Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. Please don't sue me; I have student loans to pay. This story is very AU.
Shadowed Secrets
Lieutenant Lucrezia Noin sighed. She had a splitting headache from staring at these blasted screens. The command center of the base hummed with activity.
"Lucrezia!" the new base commander summoned her.
Sighing again, she quickly made her way over to him; she really wished he wouldn't use her first name. No matter what anyone else said, she despised the name Lucrezia.
"Yes sir?"
She didn't like the long appraising look he gave her. She could see his brain placing her in the category of "recreation" due to her gender.
"I need you to deliver this message to Lt. Marquise right away. Do you think you can manage that?"
"Yes sir," she managed to keep her feelings out of her voice; here she was, one of OZ's best pilots, reduced to playing messenger because she was female.
Finding Zechs wasn't a problem for her even though he had just transferred to the base. They were best friends and spent most of their free time together when they could. He would have just gotten off duty after running through the training sims. The woman made her way to the base officers' quarters. She paused a moment before knocking at Zechs' door. She waited a moment; there was no answer. She knocked again.
She was just about to leave when the door swung open. Zechs stood there barefoot wearing only pants. From the towel he led, she guessed he had just gotten out of the shower.
"God, he's a hunk," she thought.
"Noin, what can I do for you?"
Wordlessly she handed him the message. She was trying not to imagine how nice it would be if she could simply fling her arms around his neck and kiss the hell out of him. He sighed and looked annoyed as he read over the message.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, Treize is reminding me that I can't get out of attending the Romefeller Ball. I hate those things."
She nodded in sympathy; neither if them had ever really enjoyed social functions like that. Especially since he had become the famous Lightning Count, Zechs had to beat women off with a stick. For some reason he had problems with women he didn't know talking marriage to him.
"Noin, would you mind coming along and..."
"Rescue you from all the single women? I's love to."
"Thank you Noin; you're a lifesaver."
She grinned at him, "See you at dinner?"
"Of course."
They parted ways, Noin feeling more cheerful than before. Another half hour and her shift was over. She took the time to shower and change into running clothes. After dinner she was planning to take her regular run around the lake. Zechs waved to her as she entered the messhall. She got her food and joined him at a small table.
"Going running after dinner?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Mind if I join you?"
She grinned, "Not at all."
The two of the chatted over dinner catching up on each other's lives. It had been awhile since they had been stationed at the same base. After dinner, they set off around at a brisk pace around the lake.
"How've you been?" Zechs asked.
"Better," she replied truthfully. "The old base commander actually let me do my job. And the new commander really gives me the creeps for some reason."
"A hunch?" he asked; her hunches were never wrong.
She frowned, "I don't know if it's strong enough to call a hunch. But something's off."
Zechs looked thoughtful, "I'll keep a look out for anything odd, but that's about all we can do."
"I know. I just wish I had something more solid to go on."
He put an arm around her shoulder, "Don't worry; if there's something there, we'll find it."
A smile appeared on her face, "Thanks Zechs." She paused a moment as it turned into a mischievous grin, "Race you back to base."
With that she took off. Zechs blinked and raced to catch up. He caught up with her just as the reached the base.
"You owe me coffee," Noin taunted from just out of reach.
"Is that so?"
He dumped his water bottle over her head. She retaliated by tickling him. Giggling, the two of them headed inside and off to bed.
Neither of them were morning people. Oh, they were awake and alert on duty, but that had to do with the amount of coffee they had consumed. People had learned not to approach the, at their table during breakfast.
The two of them were quite busy; they snatched any free time that they could. In a quite minute between shifts they would be found chatting together. Zechs began to notice that Noin was becoming more and more jumpy; the only time she ever relaxed anymore was when they were alone together. Zechs worried about her. He knew if this kept up, she would snap sooner or later. And that would be dangerous for Noin and for whoever was around her.
And sending her into battle like this was a bad idea. It also cemented Zechs' opinion that their CO was a moron. He had taken a look at the battle plans the day before. It was bad strategy, bad tactics, and bad planning. But in the end, they were lucky. With Tallgeese, Zechs had a fairly easy time. He returned to the base once his part was complete to anxiously wait for Noin.
While luck had held out for most, it seemed to have completely deserted Noin. When she returned she was battered and bruised. Zechs was one of the first to her suit; she practically fell out of it and into his arms.
"I'm okay," were her first words.
"Like hell you are," replied the young medic who appeared at their side. "Sir, would you mind carrying her to the infirmary?"
"Not at all," he replied.
Once they arrived, Zechs was ejected from the infirmary. An hour later, Sally po came and found him.
"We're done treating her, and she's on pain killers now. The good thing is her worst injury is a broken ankle, but she's quite hysterical at this point. Will you see if you can calm her down some?"
"Of course."
