Disclaimer: I do not claim to own the anime Gundam Wing or any of its characters. All this is for fun so please don't sue me!

Author's notes: First of all, some of you may have noticed the change in rating. That's just because of one word I used in the previous chapter that may warrant a higher rating. I could have changed it or omitted it, but I figured I'd keep the PG-13 due to materials I have in stored for future chapters, which isn't that many (yes, I already have the ending for this fic ^_^). And that brings us to the second announcement. Writing those chapters will have to wait though since I need to devote the next three weeks for my finals and other school works before my semester finishes. That is why I've posted two chapters as a way of apologizing for a long wait until I can continue the updates during my break. And lastly my thanks to the following reviewers:

Thank you Starlight Soul for reading the fic and loving it. And the sweets are most appreciated by my muses (^_^), tons of ideas were bouncing inside my head!

Thanks for putting me on your fav list, princesspriscillamaxwell! I'll look forward to your feedbacks.

To sweetangel14, *bows head sheepishly* sorry for putting you off, but I'm sure you'll like the chapter after this *winks- hint, hint*. Thanks for the wonderful review as always!

Well Amy, that's a scary thought, I certainly wouldn't want that . But I can always count on you for quite an entertaining review ^_^. Thankie!

Thank you heafuru! Glad you're likin' it. Aren't you just lucky you don't have to wait long, seeing as I uploaded this chapter right after you reviewed? ^_^

Chapter Seven: A Ray of Hope

They jogged around the park for nearly an hour before finding a place to rest under a tree. Seeing Sally wipe her forehead with the back of her arm, Wufei asked if she wanted something to drink. At the woman's grateful nod, he bought a couple of bottled water from a nearby vendor and started the walk back to where he left Sally and Jax.

His eyes darkened with jealousy when he spotted a couple of men checking her out nearby. Wufei handed the water bottle to her with a scowl on his face.

"Your boyfriend must appreciate your charming naivete," he said sarcastically.

"What?" Sally asked in surprised.

Wufei pointedly looked at the two men steadily keeping their gaze on her. "He's a lucky man if he doesn't have to worry about you taking notice of the leers those guys are giving you."

Sally felt her cheeks warm up when she finally noticed the men looking in their direction. Wufei could not take it any more and sent the guys the most threatening look he could muster.

Sally sighed in relief when they quickly scampered off. "Thanks," she mumbled.

Ignoring her show of gratitude, he asked scornfully, "So, does he always carry a stick with him to fend off lechers like those?"

"Who?"

"Your boyfriend." His voice practically dripping with acid.

"What boyfriend?"

"The guy you had dinner with last night," he almost shouted at her, losing patience. "Jeez lady, are you dense or what?"

"Quit being so mean!" she yelled back. Realizing that she was sounding like a child, Sally immediately composed herself and with as much dignity as she could sum up explained that Quatre was merely a blind date Relena had set her up with.

Wufei could not help the relief that flooded his body. Feeling bad at how he had treated her, he opened his mouth to apologize. But before any words can be uttered, Wufei's cell phone rang. He saw the number on the screen and nearly growled out his frustration.

"This had better be important," he told the caller on the other line.

"Sorry, boss man," came Duo's cheerful voice. "Just wondering if you're planning to show up to work today or not. You're not planning on playing hooky are you?"

"Duo, as the owner, I think I'm entitled to come and go to the store at whatever time I wish to. You, as my supervisor, have the task of managing the store whenever I am not around."

Sally could almost imagine the worker cringing at Wufei's cold tone and felt sorry for the other man.

"He,he," Duo laughed weakly. "Sorry, sir. It's just that Mr. Shirin called and asked if you were finished with the documents he wanted sent out to him by tomorrow."

"I'll come by and take care of them right now," Wufei said in the same cold tone. "And Duo?"

The audible sound of a gulp was heard from the other line. "Yes, sir?"

"Double check the date on when the next shipment of books will be coming in. We need to get those ready for the customers who had them reserved to be picked up next week."

"R-right away, Wufei," came the hurried reply, followed by a definitive click.

********

Duo hang up the phone and almost collapsed in relief. Trowa, eyed the other man dispassionately as he prepared the cash registers for today's sales.

"Man," the long-haired brunette said. "I thought I was so fired."

The other brunette kept silent.

"I think he's still hung up on whatever happened last night." Duo's face scrunched up as he attempted to analyze the situation. "If it's a girl problem like you said, then I think we're in big trouble. Wufei and romance mix like oil and water. Maybe we should help him out. What do you think, Trowa?"

