I don't like breaking up stories but this one is long so I'm splitting it in chapters. Hope you'll stay with it to the end. Alternate Universe, so don't take it seriously. I"ve tried to stay as close to the characters personalities as possible and have a little fun.
The usual disclaimer applies: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of the characters.
THAT'S THE WAY LOVE GOES - PART 1
The Preventers never patted themselves on the back, but for all the hard work they put in on the Mars project a ceremony was planned.
After the meeting Sally and Noin met with Relena and Hilde at a restaurant near Preventer Headquarters. Relena brought Hilde along to keep her company. Hilde was becoming a true friend, not like the friends she used to have, who agreed with everything she said even if it was wrong.
They talked about the latest news, about their lives and careers. Hilde was silence about her job and Relena asked her what was wrong. "Sometimes I wish I was a soldier again, but I'm not sure if it's for me," Hilde said
Noin smiled, "You should try it. It's not like when we were in OZ, believe me."
Relena said, "It's because of Duo she stays put."
"I never thought of Duo as sexist," Sally said.
"Oh, he's not, just overprotective. He doesn't
care what I do as long as it's not the military,"
Hilde explained.
"I'm glad Heero's not like that,"
Relena said.
"Heero's worse. He watches your every move no matter where he is," Noin said.
"He does not. Not really," Relena amended.
"Well at least your men are overprotective. Sometimes I don't think your brother realizes I'm there, Relena," Noin said. "We're getting married in a couple of months and he still seems restless.
Sally waved a finger, "Tsk, tsk. Sounds like you ladies don't know how to handle relationships with moody Gundam pilots."
Relena folded her arms, "And you do?"
"Maybe. But Wufei is my partner, not my lover."
They stared at her. "Technically," she said.
"You're not doing any better than we are. Sometimes they are so self righteous, I wish we could teach them a lesson," Noin said, pounding a fist into her hand.
Sally got a wicked smile, "Maybe there is."
"Uh oh. When Sally looks like that we're in for it," Noin said.
"What is it?" Relena asked.
"Trouble. Wait and see," Noin explained.
"I just thought we'd teach them a lesson," Sally said. They stared at her. "Make them jealous."
Hilde put her face in her hand, "It doesn't work. Believe me, I've done everything."
"That's because they think they're gifts to us ladies, and no other man can compete with them."
"Well they're right. Aren't they?" Relena said.
They stared at her and she blushed. Relena kept silent as Sally continued, "What if we flirted with the other pilots? Have them show a bit of interest? It might make our pilots take notice."
"I don't know, it sounds deceptive," Relena said.
"Well it was only a suggestion. It probably wouldn't work anyway. They'd see right through us," Sally said.
"Big waist of time,"Noin agreed.
"You're right, sorry. We'd only embarrass ourselves," Sally added.
They didn't say anything else for several moments.
Then Hilde said, "But if we were to try this, hypothetically,
how would we pull it off?"
Sally's eyes gleamed as she offered suggestions. "Well,
hypothetically, we could have a minor argument with our
men. Nothing major, I'm sure you can think of something
he does that irritates you..." They nodded, "I
know I can. And then we'd pick one of his pals to
flirt with. Maybe even let him in on the joke so he could
help us."
Relena shook her head, "I haven't seen Heero in three weeks and it's impossible to find him to argue with him. Suppose we all picked the same pilot to flirt with, they'd see through that instantly."
Sally said, "We could choose now who are targets would be. That's if we were doing this, but we're not. Right?"
They nodded.
"I for one, wouldn't want anyone to get hurt. It would be a bad joke," Relena said.
"You're right," Noin said. "I mean suppose I picked Wufei. I wouldn't want him to take it too seriously, to think I was really coming on to him. He might be hurt." She looked to Sally who shook her head. "Well, maybe Wufei is a bad example."
Hilde said, "We flirt all the time. It's just harmless fun."
Relena folded her arms. "I don't flirt."
