Title: Gravity
Chapter 1: Let the Rain
Characters are not mine. I am just borrowing.
F/F content.

No one seemed to remember that her eyes were green. It was a small press detail that always confused her. The mix up came quite often because the press and politicians always seemed to recreate Sylvia Noventa in Relena Darlain's image. It was more than frustrating, but somehow understandable in the wake of things.

She wondered how many of those that sought a scandal in her life were sorely disappointed. Just ten years after the war it seemed that the media was thriving on stories recalling the lost youths of the children of the war. Relena was a popular target because of her political leanings, but other stories cropped up about young soldiers or civilians struggling in "the new peaceful galaxy".

Sylvia really didn't have anything salacious for the press to find though. After the death of her grandfather she continued on with her life. She went to school on earth, and then university at one of the colonies. She was running the Noventa Foundation charity, but there was nothing suspect about the organization. It was actually doing what it set out to do, rebuilding the earth and colonies ravaged by war, and helping children in need with their education.

She put the paper down as her car approached the shuttleport. The tiny news article about her trip was hardly a paragraph, and Sylvia questioned that it was news at all. Bigger names were attending the event after all, names that were fraught with controversy.

Her Preventer escort seemed uncomfortable in his suit, and he tugged at his collar.

"You can loosen the tie if you like," Sylvia said.

"I'm fine."

"Nervous about the flight?" She tried to read his features, but couldn't tell much about him, except that he was probably a soldier at some point, but not for very long.

She prepared herself for the small smattering of press that waited for her. She exited her vehicle with ease, and went up the steps to the shuttle with a smile and a wave. The cameras flashed, and there were the beginnings of questions that were quickly torn asunder by the arrival of another car.

Sylvia watched it approach and bit her lip when she realized who it was that had arrived.

The press grew rabid, and she retreated quickly into the shuttle catching the wave of shouts, "Lady Une? Lady Une, a word about-"

Her seat was open to interpretation. Her escort seemed even more nervous because of Une's arrival, and so Sylvia made things easy for him by choosing a seat near the back of the shuttle. There were a lot of unused seats on the flight that she found wasteful, but she supposed given the nature of the conference she was attending it was to be expected. She hadn't even wanted a Preventer escort, but it was rather firmly pressed upon her.

She reached for her book and music player so she could drown out the still loud barrage of questions being thrown at Une as she ascended the stairs. She shut her eyes, and only opened them again when the shuttle door was firmly shut and take off was imminent.

The shuttle flight was going to be a long one. The colony they were headed to was remote, and just starting up as a major player in the universal political arena. Sylvia was going because there were a lot of deserving children who needed scholarships, and she wanted to present her family's foundation as a viable option for anyone seeking educational enrichment.

Bored with her book she decided to ask her escort if it would be alright if she strolled the cabin for a minute or two. Une was seated at the front of the shuttle with, what looked to be, a secretary and another assistant. Her escort thought for a moment and then let her do as she pleased.

She wondered if the young man had read too many of the Lady's press clippings. The woman certainly had a rich history, but most people proved to be more than their press coverage. She'd met Relena at university and found out just how much the cameras could miss. They often missed more then anyone could fathom.

Sylvia smiled at Une's secretary and assistant as she paced the shuttle for a few minutes. She stopped and leaned against a row of seats, before chatting with a stewardess about the perfume she was wearing. Then she sat down next to her escort and picked up her book again.

He seemed nonplussed so she put her book down and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I..It's just-" He shook his head. "It's nothing. I just...I've never seen her do that."

"Who?"

He motioned his head so as not to be obvious that he was gesturing towards Lady Une. He was failing adorably, but it got Sylvia to look over at the lady and find the woman smiling contentedly.

Sylvia got up from her seat and walked over to Lady Une. "I suppose I'm probably the least bothersome passenger you've had to take a flight with," she grinned and held out her hand, "Sylvia Noventa."

Lady Une stood and shook her hand. "Lady Diana Une."

Sylvia glanced over at her escort who looked like he was going to burst.

"I'd say you should go say hello to him, but he might die of shock," Sylvia said.

Une looked over at the young man and nodded slightly. "The organization has grown so much. It's easy to forget that I've become a bit of a..."

"Legend?"

"No, more of a myth." Une gestured to the empty seat next to her, offering it up.

Sylvia sat down and crossed her legs. "I was right, I think."

