A/N This was written at the same time as Sally Po: life after war, but was written with a completely different style and mood so I kept them separate here. This ficlet was written for the prompt daydreams in the LJ onecharacter challenge. It's pretty plotless and I was basically experimenting with the idea but I had fun with it, let me know what you think. It's set between the two wars, Sally is working for the newly created Preventers.
The reports and political manoeuvring that went along with her job always left Sally envying the Gundam pilot's part time status, the boys would crash their way into the centre of a mission, fight and overcome a series of opponents and then leave behind the mess and the paperwork for someone else to take care of. She had never been sure when the decision had been made that she and Noin were in charge of clearing up after them but she supposed it was a habit that dated back to the war, finishing things, tying up loose ends and ensuring nothing too dangerous (like fully operational Gundams) was left lying around.
Flicking to the next report she wondered how to file the expense form for the repairs necessary after Duo strapped high explosives to a bridge whilst blocking an escape route for another terrorist cell, or the fine from Heero's unscheduled shuttle launch to L3. Taking another sip of coffee Sally wondered how she had ended up here filling in paperwork and chasing wayward teenagers.
When Sally was 7 her best friends had been Lucy and Thomas children from school with whom she would hide in the woods behind her parents' house telling each other stories. Lucy had wanted to be a Princess with a castle and a pony when she grew up, she would tell fairy stories about Princesses being rescued from Dragons by handsome Princes. Thomas had always wanted to be a hero, to rush in and save people from certain death gaining both fame and fortune, his favourite stories had been tales of soldiers and battles, brave knights or conquering heroes. When Sally was seven she had wanted to be a thousand different things, a hero, a princess, a pilot anything so long as it was exciting and glamorous. As she grew older she had cast aside those dreams for more practical ones as she decided that she wanted to help people by becoming a doctor and that she wanted to protect people by becoming a soldier.
It seemed strange to think that now she worked alongside Princesses and Princes and Heroes and Knights, she'd even been friends with a Dragon, as if her life was a crazy, mixed up, shattered fairy tale. The Princess had been fearless and stood her ground, protecting her people even now, organising peace talks and forging new laws. The Prince had gone mad during the war and tried to destroy the world before changing his mind and dying to prevent the destruction he had begun. The heroes and knights had appeared without applause or welcome at the beginning of a war. They had been five boys that fought bravely and overcome all adversaries but they had killed and bled and suffered for their victory . At the end the hero had not been interested in the Princess and had instead faded into the background with his friends reappearing occasionally bringing explosions and paperwork. The Dragon, well the dragon had been a broken child, a deadly warrior, a murderer and a hero all wrapped up in one man, the Dragon had slain the villain, who may not have been such a villain after all, and had disappeared in bitterness and regret, unwilling or unable to accept a world with no wars or warriors, displaced and forgotten.
Sally sighed wrenching her thoughts back from the subject of the still missing Wufei, returning to the thankless task of expense forms and arrest warrants. The heroes may be offstage for now but she and her friends kept the world running with their paperwork and details, the backstage crew who changed the scenery and ensured that the heroes had their props and the show continued smoothly.