Chapter 1.

Note: This fanfiction is settled in 86CE.

……..

Before she knew, her hand has reached that ring. Those rings. Her fingers kept playing with the cold metal while she looked to the computer's screen paying no attention on it.

She sighed. She completely hated days like that, when for some reason her attention just seemed to disperse all the time. OK, it was a big lie saying that she didn't know why her attention dispersed.

It was because her lack o capacity in organizing her own life. If you looked close, everything was a mess badly supported, so fragile…

And now she was apprehensive, and no way could concentrate in her work.

She sighed again and then lay in her chair. Her fingers searched another time for the necklace in her pocket. There were two rings in it. One was made by white gold and had a ruby gem. The other, was the completely opposite. It was made with gold and had sapphire gem.

She peered at them for a while. That really wasn't a good day. In that mourning something impelled her bring that necklace. Some weakness she thought she hadn't. That she couldn't have.

What was that for? Did she wake up needing support to keep living?

She suddenly felt ashamed for being weak.

She never liked feeling that way, so damn human.

By that time she was supposed to have learned to be a strong woman and learned that she couldn't just flee from weakness.

She sighed again.

A noise broke her self dialogue. Someone was asking permission to enter in the room. She conceded.

"Hi!" said a woman with long brown hair and black eyes. She was wearing the same kind of purple outfit.

"Hi, Marilyn." said Cagalli without emotion.

Ignoring lack of animation in her friend, Marilyn sat in one sofa.

"So? Aren't you going home?"

"When I finish it…" said Cagalli. And it won't be soon, she thought.

"Bad hair day?" asked the brunette.

"If a bad hair was my problem I would be jumping in happiness."

"Yeah. I know."

Cagalli's face became depressed.

"Well, if you brought that necklace the day is being hard."

Cagalli didn't answered, but put the necklace back in her pocket.

"Shouldn't you go home? It's late." Marilyn asked. "It's almost midnight." She completed

"Already?"

"Yeah."

"And what you are doing here?"

"Searching for a husband."

"Very funny." said Cagalli closing the laptop and phoning someone to call her driver.

"What time will you fly, tomorrow?"

"Nine."

"Have you already packed?"

"Yes." While the conversation was taking place Cagalli was organizing the papers in her desk and checking her agenda, and Marilyn was seated in the sofa, just watching and smiling.

"What?" Cagalli asked.

"Nothing." said Marilyn, but kept the smile in her lips.

Cagalli put the laptop in her bag and went to the door of her room. Marilyn stood. The both walked in silence to the elevator. Cagalli knew she kept that irritant smile, and Marilyn knew that Cagalli wasn't in a very good mood.

"Enjoy your time in Aprilius City" she said, in the elevator. "Do me a favor… have some fun!" Marilyn couldn't hide her smile.

"Want a ride?" said Cagalli ignoring the last comment.

"No. I have my own car, thank you" she said.

"Please, think in what I said." Marilyn insisted, when they went out the elevator and Cagalli's driver was already waiting.

"Goodbye." said Cagalli walking toward the car.

"Goodbye." said Marilyn walking toward her own.

She put down her bag in a desk, and walked to the sofa. On the way she threw away her shoes and took off her jacket.

Just then she loose herself in the sofa, sighing.

"What a wonderful day." She said sarcastic.

After time in that position, she reunited forces to stand and went to the corner of the room, where was a little wine-cellar. She served herself a cup of wine, and coming back to the sofa, delighted herself with the delicacy, a very expensive delicacy. But it was after all the only thing in that she really spent money on.

When she finished, she lazily walked on corridors, until reach the one of her room.

She stopped in front of a door.

She breathed, and then entered.

Something made her stops in the middle of the room, and just observe, smiling maybe for the first time in the day.

Then she broke her observing position and walked to the bed.

She seated in the floor and caressed a blond hair, looking with affection to that little girl…. No she wasn't a little girl anymore, or at least wasn't going to be for much time.

She is growing up. Cagalli thought.

Who would know that even she would became a sticky mother?

Well, she didn't.

She stood and kissed the girl in the cheek.

"Good night sweet."

The girl didn't move. She was in deep asleep.

In silence, Cagalli left the room.

She wasn't the best mother in the world, by far, and she knew it. She was always working, and traveling. A lot of times, they would only see each other in the mourning when they ate breakfast together, because when Cagalli came back from work Alice was already sleeping.

She was nothing but a normal and modern mother, divided between her work and her daughter.

When Alice was younger, she used to work in home on the mourning, then they could spent more time together.

But now Alice went to school on mourning (and afternoon), and their time together had decreased.

In less than eight hours, she would fly to the PLANT, and they would meet again only on the weekend, in four days.

Cagalli sighed, rose, and went to her own room.

Her luggage had been previously packed. If it was her to choose all her clothes, that would have one suitcase, not the three that were in the corner.

She threw herself on the bed and just then remembered what was in her pocket.

She observed the necklace with the two rings.

You have keep calm. They will meet on the Sunday…and there is no reason you should be afraid of it…

But something was wrong. She felt something wasn't alright.

What the hell was she afraid for?

"Could you answer to me Edward?" She said to the portrait, where a picture of a blond short haired man with blue eyes smiled to her.

"I am afraid of something that I don't know what is it…" she said. "But I won't break my promise."

She said… no longer after she fell asleep.

"Alice, we'll see each other Saturday. It's everything settled. If I couldn't come to get you, I'll arrange someone to do it."

"Ok, Mom… Just…"

"What?"

"Sent someone that is not a driver; please…" she asked.

"OK." She said, embracing the child. "I promise."

"Will we visit Kira and Lacus?"

