The Edge of Oblivion
Chapter 9: Heero Meets Timothy
by Relena's Glam Squad
January 6, A.C. 208
Early Morning
"We just arrived at the airport," Relena said into her cellphone, her heels clicking loudly on the tile floor of the Brussels International Airport. A bag with a long strap was slung over her shoulder, and contained only her work tablet and two books that she grabbed off her shelf before leaving her penthouse that morning. In one hand, she carried a coffee cup with her favorite latte from the coffee shop just past the security checkpoint. Her bags were checked and she was on her way to the plane.
Behind her, looking cranky and exhausted, were Heero and Duo. Duo's eyes weren't even open all the way, and he was hiding most of his face under his black cap with the brim pulled down low. Heero, on the other hand, looked exhausted, which was evident by the dark shadows beneath his eyes and the diminished color of his skin. But he was putting on an act about being completely awake.
Timothy continued to chatter in Relena's ear about all the plans that her future mother-in-law had planned for her visit. Relena only half listened as her eyes drifted around her, checking each sign for her terminal. Finally, she approach terminal 45, and slowed her pace.
"Darling, I'm at the terminal. I will be there soon," she said into the phone.
"Of course. I will see you when you get here," he said, and Relena could tell by the sound of his voice that he was smiling. "I love you, and have a safe trip." Relena's heart fluttered in a way that she wasn't sure was good or bad.
"I love you, too," she replied, and hung up the phone, tucking it back into her purse. Relena glanced behind her, and saw that Heero and Duo had finally caught up. Heero looked up to meet Relena's eyes; his normal icy blue was duller with lost sleep, and something else was expressed, something Relena couldn't put her finger on. She smiled at her bodyguards.
"Ready?" she asked, slipping her ticket out from her bag. The two men nodded sleepily, and they joined the queue lining up at the gate.
"How can you be so chipper this early in the morning?" Duo asked through a yawn. Relena grinned and pointed to her cup.
"I offered to buy you coffee," she said. "You declined."
"I was probably asleep," Duo said. He rolled his head and stretched his arms up over his head. Behind her, Relena heard Heero snort, but she ignored him. He'd been acting weird the whole way to the airport, so she was taking it upon herself to punish him. She knew it was because of her trip to see Timothy, and she'd offered to let him stay behind, but he declared that he needed to remain by her side. And yet, he was acting sullen and cranky.
The line continued to move, and finally, Relena and her bodyguards had their tickets scanned and they stepped onto the tunnel that lead out to the airplane. Relena found her seat in first class and sat down beside the window. Duo, who was behind her, slumped into the seat beside her. Following up behind, Heero stopped and glared down at Duo.
"Move," he grumbled. Duo opened one eye and looked up at Heero.
"You can take the seat across the aisle," Relena said, not looking up from her work tablet, which she had pulled out of her bag. Duo gave Heero an evil grin, then curled up in his chair, his head drooping onto Relena's shoulder, and promptly passed out. Heero huffed a bit, and sat down in the chair across from them, beside an elderly man who coughed up something from his throat as soon as Heero sat down.
Relena peeked at him from under her eyelashes. He deserved it. Carefully, Relena swapped her tablet with one of her books, trying not to disturb Duo, and set to read while they waited for the plane to take off.
Across the aisle, Heero leered at the sleeping Duo, who was dangerously close to drooling into Relena's pearl pink blazer. The braided idiot had somehow developed that sort of relationship with Relena, wherein he could just lie all over her like a lapdog. At least, as Relena had stated many times already in the past, their relationship was completely 'platonic.' She'd told him once that Duo fit into the role of a brother much more easily than Milliardo. Heero did have to admit to himself that he was grateful for another pair of eyes to watch over her.
Even so, it didn't change the fact that Duo was sitting beside her on their flight, and he was stuck next to the old man with some sort of congestion in his chest.
After the flight had taxied and taken off into the air, Heero removed his briefcase from under the seat in front of him and pulled out the lined, spiral bound notebook that he'd bought before their trip. In it, he'd planned to write his entire story, detailing everything out to Relena so that she'd understand the last ten years of his life. But so far, all he'd written was the date at the top of the page, the date that he'd first woken up in the hands of Jin. Heero removed a pencil from his briefcase as well, popped down the tray to his lap and rested his tools in front of him. On the first page, he brought the tip of his sharpened pencil down onto the crisp white paper of the notebook.
