Disclaimer: I don't own these characters so please don't sue me!
To Protect and Betray, Part 1
Duo had to admit that Heero was one lucky bastard. To have a woman like Relena Darlin was most guys' dreams come true. Heero was her protection. Duo had to snicker that because Relena always seemed to have a knack to be in trouble and always needing the protection. He and the others sometimes looked after her as well on a part time basis when she attended large conferences and other functions. It was always better to be safer then sorry. He tapped his pencil idly on his desk at Preventer Headquarters. He shared an office with the other guys. At the moment Trowa and Quatre were working on a report, Sally and Wufei were arguing as usual, and Heero was looking after Relena, who was in a meeting at the Presidential Palace outside of Brussels. He leaned back in his chair and tried to balance the pencil on his nose. He was supposed to be looking over the financial records of his scrap yard business that Hilde faxed over to him. The pencil fell off his nose for the fourth time. He leaned back further in the chair as he attempted to do it again. The pencil seemed to stay this time. *CRASH* His chair fell back with him in it. He landed with a dull thud on the carpeted floor. "Owwww. Son of a bitch, that hurt," he said as he lay on the floor looking up at the ceiling.
The others turned towards the sound.
"Baka," Wufei said with disgust as he looked at Duo lying on the floor.
Trowa and Quatre raised their brows, but said nothing and went back to their report.
Sally looked amused and hid a smile behind her hand.
"I'm bored!" Duo exclaimed as he finally got up off the floor. He rubbed the back of his head where he banged it.
"Maxwell, you're always bored. And if you're not doing anything, then you're stuffing your face. Don't you have any self control?" asked an annoyed Wufei.
Duo made a face at Wufei and stuck out his tongue. He ignored the glare that was shot at him. "I have self control, it's just not in today that's all," he said.
"Well find something to do because you're annoying the hell out of me! And if you don't stop, I'll cut off that precious braid of yours!" Wufei hissed.
Duo reflexively pulled his meter long braid over his shoulder. "Like hell you will. No one comes near my hair with anything sharp."
"Maxwell," Wufei stated through clenched teeth and picked up his katana off of his desk.
Duo gulped. "All right, I'm taking a walk. See ya!" he said as he bolted out of the office.
Wufei chuckled and put the katana down. "Works every time."
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Duo walked outside into the bright afternoon sunshine. He shrugged his jacket off and carried it over his shoulder with one finger. It was a warm spring day, perfect for a stroll through the park. At nineteen, he had reached his full height of six foot three, just an inch shorter then Trowa. He had also bulked up a bit and wasn't as gangly as he used to be. He no longer looked like a boy, but his cobalt blue eyes still were full of mischief and his penchant for acting like a two year old were still there. He sat down on a bench that overlooked a serene lake. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face. It had been along day. Just then a familiar female voice made him open his eyes.
"Hello Duo, may I join you?" asked Relena as she sat down on the bench next to him.
"Sure, anything for you princess," Duo replied back teasingly as he gave her a smile. "Where's Heero?"
"Oh, he walked me here and since you were here, he went back to the office. He said I couldn't get into too much trouble being with you," Relena replied with a laugh.
Duo smiled as her laughter sounded like a bunch of crystal bells tinkling in the air. "God she's beautiful." He jerked his mind away from that. "She belongs to Heero, if he knew you were thinking that, he would probably put a bullet between your eyes." But he couldn't help admiring the way that she looked. She was now looking out across the lake, so he had a view of her profile. Her golden blonde hair was pulled back into a bun at the top of her head. Her cranberry colored suit flattered her figure as well as her fair coloring.
Relena could felt Duo's eyes on her. She leaned back against the green wood of the bench and her eyes flickered over to him. She noticed that he swiftly averted his eyes away from her and they were now looking out across the water. Her lips curved into a slight smile. She liked Duo because of his sense of humor and his openness. He was a little taller then Heero, his eyes were a warmer shade of blue, a little bit heavier then Heero, and his hair was gloriously thick and long. It was something that she knew most girls would kill to have hair like his. His looks were also a little more boyish then Heero's. "Why are you studying Duo so much? And you're comparing him to Heero. What's up with that?" She sighed and stretched her legs out in front of her. She slipped off her heels and rested her feet on the cool grass. Somedays at the office were harder then others. She sometimes longed for a life like any other normal nineteen-year-old, but she also knew that seeing war and bloodshed so close up made her mature beyond her years. It was all because of Heero and Duo. Heero had tried to kill her and Duo had ended up shooting him twice. She had gotten involved in something dangerous and she had liked it. She had been a spoiled little rich girl before she had met them. And almost overnight, she had grown up. The death of her father made it even more clear to her. And she had thrown herself into the world of politics and had become a ruler of her country that she didn't even know that she was from until it was spoken from her dying father's lips. She had been a princess, a queen, and now she was Vice Foreign Minister Darlin. It was hard not to grow up when the whole world and the colonies depended on her.
"A penny for your thoughts princess?" Duo asked as he noticed that she was deep in thought.