Sally stared at her. "Never, Vice Foreign Minister?"
"Well, maybe sometimes. But it's innocent, just a smile to the chauffeur, a kind word to the bellhop."
"Yeah I flirt with my chauffeur all the time," Sally said.
Hilde started to laugh and Relena blushed. "I didn't mean.."
"I know what you mean Relena. I'm sorry."
"Well, if we're doing this and I'm not saying I am, a little harmless flirting wouldn't hurt. It might be fun especially if they're in on the prank," Relena said.
They all agreed. No serious flirting, just a smile and a few kind words.
"Then I'll pick Wufei. I haven't really talked to him since he blew up the barracks and refused to join the Peacmillion. I'd like to set some things straight," Noin said.
Sally sighed, "You're supposed to be flirting not arguing."
She gave her a devilish smile. "I'll be nice. Promise."
"Then, I'll take Zechs. It might drive Wufei over the edge," Sally said.
Relena and Hilde said, "Oh?"
Noin explained, "Zechs and Wufei have unresolved issues from when Zechs was working with OZ."
"Heero doesn't like my brother either. Why can't men just forgive and forget?" Relena said.
"Be thankful they're not trying to kill each other anymore," Sally said.
"Quatre and I have a lot in common and he always keeps in touch with Heero and the others," Relena said. "I have a meeting with him soon. If I really need to see Heero, Quatre can find him for me. He'd never take my flirting seriously."
"Miss Relena, are you sure?" Noin said.
"Why would he?"
Noin shrugged and didn't say any more.
"What about you Hilde?" Sally asked.
"I suppose Trowa. I don't think Heero knows I'm alive."
"And Trowa does? He's almost as bad as Heero," Noin said.
"He's cute,"Hilde sighed.
"So, if our plan is set we can put it in motion before the ceremony," Sally said.
With their plan in place, lunch ended and they went back to their colonies.
******
Sally called Wufei into her office to discuss security for
the Preventer Ceremony. "You know we need to take
extra precautions. It could be a prime target for a terrorist
with a statement," Sally said.
Wufei waved aside her concerns. "As long as I'm in charge you have no worries. I know how to protect this station."
Sally smiled at his assurance. It took so little to tick Wufei off and she was about to do just that. She got out of her chair and stood in front of him. "Ordinarily I'd say I have no worries at your abilities. But I think we can both agree that there will be too many people for you to handle adequately. I want you and Heero to work together, I know he has a gift for finding gaps that need to be sealed."
Wufei's eyes flared. "I can work with Heero, no problem."
Wufei had come a long way over the years, she had to give him credit. "Good. I don't want any distractions from you, or any trouble when Zechs arrives. You didn't exactly treat him well on his last visit," Sally said.
"He came aboard didn't he? He's lucky I allowed even that."
"The last time I looked, I was in command, not you. Obey my orders without your usual tantrums please." Sally sat down gathering papers on her desk. She glanced up at Wufei who was almost purple.
"What's wrong with you? Is it that time or what?" Wufei said.
"That's insubordination. I don't need that from you..." Sally began.
"And I don't need this - this ridicule on my abilities. You usually have more sense. That I should allow myself to follow a woman's orders at all..."
She slammed her hand on the table. "Keep talking and you will be in the brig until after the ceremony."
"You wouldn't."
"Try me," she said.
He stared at her for several seconds. "No thanks. Am I dismissed?"
"Of course."
He stomped out and the door slid shut behind him. If he could have slammed it he would have. Sally exhaled and leaned back in her chair. She won this argument with Wufei but she had the nagging feeling she didn't. Even when you won, Wufei made it seem as if you lost.
****
Duo jumped down from the old Leo mobile suit and stood beside Hilde wiping his brow. "That thing is going to make a great museum piece, and the parts are going to make us some great money."
Hilde agreed. She loved watching him work, especially on days like today when it was warm and he had his shirt off. He'd gotten taller over the last couple of years and his chest and muscles were broader from doing heavy labor as a mechanic.