He found Noin propped up in a hospital in a hospital bed. She looked so frail and delicate, he had to fight the urge to take her in his arms and protect her from the world.
"Koneko?" he used an old nickname of hers; she had earned it due to her catlike curiosity in school.
"Zechs?" she threw herself at him. He held her as she cried straining to hear her words.
"Noin, what's wrong?" he asked when her tears were gone.
"Lieutenant Noin?"
Noin straightened and began to ooze tension. Their CO stood in the doorway. He began to dress her down, and it took quite a bit of effort for Zechs not to punch him in the face. It wasn't her fault.
"Excuse me sir," Sally's voice interrupted his tirade, "but my patient needs rest. You'll have to come back later."
Once he was gone, Noin offered Zechs a weak smile, "Sorry about falling apart on you."
"Hey, what are friends for? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I was just dealing with flashbacks to my family's massacre."
"He's wrong you know; it's not your fault."
"I know, but he's one of those who will keep believing that women are inferior until it gets him killed."
He smiled at her, "Sally says you'll be ready to go in two days. Is there anything I can get you until then?"
"Ben and Jerry's ice cream," was her prompt reply.
"I'll see what I can do," he ruffled her hair. "I've got a debriefing to go to, but I'll be back soon."
The next evening, Zechs managed to smuggle in a pint of ice cream and a copy of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. About halfway through the pint, Noin said softly, "The worst thing wasn't the flashbacks. It was knowing that I would never see you again, and that I had never had the courage tp tell you..."
Her voice trailed off, and she looked away. He caught her face in his hands and brushed away her tears with his thumb.
"Tell me what?"
There was fear in her violet eyes, "Zechs Marquise, I am completely, hopelessly in love with you."
Her words were barely audible. Zechs blinked; had he heard her right, or was he dreaming? He had fallen for his best friend awhile ago but had never told her in fear of ruining their friendship. He smiled at her and said, "That's okay; I'm truly, madly, deeply in love with you Noin."
Her violet eyes widened in surprise, "You are?"
Zechs nodded. Her smile was brilliant. Gently he leaned down and kissed her. If either of them had any doubts about each other's feelings, that kiss dispelled them.
Zechs found himself rather grateful that they were no longer in the same chain of command. Otherwise, their budding romance would have been halted before it began. In many ways, their romance was the natural extension of their friendship. Their closest relationship had always been with each other.
Noin relaxed some, but there was still an air of wariness around her in public, especially when she was on duty. A month passed. While they didn't realize it, their romance endeared them to most of the base. Both were well liked and respected by their colleagues, and everyone thought it was about time they fell in love with someone.
Their relationship had gotten fairly serious rather quickly. But that wasn't surprising; by some people's standards they'd been "dating" for years. Both had been playing with the idea of marriage, but it was something to do in the future.
***
Zechs was heading to the mess hall when he heard the sounds of a fight. He came around the corner just in time to see Noin knock out their CO with a blow to the temple. She was completely disheveled, and the front of her uniform had been clawed open. Her eyes blazed with fury and fear. She stood there staring at the unconscious man for a minute then turned to Zechs.
"He tried, he tried to.." she began to sob silently.
Zechs was by her side in an instant wrapping his arms around her. She buried her face in his chest.
"Sh, love, I know, I know."
Realizing the hallway wasn't exactly the best place to get Noin calmed down, Zechs steered Noin towards his quarters. Several hours later, Noin had fallen into an exhausted sleep. She had cried herself out then spent hours talking to Zechs and writing the report that would be filed with her charge of attempted rape against the CO.
Zechs smiled at her and cover her with a blanket. He then sat down at the vidphone and dialed up his mentor, Treize Kushranada.
"Zechs, my old friend, what can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if you could arrange two weeks leave for myself and Lt. Noin?"
"That shouldn't be a problem. The two of you never take leave; you probably have enough leave to last a year. Might I ask why you suddenly want to take your leave? And with Lt. Noin none the less."
"Noin's filing charges against her CO, but you know how long the system can take. And while killing the man does solve the problem, it doesn't look good on her record."
"It's that serious?"
"He tried to rape her. She kicked his ass then was hysterical for an hour. Yeah, I think it's that serious."
Treize sighed, "You're probably right. You do realize your leave ends the day before the ball, and that doesn't get you out of attending it."
"I know; I know. I'll be there."
"Good. Where are you thinking of going?"
"I'm not sure; Maui maybe."
They chatted for awhile longer. Zechs had just shut off the vidphone when he heard Noin begin to stir. He let her wake up before going over to her; she would probably punch him if startled. At this point she was just reacting, not thinking about her actions.
"How does a vacation sound to you?"
She blinked, "Could you repeat that? I could swear you just suggested we go on a vacation."
"I did."
