The Writings of LadyJ

Creative Writer of both Original Works and Fanfiction. On AO3: LadyJFox

[outofcontextdnd]

D&D stands for Dungeons and Depression.

(via outofcontextdnd)

[t4lkn3rdyt0m3]

This movie is the perfect example of why a bard and a rogue should never leave the party and go off on their own adventure.

[ladyjstruth-blog]

I comtent that it's actually the perfect reason. Tulio gets the girl. Miguel gets a horse. They both go on a grand adventure. And think how much XP they got.

[ladyjstruth-blog]

Introduction of Mikhail Castonev in Chapter 2 of GW Fanfiction Back to Reality

Mikhail Castonev strolled lazily along the large stone pathway that wound its way through his estate's large garden; his hard-soled black knee-high boots clicking distinctly as he went.

The garden was filled with an assortment of Azaleas, Roses, Carnations, Lilies, and Chamomiles, as well as natural shrubs and small trees; it was his personal Eden on Earth.

He came here too little these days. Lately, he had been so busy meeting with his advisors, military staff, other diplomats from other areas of the newly formed Republic of Eurussia, and even occasionally, engaging in discussions with representatives from the Earth Sphere Unified Nation that a casual stroll about his haven was long overdue.

Castonev had been one of the instrumental founders of the Republic. The Russian had been raised in a very traditional old-country style family. He firmly believed that Mother Russia was a great superpower of a country and that it should remain so. As a young man, Castonev enlisted as a soldier and had steadily made his way up the chain of command.

The military and political ladder eventually had combined, bringing the man close to political power over his beloved country. Until the Colonial War of 195 began in earnest. Things hadn't gone his way since. Castonev had never been quite content with the way the war ended. Almost immediately, he had begun implementing a plan to gain territorial control over a substantial area between what had once been Russia and Europe in order to gain personal power and secede from the ESUN.

Even throughout the Mariemaia incident, the Russian had not allowed his plans to be derailed.

As much as Castonev disliked the ESUN the conniving man had breathed a sigh of relief when the Mariemaia threat had been destroyed. The child's victory would not have deterred Castonev from his plans, but it would have caused him to backpedal and recalculate. Quite frankly, he wasn't that patient of a man. Now nearing his mid-fifties, Castonev was determined to finally reach what he had believed to be his for so long.

Castonev paused for a moment, contemplating a patch of thorny roses.

A man dressed in a dark green military style suit and tall black knee-high boots, very similar to Castonev, approached at a brisk pace. Halting roughly five paces away the intruder stood casually in the former's presence. "They are waiting for you Mikhail," the stranger informed him. "Every leading diplomat within the Republic of Eurussia is seated and awaiting your decision."

"Thank you, Sergei," Castonev replied.

It really had all come together fairly easily. A surprising amount of people, even in Castonev's mind, hadn't completely accepted the ESUN.

Looking for somewhere to turn, come out, they had turned to him. Technically, the Republic consisted of a rather large council seat, of which he and Sergei both held positions in.

The reality of the situation was that Castonev had the power and the muscle to back it up. The Republic was essentially a new face on old Mother Russia and it was he who controlled her.

The Council Seat of the Republic of Eurussia danced to his puppet strings. And it was time to start the puppet show.

You can read the rest of the chapter and more at AO3:

Back to Reality Chapter 2:  http://bit.ly/2xAMlI2

More works: http://bit.ly/2xZhmGE

[ladyjstruth-blog]

Brief GW Fanfiction Snippet: Cathy comes for a visit and meets Quatre’s newest pets

Cathy walked down the hall toward the living room. Passing by Quatre's office she noticed a large aquarium along the side wall. It wasn't fancy. It just looked like it had piles of rocks under water, but what it lacked in aesthetics, it made up for in size.

“You can go in,” Trowa said next to her as he leaned against the wall, smiling. Cathy glanced at him before entering.

“It's big.”

“160 gallons.”

“You didn't tell me you got fish.”

“We didn't,” he replied.

Cathy walked up and stared at the tank. Trowa crossed his arms and stared at the ground, grinning and trying not to sound like an idiot as he tried not to laugh. Cathy hated anything with more than four legs.

