Disclaimer: Most of the characters do not belong to me. A few of 'em do, but if you don't like them...um...they're not mine. Kidding, I take responsibility for the children

Author's Notes: Well. I did. I wrote a sixth part of the Family Saga. This is only the first of three parts, but I'm exploring some new territory. I hope you all will embrace it as you did the first five stories in the series. (They are, in order, "In a Family Way", "Ashes in the Valley", "Baby Mine", "What Once Was Lost", and "In the Living Years".)

I also wanted to apologize for never getting back to a few people who left such amazing reviews on the last story, "In the Living Years", reviews that actually made me cry. It's unforgivable that I never contacted you, to thank you. So, to Caro-chan, Becky, Saz, Stella and everyone else who read and reviewed, I say "thank you" with my whole heart.

I had originally intended to put this sixth part out on the one year anniversary of the posting of the first part, "In a Family Way", which would be January 15th, but I'll be swamped with work then, so I have to post it early;) Enjoy!!

Dedication: To all the people who take the time to read my stuff. You don't have to include me in your life, but you do and I am grateful for it.

****

Upon a Knife's Point
by Kristen Elizabeth

****

"'Mani...it's me."

"Tori! I had just about given up on you!"

"Sorry...my da was playing Communicator Nazi. He's paranoid that I'm calling a boy or something." Victoria Yuy rolled her eyes with all the exasperation of a seventeen year old about to turn eighteen.

Her best friend, Amani Na'ilah Barton smiled. "I think both of my dads are hoping that I've forgotten what boys are."

"Speaking of boys...."

"Oh, no. I think I know what you're going to say, Tori."

Victoria adopted her best look of innocence, effective only when dealing with her father. "What? What am I going to say?"

"If you're going to tell me that your brother is going to be at the party, I am so not interested," Amani replied, firmly.

"You're a horrible liar, 'Mani. I know for a fact that you have a picture of Benji in a very prominent place on your dresser." Victoria was smug. "So don't go pulling this 'so not interested' stuff with me."

Amani crossed her arms over her angora sweater. "That picture happens to have you in it, too. Not to mention Celeste and Lin and Adam and Eve and Jade and..."

"Yeah, in the background."

Her blond friend blushed prettily. "It is a good picture of him."

"Finally!! You will admit to having a crush on my brother! This is a momentous occasion."

"I don't see why you're getting so excited, Tori. Yes, I like your brother. But it's not like he has any feelings for me. Maybe at one time he thought I might be fun to fool around with, but once he realized I'm not another Eve Maxwell, he pretty much said to hell with me."

Victoria hid a grin behind her hand. "Eve and Benji were over before they even started."

"Exactly. And he and I will never get off the ground. Because let's face it, Tori. Much as I like Ben and think he's probably a good guy deep down, he's hardly the serious type. At least when it comes to girls." Amani took a breath. "And I'm not looking for a fling with him."

"I know what you mean," Victoria admitted. "He's only gotten worse since he went to college. Daddy practically threatened to cut him off if he didn't pull up his grades last semester. That really got his attention. Academically, anyways."

Amani leaned forward on the desk and propped her chin up with one hand. "But he's still Ben. He'll always be Ben. He'll always be looking for the quickest thing to come along."

"And you're not quick."

"I'm not Eve."

"Ouch," Victoria snickered. "I'm definitely not getting caught in a room with the two of you next weekend."

"Please...I'm not out for her blood." Amani's heart-shaped mouth curled up in a mischevious smile. "It's enough to sit back and watch her try to change Lin's sexual preference by whipping her damned braid back and forth in his face."

Victoria held out a hand. "Hey! Celeste and I are still mourning over Lin and Adam, so I have to let that one slide."

"There is way too much diplomat in you, Tori."

"The pacifism gene rears its complacent head." Victoria studied her pretty friend on her communicator screen. "Are you going to be okay with seeing Ben at the party?"

Amani lifted her slender shoulders. "Why not? It won't be any different than any other time, right?"

"Well....sort of. I mean, it's *our* party. Everyone is gathering because of us and the fact that we graced the planet eighteen years ago." Victoria winked. "Plus, if I know you with your dad's credit card, you've got the dress to end all dresses."

"Maybe..." Amani drawled, mysteriously.

"Use it! Flaunt everything you've got, but make sure he knows you don't come cheap. Sometimes my brother needs a swift kick in his ass before he gets a clue. Trust me...he'd rather you do the kicking than our father."

"Even if I did somehow manage to do that, my father would never let me date Ben. Or any guy for that matter."

Victoria frowned. "Which dad? Mr. Quatre or Mr. Trowa?"

"You know which one...the only other blond in this house. And where the blond goes, the brunette follows. I don't stand a chance with the two of them allied. You know, I've never thought it was odd to have two fathers. But to have one who won't let me date until I get to college...."

"I wish I could say I knew where you were coming from. My dad would probably let me date...but I'd have to warn any guy who asked me out that he might be taking his life into his own hands by doing so." Victoria shook her head. "It's so much easier to be a guy in this family. But listen, in a week, you'll be eighteen. Fully capable according to inter-spatial law to make your own decisions. If you want to date my brother and he wants to date you...go for it."

Amani rolled her eyes. "We'll see." She smiled softly. "I miss you, Tori."

"I miss you, too. But I'll see you in..." Victoria counted to herself. "Five days."

"Five days," Amani repeated. "Bye."

"Sayonara!"

Amani stared at the blank communicator screen long after her best friend's face had disappeared from it. Often, it seemed as though Victoria could see right through her. She certainly understood her better than anyone else in the galaxy, even if she did claim that her wisdom came from being nearly a week older than Amani.

Heaving a small sigh, Amani got up and went to her dresser. Try as hard as she did, she was unable to stop herself from looking at the framed picture sitting on top of her jewelry box. Taken the previous summer while Ben was home from college, the picture was the only one in existence, to Amani's knowledge, of her and the oldest Yuy offspring. It had been a rare moment where Ben had put his arm around her and asked his mother to take the picture. Amani still had no idea why he had done it; he hadn't tried to cop a feel, as he usually did during pictures.

With determination, she picked the framed picture up and stuffed it under a pile of underwear in her top drawer. Exactly where Ben would want his picture to be. Amani had barely closed the drawer again before there was a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in," she called out.

One of her fathers, Quatre Winner, stepped into the room. "Did I hear the communicator awhile ago?"

Amani nodded. "It was Victoria. We were just talking about the party."

Quatre smiled at his adopted daughter. "I know you've been missing her. It's been too long since we've seen everyone."

"Daddy?" Amani sat on the edge of her four-poster bed. "I'm going to be eighteen next week..."

"Yes." Quatre's eyes were strangely sad. "You are."

"And eighteen is a big milestone. I'm almost done with high school and I think I've grown up a lot in the past four years." Amani paused. "Do you think I could maybe....think about accepting some of the dates I get asked out on? Maybe?"

There was a moment of silence before Quatre sat beside her on the bed. "Amani...we've all talked about this before. Dating isn't something you should do just because you can or because everyone else is. A certain maturity level needs to be reached before...."

"You don't think I'm mature, Daddy?"

"I didn't say that. I just don't..."

"Trust me," Amani supplied. "You don't trust me to be responsible about my own life, do you? You think I'm going to make all the wrong choices if given the opportunity." Her lower lip wobbled. "Like my mother."

Quatre's tranquil eyes sparked. "Amani Na'ilah," he began in a warning tone. "Your mother was a good person."

"But she made a mistake."

Her father's hand on her shoulder was warm. Comforting. "You were not a mistake, Amani," he said softly.

Tears wet her hazel eyes. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I just don't understand."

"And until you're a parent, you won't." Quatre cupped her cheek. "Trowa and I don't put restrictions on you because we think you'll mess up. We do it because *we're* afraid of messing up. Can you see that?"

Amani nodded before resting her forehead on Quatre's shoulder. "I can see that. And appreciate it." She frowned. "But do I have to like it?"

"Of course not." Her other father, Trowa Barton, spoke up from the open doorway. He walked into his daughter's bedroom and sat on her other side. "But you've made it this far, baby. What's another few months?"

Smiling, Amani lightly jabbed her father in the ribs with her elbow. "Another few months of dictatorship?"

"I prefer to think of it as absolute control," Trowa retorted.

Quatre reached around their daughter to poke his lover, teasingly. "Will you stop it? I almost had the kid placated."

Amani laughed and stood up, turning around to face the only family she had ever known. The perfect family, in her opinion. "Fine, fine. I won't date. I'll become a dried up old spinster who lives with her parents and forty bodyguards...I mean, cats, until the day she dies."

Trowa looked at Quatre. "When she puts it like that...."

"Manipulation will get you nowhere, Amani." Quatre stood up and dropped a kiss onto his daughter's forehead. "Go to bed. You've got school in the morning."

Rising onto her toes, she kissed each father's cheek in turn as they left the room. "Night," she called out after them.

The hallway of the Winner mansion was quiet as the two men walked back to their room...until one of them broke the silence. "You know who she wants to date, don't you?"

Quatre frowned. "I don't want to hear you say 'Benjamin Yuy'."

"I don't have to. You said it for me." Trowa opened the door to the master bedroom, letting Quatre go in first. "Can I ask why you're so opposed to the boy?"

"It's not so much Ben himself," Quatre replied. Trowa raised an eyebrow and closed the door behind them. "All right....it is. Ben is..."

"A player?"

Quatre scowled at his lover. "If we're going to use such dated terms, I'd have to go with 'ladies man'. He's not serious about anything, Trowa. Or anyone. He would walk all over Amani's heart...and I'm afraid she'd never recover." He began unbuttoning his shirt. "How two such serious people as Heero and Relena managed to produce someone as flighty as Ben, I'll never understand."

"Ben is a good kid, Quatre."

"But is he good enough for Amani? Is he really the sort of guy you want your daughter to place her entire trust in?"

Trowa lay back on the bed, watching Quatre undress. "People can change, Quatre. Remember when Duo told us he was going to marry Hilde? We gave it a year. And now it's been...what? Twenty-eight years?"

Quatre stepped out of his pants. "Don't you ever get tired of being right?"

"Come here." Trowa waited until Quatre had climbed onto the bed beside him. "If we raised the kid right at all, she'll be able to handle herself in any situation. Even situations that involve Ben."

"Yeah..." Quatre nestled his cheek into the crook of Trowa's neck. "I should let her date....anyone of her choosing. But do I have to like it?"

Trowa held him tighter. "Not if I don't. And believe me...I don't."

His partner stared at the wall. "Where did eighteen years go? I still sometimes expect to be woken up in the night by her crying. I have to stop and remind myself that she doesn't need us to do everything for her anymore." He paused. "She barely needs us for anything anymore."

"I think she might still need us for some stuff," Trowa said, confidently. "Only maybe right now, it's more support than guidance."

Quatre smiled and kissed his lover's jaw. "If you don't get tired of being right, I'll get tired of it for you."

****

"Hey! I'm home!!" Twenty year old Benjamin Yuy looked around the empty foyer of his childhood home. When he received no reply, he set down his duffel bag. A puzzled look shadowed his handsome face. "I said, I'm home!"

"Benji!!" His youngest sister, nine year old Anastasia Yuy, flew down the grand staircase and catapulted herself into his arms. "I missed you!!"

He hugged her for a second. "Where's everyone, Ana?"

The little girl took a deep breath. "Daddy and Edward are at work, Mommy is in a meeting with her general advisors, Tori is upstairs taking *another* bath, Uncle Millardo and Aunt Lu went out shopping, Celeste is at her boyfriend's house, Abby is putting Emily down for a nap and I'm...." She sucked in a huge lungful of air. "...out of breath."

Ben patted her head. "Thanks for the update, small one."

Anastasia scowled. "I am not small!" she declared. "I grew a whole inch since the last time you were home. Didn't you notice??"

"Boy Lesson #2, Ana." Victoria descended the stairs, dressed in jeans and a peasant blouse. Her long, chestnut brown hair was wrapped in a wet towel. "They notice nothing. New hair style, new hair color, height difference, new lipstick color...they will never realize anything has changed until you tell them." She smiled sweetly at her brother. "Because they're all complete dorks."

Grinning evily, Ben reached up and grabbed the towel from his sister's head. Her hair fell in wet strings down to the middle of her back. "Your hair's a mess. I noticed that."

Victoria made a grab for the towel. "That's so mature, Benji. Give it back!" He held up over her head. "I said, give it back!" When he still ignored her, Victoria jumped on her brother's back, wrestling him for the towel.

"I see Ben is home." Abigail Maxwell-Peacecraft made her way down to her squabbling younger cousins. "It was so peaceful a few minutes ago."

Ben smiled at his older cousin's wife. He held onto his sister with one arm, to make sure she wouldn't fall, while holding her towel out of her reach with the other. His back bent under the load he carried. "You mean boring, right?"

"You say 'tomato'..." Abigail plucked the towel from his hand and gave it to Victoria. The younger girl released her grip on her brother and landed on the floor.

Victoria gave her a grateful look. "It's nice to know that someone around here cares."

"I care, Tori," Anastasia assured her. She took her sister's hand.

"That's all I need, chibi." Victoria winked at her little sister. "The Yuy girls will be in my room having a make-up lesson," she announced. "Please don't disturb us." With that, she and Anastasia started up the stairs.

"So," Abigail began after the girls were gone. "How are classes?"

Ben made a face. "Classes are classes."

"Don't tell me there's not one interesting thing you've studied all semester." Abigail started for the parlor, picking up a few stray baby toys along the way.

He followed her as she cleaned up after her daughter, Emily. "I guess Colonial History is okay. We had to watch one of Mom's old speeches the other day. She must have been, like, fifteen when she gave it. Kinda weird."

Abigail nodded. "I used to think that, too, when we studied the Eve Wars in school. I thought...damn. When Relena was fifteen, she was Queen of the World. And I'm lucky if I get to be head cheerleader."

"The professor managed to find out who I am," Ben sighed. "I figured if I hung out in the back of the room and didn't say anything, he might overlook me. But now I'm supposed to ask Mom if she would come in and talk to his classes next semester."

Edward's wife gave him a knowing look. "It can't be easy...being held up against your mother by your professors."

"Thank you! Finally, someone understands!"

"Still..." Abigail dumped a load of baby blocks into a basket. "It doesn't mean you should slack off to prove something."

Ben didn't say anything for a minute. "Who's Celeste's new boyfriend?" he finally asked.

"Some kid in her class. Actually, I was going to talk to you about it." She sat on the edge of a plush chair. "My feminine instincts tell me that my sister-in-law is very close to letting this boy go where no one has gone before."

He lifted an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with me?"

"I want you to talk to her about it. Try to get her to think with her head and not her libido."

Ben sat next to her. "Abby...it'd be way too hypocritical of me to do that. I started having sex when I was seventeen." He stopped, unsure if Abigail was aware of with whom he had started having sex. If she didn't know...he wasn't about to tell her.

