Phantoms
by
Captain Anonymous


Midii felt the sway of the rocking chair as she cradled her daughter in her arms. The small angel made herself comfortable in her mothers arms, closing her green eyes and settling in for a nap. Midii could feel her warm body through the pink blanket against her fingers.
She still hadn't been able to rest since the night before, she was still too upset. Midii hadn't talked Trowa yet about it, when the time was right, she would.
Seeing Lady again opened a lot of old wounds, that she would have rather stayed buried. After all these years, why did she have to show up now. For the first time, Midii felt that she had somewhere she belonged, and had a new family. She left the ashes of the past behind her, and built a new life.
The memories of what her cousin had done, still burned in her mind. When Lady left her and her family, they didn't have source of income, or anywhere else to go. There was no other choice for Midii, then to become a spy, and work for the Alliance. It almost seemed ironic now, at the time the Alliance and OZ had been part of the same organization. In order to take care of her brothers, she would become a spy, and would end of the lives of countless soldiers. She never knew just how many people died as result of her work. Midii never wanted to hurt anyone, but in order keep her brothers and father alive, she would have to keep hurting people.
Even hurting the one that she loved.
When she met Trowa on those blood stained fields, she couldn't help but be drawn to him. Midii had no choice but to betray him, and his unit. She sold out the one she loved for her family.
The bitterness that Lady had left to be his excellency, Trieze. She never wrote, sent any word, and did anything to help them. Maybe if she would have done something to help, they wouldn't be like this. But she had been blinded by her loyalty to Trieze, and wouldn't do anything to get in the way of his dreams. Even if it had meant leaving her family behind.
For Midii, love had always been bittersweet. It seemed everyone she would care about would end up dying or leaving in cruel tradeoff for some one else loved. She was forced to betray Trowa for her family. Major Ordway, the man who loved Trowa's sister, and the one who helped bring them together was killed by her own brother.
Lady Une had made her choice to be with one she loved.
Midii stood up with Marie, walking into her room. She laid the small angel down in her crib as she slept silently.
The emotions had burning inside Midii, she didn't how to feel, or what she say.
She walked out of the room, carefully closing the door. She walked down the hall back into the living room and sat down on the couch. She turned on the television, switching the news. She didn't pay any attention, there was still too much on her mind.

Trowa walked into the room, Midii hit the button on the television remote. Trowa sat down beside her. "Feeling any better Midii?"
Midii sat silently for a moment, and said in barely audible voice, "A little."
Trowa looked at Midii, "Is there anything I can do for you?"
Midii shook her head, and sat silently.
She finally said, "I got a call last night."
Trowa nodded, patiently waiting for Midii to go on, as she tried to find the words.
"It was a relative of mine, someone from my past. I know I've never told you about her, but it was something I wanted to keep buried."
Trowa took Midii's hand, feeling her trembling fingers. He understood how she felt, there were parts of his past that were too painful to deal with, and if he had the choice, they would stay buried.
Midii went on, "During the great war, there was an OZ officer, you probably heard of her, Lady Une."
Trowa said flatly, "I know who she was."
Midii could feel the tears moving down her face. "Before I met you, she had lived with my family. Her parents had been killed, and we had taken her in."
Midii stopped before going on, "My mother died right after my youngest brother was born. After my fathers illness got worse, Lady left us to join OZ. She had fallen in love with an OZ officer."
Trowa looked down, "Trieze."
Midii nodded slightly, "After she joined, we never heard from her again, she sent no word, with no money and no other choice, I became a....."
Midii stopped, she could feel herself trembling and breathing heavily. Trowa still was holding her hand.
"I understand now."
Midii went on, "I don't know if I can ever forgive her for what she had done. With everyone she hurt, I just don't know.."
Trowa looked at Midii and brushed the hair away from her face, touching her warm face as tears stream down. Trowa moved his hands around Midii, letting her bury her face in his chest.
"Please stay with me Trowa, just for a while."
Trowa moved his hands along her back, "I won't leave you. What ever you decide to do, I'll always be here with you."