“Trowa…” She sounded not at all pleased.

He chuckled. “Yeah?”

“That's a lobster.”

He peered into the room. “Keep looking. You might have to look up.”

“Up?” she asked in confusion, but she did it anyway...and came face to face with Quatre's second lobster which had made its way to the top of the largest rock pile. The thing was right at face level, staring right back, with one antenna waving at her. Cathy screamed and ran out.

Trowa couldn't help himself anymore and laughed which garnered him a few half-hearted whacks on his arm. “Trowa Barton!”

His laughter settled into a chuckle as he lifted an elbow in his defense. At the same time, the click of a key unlocking the front door echoed down the hall, followed by Quatre stepping through the door. Cathy gave him another whack on his arm for good measure.

He smiled as they both walked into the living room. Quatre glanced up as he sorted the mail. He must have had some sort of look on his face because when his husband looked up he motioned between him and his sister with an envelope.  “I'm not getting in the middle of that. Whatever that was.”

“She's not a fan of your lobsters, Quatre,” he told him with a smile.

Quatre's eyes brightened and he looked at Cathy. “You saw Thing One and Thing Two?”

Cathy glared at his husband. “You named them?” she asked flatly.

Quatre looked a bit taken aback. “Of course.”

Cathy seemed to think for a moment. “How can you tell which one's Thing one and which one is Thing Two?”

Quatre smiled. “The one I see first is Thing One.”

Trowa couldn't help but laugh yet again at the annoyed expression Cathy shot Quatre. This weekend was bound to be hysterical.

[ladyjstruth-blog]

First Chapter in GW Fanfiction: Back to Reality

The alarm clock blared in his ear. Only half conscious, a blonde haired youth groaned, brows furrowing in annoyance and pulled a pillow over his head. A few minutes later the offending noise grew louder.

Reluctantly, Quatre Raberba Winner slowly opened his eyes. Vision still blurry and unfocused, he reached over and slapped the alarm clock into quiet submission. With a resigned sigh, he pulled himself into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes into wakefulness before glancing at the clock. It was five am.

Quatre dragged himself out of bed and headed into the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day. Most of his friends would still be in bed for another half hour he knew. Old habits die hard though. The former Gundam pilot had never shaken his routine of waking up early in the mornings. However, prepping for a battle or going over an endless supply of information on his enemy had been replaced for the more mundane task of getting ready for a day of high school.

It had been two years since the Mariemaia Incident and everyone had returned to their 'normal' lives. For Heero, that meant constantly moving from mission to mission; Duo had gone to work with Hilde in the scrap yard (Quatre thought they made a good couple); Trowa had unsurprisingly returned to the circus; Wufei now worked with Sally Po as a preventer officer; Relena was keeping herself busy as the diplomatic Vice Foreign Minister; and Quatre...Quatre had decided to go to high school.

It had seemed an odd decision at first to the others, but the ex-pilot wanted to experience some form of normalcy and high school had seemed like the best way to do it. A normal high school experience was a little trickier than initially believed, however. Even with his sisters making most of the decisions regarding the wealthy family's business, Winner Enterprises Incorporated, Quatre had felt claustrophobic. On his home colony, he had been constantly surrounded by businessmen and women who, despite their good intentions to include him in some of the company's business affairs, simply didn't give him the freedom he so desperately wanted.

So Quatre had decided to leave the colony and attend a high school on Earth. The blonde had loved the earth since he had set foot on the vibrant planet. It had seemed the perfect answer and so in August of AC 197, Quatre Raberba Winner began attending class at Wilmington Academy. It was a quaint city on the coast of what had been Europe before the world borders had been dismantled. The city housed a moderate number of people but yet had not reduced anything from the beautiful coastal vistas and stunning landscape.

These thoughts were not on the young Arab's mind, however, as he dressed in his uniform consisting of a deep red collared button-up shirt, red and black striped tie, black blazer with the school's logo, and finally, black slacks and shoes. Not the most flattering thing he'd worn, but it wasn't hideous either. He waited to put on the blazer though. For the moment it rested upon his briefcase style school bag beside his desk, which was situated against the opposite wall to the bathroom.

