Inspired by an episode of Castle I'm not sure the name but it's the one where Castle and Becket spend the night together and their friends interrogate them the next day.
"What happened?"
It was an easy enough question but there was just something about the way Noin was looking at her, something about the way the words rolled off the other woman's tongue that gave Relena pause. This was an unusual situation for both of them, not in the sense that Noin had never conducted an interview or interrogation but in the sense that she'd never interrogated her and for her part, Relena had never needed to be interrogated. Until now.
She'd been sitting in the same seat for almost thirty minutes prior to the start of her questioning while she assumed the powers at be were deciding on how to handle this situation and who would have the ungodly task of questioning the Vice Foreign Minister. It had come as no surprise to Relena when Noin had entered, she couldn't think of anyone who would want the responsibility. With Noin however, there was no concern or fears regarding the status of the woman on the other side of the table. Noin would treat her the same, if not just a little worse since the older woman viewed her something of a little sister.
Noin hadn't said much when she first walked in. Just sat, pushed over a cup of coffee which Relena already knew was awful and flipped through a manila. So Relena waited, not erect and confident in posture as she usually would, instead her body was slid far down the chair until her head was resting on the back of it. She could play the waiting game if that was the particular tactic Noin had in mind.
It was quiet in the soundproof room, no sound in no sound out. The décor was even more muted. Grey walls, white tiles and the standard wooden desk and chairs. Relena smiled inwardly, they could be no complaints of favoritism or bias in this situation. In fact, she swore they had chosen the ugliest room they had just for her and that was fine, she didn't need special treatment.
The room was cold she could feel the chill even through the white jacket she was wearing, as added protection, she had retracted her hands just beneath the sleeves. Easy to achieve since the sleeves were a bit long, it wasn't hers after all, neither were the black joggers, a fact she doubted would escape Noin.
Noin, she was no longer shuffling paper, and it prompted Relena to open her eyes just to make sure she was still there and of course, she was. She was regarding Relena like a child would a new toy, or a cat a trapped mouse.
With a quick exhale Relena righted her position in the chair, crossed her legs and folded her arms across her mid-drift as the reality of the situation dawned on her. She knew this was going to be a long night.
A cough, a quick sip from her own cup and clear of her throat all preceded Noin's question, but it finally came, and it was simple and complex all at the same time.
What happened?
Relena might not have been interrogated much but her job required a certain set of skills that would serve her well in this situation or at least she hoped they would. "I was in an accident."
"What kind of accident?"
As if Noin didn't already know the answer to that but Relena understood protocol and if she wanted this evening to be over quickly she would have to bite her tongue and cooperate.
"Vehicular."
"Do you suspect foul play was involved?" Noin didn't bother to look up from the folder most likely because she knew the answer to that too.
"No."
"Then how did you get into an accident?"
"My car skid and collided with a rail."
"Skid? The road was wet?" Though her face didn't show it Relena could hear the mirth in Noin's voice.
"No."
"Relena, this would go much faster if you would just be forthcoming."
"It would go much faster if you didn't ask questions you already had the answers to."
Noin clasped her hands on the desk in front of her and gave Relena an insincere smile just enough to say that they wouldn't be going anywhere if she didn't answer.
"I may have had two glasses of wine."
Noin put pen to paper then, her pen scribbled even as she spoke. "You mean you were drunk."
Relena gave no response.
"So, you were driving while inebriated and hit your car. Ok, now we're making progress. What happened then?"
Relena scrubbed her hand over her face. "I called for help."
"Who did you call?"
"You know who."
"Relena please I'm trying to help."
"I called preventer agent Heero Yuy."
All attempts at maintaining composure were now lost to Noin who was now shamelessly grinning. "So far so good if we keep up at this pace we will be out of here in no time. You hit your car, called a preventer agent and he came?"
"Yes."
"What did he do when he got there?"
"I don't know."
"How could you not know?" This particular question did seem genuine, judging by the frown lines in Noin's forehead she wasn't expecting that answer.
"I didn't see."
"Where were you?"
"He told me to leave, he would handle it."