"Well then...you should know better than anyone else how completely horny guys are when they're Celeste's age." Abigail looked at him seriously. "Just remind her that not all guys are into sex for the same reasons girls are. If I had given in to Edward when I was her age, we might not be where we are right now."

"Why don't you tell her that?"

"And shatter her illusion that her brother was my first lover? Never." Abigail winked at him. "Do me this one favor, Ben? Consider it your reparations to my gender."

Ben blinked. "Edward wasn't your first lover?" Abigail slapped his arm. "Ow," he laughed. "Fine, fine. I have 'the talk' with Celeste tonight."

Abigail jumped off the couch. "You're a doll."

"Hey!" Ben cried. "What do you mean 'reparations'?"

****

"The captain has turned off the fasten seat belt sign. Feel free to move about the cabin."

Amani looked up from her magazine. "You mean float around the cabin," she corrected the stewardess.

In the seat beside her, Adam Maxwell lifted his headphones off his ears. "Did you say something?"

"Nothing." She set the magazine aside. "It's really good to see you, Adam."

He turned his music off to give her his full attention. "It's good to see you, too. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to come with everyone this weekend. Schoolwork is overwhelming senior year." He glanced to the back of the space shuttle where his parents, Duo and Hilde Maxwell, along with Quatre and Trowa, were seated. "But Dad convinced me to take a break. I'm not supposed to think about school for the next three days."

"And Mr. Heero says your dad isn't smart," Amani laughed.

Adam's violet eyes twinkled. "Plus once I learned Lin would be coming..." He didn't need to finish his sentence.

"Just save a dance for me," she told him. "It is my birthday, after all."

Duo's son took her hand and lifted it to his lips. "Anything for the birthday girl."

Amani could hear a faint snort from the seats behind them. The place Adam's twin sister, Eve, was seated. Amani slumped down into her seat and motioned for Adam to do the same. Her voice lowered. "What's wrong with her? She's been especially bitchy ever since we picked you all up on L2."

"One guess, 'Mani," Adam replied. "And it has to do with the fact that her twin brother got the guy she was after."

She smothered a giggle with her hand. "I can't believe she's still upset about that. She needs to get over it before you guys have a commitment ceremony or something. By the way, Tori and I do get to be the flower girls at that, right?"

A shadow crossed over Adam's face. "I wouldn't start picking out your dresses yet."

"What do you mean?"

Adam paused. "Lin and I have been....shaky lately. Whenever I call, he's busy and whenever he calls, I'm busy. We've barely talked to each other in two months." He frowned "And it doesn't help that Dad doesn't always give me his messages."

Amani thought for a minute. "I know it was hard for Mr. Duo at first. But I thought he was getting better about it."

"Yeah, me too. I don't know." Adam shifted in his seat. "Maybe I'm just projecting what I'm feeling onto Dad."

"And what are you feeling? You're not having doubts about Lin, are you?"

Adam shook his head. "Of course not. But I can't help but get the feeling that...he's having second thoughts about me."

She patted his hand. "You two just need to spend the next few days together. Get back to being...you know...a couple."

"You're right." Duo's son arched his back, stretching. "Enough about me. What's going on with you?"

Amani undid the belt around her waist and drew one knee up to her chest. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Pretty pathetic really."

"Nothing new in *that* department?"

"There is no department," Amani corrected him. "Besides, to have something new happening would imply that there is something older and established. My love life is, always has been and probably always will be a blank notebook, Adam."

"Well put, Amani." Eve Maxwell popped her head over their seat backs, her long braid falling between her twin and the blond girl. "I couldn't have said it better myself."

"Eve," Adam began wearily. "We were having a conversation..."

Her face, so eerily similar to his, adopted a look of feigned shock. "Such intellectuals. You don't just talk; you converse. Pardon me for interrupting all your big words."

Amani glanced at Adam. "Someone needs to drop a house on your sister and save the Munchkins."

He shook his head. "Eve, give it a rest. Don't make me have to tell Mom and Dad what time you *really* came in the other night."

Eve sucked in a breath. "You wouldn't. You're bluffing."

"I'm sure Dad especially would like to know that not only did you come in at three AM instead of midnight, but you were wearing someone else's shirt inside out and..."

"How we could have possibly been conceived at the same time is completely unfathomable to me", Eve hissed.

Amani smiled sweetly up at Duo's daughter. "See? You know some big words too, Eve."

She disappeared in a huff; her seat creaked behind them as she flopped back into it. Adam lowered his eyes, playing with the dial on his Walkman. "I'm going to get all sentimental here for a minute. Bear with me." Amani nodded, letting him continue. "Wasn't it only a year or two ago that we were all pretty much friends? What happened?"

"I guess we grew apart. At least Eve and I did."

Adam twisted the dial with careful determination. "How could I have grown apart from my twin sister?"

"It's not irreversible," Amani assured him. "You should talk to her."

"And you should take some of your own advice." Adam took her hand. "Talk to Ben."

Amani laughed nervously. "Give your brain a rest, Einstein. Ben and I aren't an equation you can solve. We're a....what's the word I'm looking for?"

"Non-existent plane." Eve's voice was sharp.

"Cut it out!" Adam shot back. He lowered his tone. "Amani...trust me on this one. You'll never know until you try. That first step is the hardest you'll ever take and the reward may not be instantaneous. But it will be worth it in the end."

Eve listened carefully to her brother's advice. Her lips curled up. So, Amani was after Ben. And Eve had *had* Ben....in every sense of the word. Amani didn't have to know that Eve didn't want him anymore.... She picked up her magazine.

The weekend was looking up.

****

What always struck Amani when she first entered the grand foyer of the Peacecraft Manor was how the huge, open space, which in any other building would have been cold and imposing, felt so warm and comfortable. Maybe it wasn't the house, but the people who lived in it. One of whom was running down the stairs at full speed to greet the newcomers.

"Mani!!" Victoria's long hair flew around her face.

"Tori!!"

The two girls embraced for a long minute. Victoria pulled away and threw her arms around Adam's neck. "I'm so glad you're all here!!"

The rest of the household began to appear to greet the Maxwells and Bartons. Amani received an extra long hug from Victoria's mother, Relena Peacecraft-Yuy. "How are you doing, sweetie?"

"I'm all right, Miss Relena. Just tired. It's a long shuttle trip."

Heero Yuy appeared at the top of the stairs. He joined the group, shaking hands with Adam's father, Duo. "Made it one piece, I see," he said to his best friend.

Duo matched the handshake with a quick, manly hug. "I need a drink," he declared.

His wife swatted his arm. "It's way too early for that. Everyone's not even here..."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the door opened again. Sally Chang and her two children, sixteen year old Jade and eighteen year old Lin entered the house. "Are we late?" Sally asked.

A new round of hugs began. Abigail came to the stairs and ran down the steps quickly. "Mom! Dad!!" She threw her arms around Duo and Hilde. A moment later, her husband, Edward Peacecraft, followed her, their daughter, Emily, in his arms.

Duo lifted his granddaughter up into the air. She squealed in utter delight. "There's my beautiful violet-eyed baby!!" He kissed both her chubby cheeks before passing her to Hilde.

Amani gave Lin a quick hug. She pulled away as Adam and Lin's eyes met. Smiling, she patted the Chinese boy on the arm. "He's missed you," she whispered.

Lin lowered his eyes to the tiled floor. "I've missed him."

"Go give him a hug," Amani ordered.

"What...in front of everyone?"

She pursed her lips. "It's not like it's a secret, Lin."

Nodding, Lin took a deep breath. Mustering all his courage, he walked over to Adam. "Hey," he began in a soft tone. "Can I hug my boyfriend?"

Adam couldn't help breaking into a wide smile. "Sure."

Out of the corner of his eye, Duo watched his son embrace the other boy. He coughed. "I really, really need that drink." Heero raised an eyebrow.

Amani smiled, surveying the people around her. Millardo Peacecraft, his wife, Lucrezia, and their eighteen year old daughter, Celeste, had joined the group from the kitchen and were now exchanging hugs, kisses and handshakes. It had been a very long time since everyone had gathered together. After a few minutes, the adults drifted towards the kitchen, leaving their children behind in the foyer.

The sound of someone clearing their throat caught Amani's attention. She turned around to see Benjamin Yuy standing in front of her, a lopsided grin on his all-too handsome face. Her stomach dropped a few inches. Did he have any idea what that smile, coupled with the mischievous glint in his Prussian blue eyes, could do to a girl?

Yes, of course he did.

"Ben," she greeted him quietly. "It's nice to see you."

A momentary shadow passed over his face. "That's all I get? 'It's nice to see you'?" Before Amani could reply, he wrapped his arms around her in a huge hug that lifted her off the ground. "There!" he declared, setting her down. "That's a much better welcome."

Amani felt the blood rush to her cheeks. Being that close to him was unbelievable. His strong arms around her, his chest pressed to hers...even through their clothes she could feel his warmth. It was a fantasy come true; he even smelled perfect....some sort of cologne that she would never be able to smell again without going weak in the knees. "It..." She put a hand to her flaming cheek. "It's been too long, Ben."

Eve, who had been almost completely silent up until then, enduring brief hugs but returning none, came to life suddenly as she watch Ben and Amani. Snaking her way through the crowd, she approached Ben. "I agree," she said, smoothly. Her hand reached up, cupping the back of his head, as she brought his lips down onto hers and slipped her tongue into his mouth. Too stunned to react, Ben let the kiss happen. She broke it a moment later and gave him a sly smile. "It's been way, way too long."

A second passed. Determined not to show any visible reaction, Amani forced a smile of her own onto her lips. Her cheeks which had been so rosy only moments earlier, were now drained of all blood. Eve held onto Ben's arm, possessively. The smile froze on Amani's face. "Like I said...nice to see you." She quickly turned and made her way over to Victoria.

Ben shook his head. "Just what do you think you're doing, Eve?"

"Oh come on." She bumped her hip into his. "Don't tell me that didn't bring back fond memories." Ben hesitated. She continued, "The hot tub....after everyone was asleep....you still remember, don't you?"

"Yeah...I mean....no. I mean..." Ben sighed. "It was a mistake we made a long time ago, Eve."

"You didn't think it was a mistake then." Her voice dropped just low enough to where she had to whisper in his ear. "I still have that bikini. I brought it with me...just in case. It's a little small on me now. Especially the top. Would you like to..."

"Hey, Evie." Celeste Peacecraft called out to Duo's daughter, using the nickname she absolutely abhorred. "Try not to leave drool spots on my cousin's arm."

Eve's violet eyes narrowed, followed by a brilliantly fake smile. "I could say the same to you about my brother."

"Nice comeback," Celeste laughed. "Did you think of that one all by yourself or did you get the football team to help?" Before Eve could shoot back a reply, Celeste addressed the younger generation. "I have the greatest idea, you guys. How about after the party, we all go down to the beach and have a bonfire?"

Jade smiled broadly. "That sounds fabulous!" Her brother nodded in agreement, his fingers entwined with Adam's. She glanced at the other girls. "Doesn't it?"

Victoria lifted her shoulders. Her arm was linked with Amani's, protectively. The scene between Amani and Ben and Eve had not escaped her attention. "I guess. Sure," she replied. Amani nodded, but said nothing.

Ben took a breath and released it slowly. It was going to be a long weekend.

****

Duo set down his empty whiskey glass with more force than necessary. "I'm never going to get used to it," he declared.

Heero, the only one paying attention to him, removed the whiskey bottle from his reach. "Don't let Quatre and Trowa hear you say that."

"That's completely different!" Duo swallowed as though there was a bad taste in his mouth.

"Why?"

"Because!"

Heero glanced at the afore-mentioned couple, who were lost in conversation with Millardo and Noin. "So, it's all right to be gay. It's just not all right to be your son and be gay?"

Duo scowled, dangerously. "You couldn't possibly understand." He leaned closer to Heero. "How would you feel if you walked in on Ben making out with another guy?"

"I'm not sure," Heero said, thoughtfully. He snorted. "However I felt, I'd damn sure be over it after nearly two years."

"Yeah right. It's very easy to say that when your son is..." He stopped before he could say anything bad about Ben. Certainly, Heero already knew the kind of reputation his son had earned when it came to women. "So, I should just get over it?"

Heero lifted a shoulder. "It's not as though you don't have another son to carry on the infamous Maxwell bloodline."

Duo had to smile. "Speaking of Thomas....he wants to know if it's okay if he drives over for the party tomorrow. He missed Eve and Adam's birthday, so he wants to celebrate Amani and Victoria's."

"Of course it's all right!" Relena approached the two men, taking the whiskey bottle away from them. She gave her husband a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thomas is always welcome here. It's so rare that we get to see him, though."

"Med school keeps him busy." Duo stretched his arms. "My ambitious kids. Did Hilde tell you that Ruth is in Paris now?"

"Still dealing art?" Relena asked.

Duo nodded. "This week at least." His face darkened. "She'd rather be anywhere than L2. They all would. Adam's already looking at colleges on Earth. Eve, too."

Relena patted his shoulder, reassuringly. "It's part of the leaving the nest process, Duo. You can't get out and find yourself if you stay in one place."

"He just doesn't like giving up control." Heero put his arm around his wife's waist.

Duo's scowl grew deeper. "Who does?"

****

Control was something Millardo Peacecraft had given up a long time ago. From the day his six year old daughter had refused to wear a skirt for fear of being too girly to play with her older cousin, Benjamin, he had resigned himself to the fact that his opinions counted for very little where Celeste was concerned. So at dinner that night, as he stared over at the other table at the latest boy to wriggle his way into Celeste's life, it was all he could to do to keep himself from wondering....just who was this kid and how well did he know his daughter?

The boy, Andrew Douglas, seemed nice enough, but in the crowd of life-long friends gathered around the second table, his voice had been completely lost. He sat quietly beside Celeste, eating his dinner and listening to the continuous chatter without making any contributions. Just as Millardo had hoped, his nephew addressed the boy.

"So...Andrew," Ben began, setting down his water glass. "How did you meet Stinky?"

Andrew blinked. "Who?"

Celeste tightened her grip on her fork. "Benjamin," she began in a warning tone.

"Stinky," Ben continued, ignoring his cousin. "Celeste. We call her that because there was this one time..."

"*We* don't call her that." Victoria stepped in on her cousin's behalf. "Only Benji does. The rest of us stopped when we were eight."

Andrew smiled weakly. "We have calculus together," he answered Ben's question.

"Andrew is brilliant in that class," Celeste emphasized. "I'd be failing it if it weren't for him."

Ben smiled. "She never was very good at the addition." Under the table, Celeste kicked him with the sharp heel of her shoe. He kicked back.

"This coming from the boy who needed a sixth grader to correct his English papers," Amani mumbled. The others laughed, remembering the time Amani had helped Ben with his eighth grade homework.

"Not to mention needing both Lin and I to explain stoichiometry to him when we were freshman and he was a junior." Adam squeezed Lin's fingers under the table cloth.

"Face it, Ben." Celeste lifted her water glass, triumphantly. "You'd have never made it out of high school without us."

Ben took the teasing in stride. "But, we're not talking about me, are we? We're talking about Andrew."