"Did you find any upcoming jobs?" he asked.
"No. Everything's taken. Guess we'll have to sell a few things," Hilde said.
He nodded. It was getting harder to find work in the nearby colonies. The Sweepers were bulging with members and jobs were moving to the new Mars colony. Duo didn't want to go there, although Hilde thought it might be nice. Usually Quatre would have an opening for him, but even his dealings in the L4 colony were slowing down now that he was interested in colonizing Mars.
"Well, when we leave for Preventer headquarters I'll be on their payroll for awhile. You know what you're going to pack?" Duo said.
"Of course." Hilde thought she could get some information out of him. "When are the others leaving? Quatre and Trowa."
He looked at her puzzled, "Eh, I'm not sure. Quatre is always swamped with business so he'll be there at the last minute, and Trowa, I haven't talked to or seen him in a couple of months. The circus moves around a lot. Why do you ask?"
"No reason, just curious."
*******
Relena stared at the stacks of papers in front of her. Most
of them were about Mars. Milliardo told her of a growing
unrest similar to what was brewing with Earth and the colonies.
Quatre had invested a lot of money and manpower into building
cities on Mars and they were trying their best to set up
a suitable government and with a good living for everyone.
She decided to talk about that at the ceremony
Relena had to discuss recent developments on Mars with
Quatre as well as some speeches they would be making at
the ceremony. She could talk to him on the phone but decided
to meet with him instead. That way she could find out where
Heero was. She asked Pagan to call Quatre and tell him she
would be there tomorrow. Then she began gathering and sorting
papers, trying to decide what she would take with her.
******
The next day Relena went to Quatre. Two of his sisters were
there. They were polite as always and escorted her to the
study to wait for Quatre. Relena could never remember any
of the names of his sisters. She had met ten of them so
far and did remember Iria clearly. The rest she saw so infrequently
they didn't linger in her mind. Relena knew his sisters
controlled much of the money and the holdings while he was
the spokesperson for their family.
She entered the study where Quatre stood up and greeted her. They sat on a leather couch and she spread the contents of her briefcase on the already crowded table in front of her.
"You look well Miss Relena," Quatre said.
"Thanks. So do you. I'm glad you could see me, I know how busy you are. I'm so busy I don't have a moment to think sometimes."
'I know. It's no problem. Same here," he said.
"Have you talked to Heero lately?" Relena asked.
"Yes, he's already at Preventer Headquarters. He's been there for some time."
"Oh." She lowered her eyes. She knew their schedules were tight but it would be nice if Heero called more.
"I'm sure he'll get in contact with you soon," Quatre said as if reading her mind.
"Yes, he always does." She took out a pen and writing pad and said tight lipped, "We'd better get started."
"Are you okay? You seem angry," Quatre said.
Was she? Relena took a deep breath. "Heero. Sometimes he makes me mad, but I can never be angry for long. I only wish I could see him more often."
"You'll see him soon."
"Thank you. Lets get to work," Relena said.
They discussed the speech for half an hour. Relena leaned over to get a folder and smiled. "You look handsome today Quatre," she said offering him a rare compliment.
"Thanks."
"And is that a new cologne? It's nice."
He looked bewildered. "Yes, uh - you smell nice too." He stood up saying, "Let me get you some tea."
Quatre left the room and Relena sank into the sofa and sighed. This wasn't turning out like she planned. Perhaps she wasn't good at flirting after all. It was time to tell Quatre of their plan and enlist his help. When he returned with the tea they sipped it a moment in silence.
"Listen, Quatre, You know I care about Heero..."
"Absolutely. I've always known that. Don't be upset with him, he really does love you."
"I know that - but..." Relena wasn't sure how to tell him. She felt foolish. "You see, sometimes Heero seems neglectful. I know it's not his fault mind you, and my friends and I were talking on how to get his attention. Not just his attention tho..."
