Title: The Letter
Author: Karina
Rating: PG
Pairing: Heero + Relena
Notes: Challenge 4. #10 in the Baby Series. Set around about AC 200 and about three months after Comfort. Relena and Heero discuss a letter published in a Sancian newspaper. Takes place approximately one hour before 'Competition'.
Spoilers: Series & Endless Waltz
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the Characters from the series but the baby is mine.
Beta Dulin
//...// Thoughts
The Letter
He had read the paper and had hoped to reach her to prepare her, but the moment he entered the small breakfast room he knew he was too late. Relena sat at the table, white as a ghost with the paper crumpled in her fists.
DEMON OR ANGEL?
The headlines were in huge bold print, designed to make certain they drew attention.
//Cruel bastards. Something so private ... should never have been made public.// "Relena?"
"I'm ... alright. I ... I have ordered a plane and I have my secretary rearranging meetings. I ... need to see my brother."
"I'm sorry." He had failed in protecting her.
"I want a public apology from the newsagency to myself and Milliardo for publishing something so ... personal. He never intended anyone to read it. Probably not even me."
The letter had been found by a salvage operator working on scattered clumps of debris from Libra that still littered the space lanes. The man had obviously seen the opportunity to make a financial killing by selling the letter to the publisher, and never mind the pain it would visit on those involved.
"I also want the original letter."
"I will call Une."
With the backing of the Preventers he knew she had a better chance of getting both the letter and that apology. He hesitated at the door and looked back.
"I'm sorry. For not explaining to you before that I understood what your brother intended. He was right. I did know."
Her intense blue eyes rose to meet his and she nodded. "I ... finally figured it out. After the Barton incident but ... He never has talked about it, Heero. He never has tried to explain."
"He said he never would. I have always found him to be a man of his word."
"This will bring out the cranks and the crackpots again. Inform Anne that I respectfully request a Preventer guard be placed on Milliardo. I know he wants his privacy, but he will not argue the increased security. Not now that he has Stephen to protect."
"We are a few hours ahead of them, so he may not have read the paper." Heero doubted that only the local Sancian papers carried the story. Something of this nature would be global. "With luck we can beat the paparazzi and have a full security seal around the estate before he has trouble from them."
"He was just starting to get over Lucrezia's death. This will not help."
"I have never found him to be weak. It will take more than this to break him."
Alone Relena stared at the crumpled paper in her hands and gently smoothed out the creases. She ignored the article itself, preferring to read the letter. That was all that mattered to her. The letter.
End