It all started out innocently enough. The five Gundam pilots were lounging around their current safehouse. Heero was typing on his laptop, Duo was bugging Heero, Trowa and Quatre were playing chess, and Wufei was reading a book. Then there was a knock on the door.

Quatre politely excused himself and went to answer it. He came back a few minutes later, a dazed expression on his face and a basket in his arms with a note in one hand.

Trowa glanced up at him and frowned. "Daijobou, Quatre?" He stood and started over towards him.

"Trowa...?" Quatre said softly. He held out the basket with shaking arms. "Hold this for me, ne?"

Trowa grabbed the basket just as Quatre's eyes rolled back and he collapsed, unconscious.

****************************************

When Quatre awoke ten minutes later, Trowa was looking at him anxiously. Well, his visible eye looked worried, which was anxious for Trowa. The other three pilots had gathered around them as Trowa helped him sit up slowly.

"Are you all right, Quatre?" Duo asked worriedly.

Quatre blinked, then his eyes widened. "The basket! Where's the basket?!"

Duo blinked, then pointed to the chair the basket was sitting on. "We put it over there. Doushite, what's wrong?"

Quatre scrambled over to the basket, peering inside and pulling back a blanket. He sighed, looking relieved and terrified at the same time.

"What's in the basket?" Heero asked.

Quatre hesitated, then lifted the basket and moved it so they could see.

All four of the other pilots fainted.

****************************************

"It's not staying." Wufei stated the moment he woke up again.

"Can I have it?" Duo asked instantly.

"..." was Trowa's response.

And Heero's, predictably, was "Omae o korosu."

Quatre clutched the basket protectively. "She has to stay. Where else is she going to go? Duo, you can't have her, and it's not my fault Heero. My sister just left her here. I'm not going to throw my niece out on the street!"

"We are *not* keeping a baby here." Wufei said flatly.

Immediately a loud wail came from the basket. Quatre set it down and picked up the baby, holding her close and rocking her gently. "Shhh." he whispered.

"Don't cry, Alea-chan. I won't let Wufei throw you out." He began humming softly. The baby blinked, then stopped crying abruptly, snuggling against him with her thumb in her mouth.

She had wisps of pale blond hair poking out from the hood of her light blue sleeper to fall across her forehead, and bright emerald green eyes that gazed around the room. Duo had fallen in love with her instantly, but the other three pilots were not so enthusiastic.

"What exactly are you going to do with it?" Wufei demanded.

"Take care of her until my sister comes back for her." Quatre answered calmly.

"Where is it going to sleep?"

"I'll sleep in the spare bedroom with her, and let Trowa have our room to himself so she doesn't wake him up."

"What will you do if there's a mission?"

"I'll handle that when it happens."

Wufei was about to say something else when Alea yawned suddenly, blinking and snuggling even closer to Quatre.

"Aww..." Duo turned to Wufei, hands clasped in front of him as he stared at him with pleading eyes. "Come on, Wu-man, let us keep her. Onegaiiiii?"

Trowa cautiously approached Alea, peering down at her curiously. Alea looked up at him, then suddenly grabbed onto his bangs, giggling enthusiastically. Quatre looked horrifed and gently pried Alea's hands off Trowa's hair, mumbling appologies.

"Do you even know how to take care of a baby?" Wufei demanded. "A *girl* baby?"

"Of course I do." Quatre replied, tickling Alea's stomach and making her giggle. "I used to-" he stopped in mid-sentence, turning bright red. "Anou...nevermind."

"Nani?" Trowa asked.

"Come on, tell us." Duo urged.

Quatre was nearly purple by now. "Anou...I used to babysit a lot when I was younger. And..." he mumbled something inaudible.

"What was that?" Wufei prompted.

He sighed. "Some of my sisters used to make me play with them all the time, so I know about dealing with girls."

Duo snickered. "What did they do, make you play tea party?" Seeing Quatre's look of long suffering, he burst out laughing. "You *did*! You played tea party! I bet they made you wear a dress and ribbons in your hair and everything!"

Quatre sat down, burying his face in his hands. "You have no idea."

"You were forced to play with a bunch of women?" Wufei said condescendingly.

Quatre glared up at him with one eye while Alea began to play with his vest.

"There were three of them. I was five."

