And at the Top
by
Captain Anonymous


Townsend stood in his office, looking out over the gray sky as the rain fell.
The way the sky looked.
Very soon, very soon.
He turned back, and went back to work on the letter that was on his desk.

-----------------------------


Johnnie stood at the foot of the door, he moved his hand from his side.
This was it.
He knocked on the painted wood door frame. 
He waited for a moment.
His heart was racing, he could feel the pressure building inside of him. He felt himself trembling, 
not sure what he was going to say. How he was going to say it.
His wet cloths, soaked by the freezing rain, kept him in the moment. His skin felt warm, as it 
touched the cold material.

There was a sound on the other side, as the lock was opened.
There was no time for regrets, no time for second thoughts. 

The door opened. 

Lady stared at the blonde boy standing before her. She looked at him, feeling his cold stare 
looking through her. 
There was something familiar about him, someone she knew.
That look. The look that she had seen.
The look about him, she had seen it before.
"You're Johnnie, aren't you."

Johnnie stood silently, still staring with his icy blue eyes. 
Droplets of water and tears ran down his face. It did nothing to change his expression.

After a time he finally spoke, "Yeah."
Lady turned, at the moment she was caught off guard, unsure of what she should do.
She motioned for him to come inside, and out of the cold.
Johnnie took a step up, and stood inside the door. 

Johnnie glanced at his cousin as she closed the door behind him.

They stood in silence for a moment. The air was tense.

"So you came here to talk." Lady spoke slowly.
Johnnie only stared at her, not saying a word.
"I understand why you've come here."
Johnnie finally broke his silence, and said in a barely audible voice, "You think you do?"
Lady said, "I can understand the anger and hate you must feel towards me."
Johnnie looked into her eyes, as his flooded with tears.
How could she understand. 

"I want you to know, that while I can't undo any of the pain I've caused you, I want you to know 
that I'm sorry."

Johnnie stood silent again. He could barely say a word.
"So, that's all you've got to say for what you've done?"
Lady looked at Johnnie, seeing the tears in his eyes, she could feel the pain and anger inside of 
him.

Johnnie spoke again, trying to hold back all of his emotion.
"Is what you told Midii, the truth. Is that how its going to be?"
He waited, and spoke again, this time louder. "How's it going to be?"

Lady said, "Yes, I know I can't take back the pain I've caused you.........but now, I don't want to 
cause anymore pain to you or our family."

"What made you change after all these years?"

"There was no reason to carry these burdens any more. I wanted to make amends, to the people 
I caused pain to. I know that everything did, can never be taken back. The only way to do this is 
to face this head on, and take responsibility for my actions."

Johnnie said, "Is that the only reason?" 
Johnnie took a step into the room, and took a look around.
He went on, "Or was it because the guilt you felt inside. You didn't want to live with it anymore. 
You wanted to wash your hands clean of everything."
"It's not that."
Johnnie said, "You never gave us a second us a second thought before. You left us! You left us 
behind!"

Lady stood silently, looking at her cousin, feeling the darkness and anger inside of him. It came 
out.

Johnnie could feel his skin heating up, as he looked at her.
He wasn't sick. 
Johnnie could see the look on her face, as tears formed in her eyes.
"Did I strike something? You never cared about us, you never loved anyone but that murderer.
Midii.......Do you really know just what you did to her?"

Lady clenched her fist, not letting herself show any emotions.
She wanted to speak, but there was nothing she could say to him. 
This wasn't like him. She could still remember the images she kept of him in her mind. When he 
was a young boy. He had been so sweet, so caring. 

They didn't even feel like the same person.

Maybe he was just like she had been. Not able to control themselves, split between loves and 
loyalties, not letting anything stand in the way of the ones they loved.

"She started working for the Alliance right after you left. We didn't have any money, or anywhere 
else to go. My mother was dead, and my father was sick. You knew, you could have come back. 
Left him and them all behind."

Johnnie was breathing heavily, he went on. "She became a spy. And she hated every damned 
minute. She would come back to us, always in tears. She had been soaked with blood of 
soldiers!"

Johnnie said in lower voice, "And what do you think happened when our father found out just how 
she got the money to keep us alive? We were torn apart. The family just fell apart while you 
helped soak family name even more in blood."
Lady looked away from Johnnie, not making eye contact.
"I know that what you went through, and the pain I caused you. But these wounds, I didn't want 
them to stay open like this. I know myself that I'll never get this blood off my hands, but if I can 
help Midii heal herself, and move on with her life...............She's gone through so much. I can give 
her answers, and some understanding of why all this happened. I can't offer you or her anything 
else."

Johnnie could feel his body tense, as he listened to the words. 
Was it the truth? Would make it any difference in the end?

Lady went on, speaking slowly. "I want you to understand, that I never meant to hurt you or her."

Johnnie finally spoke, his words were still cold. "So that's it."
Lady watched as Johnnie turned back to the door, watching him as he walked away from her.
She didn't try to stop him. There was nothing else for her to say.

She looked outside, as Johnnie disappeared in the pouring rain.

Johnnie took one last looked at the house, he could still feel his body shaking. 

---------------------

Trowa could still hear the sound of the rain as it battered the side of the house.
It was long after midnight. 
He walked down the flight of stairs, down to the living room, where he caught sight of his young 
wife, as she sat by the window.
There was a worried on her face, he had see it before in her. 
He silently walked across the room towards her.
As he drew near, he could see the tears that had rolled down her cheek, as they caught the light.
Trowa stopped for a moment and looked at her.

He knew how she felt.

She had felt this way so many times, as she played out this same scenario. 
He hated to see her like this, to see her with tears in her eyes.
Everytime he saw her tears, it would always take him back to that night, years ago.

Trowa moved closer to her, looking at her.
She needed someone now, she needed him.

He leaned beside her, and looked into her pale blue eyes.
"How do you feel tonight, Midii?"
She looked at him, "I'm all right, just couldn't sleep."
"Your still worried about him." Trowa said softly.
Midii nodded, "I know that there's nothing that I can do for him now. It just hurts so much to see 
him like this. He..........he's just so different now."
Trowa touched her cheek with fingers, feeling the tear drop against his skin.
"I know how much you care about your brothers. I know that Johnnie loves you."
Midii smiled, feeling a bit reassured by the way he said it.
Midii sat up and wiped the tear from her cheek, "I'm sorry."
"Don't worry, Midii. It'll be all right."
She rested her head on his shoulder.

To be continued.