Never forget....

[pilot03]

Author's Disclaimer: This is my first posted GW fic. I have nothing to do with GW so trying to sue me will only result in me giving you an I.O.U. ~_-

Never Forget
By: Pilot03

Several years have pasted since the Eve Wars that marked an era of new peace and change. The scars of war have faded but not for the people involved and effected. They still carry the wounds inflicted durning a time of innocence lost. There were few remaining alive that carried the burden of being responsible for causing so much pain and destruction. Many old soldiers found new careers to atone for their sins. Others simply faded away without a war for them to fight. A few haunted souls still fought their battles with ghosts from the past. A losing battle that would one day claim the lives they fought so desperatly to preserve.

The air was thick with smoke and random nonsense discussed by the patrons of a local bar. The gloomy atmosphere was only magnified by the steady downpour and thunder from the the raging storm outside. The weather seemed to reflect the inner turmoil of one bar customer. He sat at a table in the a corner that gave the impression as if to absorb any light cast in it's direction from the lamps scattered about the small building. The life he lived and his home where both destroyed the day Oz extended their iron hold into outer space and it's colonies. Time had matured his body but failed to ease his mind. He glanced down at the growing collection of empty glasses in front of him.

"How many more to stop the screams...." he commented to himself quietly. He lazily waved the waitress over to order another drink. One more. Then I better get home. He visited the bar to drown his sorrows. More importantly, nobody recongized him. He could rest easy in the fact that nobody would bother him while he attempted to drink himself into a comma.

Time and again, he would sit at the same table and drink until he could barely walk himself to the door. The bar owner came to accept his habits. Like many of his regular customers, this man came in to try to get away from their problems. Like them all, the customer came to find it often was not as easy as picking up a drink.

The bar owner called out, "Hey buddy, that all for you. I won't be responsible for what happens to you when you leave. I don't want to have your death on my concience."

The customer gave no response. He simply stared at the table in front of himself. His head hanging down with blonde hair covering his face. "Hey chief, did you hear what I said!" The bar owner stopped the waitress from delivering his drink. With speed he would have never expected from somebody who had drank as much as he did, the customer sprang up from his chair and had the owner pinned to the wall. The drink falling to the ground to shatter at his feet. The owner looked down at the customer. Fear and pain etched into the bar owners face.

"You don't want ONE death on your concience!! ONE!!! Try having several hundred and I'm taking it easy on myself! I don't need you to lecture me about what happens to me when I step outside. All you need to worry about is getting me my drink when I order! Got it!!" With that, he threw down the owner and sat back down heavily. He covered his face in his hands and let out a soft sob. "I didn't mean it. I never meant it. I didn't want to see anybody hurt or killed anymore. Yet, that's exactly what I did. I mained, murdered, destroyed, and killed in the name of peace. I lose so much, but I took away even more. I hear the screams of every life I took. They each yell for justice. For me to be punished for my crimes. I live in a personal hell. A purgatory of memories. I can't erase my past." He had spoken in a hoarse voice from the liquor and previous outburst. To the bar owner it was as if a small child had just spoken.

The customer looked up from his hands and noticed the bar owner still on the floor staring at him. Confusion and sympathy replaced his fear from the sudden events that just occurred. He got up off the floor and took the seat across from the stranger. The customer seemed to become an entirely different person from whom he present moments ago. He took on a look of self-loathing and didn't attempt to make eye contact. Shame clearly written in his posture. "You have nothing to be ashamed of boy. We all did things we thought were right durning that time. I myself was there when the Sanq Kingdom fell. I was also part of the battle at Libra. I lost many good friends and a good part of my leg." He tapped on a artifical limb. "The fighting never ends when the weapons are put to rest and the bullets stop flying through the air. Try to remember that you made it out alive for a purpose. Don't let that go to waste."

The customer finally gained control of his emotions and let the bar owner's words sink in. "I hope to Allah that your right. I have been lost for so long. I've buried myself in my work to try and keep my mind from wandering back to those times. When I had foolish ideals. I'm sorry about what just happened. I beg your forgiveness. My name is Quarte."

Quarte extended his hand out to the owner. "Nice to meet a fellow vet. My name is Ted." They shook hands warmly. "The pleasure is all mine. I hope you don't have a bad impression of me. I'm not usually like this." Quarte pointed to the glass littered table. "I understand. Your preaching to the choir." They both laughed at the weak attempt of a joke. "Still, I had no reason to react the way I did. Old habits die hard I'm afraid. It's hard to teach a old dog new tricks. Especially since they are the ones that kept me alive."