"About?" Une asked as she sat down.

"I don't think you're as scary as the press would have everyone believe."

Une chuckled. "Yes, well, you don't know me very well. Some reputations are earned for a reason."

"I didn't say you never did scary things. I just don't think that the actions you make out of necessity are as heartless as they seem."

"I'm not sure how to take that." She grimaced and then said, "It's a long flight and your itinerary once we land is quite rushed."

Sylvia stood up. "Tactful deflection. That's fair. I'll go rest, and you can ponder what I said about you, and apply it to me."

Une nodded and followed Sylvia back to her seat with her eyes. Then she picked up a file she was working on and muttered, "Her eyes..."

"Ma'am?" It was her secretary.

Une turned to him and held out the file in her hand. "Her eyes, they're green. Make sure her file is updated correctly."

"I don't understand how you can be nice to her," Relena said as she walked with Sylvia down the corridor towards their individual rooms. Their escorts were a step behind them and struggling to keep pace.

"And I don't understand how you haven't forgiven her yet," Sylvia replied. "You forgave-"

"It's not even the same," The Vice Foreign Minister retorted. "I mean...Wait. Did you forgive him?"

"He's still alive, isn't he?" She stopped at the door to her room.

Relena was going on towards her suite, but stopped and turned on her heels. "What haven't you told me?"

Sylvia firmly regretted having said anything. She opened the door to her room and stepped inside, allowing Relena to follow, and no doubt confusing their Preventer escorts. The door shut and Sylvia watched as Relena sat, without prompting or permission, on her bed.

"I thought we were friends," Relena said.

"We are, but I thought you were over him. Why does it matter? Why fuel the past obsession?"

Relena arched an eyebrow which was answer enough for Sylvia.

Sylvia crossed her arms and leaned into the wall. "I was given an opportunity to take revenge, and I refused it, because it was a coward's way out. He was running from his guilt, and at the time, it was punishment enough that he should live with it."

"Okay, but still... Une-"

"Was a major player in OZ, and broken by a mental disorder and a bullet if I remember the news clippings correctly. It's been ten years, and I just don't have the energy to spend on hating people for that long. I wasn't raised that way," Sylvia stated coolly. She looked over at Relena and asked, "Do you want to ask me a real question, the one that you really want to ask? You've been avoiding it since lunch."

"What about me and..." She trailed off and stood up. "I have to freshen up for the next round of this conference."

Sylvia nodded and opened the door. Relena stepped out and Sylvia shut the door quickly answering the unasked question, "I forgave her too, and even you."

She sighed and lay down on the bed. She shut her eyes and found herself too tired to get up and change out of her suit.

Sylvia stood at the empty gate to her shuttle with an odd sensation swelling in her stomach. The conference had been fine. She did the business that was required of her. Her strained friendship with Relena was still strained, but she'd already done everything she was capable of doing. She watched the Preventer escorts mill about and waited patiently for the young man who had been assigned to her to show up. Instead, he was replaced by a woman who looked the same age as Une.

"What happened to-"

"Just a regulatory precaution," the woman answered and then added, "And a special request."

Sylvia nodded and bit her lip. "Well, I'm Sylvia Noventa."

"Sally Po." She held out her hand.

"At least you're more relaxed." Sylvia smiled and brushed back her hair that was getting a trifle too long for her taste. She hadn't worn her hair long since she was a teenager, and anything past her shoulders began to annoy her. She then shook Sally's hand, feeling embarrassed to keep the woman hanging. "Um...who requested-"

"That's confidential I'm afraid."

The slow easy smile of Sally Po put Sylvia at ease, and she tried to imagine who had the clout to make such a request. She felt it couldn't be Relena, at least, she really didn't want it to be Relena pushing her political weight around.

A clatter of voices and flashbulbs turned Sylvia's attention. Once more Lady Une was walking towards her shuttle. Sylvia let out a short laugh.

"Ah, I think she's got it," Sally said softly. "Let's get you to your seat, Miss Noventa."

"Please, just call me Sylvia."

"Will do."

Sylvia spent a lot of her flight embroiled in her book, and in conversation with her escort who was more open to chatting than her previous one. In fact, she seemed almost too chatty.

"Sally, are you gathering intel on me?"

Sally shook her head and then nodded. "Only in the most non-abuse of power as possible." She grinned. "When my friends express concerns I generally try and help them out."

