AN: So this story is one I courted in my extreme youth and after re-reading it realized I was just not very good at checking myself over and flushing things out back then. I am redoing this entire story with the same sort of plot line. I deleted the original so if you were following that one, I apologize. I do have a busy schedule and I will do my best to get updates up fairly quickly.
The timeline is going to take place around three years AFTER Zechs and Noin left for Mars. The usual disclaimers apply. Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise and Bandai and all of those other wonderful companies that gave us the show and Manga.
Now on with the story!
Time in the room seemed to slow down. The gun shot sounded loud in the small room and everyone watched in horror as the bullet sped toward Preventer Sally Poe. Out of nowhere her voice was heard. Lucrezia screamed Sally's name and then moved with a speed only a soldier of her caliber could possibly exemplify. Her dark bangs sweeping back over her forehead as she dove. The bullet meant for Sally finding a new target as it ripped through Noin's stomach. Heero Yuy immediately dispatched the man who fired the round and Sally fell to her knees at her best friend's side. Zechs stared on in horror as the woman he loved became pale and short of breath. With as few steps as possible, he crossed the small room and went down on his knees opposite Sally.
She was bent over her friend pressing down on the wound to no avail; she looked up at the other Preventer fear evident on her face. "I can't stop this kind of bleeding here, she needs a hospital, and she needs it now."
Heero loomed over the trio. "We can't stay here and there is no hospital we can take her too. Sally I'm sorry but her chances are non-existent and if we linger here much longer we won't fare much better."
Zechs snapped his head up to the younger man's face. "Are you suggesting we leave her?" Heero looked at the man. Anguish was evident in his ice blue eyes and his uniform was starting to soak up some of the blood the woman was losing. His tone was icy, daring Heero to say the words aloud and promising him the kind of reaction they would get if he did.
Heero shook his head. "Noin took that bullet to save Sally. If we don't go soon, it won't have meant anything. Carrying her is going to leave a trail of blood anyone could follow. We can't take her and we can't stay." Heero grit his teeth. The words coming out of his mouth left a bad taste.
"I won't leave her. If you two want to go, then go. I don't care what they say she's done. She just dove across the room and took a bullet for me. She wouldn't leave us to bleed to death, especially not after just taking a round for her." The older woman was shaking her head fiercely, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Heero, if you don't want to risk it, there's the door." She nodded her head of blonde spirals at the door behind the former Gundam Pilot otherwise I need you to help.
The brown haired man looked back and forth between his superior officers. "If this is the mission," he glanced down at Noin's unconscious form. "then I accept."
.
2 Weeks Earlier…
Noin was leaning casually over the vid screen on her small shuttle. "We have been partners for three years, that doesn't even count the times we have worked together during the war, I think splitting us up does nothing but break up a highly effective team. There is no way Wufei and Zechs are going to be able to work together. They are both too highly volatile." Her exasperated tone was not missed by the woman on the other side of the call but she would not be swayed.
Lady Une sat calmly at her desk talking to her obviously frustrated second in command. "Look Lucrezia, I don't want to argue about this with you. The things I am going to need you to deal with and the operations Zechs will be handling don't coincide. I am sorry but my mind is made up. You are command staff, you know that. We built this organization from the ground up together and I need your help maintaining it and running ops. Zechs will be needed in the field. Your partnership just doesn't fit."
The short haired woman leaned forward closer to the screen. "But it…"
She was swiftly cut off by her commanding officer. Une raised one hand to silence the other woman. "There is no but. I'm sorry but my decision stands Noin." With that she leaned forward and cut off the communication.
Lucrezia Noin sighed as she rested her weight against the console at her waist. Things were never easy on Earth, or the colonies for that matter. The delicate peace she and Zechs had found on Mars during the terraforming was already falling apart and they hadn't even landed yet. She glanced over her shoulder at the cockpit of the shuttle. Her partner, well ex-partner, was sitting in the co-pilot seat sleeping. His long, white blonde hair cascaded around his shoulders, with his arms folded in front of his chest. Noin smiled slightly at his frame and slowly made her way back to her seat in the pilot's chair.
She stared at him intently, scrutinizing his face before coming to the conclusion he was, in fact, awake. Turning in her seat slightly to rest her chin in her hand and stare at him better, she noticed he began to twitch. Letting her mouth settle into a slight smirk she narrowed her eyes at him. His eyelashes began to flutter and his nostrils flared, she narrowed her eyes further and crinkled her nose at him. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"I'm awake." He slowly opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her. She had already smoothed her appearance and was once again slightly smirking. Her violet eyes sparkled with mischief. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Is there something I can help you with Noin?"
She threw him a charming, quick smile. "Not particularly. I trust you just overheard my conversation with Lady Une?" Noin returned to facing the cockpit instead of staring him down. The annoyance in her voice was barely readable to someone who didn't know her as well, but he caught it easily and understood her issues with the new arrangement.
"Mmm." He nodded his head not sure how to respond. He was irritated that he would be partnering with the young Chinese pilot instead of the woman next to him but the relationship between the two of them was still new and delicate and he didn't want to upset it by saying the wrong thing. Noin easily understood his reluctance to comment and decided to offer him help in the direction the conversation should go.
"Quite frankly I think it's idiotic and feel a little as if she is punishing me for leaving so long." She delivered the statement quickly and as matter of fact as possible. Zechs contemplated the comment as if trying to find any hidden meaning. He nodded his head, taking it at face value.
"I doubt she is punishing you, me maybe, but not you. I am sorry; I seem to always cause you issues. At least you will be working closely with Sally Poe. I know you have missed her while we were gone. I would have preferred to stay your partner but I am not willing to push Lady Une right now. Maybe if she sees how things work out she will re-evaluate her decision?" He unfolded his arms and started pushing buttons on the console.