"And handle it he did. So well, in fact, we couldn't find your car, a shard of glass, a piece of wood nothing to indicate there was ever an accident or a rail for that matter."
"Then why am I here?"
"You're here because you have a bump on your head, you've been missing for nearly forty-eight hours and because when your car hit the rail it sent an alert to us that you were possibly in danger." Noin shrugged. "Technology."
Relena sighed, loudly and hunched over the desk. "I guess now you know everything, can I go?"
"No. Still, somethings that need to be clarified."
"Like what?" It was becoming harder and harder for Relena to remain calm. Noin had all the information she was just being difficult.
"Why did you call him?"
"He's a preventer agent."
"You could've called any agent, why him?"
Relena arched her back and rolled the tension from her neck. "I needed the matter handled discreetly. I'm sure you can understand that."
Noin laughed. "Of course. Where did you go after you left the scene of the crime?"
"It wasn't a crime it was an accident."
"Leaving the scene of an accident is a crime. But we don't care about that now do we?" Noin closed the folder and gave Relena her sweetest smile. "Where did you go?"
Behind her eyes, Relena could feel the dull ache of an oncoming headache some would argue a result of the bump on her head, but she knew it was a direct result of this ambush. "I went to his place."
"So she called you because she knew you could get the job done?" Trowa stood by the door dressed in a khaki t-shirt with the words army across the front and a loose pair of green cargos with manila folder opened in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.
Heero didn't feel inclined to answer that question especially since he was sure he had answered it not two seconds ago and because he knew the man on the other side of him was far too intelligent not to have understood. The condescending smirk on Trowa's face was a testament to that. Heero knew this wasn't an actual interrogation just an abuse of power and a cleverly manipulated situation.
It was almost two am and by the look of him, Heero figured he was either called out of bed or Trowa jumped out of bed for the opportunity to do this. Maybe it would work in his favour, he hadn't just jumped out of bed, he was well rested and wide awake and comfortable in blue jeans and black buttoned downed shirt.
Though he knew better than to let the Trowa's disheveled appearance lull him into a false sense of security. That might be just what the other man was trying to do. He couldn't decide whether to be grateful that it was Trowa who was doing this or annoyed. While they were friends and understood each other's nuances Trowa had a knack, an annoyingly good knack for knowing what he wasn't supposed to know. He was amongst the best at reading people and understanding just how hard to push and when to pull back.
"You must've known the car would've sounded an alarm here at Preventers. That didn't stop you from doing what you did?"
"An alert going off in preventers isn't public knowledge. A wrecked car on the side of the road isn't treated with the same level of confidentiality."
Trowa folded his arms and continued. "You didn't hesitate to break the law at her behest."
"She asked for help, I decided how I was going to handle it. She didn't know."
"Hmm, convenient defense. But she did know that by calling you and leaving the scene she was committing a crime."
It wasn't a question and they both knew the answer to it. So again, Heero chose not to respond and again Trowa didn't push. It wasn't necessary they knew each other too well for any mediocre attempts to work. Deep down Heero knew Trowa was gathering information with or without his consent or cooperation. Anything he said or didn't say was going to be used against him. He wanted to be defiant, it was in his nature but there was part of him that knew that cooperation was the easiest way out of this. While not an official investigation, they very well could make it into one. The wrong file on the wrong desk and Relena would have to answer for this. Though he knew that Trowa would never go that far he supposed being cooperative would be a subtle way of showing gratitude for the inevitable way this was going to be swept under the rug.
"I can't speak for her."
Trowa's smiled widened. "She's definitely trained you well."
"Hm"
"You're no stranger to preventer protocol, I suppose you already know we went to the area of the supposed car accident."
Heero shrugged but otherwise remained silent.
Trowa moved to sit in the chair opposite Heero, the sound of the chair scraping the floor was almost a welcomed change from the only other irritant currently grating on Heero's nerves. "Didn't find a thing."
"Is there a question there?"
Trowa shook his head. "Not particularly, no. Anyone who could hide a giant robot shouldn't have much trouble disposing of a car."
Heero had to refrain from snatching the folder from Trowa's arms as he idly flipped through it. No doubt lined with several sheets of blank paper, its only real purpose was to serve as a prop and tool of further annoyance.
