Title: Find the Children

Author: Karina

Rating: PG

Pairing: Duo + Milliardo

Notes:  Challenge 221.  Baby Series 4  #120.  Takes place two days following Weather Alert.

Spoilers: None

Warnings:

Disclaimer: I don’t own Gundam Wing or the Characters from the series but the baby is mine.

Title: Find the Children

                Duo accepted the steaming mug gratefully, wrapping his freezing fingers around the hot ceramic.  The air beyond the palace was frigid, clear warning of the advancing change in weather conditions.  The approaching storm worried him and he had tried.  Unsuccessfully.

                “Have a seat, Duo.”

                Milliardo stood at the window, enjoying the overview of the garden and the hint of the city through distant trees.  No, ‘enjoying’ was wrong given the serious look on that handsome face.  It was a spectacular view, but there was no calm and relaxed atmosphere about him, only concern growing with every passing hour.

                Two days of steadily lowering temperatures and with each hour the advancing storm front crept closer, gathering strength over open water.  It had already hit Norway and communications out of there were sketchy at best and it encroached now into Finland.  It was dipping toward them, unmistakably.  They were going to be hit by it and not merely side swiped as they had been hoping.

                “I’ve secured everything I can up at the construction site and ordered my team to stand down.  What can be done up there is done.”

                All except for one thing.  He wanted to go back with first light and try again, but he was not inclined to put any pressure on the man to allow him to go up the cliff face.  If there was emergency work he was capable of doing, then he would do it.  Somehow, in the midst of doing that important work, he would get back up the cliff and try to find them.

                “You’ve been distracted now for days and I’ve had reports you keep going down the cliff when there is no need.  Why?”

                “It's... nothing.  I’ve secured everything, so what’s my next part in the operation?  I noticed the sea’s beginning to whip up and the fishing boats haven’t returned.”

                “Nor will they.  The fleet has been sent to better shelter, this way we have a hope of salvaging maybe fifty percent of the fleet.” Blue eyes pinned him. “Don’t tell me nothing is wrong.  I’ve known you long enough to know when something is bothering you.”

                He sighed softly, joining the King at the window to stare up at the cliff face rearing over the city.  The waterfall was thawed now and easily visible from this vantage point.

                “There’s a couple of kids, refugees, I think, living somewhere up on the cliff.  Jess... She’s gorgeous and so young.  I can’t find them.  They’re probably a lot safer than we are down here, provided the cave they live in is deep enough and they have enough wood, but they’re so young.  I don’t think they’d have enough food or wood to survive a prolonged spell of bad weather.”

                Milliardo sighed softly, raising his gaze to survey the cliff.  After a long moment he turned and motioned Duo to follow him.

                “What...?”

                “Sub operation ‘find the children’ will commence now.” 

End

Karina Robertson  2013