[Author's Note: I dedicate this to my father and his late father -- the latter I wish had been a better teacher, and the former I wish could learn to appreciate what he has before he loses it.]

The Last Song
by Elton John

Christmas Day, A.C. 195
Quatre lay silent and still in a hospital bed, but he was very much alive. In his mind the events of the past several hours repeated. There was the duel with Dorothy, which was growing fuzzy now...He had stayed conscious through the last battle to destroy Libra via sheer force of will -- knowing he had to remain alive long enough to save the Earth from the threat of the falling ship. He briefly remembered Sandrock limping into a hangar on MO-II, although he recalled quite clearly that it was Trowa who helped him out of the suit. After that things were a flurry of motion -- going to the medical room, having his stab wound tended to. The fiery pain that had spread through his abdomen and up his side had subsided, allowing him to find peaceful rest.
Now he focused on the slow rhythm of his breathing and listened to the even beeping of the heart monitor. Both grew distant every once in a while as he dozed. He felt very tired...Very weary...Several times he considered giving himself over to the sweet surrender of death. Each time he thought in such a way, the sound of the heart monitor, which wouldn't give up on him, brought him back to wakefulness. But, no, he couldn't die now. He had true friends now who wouldn't let him leave them. And he had to see through to the birth of world-colony-wide peace. And he couldn't leave his sisters...Not like Father had...Father...
Quatre opened his eyes halfway, immediately blinded by sunlight. He felt the warm twin paths of tears rolling down his cheeks. He had saved the world but he had been unable to save one of the people he loved most. More tears streamed down. He felt like a failure now more than ever. A muffled sob escaped into the silence, and he was glad no one was around to hear it. He made an effort to calm himself but the tears continued. Father...I'm sorry...

Blessed sleep came soon to let him rest from his grieving thoughts. He woke again sometime later when the room suddenly felt very cold. He shivered and attempted to roll onto his side to escape the chill but something prevented him from doing so. "Quatre, you have a visitor."
The voice belonged to his sister Iria. Slowly he raised his eyes to the tall figure standing by the side of the bed. At first he thought it was Rashid...Then his vision cleared. "F-Father??"
The figure nodded. A faint trace of a gentle smile came to his face as he settled into the chair next to the bed. Quatre's vision blurred again, this time by tears. "Father? How can this be..." he croaked out weakly. "But it is you...Father..." He reached with feeble effort toward the man.
"Shh." His father tenderly pushed the boy's arms back down to his sides. "You still need rest."
Quatre didn't try to fight him, as strong as the need to hug him was. His father's touch was cold yet solid. The brief contact made all his feelings for the man resurface. Resentment for oppressing his independent thought, sorrow for his loss, even some of the madness caused by that loss; but most of all, the strongest of all, the love for him. "Father...I'm so sorry."

"For what, Quatre?"
"I -- I went into battle to protect you and my sisters. But I failed you...again. I...I never should have disobeyed you."
"I think things would have happened regardless of your actions. Better that you disobeyed, than be by my side that day."
"But I -- I should have been able to do something. I should have been stronger..."

"It's all right, Quatre."
"But it isn't! I failed you..."
"You helped save the future. I am grateful to you for that."
Quatre stopped his protests and only looked at him in silence.

Yet when the boy spoke he was still hesitant to end his doubts. "Aren't you angry with me at all? You always seemed to be."
"I wish it hadn't appeared to be that way. I only wanted for you to be the best person you could be, but I also wanted you to follow a path I thought would be safe for you--"
"Total pacifism," Quatre broke in with half-hearted bitterness. He did, after all, believe in pacifism; however, his restless spirit also believed in the will to fight. As he now looked into his father's eyes, he realized that the man recognized and acknowledged that spirit.

"I'm sorry," the boy uttered once again, looking away.
"Why do you keep saying that?" his father asked gently. "Apologies won't bring me back. And don't dwell on that, either. You have other people to live for now. You have brothers now, along with your sisters. Live for them. They all care about you." He gestured toward the door, where faint shadows could be seen beyond the glass. More visitors. Quatre looked up at his father with slight alarm. "Yes, I have to go now." He gently squeezed the boy's hand then stood. "Let yourself heal. You have family who needs you and loves you. Forgive yourself, please...I love you, my son."
Quatre's heart began to pound, then tears resurfaced. "No, don't go yet! Please don't leave me again!"
"I love you, my son..."
Darkness filled his vision, immediately followed by an odd, continuous beep. Mere instants passed before his eyes opened wide at the same time he bolted upright, reaching after his father. "No!" His voice was hoarse. He fell back less than a second later, grimacing at the pain rippling through his chest. When it became bearable he reopened his eyes to meet five frantic faces -- the doctor, Rashid, Duo, Trowa, and Wufei. The last quickly schooled his expression into faint concern.
Quatre blushed over his sudden outburst. "I -- I --"
Duo interrupted with a hysterical cry, "Y-You just flatlined!!"
Quatre blinked at him then swallowed hard. Rashid put a heavy hand on Duo's shoulder and gave the boy a brief shake, then turned away with the doctor to discuss what might have caused the problem.
Trowa elbowed Duo aside. "What happened, Quatre?"
The blond boy shook his head and gulped again.
Duo was trying to stutter something. Trowa frowned at him then glanced at Wufei, murmuring, "Get him out of here."
But the braided boy heard and put his hands up in defense. "Hey, I'm fine now, really!" He glanced at Quatre. "Just worried. I can be worried, right?"
Wufei rolled his eyes at Duo, then turned to the blond boy. "Something is bothering you, Winner." He left the words I can tell hanging in the air.
Quatre fidgeted with the edge of the blanket for a moment. He spoke softly, "I guess it was a dream, then...My father came here, and..."
"And?" Trowa prompted.
"He -- he...I think he forgave me. But..."
"But what?" Now Duo leaned in and winked."Hey, Quatre, it's Christmas Day. Miracles tend to happen around this day."
At last a smile edged onto Quatre's face, perhaps small and a bit weak, but it was there.
Duo stepped back and grinned. "Kid, you're our family now, so don't go scaring us again, you got that?"
Wufei pushed him toward the door, where Rashid was motioning for them to vacate. "Time to get going. We'll see you later, Winner."
"Get some rest," Trowa said before following.
"I will." Quatre added some strength to his smile then settled back against the pillow. There was a small twinge in his heart that he couldn't quite ignore, but he distracted himself by thinking on what Duo had said about the day.




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(c) 2000-2004 Autumn Loweck. This work may not be copied, distributed, or reprinted without the author's permission. Characters of Quatre, Master Winner, Rashid, Duo, Trowa, and Wufei belong to the creators of the GundamWing series, Sotsu Agency, Sunrise, Bandai, and whoever else in Japan involved in this most cool anime.

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