"Miss Relena. Please you don't have to tell me. I understand. Really. We all get lonely sometimes."
Lonely? This was turning out badly. Quatre would never help to trick Heero this way.
She agreed with him that she was just lonely and directed his attention back to paperwork. Going over the Mars statistics she pointed out that they were over budget on equipment, mining, utilities and agriculture.
"I know. It's getting harder to maintain my holdings here and on Mars. We haven't seen any return on the buildings and business we've begun there."
"I'm sorry Quatre . This is a huge financial drain on you. But in the long run it's for a good cause," Relena said.
"I know. I'm committed to doing it."
She gave him a genuine smile and thanked him. His eyes softened, and he returned her smile. She placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "You're a kind hearted person Quatre. I don't know what we'd do without you." She always wanted to tell him that, it was the truth. He'd been on her side since they first met, and she realized how import people like Quatre and Noin were to her. Quatre understood her almost as well as her Heero.
"Thank you Miss Relena."
She finished her tea and wrote down notes in her book to include in her speech.
Quatre flipped through the Mars report. "I don't think you realize the full picture. We aren't making a profit in some things but Zechs seems to point out all of the hardships and none of the gains,"
"Yes, I didn't realize how pessimistic Milliardo would be." Life on Mars was hard but she was optimist that it would last long and the people there would live well. Quatre and Noin were optimistic.
Quatre looked over the notes she had so far, "I think I would say in the speech, 'Despite the struggles of this new colony, the people have worked hard to achieve peace and economic growth.'"
Relena was impressed, "That sounds good Quatre." She scribbled the sentence in her book and he watched her. When she stopped she took his hand. "Thanks so much. You know we really do think alike sometimes."
"Yeah, I suppose so. Uhhm, Relena.."
"What Quatre ?"
He was gazing at her in wonder. "I think you're doing a great job as Foreign Minister. You're so captivating, outspoken and beautiful..."
"Thank you." Relena squeezed his hand then turned to pick up her pen, but Quatre was still holding her hand. She looked at him and he let go.
"Oh, a - I'm sorry. Guess I was - preoccupied."
Relena nodded. Something just changed. She could feel it. Relena picked up another file and handed it to him. "This is the Preventer file Une gave me. Is there anything in here you'd suggest I add?"
Quatre's eyes searched her a moment then he turned his attention to the file. Relena started to sweat. Maybe she flattered him too much. She tried to get her mind back on her work. They hadn't even gone over the usual report on utility consumption.
She was hoping to get that done today as well, but as Quatre kept glancing at her more than the file she was having second thoughts. Quatre handed the papers back to her. "I wouldn't worry about Preventer business. Une will take care of that speech. Just - thank everyone for their service."
"If you're sure?" Relena said.
Quatre nodded. Relena looked at her watch - two hours had passed. She wanted to stay the whole day but decided she needed to go - now. "Wow! Look at the time. You know I have a meeting today I forgot about. I have to get back to Earth. I'd better get going." She stood up gathering papers quickly.
"But - but, I thought you were spending the day," Quatre said stepping forward to help her.
She waved him back. "Was I? Well you know how schedules are. Sometimes I don't know if I'm coming or going. And I have to be going."
Quatre looked disappointed. Holding her files she stood up and smiled nervously. "I'll see you at the ceremony."
"But that's two weeks away. I can meet with you tomorrow, or next week..." Quatre began.
"No. No, really. It's okay Quatre. I'll see you soon. Bye." She headed for the door in long strides. "I'll show myself out. Thanks."
"Okay. I'll tell Heero you asked about him," Quatre said.
"Thanks. Goodbye." She left his mansion in haste and got into her car. She took a moment to rest her head on the wheel. Quatre wasn't supposed to be attracted to her. Why was he? Starting her car she made her way back to the docking port and home.