"Of course we will…"

Alice smiled.

"I want to eat aunt Lacus' apple pie."

"I will ask Lacus to do for you."

One man with a black suit notified Cagalli that the plane was ready.

She embraced the girl again, and then left the mansion, toward the airport, where a few assessors were boarding on her plane.

She joined then.

The journey was normal; they discussed the itinerary, which included speeches, meeting, visits and reunions. No one would guess they and the rest of the retinue had discussed the same subjects on the previous day from 8 o'clock to 11 o'clock.

The discussion went for hours and even during the lunch, they discussed. When it finished Cagalli felt relieved.

"Madame Athha." said her secretary.

"Yes?"

"The reunion with the ambassador today on 5 o'clock is confirmed."

"Right." Confirmed for the hundredth time.

She looked outside the window. She could see the PLANTs, her arrival wouldn't long. She would go straight to the hotel… and them to the reunion with 'the ambassador'… and on the weekend… they would met.

Her cell phone rang.

"Hi Cagalli"

"Hi Lacus."

"Are you coming to dinner on Saturday?"

"Sure, like I've settled with Kira yesterday."

"So I am going to do the apple pie for Alice."

"Yeah. You know, is you fault that she adore the pie, now you have to do it always."

"I am not complaining. Perhaps you should learn how to do it…"

"No, out of question. I don't cook."

"Ok, Ok."

"Are you arriving?"

"In less than one hour. Thank God."

"Well, I have to work now… See you on the Wednesday."

"See you."

She had forgotten she have a meeting with Lacus…To talk about politics…

She threw herself on the hotel bed. She had almost an hour to do nothing. For her, almost an hour was time.

She could take a bath, a very long bath in a bath-tub.

And it was what she did.

She would have a reunion in less than two hours…Why the hell she couldn't just take it like a normal meeting?

And why the in hell he had brought the cell phone to the bathroom?

Someone may call.

"I know who you want to call and he is too busy doing his job. And this time will be different, this is going to far already…." She said to herself, not sure she believed or not in what she was saying.

She was uneasy while putting her black suit. She was uneasy while walking to through the hotel. She gathered with the retinue, and they went by car to the embassy.

Another reunion… she was tired of these endless reunions to talk about the same thing. Well, no one said it was easy to rule a country. But she needed vacations… not just form her work… maybe form her life. Marilyn was right; she needed to have some fun.

And just then she realized that she was there. The car stopped. She went out. But then she smiled. She was after all a veteran in all of this. And she had no time to regret or be afraid. These were for another hour.

"Madame Representative." said the ambassador.

"Ambassador Zala." She answered. Smiling.

They shook hands and faced each other.

She saw his eyes examine her. She did the same.

He was gorgeous, like he had always been. Even more, she dared to say. Something in his emeralds eyes, in her smell, in the way he walked attracted her.

And she know by the way he looked back, he feel the same for her.

She could feel herself a woman under those eyes.

It endured only a few seconds. They went back to reality when they hand parted away.

He greeted the others. And in the same time, Cagalli breathe and assumed a professional conduct, a conduct that would prevail all the night, all the reunion, for both.

There was no space for flirts, changing meaningful look or alike. That was the way they have always behaved on work. Always.

The reunion last for more than two hours.

And they parted at the end. Cagalli went to her hotel but couldn't just rest. She was too anxious… like waiting something… no you're not waiting for anything…

"I need Whisky." She said to herself.

She tried to avoid thinking. Thinking would just bring her worries and she didn't want that.

He is gorgeous. She sighed. She couldn't help. What the hell had happened with 'This time will be different'?

The seconds, or minutes, maybe hours, passed. And then she decided to change, and actually drink some Whisky in the bar, and for the hell with her reputation. She was grown up and responsible.

She changed her clothes.

Give up. She said to herself when she looked at the cell phone, again. Give up… And she went to the door, facing the cell phone that was resting in a table.

She wasn't sure she was prepared to leave it in the room.

Go… step out of this room Cagalli… NOW!

But then the cell phone rang and she ran to the desk to answer.

It was him.

"Hi." She said, answering.

"Hi." He said, on the other line. He looked hesitant.

Silence.

Thinking now, if she knew him, and she guess she did, he should have spent the last ten minutes in front of the phone, convincing himself to call.

"Long time we didn't see each other." She said.

"Yeah. Four months."

"Yeah."

"How are you doing?" She asked.

"Fine. You?"

"Fine too."

"So, did already found yourself a beautiful girlfriend over here?" She said, sarcastic.

"No. Unfortunately" he said, entering in the play.

"What a pity."

"Yeah. Maybe I am searching in the wrong place."

"Yeah. Maybe."

Silence. This play is despicable, she thought. Why everything has to be so complicated?

"Want to go out? Dinner?" He asked.

"Go to some snob restaurant full of people that will be looking at us?"

"Actually I could cook something for us."

"That would be charming."

He laughed.

"Where are you?"

"Coming. In five minutes."

"OK."

He closed the phone, and opened the window of the car, letting the breeze dishevel his hair. He was smiling. He missed her voice. Actually he missed everything on her.

In five minutes he stopped the car in the second entrance of the hotel. As always. No one would notice then there.

She was already there, waiting. She entered in the car.

They changed looks.

He speed up.

N/A… wow… I love this end. XD

-- Just to people to know, English isn't my native language, so of course I have a lot of difficulties in writing it, and I may mistaken some things, or even not detail as much as I wanted, but I'm working hard to make a good story.

--Yes, twelve years after Destiny.

-- I'll be placing the next chapter in more like two weeks XD.

Hope you enjoy. XD

Ps. I love reviews