Victoria sighed. "Ignore him, Andrew. He's in cahoots with Edward and Uncle Millardo." Andrew looked extremely nervous. "Don't worry." She winked. "You're doing just fine."

"Does everyone who dates into this family go through this?" Andrew asked. His question was greeted with laughter from the younger generation.

Eve smiled slyly. "That's why we generally don't bring outsiders to the table."

Celeste's smile fell. "Speak for yourself, Evie. Some of us aren't ashamed of who we date."

Before things could get ugly, Amani cleared her throat. "Andrew, are you as good at trig as you are at calculus?" The conversation became much more pleasant as Amani listened carefully to Andrew explaining several mathematical principles. Ben watched the blond girl over the rim of his glass as she gradually brought the newcomer out of his shell.

Amani brought out the best in everyone. Only Ben had never allowed her close enough to work her unconscious abilities on him. There were too many other fish in the sea, he had long reasoned. Too many to concentrate his efforts on a girl two years younger than him. A girl who defined the word innocent. A girl who lately had been constantly in his thoughts.

There was an unfamiliar weight pressing on his chest. He set down his glass and swallowed heavily. Was she the cause of it? If so....how could he stop it before it went too far? Before he fell in love?

Eve's eyes never left the oldest Yuy's handsome face. He was watching her again. He was always watching her. Amani. Little Miss Perfect. Quite abruptly, Eve left the table, not in the least bit upset that no one noticed her leaving. At least, that's what she told herself. That she wasn't upset. No one ever noticed her anyways.

But soon....Amani would. Eve was going to make damn sure of that.

****

Celeste had just changed into her nightgown when there was a knock on her bedroom door. She started for it, before remembering that the house was now full of guests. It could be anyone on the other side and it probably wouldn't do to answer the door in her rather flimsy pajamas. She reached for her robe and pulled it on before she called out, "Come in."

It was only Ben. He stepped into the room cautiously. "Are you decent, Stinky?"

She scowled. "Ben, I swear to god if you call me that one more time..."

"Oh, lighten up." He closed the door behind himself. "Look, if I embarrassed you in front of that guy, I'm sorry. Okay?"

"Hmph. Apology accepted." Celeste sat down on her bed. "Is that all you came to do? Apologize?"

"Actually..." He sat on the edge of the mattress. "There's something else."

Celeste sighed. "Spit it out."

His lips curled up in a smile. "You asked for it." After a pause, he continued. "Are you having sex?"

The guilty look of shock that spread on her face was more than enough to answer her cousin's question. When she had a moment to recover, her eyes narrowed. "All right. Who put you up to this? Daddy or Edward?"

"Honestly, neither of them."

"But it was someone."

Ben shook his head. "That's not the point. I'm just supposed to tell you to be careful."

"I didn't say I was having sex," she countered.

"Come on." He gave her a leveling look. "Remember who you're talking to here."

She jumped off the bed, her normally calm blue eyes flashing. "I know exactly who I'm talking to! And I don't think that someone who boned a fifteen year old in a hot tub has any right to tell me how to live my life!"

Her cousin was quiet for a second. "You're probably right," he finally said.

Some of her anger deflated in the wake of his words. "I am?"

Ben nodded. "Come here."

Celeste approached him cautiously. He held out his arm and she tentatively sat beside him, allowing her cousin to enfold her in a hug. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I'm not going to get hurt," she mumbled into his shoulder. "Andrew's a great guy." There was a pause. "You're not going to tell Edward or Daddy, are you?"

He laughed. "No way. Uncle Millardo doesn't believe in the phrase 'don't kill the messenger' after all."

Celeste smiled. "Thanks."

Ben squeezed his cousin tighter. "You are using protection, right?"

"Oh god..." She pushed him away, more embarrassed than angry. "Of course! I'm not an idiot, Ben."

"Never said you were. I'm just fulfilling my cousinly duties." He grinned. "Stinky."

This time, she pushed him off the bed.

****

The next morning, Duo was up before anyone else in the house. He took a quick shower, dressed, kissed his deeply asleep wife on the forehead and started down the stairs. The house was completely silent; even Heero was still in bed. As Duo entered the kitchen, he jumped about three feet in the air when he heard a voice say, "Daddy."

He blinked. In the dark, sitting at the island in the middle of the kitchen, was his youngest daughter. "Grace?"

Eve hesitated before replying. "I'm Eve, Daddy."

Duo shook his head. "I'm sorry. Eve." He attempted a laugh. "There's too many of you." When she said nothing, he walked towards her. "What are you doing up?"

She hopped off the barstool. "Are you going to the cemetery?" Duo nodded. "Could I maybe...tag along?"

Her father looked puzzled. "Really? You don't usually like to go there."

"Well, I'm getting older now." Eve lifted her shoulder nonchalantly and reached for a thermos. "I made you some coffee, Daddy."

Smiling, Duo put his arm around his daughter. "Come on, you."

They were quiet as they drove in one of Heero's cars to the cemetery. Duo sipped his coffee and kept his eyes on the road. In the passenger's seat, Eve looked down at her hands for the most part, only occasionally sneaking glances at her father. His mood became more and more somber as they came closer to their destination. There was a light in the east, but no sun to speak of when they finally arrived. The walk to the grave was short. Eve followed Duo a couple of paces behind; he didn't seem to notice her lagging.

When Duo stopped in front of Grace's grave, he let out a long breath, visible in the cold, pre-dawn air. He didn't speak; he only stood there, eyeing the eighteen year old grave. Eve shifted her weight from foot to foot, rubbing her hands together to keep warm. She avoided looking at her sister's grave as much as possible. When she glanced at her father, she could see a few stray tears leaking down his cheeks. But Eve had no tears for the sister she had never known. And she never had.

"You know..." he began after a long moment. "She'd be twenty-two by now." Duo looked up at the sky; faint reds and pinks bled across it as the sun began to rise. "In college probably. I wonder what she'd be studying."

Eve swallowed heavily. "I don't know. I didn't know her."

Her father lowered his head. "You would have loved her. Everyone loved her. She was..." He stopped.

"Daddy?"

"Hmn?"

"Do I...do I look like her?"

Duo turned his head to look at his youngest child. Heart shaped face, deep violet eyes, chestnut hair falling in a braid so similar to his over her left shoulder. He smiled. "Sometimes I think you are her. What she would have been if she had gotten to grow up."

It was not the answer she had been looking for. "But I'm not her, Daddy," she whispered. "I'm me."

He didn't seem to hear her. Or maybe he just didn't want to. "Baby, you'll understand someday. But there's nothing that hurts more than losing a child. Your mom and I have grieved every day for eighteen years. It's a pain that doesn't ever go away."

But what he didn't say out loud or perhaps what his daughter could not hear was, *The rest of you are what keep us going.*

And so Eve watched her father grieve for the child he had lost, feeling quite lost herself.

****

Amani woke up on the morning of the party with an entire flock of butterflies in her stomach. After staring at the ceiling of Victoria's bedroom for a long time, she turned her head to the side. Her best friend was curled up in a tight ball on her own side of the bed, mumbling something in her sleep. Amani shook her head, amused. She could have had a room to herself; there were certainly enough of them in the Peacecraft Manor. But sharing Victoria's room was so much more fun. The two girls had stayed up very late the night before, catching up on the tiniest details of one another's lives. Not having a sister of her own, Amani considered herself most fortunate to have Victoria.

Sunlight streamed into Victoria's room and played across the bed. Amani pushed the covers off her legs and stood up. It was time to get a start on the day. Yawning, she padded across the thick carpet to the bathroom door. It was locked. Confused, she tried the knob again. It was only after she tried it again that she remembered the bathroom was connected to Anastasia's room. The youngest Yuy had beaten her to the shower.

Amani pulled on a short, terrycloth robe over her silk chemise and tiny pajama bottoms and stepped into a pair of slippers. She peeked her head out of the door and glanced down the hallway. It was clear. Still, she covered the distance to the hallway bathroom quickly. When she reached it, she twisted the knob. It was unlocked. Sighing in relief, Amani let herself in.

He was standing at the sink, wearing nothing but a small, white towel. It hung low on his hips, threatening to fall at any second and reveal its secrets. He didn't seem to notice her right away; he was concentrating on shaving the side of his jaw. Benjamin Yuy. Half-naked and right in front of her.

"Ben..." she whispered, involuntarily.

His hand slipped, deeply nicking the underside of his chin. "Shit!" he cried out, dropping the razor. Ignoring the pain, Ben turned his head to stare at the bathroom door. Amani Barton stood in the doorway, her lovely face pale and slightly shocked. Sleep-tousled blond curls fell over her shoulders. A short robe exposed perfectly shaped legs. It was a bit too much for a man in the morning. "Amani...what the...?"

"I'm sorry!" Her cheeks flamed. "The door was unlocked, so I..." She stopped when she noticed a thin stream of blood running down his neck. "Ben...you're..." Amani pointed to his wound.

Ben glanced in the mirror. "Damn," he cursed, swiping at the blood.

Without thinking, Amani stepped into the room and reached for a tissue. She approached him and pressed the makeshift bandage to the cut. "Here...put a little pressure on it," she said.

He silently cursed Adam for stealing his shower. If he hadn't gotten to the bathroom first, Ben wouldn't have had to use the hall bathroom to shave. It was right then that he also became all too aware of how little he was wearing. He clutched the towel to ensure that it stayed in place. "Um...thanks."

Amani's gaze hovered somewhere around his mouth. *Don't look down,* she told herself. *You're not interested in his chest. You're not interested in what's below his chest. Just don't look down.*

"You know..." Ben swallowed and quickly threw on his cocky persona. What else could he do when he was so exposed and she was so close he could feel her warmth? He laughed and shook his finger at her. "If you wanted to see me naked, you could have just asked, Amani."

Her jaw dropped. After a pause, she pulled her hand away. The tissue stuck to his neck. That look in his eyes. So amused. So confidant.

So patronizing.

Another girl might have slapped him. Another girl might have told him off. But not Amani. Humiliation washed over her in a great wave. Of course he was amused. How could he not be when she was blushing like a child simply because he was wearing a towel? Eve wouldn't have behaved like an adolescent, she told herself. Eve would have done something...something cool. Something sexy. Something to which Ben certainly would haven't reacted with condescension.

But she wasn't Eve. All she did was back up a step and glance down at her fuzzy slippers. "I'm sorry I didn't knock." Quickly, before he could laugh at her again, Amani left the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

As soon as she was gone, Ben cursed once more, this time at himself. Gripping the sink, he lowered his chin to his chest.

"Why are you such a fucking idiot?" he asked himself.

After a long minute, he lifted his head and looked in the mirror. He ignored his handsome features, the dark blue eyes, thick brown hair, straight nose, clear skin and well-shaped mouth that had gotten him into every girl's bed he had ever wanted.

For the first time in his life, he hated what he saw.

****

Because the house was undergoing the enormous process of being decorated for the party, lunch was an informal affair. A light buffet had been laid out on the kitchen counters and all eighteen people in the house helped themselves at their leisure. Amani waited until well past noon to venture downstairs to eat. She had successfully managed to avoid Ben all morning and she fully intended to keep right on avoiding him.

There was no one in the kitchen when she entered it. Relieved, Amani took a plate and began to serve herself. She had just settled down with her food when the doorbell chimed. Expecting someone else, someone closer to answer it, she took a bite of her sandwich. It chimed again. On the fourth chime, Amani sighed and ran out into the foyer.

When she pulled the door open, she was greeted by the sight of a most unexpected person. "Thomas?"

Duo and Hilde's oldest son, twenty-four year old Thomas Maxwell, smiled warmly, his violet eyes shimmering. "Hey there, little 'Mani."

"Oh my god!" Without hesitancy, she hugged him. "I haven't seen you in, like, years!"

"Three, to be exact." Thomas returned the hug and then pulled back to study her. "My, my. I don't think I can call you 'little' anymore, can I?"

Amani shrugged. "Call me what you like. It's just so good to see you! You came for our party?"

"Yes ma'am. It's only a four hour drive and worth it to see everyone." He dropped a chaste kiss onto her cheek. "And to wish you a happy birthday." Thomas ran a hand through his short, chestnut hair. Like his brother, Thomas had never felt the need to grow his hair out like his father's. It surprised everyone except Duo who had always taken the slight rebellion in stride.

"Thank you, Thomas." She closed the front door. "Did everyone know you were coming? 'Cause if so, they forgot to tell me."

"My parents know and I assume Heero and Relena do, too." He glanced around the foyer. "This place doesn't ever change much, does it?"

"I consider that a good thing." Amani lifted her hands, apologetically. "I don't know exactly where everyone is right now, though."

Thomas winked as he adjusted the bag slung over his shoulder. "Well, it's a big house."

"See, if someone had bothered to mention that you were coming, I'd know what room to send you up to so you could get rid of that bag on your back. As it is..." She smiled at him. "You might just have to carry it for a minute until..."

"There you are, 'Mani!!" Victoria appeared at the top of the stairs, her long hair up in curlers. "I've been looking for you every..." Her voice trailed off as she noticed the man beside her best friend. "Thomas?"

He looked up and smiled broadly. "Hey there, kiddo. Happy birthday."

Amani could have sworn the other girl blushed at his words. And Victoria Yuy rarely blushed at anything. "Um...what are you doing here?" Victoria asked. Her voice was unusually high pitched. "Not that you're not welcome...it's just that we don't ever see you...I mean, it's been awhile since we've seen you. Not that I've been counting days or anything, but you live so close and you come so rarely." She took a breath. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard there was going to be a party here tonight. I hope you two don't mind that I decided to crash." Thomas' eyes twinkled, a distinct Maxwell trait.

"Of course not," Amani immediately replied.

Victoria's reply took longer as she was apparently trying to clear some strange lump in her throat. "We're...glad you came." Her next words were slightly more forceful. "Amani...can you come here and help me with my hair?" There was a pause. "Now?"

"But..." Amani gestured to Thomas.

"It's okay." Thomas took her hand and kissed the back of it, dramatically. "I'll wander the palace grounds, m'lady, until I find someone responsible. Or my father. Whichever comes first." He glanced back up at Victoria. "Princess." After a small but exaggerated bow, he left in the direction of the kitchen.

Victoria raced down the stairs, ignoring the loose state of her curlers. "What on earth was that?!" she whispered loudly and frantically.

Amani blinked. "That was Thomas. You do remember Thomas, don't you? Adam and Eve's brother...med student...is it all coming back to you now?"

"That's not what I meant." Victoria gave her best friend a look. "I was talking about me! Did you see me?! I acted like some little..." She searched for the right word. "School girl."

The feeling was a bit too familiar to Amani. "You are a school girl," she reminded her friend, listlessly.

"Yeah, but I didn't have to act like it!!" Victoria sighed. "Maybe he didn't notice. What am I saying? How could he not have noticed?" She put a hand to her cheek. "God, I'm probably blushing, aren't I?" She didn't wait for a reply. "He called me 'kiddo'. Did you hear that? Kiddo. Like I didn't turn eighteen a couple days ago. You know..."