Alea tugged on his vest, looking up at him with wide eyes. He looked back down at her and sighed, scooping her up. "I suppose we'll have to find you something to eat before we go shopping, ne?"

"Why are you going shopping?" Heero asked.

"We need baby supplies." he answered, heading towards the kitchen.

"It's *not* staying!" Wufei snarled.

Quatre turned, shooting him a glare to rival that of his Zero system one.

"She is staying." he stated in an icy tone. He went into the kitchen.

****************************************

Trowa and Duo walked into the kitchen to find Quatre holding out a spoonful of smushed bananas to Alea, who was looking at them warily.

"Come on, Alea-chan." Quatre coaxed. "If you eat this I'll get you a treat later."

Immediately her eyes lit up and she grabbed the spoon, gumming it happily. Quatre laughed and pulled it away to get more, which was quickly swallowed.

"You're bribing her?" Trowa asked, raising an eyebrow.

Quatre shrugged. "It works." He stood and put the now empty dish in the sink, then wet a towel. He wiped Alea's face and hands clean, then threw it in a hamper.

Duo reached out to Alea, only to have her latch onto his finger. He tried to pry her off to no avail. Heero and Wufei came in and rolled their eyes at Duo's predicament.

"Baka." Wufei muttered.

Alea took one look at Heero and Wufei and burst into tears. She threw herself at Trowa with a wail, startling the tall pilot. He picked her up hesitantly. She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck as best she could, sobbing.

Quatre gently turned her in Trowa's arms so that she was facing him and stroked her cheek gently. "It's all right, Alea-chan. No one's going to hurt you." he soothed.

After a moment, Trowa lifted a hand hesitantly and laid it gently on top of her head, stroking her hair with his thumb. She looked up at him, then Quatre, and blinked. Her tears stopped and she smiled at them. Quatre smiled back and turned towards the counter.Alea screamed. Quatre whirled, only to have her quiet the second he was near her again. He frowned.

Trowa handed her to him silently and started to walk away, only to have her scream again the second he was more than five feet away. Both boys stared at her, then at each other.

Duo snickered. "Congradulations. You've just become parents."

Quatre turned bright red, then bent to look Alea in the eyes. He touched her cheek gently. "Alea-chan, I need to go get ready so we can get you the things you need. I'll be right back, I promise."Alea pouted, then nodded.

To their relief, this time she didn't scream when Quatre walked away. Instead she snuggled back against Trowa with a sigh, looking at the other three warily.

****************************************

Quatre adjusted Alea so that she was on his left side and glanced up at Trowa. "You didn't have to come, Trowa. I can do this myself."

Trowa raised an eyebrow. "You can carry her and everything you're going to buy?"

Quatre flushed, then sped up with an indignant huff. Trowa watched him, a tiny almost smile on his lips as he surpressed a chuckle. He lengthened his stride and caught up to Quatre easily.

Quatre turned into the first baby store he saw, trying unsuccessfully to walk faster than Trowa. He nearly tripped when Alea grabbed onto something. Turning, he saw her clinging with tiny fists to a stuffed cheetah's tail. She looked up at him pleadingly. He chuckled and handed it to her. "All right, you can have it."

She gave a little squeal of delight and hugged the stuffed cheetah tightly.

"A'gah-oh!" she said in a soft, yet high-pitched voice.

"You're going to spoil her." Trowa told him.

Quatre sniffed, still miffed at him. "So? She's my niece;I'm allowed to spoil her." He headed towards a counter where a clerk stood, looking bored.

"Excuse me, miss? Do you know where the baby section is?"

"Five aisles down to the right." she mumbled, then looked up as Trowa came up behind Quatre. Her eyes brightened. "Oh, what a kawaii baby! You two must be such proud parents!"

Quatre turned bright red, sputtering.

"Hn." Trowa replied, grabbing Quatre's shoulder firmly and leading him away.

The clerk watched them walk away, arguing quietly. She chuckled as a co-worker of hers came up. "Such a wonderful couple."

"They look so perfect together!" her co-worker agreed.

"A relationship like that is bound by the strings of destiny."

Her co-worker smiled, nodding.