Noin was pushing and turning knobs on her side. She glanced over at Zechs. "You don't always cause me trouble." She had that smirk on her face again and Zechs found himself fighting back a small blush trying not to think of what she was eluding to. He didn't beat the entire blush and she noticed the small amount of color on his cheeks and let out a bigger smile and a chuckle as she put a headset on.
"This is the shuttle Endeavor, we are preparing for atmo breach. Can you please confirm we have good coordinates?" A scratchy voice came back over her headset confirming that they were all set and should continue their descent. She took hold of the controls and flipped off the auto-pilot. Noin flipped a few more switches and began guiding the controls as the shuttle began an easy dive through Earth's atmosphere.
Zechs watched her pilot the shuttle with flawless ease and softly smiled at her. When they had originally left for Mars, he wasn't sure what to expect. He had done some pretty unforgivable things and then disappeared. But when the Barton War began and he had shown back up just in the nick of time she had stayed by his side, without question. Mars had been wonderful. They were able to just be together. It was rocky at first; he had to learn to be open with her and to trust her to help him through things. Once he figured that all out life was easy. But life was never easy on Earth and he had a feeling things were going to change.
Piloting the shuttle took almost no concentration from Lucrezia Noin but she gave it her full attention just the same. She could see Zechs in her peripherals and could tell he was chewing something over in his head. Probably the same things running through her own mind, she finally had him right where she wanted him but things at Preventers HQ could easily change everything. Add in all the stress from being around so many other people and the bad feelings people were sure to harbor against her recently declared boyfriend and the depression he had finally shaken off on Mars may come back full swing. Regression was the last thing they needed. Once they broke atmo, it took little time to get to their destination the shuttle moving at incredible speeds. Soon the landing strip was in sight and Noin found herself hailing the traffic tower for permission to land. It was given and Noin easily placed the shuttle on the ground.
Zechs looked over at her and offered her a small smile. "Home at last?"
She let out one of her dark chuckles. "I guess so. Ready to face the big bad world? Sally had made mention that upon seeing me she may retaliate for my sudden departure, and she mostly blames you for it so I guess that puts us both on the in-for-it list."
His smirk got a little more lopsided. "I've spent a long time on that list. It takes more than Sally Poe to frighten me."
Smiling wider she replied. "That's because you haven't seen her angry. I've seen her angry. Some days I would rather face an angry Wufei and that is saying something."
Zechs shook his head slowly. "I have a feeling I will be on the receiving end of Changs anger soon enough. Maybe we can get off the shuttle without anyone noticing? We are a little early."
Noin looked out the window of the shuttle for a moment seemingly thoughtful. Her violet eyes sparkling with that same mischief he had seen earlier. "As long as no one showed up an hour early to greet us we may be able to pull it off. I can always distract them and you can bolt." Her last sentence was said with a strangely questioning tone and Zechs had a feeling the question was more of a test.
He uncrossed his arms and reached out for her hand. He laced his fingers through hers and looked at her for a long second before shaking his head. "No, I'm done running for it. If we can't avoid them together then I guess we will just have to face the music." He gave her one of his rare genuine smiles.
Noin returned his smile with one of her own and stood up without letting go of his hand. "Then I guess we better start unloading." She gave his hand a comforting squeeze and pulled away, walking over to another door separating the cabin from the cargo hold. She pressed the button next to the door and it slid open. Zechs stood up and followed her.
Once they had retrieved their bags and the various equipment they had brought back with them from Mars, they began to head into the main building of the shuttle station.
Noin stopped just inside the doors. "I have to go make sure they can take care of the shuttle, why don't you go get our transportation arranged and everything loaded up?"
Zechs nodded at her quickly and the two separated. Zechs pulled the cart holding all their affects over to the nearby car service station. After arranging to have one car transport the two of them to their respective homes and able to carry all of their luggage he turned to go meet the car out front to get everything loaded. He had almost made it to the doors when a loud American accent caught his attention.
"Well if it isn't mister lets drop a battleship on Earth only to turn around and save the day!"
Zechs turned to look at the owner of the voice. Duo Maxwell stood with Quatre Winner and Sally Poe. Before Zechs could respond Quatre turned to his loud friend. "I think that is in the inappropriate ways to greet a friend category Duo. We talked about this." The blonde man was shaking his head. "I am sorry Zechs. Welcome home." He held out his hand and Zechs took a step forward and tentatively shook his hand.
"Thanks Quatre, it's alright. I expected to have to deal with some jabs and some bitter people. I just didn't think it would start so soon." Zechs voice came out deep and brusquer than he had hoped.
Quatre narrowed his eyes at Duo. "No angry or bitter people here. Right Duo? We are just glad you guys got in and landed all safe and sound."
Duo looked at the older man in front of him. "I'm sorry Zechs. I suppose that was a little insensitive, even if it is true. But Quatre is right, no angry or bitter people here. Welcome back to Earth."
Sally stepped in front of the man. "Where is she?"
Zechs smiled at the woman. "Direct as ever Sally. She is making the necessary arrangements for the shuttle to be taken care of. I was tasked with getting our transportation in order. I was heading out to load our things." He gestured his head back over his shoulder towards the door.
Sally nodded once. "Right well, the boys here can help you with that while I go find her."
Quatre smiled while Duo looked at Sally with his mouth wide open and eyebrows up. "Whaaaaat! We have to load his stuff too? Man talk about your slave labor." He walked past everyone toward the door entrance muttering to himself.
Zechs nodded appreciatively at Sally and turned to follow the braided boy, Quatre right behind him. Sally turned on her heel and made her way to where she knew she would find her best friend.
