Title: When We Both Have Had Enough
Rating: PG-13
Characters are not mine I am just borrowing.
A/N: Sequel to In My Way There's You, and to a lesser extent The Land Sinks Into Mellow Blueness.
Lady Une sat in her office. It was darker than usual, and the shades were drawn to prevent light from entering, but being late in the evening the pulled shades merely blocked the pale orange lights from the quad below. There was a desk lamp on, but it was dim. A file with a tattered green folder was spread open and she was, very carefully, reading and rereading through its contents. Her hands shook slightly as she went about fully consuming the weight of the document, and she had to reach for her glasses because her vision was beginning to go all wrong.
The last page was flipped over, and, finally, after many readings the file was shut. Une reached over and turned off the light. She shut her eyes and sat in the vivid darkness digesting the content of the old and, until recently, lost report. She wasn't exactly sure what to do, and her hands still shook as she removed her glasses, covering her face with her hands.
"Stupid boy," she whispered, and then muttered, "Punishing your self."
A knock came to her door and with her eyes still shut she reached over and turned the lamp back on. The door opened and Sally Po's thin shadow stretched out eagerly against the carpeting.
"He'll fight against everything this will mean for him," Une said. She slid her hand away from her eyes and let them adjust to the light, and focused in on Sally.
"Well," Sally said, very softly, more than was normal for her tone, "for now you should go home and get some sleep. You can deal with things in the morning, or afternoon."
"Is that an order," Une asked, finding the shake in her hands gone.
"Yes."
"You should come with me."
Sally nodded. "I was going to regardless."
****
The report had been lost for years among other things that had belonged to Treize Kushrenada's estate. Someone had finally gone through things thoroughly and had the good sense to send the report over to Preventor headquarters. It was a report detailing the rescue of Lady Une and her transfer back to earth. There clearest part of the report itself being that the only reason Lady Une made it back at all was because of one Lieutenant Nichol.
The implications of the report were huge and foremost meant that his time spent in prison for war crimes was completely and undeniably illegal. He had been a hero, and had acted above and beyond the call of duty. And his actions held even more impact given his brief arrest for basically misinterpreting his orders.
Nichol sat in Lady Une's office and fidgeted in his seat as he listened to her explain the new findings, while quoting often from the little green folder itself in Treize's own words. His throat felt extremely dry when she was finished.
"What does-" He cleared his throat, coughed and continued, "What does this mean, really?"
Une arched an eyebrow and drummed her fingers along the folder. "What do you want it to mean," she offered, but kept talking to keep him from speaking too soon. "For the Preventors it means that if we need you to go out to space there is absolutely no reason why you can not. Personally, for you…" She shrugged. "You could sue the Earth and Colony Alliance for millions on wrongful imprisonment, and I would bet you'd win."
He blanched and then sputtered, "But- I don't even-" He blinked. "What else?"
Lady Une shook her head. She wished the news was a comfort to him, but she had a feeling it would be overwhelming. "You'll be rewarded, at a public ceremony, and probably promoted. I know you don't want either, but it isn't just up to me. Copies of this report have already made it to people who will insist the fallen soldier get his due."
"But then…I guess I don't even…" He shook his head. "I like working here."
"Nichol, no one says you have to quit. This report," she tapped it again, "it just makes things a little easier for you. It won't be a major battle to get the assignments you want. However, it doesn't mean you'd be handed anything on a silver platter." She grinned and she watched him relax. "This just means you can live your life however you want, but from what I understand, you already do. So, really…All this means is that for about a month people will pay more attention to you than you'd like."
"Oh."
"I think you can handle that."
"Right", he said. He brushed his fingers through his hair and found it slightly damp. He must have been sweating all over Une's comfortable office furniture. He wiped his hands on his slacks. Then a thought came to him and he narrowed his eyes and asked, "This report, where did it come from?"
Lady Une grinned. "You want the truth."
"Of course."
"Mariemea found it while she was digging around the old estate. The cleaners were going through and being quite careless with everything as I understand. A lot of His Excellency's old papers were destroyed."
Nichol found himself chuckling and then put his hand over his mouth. "Just luck?"
"Luck, Mr. Nichol." Une assured him, and then added, "And…Nichol?"
"Yes."
"You have my utmost respect and thanks on this matter."
He shook his head. He could barely think straight.
"I'll let you know when the medal ceremony will take place."
"Ceremony?" He nodded and then it struck him. "Oh God. Ceremony?"
****
Zechs stared back at the general email that had been sent around. He didn't know what he should do, except that he picked up the phone and immediately called off Lon. There was no weight he could shift that would be heavy enough to prevent any of the rewards that would come from this revelation. And, Nichol would continue to be a Preventor.
****
Nichol had had one too many free drinks. He was swaying slightly when Sally shoved a bacon burger with cheese and greasy french-fries in front of him along with a rather large glass of water.
"You need fuel," she said. "Even if you loose it all, and you very well may."
He nodded and picked up the burger, taking over sized bites from it, followed by obscene handfuls of fries, and washed it all down with the water. After about twenty minutes he felt slightly more on the sober side of life, and was easily able to decline the new drinks that were beginning to line up for him.
He slurred out a good bye and suddenly found himself outside walking in a sideways manner towards Trowa Barton's car.
"This is why-" He stopped as his stomach gave a warning sign of rebellion. He blinked and then continued, "I hate reward."
"You didn't have to drink everything that was bought for you." Trowa said.
"But…if I din't people would think I was a jerk." He crumpled into the passenger seat of the car and shut his eyes. "Sally's so cool…Sally and the magic burger."
Trowa sighed and shut the door.
*****
Nichol felt like he was sweating through the formal blues of his uniform. He wasn't, but he felt as if he was because of the thin layer of perspiration along his upper lip that wouldn't go away no matter how many times he had dabbed at it with a handkerchief.
The ceremony was longer than it should have been. Too many people were giving speeches that had never met him. They were full of praise and jargon that he couldn't stand. Vice Foreign Minister Peacecraft-Darlain's was the best so far, because it was short and didn't make him sound like some sort of god among men for his courageous act.
Then Lady Une stood up and started her speech. A lump formed in his throat and he wished he could escape, or vanish into thin air, because the lady knew exactly what to say about him. She said, "He seeks no reward, and never has for the mission he undertook. We reward him against his very will, because his will is to serve. He misunderstands why we must honor him for something he had no question in his mind about doing. Every soldier that has done his or her duty understands this feeling. But we must be gentle with him in our rewards when we tell him that we reward him, because though he had no doubts in his actions there are plenty who would have."
He could barely walk when it was time to stand and have the medal pinned to his uniform. He felt himself shaking slightly as Une did the honors. She smiled at him and as he turned to face the crowd she whispered into his ear, "I was off the mark about you."
Nichol took a deep breath, nodding to himself, and faced the crowd.
****
"He wants to serve," Zechs muttered, and the words rolled about awkwardly on his tongue. He huffed and picked up the tabloid he had been peering at and then tossed it into the trash. The crumpled image of his sister and Noin at a club together glared back from the wastebasket.
He looked at his mission itinerary and nodded. Deep space waited for him, deep space and years of isolation. It seemed like a perfect plan.
End.