Quatre checked himself over for the final time, then grabbed the bag with the blazer and descended the sleek black stairs that lead from the split second story that housed two bedrooms, a den, a full bathroom, and a laundry room, to the first story main room. The whole house, though small, had a modern feel to it along with an open floor plan and plenty of beautiful windows, giving the place a bright and welcoming atmosphere.

Setting the bag and blazer next to the door, he walked across the room into the kitchen. The blonde poured himself a quick breakfast consisting of a bowl of cereal and orange juice. Dawn was in full swing with the sun throwing radiant hues of orange, red, and yellow across the water. He paused for a minute, enjoying the beauty of Earth. He was still as awed by the lush planet as he had when he first arrived over two years ago. It was a sight he knew he would never get tired of watching.

As part of his routine, Quatre turned on the small TV that hung against the wall among the cabinets to watch the morning news. "The conflict between the ESUN and the Republic of Eastern Eurussia has only intensified with the newly seceding country declaring that it has obtained armaments, including mobile suites. The mobile suits are believed to include Taurus and Aries among others, though this information has neither been confirmed nor denied."

Quatre shook his head. The conflict was getting worse and he believed a militaristic conflict was highly probable. Relena Darlian and other representatives from the Earth Sphere Unified Nation and the newly formed Republic of Eastern Eurussia (which consisted of what had formerly been Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia) had been in discussion for nearly a month now, trying to establish a peaceful resolution between the two entities. The Republic wanted to secede from the ESUN because they disliked being under the control of the ESUN, preferring the singular power they had held as independent countries before the war. In the interest of not seeming like a dictatorship and keeping the peace, the ESUN had allowed the fledgling country to separate itself.

The real problem stemmed from the Republic's demand of rights to armaments. This demand was rejected by the ESUN for reasonable fear of a war. Now, however, it all seemed in vain. It seemed to Quatre as if the Republic was hoping for a fight.

In two years of moving forward, it seemed as if they had just moved two years back. Quatre sighed. It was time to leave. He donned the blazer before swinging his school bag over his shoulder and walked out of the house, locking the door behind him. It took about half an hour and forty-five minutes to get to the Academy, depending on traffic. It was a little far, but he thought the view his house offered more than made up for the extra travel time.

As it was, the walk from his residence took thirty minutes along the picture perfect scenic roads that wound lazily among traditional earthly homes to the little tram station that took him within ten minutes of Wilmington Academy. As he walked along the now familiar route to the tram Quatre's mind turned away from the depressing world news to a more personal matter. It was mid-August and Heero's birthday, which Duo had somehow found and revealed to other former Gundam pilots, had come and gone without any word or excitement. Not that he had really expected much else, but Duo had told him that he was hoping to snare Heero from work to throw a party. Obviously, it hadn't worked.

The thought saddened the blonde ex-pilot. He missed the others, especially the tall pilot of Heavyarms, Trowa Barton. The two had developed a closeness that was something more than simple camaraderie among soldiers. Quatre missed him the most, not in small part to his attraction to the quiet youth.

Quatre had realized his attraction to Trowa after he thought he had killed the other in a battle. At the time Quatre had been inconsolable after his father's murder by his own colony and as a result of Quatre's devastated frame of mind, the blonde pilot had created a new mobile suite, the Wing Zero. Enraged by the death of his father and the betrayal of the colony, Quatre had set out to destroy the colonies. In the process, a battle ensued between himself, Heero, and Trowa. The intense battle resulted in Quatre regaining his state of mind at the expense of Trowa's welfare. At the time, it was believed that Trowa had not survived.

It was later revealed to be untrue when Duo found Trowa working once again at the circus with Catherine, an older sister type figure to Trowa, albeit without any memory of being a Gundam pilot. He later regained those memories after piloting Heero’s Gundam Wing Zero in battle.

Despite Trowa's forgiveness, Quatre had never truly forgiven himself for causing so much harm to someone he cared so much for and had brought his deep feelings for the older pilot into revelation. Since then, the blonde had kept any romantic feelings for the other boy to himself. Trowa was hard for Quatre to read from an empathic sense and he didn't want to ruin the friendship that he cherished.