"Like a wing man?"

"If this were a bar...sort of like that." Sally nudged Sylvia's elbow. "You should probably get up and stretch for bit."

"I think I'm actually going to take a nap."

"Rebellious."

"Genuinely tired actually. Still recovering from the behind the scene bits of the conference," Sylvia replied softly and shut her eyes as she pushed her seat back.

"Friendly exes are like that."

"If I had more energy I'd go into a little rant about the Preventers lack of respect for personal privacy, but that'll have to wait until we land."

"I look forward to it," Sally replied.

Months passed and then suddenly Sylvia Noventa found herself in need of the Preventers services. She had discovered some disturbing emails from one of the heads of the Noventa Foundation. It screamed criminal activity, and she wasn't going to stand for it. Most of the work on her end had been done, including a few arrests, and then, of course, that was when the death threats started to arrive.

She sat at a piano that was in the large empty room she had been asked to wait in. Her fingers moved lightly over the keys.

"I didn't know you played," Sally stated shaking Sylvia from her thoughts. The woman leaned against the piano.

"I don't," Sylvia replied. She grimaced and pulled her fingers away from the keys. "I know this one song, and I only know it because a friend of mine insisted we perform it at a high school talent show."

"I see."

Sylvia chuckled wryly. "Anyway, the piano was here so…" She shrugged. "I didn't think anyone was really around."

Sally nodded. "Well, it was lovely. If you're waiting for Une she's running behind schedule as usual."

"Right."

"You won't have to wait forever," Sally stated softly, and then left the room.

Sylvia wondered what she could have meant. There was something else behind that simple statement. She shook her head and stepped away from the piano.

Not too much later Une's secretary emerged and showed her into an office that was Spartan in design. There was a picture frame on the desk of a little girl with red hair, and not much else that wasn't generic office furnishing.

Une sat behind her desk with a grave expression on her face. She was glancing over a file and looked up quickly, brown eyes flashing behind circular lenses, as Sylvia took a seat. In that brief instant Sylvia saw the myth of Lady Une, the horror story of the malicious lady. Une removed her glasses and set them on the desk.

"Miss Noventa," Une began, "I wish you would have come to us sooner."

"You'll have to forgive me if I'm wary of the Preventers rushing in at every instance. I thought the police were better suited until-"

"Until very blatant death threats," Une interrupted. "And one attempt I'm told."

Sylvia nodded. She hadn't thought it much of an attempt, but it was more than enough to make her change her strategy regarding cleaning up the foundation. "Yes. I'm taking it all very seriously now."

"Good." Lady Une stood up and crossed around her desk, leaning on it with her arms crossed. "I think we can take care of things quickly. I'm not sure we can keep the press out of this though."

"Well, they have been chomping at the bit to get me in a scandal." Sylvia forced a smile and then said, "I can handle things. After all, as soon as I discovered the-"

"That's not what I meant." She stood again and took a seat in the chair next to Sylvia's. "The people involved are tied to other things, and I'm afraid those things are tied to the Vice Foreign Minister."

"Oh." She laughed. "Well, lovely. Her scandal trumps mine."

"Generally, but the resources here, as vast as they..." She trailed off and started again, "I'm not going to be able to give you the same protection detail. I want to, but I can't pull enough Preventers to make that happen."

"And so?"

"How do you feel about the Germanies?" Une asked.

"I've never been." Sylvia chuckled. "Is that...yoursafe house Ms. Une?"

"No. It's my family's estate, but it's well protected, and I doubt anyone would consider trying to find you there."

"Don't be cute. You know as well as I do that if these people are serious, and they are, they'll find me anywhere."

Une nodded.

"But you absolutely trust the people there." Sylvia stated as she considered the earnest look on the lady's features.

"Yes, and..." She smiled. "I'll be sending Sally with you."

Sylvia refrained from asking Une to come along personally. She wanted to though. It was at the tip of her tongue. Instead, she nodded and said, "I'll have some people make arrangements on my end. I won't mention where I'm going. However…"

"However?"

"I don't like the idea of hiding."

"It won't be for long," Une assured. "I have the best Preventers working on this."

"Do you?"

Une nodded and stood up. "Sally will drive you home, and you will leave tonight." She touched Sylvia's shoulder. "It won't be long."

Sylvia blinked and then said, "Yes, that's what Sally said."

To be continued...