Cotillion
"Ah, so there's our favorite dark princess finally gracing us with her presence!" Samael Maxwell's deep voice boomed as Zerina stepped into the large well lit garage.
Zerina barely acknowledged him as she quietly stepped past him towards the navy blue lockers in the corner, turning her head just enough to give him one of her darkest glares that clearly stated she didn't want to hear anything further from him.
Being a Maxwell, though, meant he didn't exactly care to stop talking, especially when it was a Yuy involved. He chuckled to himself as she flung the door open on her locker and searched for her work clothes, the metal door slamming loudly enough to echo in the garage. "I see she's in her usual mood, Kenny," he stated happily, his cobalt eyes sliding over across the car to Zerina's older cousin.
The platinum blonde laughed at the comment until Zerina's eyes turned on him in anger. He immediately stopped, placing his hands up in the air in mock surrender as she turned back to putting on her mechanic's jumpsuit. "Whoa, there, don't take it out on me! I wasn't the one who put you in Cotillion."
That finally caused her to respond, her angered growl coming out long as she stomped past them again towards the tools that were set up by the entrance. "I don't want to talk about it."
The older teens simply smirked at each other as they watched her take her time choosing a tool. When it appeared she couldn't find what she was looking for, she stomped to the right where there were more tools sitting on a cart.
"Cotillion, huh? That explains why Dorothy was going nutso on my dad the other day about the fountain," Samael murmured to himself, running a hand through his dark hair.
Kent looked over to Samael in surprise. "She's still mad about that? I thought they fixed the stupid thing."
Zerina rolled her eyes as they continued discussing the infamous fountain incident and finally found the flashlight she was looking for. She took in a deep calming breath as she walked over to the car and pushed by Kent, letting the air out slowly before sliding on her back underneath it to inspect what her cousin had done the last time he was in the garage.
"Come on Zer, it can't be that bad," Kent's voice called out to her, the boys discussion having apparently ended.
She chose to ignore him, studying the metal parts in front of her more intently than she needed to, hoping that her silence would end the conversation. Her lack of response, unfortunately, triggered more laughter.
Kent's voice seemed even louder from the other side of the car as he spoke. "Man, maybe this is for the better. She really needs to work on her people skills."
Her hand tightened on the flashlight as she tried to count to ten slowly in her mind.
"Hey, didn't Mckenna do one of those things a few years ago?" Samael's voice drifted above her, coming out a bit distorted through the car.
Kent groaned a little at the memory. "Oh, man, that's right! Worse five months of my life! She and mom were both so intolerable!"
Zerina clenched her teeth a little and said as politely as she could, "Trying to work on an engine block here."
The boys ignored her and continued.
"What even happens at those things? It's just a fancy party isn't it?" It almost seemed like Samael had a genuine interest in Cotillion.
Kent snorted. "If only! God, she had to learn, like, all these different dances, and-" he changed the tone of his voice and said in a slow deliberate way," how to speak in a proper way, and different kinds of etiquette, like which is the right fork for certain foods, and a whole bunch of useless information."
She tapped the flashlight in warning against one of the lower pipes, hoping that the boys would finally get the message that she was tired of this subject.
Again, her attempts went unnoticed.
"I don't know, It wouldn't hurt to learn some of those things. I mean, considering your parents' careers, and your aunt, actually. Wouldn't want to embarrass the Peacecraft name." Samael's feet had backed off from the car and his voice was drifting away, much to Zerina's relief. It meant that someone else was finally going to do some actual work with her instead of mindlessly gossip.
Kent was still standing nearby though. "Pfft! My dad renounced the Peacecraft name. He wasn't into this nobility crap. And nobody would care if his kids were proper. We're all military brats anyways. We don't have to be refined. Not that it even matters, since my mom drilled a sense of respect and confidence in us from the minute we were born."
"Seriously, guys. Done with this topic," Zerina stated in a calm voice.
"You might be, Zer, but we're not," came Samael's smart ass response instantly.
Her hands paused at his words as she tensed a little and she could hear Kent's low whistle from above her.
"Whoa, dude, You probably shouldn't..." His voice trailed off for some reason, but she didn't care to know why. It was most likely because he knew the specific tone of voice she'd just used and years of experience had taught him that she was not to be trifled with at the moment.
Samael wasn't even the least bit concerned. "Shouldn't what? She's not the boss of this garage as much as she likes to think it is." The last half of his words were stated deliberately louder towards her.
"Samael," she asked slowly in a sweet voice after a strained pause," can you please hand me the socket wrench?"
"See? She's not even mad!" His voice was closer and she could tell he was complying to her request. Her lips curled up in a devilish smile. "God, you guys can be so dramatic about stuff!"
