A/N: Hello! This fic is going to be an AU story. I'm gonna try and stick to some parts of canon (as in some of the main storyline) but it's defiantly going to be different. It's just how I imagined things for Lady Une and Treize pre-canon and how I would have wanted things to end for them (hint hint; the awful actual ending -_-").

Btw, for anyone interested in my other Une X Treize fic (A Second Chance), I will update soon. So, stay tuned in!

Oh and I'm updating in a couple of days max. Don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of its characters; only the plot is mine.

Song: Devil's Spoke by Laura Marling.

.

.

Chapter 1: All Of This Can Be Broken

...

That I might be a part of this,
Ripple on water from a lonesome drip,
A fallen tree that witnessed me,
Him alone, him and me

...

Lady Une felt her legs leading her without making much since of where she was going. She was alone and, despite the hot June weather, cold. For the first time in years she felt coldness growing over her and she felt like she should be shivering, but she wasn't; she was just walking aimlessly. She took a moment to catch her breath. Then it hit her. She had been running around for over an hour–looking for him. She wasn't sure why but a sense of dread overwhelmed her, she needed to find him and fast.

She didn't care for all the looks every soldier and every person in every corridor she walked through looked at her. Or maybe she didn't feel their looks… she just felt the need to keep walking to the only place she knew he would be in. She had to find him. She had to see him, talk to him; try to put some reason into his head! How could he do this?

Lady Une finally got the door and without thinking opened it, only to be faced with the empty room she was positive he would be in. She stood there for a second unable to move or talk, the coldness was unbearable now.

Where did he go? Could he have left the whole place? Everybody had specific orders to inform her of every move he makes! Even his private driver has instructions of informing her of every place he leaves to… that left one possibility. Une moved at last, walked out of the room and to the hotel lobby trying to slow her racing heart praying her guess was right.

It took Une about a minute to find Treize private driver sitting there with some of the workers and she almost let out a sigh of relief. There was one thing she had to make sure of first. She walked to him trying to keep her demeanor professional, even as her whole being was still in shock of what just happened a few minutes before. The driver saluted her and she quickly and casually questioned him if his Excellency took the car. The man nodded and before he could utter a word, Une was out of the hotel large gate, she jumped in one of the cabs that lined the street instructing the driver specifically where to go.

Une didn't really care about the look the Taxi driver gave her uniform, she only cared about getting there as fast as possible. Where there was? She knew she had no way of being one hundred percent sure he would be there but if she knew anything about the man she's been an aide for more than five years, she knew this.

Treize specifically asked her to book their rooms in as much as possible far hotel from where the Romafellar meeting was to be held. He had told her he didn't enjoy the surprise visits those aristocrats tended to give him, especially his uncle; Duke Dermail. That's why she didn't bother telling the driver to go to the hotel they were staying in first; it was at least an hour and half drive and she couldn't waist that time.

She felt her heart beat going a bit slower now that she finally got time to breathe. She still couldn't make since of what Treize was about to do, or what he has done. She couldn't believe he'd throw everything and just…. God, when will she ever understand that man? As much as she has tried for all those years, she had this feeling that all she could understand of Treize to be considered the closest person to him was just scratching the surface; like he was this vast ocean that no discoverer of which ever returns. Trieze was both a puzzle and a fascination to her; she suspected she'd never understand him. And maybe that's the way he wanted after all, maybe he was the one who didn't want her or anyone to get any closer to him.

Une suddenly felt distant memories of two lovers standing on a balcony in the cold air on a Christmas Eve appearing before her eyes; she tried to push the images away but not even the way the Taxi raced through the streets or the way other cars' klaxons went crazy all around her managed to block the memories that all what she was doing and thinking of doing pulled to the surface. She tried to stop them, to think about anything else. God, she even prayed for them to stop, but nothing mattered more than the images her mind was playing over and over again to her.

She closed her eyes tightly and rubbed her temples with her fingers, but it didn't work; if anything it made the images clearer, more alive. She took her glasses off and pulled her hair down trying to stop the horrible headache those images brought to her but she found herself surrendering to the past at last and her mind began by repeating the memories of the first time she met him.

