, a streak of stubbornness and fear evident in her sparkling blue eyes.

     Sighing, Hilde put her magazine aside and shifted closer to her daughter, gathering her close in her arms as she told her, “Daddy’s not angry with us, Mathilde. He’s not anymore. Those days are waaaaaay behind us, now.” A smile tugged on her lips as she sensed her other child, her son, drawing near her as well, quietly settling his small frame beside her on the couch. He used to be a happy-go-lucky boy, but he was very quiet and contemplative since that fateful day. Mathilde was still her old self, but there was some moments when she would eye Duo with strange expressions, or flinched away and was hysterical when Duo started to raise his voice. Nothing physical happened to them, but she was sure the scene affected them psychologically. Sometimes she was afraid she lost her children to the greater force of mental contraction, but she told herself they would be fine if she gave her love for them unconditionally. The fact that Duo was back to her also helped. Together they were trying to gather the family into one piece once again.

     When she was still witnessing the fear behind those eyes, she gave the little girl her gentlest smile. Tucking her daughter’s long chestnut strand behind her ear, she carefully chose her words as she spoke to her, “Daddy….has a right to be angry at the moment. His friend…some bad people have hurt his friend and his family. So he probably has to go. To help them.”

     “No! Daddy’s not going!” A violent tug on her blouse caused her to snap her face up to the direction of her boy, his eyes sparkling in renewed panic, his lower lip trembling. Yes, the little boy definitely hadn’t gone over the cursed moment. “He promised me not to anymore!”

     “Maximilian!” Raising both her eyebrows, Hilde stared at her son in surprise. It was about the time he got over the incident already, but he apparently did not. The moment when Duo walked out of their home must have been imprinted so strongly in his mind that he could never banish the memory. There was an urge to scold him for having such a low faith in his father, but she knew chastising her son for such an innocent apprehension wouldn’t resolve the problem, merely adding more to his confusion. Her son did not deserve to be admonished for this. He had gone through more than a five-year-old could bear in his mind, so the best thing she could do for him was giving his the chance and time to digest everything and understand. She hoped with the flow of time, he would come to some sort of peace treaty with his mind.

     Looking down at his lap, Maximilian knew he had made mommy upset, but he resolved in his stubbornness, derived comfort by trying to convince himself desperately that his father was definitely not going to even set one foot out of the resort. He had promised to build his a giant kite, anyway, so he shouldn’t even think of going. He had told him that lying was a sin, a crime against God, so he didn’t suppose to lie to him now. Besides, he wanted his kite so badly. Daddy couldn’t just go.

     Maximilian winced in imaginary pain as mommy’s hand landed gently on his shoulder, her grip firm but tender. As he opened his eyes to meet hers, kind and crystal blue, he was taken aback to see the laughter in them, “Max, you didn’t think…”

     “Oh, mommy…Maxi only wants his kite.” Maximilian glared at his twin younger sister as she piped in innocently, and sighed in defeat as the latter grinned triumphantly at him. “Right?”

     Hilde was opening her mouth to let out a smart-mouth comment about the kite would be too heavy for him to steer, but the door opened with a loud bang, causing her two children to bury their faces against her sides in surprise. She knew it straight away that her husband was in rage mode, and was not in the mood in open discussion. Duo had always been a cheerful and charming young man, but there was also no denying about his vast temper. Oh, he never would strike her in their confrontations, but he was able to be downright sarcastic, even to the point where he was killing her inwardly with his words. She hated to confront him when he was in a very bad mood, but she knew that her husband needed her support most at the moment. She was about to say something to Duo, but little Mathilde interjected her train of thought.

     “Daddy, are you mad?” she could hear the tremble in her little and soft voice, the little body pressed even closer to hers.

     Inhaling a shaky breath, Duo flipped a thigh-length braid to his back before proceeding to walk toward the couch, his eyes bearing into Hilde’s crystal blue one, his expression hard. He stopped right in front of his wife, shaky fists on his sides, his jaws clenched firm. “No, not at you. And never at you.” He hissed his answer for Mathilde’s question without looking at the girl, “I am angry at the bastard who dares to mess with Wu Fei’s colony!”

     “Duo!” Hilde gasped, feeling scandalous, and stood up to confront her husband. He didn’t suppose to say the word in front of their daughter! Swearing when none of their children in sight was still tolerable, but doing it in front of them, albeit unintentionally, was another matter. She could feel anger starting to build up in the back of her mind, and she desperately tried to redeem the anger back to its secured spot. She didn’t want to ruin what they had now. She had to understand him, and although she knew that she would have to change him bit by bit, now was not the right moment to do so.

     Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down and lowered her body back on the couch, gathering her children in her arms as she challenged Duo’s eyes, silently giving him the permission to plunge himself into the mad war waiting for him in L5 colony. She hated to see him go, yet she never could picture herself and her children in the situation Sally was facing at the moment. She had to relieve Duo from his promise, at least for now.

     “Hilde, I…”

     “Don’t say anything.” She was smiling when she said that. She didn’t want Duo to see her disappointment. It would only burden his mind. “I know you have to go.”