Victoria went on and on, but Amani was only pretending to listen. All she kept seeing in her mind was Ben. Ben in his towel. Ben in his towel, laughing at her.

Something shook her arm. She blinked. "What?"

"Are you listening to me?"

"Of course I am." There was a pause. "What did you say?"

Victoria smiled. "Want me to start on your hair, 'Mani?"

"That would be great." Amani lifted a falling curler on her friend's head. "Just as soon as we fix your own."

Heero's daughter expelled a breath, blowing a loose strand of hair away from her face. "It's a lost cause. I think I'm just going to wear it down tonight. Maybe pulled back with clips. How are you going to wear your hair? Your dress has spaghetti straps so you could wear it up or down, your choice. I have a really cute clip that would match the color...."

Amani let herself be led up the stairs, but once more she tuned out her best friend's voice in favor of the memory of the other girl's brother. In a towel.

****

"Duo, you should really think about going inside. You're going to be as red as a lobster at the party."

The man in question lowered his sunglasses just enough to see his wife standing at the side of the pool, her arms crossed over her conservative one piece bathing suit. Rather than answering, he lifted his arm from the inflatable raft, dipped his hand in the cool pool water and sent a wave of it flying towards her. Hilde let out a girlish peal of laughter as the water splashed over her legs.

From her place well-hidden under the wide brim of an umbrella, Relena shook her head. "If Heero did that to me, I'd have to kill him." She smiled. "Peacefully, of course."

Dripping wet, Hilde approached her friends. "I'll let it slide this once. Just because it's such a gorgeous day."

Relena nodded her agreement. "Strange, but gorgeous. It's very hard to believe that it's December." She smiled at the warm sun. "Not that I'm complaining. We should enjoy it while it lasts."

Beside her, Lucrezia Noin nodded her agreement and set aside her magazine. "What time is it, Sal?"

Sally glanced at her daughter, who was employing the afternoon sunlight in an attempt to turn her golden skin a shade darker. "Where's your watch, Jade?"

"Inside," the girl mumbled, sleepily.

Noin glanced at Relena. "Time?"

"I don't have a watch on," her sister in law replied. "Abby?"

The younger woman tore her eyes away from her daughter for a minute, keeping one hand firmly around the child as she happily bobbed up and down in her little buoyant chair. She lifted her arm out of the pool and glanced at her waterproof watch. "It's just after two." Abby looked back at Emily. "Are you getting tired, baby?" Emily laughed and splashed her mother, indicating that she was not.

Noin stood up and stretched. "Think we should drag our husbands out of the garage sometime and clean them up, Relena?"

"I think we should send an emissary," Relena said, settling back into her lounge chair. "Someone who can reason on their level, therefore having a greater success probability." She glanced meaningfully at Hilde.

The other woman nodded. "Duo, get going," she ordered her husband. "And don't forget to bring Quatre and Trowa back, too."

"Grab Edward while you're out there, Dad," Abigail asked.

Duo sat up on his float. "Hey! I'm just lying here, minding my own business, perfectly innocent and..."

"Innocent? My dad? I hardly think so."

Hilde turned around upon hearing the familiar voice of her oldest son. "Thomas!!" She enveloped him in a huge hug, not even affording him the time to set his bags down on the deck. "Oh, I'm so glad you're here, baby!!"

Thomas dropped his luggage and kissed his mother's cheek. "Me too, Mom. I missed you."

In the pool, Duo started paddling over to the side. "We were wondering when you were going to get here, kid."

Abigail was already out, dripping wet and carrying Emily. She sauntered over to her brother and handed him his wet niece. "Been a long time, Tommy."

Thomas took Emily, ignoring the water on his shirt. His free arm snaked around his sister's shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "Good things come to those who wait, Abby." He laughed as his sister stuck her tongue out at him before planting a kiss onto Emily's cheek.

After somehow managing to disentangle himself from his raft, Duo approached his family and clapped a hand onto his son's shoulder. "I don't suppose you managed to convince Ruth to fly in, too."

"Don't hope for miracles, Dad," was Thomas' dry response.

Duo opened his mouth to reply, but Hilde quickly grabbed his hand. "Let's not argue. Almost everyone is here; let's just be grateful for that."

"I just think that Ruth could at least try to come to *some* family functions every now then." Duo raised his hands. "That's all."

Abigail suddenly became very interested in the twisted strap of her daughter's bathing suit. Thomas glanced down at the wet deck. Hilde bit her lip and squeezed Duo's hand. "We really should think about getting showers. If we plan right, everyone can have hot water."

Thomas cleared his throat. "Where are Adam and Eve? I'd kinda like to see them."

"Upstairs," his sister quickly answered. "Come on. We'll go together." She and Thomas, still carrying Emily, started back into the house.

Duo looked at his wife. "Did I miss something?" Shaking his head, he walked to the table to retrieve a towel.

Hilde sighed. "Maybe you did," she whispered.

****

"I swear, 'Mani. I had the clip just the other day."

With her hands holding her hair into a perfect position, Amani sighed. "It's okay, 'Tori." She let her hair fall back around her shoulders. "I can wear it down."

Anastasia twirled around in her new party dress, making the material float around her stocking-clad legs. "I like it up, 'Mani," she informed the older girl.

Victoria continued to rummage through her dresser for the promised hairclip. "It's going to be up. I am going to find this clip if it kills me!"

"Did you lend it to Celeste?" Amani gently moved Anastasia aside so she could examine her own reflection in the full length mirror. Besides her hair, she looked the best she figured she could. Her dress, made of soft blue silk, clung to her curves, ending just above her knees. It had been worth every penny.

"No," Victoria replied. After a second, her head shot up. "But I did give it to Abby. I'll go get it from her."

"I can do it," Amani said. She pointed to her half-dressed friend. "You don't even have your dress on yet."

Victoria glanced at the bed where her party dress lay. It was very similar to Amani's in design, but a dark shade of red that would look fantastic against her rich, brown hair. "Fine. You know which room is Abby and Edward's, right?"

Amani nodded, already halfway out the door. It only took a minute to reach the young couple's room; it was only a short ways down the hall. Their door was slightly ajar, but Amani still reached out to knock. Her hand stopped in mid-air when she heard Abigail's voice, raised in anger.

"You should have been there, Edward," she fumed. "He just acted like there was nothing wrong at all. Like it was all Ruth's fault or something."

Edward's tone was soothing. "It's okay, baby. Your dad is just...your dad."

"He's infuriating!" Abigail shot back. "I mean, does he really have no idea? Can he really not see it at all?"

"Well..." Edward was obviously choosing his words with great care. "Have any of you ever tried to talk to him? Force him to see it?"

Abigail's sigh was deep. "We shouldn't have to, Edward. He should know! When Ruth doesn't come home for two years, he should know. When Eve stays out all night, he should figure it out." There was a pause. "We're the children. He's supposed to be the adult."

"You always have your mom," he reminded her.

His wife sniffed. "My mother is a saint."

Amani took a breath and knocked while there was a break in the conversation. A second later, Edward opened the door. He smiled. "Can I help you with something, Amani?"

She tried to return the smile. "'Tori leant Abby a blue hairclip. I was hoping I could steal it back for the party."

In the background, Abigail stood up from the bed and wiped at her eyes. "Um...yeah. I think I know where it is. Give me a second."

While Abigail began her search, Edward inspected the young girl at the door in an annoyingly adorable brotherly way. "What's with all the leg, little 'Mani?"

Amani blushed and fingered the hem of her dress. "It's almost knee-length." She bit her tongue before she could inform him that his sister's dress for the evening was nearly three inches shorter than her own.

Abigail came up beside her husband, the clip in her hand. "Don't listen to him at all, Amani. You look gorgeous."

"Thanks," she mumbled, her blush growing deeper. She took the clip from Abigail. "See you later." Edward winked and closed the door, shutting it all the way. Amani released her breath. "What on earth was that all about?"

****

The Peacecraft Manor had been transformed into a winter wonderland. Everywhere Amani looked, she saw white lights, merrily sparkling. Two enormous and elaborately decorated Christmas trees greeted the guests in the main foyer. The house was spruce and ivy and yuletide warmth. Even the four tiered birthday cake in the parlor was decorated with sprigs of holly. Amani had to smile. All the winter decorations and the temperature outside was still in the mid-seventies.

Victoria came up behind her and gripped her elbow. "I thought this was our birthday party. Why do I feel like I'm trapped in Santa's village?"

"Your mother won the birthday party decoration war," Amani reminded her.

"Only because no one decorates for Ramadan." Victoria pinched her friend's arm lightly.

Amani put a hand to her heart at the mention of the Muslim fast month. "You know Daddy hasn't celebrated that in years." Just as his name passed her lips, Quatre and Trowa, along with Heero and Relena, climbed up the grand staircase until they were at a height suitable to be seen by all two hundred guests filtering through the foyer. All four parents were holding champagne glasses. "Oh..." Amani closed her eyes. "This doesn't look good."

Victoria nodded. "I sense some major embarrassment coming straight for us."

Quatre cleared his throat. "Excuse me. Can I have everyone's attention please?" The hum of the crowd died down as all eyes focused on the staircase. Quatre smiled. "Thank you all for coming...friends and family. Tonight is a very special night for two very special girls." He paused. "Eighteen years ago, Trowa and I received the most precious gift imaginable. She has been the light of our lives ever since. Our baby girl, Amani Na'ilah Barton." There was a smattering of applause and all around her, Amani could feel gazes swinging her way.

Victoria snickered. "It could be worse, 'Mani."

"How could it be worse?" Amani asked, mortified.

"Well..." Victoria thought hard. "Okay, I lied."

When the applause died, Quatre continued. "Now that I've thoroughly embarrassed my daughter, it's Heero's turn." There was light laughter as Relena gave her husband a gentle nudge.

Amani's frown suddenly turned upside down. She gave Victoria a smirk. "Oh how the tables have turned."

Victoria clenched her fists. "Please, Daddy....don't embarrass me...please, Daddy...."

Heero's face was tight as he raised his champagne glass. "Happy Birthday, Victoria and Amani."

His daughter's shoulders relaxed. Amani sighed. "So unfair. Why can't my dad be monotone?"

Just then, a hand clamped down onto Amani's bare shoulder. Instinctively, she spun around. Ben smiled at her as some of the shock wore off. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

She licked her lips. "It's all right."

Ben pulled his sister into a hug. "Happy birthday, brat-child."

Victoria protested. "Watch the hair!" When he refused to let go, she relaxed into the embrace. "Thanks, bakayaro."

He lifted his chin at Amani. "And a happy birthday to you, too, Amani."

Her return smile was weak. "Thank you." In the parlor, the string quartet began to play. Amani shook her head. "I thought we were getting a deejay."

Ben adopted a highly amusing society matron's tone. "A deejay? In the Peacecraft Manor? I don't think so." Victoria snickered. He glanced into the parlor where couples were already beginning to dance, including his mother and father. His gaze returned to the birthday girls. "What do you say?"

Amani blinked. "To what?"

"Do you want to dance?"

She looked to Victoria, who nodded encouragingly. After taking a breath, Amani accepted his out-stretched hand and they blended into the crowd.

Victoria propped her hands up on her hips. "One mission for the evening complete." Her eyes danced around the various faces until she spotted Lin and Adam near the staircase. Squeezing through the people, she started towards them. It was only when she got closer that she could pick up pieces of their conversation. And as she got very close, she realized that the boys weren't talking. They were arguing.

"...all I want you to do," she heard Lin say to his boyfriend. "It's not that big a deal."

Adam looked down at the marble floor. "I want to. I really, really do. But it's not as simple as you're making it seem."

"It's just a dance!" Lin declared. "Are you ashamed to be seen dancing with me?"

"Of course not," Adam quickly replied. "It's just...I mean, my dad might see us...." He raked his fingers through his hair. "You know how he feels about..."

Victoria could see Lin's face fall. "So. You won't dance with me? In public?"

Adam discreetly felt for Lin's hand. "Tonight...at the beach. I'll make it up to you, Lin, I swear."

Lin cursed in what Victoria assumed to be Chinese. "It's a good thing I love you, Adam. Most guys wouldn't put up with this from someone who came onto them once upon a time. You did make the first move in this relationship. Or don't you remember?"

"I remember." Adam leaned towards Lin. "I could never forget."

"Adam!" Hilde's voice carried through the hum of the crowd. "Adam...where are you?"

From a few feet away, Victoria watched as Adam stepped away from his boyfriend. "I'll be back." After another second, he walked away. Lin slumped against the staircase and Victoria took the opportunity to approach him.

"I don't suppose you'd feel like dancing with one of the birthday girls?"

Lin closed his eyes. "I'm afraid I wouldn't be very good company right now."

She took his hand, lightly squeezing his fingers. "I understand. But later, okay?"

He opened one eye. "Okay. Later, then." As she started to leave, he called out to her. "Victoria. Thank you."

Heero's daughter blew him a kiss. "Anytime."

In the next room over, a battle of silence was being waged. It was a war that Amani had started by accepting Ben's offer of a dance, but refusing to speak to him as they waltzed. The Yuy in Ben jumped to the challenge, fighting back with an endless bout of chatter.

"It's not that I don't like chemistry. But biology is so much more practical. Bloodier, too." Without taking a breath, Ben continued, "Yeah, I am still a little kid. I like to cut things open and see how they work. I've just moved from model planes to dead rats. Kind of a difference, but who knows? I mean, maybe I'll be at med school someday like Thomas. That'd make Dad happy. Mom still wants me to go into politics. I'm smarter than that, though; I see what she goes though. That's not going to be me. Unless Victoria, Celeste or Ana decide to follow in Mom's footsteps, the Peacecraft political legacy dies here and...."

"Ben!" Amani looked up at him. "Do you ever shut up?"

Her words failed to sting. He simply grinned at her. "Finally. She speaks."

She lowered her head to hide her own smile. "I'm sorry. It's just..."

"This morning?" he guessed. Amani nodded ever so slightly. "I meant to bring that up eventually." Ben tipped her chin up. "I wanted to apologize. I was...kind of a jerk."

"You don't have apologize to me," she murmured. Shaking her head, she brushed the topic away. "But if you insist...it's forgiven and forgotten."

Ben nodded. "Good. I don't like it when you're mad at me, 'Mani."

She was about to reply when she felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Eve...with a less than saintly look in her eyes. Duo's daughter smiled coyly. "Can I cut in?"

Amani's mouth opened as she took in Eve's strapless black leather dress. Had Duo seen it? If he had, why hadn't he thrown a blanket over his youngest child yet? She glanced at Ben who, like a normal, warm-blooded male, was also taking in Eve's outfit...but with a much different look in his eye. Amani's throat constricted. "Sure," she replied softly. Her hands fell away as she stepped back from Ben. "Have fun."

Ben blinked. "Amani! Wait!" But she had already disappeared into the crowd.

Eve quickly filled Amani's spot, not so discreetly placing Ben's hand on her lower back. She entwined her fingers with his. "Let her go," she told him. "Dance with me."