...

Many trains and many miles,
Brought you to me on this sunny isle
And what of which you wish to speak,
Have you come here to rescue me?

...

Une –or Anne as she was called back then—was walking through the corridors of her parents manor on her tiptoes; she was going back to the party holding her dress with one hand and her heels with the other, returning from the garden where she met some of her school friends without her mother's knowledge. Her mother would have possibly killed her if she knew her daughter, the-soon-to-be Lady Anne Marescot, was drinking cheap wine and gossiping about boys in gardens with her friends.

Normally, Anne would have never risked going out like that under her mother's eagle eye, but tonight there was a big party for whichever charity her mother was supporting now and she figured her mother would be a lot busier talking with those aristocrats and their wives to bother with the whereabouts of her only daughter. So, right when the party started, Anne was out through the back door to meet her best friend; Laura. Once she found her, the two left giggling and gossiping before even getting to where they were heading.

Laura had been convincing Anne for a while now of a girls night out like this, well, not exactly a 'night-out' but the basic idea of them being alone to do whatever they wanted not having to worry for her mother's hawk eyes watching their behavior. Anne finally agreed, but she had made Laura swear on a no-boys rule; she knew if boys got in the middle it'll be too big of a secret to keep it a secret. Besides, Laura's family was no different from hers, any boys she'd be bringing would be one of those bigheaded aristocratic rich fools that Anne couldn't stand being around for two seconds. Plus, she would have to behave with them which would kill the idea of being carefree for the night. With that, it left her with Laura and few good old school friends. They stayed out for most of the party and drank cheap wine till Anne finally decided to call it a night and go home before she was too drunk to recognize her own house.

Anne almost giggled at what those aristocratic women her mother spent all her time with would say if they saw her right now; hair ruffled, makeup a mess and both her heels in her hand. "Oh my god," they'd first say holding their hands to cover their wide opened mouths; "Lady Eleanor, is that your daughter, Anne, there?" And then her mother would look at her with her disapproved look, walk to her then say, "Anne, darling, that's no way for a lady to behave". Of course her voice would never go higher nor lower when she got angry, but after the seventeen Anne years spent with that woman who called herself her mother, she was a perfect expert on how to spot the anger in her voice; her voice would get this weird pitch to it and Anne would know how big her mistake from the clarity of that pitch in her voice. This time, she imagined, it'd be actually clear enough for even those who don't know how to spot her disapproval to hear, Anne thought and this time actually giggled at the image her mind made of her mother. Oh my God, maybe she was drunk after all.

In a second, and before Anne could even make herself shut up of her drunken giggles, she felt a hand pull her towards one of the empty rooms of the corridor she was lost in. The hand was strong and firm around her wrest and, when she was close enough, waist, so she couldn't really fight it, instead she let whoever it belonged to pull her.

In a split of a second, Anne found herself pinned to the wall of a dark room, a hand on her mouth and a finger on the lips of whomever pulled her asking her to be quite.

Anne nodded and the man kept pushing her to the wall with his body, his hand on her mouth even as she stopped her struggle to push him away. Only then she could hear it, there was talking coming from the corridor she came from. It was the voice of some old women discussing wine types and how Anne's mother had picked their finest for her party. Anne held her breath even as the man who was still holding her made his best not to make any noise and they both stayed like that for about full two minutes while the two women talked about the most boring topics Anne ever heard anyone talk about in her whole life.

In the time they stayed like that, Anne took liberty to study her savior; not much of his features were showing in the dim light, but the light coming from a close window hit his eyes and she could see they were ice-blue. He was looking into her chocolate brown ones with a ghost of a smile on his thin lips. Anne could see he was handsome even without enough light to distinguish his features pretty well.

When the whispers of the old women gradually died out and the young man finally released her, Anne found herself breathing in relief. The young man lit the room and gave her space to try to fix her dress and re-wear her heels. He stood beside the fireplace holding a wine glass in his hand, and, for a second, Anne questioned where he would have gotten it from.