Vaguely, he recalled a memory from his childhood. He'd been small, younger, and in school. He was learning to write letters, but little Heero, or rather, Odin Lowe Jr., would press his pencil down onto the paper so hard that the tips would always break, and he'd tear holes in the paper. A sensory memory awakened, and he slowly remembered how the young teacher had taken his hand in her's, loosened his death grip on the pencil, and whispered to him to remember the little birdy, who liked to sit in between the pencil and his hand. If he gripped the pencil too hard, he would squish the little birdy. Little Odin had taken that to heart, and learned to loosen his grip on the pencil, and stopped breaking his pencils and dragging holes through the paper.
Now, however, Heero found himself pressing hard into the paper, leaving behind thick, black letters on the pages. He'd pressed so hard, several pages on carried the imprint of those first few words. Remembering the little birdy, Heero loosened his grip on the pencil, and with a deep, relaxing breath, dove into his story.
The plane landed at Heathrow International Airport without incident, although getting through customs was a trial all its own. Despite Relena's political stature, she was not immune to the seemingly endless queue, and neither were her bodyguards. She passed the time texting Timothy to let him know they'd landed safely and swapping a few texts with Sandy, finding out all about the big sale she was missing at the girls' favorite department store.
Although, Sandy texted, I'm just bragging about that so I feel less sucky that you're spending the weekend with your prince. In a castle! P.S. I hate you.
Relena laughed out loud. Heero looked at her warily, leaning on his suitcase for support. He tried to hide his sleepiness, but waiting in the long line was testing his patience and self-control. Duo unabashedly yawned and stretched, not seeming to care who he annoyed in the process.
Shouldn't you be working? Relena texted back.
The reply from the Vice Foreign Minister was almost instant. Personal improvement day. :-)
Of course. :-) Relena would never be one to begrudge her associate a personal day, even if she rarely took them herself.
Besides, Sandy texted, I need to look my best during our tour of the colonies next week! You wouldn't want a frumpy VFM making you look bad. ;)
Ugh. How awful. ;)Relena giggled as she punched out her reply. She slipped her phone back into her purse and craned her neck to see over the long line that still stretched out ahead of them. Relena shifted around, trying to find a comfortable way to stand, when she was approached by a man dressed in a security uniform of the airport. Relena glanced at Duo and Heero nervously; they had noticed the approaching man as well.
"Miss Darlian?" the man said, stopping on the other side of the cable barrier. Relena drew up to her full height.
"Yes?"
"I have been asked to bring you and your security detail around to the exit," he said. Relena frowned.
"By who?" Heero asked gruffly.
"Prince Timothy of Wales," the security guard said with a slight smirk in Heero's direction. Relena glanced back at Heero, but shrugged her shoulders. The guard lifted up the barrier, and Relena ducked underneath, dragging her suitcase behind her. Reluctantly, Heero and Duo followed. Several people in line turned to watch, and behind her, Relena could hear the whispers.
"That's Foreign Minister Darlian!"
"I can't believe she's marrying the prince!"
It almost seemed as if all the noise in the airport was muted as Relena crossed the open area towards the row of doors leading outside. Many pairs of eyes were trained on her as she walked. Up ahead, Relena saw the crowd of security standing around a tall man dressed in a suit. A weight felt like it lifted from Relena's chest when she saw him.
He was as handsome as ever, well-dressed and put together. Timothy smiled as she approached and stepped forward from his guards.
"There you are, Relena, darling," he said. Relena quickened her pace and when she reached him, she threw her arms around his neck. His arms circled her waist and enclosed her in a hug. Gently, Relena tilted her face up and felt the soft press of his lips against hers. Relena wanted to melt into him, to forget everything and relish in his naive comfort.
But she couldn't. Her enjoyment was tarnished by the burning gaze she felt at the back of her head. Relena released Timothy and took a step back. He smiled down at her and released his hold. Slowly, Relena turned around, and her eyes met Heero's. In them was such emotion that Relena felt suddenly faint. She pressed a hand to her chest and took a step back.
"Are these two men your security detail?" Timothy asked, gesturing towards Duo and Heero. Relena nodded slowly as Heero and Duo caught up to them and stopped a few feet away. "This is Duo Maxwell and H-"
"Odin Lowe," Heero interrupted, sticking his hand out to shake Timothy's hand. Timothy smiled and gripped Heero's. Relena watched nervously as the two men's hands tightened around each other, as if sizing up the other. Not to mention, the way Heero was leering at Timothy made Relena want to crawl into a hole and hide.
"Nice to finally meet you!" Duo said, shoving Heero aside. "Relena's talked a lot about you, Tommy."
"It's Timothy," Relena and Timothy said at the same time.
"I can't wait to see your digs out here," Duo said, having not heard the correction of TImothy's name. Graciously, however, Timothy smiled and nodded to the three of them.
"My limo is waiting outside," he said, turning and motioning for them to follow. Relena turned around and glared at the two of them, snagged her suitcase handle and marched away, following behind Timothy.