"Okay. You look like Zechs, but you don't sound like him."
He laughed and sat down beside her, "We both could use a break, and I'll probably introduce Commander Lamont's face to a wall if I run into him anytime soon. So I thought er could go someplace and relax for awhile."
Noin grinned, "Where do you have in mind?"
"I don't know. Maui maybe?"
"Maui sounds nice; when are we leaving?"
"Whenever you're ready."
"Zechs?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For believing me. For loving me."
Zechs smiled and brushed the hair out of her eyes, "That's always been my privilege. And my pleasure."
She just snuggled closer to him. They sat like that for awhile. Finally Noin got up, "I'm going to go pack. Why don't we out top dinner afterwards and get a pair of tickets to Maui?"
"Sounds like a plan. I'll walk you back to your room."
He was probably being overprotective, but there was no way he was letting her go out there alone. By now Lamont was probably conscious, and he wouldn't want Noin to run into hin on her own.
"Pick me up in two hour?" Noin suggested as they reached her door.
"Of course."
***
Noin toweled her hair dry and sighed as she looked though her closet. She felt much better after a shower, but her clothing selection was depressing her. She really didn't have much in the way of civilian clothes. Oh well, she had quite a bit in her bank account; she'd go shopping in Maui.
"Who am I kidding?" she thought. "I barely spend ten percent of salary most of the time. I could probably buy an entire new wardrobe."
She threw a couple pairs of shorts, a bunch of t-shirts, and her swimsuits into her suitcase; she didn't have much else that was suitable for a beach vacation. She packed the rest of her stuff and double checked to male sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Zechs arrived prompt as usual, and they set off. They managed to get seats on a late night flight to Hawaii. After arriving on Maui, the two of them rented a car and went off to find a hotel. They managed to a suite that overlooked the beach. Then they crashed.
Noin woke at noon the next day. She groaned and rolled over to go back to sleep, but then perked up as she smelled coffee. After collecting her own cup of coffee, she joined Zechs in the living room.
"So what do you want to do today?" he asked her.
"Go shopping. I barely have anything to wear."
Zechs groaned. Noin flashed him a wicked grin, "It won't be that bad. Besides, you don't really have to come along. I'm sure I'll be able to find someone to carry my shopping bags for me."
He ruffled her hair, "For your sake I'll endure it.'
She laughed. But she was right for the most part. Within an hour she had bought enough clothes to last for the rest of her vacation. On their way out of the local mall, a dress in a store window caught Noin's eye. Since she still needed a dress for the ball, she decided to try it on. When she came out of the dressing room, Zechs just stared.
In truth it was a fairly simple style. But it was perfect for Noin. Wine colored velvet swirled around her feet. It was long sleeved and had a rather modest neckline, but it suited Noin's quiet beauty.
"Well, what do you think?"
"You're beautiful."
"You've told me that when I've just finished a ten k run. Do you like the dress?"
"It looks wonderful."
She grinned, "I like it too. Last purchase of the day though, I'm ready to hit the beach."
Over the next few days Zechs was pleased to see Noin relax and return to her former self. She had needed this vacation, and for the matter of
fact, so had he. He didn't think he had had this much fun since they'd been in school.
Noin's light tap on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts. The two of them had been wandering down the beach, but now dark clouds were threatening.
"We should head back before it begins to pour," but just as the words left her mouth, the sky opened up, and they ran for the hotel.
Drenched, the two of them took shelter under a group of palm trees. It wasn't a cold rain, and Zechs thought Noin looked cute with her jean cut offs and white tank top slicked to her skin. She tilted her head up to look at him.
"I'm glad you talked me into this; I really needed it." She scooted into his arms, "Besides, it's nice waking up and having you around everyday."
He smiled, "We could wake up together everyday if you want."
Her eyes were puzzled. He chuckled, "I'm asking if you'll marry me love."
She blinked, "Elope?"
"Why not?"
A smile blossomed on her face, "Why not indeed."
Zechs captured her lips in a sweet kiss. Noin giggled as they broke apart, "Look, there's a rainbow."
Two days later they were at the local courthouse preparing to tie the knot. They ceremony was fairly simple as was their attire. But Zechs thought Noin was more beautiful than any other bride he'd seen. in her white sundress. Though he had to admit he was biased. The only jewelry she wore was a silver locket he had given her as a graduation present.
To tell the truth, neither of them paid too much attention to the brief ceremony. They spent most of the time just staring at each other. It was over and the paperwork completed in less than an hour. Noin laughed s they headed back to the hotel, "That was painless wasn't it? I can't believe it was easy."
Zechs just smiled at her, "So, are you glad I convinced you to go a vacation?"
Her answer was a kiss. Noin had to smile the next day when she woke in her love's arms. Just his presence had driven away the nightmares that had been plaguing her. Life was good. She turned over to kiss her husband awake and smiled as his sky blue eyes opened.