"Thank you," she said feeling blood running to her face and neck after realizing he had been pretty much pinning her with his body to the wall a second earlier. To mask her embarrassment, she looked at him clearly in the lit room now. He was defiantly handsome as she had imagined and his ice-blue eyes were his most distinct feature with a honey brown hair. He couldn't have been older than her in more than two or three years maximum. He was wearing a tuxedo which told her he was probably one of her mother's guests.

He nodded holding a finger to his lips trying to hide this weird smile on his face like he was almost… amused of her behavior? He then gestured to her, "I'm always happy to help a lady in need,"

"I wasn't in need of anything," Anne found herself sharply answering him. She didn't know why she felt compelled to refuse the way he was talking –and looking– at her like she was a vulnerable woman. Don't get her wrong, she hated that look from everyone but in her society it was the usual way to think of any woman, she didn't know why she didn't want him to think that way of her. Maybe it was that cheap wine she drank, she didn't care, she didn't ask for his help.

The young man let out a chuckle at her answer, politely, which confirmed to her he was an aristocrat, perhaps a lord or something. No, he was too young for that, maybe a son of a lord…

"Perhaps you would like to tell me what you were planning on doing if those women saw you?" He asked too politely for her to pretend to be offended.

"Well, I…" she couldn't really find an answer. Was she really that obviously drunk? "well, it isn't really any of your business." She crossed her arms over her chest looking away form the polite smile that spread on his face making him even more handsome. Damn, Anne, focus! Damn that cheap wine Laura made her drink!

When Anne didn't hear the young man's answer, she turned her head towards him again but this time she was directly faced with her mother's stern gaze. Her mother was standing by the door frame looking directly at her with her arms crossed on her chest. Anne felt her heart stop.

Anne looked back at her mother having absolutely nothing to say. Her mother must have not noticed the young man in the room else she would have never looked at her that way.

It felt like hours have passed till the young man suddenly cleared his throat. And that all it took for her mother's face to turn from stern to surprise to her usual one in front of others in just a split of a second. Both Anne's eyes and her mother's were on him and he looked back at Lady Eleanor with a polite smile so different from the one he gave Anne earlier.

"Lady Eleanor, it's so good to see you." The young man extended his free hand and held her mother's.

Lady Eleanor's quickly smiled widely and said, "Oh, Mr. Khushrenada, I wasn't expecting to see you here tonight,"

Anne's mouth half opened upon hearing the young man's name. He was a Khushrenada? Even she, who didn't know much of Romafellar news nor cared to know, knew the Khushrenadas and how well connected in the foundation they were; they were basically the royalty of her world; they held all the best positions in the foundation and pretty much controlled everything and everyone.

"I wasn't planning on coming either but father always has his way," he smiled and brought the wine glass to his lips suddenly all the tension in the room gone just by the way he spoke, "and, please, ma'am, call me Treize."

Anne's mother nodded smiling, "well, Treize, it's been years since I last saw you. I remember when you were just a toddler as if it was yesterday. Such a nice young man you turned up to be. I heard the Lord; your father, has been preparing for your comeback from the Lake Victoria academy?"

"Ah, yes, I'm expected to graduate in a few months," The young man who had a name now nodded with the same polite smile.

"It would be great having such good brave young men in the Specials to protect us such as yourself,"

Anne almost rolled her eyes at her mother's complements and stood behind as she and Treize continued their polite talking. She wondered how long it'd take for them to notice if she sneaked in back to her room. Maybe they wouldn't? Her mother was too excited to be talking to a Khushrenada that Anne doubted she'd even notice if she jumped out the window… or maybe she could just set there and wait for whatever her mother has got to say… Agh, she was so tired, why don't they just stop talking?

"Anne?"

Someone's just said her name. Anne looked up at the source of the sound. It was him, the young man; Treize. He was nodding at her with a polite smile.

"Ha?" She said before she could stop herself.

"Anne," (when did he learn her name?) "I was just telling your mother what a great time we were having," he said and she smiled hesitantly realizing what he was doing.