He looked down at her as she moved his arms where she wanted them. "I don't get you, Eve. I thought we both agreed that there wasn't anything between us."

"We did..." Eve drawled.

"So, what the hell are you doing?"

Eve faltered, but only for a brief second. Licking her lower lip, she peered up at him from behind her thick eyelashes. "I've missed you, Ben. Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about how you felt..." She played with the collar of his dress shirt. "...inside me."

"Shit..." he whispered under his breath. "We never should have done that."

"But we did," Eve reminded him. "And you liked it. Hell....you loved it. As a matter of fact, I think...you'd like to do it again."

Ben's eyes were suddenly sad. "You're wrong, Eve. It was a mistake I never should have made. And one I'd never repeat."

His words could not have affected her more if he had accentuated them with a slap across her face. Her expression turned stone cold. "You're a fucking liar, Ben," she said in a low voice. After a quick glance below his waist, she turned her narrow eyes back up at him. "Or is that hard-on not for me?" Ben looked away. There was a long pause. "It would repulse her, you know."

Ben snapped his head back around. "You don't know a goddamned thing, Eve."

"I don't?" She laughed. "Are you blind? She's as virginal as they come, Ben. The only thing that's been between her legs is..."

"Just because she doesn't spread them for everyone, that doesn't make her a prude," he hissed.

Eve pretended to ignore his words. "You'll only end up hurting her. That is why you haven't made a move yet, isn't it? 'Cause the Ben Yuy I know doesn't ever wait this long for a piece of ass. He doesn't have to."

"Do you know what really makes you mad, Eve?" He gave her a cool smile. "She's not a piece of ass to me. But you...you were. And that gets under your skin, doesn't it?" He snaked an arm around her and pulled at the leather covering her backside. "It just makes you want to spit nails....because you know you'll never be more than a piece of ass....to anyone." Pushing her away, Ben stalked off, leaving her alone on the dance floor. But it was no more alone than Eve ever was.

****

Across the table, Victoria grinned at her best friend. "Ready?"

Valiantly returning the smile, Amani nodded. "Ready."

Together, the two girls took huge breaths and simultaneously expelled them across the top of their white-frosted birthday cake. All eighteen candles were easily extinguished and the guests around them began clapping.

Quatre embraced his daughter. "Happy birthday, sweetheart. Have you forgiven me for the speech yet?"

She nodded and rested her cheek on his shoulder for a minute. "I love you, Daddy. And Dad."

Trowa hugged her other side. "We love you, too."

Amani smiled upon seeing Victoria in a similar embrace with Heero and Relena. Her eyes closed when Quatre kissed the top of her head. During their short hug, someone had begun cutting the cake. A plate was thrust into Amani's hand along with a fork. She stepped away from her fathers and handed Trowa the plate. "I'm not hungry, Dad."

Quatre frowned. "Are you okay, Amani?"

Patiently, she nodded and willed her voice not to wobble. "I'm just....it's my feet. New shoes. I'm going to go sit down for a minute." Smiling, she limped away from the table.

Victoria watched her friend go, puzzled at the fake limp. She didn't have time to dwell on it or go after Amani because at that moment, Duo pulled her into a hug. She had to return it; Duo had always been one of her favorite people in the world. "Hi, Mr. Duo."

He shook his head. "I swear....where the hell did eighteen years go?"

Relena's eyes were misty. "I keep asking myself the same thing." She reached out to touch a long curl of her daughter's hair.

Duo sighed. "Seems like only yesterday she was five years old and trying to slide down the banister of that very staircase." He pointed into the foyer.

Victoria flushed red. "What are you talking about?"

She watched her father smile at the memory. "I had forgotten about that," Heero said. "Good thing you were there to catch her, Duo."

"I have no memory of this," Victoria stated.

Duo pulled back and bopped her nose. "Nearly cracked open that pretty little head, you did."

"I was five," she reminded them. "I'm a lot older now."

The adults didn't seem to hear her, so caught up were they in the past. Victoria sighed and walked away from the table. She needed to go after Amani anyways, she reasoned. And it wasn't as if she was going to convince her parents or any of the other adults that she was one of them now. To them, she would always be five.

She was intercepted all of the sudden by Celeste. Her cousin had a worried expression on her face. "Have you seen my date?" she asked.

Victoria lifted her shoulders. "Not for awhile. Did you lose him in the crowd?"

Celeste bit her lip and nodded. "Should I be worried that I haven't seen Eve in awhile, either?"

"Nah," Victoria replied, assuringly. "Even Eve wouldn't be that low."

Her cousin raised an eyebrow. "You give her more credit than she deserves."

Victoria snorted delicately. "Maybe." Her eyes scanned the crowd and landed on Thomas Maxwell. He caught the look, smiled and started towards her. Swallowing, she quickly looked back at Celeste. "I don't mean to give you the brush off, but Thomas is headed straight over here...what should I do?"

Celeste's frown slipped into a sly grin. "Invite him to the bonfire tonight, that's for damn sure." She winked at her cousin. "I'll see you later. If you do see Andrew, tell him I'm looking for him."

She nodded nervously as the other girl moved off. Thomas was getting closer. Taking a deep, calming breath, Victoria smoothed her dress down and shook her hair over her shoulders. She quickly plastered a smile onto her face.

Thomas approached her smoothly. "How's the birthday girl?"

"Fine!" she squeaked. Coughing, she lowered her tone a few octaves. "I'm having a good time. It's a great party."

He gave her a suspicious look. "So why aren't you dancing?"

Victoria spread her hands. "Well...no one's asked me to."

"Pure outrage." Thomas grasped her hands. "Guess it's up to me then, kiddo."

She gritted her teeth at the nickname. "You don't have to..." But they were already waltzing. She relaxed into the dance, as much as she could when his hand was on her waist. After a few minutes of silence, she worked up enough nerve to speak. "So...a bunch of us are going to the beach after the party. Bonfire. I don't suppose you'd want to come?"

Duo's son contemplated her offer. "Well, Abby and Edward invited me to play poker..."

"Oh, never mind then." Victoria swallowed her disappointment. "I understand."

"...but we can play anytime. It's been a long time since I've been to a bonfire." Thomas gave her a friendly wink.

It took almost all of her effort not to jump up and down. "All right. Well..." She curled her fingers over his shoulder as they danced. "Would you mind bringing the alcohol, then?"

He shook an amused finger at her. "You shouldn't be drinking, kiddo."

Victoria's mood plummeted. "I'm not a kid," she mumbled. The music and the crowd were too loud. He didn't hear her.

****

Amani wiped a leftover tear from her eye. Sniffing, she stood up from patio swing who's solace she had sought. There were very few guests around the pool; most of them were couples, lost in the magic of the starry evening. Looking at them was painful. Shaking her head in self-disgust, Amani stood up. She couldn't avoid the party forever.

But the night had different plans for her. Rather than heading towards the lights of the house, her feet took her down the wide stone steps that lead into the gardens. The manor's gardens had always been one of her favorite spots on earth; one could very easily lose themselves for an hour or two amidst the flowers and fountains. And lost was exactly how Amani wanted to be.

It was too bad that Eve was well aware of Amani's love for the gardens. The long haired temptress found her former best friend ten minutes later, sitting on the edge of a small fountain, staring at her reflection in the moon-lit water. She glanced at her reason for being out in the gardens as he quickly returned to the party, fastening his pants as he walked. Rather than the triumphant feeling she usually had after a conquest such as Andrew, Eve was immediately reminded of Ben's words on the dance floor. How he had protected the girl by the fountain in a way no one had ever bothered to protect her. A plan filled her mind. It was time for her and Amani to talk.

Eve watched her for a long minute before making her presence known. There was nothing more sickening, she figured, than the way the girl's blond hair shone in the moonlight. The way she held her knees together like a convent postulate. The way her arms hugged her body as though she were cold in the warm night air. Biting the inside of her mouth, Eve cleared her throat.

Amani's head jerked up. "Who's there?"

She stepped out of the shadows. "Just me."

"Hello, Eve," Amani said politely. None of her initial apprehension faded.

Eve returned the cool smile. "Happy birthday." The other girl accepted her words with a nod. Eve came closer, her thigh-high leather boots crunching over the gravel path surrounding the fountain. "What are you doing out here all by your lonesome?"

"Just thinking." Amani dipped her fingers into the cool water.

"About anyone in particular?" A reply never came. Eve took this as an invitation to sit down. "You wouldn't be thinking about Ben, now would you?"

Amani shook water off her fingertips. "Why would you care?"

"I didn't say I did."

"Look..." She fidgeted on the fountain's stone lip. "I know you like Ben. And he seems to like you, too. I'm not a threat to you, Eve."

Eve threw back her head and laughed to the stars. "You think I like Ben?"

Amani's forehead crinkled. "Don't you?"

"Oh, Amani..." Eve touched her cheek. "Naive little Amani. I don't like Ben. I mean, he's a great fuck, but that's really about it."

The entire evening was made for Eve when Amani's face instantly paled. "What?"

Eve adopted a look of concern. "I'm sorry, I thought you knew. It was just one of those things. I was too young to know any better. I suppose you could say he took advantage of me, but I wasn't complaining." She smiled dreamily. "Trust me...he knows what to do in bed. Or in a hot tub. I'd imagine Ben could do it just about anywhere."

Amani couldn't think of a single thing to say.

"I am not after Ben," Eve stated. "We had our fun....lots of it, but it's over now. At least, that's what I keep telling him. I hope he'll get the hint someday." She sighed and adjusted the top of her dress. "If you want him, you're more than welcome to him. I only hope you're ready for what he'll expect of you. He's not out to hold your hand, if you know what I mean."

Finally, Amani blinked. "I don't believe you."

Eve shrugged carelessly. "Suit yourself. Just don't say I didn't warn you." She stood up and gave Amani a parting smile before slinking back into the shadows.

A fresh tear slipped down Amani's cheek. "I don't want to believe it," she told the moon. The moon only offered its light; it had no answers.

****

By the time Amani had worked up the nerve to return to the party, it was practically over. Victoria accosted her as she entered the foyer. "Where the hell have you been?! I was worried about you!"

"I took a walk," Amani replied, listlessly. "I didn't realize I was gone so long."

Her best friend sighed and put her hands on the hips of the shorts she had changed into. "Ah well...anyways, we're free to go now. The guys are packing the cars and everyone else is changing. So, hurry up."

Amani blinked. She had forgotten all about the bonfire. "I don't know if I want to go anymore."

"Of course you do," Victoria assured her. "Especially since Eve has decided *not* to grace us with her presence." The corners of Amani's lips turned up, despite the mention of the other girl. "I knew that would get you." She pushed the blond towards the stairs. "Go. Quickly."

After Amani had dutifully disappeared up the stairs, Victoria glanced around the foyer. Thomas walked in from the direction of the kitchen, juggling four bottles of wine. "Is this enough, kiddo?" he asked her.

Victoria fought back a retort at the cursed nickname. "It's great. Thanks. I'll grab some plastic cups." Spinning on her heel, she headed for the buffet table. Celeste and Andrew were in the corner of the room, in a deep, heated discussion. Victoria quickly snagged the cups and dashed back out.

Jade approached her. She had abandoned her Mandarin collared party dress in favor of jeans and a t-shirt. "I can take those out to the car," she offered.

"Thanks." Victoria dumped the load into the younger girl's arms. As soon as Jade was gone, her parents approached her. Heero carried a sleeping Anastasia. "We'll be gone in a minute, Mom," Victoria said. "And I promise, we'll be quiet when we come back."

Relena kissed her daughter's forehead. "Just be careful, sweetie. Don't let anyone go swimming. Make sure someone responsible starts the bonfire. Don't..."

"Have fun," Heero ordered. Taking his wife's hand, he started up the stairs before she could toss anymore warnings their daughter's way. Victoria gave her dad a grateful look.

Celeste and Andrew emerged from the parlor, holding hands. Whatever the problem, they had evidently worked it out. For that, Victoria was grateful. Her cousin deserved to be happy.

Ben appeared in the doorway, still clad in his tuxedo, minus the bow tie. "The cars are ready to go. Where are the people to fill 'em?"

"They're coming," his sister replied. "Keep your shirt on. Please."

He was about to reply when something stopped him. His gaze turned up and Victoria could have almost sworn that a blush spotted his cheeks. She turned to glance at the stairs, overwhelmingly pleased to see that the source of her brother's speechlessness was Amani, newly clad in a short, cotton sundress. She descended the stairs with every bit of her natural grace. But her hazel eyes failed to meet Ben's. In fact, she went straight for Victoria, ignoring Ben altogether.

"Are we ready?" she asked her friend.

Ben mentally pinched himself. "Yeah. Let's go." He addressed his sister. "Get everyone out here. We leave in ten."

When he was gone, Amani released a pent-up breath. Victoria's eyes narrowed. "What happened tonight?" she demanded to know.

Amani looked down at her sandals. "'Tori...did Ben have sex with Eve?"

Victoria hesitated. The question was so sudden and yet, not unexpected. Hating to lie to her best friend, she nodded. "Yeah. A few years ago." Amani nodded so calmly that she was forced to continue. "But it was all Eve's idea. She caught him out in the hot tub and...well...he's only human."

"He didn't...instigate it?" Amani asked after a long minute.

"No way," Victoria answered firmly. "Who told you that he did?"

Amani smiled her first genuine smile of the conversation. "No one who matters." Adam and Lin walked past them, hand in hand, headed for the cars. "Come on." She pulled on Victoria's hand. "Let's go."

****

An hour later, Amani found herself alone again, this time a good ways away from the heat and noise of the bonfire. She had scouted out a secluded sand dune and now sat on a warm blanket, sipping a cup of wine and watching the stars in peace.

She wasn't to remain alone for long.

"You looked great tonight."

Amani didn't need to turn around to see who it was talking to her. "Thank you, Ben."

Without waiting for an invitation, Ben sat down next to her on the blanket. A breeze swept over them, carrying the scent of her hair his direction. He breathed in deeply. Some sort of flower. "What kind of shampoo do you use?"

He thought he heard her chuckle, but it was hard to tell over the sound of the crashing waves. "What?"

"I was just...curious." Ben looked down at the drink in his hands. "So...how are your classes this..."

"Green Tea Harmony." Amani turned her head and smiled at him. "My shampoo."

"Oh." He returned the smile. "I like it."

A minute of silence passed. From down the beach, Amani could hear Celeste's laughter as she, Andrew and Jade frolicked in the surf. "Was there something you wanted, Ben?"

If she had looked closely, she would have seen hurt flicker in his eyes. "Do I have to want something to talk to you, Amani?" When she said nothing, he sighed. "Look....whatever I did to make you mad at me again..."

"It's nothing you did. This time." Amani looked down at the plastic cup in her hand, still full of wine. "I can't be mad at you for...." She stopped.

"For what?"

Amani swallowed. "For things that happened in the past."

Ben turned his cup around in his hands. "Have you been talking to Eve?" She lowered her head and nodded. "What did she tell you?"