It only took a few minutes before she could hear her friends calming low voice. "Yes, that's correct it is a Preventers shuttle. It has only been out there for maybe ten minutes we came down from the Mars terraforming project so it's going to need a thorough cleaning." Sally turned the corner and felt her shoulders relax at the sight of the dark haired woman leaning against the desk talking to the red headed middle aged woman sitting behind it. The woman at the desk clicked at a few keys on her keyboard. "Were proper arrangements made for this landing? I am not finding anything about a Preventers shuttle in our paperwork for today." Noin shook her head. "I am sure it was filed, maybe just not under Preventers, we try to keep our comings and goings low key. If you would permit me access to your phone, I may be able to find out exactly how it was filed." Noin's body language was calm and reassuring and Sally could see it melting away any friction the woman behind the desk may have been gearing herself up for.
Sally let out a low chuckle. "The phone call isn't necessary. I have all the proper paperwork and reservation information here."
Noin grinned down at the woman behind the counter, Mary Ann, as she was introduced to her earlier, before she spun to look at her friend. She took a deep breath and then closed the distance between them in a few strides before pulling her into an enveloping hug. Sally returned the embrace with as much vigor as she was met with. Noin whispered in her ear. "I've missed you." Her voice came out a bit watery and Sally pushed the woman back enough to look at her face.
One of the blonde woman's eyebrows went up as she scrutinized her friend. Noin's violet eyes shimmered slightly and Sally could tell Noin was holding back a tear or two. "Don't go getting all sentimental on me or I am going to think something is wrong."
Noin chuckled at her and motioned back over her shoulder. "Sally this kind lady behind the desk is Mary Ann. She has been looking for the information to take care of my shuttle but it seems I don't have the proper reservation."
Sally released Noin's shoulders. "Nice Lucrezia, change the subject. All right, to business first." She guided herself around Noin and pulled a set of papers out of the bag at her side. "Here you are ma'am. This should clear up any issues." She handed the papers to Mary Ann, who took them gratefully.
Sally and Noin stared at each other slight smirks on both faces as Mary Ann read over the paperwork. Each evaluating the other seeing what they could work out about the other woman since their absences. The staring contest ended quickly as Mary Ann chirped a happy note. "This all seems to be in order, and I have the reservation here. We will take good care of your shuttle Preventer Noin." She offered the darker haired woman a smile.
Noin smiled back at her appreciatively. "Thank you. That is one less thing I have to worry about, and it was a very long flight from Mars. Worrying less is a great boon at the moment."
The older woman beamed back at Noin. "Well, welcome back to Earth dear. I hope everything works out for you." She began clicking at her keyboard and Noin and Sally recognized the dismissal, the two women turned and made their way back out toward the front door of the building.
Sally glanced sidelong at Noin. "So a few of the boys and I ran into Zechs on the way in. Duo greeted him less than politely but better than I had hoped he would. Blondie seemed to take it pretty well." Sally waited to see if Noin would react before continuing. "He only procured one vehicle for the two of you." She let the statement hang between them knowing Noin would pick up the question.
The dark haired woman looked over at her friend. "Just ask it Sally so I can tell you no and we can move on."
"Is he moving in with you?"
Noin let out a slow sigh. "No. He isn't. He had Relena set him up an apartment. The car will take me home and then drop him off. Satisfied?"
Sally nodded her head. "I am just trying to look out for you Lucrezia. I just…" She let out a sigh of her own. "I just don't want to see you hurt."
Noin stopped walking and turned to her friend. "Look I'm okay. I know what I am doing. Zechs and I, we have been doing this dance for nearly a decade. I know what he did was wrong, I also know that every day he regrets it and that the only reason he didn't succeed is because he stopped it. I need you to be on my side with this and help me keep everyone from giving him too hard of a time. When we first got to Mars, people hated him. They didn't want him there and it took a good part of a year for them to get over it. That whole year was the darkest I have ever seen him. He was very depressed and honestly I wasn't sure I could get him through it. But I did and we are here now and we are together and all we want is to live our lives and keep people from turning everything back into a war zone. I appreciate the concern Sally, you know I do, but I've got this. Okay?"
Sally nodded and put her hands up in the typical surrender fashion. "Okay. I'll back off and I'll help keep the boys in check. Though I don't think you'll need much help in that area, everyone listens when you speak so just tell them to behave and your magic voice and personality should do the trick." She smiled at Noin and motioned them onward with her hands.
Noin shook her head laughing and began walking again. It didn't take long to come upon their small group. Though it had grown since Sally had left them.
"There's the woman we have all been waiting for!" Duo's cheerful voice made Noin forget the serious conversation she had been having with her best friend and let herself be enveloped in an enthusiastic hug by the American boy.
She was quickly surrounded by Duo, Quatre, Relena, Une, and Trowa. She smiled at the group. "So if you are all here, who's working?"
Lady Une looked at her levelly. "Don't even pretend you aren't happy to see us. Were all the necessary arrangements made for the shuttle?"
Noin nodded at her. "Of course. It's all taken care of and of course I am happy to see all of you. I wasn't entirely serious."
Zechs stepped forward. "I thought it was a valid question. I thought we were trying to keep this little landing quiet. Three Gundam pilots, the head of Preventers, and Relena all in the same place at the same time. Not exactly inconspicuous."
Relena smiled at her brother. "Don't worry about it brother. Some of us were just too excited to wait for you all to make it in to work next week or show your face to the world. I for one have missed you both." She stepped forward and pushed everyone out of her way to stand in front of Noin.
Noin gave her a slight smile. "You've grown Miss Relena. You look well."
Relena shook her head. "I couldn't remain a teenager forever Lucrezia. You have been gone some time. I have taken up many things since your initial absence. I am glad to have you back; your input, advice, and company have been greatly missed." She stepped forward and hugged the older woman.
Noin hugged her back. "I am sorry I left so abruptly. I don't expect it to happen again."
"Neither do I." Came Une's firm comment.
Trowa looked around at the group. "Well I am sure they are tired. Let's let them be, we all have work to get back to."