"You know, ma'am, your daughter and I were dancing but I couldn't make any conversation in the load noise so I suggested we would come here to talk a little," Treize smiled to Anne and then looked back at her mother, "I hope that didn't cause any problems?"

"No! Of course not!" Lady Eleanor smiled widely that Anne doubted her mouth would split if she tried to pull it any harder. "I was just looking for her. I hope you two had a splendid time,"

"Ah, yes, your daughter is an excellent dancer, ma'am; I've never danced with such a talented young lady." Treize said.

"Oh, thank you, Treize. That's very kind of you to say!"

Anne was convinced she would never see her mother smiling a genuine smile, ever, but she was now smiling, actually smiling and Anne had to stop her jaw from dropping in surprise. Was it really that her daughter was being complemented by a man the reason she was smiling? Oh God, and to think she was just mad at Trieze for looking at her like a vulnerable woman…

Trieze looked at Anne then and she could perfectly see what his eyes were saying, he had saved her, again. Damn, how would she even thank him again after what she said to him earlier? And why was he helping her anyway? Agh, she didn't like this situation of being grateful to him for anything.

It only took Lady Eleanor a second afterwards to leave the room without even glancing Anne's way. Anne sighed, that would get her off the hook this time, at least for a while. She waited till she was positive her mother was out of hearing range and then looked at Treize who was grinning widely.

"You didn't have to do that, you know," she answered his gaze.

"And what? Let you deal with that look she had in her eyes? Even I, my lady, are not that heartless," He didn't get fooled by her mother's faked manners? Well, that was a first.

"I would have figured out something to say," she lied sitting on one of the couches in front of the fireplace and lent back; tired with all the standing.

Trieze didn't answer and just looked at her with the same smile of amusement. He then came and sat beside her. She suddenly crocked her head and looked at him, supporting her face on her palm.

"And I'm not a Lady... yet, at least," Anne corrected now holding her head in her hands, she felt so sleepy, but she wouldn't risk leaving the room just yet fearing of her mother catching her and demanding full details she couldn't fabricate in her state, maybe in the morning she'd figure out a story to tell her when she sobers up and realizes what kind of trouble she was actually in.

"I can see you're not," Treize answered and she could feel the duel meaning his words held.

"Don't you think that just because you saved me from being scolded by my mother that I'd allow you to talk to me like that," she found herself yet again answering him sharply. Khushrenada or no Khushrenada, no one is allowed to talk to her like that.

Treize let a chuckle out, "I can hardly say a girl like you can be scolded, maybe threatened, but scolded? I don't think so," he shook his head.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, for a starter, you were sneaking in, almost drunk, with your heals in your hands which makes me believe that you were out most of the night. Now, I can hardly imagine a girl like that being afraid of her mother,"

"Well, you don't know my mother," Anne looked away from his blue eyes and murmured that last sentence.

"Perhaps," Treize smiled again, "but, pray tell, who was a young lady as yourself meeting in such an hour? A secret lover?"

Anne laughed, the alcohol in her system preventing her from really getting offended by his words, "would I be getting drunk as you say with a secret lover?"

Treize laughed finding her almost-drunkenly uncaring state adorable. He had never been around women quit like her before, well, at least, not around noble women like that. The women he met while staying in Lake Victoria were a different story, but this one wasn't even like that, she wasn't an illiterate woman who spoke to him because she was impressed with his uniform, she was cultured, beautiful, funny and most importantly not acting like a statue around him which made him relax for a change. This night has turned out to be completely different from what he had expected.

.

Anne didn't know what happened afterwards, she just knew that she'd woken up in her bed with a terrible headache. Maybe she had left to her room or maybe Treize had asked a maid to escort her up. She couldn't really remember, she couldn't even remember much of what she has told him let alone how she got to her room. She wondered if she had dreamed it all and none of it actually happened, but it only took about ten minutes before her mother rushed to her room asking for full details of how she met the young Khushrenada and what they talked about, in detail.