"Where was she while you were tampering with evidence?"
"I told her to leave."
"And go where?"
Heero paused, a rare mistake, he knew but now it was obvious what Trowa was after. Why he'd forfeited sleep and heaven knows what else to come down here at this hour. "To my place."
"Did you get any medical attention for the bump on your head?"
Noin had suddenly shifted gears and it was slightly off-putting. Relena didn't know what prompted this change but she was sure she would soon find out. "I'm fine."
"That wasn't the question."
"I had it looked at."
"By a doctor?"
Relena swapped the position of her crossed legs giving the one below a chance to breathe so to speak, poor thing had begun to fall asleep. "No, Heero looked at it."
"He's not a doctor." Noin's response was swift and to her credit, she did look slightly concerned by the revelation that she hadn't sought actual medical attention. "What about the rest of you?"
"What?"
"Did he just check your head, or did he give you a thorough examination?" Noin couldn't finish that particular question without a grin slicing through her normally cool exterior. So much for protocol, this was nothing short of a witch hunt.
Relena planted both feet on the floor and scooted closer to the desk. "He is a preventer agent, he has some medical training and he was satisfied I hadn't broken anything. I trust his judgement and a trip to the doctor would have defeated the purpose of calling him in the first place."
"How exactly did he ascertain the fact that you hadn't broken or injured any other parts?"
Relena dropped her head on the desk. This had to be instant karma.
Surprisingly, Trowa had let that piece of information slide more likely he was holding out until he needed to use it. It was puzzling Heero was sure Trowa would have grabbed onto that and chewed for as long as he could. He watched as green eyes busied themselves reading from the folder, his prior assessment of it just being a prop badly judged. Trowa smiled and turned sharp eyes back to him with renewed vigor.
This was a coordinated attack if he had ever seen one, and he had many times. Somewhere in this building, he was sure Relena was being subjected to the same torture. Why it had taken him this long to realise this was unnerving his skills certainly couldn't have slipped that much. While not fifteen he was only four years out from that nowhere close to being over the hill.
"Why didn't you suggest she go to a doctor or hospital?"
Heero's foot began to tap under the table. It wasn't often he showed outward signs of stress, but this was Trowa and he didn't care. That, and this was one of the most stressful situations he'd ever been in. Not wars or enemy jail but having his friend try to shake him for information, sensitive information. He knew there was no way out of this. Not with Trowa's astuteness. He might as well just tell him what he wanted to know but that would've been too easy, and he didn't think Trowa would appreciate being robbed of this opportunity. "She didn't need it she was fine."
"You knew that for sure?"
"I checked"
"How?"
"Head, neck, spine, stomach. You know the drill."
"Line of sight?"
"What?"
Trowa's smile returned or maybe it just intensified whichever it was, it was menacing. "Did you get a direct visual of these areas or were you just guessing?"
"How much longer are you going to keep me here?" Relena asked as she paced the length of the room just behind her chair.
Noin, on the other hand, was clearly enjoying this, she was still seated and held the most innocent of looks on her face. As if this was just some routine investigation and she was just doing her job.
"You went to Heero's apartment while he stayed behind to commit a crime for you. Right?"
There was no point in trying to evade it anymore so Relena just answered in the affirmative.
"How did you get there?"
"I...drove. I took his car."
Noin frowned. "Weren't you afraid, I mean you were just in an accident."
"It was minor, and yes I was a little hesitant, but it was either that or call a car."
"Right, and we both know you couldn't do that."
"Exactly."
"Understood, but how did you get there? How did you know where he lived, had you been prior?"
Relena struggled to stifle a laugh, but, she failed. Her eyes formed tears of mirth or exhaustion or both and she had to wipe them away as she gasped for breath. The bewildered look on Noin's face only added to the amusement she found in the question.
"What does that have to do with any of this. You have everything you need. I'm leaving."
"Fine, leave. I guess I'll just have to hand over this investigation to another agent." Noin shrugged one shoulder. "One much less willing to keep this private?"
Relena slid her body back into the chair so smoothly it didn't make a sound. "That's blackmail."