Ted waved back the waitress and ordered two coffees. "I think you just need to settle down and grow your roots. You can never learn to change if you don't have anyone to do it for. That's how I met the love of my life and the reason I started up this joint. You have anybody special for you? Anybody worth changing for and letting go of your past?"

Ted noticed that the young man actually blushed when he mentioned a special somebody and could barely contain his amusement. The earlier feelings of fear from this man had been forgotten. "So there is a little philly you got your eye on. Tell me all about her." Quarte turned an impossible shade of crismon and started sputtering. He busied himself by taking a sip of the coffee the waitress had returned with. Ted used to specialize in sniping so patience was one of the skills he had honed to perfection. He could wait. This was actually getting good and he might be able to sober the boy up.

Quarte took his time in preparing his drink before finally answering. "There was this one girl. I haven't seen her since the war. I don't even know if she is still alive. I have a feeling she made it, but nothing else. She was beautiful and very smart. I think she liked me to. I can't be certain, but I think we had a connection."

"What happened the last time you saw each other?" Ted leaned over the table. This was more interesting then watching the baseball game on the television.

"She stabbed me."

Ted spit out the drink he had just taken. His mouth gapped open in disbelieve. "She...stabbed you?" Quarte nodded and took another drink. The coffee had started to work it's magic and he could feel the haze on his mind lifting. Ted sat in quiet thought for a few minutes. "I can see why you might think she liked you. My wife tried hitting me in the head the first time we met. It was love at first sight."

With that both men let out deep and contagious laughter that soon filled the bar. Quarte could barely remember the last time he had laughted with some much feeling. It had been a very long time since he had seen or visited with any of his old comrades. His work and traveling had kept him apart from the only friends he could trust. They were an extended family. Not that he needed anymore family members, but family just the same. He longed to be with them to share how his life had slowly began a downward spiral. He cursed to himself for allowing his own feelings of guilt to chip away at his soul. He was always so eager to help others, but when the help or compassion was not returned he lost sight of himself. He would never have to worry about that from the gundam pilots he served with. They each had their own qualities and ways to live life.

Then there was Dorothy. He would often wonder what happened to her after the battle at Libra. He had tried to find her on several occasions but his focus had quickly turned in on itself when he started drinking. This bar owner had reminded him he had much more work to do. He had to find the women who had captured his heart. Quarte started to glow from the warmth of the coffee and his new determination.

"Ted, I'm sorry but I need to...." Ted cut him off before he could finish. "Go find her. It's written all over your face. I hope you find her. When you do I would like to meet this lovely lady."

Again Quarte blushed but nodded his agreement. He paid for his drinks and left a generous tip. He threw on his jacket and flew out the door and disappeared into the rain.

"I hope you find her boy. She may save you yet."


Additional comments: Should I continue this or leave it like that. I could see Quarte acting like this so I hope not to many people think he's out of character. He did lose his mind for awhile and you can only be so nice before you let your pent up emotions come out. Hit me up the reviews.

[Calla Lily]

You finally decided to write a GWing fic!! *does happy dance* Congradulations, P-03, I like it very much.

And please continue with this story. (or I shall hunt you down. muhahahaha!) I, too, can see Quatre acting this way regarding the aftermath of the wars, the suppressed anger, the bad habits, and everything else in-between... Can't wait to see what happens next.

~ Calla.

[Raspberry]

Yeah, Pilot! You really should continue this! Uhuh, Quatre was very in character. And the whole "blushing buisness" It's such a ... warm... story. I'll be very pleased if I could read more of this.

*pokes Pilot* So??? When will be next chappie?..

[melodrama]

Nice job P03! I liked it a lot! I've seen similar settings in the past for the other pilots, but never for Quatre.

I do hope you'll continue... I've been craving a decent new 4xD fic of late so I'll keep my fingers crossed in hopes of some more of this one!

Thanks for sharing!

Love Mel

[pilot03]

Thank you everyone for your reviews. I'm all blushy like Quarte. I intend to continue and make this my first chapter fic on BI. I don't know yet where I want to take this story. It will lead Quarte on a soul searching adventure that will include his old friends and Dorothy. Sometimes you may find the light at the end of the tunnel.

[Andrea]

Were you really considering leaving the story there? That would have been torture. I really like the way you portray Quatre here; you make him look like a real person with real burdens, not the weak, teary character other people make of him. Completely -in- character.

I would love to know what happens next, and when will Dorothy come into the picture... :razz:

[Morrighan]

Nice! Like everyone else has said, this is extremely well written.

And as I promised, I finally got around to reading this.

I'm off to read part two!