Quatre's thoughts of Heero's non-existent birthday party led to thoughts of the other pilots and inevitably, Trowa. His meandering thoughts stayed with him all the way to the tram station, through the smooth, uneventful ride, and all the way to school. He was finally brought out of his daydreaming by calls from a group of friends near the entrance to the Academy grounds. The young Arab smiled and waved a casual hand in response.

Back to reality.

###

You can read the rest of the story on AO3 at http://bit.ly/2h6Os07

[ladyjstruth-blog]

Danny Dog Wants To Go Outside - Sneak Peak of Next Chapter in Hard Line

Quatre sighed and looked at his watch. Quarter after one. He dropped his head back against his computer chair and rubbed his hands over his face. The data was spectacular. Better than he’d hoped actually, which boded well for his thesis, but it was taking longer than he’d expected to get through it all and he had at least twelve other things he had on his itinerary for today.

With another sigh he let his hands fall and swiveled his computer chair. The picturesque Charles River spanned across his view. Its magnificence reminded him how small humans were and of how beautiful the world was. In such a technology driven era, he always felt comforted by the knowledge that the Earth continued to demand respect from humanity, placing boundaries on what man could accomplish while also inspiring the challenge to break boundaries.

Quatre swiveled back around. Danny Dog sat in the open door frame to the spare bedroom that currently functioned as his office. The regal collie stared at him longingly. “I have work to do,” Quatre told him regretfully before returning to his work.

After five minutes of staring at the same paper and circling around the same thought process, he glanced back to the doorway. Danny Dog continued to stare at him. He looked back down at the paper in his hand. He could feel his dog’s eyes staring holes through him. He looked back at the collie. “What?”

Danny Dog barked.

Quatre waved at his paperwork. “Can you not see that I’m behind?” he asked. Danny Dog tilted his head. He tried to go back to his work once again, but couldn’t shake the penetrating feeling of the collie’s eyes. He glanced up. Danny Dog wasn’t there.

He sighed with half-hearted relief...and felt the weight of Danny Dog’s muzzle on his knee. He reached down and scratched the dog’s neck through his mane of fur. “You’re not going to leave me alone are you?” he asked.

Danny groaned, causing him to let out a huff of mild exasperation. Between the eyes and the pathetic begging, saying no to Danny Dog was impossible.

“Fine. You win. Come on!” He waved his hand towards the door. Danny Dog launched forward and out into the living room, the tags on his collar jingling.

[ladyjstruth-blog]

Quatre & Trowa Spend an Evening at a Carnival (Excerpt from Back to Reality)

Already it was near dusk by the time they were walking along the harbor pier that hosted a small Carnival year round. The bright lights were on, crazy carnival noises and local radio broadcasts carried across the pier from many of the attractions.

The two walked in between rows of game tents while avoiding crashing into children as the little urchins ran headlong through the crowd. Trowa's sudden change in behavior seemed to have been something of a dream like it had never happened and Quatre was munching contentedly on a bag of cotton candy (it was his second) while Trowa held a large stuffed panda bear that he'd won at a shooting booth. Trowa smiled at Quatre's love for sweets.

"You have such a sweet tooth." He commented casually, glancing down at the smaller youth.

The blonde smiled and shrugged, pulling out a small handful of the fluffy pink stuff. "I've got a good dentist," he replied offhandedly. His quip answer provoked a deep chuckle from the tall acrobat, causing Quatre to falter a step. The sound almost made him melt. He recovered quickly though and Trowa didn't seem to notice.

Relief washed over the young multi-millionaire. He could handle executives and siblings hounding him about WEI on top of his school work, during exams no less, but he wasn't sure he could handle Trowa's reaction to Quatre spilling his guts about his feelings toward him.

Especially when the blonde got the impression that Trowa wasn't exactly batting for his team, so to speak.

As much as Quatre was attracted to his former comrade in arms, he was too afraid of ruining their friendship to say anything. The last thing he wanted was to scare off the one person he wanted to get closest to for something that might not even work.