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Count Townsend placed the stack of forms on the corner of his desk. He had been working late every night since he got back from Sicily, to catch up on the never ending pile of paper work.
He leaned back in his desk chair, looking out of his window over the main yard. It was after midnight, he'd probably stay and work a few more hours. There really wasn't any rush to get the forms and reports sent in, but he didn't want to go home and get some sleep, not now.
Since the time he had returned for Sylvia and Joel's wedding, he had tried to keep himself busy working. Just thinking about the wedding seemed to eat at him, leaving a feeling of emptiness inside of him. He had known the Noventa family since before the great war, and had been Mitchell's commander when he was a Preventer, so he both of them very well. It just seeing them together that unnerved him, and reminded him that he was still alone, with no one in his life.
He was happy for Sylvia and Joel, knowing how much they suffered and lost. When he first heard the news that they were getting married, he was relieved that Mitchell would be with her. Townsend had read the medical reports on Mitchell, and knew him well enough. Townsend knew that Mitchell's life was fused with Sylvia's. Sylvia Noventa was all he had to live for, she was the only way he was going to be happy and overcome the pain of the past.
Townsend looked at the reflection the light gave in the window. If anything happened to Sylvia that would be the end Mitchell. If Sylvia was to die somehow, there was no doubt in his mind that Mitchell would take his own life.
But it seemed like now Mitchell and Sylvia would be able to start a new life and leave the scars of their past behind. They were probably off now, in five star hotel in Europe, living like lovers.
It seemed most of the young soldiers now were following that ideal, and were getting married off, and leaving the service in order to start new lives. Many of them were young soldiers, who had fought during the Eve Wars, they all had seen too much. Most were half Townsends age.
He had thought about leaving the service, retiring from active duty.
There was peace now, and the Preventer Agency was the only organization left. His former nation had disbanded its army after the end of the great war, leaving him without anywhere left to go. Townsend wasn't bitter, afterall, it wasn't the first nation that had turned its back on him.
Even the Preventer Agency was falling apart, with shortages of men and funding, it seemed like only a matter of time before that folded as well.
Townsend had always been alone, since as long as he could remember. He could easily leave the service and retire, go into civilian life and live well. But that still wouldn't change the fact that he was still alone, with no one to protect, or any real direction. Being a soldier was all he knew, it was the only thing he had lived for.
Townsend leaned forward in his chair and looked back at the stacks of forms still waiting to be filled out.

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It was after four in the morning, Johnnie walked down the familiar dark streets back home. It was a clear night, the air was coo. The guilt had built up inside of him, he wasn't sure just how to feel, or if there was anything to feel right now. The night before he had gone to see Marlene, it would be the first night he would be able to spend any amount of time with her since Midii and Trowa had gone to Sicily.
It had been raining that night, he had walked her home. Both of them were soaked, Marlene had invited him in to dry off, they somehow managed to get by her brothers body guards and get to the second floor.
He remembered every move she made, everything about the way her body looked. The way her hair was wet, like the first night that he met her. The night he met her, they been two random strangers, walking alone in the rain. That had been the night Johnnie first Catherine what he had done. He had walked in the rain, trying to ease the pain.
He never expected to have met this girl.
She was a few years older then him, but it didn't seem to matter at all. He had seen so much, he felt like he lived an entire lifetime, a few years just didn't seem to matter.
He wasn't sure just how it happened, or even why, just that it did happen. It had been they both had wanted.
He could still taste her lips, and smell her perfume. The way that she moved, the way she touched his skin, there no way for him describe it.
He woke up the next morning next to her, it took him a minute to remember where he was. She laid next to him, asleep, looking like a dream.
After she got up, he left, Marlene had plans to go out with her brother and his wife to some formal event the next night.
He promised he would come and see her tonight.
It still was hard for him to think about everything, the guilt that had building inside of him. How could have he spent the night with her like that. It would impossible he thought to go back, to face Catherine to see her violet eyes cutting through him. He had taken away the only one Catherine loved, Johnnie didn't consider himself worthy of being loved by anyone after that. How could he.
Gone against every ideal that he thought. Gone against his own feelings, gone against the ideals that had hammered into him during the great war. She was part of the Winner family, one of the space elite. These were the people that helped fuel the war machine for the Colonies, and led to the start great war. They had been his sworn enemies.
Maybe there would be something more. Johnnie had been out most of the day, wandering the streets, trying to all of this out in his mind. He looked at the house, he had finally made it back home. He'd try and get some sleep, and see his brothers and Midii, just to make sure everything was all right. He knew they were fine, Midii was always stronger then him, she did far better job of taking care of their brothers anyway.
His feet hurt, walked across the open lawn to the house.
The house was dark as he walked inside. He collapsed on the couch, laying his
aching head on the arm rest. He'd only stay here for a minute, only until he caught his breathe.
Maybe he would just sleep on the couch. It seemed like a far better idea then trying to get up.


To be continued.