Zerina felt his hand reach under and press the socket wrench into her smaller hand. She waited as she heard him step away and go back around to the other side of the car.
"Sam, don't-" But Kent's warning came too late.
Within a few seconds, Zerina had pulled herself out from underneath the car and flung the wrench in Samael's direction. She smiled in satisfaction as it him square in the back, her initial desire to get him in the head pushed down from her conscience reminding her that she was already being punished for fighting and didn't need to add on to it.
Samael gave a shout of pain and spun around to see what hit him and paused when he saw the smirk on her face. He narrowed his eyes and leaned down to pick up the socket wrench, but when she raised her hand to show the flashlight in it, he stopped and shook his head in disbelief.
"Really, Rina?" He questioned her, an eyebrow raised. "You're being ridiculous. It's not like you don't already know half this stuff anyways! Your mom's taught most of it to you. This should be a piece of cake!" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her. "Besides, I'd love to see you in heels and one of those formal dresses they make you girls wear."
She felt her face grow hot at his comment and immediately threw the flashlight at him to cover her embarrassment, turning quickly to find some more ammo.
He flinched as the flashlight came at him, his arms and left leg coming up to his chest in a clumsy attempt to avoid getting hit. The reward for this action was the sudden sharp pain in his left shoulder.
"Guys, come on! I just barely finished fixing the holes from the last fight!" Kent's pleading was barely acknowledged as the two squared off on opposite sides of the garage, Zerina with the advantage of having the tool boxes on her sides.
This fact didn't go unnoticed by the second-born Maxwell child. "You may have all of the tools, Yuy, but I can outsmart you," Samael taunted, a mischievous glint in his cobalt eyes.
Zerina snorted as she reached out for a nearby wrench with her left hand, the weight somewhat comforting in her grasp. "Ha! We all know a Maxwell male has no brains." Her eyes narrowed in anticipation, waiting to make her next move.
Kent, though, stepped between the two, right in her line of sight, arms outstretched towards each one. "Enough, guys! I really don't have the money to repair any more walls! My dad's already on my ass about the skylights!"
She and Samael shared a look, each silently waiting for the other to declare a truce. He arched an eyebrow at her expectantly to which she responded with a smirk and a shake of the head. He mirrored her response in disbelief before letting out a breath of annoyance, straightening his stance.
"Fine," he relented. "Let's get to work." He turned to reach down and grab a rag from off the floor.
Kent let his arms fall to his sides and sighed in relief. "Oh, thank god this is over. I was getting really worried there." He looked over to his younger cousin, seeing the spark of defiance in her blue eyes, before he had time to duck. "Shit!"
Samael had no chance to dodge as the second wrench hit him exactly where the first one did on his back. "God damn it!" he shouted from the pain.
Zerina's smile widened and she made a half curtsy to her cousin as she walked by him to go back to her spot under the car. "Now it's over," she declared, before she slid under the car, retrieving the flashlight that had conveniently rolled by the car from her earlier toss.
"I can't feel my spine!" Samael whined, his arms flailing a little.
"You wouldn't be standing if that were the case," came Kent's tired reply. It wasn't the first time Samael exaggerated his injuries and it was most likely not the last.
"I should have listened to my dad when he said to never trust a Yuy." Samael grumbled as he turned towards the hood of the car and fiddled around with the latch to pop it open. "They're always looking out for themselves."
Kent merely rolled his eyes and looked around at the car to see what he could work on. Zerina unknowingly did the same with her similar colored eyes from her position on the cold concrete floor and attempted to focus on the car. A few minutes of shared silence passed by, the only sound coming from the tools clanging around on various sections of the old vehicle.
Of course, Samael had to be the one to break it. "You know, Rina," his voice, strangely soft, called out to her.
She paused in her work as she waited for him to continue.
"If you ever need an escort for this thing, you can always call me." Even though she could hear the playful tone in his voice and could even imagine the teasing wink he most likely gave from above, she felt her face flush from his words, her cheeks bright red from the gesture.
She allowed herself to smile, content with knowing that the boys couldn't see it anyways. She cleared her throat and forced her voice to sound annoyed. "Shut it, Maxwell, and hand me that wrench I hit you with."
There was some laughter and the familiar press of the tool being pressed into her waiting hand, his fingers lingering for a minute before retreating. "Anything you want, Beautiful."
xxXoXxx
"So, how did it go?" Relena was in her light pink nightgown, a cotton robe in a similar shade loosely draped around her shoulders, the soft belt tied just above her growing belly.
Heero took in his wife's tired eyes and rumpled appearance, and his face noticeably softened. "You look tired, Relena. You haven't slept all day."
Relena laughed lightly and smiled at him. "Those grumpy old men really made me work for their approval. I feel so dirty after days like this." She arched an eyebrow at him, her knowing gaze no less scary through the vid phone. "And you're dodging the question... Was it really that bad?"