****************************************

Duo looked up from his place on the couch were he was watching television with Heero and Wufei when he heard the door open and close. Quatre walked in, looking angry. Alea was strapped to his back in a baby carrier, and he carried a bag and a diaper bag over one shoulder. Trowa stumbled in behind him, carrying four bags at once. He nearly crashed into a table before managing to put them down. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Quatre.

"I still don't see why you're so upset."

Quatre glared at him. "How would you like it if people thought you were a girl?! A mother no less!"

Duo burst out laughing. Quatre shot him a death glare and he clamped his hand over his mouth.

Alea had been very quiet. Suddenly she sniffled loudly. Quatre froze, looking over his shoulder at her in alarm. Trowa visibly paled.

Quatre hurried to get the baby carrier off. "Alea-chan-"

Tears had filled Alea's eyes. She let loose with a wail that shook the walls. Trowa, Duo, Heero, and Wufei all clapped their hands over their ears. Quatre winced in pain as he struggled out of the carrier, setting it down on a table. He unstrapped her and scooped her up, grimacing as she wailed in his ear.

"Shh...it's all right, Alea-chan." he told her, rubbing her back gently. "It's all right."

Her only response was to wail even louder.

Bracing himself, Trowa removed his hands from his ears and tried to approach Quatre and Alea, only to stumble back in pain. He took a deep breath and strode over to them quickly, placing a hand on Alea's head gently and stroking her hair with his thumb as he had done before.

Alea stopped crying abruptly, looking up at Trowa with wide green eyes. She frowned cutely, tugging at his hand until he let her place it on Quatre's. Then she smiled up at them happily.

Trowa was startled by how much her smile reminded him of Quatre's. {If I didn't know any better...}

Quatre on the other hand, was feeling disturbed. {I've heard of being insightful, but this is...this is not good.}

Duo took his hands of his ears hesitantly. "Is it over?"

Quatre smiled slightly. "Hai, Duo. It's over." He looked down at Alea. She yawned and stuck a fist in her mouth, blinking up at him. He chuckled. "I think it's time for you to take a nap, Alea-chan." He looked up at Trowa hesitantly. "Will you...?"

Trowa nodded, one corner of his mouth twitching slightly. Quatre smiled at him and they walked out of the room together.

Duo watched them go. "How long do you think?"

Wufei snorted. "With *it* around? Two weeks at the most."

"Hn." Heero replied predicably.

****************************************

Quatre carefully placed Alea on her stomach in the middle of his bed. He stoked her hair gently, humming softly. Alea yawned. Quatre chuckled. "Good night, Alea-chan."

"Ni'gh Da-ee, Papa." she murmured. Her eyes closed and she began to breathe deeply.Quatre stood, blushing. He reddened even more when he brushed past Trowa on his way out.

Trowa watched him go, then turned to watch Alea for a moment. {If only...}

****************************************

Heero, Duo, Trowa, and Wufei were sitting down for breakfast the next day when they heard a blood-curdling scream. All four of them jumped to their feet, eyes wide. Trowa ran towards the stairs. "Quatre?!"

"I'm fine." came the muffled reply. He sounded depressed. Trowa frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Hai. I'll be down in a few minutes."

Trowa hesitated, then went back to the table. About ten minutes later, they heard Alea giggling. They looked up. Duo blinked.

"Quatre?" He frowned. "Since when do you...?"

Quatre sighed and put Alea in the high chair they'd made for her. He looked the same as always except for one huge difference;he was wearing a pair of wire-rimmed glasses. They made him look like a professor. "My glasses? I've always had them. I just wear contacts normally." He scowled at Alea, who giggled again and clapped her hands. "Demo, Alea-chan got into my contact supplies this morning and shredded all the pairs I had. I have to wear these until I get some more."

"Why didn't you tell us you wore glasses?" Duo asked, looking curious.

Quatre looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't it obvious?" He turned to get some food out of the cupboard for Alea.The others looked confused.

{He thinks he looks stupid.} Trowa realized. He surpressed a smile. {Who would have thought Quatre could be vain?}

It was a bit ironic at that. Rather than looking geeky, Quatre looked very distingished in his glasses. He had a sort of scholarly look about him when he wore them. They also helped to make him look a lot less feminine.

{Actually...} Trowa mused. {He looks rather good in them.}

Alea giggled happily as Quatre set a dish of cherrios down in front of her. "A'gah-oh Da-ee!"