Trowa's voice cut sharply into Quatre's internal dilemma.

"Quatre, want to go take the ferry around the harbor?" The taller boy was looking at him expectantly and Quatre figured it hadn't been the first time he'd been asked that question.

"Oh, yeah…sure," replied the blonde as he hurriedly finished the last of the cotton candy, throwing the bag away as they stepped onto the ferry boat. The crowd was fairly large already and the air inside the enclosed area of the boat was too stifling, so Trowa led the way out onto the open deck.

They stopped near the railing, Quatre allowing his school bag to drop to the floor unceremoniously at his feet, leaning with his forearms on the rail. He looked into the gloomy black waves of the water as they pulled away from the dock, allowing them to take his thoughts with them.

Trowa stood, straight and erect with his hands in his pockets, panda bear resting against his leg, and taking in the colorful lights of the harbor. His eyes soon drifted over to the blonde by his side only a few feet away. He couldn't help but enjoy the view.

Quatre was turning into a very naturally attractive young man. He felt the urge to run his hand through that beautiful golden blonde hair, gently trail his fingers down Quatre's neck, whisper sweet nothings in his ear while his hands slipped down across his back sending ripples of pleasure across the younger boy's body, and lower to his waist, and then continuing even lower…

Trowa was startled, as much as the usually composed ex-Gundam pilot could be anyway, out of his less than innocent thoughts about his friend by a question spoken so softly he almost didn't catch it. "When will you leave?" asked the blonde, looking up at Trowa, searching for an answer he knew wouldn't be there.

The brunette shrugged, not picking up on the hidden meaning underneath the simple question. "A week, maybe longer if we do well enough." He watched as Quatre casually turned around, leaning his back against the rail, stuffing his hands in his pockets and gazing up at the few stars that weren't obscured by the bright lights of the city. The blonde closed his eyes and sighed, causing a guilty knot to form in Trowa’s stomach. "Not long enough is it?" he asked.

Quatre shook his head. "It wouldn't be nearly so bad, you know, if you would write or call or…something, every once in awhile," Quatre accused with a bit more vehemence than he had intended.

"Duo and Wufei at least contact me once in awhile and I talk to Relena enough to know what Heero's up to...As much as you're allowed to know what he's up to anyway. But I don't hear a word from you until you show up out of the blue. Not one, Trowa." Quatre looked over his shoulder to meet Trowa's eyes with his own. "What's up with that? I thought we were closer than that," he finished quietly, fighting desperately to keep the tears from welling up in his eyes and the pathetic quiver out of his voice. He was suddenly very angry with Trowa and also very hurt, but he didn't want to collapse into a blubbering mess in front of the guy.

Trowa didn't react, just met Quatre's gaze coldly. The brunette saw the tears in his eyes threatening to get the better of his friend and the knowledge that he was the cause pained him. He knew he owed Quatre a better explanation than he could give. There wasn't any good reason Trowa was willing to admit to that kept him from making contact with him up until today, so he kept silent. He saw a flash of anger in those vibrant blue eyes, and then an expression of defeat as Quatre dropped his head to stare dejectedly at the deck.

Quatre blinked the tears away and waited until he trusted his voice before changing the subject. "How'd you find me anyway?" he asked curiously. Any hint of anger or pain was gone from his voice, replaced by faint curiosity. "I mean, it's not exactly like I announced what school I was attending and Wilmington has a very strict code on privacy for exactly that reason".

"I hacked into all of the private schools' databases in the surrounding area until I found you," Trowa replied nonchalantly, looking back out across the water. "It's not like it was hard," he added as an afterthought.

In spite of his annoyance of Trowa's lack of interest in keeping in contact with him, Quatre chuckled at his answer. He should have guessed that that was how he had done it. Just because they didn't necessarily have to hack into places anymore didn't mean that they still couldn't.

"Old habits, I suppose" commented the blonde, looking back up at the sky. The stars made him think of the colonies, which in turn, made him think about the ESUN, followed closely by thoughts of the Republic. "We're going to war again Trowa," he said with a painful finality in his tone.