Heero stared blankly at her, his deep blue eyes conveying all that he was feeling. "Sylvia was there. With her daughter."
Relena's ocean blue eyes widened for a second, her left hand covering her mouth in mild surprise. " Oh, dear..." Her gaze shifted downward as she took that in, before she let out a sigh and gave a small shrug, glancing up back at Heero. "Well, it being the fiftieth year and Sylvia being an upper member of high society as well as her daughter being the right age... It should be expected that she be involved." She bit her lower lip thoughtfully, a similar habit, Heero noted, that their daughter had developed, and her eyes narrowed a little. "Although, it would have been nice if Dorothy had given us a heads up."
Heero smirked a bit at his wife's grumpy tone and shook his head. "Of course Dorothy didn't say anything to us, Rel. She's evil. She lives for this kind of drama."
"Heero!" Relena's exasperated voice didn't quite match the amused look on her face. "You know that's not... entirely true. I'm sure she had some favors to honor." Her smile never faltered as she watched him shake his head in denial.
For all of the years that they had known the Winners, Heero still never let his guard down around Dorothy, a habit that he insisted was for survival. Any sign of weakness would lead to him getting stabbed, much like his blonde comrade in arms. This was an assertion shared by all the former pilots, and one that would never change, especially Zechs, who insisted that Dorothy was one to be watched with a cautious eye.
Relena tried to hold back a yawn and shifted on the overly plush hotel bed she was sitting on, her back starting to ache a bit without the proper support. "So, how did Rina take it?" she asked as she placed a hand on her low backside and rubbed subconsciously.
Heero watched her move around, feeling somewhat helpless that he couldn't hold her in his arms and ease her pain, then looked down as he made a face at the question. "She didn't create a scene, if that's what you're worried about. Both girls did their best to avoid each other the whole day."
Relena let out a breath of a relief at his reply. "Well, that's good to hear..." She frowned a little when she noticed his solemn expression and how he hadn't brought his eyes back up to hers. "Did anything else happen?" she asked carefully, trying to hold down the growing concern washing over her.
There was a pause, which didn't help to ease her worry, before he answered. "Zerina became aware of how well Sylvia and I knew each other and wouldn't stop asking about it... It never occurred to me that she hasn't ever seen either one of us interact with her." Heero stopped speaking for another minute, trying to quell the feeling of shame that still overtook him whenever he thought back to his past and the conversation he just had with his daughter.
Relena waited for him to continue, sensing that there was more to this. Her eyes studied him intently, trying to understand the look of remorse on his face. When another moment of silence passed, she decided to gently prod him. "Heero?" she asked softly.
Heero heaved a huge sigh and glanced up to her, his prussian blue eyes full of sorrow. "After a few questions, I realized I had to tell her... Not everything, but just about the mission on L-1, and what happened with Field Marshall Noventa... and then what I did right after that."
Relena's eyes had widened and she was again covering her mouth in shock. She took a moment to let this sink in, before she closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. "Oh, Heero, I'm so sorry you had to do that by yourself with her." When she opened her eyes, she looked almost regretful, her body sagging further onto the bed as she then asked," How did she take it?"
Heero's lips twitched slightly up as he stared into his wife's eyes. "She took it how I would expect you to." At Relena's confused expression, he clarified for her. "She told me she didn't care and that what happened in the past made me who I am today." His smile grew at the memory and he was still in a bit of a daze from it. "And then she hugged me."
Relena smiled gently at him, ignoring the dragging feeling in her eyelids. "We have a wise daughter, Heero" she mused. "I wonder where she gets it from ..."
Heero smirked at her sing song tone, already anticipating her response to the next thing he was about to say. "We both know it's from you." He raised a finger at her as she, as expected, opened her mouth to protest, but he cut off her off quickly by saying softly," Both of the kids may not look like you, but they definitely exhibit your problem solving skills, quick thinking, and strength."
Relena chuckled lightly at the compliments. "You keep saying it, but I don't think I'll ever believe you when you tell me that I am stronger than you." She smiled warmly at him before her expression changed quickly to startled, as her whole body jumped up in the bed for a split second. She moved her right hand up to her stomach, and gave a little shake of her head. "This baby is far more aggressive than the last two," she said in mild surprise, her eyes locking onto Heero's. "I'm definitely blaming you for that one."
Heero snorted and crossed his arms, looking at her pointedly. "How about we both blame your brother for that?"
There was a small smile and a matching twinkle in her eye from the comment. "I would, but honestly, I still blame him for Zerina." She looked like she was about to continue, but then her eyes widened as she suddenly remembered something. "Oh! Speaking of the baby, Dr. Franklin called me this morning."