"Is it?"
Noin allowed Relena a few seconds to settle before she continued. "I'm just trying to create a timeline of events. Humour me?"
Relena nodded.
"The accident happened around ten pm, you called Heero he took care of it while you went to his apartment, plausible deniability at its finest I may add, assuming it took him a few hours to clean everything he returned home about." Noin tapped her finger on the desk as she tried to come up with an accurate time, not that it would matter to either of them. "One, two am?"
"About."
"Thank you. That means we're having this conversation a day late since it's now two am and this accident didn't just happen. What were you doing for the past twenty-four hours?"
Heero didn't bother to answer that question either and true to form Trowa just asked another one.
"How did she know where to find your apartment?"
Of course, it would come back to bite him, it was only a matter of time.
"GPS." Lie, he knew it and Trowa knew it. Trowa also made a note in the folder and Heero vowed to find it and read just what was in it asap.
"What happened when you returned home?"
"I checked on her to make sure she was alright, then I checked the news and internet for anything relating to her or any accidents that night."
"Considering this happened yesterday I'm assuming she spent the night with you?"
"Even though she was fine she was still tired. She wanted to rest. I insisted she stay put, just in case anything manifested, anything I might have missed."
Trowa nodded his approval of that answer but he was undeterred. "What were you doing while she was resting?"
"Working, you got every report and file didn't you."
"Hmm, ever efficient."
"Is this over?" Heero's tone was clipped and it would have elicited a reaction of either apprehension or even fear from most, but from Trowa, all he got was a smile.
"Not quite. We spoke to your neighbours, standard investigation tactic but you already know this." Trowa was now reading or pretending to read from the folder ever so often he would glance at Heero with a glint in his eye as he was about to emphasize a point. "One woman said that on the night in question she heard," he paused and looked at Heero. "and I quote the faint sound of a woman screaming. End quote." He closed the folder and clasped his hands on top of it. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"
Heero didn't bother to hide his amusement. It wasn't often that he laughed but he was known to on occasion. "The only reason my gun isn't down your throat is because we're friends. A sentiment that is quickly changing."
Trowa quickly peeled open the folder and began to write speaking aloud as he did. "Continues to show aggressive behaviour to those in authority."
By now Relena had completely emptied her cup of its contents and she hadn't been disappointed by how awful it indeed was but it was something to help her pass the time. Especially now that the empty cup doubled as a stress reliever of sorts as she crumpled the foam in her hand.
"I slept."
"Alone?"
"Yes, alone. I'm sorry if that doesn't satisfy whatever perverted ideas you may have had about us but that's what happened. I was tired, and a little shaken, with some aches and my friend and agent gave me a place to stay while I recovered. Then we came here to inform our supposed friends and allies about the situation, so you would know how to handle it."
"You mean so we could cover for you." Noin gave Relena another smile, one that Relena didn't feel to return. Betrayed by her own friend, had she known this would have happened she would have taken her chances calling Zechs.
Correction. Nothing would have made her call him. He would've reported it just to punish her and he thoroughly would have enjoyed reporting Heero too. Two for the price of one. She wouldn't have given him the satisfaction.
"Thank you for your cooperation Relena. I can personally guarantee that everything you said will be kept in the strictest confidence."
The next time Relena landed in bed it was her own. Soft, plush and inviting she collapsed into the mauve sheets and inhaled the flowery scent that lingered from wash day. She moaned into the thick comforter as her body eased into a relax state no longer coiled tight or anxious. How could it when strong and steady pressure was being applied to her neck and back.
"They know."
The words tickled her ear as he spoke directly into her neck, his mouth just close enough to allow his tongue to tease the skin there. She rolled over to face him, the man who was always there when she needed. She smoothed the hair just behind his ear. "It was only a matter of time."
He lowered himself on top of her nestled perfectly between her thighs one hand holding his weight the other idly stroking her side.
"Does that bother you?" She almost didn't want to ask slightly afraid of the response.
He tugged at the hem of her jacket, his nose rubbing lightly across her jawline. "This bothers me."
"You are an expert in fixing things and making them disappear. I'm sure you can fix that too."