Everyone nodded in agreement and stepped out of the building towards the car that had been loaded with Noin and Zechs things. Noin turned to Zechs. "Everything loaded?"
He nodded at her. "Trowa and Quatre agreed to take the equipment back to HQ with them so we didn't have to worry about it but all our personal affects are in the car." He received a thankful smile from her.
"Then I guess it's time to head home." She looked over at her welcome committee and noticed they had gained a Gundam Pilot. Heero stood just behind Relena. He noticed her looking at him and nodded once in acknowledgement. She nodded back with a slight smirk on her face and waved back at the group. "See you all in a few days!" The couple took their seats in the car and gave the driver the address to Noin's home. He assured them he knew the way and they were off. Noin turned to Zechs. "Relatively painless?"
He looked down at the floorboard. "Relatively." His answer was short and he looked out the window. "Did you see Yuy standing there with Relena?"
Noin knew that was coming. "Yep I saw him. Better late than never don't you think?" The question was open ended and eluded to several different things. She wanted to see where he would go with it.
The result was him snapping his head back around to look at her. "Surely you don't approve of their relationship? Noin, I know you have always been a slight dreamer but really, Yuy and Relena?"
She offered him a genuine smile. "I think it's great. Relena has liked him since she first put eyes on him. I mean look at how she followed him around during the war and how steadfast he has stuck by her since the war ended. Everything he put himself through to keep her safe. It's a wonderful founding for a romance. Don't you think?"
He shook his head. "Romance shouldn't be built on the silly things people do as children. She followed him around like a puppy into every dangerous situation she could find. I think he could have told her to do anything and she may have done it."
It was Noin's turn to look out the window. "Mmm." Zechs received no further comment from his dark haired companion the rest of the way to her home. Once they arrived she declined his help retrieving her things from the trunk, kissed him on the cheek and bid him a good night. Once she was safely in her home the car pulled out of her driveway. Zechs had the uneasy feeling he had said something wrong but couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Noin stepped through her front door and shut it firmly behind her. She put her back against the cool metal of the door and promptly slid to the floor. She took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. "That man is going to be the death of me one day, and it's going to be no one's fault but my own." She sat against the door for a few more minutes before standing back up and walking through her house. Sally had come over a few days before and opened up the house to let it get some fresh air. A cleaning crew had been hired to come through and uncover all the furniture and clean the house thoroughly. Her foyer, living room, kitchen, and dining room were all spotless. She wheeled her luggage toward her bedroom opening doors as she went. The bathroom, guest bedrooms, and linen closet all looked in order. When she got to her room she slowly opened the door and smiled. The light yellow paint on her walls and light blues in her bed sheets were a welcome sight. Mars had been red outside and white inside. The colors often leaving her depressed. She wheeled her bag through the door and walked over to the floor to ceiling windows, throwing them open and breathing in the fresh air around her. Her smile grew and she walked over and flopped down on her bed. "Home at last."
Noin woke up to her phone ringing. She looked down at her watch and realized she had fallen asleep lying on her bed and had been there for almost three hours. It was 7:23 and the sun was starting to set outside. She picked up the phone without looking at it knowing it would be Zechs.
"Hi." Her tone was intentionally clipped letting him know he was still not forgiven even though she knew he hadn't meant anything by it. Her greeting was met with a deep sigh.
"I know I'm an idiot. I am working on it. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that the founding of our relationship was poor or that you were dumb for staying by me or doing the things I asked you to do. We come from a completely different set of circumstances."
She looked up at her ceiling thoughtfully. Absorbing what he was saying. "So you are apologizing for referring to me as a blind puppy?" Her tone was light letting him off the hook.
He chuckled deeply. "Yes. In short that is what I am saying. You are not a blind puppy. You are a beautiful, intelligent, loyal person."
She could hear his smile through the phone. "Aren't those all adjectives to describe dogs?"
He laughed again. "I think you are taking this puppy thing too seriously my dear."
Noin shrugged knowing full well he couldn't see her. "I guess I can try and let it go. On one condition."
The smile was gone from Zechs voice. "I'm not going to like this am I?"
Noin chuckled darkly. "Nope. I want you to leave them alone. Relena and Heero have been through enough and they are happy together. Relena is going to ask you for your blessing for their relationship and I think you need to come to the realization that they are not going to give up on each other. So tell Relena you are happy for her and that if she cares about him then as long as she is happy you are fine with it, like a good big brother should."
Zechs was silent for a few minutes. "And if I don't?"
Noin shook her head. "You don't want to go there with me Zechs."
Zechs let out a loud breath. "Your way or the highway huh?"
Noin thought about that a minute. "I think I spent enough time doing everything you asked, in short, I'm calling in a solid you owe me. Deal with the relationship Zechs. It will be easier on everyone in the long run."
Zechs sighed again. "Well I guess I can't argue with you on that. Okay forget about that for now. Are we okay? I know I said things that hurt you and I am sorry. I love you. You know that."
"Yes we are okay. I'm sorry I gave you the silent treatment. How are your new digs?"
Zechs looked around the living room of his new apartment. "It's…roomy."
Noin raised an eyebrow. "Roomy?"
Zechs nodded. "Yeah, roomy. I think maybe too much so. I dunno maybe after living in barracks and then the battleship and Mars and everything I'm just used to having little space. It might just take getting used to. That and I have my own kitchen…and have to make my own meals."
Noin outright laughed. "I fear for your stomach. Whatever shall you do?"
Zechs took a deep breath. "You could always move in with me."
She smirked at her phone. "You know the answer to that. Besides I have a house why on Earth would I give up my house for your apartment?"
"Then I could move in with you. Problem solved. You get to keep your house plus you have me with you and you don't have to fear for my stomach."
The raven haired woman laughed again. "Did you think of these things before you called or are you just coming up with them as we talk? I told you, we are not moving in together yet. We both need our own space and time to adjust to being back."