"It’s highly likely, yes," replied the taller brunette. He turned to face Quatre fully and moved closer to the blonde. The change in personal space brought Quatre's attention from the sky back to Trowa, who was now only inches from him. He felt his throat constrict and it took all of his willpower not to look away from the determined look that he found in the other’s eyes.

"There is a chance though, that the Republic has merely taken up mobile suites because they feel threatened by the ESUN, optimistically speaking anyway. And a large part of me wants to believe that," Trowa continued. "But if the Republic does go to war against the ESUN, I'm ready to fight again. I have no doubt that Relena will ask us for help if it comes to that. But until she does or the Republic declares war, whichever comes first, I'll stay with the circus. I'm not yet willing to leave Cathy for a maybe."

Quatre stared into Trowa's eyes for a moment before looking back over his shoulder at the harbor dock with all its radiant lights edging closer as the ferry boat made its slow trek back to port. "It's a shame," he thought out loud. "I had just gotten used to being a normal high school student. It was nice."

Trowa could see the conflicting feelings raging within his friend. Out of all the pilots, Quatre was one of two who had previously held a relatively normal lifestyle, even if it hadn't exactly been all happy days and sunshine.

The war between Earth and the space colonies that surrounded the Earth which he had so actively participated in, the constant conflict with and eventual death of his pacifist father followed immediately by the death of his sister, and the overall baggage one accumulates during a war had changed him significantly. Hardly normal for a fifteen-year-old, but in spite of such traumatic events he had forged a new life as a civilian quite successfully. Something none of the others had managed to accomplish.

And now, thanks to this new Republic of Eurussia, it was all getting yanked away because Quatre wasn't the type of person to stand aside and watch everything he had worked to achieve get destroyed.

Trowa couldn't imagine how it must feel to the kind hearted seventeen-year-old. Trowa had never been an overly expressive individual and his upbringing amongst mercenaries hadn’t exactly promoted sensitivity. But he could see the confusion, fear, anger, and determination in his friend's eyes. At that moment, all he wanted to do was comfort him. Let him know that despite whatever happened in the future everything would be okay.

Before he realized what he was doing, he had brought a curled index finger underneath Quatre's chin, gently forcing the blonde to look him in the eyes. "Quatre."

Quatre's breath hitched as Trowa tenderly coerced him to meet his gaze. Butterflies made themselves known in his stomach, he felt his heart pound hard against his chest and somewhere in the back of his head he prayed that Trowa couldn't feel his pulse.

Quatre was powerless to do anything other than stare up into those wonderful green eyes. He was also becoming increasingly more aware of how close they were to each other. Just one more step and their bodies would touch.

"Trowa…I..." Quatre started as he made to move closer. The intimacy was lost however when, just as Quatre had moved toward the other pilot, his cell phone rang. Buzzing obnoxiously in his back pocket, Quatre cursed under his breath as he reached to silence the thing. At the same time, he was painfully aware that Trowa had promptly withdrawn his hand, which had felt so comforting to the blonde, and had backed away a few paces.

Returning to his original position, Trowa watched calmly as Quatre fished the offending gadget out of his pocket. Casting the stoic young man a look of apology at the intrusion, he noticed the caller was Rashid.

Cursing again, a little louder this time, Quatre pressed the answer button.

Full story can be found on AO3 at: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9327206/chapters/21135179

[ladyjstruth-blog]

Excerpt from Water Under the Bridge, a GW fanfiction posted on AO3

It was sunny. Sunny and warm. The birds were calling to each other and the ocean breeze was welcome as it followed the Charles River and ruffled the back of his shirt. It was early March. The days were never this warm and bright in March. It felt more like the beginning of summer rather than the end of winter.

Quatre looked around in confusion. He remembered being at home, sick, and he was wearing his normal clothes, a high quality button up and business trousers. Definitely a change from the pajamas he’d half-consciously crawled into the other day.

But here he was, well dressed and obviously standing at the Esplanade at Lederman Park and Fielder Field. There was no mistaking where he was. It didn’t make sense. He could see the walking bridge to his left.