In the limo, Relena sat beside Timothy, with Heero and Duo sitting across from them. Timothy's arm was resting around Relena's shoulder and absently playing with a strand of hair. Relena quietly slipped out her phone and sent a text to Heero.
Odin Lowe? What happened to Heero Yuy? she sent to him.
Across the limo, Heero was already intently working on his phone. He didn't even flinch when he sent back a quick response.
I lost him.
Relena frowned at her phone and typed back: What a shame. I was rather fond of Heero Yuy.
Relena glanced up and saw that Heero was looking at her as well. There was a sly smile on his face. Relena looked away quickly, feeling suddenly embarrassed, and stuffed her phone back into her purse.
Heero pocketed his Preventer-issued phone, looking up just in time to see Timothy grabbing Relena's hand.
"Darling, what's your fancy this afternoon?" Timothy started rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. "I thought we could have lunch at the Royal Grande and stroll along the Queen's Walk. You love the Queen's Walk," he grinned, reaching up to ruffle his fiancee's hair.
"I do love the Queen's Walk," Relena smiled, thinking fondly of the romantic promenade along the South Bank of the Thames, taking in views of the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, the iconic Tower Bridge and Tower of London, and of course the massive London Eye looming over it all. It was a little cheesy and more than a little touristy, but she'd always loved the way the city's gigantic ferris wheel cast the entire riverfront in a whimsical, carnival glow.
She had to admit it, she loved the idea of marrying a Brit and effectually becoming one herself. It gave her all the excuses she needed to relish her Anglophilia to her heart's content.
As much as she loved living in Brussels, daily admiring the intricate, gothic guild halls of the Grand Place, a short walk from the ESUN offices, and the resplendent, multicolored flower carpet blanketing the ground, harkening back to the free-spirited '70s and the city's bohemian roots. She loved taking lunch breaks in the Parc du Cinquantenaire, gazing up at the gorgeous triumphal arch. Soon she'd swap that view for that of the Marble Arch. It was bittersweet, but she brimmed full of excitement just thinking about it.
Timothy's insistent voice pulled her out of reverie.
"Darling?" He tapped her hand lightly. "Shall we?"
"Oh." Relena crinkled her brow. "Actually, I'm not that hungry… Guys?" She glanced at Heero and Duo, the latter of whom still looked half-asleep while the former just shrugged.
She batted dark lashes at Timothy. "Perhaps we can wait until we get to the house and get settled first."
Timothy pulled back his hand, a look of disappointment crossing his face that he quickly masked after a clearing of the throat. "Right," he said in his clipped accent. "It'll be tea time by then, but that's fine."
Relena flashed a smile, placing her hand back in his as a peace gesture. A compromise. "It will be lovely," she beamed. "I'm so happy to be seeing everyone at the house."
By "the house," Relena of course meant the Lockhart estate in the Vale of Glamorgan, one of the wealthiest sections of Wales. While the family had castles in London, Northern England and Scotland, Timothy had told Relena that the Glamorgan house was a favorite. After visiting many of the royals' various homes, she found that the Wales mansion tugged the most on her heartstrings. Her eyes loved drinking in the rich scenery of the Welsh countryside, the impossibly green, rolling hills, the gnarled, ancient trees, the rocky coastline, and even the traffic jams caused by free-roaming sheep. Although now the landscape had taken on a decidedly muted palette of browns and grays, she found it no less beautiful.
Periodically throughout the drive, Relena would steal glances of Heero, who kept busy on his tablet, wearing a constant scowl. Her amateur attempts at espionage were quickly thwarted, as Heero caught her looking at him and glanced up every time. She'd then pretend to be craning her neck to look out the window, admiring the quaint, pastoral scenery, occasionally murmuring about all of the pretty horses. She wondered if Heero was at all impressed by what he saw, or if it even registered with him on a deeper level. His eyes were cautious, his jaw clenched as if tension emanated from every pore. Relena recalled how hard it used to be to get Heero to relax, and wondered if the task would prove impossible now, given how he'd clearly retreated back to the stoic soldier she first met long ago. Those first few years after the war, he was finally starting to carve out an existence as a human young man, not a warrior, and she had witnessed him slowly coming out of his shell. Now, it had snapped closed again, all of that hard work undone, as if it had all been for nothing.
She wondered what he'd been through that made him go back.
As they crossed over the Severn Bridge, leaving England behind for the time being, Relena's heart began to hammer in her chest. She took a deep breath to still her… well, she didn't know what it was she felt, exactly. Excitement? Anxiety? Nerves? She cast a sidelong glance at her fiance, who by then had dozed off beside her, then again at Heero, who looked up automatically, his dark eyes mirroring the worried look in her own.
Fear?
-RGS