Zechs shook his head. "No, you need your own space and time to adjust to being back. I only need you. I don't need time to adjust. In fact I think it's harder for me to adjust knowing I can't simply walk down the hall into your room to see you. I have to call you like this and hope you pick up the phone. I've been pacing my hallways since I got home biding time until I thought I had given you enough time to settle in. I don't see what the big deal is Lucrezia. We practically lived together on Mars, how is this any different?"
She sat up in her bed and looked down at her phone for a second contemplating her answer. "We shouldn't be talking about this over the phone Zechs. If you want to come over tomorrow we can discuss it but right now I am telling you the answer is no."
"How am I supposed to sleep with you so far away? I am terrified something is going to happen to you and I won't be there to help you. That once again I will fail you."
She shook her head. "Stop. Please, I am a big girl I can take care of myself. If I am not mistaken I got myself through all of that without your help so don't act like I am some helpless kid. I don't appreciate it. As far as sleeping, Zechs you knew this was going to happen. I told you that staying in my room at night was a bad idea but you insisted you could handle it when we got back. Don't start throwing that in my face." She let out a sigh. "I don't want to fight with you. Let's just…let's just get some sleep okay. You can come over tomorrow and we can talk about it all. Maybe I will let you persuade me to give it a shot. But for tonight let's just go to bed and enjoy the fact that we have real beds." She chuckled quietly.
He let out another sigh. "I'm sorry. You're right. We shouldn't be fighting like this. I didn't mean for that to happen. I just want to spend all the time with you that I can and this just seems silly to me. Get some sleep. I'll talk to you in the morning."
She nodded her head and lay back down on her bed. "Zechs?"
"Hmm?"
"I love you too."
"I know you do Lucrezia. Sleep well love."
.
Lucrezia Noin did not sleep well. She spent the whole night tossing and turning, an uneasy feeling in her stomach. If she had learned anything throughout her years as a soldier it was that usually when she felt this way, something was wrong, and her instincts about these things, were always right. She looked over at the clock next to her. It was only four in the morning but she didn't care. She looked around her nightstand for her phone. Once she found it she quickly punched the speed dial for Zechs.
She waited impatiently chewing on her lip as the phone rang. After the fifth ring his sleepy voice came over the line. "What's wrong?"
She let out a long sigh. She could rest a little easier knowing the feeling didn't pertain to Zechs. After hearing her relieved sigh the half asleep man woke fully. "Lucrezia what is it?"
She shook her head and then remembered he couldn't see her. "I don't know, I just have a bad feeling. Something is wrong. I was worried it was you but you sound fine. I am getting dressed and heading into the office."
He nodded his head. "Okay, I'll meet you there in twenty minutes."
They hung up the phone simultaneously and began getting dressed.
Lucrezia pulled up at Preventers HQ and saw Zechs pull up right behind her. She got out of her car and he joined her as they walked into the building. The first thing they noticed was the movement. Everyone seemed to be incredibly busy and most avoided looking directly at them. Noin ignored it and made straight for Lady Une's office. She walked past Une's secretary who tried to stop her and opened the door to the office.
Une looked up at the intrusion and then saw her secretary looking hassled stride in behind her second in command. "I am sorry ma'am. She just stormed right past me."
Lady Une smiled at the young woman. "It's fine Cynthia. You haven't been properly introduced. Please meet Preventer Lucrezia Noin. Co-founder and second in command of the Preventers. The gentleman with her is Preventer Zechs Marquise. Noin doesn't need an appointment to enter the office. In the future just let her pass."
Cynthia looked at the raven haired woman standing just in front of her. "Yes Lady Une. And I apologize Preventer Noin. I didn't know who you were."
Noin turned and looked at the young woman. "It is quite alright. I am sorry I should have introduced myself. But if you could please excuse us I have an urgent matter to discuss with Lady Une."
The woman nodded and backed out of the room closing the door behind her. Noin turned to Une. "What am I missing?"
Une shook her head making her long brown hair sway back and forth. "How do you already know something is wrong when we just found out ten minutes ago?"
Lucrezia looked at her with a worried expression. "I couldn't sleep, I could just feel it. What's happened?"
The head of Preventers looked back and forth between the two people in front of her. "Please sit down; this won't be easy to hear." She motioned to the two seats in front of her desk. She didn't miss the worried look that the two shared before taking their seats.
Lady Une was never one to sugar coat anything but the news and video she had just received was not one she wanted to share with the pair in front of her when she hadn't had a chance to fully process it herself. Seeing no other option since her second obviously knew something was wrong and wasn't likely to give up until she got to the bottom of it she motioned to the large screen mounted on the wall to her right.
"We received this vid message about fifteen minutes ago. Our analysts are combing it right now for authenticity but all first impressions are that it is real." Une pulled out a remote and hit the play button.
The screen was grainy for a second before it cleared and focused on a set of buildings with a red dirt backdrop. Noin took a deep breath. "That's…" A face appeared on the screen cutting off the woman's comment.
The man smiled at the screen. "What you are about to see is but a taste of our power." Five Leo suits came in to view around the buildings all armed with beam cannons. "If our demands are not met this fate shall be met on all colonies currently occupied by Preventers as well as those cities on Earth harboring your offices."
The Leo suits opened fire. The screen filled with bright lights and then was filled with dark smoke. After a few moments, the smoke cleared and the buildings were gone. Noin jumped from her chair. "The people in those buildings?" She turned her head to look at her commanding officer.
Lady Une hung her head. "Initial reports and failed communications indicate there were no survivors."
Noin's eyes flashed dangerously and she turned back to the screen. The man was back in focus.
"We will be contacting you within the day with our demands." The screen went blank.
Une used the remote and turned off the screen. The phone on her desk rang and she snatched it up quickly. "Yes?" She scowled at her large mahogany desk and let out a deep sigh. "Thank you, that's good work. Please have the information verified a second time. Of course. Call me with your results."