"Everything." Amani drank deeply as though the alcohol could wash away the bitterness in her voice. "She spared no detail."

"She was wrong to do that," he said quietly.

"But..." She looked at him. "She wasn't lying."

Ben slowly shook his head. "No. She wasn't." Silence overtook them again. "Look, I don't make any apologies for what happened between Eve and I. It was a long time ago when we were different people. And it was a mistake; if she doesn't realize it..." He drank. "...at least I do."

Amani nodded. "Thank you for not denying it." She laughed. "What am I saying? You'd have every right to deny it, if you wanted to. It's not like you owe me anything."

"Maybe I should owe you something."

A wave crashed onto the shore, followed by a loud shriek of laughter. "What do you mean by that?" Amani asked.

"I don't know." Ben looked down at the liquid in his cup. The edges of his mind were numbing, lost to the familiar warmth of alcohol. "Maybe I'm just wondering why I'm sitting next to a pretty girl and yet I can't even make the first move."

Amani shook her head. "Because you know it wouldn't do you any good? I'm not...one of your girls, Ben. I won't be won that easily. If you want me..." She swallowed. "You're going to have to realize that."

"Amani..." He dug his fingers into the cold sand. "I know."

"So, I guess the question is, do you want me or Eve?" Their eyes met. "Do you want me, Ben?"

****

Much further down the beach, hidden from sight by a gentle sand dune, Lin threw back his dark head as Adam's lips traveled down his toned stomach. "Adam..." he whispered. "What are we doing here?"

His boyfriend lifted his head. "Don't you want this?"

Lin took a deep breath to clear his mind. "It's a really big step. I just want to be sure that we're both ready."

Adam frowned. "Okay....that sounds like stalling to me."

"Come on, Adam." Lin ran a hand through his hair. "You know me better than that."

"I just..." Adam kissed his puckered nipple, tasting the salt of the ocean air on Lin's skin. "I want to make love to you."

"Why?"

The simple question made Adam's blood run cold. He sat up. "'Why?'"

Lin looked up at his boyfriend. "Yes. Why?"

Adam blinked, as though he had never even considered the question. "Because....I love you, Lin." His throat constricted. "Don't you believe that?"

"I do," the Chinese boy assured him. He sighed deeply. "I guess I'm just....afraid."

"God..." Adam looked up at the blanket of stars. "Why are you afraid? It's me, Lin. It's just me. How can you be afraid of me?"

Lin shook his head against the sand. "I'm not afraid of you, Adam. I love you. But..." He took a breath. "You can't even dance with me in public. So...is this real for you? Real enough for you to stand up to your father and say 'Dad...I'm gay'?"

Adam shook his head. "He already knows."

"He knows because he's seen us. Not because you've told him." Lin touched his arm gently. "When are you going to tell him....this isn't just a fling?"

"Oh, it's so easy for you to say! If your dad were...." He stopped. "Would you be able to tell him the same thing?"

Wufei's son looked off to the side for a long minute. "Probably not. Am I being hypocritical?"

"Just a little."

Lin nodded. "So, what happens if we have sex? Does it make things easier or harder?"

"I've never heard of sex making anything easier, Lin." Adam lifted an eyebrow before lowering his lips to Lin's. Their kiss was deep and sweet. "It only makes things more fun."

His boyfriend brushed a lock of his chestnut hair out of his eyes. "You want your dad's blessing, don't you?"

Adam blinked back hot tears. "Doesn't matter what I want. He's never going to give it to me."

"You don't know that. He could..."

"I know my dad, Lin." Adam's voice lifted, uncharacteristically. "Much better than you do. Okay?" He sniffed, breaking the moment of silence that followed his outburst. "Look, do we fuck or not?"

Overwhelmingly hurt by his words, Lin pushed away the hand that reached for the top of his pants. "Not a goddamn chance in hell." He got to his feet and stalked off. Adam didn't try to stop him. He told himself that he didn't care, but the tears streaming down his cheeks gave him away.

****

"Do I want you?" Ben repeated. "Wow...talk about a loaded question."

"I didn't mean...." A blush, visible even in the poor light from the distant fire, stained her cheeks. "All I meant was..."

Ben shook his head. "I think I know what you meant. I'm just trying to figure out....how to answer." He took a sip of his drink. "First of all...no. I don't want Eve. I was seventeen when I had sex for the first time. Eve was the first. Having sex that young...with someone like Eve, it makes a guy...cocky, I guess would be the right word. I spent the next year or so trying to recapture that feeling. Does that make any sense?"

"No," Amani replied honestly. "But go on."

He laughed. "There you go, doing it again. You never lie to me, Amani. You're the only girl I've ever met who doesn't play games."

"I don't believe in games."

"And I've never learned how to deal with a girl without playing them."

Amani rested her chin on her knees. "I'm not a tough person to figure out, Ben. When I feel something for someone, I show them. And I'm not a mind reader, so I'm only aware of other people's feelings when they show me." She paused. "I might not be as gorgeous as your sister or as lively as your cousin...or as sexy as Eve, but I'm..."

"Hey! What are you doing, putting yourself down like that?" Ben's tone was indignant. "Do you have any idea how wonderful you are? How alive?" He reached over and brushed a blond curl off her cheek. "How beautiful?" He winked. "And sexy?"

The simple touch sent a shiver all the way down her spine. Her teeth chattered unwillingly. Ben frowned. "Are you cold?" he asked. Amani nodded. He shrugged out of the tuxedo jacket he hadn't changed out of after the party, and draped it around her slender shoulders. "There."

Alcohol was making her head spin, but his lingering warmth on the heavy jacket and the faint trace of his cologne was much more intoxicating. "Ben," she began before she could stop herself. "If I asked you to do something for me...as a birthday favor....would you?"

His smile was lop-sided. "Of course. Just name it."

"Would you kiss me?"

Heero's son blinked several times. "Okay." Closing his eyes, he leaned towards her.

She covered his mouth with two fingers. "This can't be just any kiss you'd give any random girl, Ben. It'll be my first kiss ever."

"Ever? Really?" Amani nodded. Ben took a breath. "I thought you had dated other guys."

"My dads don't let me date, Ben. You know that." Amani glanced down at her half-finished drink. Anything to avoid that Prussian blue stare. "So, does this mean you won't do it?"

"Are you crazy?" Ben calmly reached for her drink, setting it aside in the sand with his own. He took hold of her hand and twisted his body to see her better. She lifted her chin, bravely meeting his gaze. "Happy birthday, Amani," he said in a low voice. Cupping the back of her head in his hand, he leaned in for the kiss.

From the first touch of his lips on hers, Amani was convinced that no matter how many other people she might kiss in her life, this would be the only kiss that could ever possibly matter. He was warm and gentle, making no demands. When his tongue slipped into her mouth, she greeted it with her own, thrilling at the new sensation. Taking the intiative, she deepened the kiss.

She tasted like the wine they had been drinking, but there was another flavor on her lips. Peaches from her lip gloss? He wasn't sure. Maybe it was just the taste of innocence. Whatever it was, it was bringing down every resolve he had against falling in love with this girl. He had never felt this way before with anyone. The feeling that, although he would love to do more someday, he could be perfectly content just being allowed to be near her.

They pulled apart, not because either wanted to, but because the kiss was becoming almost too intense. As they caught their breath, they stared at one another with matching looks of complete awe. Amani was the first to speak. "Now I know what Eve was talking about."

Ben shook his head. "That wasn't anything like it was with Eve." He stroked her cheek. "I've never kissed or been kissed like that before." Amani opened her mouth, but he placed his index finger against her lips. "Do we have to talk about Eve?"

She laughed. "I suppose not." Her hand covered his on her cheek. "Kiss me again? Not because I asked you to, but because you want to."

"I never do anything I don't want to, Amani." Ben shifted until he was right up against her. Ever so gently, he guided her down onto the blanket. She let him, knowing that he would never hurt her or push her too far. It simply wasn't in his nature.

Minutes passed like sweet hours. With Ben's arm cushioning the base of her skull, Amani held onto his broad shoulders as they kissed, breaking occasionally only for air. The kisses grew more passionate; before Amani was quite aware of it, he was on top of her, supporting his weight with one knee between her legs. A completely unfamiliar thrill shot through her lower body. Unconsciously, she moved her hips, bumping his groin ever so lightly.

Ben suddenly seemed to be aware of this change in position. He reluctantly pulled back. "Amani...I'm sorry. I didn't realize we were..."

She caught her breath, surprised at the disappointment that came simply from not feeling his warm body over hers. All the rational parts of her mind were relieved that he had stopped things. Who knew how far they could have gone. But...as she looked up at his clouded blue eyes, dark with desire, every rational thought left her. All she wanted was to hold onto him for what might be their one moment together. Everything she had been taught was wrong seemed right. Conversely, everything she thought was right, seemed wrong. And she was in no position to want to sort it all out.

Her arms pulled him back down for another kiss. "If we do this..." she whispered. "Will you be sorry in the morning?"

He swallowed heavily. "No. What about you?"

She shook her head. "What do you think I wished for on my candles?"

Ben took her lips in a hungry kiss. There was something so incredibly right about being with Amani. He felt none of the hesitation or nagging pangs of guilt that he had felt in the hot tub with Eve. Before he was incapable of reason, he fumbled around in the tuxedo jacket they lay on until he found the little package he had put there earlier on a whim.

"And you're sure?" He looked down at the beautiful girl underneath him, her blonde hair spread out over the plaid blanket. "This isn't too quick for you? First kiss, first..."

It was Amani's turn to put a finger to his lips. "You only live once."

"Now that depends on who you ask."

She smiled, then became serious again. "My whole life, I've tried to do the right thing. Maybe for me, maybe for my fathers." A small tear ran down from the corner of her eye. "Maybe for my mother." Amani's eyes closed as Ben kissed the tear's shiny path. "Somewhere along the way, I forgot to live. Right now, I'm living. And you've always been a part of my world, Ben. I've known you my whole life. So, no....this isn't too quick for me. It's just right."

Ben pressed a kiss into the hollow at the base of her throat. "I'll make it wonderful, Amani. I promise."

"I know." Amani looked up at the stars as his kisses trailed across her collarbone. "I know you will."

****

"Look at the stars." Victoria hugged her slender arms around her chest. "They're so...amazing."

Thomas glanced up briefly at the heavens. "I do like seeing them from Earth. It's different than seeing them from space."

She glanced over at him. "Which do you like better? Earth or space?"

"Good question." Duo's oldest son sat down on very top of the sand dune. "I suppose Earth. I did choose to live here, after all."

Victoria looked down at him, unable to see much in the darkness. "You sound so sad when you say that. Like you didn't want to make that choice, but you had to."

Thomas laughed, a deep throaty sound that did the strangest things to Victoria's heartbeat. "I've always thought you had a sixth sense, kiddo."

Scowling, Victoria dropped to her knees, facing off with the older man. "Do you have to call me that?"

"What...kiddo?" She nodded. "I've always called you that," he said simply.

"Well, I just think that now that I'm eighteen, maybe you could find another nickname for me."

Thomas reached out and ruffled her hair. "All right. How about I call you 'baby' instead?"

"Never mind." She moved around until she was sitting next to him, knees pressed to her chest. "I give up. You don't see me as an adult, my dad doesn't see me as an adult, your dad doesn't see me as an adult....I just give up!"

"Hey..." He pinched her cheek lightly. "What's going on over there with you?"

Victoria shook her head; the long strands of her hair swayed against her arms. "I just don't know what else I have to do before the people in this family take me seriously! I thought, maybe when I grew breasts someone might say 'wow...our little girl is growing up'. But no. Then I thought, surely when I turn eighteen.... Again, I was wrong. Because my dad still thinks I'm a child and your dad can't get past things I did when I was five and..." She stopped upon noticing him laughing. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry," he managed to say.

"You're laughing?! Why are you..."

Thomas held up his hands, still laughing. "Kiddo, I'm sorry. It was just the breasts thing..." He laughed harder.

"Oh, so you're saying you never noticed them??" Victoria cried. "That's just...that's just great!" She glanced down at her breasts. "No one ever notices them!!"

"I noticed, I noticed." Thomas continued to laugh.

Victoria jumped to her feet. "No, you're just saying that. And I can't believe you're laughing at me when I'm pouring out my..."

He grabbed her hand. Although simply intending to keep her from walking away, he accidently tugged too hard and pulled her down. She fell quickly, landing on top of him and sending him sprawling to his back. They lay chest to chest, legs entwined for several awkward seconds. Finally, Thomas spoke. "I'm really noticing those breasts right about now."

She scrambled to get off of him, but he put his arm around her waist. "I'm sorry," he continued. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I know you've grown up, ki...Victoria. I do." He smiled. "You've turned into quite a knockout, actually."

"You're only saying that to placate me." Victoria sniffed. "You still see me at, like, eleven years old. Knobby knees and flat chest. Braces..." She made a face. "No wonder you don't find me attractive."

There was a second's pause. "What makes you think I don't find you attractive?"

Through the thin cotton of his shirt, she could feel his heart, almost beating in time with her own. Her breasts were pressed against his chest; her legs straddled his right thigh. He was looking up at her with a very serious, very intense violet stare. She swallowed. "Don't you think of me...as another sister? A little sister?"

His hand which had been pressed against the middle of her back, trailed down to the soft curve of her lower spine. "I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to be thinking right now. I just know that I have *never* thought about Abby or Ruth or Eve like this. I've never wanted to hold them like this or know what it's like to press my lips to theirs..."

"And....you'd want to do that to me?" Her voice was a whisper. He nodded in reply. "So...why don't you?"

Long seconds of agony passed by as they watched each other. He ran his tongue over his lips, wetting them. Taking this as a sign, Victoria inched her face down closer to his, but before she could initiate the kiss, Thomas gently pushed her back up into a sitting position. "I can't, Victoria."

She blinked. "What? Why?"

Thomas ran a hand through his hair and took a slow, deep breath. "Because...it wouldn't be right. You're still just a..."

"Kid," she finished, flatly. He looked off at the ocean. "I told you. Knobby knees and braces." Willing back hot tears, she struggled to her feet in the giving sand. "Well, thanks for the happy birthday memories, Thomas. See you around."

As she walked back to the bonfire, Victoria let the tears fall. They were the only ones, she decided, that she would shed for Thomas Maxwell.

****

Ben lifted himself up over Amani's breathtaking, naked figure. Her eyes were closed; she was still lost to the pleasure he had just given her. He touched her cheek, wanting her to open those gorgeous hazel eyes...wanting to be in her soul as much as he was inside her body. He kissed her softly, lovingly.

"Amani..."

Her eyelids fluttered open. Her swollen lips curved up in a deliciously contented smile. "Wow," was all she said.

He laughed and shifted their bodies until they were lying on their sides, face to face, still joined. Soft, curvy legs over hard, muscled. Ben pulled her even closer, never wanting to let go. "Are you all right?"

She sighed happily and nodded. "That was quite a birthday present."

"No regrets?" he asked, brushing damp strands of blond hair off her face.