Duo snickered, while Wufei snorted and Heero's mouth quirked. Quatre ignored them and sat down next to Alea with a sigh. He began to eat his own cereal, occasionally pushing his glasses back up when they slid down his nose.

After a while of sitting in silence, Alea was bored. A mischievious smile crept over her face. She carefully selected a cheerio, then threw it, hitting Wufei in the eye.Wufei's head snapped up. "Who threw that?!"

Duo looked at him oddly. "Who threw what?"

Wufei's eyes narrowed. "I know it was you Maxwell!"

Duo frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Wufei glared at him ."Do it again, and you'll regret it." he snarled, then sat back down.Duo looked confused, then shrugged and went back to his breakfast.

Next it was Heero who's head snapped up. However, he was a lot less sutle about it."Itetetete!" Duo wailed as Heero's hand yanked his braid.

"Don't. Throw. Food." Heero growled. He released Duo..

Ten seconds later, Wufei was on his feet. "That's it!" He grabbed a handful of powdered sugar and threw it, hitting Duo in the face. Duo grabbed some flour of the counter to throw back. He ended up hitting Wufei, Quatre, and Trowa. Within seconds, a full-blown food fight had broken out. Alea watched all this with intestest for a while, then began to sniffle. She slipped out of her high chair and toddled out of the room.

****************************************

About twenty minutes into the food fight, Quatre suddenly screamed "STOP!"

Everyone froze. They were all covered in a vast assortment of powdered sugar, sugar, flour, corn starch, baking soda, and some water. Duo's hair was coming out of its braid and was streaked with white. Trowa's bangs shed clouds of two different kinds of sugar everytime he turned his head.

"Where's Alea?!" Quatre demanded, looking panicked. He pushed his glasses back up roughly, nearly scraping his nose in the process. All their eyes widened. "Kuso." Duo stated.

"Everyone spread out and look for her." Quatre ordered.

They all nodded and headed out in different directions. No one dared to tell him no. They all knew quite well that an angry, panicky Quatre was a force to be reconned with.

****************************************

Though it was extremely hard to tell, Trowa was worried. They'd been looking for Alea for ten minutes with no sign of her. {I hope she's all right.}

Though he didn't want admit it, he was beginning to like having the little girl around. A small sound made him pause. He frowned, turning into his room. The top drawer was open. He went over to shut it and stopped, his lips twitching into a tiny, relieved smile.

Alea was curled up in a pile of his boxers, clutching a black silk pair with lions on them. She shifted in her sleep, making him frown at the sight of tiny dried tear tracks on her cheeks. "Papa..." she whimpered. She sniffled.

Another crack spread in the ice surrounding Trowa Barton's heart, joining the others already made by a certain blond pilot and a girl who was more like a sister.

He gently picked Alea up out of the drawer and held her for a moment, watching her. She dropped the boxers as a smile spread over her face.

"Papa..." she mumbled, snuggling closer to him. Trowa smiled slightly in spite of himself. He went to set her down on his bed.She cried out in her sleep, clinging to him. He froze. {Kuso. What now?}

Quatre poked his head through the doorway. "Trowa did you-"

Trowa put a finger over his lips, silencing the other boy. He nodded to the sleeping Alea.

Quatre came over and looked at her, sighing in relief. "Thank Allah." he murmured.A smile spread over Alea's face. "Da-ee."

Trowa tried to put her down again, only to have her cling even tighter. He looked at Quatre for help.

Quatre smiled and gently stroked Alea's forehead. He hummed softly, then eased her into his own arms. She gave a little sigh and rolled over. Quatre moved over to a chair and glanced at Trowa. Trowa nodded and he sat down.

Alea frowned in her sleep. "Papa..." she whimpered. "No figh'! Papa s'ay!" She started to toss and turn. "Papa! Da-ee!" Tears started to roll down her little cheeks.

Quatre frowned, rocking her gently. He began to sing softly in Arabic. Alea stopped tossing, but the frown was still there. Trowa hesitated, then rested his hand on her head. Immediately the frown melted into a happy smile. "Papa...Da-ee..."

She snuggled closer to Quatre, who smiled back and shoved his glasses back up again.

This time when Quatre tried to put her down on the bed, she simply smiled.