She looked back up at the duo on the other side of her desk. "That was our lead analyst. He says the video is real. Scans of the area also confirm the buildings are gone. I am sorry, for the both of you. I know you had many friends there."
Une looked at Noin specifically. She had shed a few tears but any sadness the woman felt was overshadowed by anger. Her eyes were flashing dangerously. "Noin?"
The dark haired woman looked across the desk at Une. That man, his name is Alec Matthews. He was a soldier for White Fang. Before that I believe he was a member of Romefeller."
Une was already lifting the receiver on her phone. "Get me everything you can find on Alec Matthews." She hung up the phone just as quickly.
Zechs had remained silent up until now. He turned to look at his girlfriend. "How do you know him?" The question held no jealousy. It was simple statement to assess where her information had come from and how accurate it was.
Noin looked at him. "I met him on Libra. He was a soldier on it while you were in control of it. We talked in the cafeteria a few times."
Lady Une looked between the two of them; some of the story seemed to be missing. If Noin had only met the man a few times how was she so certain the man on the grainy camera was him? She looked at her second before deciding a more private conversation needed to be had. She pressed a button on her phone. "Cynthia please come and show Preventer Marquise to his new office with Preventer Chang." The answer was the door opening and Cynthia looking in. "Sir, if you would follow me?"
Zechs looked between the two women before standing and following the secretary out the door. Lady Une stood and walked to the door and locked it. "Alright Lucrezia, I'll take the version of that story not watered down."
Lucrezia took a deep breath. "Nothing happened between me and Matthews, if that is what you are suggesting."
Une resumed her seat and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not suggesting anything. I am simply asking you to level with me. You know that man, and it's not from seeing him around the cafeteria, I'm going to assume that was watered down for Zechs benefit so I removed him from the equation."
Noin nodded. "Being on Libra was difficult. Every day I woke up and spent the rest of the day thinking of way to sabotage the battleship and talk Zechs out of his crazy plans. It took a lot out of me. Especially when I also had to deal with Quinze trying to convince Zechs that I was a mole and the best way to go about it would be to shoot me and Catalonia constantly telling him that I was using him for my own benefits. Matthews, he lent me an ear. We would meet late at night in one of the small conference rooms and just talk. I would tell him how hard everything was and he would tell me about how he had signed on with Quinze for his original ideals of peace, not the crazy delusion it had become. It helped not explode from keeping everything inside. We met almost every night up until the Eve War."
Une nodded absorbing Noin's words. "So he was just a friend. Have you seen him since the Eve War?"
Noin looked down at her hands. "It would be a lie if I said no. We ran into each other, it was just one of those things. Zechs had been gone almost a year, the anniversary of the battle was coming up, I was emotional. He was there."
Une looked at her partner knowingly. "So things were a little more than friendly?"
Lucrezia's jaw tightened. "It was only the one time. I swear. I told him afterwards that it would be best if we didn't see each other again. I told him it was just too difficult and that he reminded me of things I would rather forget. He said he understood and he left. That was the last I had heard from him until that video today."
The brown haired woman nodded slowly. "Okay. At least we know who he is."
Tears were forming in Noin's eyes. A few spilling down her cheeks. "He knew about that project because I told him about it. Dammit. Those people, my friends and co-workers, they are dead because I am an idiot. I guess it can't be called a coincidence he did this after Zechs and I had left. Why else wait until we have almost completed the project to destroy it?"
Une leaned forward, closer to Noin. "The attack on the terraforming project, it's not your fault. Unless you want to tell me you organized it and were piloting one of those suits, I suggest you get the notion out of your head. I need you firing on all cylinders, not wallowing in self-pity."
Noin scrubbed her face with her hands for a minute. "I'm not wallowing. I'm pissed, and heart broken. What do you think he is going to demand, and where the hell did he get those Space Leos?"
Une's computer chirped. She looked to her screen. "Final report is in. Time to call everyone to the table and start talking it out. At least we won't be scrambling when his demands come in." She pushed the button on her phone that calls Cynthia. "Get my lead team together in conference room B please."
Noin glanced up at Une quickly. "Can we keep what I just told you between us? I see no reason everyone needs to know of my indiscretion."
Lady Une let out a breath. "It isn't an indiscretion to get lonely Lucrezia. Of course it stays between us. But I wasn't kidding. I need you at full capacity. You are my greatest asset and we are going to need you."
The raven headed woman nodded. "I'm here. To the job ma'am."
"Good, get to your office, I don't want to see you walking around here out of uniform." Noin gave her an annoyed look. "Don't look at me like that. You helped write the rules and designed the uniform so go put it on. Tell Zechs to go draw a few from supply as well. I am sure the one he had procured didn't last very long."
Noin stood and turned to walk out of the office. Une's voice halted her steps. "Lucrezia, despite what's happened today. I'm glad you are here. These things seem to go easier with you around."
Noin chuckled darkly. "You're just saying that because if I wasn't here, I'd be dead right now." She continued her way out the door and made her way to Zechs and Wufei's office. She opened the door to see the two men glowering at each other. "Hope I am not interrupting anything."
Wufei turned to look at his superior officer. "Ma'am, I am not certain this new arrangement is going to be suitable for me."
Noin shook her head. "This isn't the day Chang. The two of you need to figure out how to make it work." She turned to Zechs making sure to stay professional. "Marquise go down to supply and get fitted. Make sure to draw multiple uniforms and change immediately."
He nodded at her. "Of course."
She turned and walked out of the room leaving the two men to glower at each other. Quickly making her way to her shared office with Sally. The two women greeted each other somberly. Sally knowing the kind of mood Noin would be in after the events of the morning. "Figured I would be seeing you today."