"None." Amani nestled her cheek into his chest. "It was amazing. I've never felt so..." She searched for the right phrase. "Allah...I don't even know how to say it. Filled? Complete?"

He pressed his lips against her forehead. "Thank you."

"For what?"

Ben rubbed his chin against her soft, blond locks. "You let me be the first. You trusted me enough. No one else ever..." He stopped. "So, thank you."

The post-coital bliss was broken suddenly by someone shouting their names. Victoria, it sounded like. Maybe Celeste. Ben pulled out of her body and sat up quickly. "Damn," he cursed. "If we don't go, they'll come looking for us." As Amani began to dress and put herself back together, he quickly disposed of the used condom, taking no note of an ever so small tear in the latex.

He pulled his clothes on quickly and gathered up the blanket. They held hands as they walked back to join their friends.

****

Amani woke up in the middle of the night, strangely sore, but with a sappy smile of contentment on her face. She looked over at the other person in bed with her; Victoria's arms were tightly wrapped around her pillow and her mouth had fallen open in sleep.

"Tori," Amani whispered.

"Hn." Her friend stirred.

"Tori...wake up."

Victoria's head shot up. "What...what?"

Amani smothered a laugh. Victoria's hair was hopelessly tangled, reaching halfway down her back. Her deep blue eyes were confused and half asleep. "I'm sorry," Amani apologized.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing." Amani propped herself up on one elbow. "Well, one thing. But...I'm not sure if I should tell you or not."

Victoria sat up and rubbed her eyes. "You woke me up at..." She glanced at the clock. "...five-thirty in the morning to tell me that you can't tell me something?"

"When you put it like that..."

"Mani. It's me. You've always told me everything." Victoria yawned. "And whatever it is, it can't be *that* big a deal."

Amani squeezed her eyes shut. "I had sex with Ben."

A long minute of silence passed. "What?" Victoria twisted around to see her best friend better. "What did you say?"

"On the beach. We...you know." Amani flushed bright red. "We made love."

Victoria's eyes were huge and wide awake. "Oh my god....oh my god!!!" She put her hands on Amani's shoulders. "Are you all right? What happened? Give me details! No, wait, don't. He's my brother. You had....I can't believe you...with my brother???"

"I'm fine, I promise. A little sore but..." Amani took a breath. "I don't know exactly what happened, Tori. We were talking and then I asked him to kiss me and it was so wonderful and the next thing I knew, he was undressing me and..."

"Okay, okay. I can figure it out from there." Victoria bit her lip. Amani knew what she was going to ask before she even asked it. Because she knew she'd ask the same thing if she were in Victoria's place. "Did you like it?"

Amani had to smile. "It was...amazing. You know all that stuff about it hurting? Well, it does, but not for long. Maybe it was just because of Ben, though. He was so...unbelievably gentle."

"I...I don't even know what to say," Victoria breathed. "Wow." A shadow fell over her pretty features. "I guess that just leaves Jade and me. The last virgins on earth."

"There's always Cele..." she began. Victoria shook her head. Amani put a hand to her mouth. "With Andrew?" Victoria nodded. "When?"

"A week ago." Heero's daughter let out a tragic sigh. "I am going to die, untouched." She fell dramatically; her head landed in Amani's lap.

Amani combed her fingers through Victoria's dark locks, gently undoing the tangles. "Come on, Tori. Don't be silly." She looked up at the ceiling to hide her smile. "What about Thomas?"

Victoria's voice was flat. "What about him?"

"You tell me."

"There's nothing to tell. He's six years older than me and he can't get over it." She paused. "The only thing about me that he noticed had grown up was my breasts. And even that took him awhile." Victoria sat up and crossed her pajama-clad legs. "Tell me more about it. Just, let's change my brother's name to like...Ted or something."

Amani laughed and embraced her oldest friend. "I love you so much, Tori." She pulled back. "All right. First of all, Be...Ted has the most amazing arms..."

****

Down the hall, in his childhood bedroom, Benjamin Yuy could not sleep. So many images kept flashing through his brain. Amani's face contorted in ecstasy...her tears as her virginity was lost. Eve in the hot tub, sly and feline. Demanding something from him that he shouldn't have given her. Amani appeared again, pliant and comfortable, curled up against him. He smiled in the dark. He wished she was right there with him. Not so they could have sex again, although he wouldn't say no if she suggested it, but just to hold her and breathe in that green tea scent from her hair.

Ben kicked the covers off, hoping that the air outside the warmth of the blankets would cool the elevating temperature in his lower body. When his erection failed to go away, he got up, threw on a long sleeved t-shirt over his plaid pajama pants and padded downstairs.

There was a faint, flickering blue light from the study. Someone was awake, watching television. Ben knocked softly before sliding the doors open. His older cousin, Edward, was lying on the couch with his daughter asleep on his chest. He put his finger to his lips, but motioned Ben in.

"What's wrong with the small fry?" Ben whispered.

Edward gently patted Emily's little back. "Your guess is as good as mine. Whatever was wrong with her, she's quiet now. And that's the important thing." He looked at his cousin, puzzled. "What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep." Ben sat down in an armchair facing the couch and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Woman?"

"What?"

"There's only one thing that can keep a guy up at night. A woman. So, who is it?"

Ben shook his head. "I'm not sure you want to know."

"I'm sure I do now." Edward adjusted the heavily asleep Emily. "Is it Eve?"

"Eve? What do you mean?" Ben squirmed uncomfortably. "What do you know about me and Eve?"

Edward snorted. "Too much."

"Does Abby know?"

"I don't think so. But then...Abby and Eve aren't particularly close." Edward shook his head. "Come to think of it, Eve isn't particularly close to anyone."

Ben sighed. "Whatever you know about me and Eve, just bear in mind that I was young, stupid and horny."

Edward grinned. "And now you're older, smarter and...."

"Still horny. Yeah, yeah, yeah."

"Are you going to tell me what's going on or not, cousin?"

Ben sucked in a huge breath and released it slowly. "I did something really bad." Edward lifted an eyebrow curiously and waited for him to continue. "I sort of...um...had sex with....um...Amani." His cousin's blue eyes nearly popped out of his sockets, but to his credit he managed to keep his mouth closed. "I know, I know," Ben continued. "Like I said....it's really bad."

After a moment, Edward cleared his throat. "You regret it then?"

"No. I mean...yes! I mean..." Ben buried his face in his hands. "I don't know what I mean. I don't regret it...but at the same time I do. I feel massively guilty and yet...it was what we both wanted." He looked up at his cousin with red-rimmed eyes. "What should I do, Edward?"

Edward shook his head. "She's so young..."

"She's eighteen," Ben countered.

"Did you two talk? You know...after?"

"A little bit. She said...she said she didn't regret it. I don't know..." He sat back. "What if she doesn't feel that way in the morning?"

"Would you do it again?"

"In a second."

Edward laughed. Emily shifted, but didn't wake up. "Looks like you have your answer. You don't regret it. She probably doesn't regret it. You're both *legally* adults. What's the problem?" Ben looked off to the right. "Do you think that maybe....it meant something more to her than just sex? And maybe it didn't mean anything to you?"

"It meant something," Ben replied, quietly. "I'm just not sure what."

"I'd suggest you figure that out. Before you see her at breakfast." Edward stood up, carefully supporting his daughter's little body. "By the way," he said before he left the study. "You did use protection, right?"

"Of course."

Edward nodded. "Good." *At least you used some common sense tonight.* He left his cousin sitting in the dark, the blue light of the muted TV screen flickering across his face.

****

Amani nearly missed breakfast the next morning. She spent an extra forty-five minutes dressing, applying makeup and styling her hair. When she finally entered the dining room, only two people were still eating around the large table. Ben was not one of them. Smiling weakly, Amani slid into a chair between Adam and Celeste and reached for a banana.

"Not hungry this morning?" Adam asked, hiding a smile behind a glass of orange juice.

She carefully peeled her banana. "I'm eating, aren't I?" Taking a tiny bite of the fruit, she continued, "Where is everyone?"

Celeste shrugged. "I just got here a minute ago. I think I had too much to drink last night."

"And what did you have too much of last night, Amani?" Adam gently nudged her.

Amani could feel her face becoming red. Swallowing, she stuck out her tongue at her old friend. "None of your beeswax." He laughed, but felt for her hand under the table, lightly squeezing her fingers.

Lin appeared in the doorway. Amani felt Adam's hand grow clammy. The Chinese boy's eyes narrowed. Before Amani could move over to let him sit next to his boyfriend, Lin had grabbed a bunch of grapes and a cold pancake and was out the door. Adam's hand released hers.

"All right." Amani set down her banana. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." Adam slid his chair back. "Don't worry about it."

Celeste watched him stalk out of the dining room. "Trouble in paradise." She shook her head sadly. Her curious gaze moved over to Amani. "Ben told me to tell you something."

Amani choked on her banana, but quickly recovered. "Oh?"

"He said that he had to run into town and, although he'll try, he probably won't be back before you all leave." Upon seeing Amani's troubled face, Celeste reached over and took her free hand. "Hey, listen. Don't let him get to you, Mani. He plays this game with everyone. Just don't get in over your head and you'll be fine."

"Yeah..." Amani lower lip trembled. "Don't get in over my head." She set her breakfast aside, no longer hungry. "Do you know where my dad is?"

"Which one?"

"Either one! I don't care!!"

Concerned at her outburst, Celeste gently patted her hand. "I think they're playing pool with Uncle Heero and Mr. Duo."

Nodding, Amani stood up and left the table. She needed her daddies.

Celeste took a thoughtful bite of her bagel after Amani had gone. Something had happened between Amani and her cousin the night before. Having recently given away her own virginity, Celeste had a sneaking suspicion what it might have been, judging by Amani's reaction. She sighed. If Ben did anything to hurt Amani, he would face the wrath of pretty much everyone, herself included. There wasn't a person alive, Celeste figured, who didn't love Amani.

She smiled wickedly and wiped a bit of cream cheese from her lip. No wonder Eve had grown to hate her so much.

At that exact second, as though she could almost read her oldest adversary's thoughts, Eve entered the dining room. Celeste gave her a cool smile. "Morning, Evie."

Returning the smile with equal parts sugar and venom, Eve sat across from the blond girl and helped herself to some fruit and toast. "All alone, Celeste? Calculus boy didn't stay the night?"

"Oh...that wouldn't have made my father *too* upset, really." Celeste smiled. "You see, Evie, *my* father actually cares about me."

Years of practice kept Eve's face a mask of detachment. "He's a nice guy, Andrew." Her lips curled up. "Very nice."

Celeste was immediately on guard. Recognizing the hinting in Eve's voice, she narrowed her crystal blue eyes. "Listen up, Evie darling. Lay a single dirty finger on what's mine and...."

Eve licked strawberry juice off her thumb. "Those don't sounds like the words of someone who trusts their significant other. If he really was yours, you wouldn't have to threaten me."

After a second's pause, Celeste shook her head, amused. "I keep trying to pinpoint exactly when you became the world's biggest bitch, Evie. And I've finally figured it out. You were just born that way. Adam got all the Maxwell genes for intelligence, class, and personality. All you got was the violet eyes." She stood up and blew Eve a kiss before leaving her alone in the dining room.

****

"How long are you going to keep ignoring me, Lin?"

Staring out at the light rain drenching the lush gardens of the Peacecraft Manor, Lin ate a grape in silence.

Adam walked around in front of him and put a hand on either armrest of the chair he was seated on. "Look...I'm sorry about last night. I swear...I really am. I was a dickhead."

"Yes." Lin ate another grape. "You were."

"You don't have to agree with me so readily."

"What should I say then?" Lin calmly asked. "Should I try to take some of the blame on myself? Even if it wasn't my fault?"

Adam looked straight into his boyfriend's blue eyes. "Last night was my fault. I pushed and I'm sorry. But the underlying issue here....it's not just me. You're part of the problem, too."

"Oh, am I?" Lin threw the rest of his grapes to one side and stood up quickly. The boys stood face to face. "Tell me...what is this problem and just how am I part of it? 'Cause from where I'm standing, you're the one who's so insanely desperate for his father's approval, but doesn't have the balls to actually ask him for it!"

"And you'll never be able to get your father's approval, so you're counting on *my* father's." Adam wasn't surprised when Lin pushed him away with more force and anger than he had ever seen in the normally calm Chinese boy. "That is the main problem."

Lin turned on him, furious. "My dad is dead. I've dealt with it. How dare you use that as an excuse to justify..."

Adam interrupted. "What do you want me to do, Lin?? March up to my father and say 'Dad, I'm gay'?"

"It would be a start!!"

Duo's son scowled. "Fine. If I do this, are we okay?" His anger faltered a bit. "I want us to be okay."

"I suppose we'll just have to see."

The boys stared at each other for another minute before Adam turned on his heel and marched back into the house. A bolt of lightning struck outside as he pulled open the study doors. His father, Heero, and Trowa were gathered around the pool table. Quatre sat on a small couch with Amani curled up next to him. Everyone looked up when Adam entered, shadowed by Lin.

"Dad," Adam addressed Duo. He opened his mouth to speak. "I'm..." After a minute passed, he closed his mouth, turned on his heel and headed back the direction he came, barely brushing against Lin as he passed by him. Lin smiled weakly at the confused people in the study before turning and walking in the opposite direction from Adam.

Duo blinked. "Did I miss something again?"

****

"Knock, knock?" Thomas rapped his knuckles lightly against Victoria's open bedroom door. She was sprawled across her bed on her stomach, writing in what looked like her diary. Her long legs were bent at the knee; ankles crossed in the air over her slender back. She looked up when she heard the knocking and scowled. He winced. "Ouch. If looks could kill..."

Victoria returned her attention to her diary. "Was there something you wanted, Mr. Maxwell?" she asked, briskly.

Without an invitation, Thomas entered her bedroom and gently closed the door behind him. It was not the first time he had been in this room, but it had been quite awhile. The last time he had been there, the walls were decorated with magazine clippings of the latest teen idols, pictures of all her friends, and other signs of adolescence. Now, the walls were practically bare with only a few large prints of several famous pieces of art (and one Monet that Thomas suspected was an original) and a framed portrait of her family. "I like what you've done with the place. It's very...simplistic."

"Got tired of the clutter a year ago," she replied, without looking up. "Are you going to get around to the reason for this visit anytime soon?"

Her words stung, but he pressed on. "As a matter of fact *Miss Yuy*, I came here to apologize."

Curious, Victoria looked up. When she saw no overt signs of mocking on his handsome face, she put her pen in her diary and closed it up. "For what? You didn't do anything wrong last night, did you? You stopped, remember?"

"I know what I did." Thomas looked down at the hard wood floor. "But I feel like I owe you an explanation." She waited for him to go on. "You were right last night when you said I still think of you as a child. When I got here, I expected you to be the same girl you were three years ago."

"An annoying fifteen year old?"

Thomas made a "so-so" motion with his hand. "You were never really annoying, Victoria. But I was twenty-one. When you were ten, I was sixteen. I'll always be six years older than you."

"And I'll always be six years behind you. That's what you're really saying, isn't it?" Her voice was dull.