     Smiling, Duo’s heart melted at the sight of his family, gathering before him as if to watch him as he went out to the waiting battlefield. He hated to leave his family for a dangerous mission, but he had to. He had to save L5 colony and see that Wu Fei and his soon-to-be-growing family are alright. Maximilian would be surely disappointed, but he was sure Hilde would explain to him. He was a good boy, anyway, hardly any trouble. Unlike him when he was a little boy. Perhaps having both his parents beside him made a big difference after all.

     Slowly, he levelled his face so that he was face to face with Hilde and give his wife a gentle kiss on her mouth. He smiled sadly as he withdrew, waiting for Hilde to say her good byes. When he saw that Hilde was not going to say anything apart of smiling in encouragement at him, he turned to his twin children and kissed them both on their forehead.

     “Honey,” he whispered as he took Hilde’s hand in his and kissed them gently, “forgive me for not staying. I…”

     His words ceased to exist in his mind as he witnessed a tear rolled down his wife’s white cheek, gleaming as the light played on it. Arms sneaking up to circle Duo’s neck, Hilde drew him closer as she whispered in his ear, “I love you…just promise me to take care of yourself.”

     Closing his eyes, he was fighting his own tears as he tightened his own arms around her lithe body.

     “I will.”

     Arranging the baby’s blanket for the last time, Sally finally turned to face Wu Fei and nodded in readiness, “Let’s go.” As much as she hated to see Wu Fei venturing to enter and escape the battlefield at the same time in his current condition, she shared his concerns as well. She understood perfectly that the basement wouldn’t hold up very long as their hiding spot, and it was only a matter of time before the enemy found them. Besides, after a full two days rest beneath the basement, she had finally regained most of her strength, so she didn’t suppose to worry for herself being an obstacle in their escaping attempt. What worried her more were Wu Fei and the baby, for instance.

     Ang Hwa was only two days old, and she was not sure the baby could accept the stress her tiny body had to endure. But she had to be strong. She was the heir of the Dragon Clan, anyway. She was expected to be strong, even as a baby.

     But Wu Fei was wounded. Even she cringed when she tried to patch the gashes with available resources. He even underwent a fever from the wound last night as a result of infection. He had also lost quite some amount of blood. Wu Fei supposed to rest more, probably one more day, but he insisted on going immediately after the fever was gone. She had objected to the idea defiantly, reasoning that he was in no condition to face the enemy soldiers should they encounter one and that he could be killed, but as usual, he merely smirked upon hearing her protests and shrugged, countering her angry words with a, “So what? You could also be killed by staying here.”

     So she gave up and submitted to his decision. He was right, after all. Sooner or later the building would collapse and bury all of them below the rubble. But that was the only reason why she listened to him this time. Because he was right. Deep down, she refused to obey him completely. She promised herself that at the first sign of danger, she would step in and protect her husband and her baby, even if the action would cost her life.

     “Everything’s secured already?” she could hear her husband’s voice, still weak from the effect of the earlier fever.

     “Yes.” Sally nodded, the soldier in her return. “I’ve got a gun attached below my dress. I should be able to take care of myself.”

     “You bet.” A genuine but tired smile spread on Wu Fei’s face, and Sally couldn’t help being taken aback as Wu Fei caressed her face with the back of his hand. This whole war commotion must have done something drastic to his usually chauvinistic mind. She thought she had to thank the situation for whatever it had done to manage to change Wu Fei’s attitude, even if it was only for the time being.

     As he extended a hand at her, she was smiling. She accepted his hand and squeezed it lightly as their skin touched, her poise brave as she joined him at the secret entrance of the basement.

     “Let’s just pray that we encounter no OZ on the way, or else, I’d be forced to roast their sorry ass for dinner. Gosh, we even haven’t had decent dinner for a few days already!” she chuckled good-naturedly, tried to humour her tense husband. To her delight, for the first time since the enemy first invaded L5 colony, Wu Fei let out a bark of sincere, amused laughter.

     “Do you think Daddy will find out?” A small voice echoed in the dark space of a hidden spot in a mobile suit, probably reserved for baggage store.

     “Unless you keep making noise, he won’t.” Another voice hissed sarcastically, and another rustle of bodies shifting against each other could be heard.

     “I just don’t wanna him angry with me…” the first one sniffed in indignation, showing open resentment to what the other had said to her, “He’s scary when he’s angry.”

     “Shuddup, Mathy.”

     “Maxi…I’ll tell mommy that is all your idea so that mommy will spank you and pinch you and you will get no dinner for that.”

     “Not if I tell her you’re also in,” came the smug reply.

     “Shhh….be quiet!”

     They held their breath as they sensed someone entering the little cabin of the mobile suit. From the small peep hole on the surface of the baggage store’s door, they could see a long braid swinging freely on a bent strong back of a man, and they noticed that the little lights on the main control board blinking rapidly. They were going to the space! With daddy!

     “Computer,” they exhaled as daddy’s familiar and low voice giving the computer some orders, “Full speed to L5 colony’s satellite, Mirigo.”

     And, as the mobile suit took of, Maximilian whispered in his twin sister’s ear, “Here we go…”

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