******
Noin looked at the stack of paperwork in front of her and
cringed. It became worse everyday. Zechs stood at the bay
windows staring at the crowd of people milling about in
the city. "You could help me go through this Zechs.
It's endless. I swear it was easier to do battle than
to do paperwork."
"There's nothing to go through. I'm taking all of reports with me to discuss with Sally Po," Zechs said.
"You can't be serious. The ceremony is not the time for that."
"We have limited resources and time. We can't just up and leave Mars every week. I intend to work, not party. Sally agreed with me."
Noin folded her arms. "Did she? Quatre comes here often, I'm sure he's filled her in on any details."
Zechs turned to her. "Winner doesn't know how to paint a true picture. He sees everything with rosy eyes. You may get a battle yet my love, unless we quell the growing unrest here."
She got up and hugged him. "Stop worrying Zechs. You are still the soldier in your heart, but we have to think of other things."
He held her close. "You think of a family, I know. Perhaps I will be happier with children to concentrate on, and maybe they will have a happier life than Relena and I had. Maybe."
**********
Another week passed and Hilde still hadn't put their
plan in motion. She was enjoying having Duo back even tho
most of the time he worked. Getting a moment alone with
him was becoming difficult. If they spent the time watching
tv Duo usually fell asleep, if they went to a movie he fell
asleep, and if she waited for him to come to bed he was
usually asleep on the couch. She was becoming frustrated
and her complaints to him were met with reassurances that
it would be better.
One Saturday she convinced him to go to a nearby pool and they had fun there for most of the day. They raced in the water, Duo did crazy high diving stunts into the pool and they sat and talked without him falling asleep.
He did most of the talking and she basked in his attention. Trouble was others wanted Duo's attention and he couldn't help but show off in front of them. He mainly talked of his work to find new business. Then a few girls surrounded him and he didn't send them on their way immediately. Hilde caught him gazing and hugging a few of the ladies who flirted with him. In the scheme of things she wasn't that upset about it, because it lasted ten minutes at the most before he excused himself from them. On the other hand it was irritating and she knew she could make a big deal out of this.
Duo came back to sit beside her and she glared at him. "Did you enjoy yourself touching those other girls?"
"You're mad? Don't have a baby about it Hilde, after all I'm going home with you."
Hilde gathered her things and stood up. "Maybe I'm
not going home with you."
Duo put his hand to his head and moaned. "You cannot
be angry over this. What will it take to make it up to you?"
She shook her head and walked out of the pool. He soon followed and they drove home in silence. Once home Duo went out to work in his shop. Well that was a worthless argument. Hilde sighed and got something to eat, then went to the park for the rest of the day. When she returned it was night and she didn't expect Duo to be home but when she saw his necklace on the table she knew he was in the shower.
She went into the kitchen to figure out dinner but she really didn't want to cook tonight or eat. Hilde turned on the tv and sat at the table. In a few minutes Duo came out of the shower and stood at the doorway in the hall. He was drying his hair with a large towel. "Hey Hilde, you're back. You were gone for a while."
"Yeah," she said and continued to stare at the tv.
"Hilde, could you bring me my cross? I don't want to drip water all over the floor in there."
It would be easy to say no, but she couldn't. She got up, picked up his necklace then held it out for him. He didn't take it, he gave her a big smile and his eyes looked at her softly. His hair was unbraided and cascaded around him. "Could you put it on me. I mean, it's pretty hard for me to get it on with my hair like this."
"Duo..."
"Please..." He grabbed her by the wrist and moved her hand close to his lips. He kissed the cross, then let go of her wrist.
She knew what he was doing and it was working. She fumbled with the chain in both hands and put it over his head, and slowly pulled his long hair through the chain and out of the way. It took a few minutes and she had to stand close to him to get his hair through. Some of it got caught in the chain.
"Ow, you'll take all my hair out if your not careful," Duo said.
"Not likely with this nest," she said. Hilde ran her hands through his hair untangling some of it.