"What I'm saying....and since I'm doing it so badly, I can't blame you for misunderstanding....is this." Thomas approached her bed. "We're at different places in our lives, Victoria. You're about to discover yourself and experience things in college that you never thought were possible. And I'm finally finding my stability, after having gone through all that experiencing. I don't want to hold you down." He reached for her hand. "I'm looking for someone who's at the same place I am. You need someone to experience life with. That's why it won't work between us, kiddo. I'm sorry."

Her lower lip trembled, but she maintained her composure with a bravado that would have impressed even her father. "Are you done? Because I'd like to say something, too." Thomas nodded and waited until she had taken a long, deep breath. "First of all, you're a jerk. You led me on with all that stuff about finding me attractive and wanting to press your lips to mine and all that other moonlight bullshit you gave me."

Thomas' violet irises sparked. "It was not bullshit. It was..."

"The lamest attempt to get into my pants since Timmy Johnson asked me to play doctor in third grade," she finished for him. "If you really wanted what's best for me, you couldn't possibly stand there, feeding me rehearsed lines about separate places and experiencing life. It's been an eye-opening weekend for me, Thomas, and the one thing I've learned is that everyone else is already experiencing. And you're telling me to wait until I get to college? Well, I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of playing the good child. If you don't want to help me experience life, I'll find someone else who will."

She made a motion to roll off the bed, but Thomas stopped her by climbing onto it and using his extra height and weight to pin her down. Victoria struggled against him, but he held on, looming over her like the dark god his father often claimed to be. "You think it was bullshit? All those things I said?? Do you have any idea how much I want to grab you and..." He lowered his head to her shoulder. "God...I can't. I'm sorry!! Just...forget this." He released her wrists. "Find that other person, Victoria. You're way too good for me."

Quickly, without thinking, only reacting, Victoria used every ounce of flexibility and dexterity that she had inherited from her father, and every bit of cunning and determination she had gotten from her mother, and reversed their positions until she was straddling his hips. "I have no idea what's wrong with you, Thomas. But I am not going to let you walk out here without at least trying to do something for you. Whatever's eating away at you, making you this bi-polar....tell me now, so I can fix it."

His eyes were wet. "You can't fix me, baby. I got broken a long time before you stopped playing with your dolls."

Instead of slapping him as she had the instantaneous desire to do, Victoria placed a hand on either side of his head and leaned down until her face was only inches above his. "Tell me about your childhood."

Her tone was so serious, but her words were so comical that all Thomas could do was laugh. He was still laughing in fact, when Victoria kissed first one cheek and then the other. Her lower body slid along his as she stopped his laughter with a long, slow kiss. He let her, but made no motions to return the kiss. It was only when she started to nibble on his jaw and neck that he began to talk. "The last girlfriend I had disappeared in the middle of the night. The only thing she left was a note saying that I was completely fucked up and needed several years of therapy to deal with my father issues."

"Father issues?" Victoria gave his ear a soft kiss.

"Yeah, it was news to me, too." He closed his eyes when she began running her tongue along the edge of his earlobe. "But I went to the therapist anyways. After three sessions, all I learned was that my father has never gotten over losing Grace and the reason the rest of us are completely fucked up is because he hasn't ever told a single one of us that he loves us because he's afraid that loving us will kill us."

Victoria sat up. "That's crazy. Mr. Duo loves you all very much." She ran a hand through his hair. "And you're not all fucked up."

"Come on, baby. Open your eyes. What do you see when you look at the five of us? Edward asked Abby out for four years before she let herself believe that she was worthy of being loved. Ruth hops from country to country and job to job, only calling home to let us know she's not dead. I can't hold down a relationship with anyone for more than three weeks. Adam is gay, which I know is a life-style choice, but he can't even talk to Dad about it for fear of total rejection. And Eve..." He shook his head. "Don't even get me started on Eve. Needless to say, everything she's done since the day she was born was to get his attention."

A tear slipped down Victoria's cheek. "He's really never told you that he loves you?"

"Not since Grace died. I don't think Adam and Eve have ever heard it from him." Thomas shifted on the bed. "Mom says it all the time. But Dad...nothing. He's not a closed off person, Victoria. You know that yourself. I know my dad really well. But I couldn't tell you in no uncertain terms that he loves me."

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. An image of her own father came to her mind. The last time he had told her he loved her; it had not been a momentous occasion, just one night Heero had knocked on her door before she got into bed. He had come in the room, kissed her forehead and said *you know I love you, right?*, to which she had nodded and returned the sentiment. She could not imagine existing without knowing her father's love. She bent down and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "I love you, Thomas. I always have."

This time, he let himself kiss her back. Victoria rested her cheek on his chest and held onto him with all the feeling her slender body. He returned the tight embrace. "Right now...that's all I've got, kiddo."

****

The paved road sped by underneath the wheels of Edward's car. Ben stared at the road as he drove, but his eyes didn't really see anything. The images....the images wouldn't go away, no matter what he did. No matter how far away from the house he drove, he could not get Amani out of his mind. He could still feel her fingers intwined with his on the entire car ride from the beach back to the manor. When they had parted for the night, she had kissed his cheek so sweetly, yet it had set his blood on fire.

He gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles began to turn white. He wanted her. Hell, he might even love her. But it would never work out between them. She was everything good. And he was the classic screw-up. He had never been anything else. He wasn't sure he knew *how* to be anything else. Why did she want him out of all the people in the universe? Why did she let him be the first? No one else had ever deemed him worthy of that. Eve certainly hadn't been a virgin, nor had any of the girls who came after her.

Amani's voice was in his head. No matter how loud he turned up the radio, he couldn't drown it out. The words she had spoken to him while making love flooded his mind.

**Please...I'm not afraid, Ben....I want this....I want you.** And at the height of passion, **I love you.**

Ben's face scrunched up in agony. She had given him everything she had to give. She gave him the one thing she could never give to anyone else again. Amani had trusted him with her innocence and her heart and what had he done? Left before he had to see her in the morning. He hadn't even had the courage to look her in the eye. Her lovely, innocent eyes. He had been a coward.

But it was too late to fix things now. Or was it? He glanced at his watch. She and her fathers would have to leave in half an hour to make it to the spaceport on time. If he, to put it bluntly, hauled ass, he could make it back to the manor in time to say goodbye to her. Maybe she would even let him kiss her. Or hold her. Anything. He itched to touch her. She was that addictive.

Tires screeched and horns honked as Ben pulled an abrupt and rather dangerous U-turn, heading back to the manor as fast as he could.

****

"It's not fair," Victoria cried into Amani's blond hair. "You really won't be coming for New Year's?"

Amani hugged her best friend tighter. "I don't think so. Dad wants an 'at home' holiday. And I just..." She choked back a sob. "It'll be too soon. I need a lot of time to...I don't know...recover, I guess."

"I swear..." Victoria sniffed. "I am going to hit my brother so hard..."

"It's not Ben's fault. I was there, too." Amani pulled back. "I'm not sorry it happened, Tori. I'm just sorry that it couldn't mean anything to him."

Heero's daughter wiped a tear from Amani's smooth cheek. "After what he did...how can you forgive him so easily?"

"Because." Amani lifted her shoulders. "I love him."

Just then there was a knock on Victoria's bedroom door. Quatre poked his head into the room. "Amani, it's time to go."

She nodded at her father. "I'm coming, Daddy." He nodded and left them. Amani turned back to her friend. "Please...don't say anything to Ben."

"I won't," Victoria reluctantly promised. "But can I still hit him?"

"Okay," Amani agreed easily. After a brief pause, the girls burst out laughing and flung their arms around each other for a long, final hug. Amani pulled away first. "Come on. Before I really lose it."

Most everyone had gathered in the foyer to see the Maxwell's and Barton/Winner's off. Amani hugged each person in goodbye in turn. Everyone but who she most wanted to hold. There was no sign of him. Amani resigned herself to the facts. He wouldn't be coming. He didn't care. It had just been sex for him.

He didn't want her.

Eve approached her from behind. "Where's our boy?"

Amani turned a cool eye onto the other girl. "The fact that you assume that you and I have absolutely anything in common is completely presumptuous, Eve."

Duo's daughter smiled in the infuriating way she had. "Don't play in the big leagues if you can't stand getting hurt."

"Spoken like a true professional, Evie." Celeste and Lin came to Amani's rescue. Narrowing her violet eyes, Eve stalked away. Celeste shook her head. "Don't even listen to her, Mani."

Amani nodded and accepted hugs from both her friends. "Thank you."

Lin's hug was particularly long. She felt him press a folded square of paper into her hand. He drew back and looked at the note, then back at her significantly. "Give it to him on the shuttle," was all he said.

"Why don't you tell him whatever..."

He cut her off. "Please." Amani gave in and nodded once more. As Lin moved off, her hazel eyes drifted across the foyer, past where Relena and Hilde were exchanging hugs. In the corner, near the parlor door, Victoria and Thomas were locked in a serious eye stare as they said their goodbyes. Thomas, while not returning to L2 with his family, would be heading back to school at the same time that they all left. Amani had to smile as Thomas tucked a long lock of Victoria's dark brown hair behind her ear. They were the perfect picture of a couple falling in love. Anyone could see it.

And that anyone included Victoria's father. Amani stifled a giggle when Heero made a movement towards his daughter and Duo's son. He was held in check only by his wife's not-so-subtle grip on his forearm as she whispered words into his ear. Whatever Relena said worked. Heero left the couple alone. For the time being.

Amani felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around only to see her father. "Amani?" Quatre smiled. "It's time to go, baby."

Brushing a stray tear from her eye before he could notice it, Amani picked up her carry-on bag and slung it over one shoulder. As she was the closest to the front door, she reached to open it for everyone. Just as her hand touched the brass door knob, it burst open, sending her stumbling backwards. Ben stepped inside the house to Amani's complete shock.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

She stared at him. He had come back. And he looked worried. She put a hand to her head in confusion. "Ben...?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry it took me so long. But I couldn't let you go without saying goodbye." In the grand foyer of the Peacecraft Manor, right in front of a crowd that included their parents, Ben reached for Amani and pulled her into a deep, long kiss.

Amani could hear catcalls from Celeste, slightly shocked laughter from Lin and Victoria's faint applause, but none of the sounds stopped her from kissing him back. Not even the nagging thought that her father...fathers...were watching her could make her stop. It felt too good, too right to be in Ben's arms again. He pulled back first and winked at her. "Forgive me for being late?" he whispered.

"I suppose." She gave him a radiant smile. "Just don't let it happen again."

Quatre cleared his throat several times in rapid succession. "Amani..." he began before he felt Trowa's hand on his back. He looked at his lover.

"It was bound to happen," was all Trowa said.

Duo clapped Quatre on the shoulder, sympathetically. "Come on...we're gonna miss the shuttle." The goodbye hugs and well-wishing began all over again. No one noticed that Eve had slipped out to the cars alone without saying goodbye to anyone.

Amani laid her cheek against Ben's chest. "I was starting to think that you didn't..."

"I do. I'm sorry....I never wanted you to doubt last night. Because I sure don't." He tipped her chin up. "Will I see you at New Year's?"

"I don't know," she replied, honestly. "Dad is talking about just celebrating as a family."

Ben nodded. "I suppose I'll just have to call you a lot, then."

She hugged him tighter. "You had better." Their lips met in a sweet kiss.

It was Trowa who gently tapped his daughter's shoulder. "Amani. Come on. Before you give your father a heart attack."

Giving Ben a last look, Amani joined her family and the Maxwells as they left the Manor. Ben watched her get in the car and drive off, his chest aching. He was so preoccupied that it took him a moment before he realized that someone had come up behind him.

"If you're not serious, don't lead her on." Relena's voice was soft, but firm.

"Mom..." His eyes never left the car she was in as it passed through the gates and out of his sight. "I have never been more serious about anything in my life."

Relena glanced at Heero. Her husband lifted his shoulders and started up the stairs. She put a hand on her son's arm. "I believe you, baby. I just hope..." She sighed. "Never mind. First love. Who am I to judge?"

****

Adam didn't read Lin's note until he was at home and in bed. He unfolded the square of paper with trembling hands, almost afraid of what the letter might say. His heart was somewhere in his throat as he began to read.

**Adam,

First of all, let me make this quite clear. I love you. I have loved you for a long time as a close friend. In the past two years, I have come to feel something much deeper for you. That feeling hasn't faded, despite what happened this weekend. This letter isn't one of rejection. But I don't know what to do anymore. Yes, I do want your father's approval, but not for the reasons you think. I want his approval for you, not for me. Adam, you are one of the most amazing people I have ever known. And yet, you are one of the most unhappy. I want to help you, but I don't know what to do. Sex isn't a solution. When we do have sex, it will be because you can finally look your father in the eye and tell him whatever it is you're holding locked up inside. You'll be free to love me and make love to me. This is not an ultimatum. I would never push you, Adam. I love you too much. I only want you to be happy. When you find that, I will be here, waiting for you. Until then, we can only be as we used to be. Friends.

Yours, Lin**

The note crumpled in his hand as the tears flooded his violet eyes. He drew his knees up to his aching chest and let himself cry. So lost was he to his misery that he didn't hear the knock on his door, nor his twin entering his room.

"Adam?" she asked in a voice that almost reminded him of the way she had once been.

He turned his back on his sister. "Can you....I need to be....alone. Please."

Eve's jaw tightened. An icy hand squeezed her heart. "Sure. Fine. Whatever." She slammed the door behind her when she left, but Adam ignored it. As he had ignored his sister.

****

January 1st, AC 226

"Happy New Year!!"

Amani accepted a kiss on each cheek from her fathers and politely looked away as they exchanged their first kiss of the new year. She glanced down at the sparkling cider in her hand. A thread of worry snaked across her thoughts, keeping her from joining in the celebration. Taking a deep breath, she set down her glass. "I'll be right back," she announced.

Quatre tilted his head to the side to study his daughter. "Amani, are you all right?"

"I just have to use the bathroom, Daddy."

"But you were just in there a few minutes..."

Trowa covered his lips with one finger. "I think it's a girl thing, little one."

Amani managed to flash a weak smile of gratitude at her father before escaping to the downstairs bathroom. Once inside, she locked the door and reached underneath the sink for the object she had placed there ten minutes earlier. Her hands shook uncontrollably. Amani took several deep, long breaths before she examined the unfamiliar item.

It fell to the floor after a minute. Amani's knees gave out and she sank to the cool tile. It couldn't really be possible, she told herself. There had to be a mistake. It had to be inaccurate. Things like this didn't really happen...especially not to someone like her. How was it even possible? They had been so careful...hadn't they?

Amani reached for the tester stick and once again examined the bright pink lines. Tears of fright coursed down her cheeks. It had happened. It wasn't inaccurate. She didn't need a test to tell her that something had changed inside her body. She had known that from the minute she realized her period had never come, two weeks earlier. The test was just a formality. She stood on shaky legs and examined her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

"Amani," she told herself. "You are pregnant."

****

To Be Continued...