He tucked his hands in his pants pockets as he considered this curious turn of events, turning around and taking stock of where he was once again. Then he heard something he wasn’t expecting at all. His father’s voice. Speaking with a woman.

He spun back around, looking towards the bridge. Right in the middle, at the top of it’s arch, was his father. Just as he remembered him. Tall, statuesque, and strong. His face was turned away from him, but Quatre recognized his father’s sandy brown hair, so different from his own platinum blonde. He was wearing the same clothes he’d worn the last day he’d been alive too. The white shirt, red vest, grey Middle Eastern pants, a nod to their heritage.

They laughed. Him and the woman. Quatre couldn’t remember seeing his father so happy and untroubled. He couldn’t see the woman, not well anyway. His father’s tall frame kept her from view. He watched as her bright blonde hair danced as it got caught up in the breeze. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he heard her voice as she laughed at some joke they shared. It sounded like bell chimes.

Suddenly he felt very much invisible, like a child standing among adults talking about things he couldn’t possibly understand. But he wasn’t a child anymore. He was 25, a doctoral student in Engineering at MIT, and the CEO of the family business…because his father was dead.

Unhurried, he began walking up the bridge to meet them. If he was here with his dead father and a woman he highly suspected of being his mother, in the beginning of summer, when he should be sick in bed at home at the tail end of winter, then things were not going well for him. Strangely, the idea didn’t bother him much.

As he approached the pair, the woman turned and walked away. He paused, stopping several yards from his father, as he watched her go. A deep sadness crept inside his heart as she disappeared like a windswept cloud. He stared at the place she’d been. “Why did she leave?” he asked sadly. His voice didn’t waver as he’d feared it would though, so at least there was that.

Link to full story: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11158086

[ladyjstruth-blog]

A Little Snippet from a Current Work in Progress in the GW Fandom of Fanfiction

The first day of their vacation had been spent primarily catching up with the Maguanacs and readying the boat for their impending diving trip. After that, they had boated up the western coast of Saudi Arabia to the very northern part of the Red Sea with a stop in Yanbu, halfway up the coast, for refueling before they’d arrived at their destination of Sharm El-Sheik in Egypt.

The resort town was located at the southern tip of the Sinai Penninsula. Situated between both the Gulf of Aqaba on the East and the Gulf of Suez to the West, the city had been the perfect place to stop for the night before they’d begun a three-day diving marathon among several shipwrecks that littered the mouth of the Suez and today was an early start. Quatre had thought swimming with dolphins would be the perfect way to end an amazing vacation and he was eager to get going.

Heero stepped on board, taking Quatre’s place as he helped Trowa and Wufei with their gear. Quatre left Heero to it and made his way to the wheel. The bright red leather was thin and ribbed beneath his hand for an easy grip as he inserted the key and turned on the ignition. The twin engines gurgled, then roared to life and he couldn’t keep the smile off his face.

He’d been on ships several times before, but living in Boston the last two years had really incited a love for the water in him. Last semester he’d even splurged on himself and took, and passed, MIT’s sailing and archery courses. Already proficient in both fencing and firearms, he’d been able to test out of those on the first day of those courses, and he was now officially certified as an MIT “pirate”. It was silly he knew, but experiences like that are what the joy of living was all about.

Quatre let the boat idle as he looked over his shoulder. The gear was all packed in securely and he caught a glimpse of Heero helping Wufei take some coolers down into the galley. Trowa was moving in his direction.

But they were missing someone.

“Where’s Duo?” he called over the sound of the engines. “I don’t want to leave anyone behind on accident.”

Heero and Wufei both re-emerged from below as Trowa came up next to him, placing a gentle hand on the small of his back. “There he is,” Trowa said, motioning towards the top of the wharf. Quatre looked in the indicated direction and sure enough, Duo was running towards them, fishing poles in hand and his long braid streaming behind him. Danny Dog, Quatre’s collie, bounded after the long-haired ex-Gundam pilot, playfully jumping on his back paws in excitement. They had enough food stored on the boat, but there was nothing quite like the taste of freshly caught Red Sea fish cooked on a skillet, which was also a tasty part of their plans.

“We can leave him on purpose,” Wufei said dryly.