When she finished they stared at each other. "Thanks," he said. "You know I could use your help braiding my hair. After all I can't let it stay like this, I'd look like a girl."
Hilde looked him up and down. "I don't think anyone could mistake you for a girl right now."
Duo laughed, "Glad you noticed." He leaned forward to kiss her and any thought she had of staying mad at him fled. He started to unbutton her shirt. "Ready for bed, Hilde?"
"Oh, yeah."
***
It was late when Relena finished a heated lobbying session. She fixed some tea and took it to her room. She was about to go over last minute paperwork when her private line rang. She picked it up hoping it was Heero. It was Quatre. Relena tensed up, she was still uncomfortable about the other day.
"Hello Miss Relena. I'm not disturbing you?"
"No Quatre, never. What's wrong?"
"You left a file last week, didn't you notice it was missing?"
In truth she didn't. She had already finished writing her speech so it probably didn't matter. "No, Quatre, but it's all right. Bring it when I see you in a few days."
Quatre persisted, "But you might need it. I can bring it over tomorrow along with building statistics."
"I uh, I'm going to be in meetings all day. I won't have time. It can wait. Really. Thanks."
"But..."
"I'll talk to you soon Quatre. Okay?" Relena said.
"Okay," Quatre said.
She hung up and sighed. Now she was avoiding Quatre. She had to get herself together. She lay on her bed, her tea forgotten, and soon fell asleep.
******
Heero stared at the huge monitor as if he were a statue.
Get the man in front of a computer and the world no longer
existed. Wufei stared at him wondering if Heero ever moved
from his position. "I don't really see any problem
with security until the day of the ceremony. We will have
to concentrate totally one these danger areas." Heero
pointed to the screen. Wufei didn't bother to look.
"When Trowa, Duo and Quatre arrive our security will
be better since they know what to look for."
"Are you saying the men I trained are not efficient?" Wufei bristled.
"Not at all," Heero said, "It's just that they know what to expect and are always on guard."
"My men are not lax. And I notice you didn't mention Zechs in your security plan."
"This isn't really Zech's specialty." Heero turned his attention back to the monitor dismissing the subject.
Wufei narrowed his eyes. "I trust you will deal with Zech's when he gets here." He didn't want to deal with Marquis any longer than necessary.
"No. I won't . If you want, feel free to do so."
"Huh, I'd rather have my heart cleaved from my chest," Wufei said folding his arms.
Heero eyed him a moment then went back to his monitor. Wufei hated this pompous ceremony. It only meant more work for him and Sally was acting like a prime...
"Sally approved my security arrangements. But she made some changes - to your duty assignment."
Wufei turned to the monitor and looked at the revised schedule. His eyes widened in disbelief. "That - woman."
He marched toward Sally's office. He jabbed the buzzer, calling her name and the door slid open.
Sally sat calmly behind her desk, her hands clasped together. "Problem Chang?"
"Damn right! What the hell do you think you're doing, pairing me up with Zechs for the entire ceremony? I'm not his personal body guard."
"Actually, he wanted to go over some details of his Mars activities. I probably won't have much time to be with him during his stay here and I know this is something you're interested in. You have investments there, and it will only be for a short time."
Wufei bit his lip to halt the stream of curses that threatened to escape. "I'd rather be thrown in the brig."
"You're ability to disobey orders is disappointing. You're not alone anymore, I'd thought you see..."
"What I see is your bad decisions that are about to get someone killed. I won't do it."
"All right then, I'll reassign you." Sally said. He arched an eyebrow. "You can patrol sector 13 near the asteroid belt for the next three weeks. Plenty of time for you to be alone."
Wufei turned toward the door. His fist clenched. "I'll talk to Zechs. I'm disappointed in you Sally. I thought you were different than the average woman."
"I wasn't aware that you even noticed and I never needed your approval for my decisions Chang."
He turned around, "Sally I..."
"Just go, Wufei," she said.