Heero studied her face for a second, noting that she didn't seem too upset about anything, but he was still concerned at her troubled expression, Her Obstetrician was calling her again for what seemed like the hundredth time during this particular pregnancy. "Is everything all right? Is the baby okay?" He really did try to hold back the panic in his voice, but it still slipped through at the end.
Relena didn't notice, or was being kind enough to act like she didn't notice, and waved her hands slowly in a "calm down" sort of way. "The baby is fine. Nothing to worry about there. He was just letting me know that there was another security breach on the hospital files."
Heero stiffened, the two words "security" and "breach" that had always filled his heart with dread when he heard them, echoing in his head. "Was anything compromised?" he asked carefully.
She shook her head in response. "No, nothing that the hospital staff's security team are aware off. Although," she paused as she looked off in the distance," they said that this time was really strange... The hackers only accessed one set of files this time."
Heero raised an eyebrow at that and looked at her expectantly. "Which ones?" He was growing impatient and slightly paranoid at how long Relena was dragging this information out.
She tossed her shoulders in a resigned way. "They tried to access the Radiology Department. I couldn't even fathom a reason why, until Dr. Franklin further explained the situation to me." At this, her blue eyes drifted back to his and he gulped a little at the slight fire and hint of accusation in them. She was really getting good at this interrogation stuff. "I forgot that the Ultrasounds are part of that department," she stated calmly, but her tone sharp.
Heero blinked for a second, before realization dawned on him.
Relena saw this and arched her eyebrows at him knowingly. "I have to say, while I'm incredibly surprised at your ingenuity at finding loopholes, as well as impressed at his brazenness at hacking my personal medical files while standing right next to me as my personal guard, I'm very upset that there was even an attempt to find out the baby's sex after we already agreed that we'd wait until the baby is born."
Heero had the decency to look chagrined at her words. Before he could open his mouth to give a defense and maybe even an apology, Relena raised her hand at him and waved the words away.
"I know you didn't personally do it," she huffed out, her long golden locks flying up from the movement. "Nor do I believe that you ordered Duo to get it done. I'm quite certain that he went out of his way to do you a favor."
Heero's face changed quickly at the mention of the Deathscythe pilot. "Duo?"
Relena nodded slowly. "He really takes your 'Gundam Brotherhood' too seriously sometimes," she murmured absently, rubbing her stomach gently.
There was a brief pause of Relena ruminating on her closest friend's traitorous acts, while Heero fumbled through his thoughts to gather evidence that pointed to this conclusion. When did Duo have the time to be on a computer when he was supposed to be watching her this entire week?
Her light voice brought him back to the present. "Anyways, I'm going to need you to speak with him about this."
Heero's knitted his eyebrows together in confusion at the request. "But isn't he there with you? Why can't you talk to him?"
Relena's expression darkened a little at this suggestion. "Because I won't be as nice as you if I do it."
Heero held back the gulp and nodded quickly. "I'll do it when you get home," he answered quickly.
"Thank you." She yawned rather big and loud then, and looked to him apologetically. "I believe that's my cue to get to bed." She smiled gently at him as her hands reached over on her end to the power button. "Goodnight, sweetheart. I love you."
Heero smiled and gave a nod back. "I love you too. Sleep well."
Relena held back another yawn as she answered,"I will."
Heero waited until he saw her push the "End" button on her side and watched the screen turn black. He waited a few more minutes to verify that the connection was indeed closed. When he no longer heard anything, he completely shut down his end, going so far as to unplug the vid phone, before suddenly jumping to his feet.
"Aleph!" he shouted to his son that he knew was down the hallway playing video games. He darted his eyes around, trying to locate his laptop and a few other secret devices he had.
"What?" came his son's exasperated reply, clearly not enjoying getting his current game interrupted.
"Get in here!" Heero's stern tone left no room for argument.
Within seconds, Aleph entered the bedroom, a look of annoyance plastered on his face. "What is it? What's going on?" He leaned in the door frame and crossed his arms.
Heero found his laptop and the other questionable devices. "She knows" he stated simply as he picked up the items.
There was a pause as his son processed this information, before a look of shock and fear showed on his face. "You said she wouldn't find out!" He pointed a finger at his father accusingly. "I knew she would figure it out!"
Heero turned to face Aleph better and shook his head. "Calm down. She doesn't know it was us." He glanced around the room to check for any stray items. "She thinks it was Duo, so that buys us some time."
Aleph frowned at his father's words. "Time for what?"
Heero's lips twitched up a little into a small smirk as he tossed some of the things in his hands to Aleph. "Time for you to learn a few more tricks on hacking." He watched as the boy's began to twinkle a with excitement. "Ready to learn how to completely erase any traces of your presence online and in any electronic system?"