Noin nodded as she pulled a spare uniform from the closet in the back corner of the room. Sally stood up and locked the door to the office as Noin began to change. Once in complete uniform she sighed and sat down at her desk. She looked over at Sally who was watching her with a sad expression and broke down.
Zechs glared at Wufei. "If you could refrain from touching anymore of my things than necessary I will return in just a moment."
The Chinese man didn't reply as Zechs stormed from the room and went down to supply. He was only gone ten minutes when he returned to his room and found Duo sitting on the edge of Wufei's desk.
Zechs grumbled a hello as he made his way to his own desk. The American boy hopped off the desk to look at the older man.
"Well with an attitude like that; no wonder Noin is crying her eyes out. What did you do to her?" Duo glared at him seriously.
Zechs stared at him a moment as he processed the information he was just handed through the insult. Lucrezia was crying. And judging by the Americans phrasing, she was crying quite a bit. He knew she would take the deaths of everyone on Mars hard. He was having trouble processing it as well and had decided it would have to wait until the mission was over before working through it. He stood and brushed past Duo.
"Was there a reason you were in here?" He asked over his shoulder.
Duo looked at the man thoughtfully. "We have all been summoned to Conference Room B in…" he checked his watch. "twenty minutes."
Zechs nodded at him as he made for the door and went in search of his girlfriend's office. He located it quickly and knocked on the door.
After a few long seconds the door opened and he was face to face with Sally Poe. "Unless you are here to provide her with your unwavering support and not bother her any more than she is already, you can leave."
Zechs sighed deeply and raised his right hand. "Unwavering support, I promise you."
The older woman took a swift step to the side letting him enter. She then stepped out of the door and closed it behind her leaving him alone in the room with the distraught woman. To Zechs, this version of Noin was unfamiliar. He was used to playful, calculating, angry, in charge, tactful, and loving versions of Noin. He had even come across a sullen Noin a time or two, but never distraught to the level she was at right now. It was uneven footing, and he wasn't exactly sure how to offer his unwavering support. He decided the best course of action was to quickly cross the room to her and envelope her in his arms and let her cry it out against his chest.
She fell into him easily and cried harder as his hands smoothed down her back and hair. "They are all gone Zechs, all of them! If we had been there just a few extra days, maybe we could have…"
Zechs roughly pushed her back so she could look him in the eyes. "Stop. If we had been there, we would be as dead as the rest of them. They had Space Leos; there was nothing that could have helped them up there. Nothing we could have done would have changed the outcome. Mourn them Noin, they were our friends, our family while we were up there. But not like this, not as a mistake. We would have been just another casualty. Right now, the best thing we can do is make sure this doesn't happen again. No one is better at that than you. We just have to put it on the backburner and stop these guys. I promise you, when this is done, I will hold you and we will cry and talk about each and every person we lost up there, but right now, this doesn't help them. Bottle it up, use it to motivate you, and let's get this done. Okay?"
He cupped her face with his hands and used his thumbs to brush away some of the tears that were still leaking out of her eyes. She took a deep breath and he watched as she flipped some internal switch and the sadness in her eyes turned to a steel he had only seen in her eyes that night at Lake Victoria when he pulled her from the wreckage of her Aries after watching the man who had just killed all of her cadets get away because she hadn't been strong enough to stop him.
She nodded her head and he pulled her close again holding her firm. "We can get through this." He felt her nod against his chest. His long hair obscuring his view of her face.
She pulled away from him. "Thanks." She looked down at the floor. "What's that Wufei likes to call me? A bleeding heart." She smiled up at him and shook her head. "Sometimes I am such a woman." She let out one of her signature dark chuckles.
Zechs smiled down at her. "I wouldn't have you any other way. You ready for this? Une has called that meeting and it's in a few minutes."
She nodded at him and pushed her dark hair back and out of her face. When she let it go and moved her hand it bounced back into place covering up one violet eye.
Zechs used his hand to tuck it behind her ear giving him an unobstructed view of her face. "I just want you to know that I know what you said about Matthews wasn't the whole truth."
Noin started to speak and Zechs put a finger to her lips. "I'm telling you that so that you also know that I don't care. I love you, and whatever happened is in the past, and you and I are together now. I should have been there for you then and I wasn't, and that is no one's fault but mine. Whatever happened then, it doesn't matter. I am here now, and I don't plan on letting go." He hugged her once more and kissed the top of her head. "Now let's go do our jobs."
She nodded against his chest and they both pulled away and stood. He followed her out of the office and down the hall to the conference room. They were the last ones to enter. A spot had been saved at the right of Une, who was sitting at the head of the table. Noin walked briskly over to it and took her seat. Zechs rather begrudgingly took his seat next to Wufei.
All five Gundam Pilots were present, Relena sat at the other head of the table, Sally Poe, Hilde Schbeiker, Lady Une, and now Zechs and Noin filled the table. The door opened again and an analyst walked in.
He looked over at Lady Une and Noin. "Commanders, we are receiving a video call."
Une and Noin shared a look. The raven haired woman turned to the analyst first. "Can it be traced?"
The look on the analysts face was all the answer she needed but he voiced it anyway. "No, it's being filtered all over the place bouncing between the colonies and different cities on Earth, there is no way we could pinpoint the origin. I'm sorry."
Noin nodded. "It's not your fault. Put it through on the screen in here." He glanced at Lady Une and she nodded her agreement.
He made a few quick steps and the screen behind Noin and Une lit up. They both spun their chairs to face the man who was waiting on them to answer. He smiled upon seeing the room filled with the group.
"What and audience! I take it you all received my message this morning and you have taken the time to verify its authenticity?" His smile grew wider. "Hello Lucrezia."
Noin didn't rise to the bait. Content to let Lady Une handle the man. Her commander addressed the man coolly. "You sent the message to Preventers, which means you get to deal with me. Whatever past you share with Preventer Noin is irrelevant. If you want any sort of demands met, you'll speak to me."