He did and went back to his duties, but he had the lingering
feeling Sally was trying to say something more.
*****
Since Duo had made up with her the same night Hilde didn't
give any more thought to arguing with him. Things went on
as usual and any complaints Hilde had she ignored for the
moment. She was in love with Duo even tho it was probably
one way. Sometimes she wished it wasn't.
While getting groceries one day she ran into someone she hadn't seen in years. It was a pilot who she served in the OZ military with - Steven. She didn't really have time to talk to him but he looked well.
"Hey Hilde you're looking more beautiful than ever," he said.
She blushed at the compliment. Steve said, "How about we spend some time together, get to know each other? Maybe a date? You know, there was a rumor that you had taken up with a Gundam pilot, but I couldn't believe it."
"Well, I guess there is truth in rumors," Hilde said.
"What? You with a Gundam pilot? They killed a lot of people Hilde."
"So did we. We were soldiers."
"I suppose so. Who is he?" Steve asked.
"Duo Maxwell. He's a sweet man..."
"Maxwell?" He tapped his head. "I think I remember him. They plastered his face all over the colonies and were going to execute him for treason. Right?"
Hilde looked dejected. "Yeah..."
So you're Maxwell's woman? Lucky him. Better than he deserves. Steve went on praising her and ended up giving her his number. "If you want to keep in touch give me a call. Especially if you get tired of that Gundam pilot. I'll show you a good time Hilde."
Hilde frowned, "You showed all the women soldiers a good time didn't you?"
He shrugged. "What can I say? Try me, I bet I'm better than Maxwell."
Hilde took the card and Steve left. She started to tear up the number but put it in her purse instead. Really was he any different than Duo? Both seemed to enjoy anything female. And she and Duo still weren't married and in all likelihood never would be. She wasn't interested in marriage before, but it was something to think about now. A future, kids, what did she want to do with her life - manage his mechanic shop until she was grey?
When she got home with the groceries she was in a daze and didn't notice Duo in front of her right away. He grabbed food and started eating and put his foot up on the table. He was still filthy with oil and grease and all manner of dirt on him.
"Duo, do you ever think of the future?" she asked
"The future? Well, sometimes. Why?"
She wasn't sure what to say. Maybe will you marry me, then if he said no what was she to do? "Duo, we've been together a long time and I really care about you."
"I know Hilde you don't have to say anything."
"Well, how long do you think we could be together?"
Duo stood up and walked toward her. "Okay what's with all the questions?" She looked away and shrugged. "Listen babe, I"m here with you no matter what. We're doing good business, making money and having fun. What else is there?"
"Well, we could settle into a better career..." Hilde began.
"Hey I'm in a good career. I don't need to make a million dollars okay? "
"Forget it Duo." Hilde went back to the groceries. She wasn't trying to start an argument but it seems it was a touchy subject with him.
He folded his arms. "You can say whatever you want. I'm listening."
"No you're not - you never do. I mention a change of career you get defensive, I say it hurts when you leave for weeks on end without even calling me, then you flirt with every girl you see..."
He held his hands ups and approached her. "Stop right there, I'm used to being alone so if I don't call that doesn't mean anything. And I give you all my money. Hello!"
She forgot about the groceries and stood nose to nose with him. "Why can't you tell me anything about yourself before we met? You only tell me what I need to know, like I'm a child. You don't respect me at all..."
"There you go talking crazy again. My past is past, not worth mentioning." Duo turned around and walked toward the window. "I'm tired of arguing with you, it's not as much fun as it was."
"Same here. You don't let me be me, another guy would appreciate me better..."
"I'm tired of hearing that too. Sometimes I don't know what to do with you Hilde. I'll be back later, I have more babes to see."
He stalked out, and Hilde cursed. She didn't want to fight with him this time and it just happened. Then she thought of Trowa. A wicked smile crossed her face as she turned on her terminal to look up shuttle times and fares. Where was the circus at now?
End part 1