"Morning love. Actually, I should say afternoon."
He smiled sleepily and pulled her closer, "Noin Marquise, I like the sound of that."
"I agree; Noin's much nicer than Lucrezia anyway."
They both started to laugh. They were just so happy. It was amazing how something as simple as marriage vows could change their life. The rest of their vacation seemed to fly by. Before long they were packing their bags. Noin giggled as she watched the sunset. It was their last night in Hawaii. Actually, their plane left in three hours, but there was still enough time to watch one last sunset. The last rays of light caught the diamond in her ring making it sparkle. She grinned; Zechs had insisted on getting her a ring while they were there, and she had to admit, he had picked out a beauty. It was a simple silver band set with a pale blue diamond. Zechs had a matching band only without the diamond.
"Ready to go home love?"
She nodded, "I think so. You do realize that the ball is in two days?"
Zechs sighed, "I was trying to forget that."
"Oh well, at least you don't have to worry about all those single ladies anymore. You're no longer available."
He smiled and leaned down to kiss her, "You're right."
They both got up and headed back to the rental car; it was time to go home. The two of them spent the next day dealing with the necessary paperwork for changing their quarters and moving into one of the houses on the base for married officers and their families. For the most part the houses were furnished, so they didn't have to worry about buying a bunch of furniture.
Finally it came time for the ball.
Noin couldn't help but giggle at the expression on Zechs' face as he struggled with his dress uniform; she was more than grateful she didn't have to wear hers. The woman rummaged in her closet then triumphantly held something up, "Here they are!"
It was a pair of black military half boots.
"What are those for?"
She grinned at him, "These are the reason I can still be dancing at the end of the ball. Why do you think I always wear floor length dresses?"
He laughed. Noin quickly put on some lipstick and blush before reaching for a pair of silver earrings and her locket. She smiled at her husband, "I'm ready if you are?"
Zechs offered her his arm, "Ready, no, but we don't really have a choice do we?"
"Don't worry, it won't be that bad."
***
Lady Une blinked in surprise then whispered in Treize's ear, "What on earth did you do to Zechs that he's here and he's smiling?"
"I just got him here Lady love; Noin's the reason for the smile."
She raised an eyebrow, but they were interrupted by an older politician. Before long though, Treize excused himself and swept Lady onto the dance floor.
"Take a look at Noin," he told her.
Lady gave her friend a cursory glance then did a double take. A diamond ring on her left hand. Lady blinked thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her, but no, it was still there.
"Zechs married her?" Lady was in shock.
Treize grinned at her and nodded.
"It's about time."
They smoothly cut in on Zechs and Noin. Lady grinned at Zechs, "I hear congratulations are in order."
"You could say that. So when are you and Treize going to tie the knot yourselves?" Zechs teased.
Lady blushed and stammered something. Meanwhile, Treize and Noin were having a similar conversation.
"So how did you convince Zechs to marry you? I would have thought he'd still be dragging his feet."
Noin laughed, "It was his idea in the first place. So when are you going to ask Lady or is she going to have to club you over the head and drag you off?"
Treize blushed and stammered something. Noin giggled as Zechs reclaimed her for the next dance. They were interrupted two dances later by a young noblewoman. But when she requested a dance, Zechs demurred saying hat he wasn't quite ready to give up his wife to another partner. Noin had to turn laughter into coughs at the look on the girl's face.
The two of them were not each other's sole partner for the evening however. Many of the older members of Romefeller were there, and it was quite safe to dance with them. Most of them were quite pleased to dance with one of the "young wippersnappers" that would actually listen to them for once.
Zechs and Noin had gotten into a conversation with General Sephiroth and his wife, Aeris, when Cmd. Lamontt approached Noin.
"May I have this dance Lucrezia?"
Noin looked at him then smiled, "I don't think my husband wants to share me right now. And by the way, it's Noin Marquise, not Lucrezia."
Her companions had to smother laughter at the look on the man's face. As he stalked off, Zechs grinned at her, "I wish I had a camera; that was priceless."
Noin giggled, "Revenge is sweet."
Her mouth dropped open as the next song began to play. She recognized it as one of her favorites. Eyes wide she turned to Zechs, "How in the world did you get them to play that?"
"It wasn't too hard; I just had to wait until the musicians were sick of waltzes. May I have this dance my love?"
"Of course."
As he swept Noin back out onto the dance floor, Zechs couldn't help grinning. Who would have guessed that the ball would end up being so much fun instead of nightmare he'd expected. And who would have guessed he would have gained his heart's desire.
Noin chose that moment to tilt her head up and kiss him interrupting his train of thought. But he didn't mind. Not at all.
Owari (the end)