"Oh, I was just thinking about what it would be like to be a normal nineteen year old girl. Somedays my job is so stressful. My brother insists I take a vacation, but there are so many things that I have to do that I cannot possibly neglect my duties," Relena said as she took out the pins that held her hair up in a tidy bun. Her hair spilled down past her shoulders to the middle of her back.
"Well, you're not the only one who isn't a normal nineteen year old. Look at all of us," Duo said as he noticed the smell of lily of the valley waft past his nose.
"I suppose you're right. The six of us are not exactly normal. But I guess that it's different for everyone," Relena replied with a sigh as she looked up into the blue sky.
"But your brother is right. You should take a vacation. You're entitled to one you know," Duo said as he stretched out his legs next to hers and looked over at her.
Relena looked back and smiled. "You men, always thinking you know what's best for me," she said with a laugh.
"Of course, what else are we here for," Duo replied as he put his arm across the back of the bench.
Relena felt his arm against the back of her neck as she leaned back again. "I wish I could stay here forever, but alas, I have some documents to sign before I call it a day," she said with a sigh as she slipped her shoes back on her feet.
"I'll walk back with you. Maybe Wufei will be gone by now and have taken that katana of his with him," Duo said as he rose to his feet. He turned and offered her his hand.
"I take it you managed to tick him off again," Relena said with a grin as she grasped onto his hand and stood up. His hand was slightly callused and very warm. She felt a slight tingle on her skin. "That's funny. It almost feels the same as Heero's does when he decides to take my hand."
Duo also felt the tingling sensation on his skin as her soft hand slipped in his. "That's definitely new." He felt her hand fall away from his as they started to walk back towards headquarters. He walked close to her as always. She barely came up to his shoulder for she was only a little more then five foot six. "That's the fun of it. He flies off the handle so easily. Now, if it was Heero, it would take longer and he would more then likely pull a gun on me," he mused as they walked up the granite steps of the building.
"That I would believe," Relena said as she walked through the door he held open for her. Her heels clicked loudly on the polished floor surface as they walked through the lobby and to the elevators. "But you keep on doing it anyway."
"I like to keep them on their toes. And besides they all need some levity every once in a while. I keep the four of them sane," Duo said matter of factly as he leaned against the wall of the elevator.
"Before driving them insane you mean," Relena replied with a sidelong smile as the doors slid open and they walked out into the hall towards her office.
"Well not that insane," Duo said a little indignantly as he stuck out his chin a little.
Relena laughed at his expression. "Oh Duo, I'm sorry. But after a while you drive everyone insane, but then again that's who you are. I wouldn't want that to change," she said with another grin.
Duo smiled at her teasing. "Yeah, well you know, it wouldn't be me if I didn't drive everyone up the wall at one time or another." They stopped out in front of the office he shared with the other four. "Well can you make it the rest of the way on your own princess?" he teased.
"Gee, I'm not sure. But I promise to be careful," Relena teased back as she started on her way down the hall towards her office. "Thank you for walking with me Duo," she called over her shoulder.
"Anytime princess, the pleasure was all mine," Duo said as he gave her a gallant bow.
Relena giggled at him and continued on her way down the hall.
Duo leaned against the wall and watched her go. His eyes tracking every step that she made. His eyes went unerringly to her slender legs and continued their trek upward to her backside. "That skirt does wonders for that cute backside of hers…Wait a minute what am I doing? What am I thinking? Heero would be justified if he shot me between the eyes right now."
"Duo, Duo, Heero wants to talk to you," said Trowa as he stuck his head out the door. He looked at Duo curiously; who wasn't paying any attention whatsoever. He looked in the same direction that he was looking in and saw Relena making her way down the hall. He looked back at Duo, who was still looking. "Duo, Heero wants to talk to you," he repeated. This time he got his attention.
"Oh, what about?" Duo asked a little nervously. He wondered if Trowa had noticed him staring at Relena.
"He didn't say, but he wants to talk to you," Trowa said as he noticed that Duo looked a little guilty.
Duo walked by into the office and waited for Heero to turn his attention to him. "You wanted to ask me something?" he stated as he tapped his finger on Heero's desk.
Heero turned his Prussian blue eyes to Duo. "Yes, actually it's an assignment I want you to handle yourself," he said as he looked back at the computer screen.
"Really. What kind of assignment is it?" Duo asked curiously. He tilted his head to one side.
"I want you to look after Relena for me," Heero replied shortly.
"Why? Isn't that your job?" Duo asked. He was even more curious now.
"I have a mission that I have to do and it requires me to go somewhere. I need you to act as her bodyguard while I'm away," Heero replied again.
"Me? Why not any of the others?" Duo asked again.
"Because you get along with her and your comfortable with her habits," Heero replied as he looked back at Duo.
"Sure I guess I can do that for you," Duo replied as he gave Heero another strange look.
"I trust you to take good care of her while I'm away. You know what would happen to you if you didn't" Heero said as his eyes narrowed a little.
Duo knew that look. "Sure. She'll be fine. Nothing will happen to your precious Relena," Duo said, noticing the small flare of emotion in Heero's eyes.
"Good. I leave tonight. I want you to stay as close to her as possible," Heero instructed as he looked up him.