Anne couldn't really get her head to work properly yet to make herself try and answer her mother. But eventually she managed to fabricate a story she knew her mother would enjoy hoping she'd never have to see Treize ever again.

It wasn't like she thought he would actually tell about the state she returned home with that night, it was only the fact that the things the told him were only now coming back to her in bits and pieces and she didn't really know how she would be able to stand in front of him again without feeling completely embarrassed. She had never acted like that around anyone, not even Laura, and for him to know the things she's said…

Anyway she only prayed that that night would be the last she'd see from Treize Khushrenada.

Little did she know…

At least for the next few days, Anne couldn't help herself from asking about the young Khushrenada. She didn't know why she found herself wanting to know more about him. Maybe it was because he already knew too much of her or maybe it was pure curiosity, she honestly didn't know, she just found herself wanting to know more and more about him.

The first person Anne questioned was her father, she didn't particularly ask him about Trieze, but she asked him about the Khushrenada as a family. He didn't add any more to what she already knew. He told her that the family was German in origins and that Trieze's father was their second child. She learned that Treize had only another older sister who was married with the Barton family. As for Treize himself, he only told her that he was -in his own words- an 'accomplished young man', and has 'quite the record' at Lake Victoria of being one of 'their most distinct young officers'.

The second person Anne questioned was Laura. Anne couldn't resist the urge to ask her even as she knew Laura was going to demand full details of what happened between her and Treize that night, but she was her best friend after all, she would have told her anyway.

However, what Laura had told Anne of the gossip she heard of the young Khushrenada turned out to be a whole different story than to what her father had said. Laura began by telling her that Treize's mother was Spanish and that Treize was her most precious and spoiled son. She told her that there wasn't a request she refused for him. As for Treize himself, Laura told her that her father was right about him being really distinguishable between his peers in the academy. She told her that he didn't have many friends but was extra close to one boy who was almost as distinguishable as he was in the academy by the name of Zechs Marques. She said he used to come and stay with the Khushrenadas every summer.

Anne almost giggled at the gossip her friend spilled, this turned out to be more fun than she thought it would be, and Laura was really good in bringing news about everybody. But when Anne was about to suggest something more going on between the two friends, Laura only giggled loud enough for Anne to hope her mother didn't hear.

"Stop it!" Anne poked her friend and added laughing quietly, "I mean it! No two men can be as close as you say and not be frolicking in the meadows holding hands friends." Anne said handing her friend a cup of tea, "don't get me wrong, it's alright I don't have anything against that. Regardless of what mother has to say," she rolled her eyes saying her last sentence and Laura actually almost flipped off the couch of laughter.

"You wish, sweetheart!"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that they are simply too rich, too hot and too single to be gay!"

Anne blushed and poked Laura in the rips to stop her giggles, "if you're gonna keep doing that I'm going to leave," Anne pretended to be upset though fighting to hide her giggles.

Laura finally stopped laughing, "Okay, okay," she said as she pulled Anne back to set beside her. "Sorry," she said almost sincerely and then when finally sat back, Laura covered her mouth with her hand saying, "all what I mean is that I'm happy to tell you that this young man whom you think is frolicking with other men in the meadows hadn't left a girl in any Romefeller family that hadn't been swooped by his charms." She said to wide eyed Anne. "And some even say it didn't only stop at charms," Laura said the last word with a certain look in her eyes that made redness dance across Anne's cheeks.

Anne's wide eyes stared with surprise at Laura's and Laura only nodded sipping her tea, "I haven't personally seen him but of what I heard no girl could last in front of him. Plus, I've only heard stories about all his affairs in Lake Victoria. You know what they say; the nurses there are quit irresistible." Laura added with a giggle and Anne had to shush her for her mother not to hear.

So, Trieze did really have a motive to help her that night. Well, if he thought she was just naïve girl he could play with while away from his academy, he couldn't be more wrong.

.

.

.

A/N: I hope that wasn't too long, I just couldn't find the proper place to cut it. Please, don't forget to review; reviews keep me going and get me to update faster!