His smile didn't falter and his eyes seemed to darken. "Don't get jealous Lady Une, I was going to say hello to you next. I will be making my demands to whomever I choose and if I don't think you are taking me seriously, I will make what happened on Mars this morning look like a birthday party, you get me?"
Noin was irritated with his cocky attitude. "What do you want Matthews?"
His eyes lightened again and the room could tell his focus was on their second in command. "Direct as every my lady love. What I want is simple. The total disarmament of Preventers."
Lady Une raised an eyebrow. "Disarmament? We have no weapons. No mobile suits. We are funded largely in part by Relena Darlian Peacecraft, her idealism stands for total disarmament. Your demands have been met because they were never an issue."
Matthews smiled again. His blue eyes sparking. He took a hand and pushed it through his short dirty blonde hair. "Your misinformation betrays you Lady Une. I suggest you speak with your second in command to get to the bottom of my first demand.
Une looked sidelong at Lucrezia. She didn't fidget or look down, she remained calm and collected. Lady Une was skeptical of what the man was eluding to. "Your first demand?"
He nodded. "That's correct. That is my first demand. I also wish for you to pull your forces out of certain key areas. But we will get to that after your disarmament is handled. Lucrezia, I know the forces you have gathered won't be easy to get rid of quickly so I am willing to give you 72 hours to destroy them. Your factories must also be leveled. Only when I am satisfied that you have completely destroyed all of your suits will I issue you my second demand. If I think you aren't taking me seriously, I'll destroy a colony. I will continue to destroy one colony a day until your disarmament is complete. If you do not meet my deadline, the same action will be followed. If after the destruction of five colonies I do not see you taking action, I will began firing directly on the Earth. Have I made myself clear?"
Noin's eyes were on fire. Her anger almost a visible wave around her. "You have shown us no proof that you have the fire power to commit such an act." She shrugged her shoulders. "Until you show us that you do, I call it a bluff. A handful of Space Leos can take out buildings no problem, colonies are another matter entirely."
He laughed loudly. "Some of my men warned me about tangling with you Lucrezia. You may know a few of them as well, some were students of yours. But I see your point. I won't deal my hand to early though. The proof you need can be easily had from a scan of colony X18992. This is not all of my forces. Only a small contingent of them. If you think of firing on the colony, know that the forces that remain will destroy every colony I can set them on. And I am sorry for your friends on Mars. I had to help motivate you somehow. And Zechs I see you back there contemplating the best ways to kill me. Does it upset you to know I had her first?"
Noin let out a short curse in Italian. "Are we done here Matthews? We have work to do."
He smiled widely again. "Of course love. I am sure you have a lot of explaining to do. I will call back to check on your progress around the same time tomorrow." The transmission ended and all eyes in the room turned to Noin.
She cleared her voice quickly and took a cursory glance around the room before settling her eyes on the table. "Staring is impolite."
A few of the Gundam Pilots looked away but Sally and Relena continued to look at her unabashedly.
Sally spoke up first. "So you want to tell the room why the man who just blew up all your friends and our Terraforming project is referring to you as love?"
Noin met her best friend's eyes. "No Sally, I don't particularly want to. It's irrelevant and a heavily misplaced endearment. It should satisfy all of you to know that I know Matthews; I have for many years now and may have at one moment been intimate with him. It was a one-time thing and has no bearing on today's events. I also informed my commanding officer about it before this conversation took place. I am not hiding anything Sally, everyone makes mistakes. Contrary to what you all may believe about me, I am not perfect."
Sally and Relena looked away, properly scolded. But she wasn't off the hook yet. Heero looked at her for a moment before speaking up.
His voice held no accusation only truth. "You are building, or have built mobile suits."
Noin had the propriety to look down at the table. Everyone in the room except Relena stared at her. Lady Une was becoming more furious by the second.
"Noin, that maniac is threatening the colonies and the Earth because he believes we have weapons. Start talking. Now isn't the time to worry about repercussions, if you have factories building mobile suits, I need to know. "
Noin glanced up at Relena and the room followed her gaze. Relena quietly stood and walked down to Noin. She leaned over and whispered in her ear too low for anyone else to hear. Noin nodded and stood. She walked around the table and exited the room. Lady Une raised an eyebrow and turned to Relena.
She confidently walked back to her position at the head of the table opposite Lady Une. "Lucrezia Noin did not have mobile suits constructed. That is to say it was not her idea nor was it her funding. She had them drawn up and created with my full backing and support. They are my mobile suits. Noin is just the brains and muscle behind them."
The room was completely silent. Everyone staring at Relena as if they had never seen the woman before. Noin walked back into the room. "Hmmm. I see you've told them. They seem to be taking it well."
Relena smirked and looked at the older woman. "Shocked them in to silence it seems. Do you have it?"
Noin held up a small thumb drive, showing it to Relena.
The younger girl nodded. "Good. Miss Noin if you would do the honors and show your fellow Preventers their new Gundams as well as the supporting mobile suits?"
Heero smirked at his girlfriend. "Did you just say Gundams?"
Relena smiled at him. "I did Heero. Wait until you see what else Noin has in her bag of tricks. I promise, you won't be disappointed."
AN: So that's it for this chapter. Hope you all approve. I know Zechs is a little OOC but he can't be moody and depressed forever. They all have to grow at some point. I am going to do my best at not making them crazy and radically different from canon but what happens, happens. I am working on finding a format that works for me. So let me know if this was okay or too difficult to follow. If it's too difficult don't just be a whiner make a suggestion. I am going to try and update as often as I can but I won't make promises that I can't keep. But I promise they will not be short chapters. This one is 21 pages almost 11k words. Not too bad for a first chapter. Well drop me a line let me know what you think.
Thanks for reading.
violetXice