"And what should I tell her?" Duo asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Nothing. It wouldn't be hard to for her to figure it out. She's a smart woman," Heero said as he returned his gaze to the screen.
Duo sighed and went back to his desk on the other side of the large office. He had the luxury of getting the desk that was next to the window. He looked back at the financial records that he had yet to look over. He groaned and started to look through them. "I wonder where Heero is going? I'll make sure that nothing happens to her. I would rather not have a bullet embedded in my forehead." He looked up and over at Heero again. "He cares a lot about her for him to threaten me with that look. I knew that he was half in love with her." That thought seemed to bother him the most and for the life of him he couldn't pinpoint why it did. He shrugged his shoulders and got back to the boring financial records in front of him.
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Relena was surprised when Duo came to her office at six, rather then Heero. She gave him an odd look as he entered the room. "Where's Heero?" she asked.
"Heero, is um…occupied at the moment," Duo said as he shifted from one foot to the next.
"You mean that he had to go out on a mission," Relena said calmly. She hated it when Heero went on missions. She was always afraid that something would happen to him.
"God, you are good. He knew that you would know that," said Duo as he flopped into the plush leather chair that was in front of her desk.
"Show's you how well that he knows me. But why are you here?" Relena asked as she leaned back in her chair.
"Heero asked me to look after you like he does. He wanted to make sure that you stayed safe. Why don't want me?" Duo teased.
Relena smiled at Duo's fake wounded expression. "You'll do. He must really trust you to look after me."
"Yeah, he does to a point. He threatened if I didn't take good care of you, he would probably kill me," Duo said with a grin.
"That sounds like Heero all right," Relena said with another smile. "I promise I'll be good."
"That's good to hear. Are you ready to go?" Duo asked as he stood.
"Yes, I'm ready," Relena replied as she rose from her chair. She picked up her black leather purse and switched out the lights. She walked though the door he held open for her and started on her way down the hall. They passed by Trowa and Quatre, who were talking outside of their office. "Good night you two," she said as she passed.
"Good night Relena," they both replied.
Trowa watched them walk down the hall. He knew why Duo was with her. But he was a little skeptical if Duo was the right one to look after her. He had seen the way he'd been looking at her earlier this afternoon. "I wonder if he likes her."
Duo followed Relena out to the waiting limousine. He held the door open for her and sat down next to her. He looked over at her. Her eyes were closed and her head was leaning back onto the plush headrest. He could hear the slight rasping sound her stockings made as she crossed her legs. He looked down at her legs. The skirt ended a little bit lower then mid thigh. "She has really nice legs…Stop that!" He cleared his throat a little. "Where are we going?" he asked.
"We're going to my house that I have here in Brussels. Since you're my bodyguard for the time being, you can sleep in the other guestroom. Heero sleeps in the other one next to my room," Relena replied as she opened her eyes and looked at him.
"Oh he doesn't stay in the same room as you princess?" Duo asked with a grin.
"No, he doesn't. My brother would go into cardiac arrest if that happened," Relena said, as she blushed a little.
"I bet he would. And would you like it if Heero did stay in the same room as you?" Duo asked as his grin got bigger.
"I…um…I don't know," Relena replied hesitantly. "I don't even know how he feels about me."
"He likes you. Trust me. I have probably teased him enough for him to say that he really will kill me," Duo chuckled. "And we all know that you like him a whole lot."
"You do?"
"It's obvious from the way that you look at him sometimes. We all think that he's a lucky bastard to have someone like you."
Relena blushed a little more. "I didn't know I was that obvious."
"That's all right princess. We won't tell the world you're in love with your bodyguard," Duo teased.
Relena smiled. "And I guess this is his way of showing me that he cares for me."
"Making me your protection shows you how much he does care for you. He might never say it right away, but I saw the way his eyes look when he said your name. He cares about you a great deal," Duo said as he stretched his arms out in front of him.
Relena looked at him with some astonishment. She smiled to herself. "The Perfect Soldier really does care about me." She closed her eyes as the car sped through the city of Brussels.
Duo looked over at her. He could tell that she was asleep by her even and steady breathing. Her head dropped to one side, coming to rest on his shoulder. He smiled a little and moved closer to her, so that her entire side was pressed against him. She continued to sleep. The car soon stopped outside a beautiful stone house with a gate. The limousine passed through and went up the winding drive to the house. He got out of the car and deciding to let Relena sleep a little longer, managed to scoop her up in his arms and carry her into the house. "Hey Pagan, where's Relena's room. I don't want to wake her up," Duo whispered.
"Upstairs and the room all the way at the end of the hall, Mister Maxwell," Pagan replied.
"Thanks. And just call me Duo," he said with a grin as he walked up the steps and down the hall with Relena still in his arms. Her hair was tickling his throat as she cuddled closer to him. He opened the door and walked into the large bedroom. He laid her down on the large four poster bed. Her hair spread out like a fan under her head. He looked down at her. "She's so beautiful." He reached out and touched her cheek with the back of his hand. It was soft and warm. He felt an odd ache in his chest as he gazed down at her. "Sleep well princess," he said softly and bent down and pressed a light kiss on her forehead before leaving the room.