Trowa did not even spare the brown-haired supervisor a glance. "I think you should unlock those doors so the customers can come in."

Duo quickly looked over his shoulder and sure enough, there were people waiting outside. He glanced at the clock and realized that it was half pass nine, way pass the time they should have opened. With a yelp, he dashed over to the entrance, hoping that no word of this will reach their employer's ears.

********

"Sorry, for the detour," Wufei told Sally offhandedly as he drove into Altron's parking lot.

"It's alright," she said. "It's partly my fault for holding up your morning schedule."

Wufei parked the SUV and shut the engine off. "It shouldn't take me long. I just need to pick up something." He was half way out when he belatedly remembered his manners.

"Did you want to grab some coffee or something in the café?" he asked over his shoulder.

Sally shook her head and smiled. "Nah, I'm fine. I'll just stay in here with Jax. Thanks anyway."

The young man automatically smiled back and headed into the bookstore. Sally watched him walk away in a daze.

Wow, she thought. That was an actual, genuine smile. The blonde found herself grinning and turned to look at her dog.

"So the man can be pleasant," she told Jax. A wistful look came over her as she gazed back at the where Wufei had disappeared to.

"I wish he'd always smile like that." Sally sighed and looked back at Jax, blue eyes twinkling. "He looks real cute when he does that."

Jax gave an approving bark and she laughed at how foolish she must seem at the moment. She gave the puppy's head a gentle pat before facing forward again. A flash of light near the steering wheel caught her attention and Sally turned her head in that direction. For a minute she was not sure if what she was seeing was correct. But a closer inspection proved that she was right. Leaning over, Sally touched the key chain dangling from the ignition with wide eyes.

I can't believe he kept it, she told herself. I was sure he'd just throw it away or something.

It was the same round, golden key chain she had given him seven years ago. The color and surface of it had been dulled over years of usage, but the inscription was still readable. Sally felt her pulse speed up at the possibilities of what all this could mean. She straightened back up in her seat, thoughts racing through her head.

He actually kept it… All this time… Could this mean…? No, it couldn't… But why keep it if he didn't feel at lease a little -

Sally snapped out of her musing with a start when she heard the car door open. She watched Wufei climb inside without a word and shuffle through the envelopes in his hands. Without looking at her, he asked if she could open the glove compartment.

"See if you can find a yellow piece of paper in there," he said. "It should have an address written on it."

The blonde did what he ordered without thinking and was about to hand it over to him when he asked her to read it out loud for him.

Glancing up at him, she saw that he was busily writing something on one of the envelopes and checking the others for comparison. "I just want to make sure I got this address right," he said, still focused on the work in front of him.

"Um …" Sally said thoughtfully as she tried to read the blurry letters on the paper. "I can't read it."

"What do you mean you can't read it?" She could hear the scowl in his voice. "You went to school didn't you?"

Sally felt her eyes twitch. "Of course I can read," she growled back. "I just meant I can't see what I'm reading right now."

Wufei looked up. "You wear glasses?" he asked with mild surprise.

"Not usually," she grudgingly admitted. "I wear contacts most of the time. I don't have them on 'cause I can't remember where I put them last night."

"So you're telling me," he said, his voice deceptively soft. "You were driving around this morning practically blind." There was a brief pause before he exploded. "Are you mad, woman?! Do you have a death wish or something?"

"Quit yelling!" she shouted back. "I'm not stupid, you know. Of course I had my glasses with me." Sally looked out the passenger window and whispered. "I just… left them in the car."

There was no way she was going to tell him that she took it off so he wouldn't have to see her with it. She had never thought of herself as a vain person, but somehow Wufei managed to bring out that side of her. She heard Wufei sigh and Sally braced herself for a bit more of scolding. When none came, she turned around and found Wufei's face close to hers. Real close.

"So, how bad is it?" he asked her with a frown.

"W-what?" she said all flustered.

"Your eyesight." Wufei drew nearer. "Does my face look blurry at all from this distance?"

She can feel her face get warm. "Kinda."

"How about now," he said, coming in a little bit more closer.

Sally almost squeaked, "N-no, that's fine … I c-can see you just fine now."

And it was true, with his face being mere inches from her own, all she can focus on now was Wufei. Everything else around them seems to be nothing but shadowed background.

The younger man gave her a crooked grin. "Well, that should come in handy one of these days, (1)" he said cryptically and then drew back, taking the yellow piece of paper from her limp hand.

Author's notes: I know this chapter was kinda short. It's kind of like a filler chapter I guess, but the next one should be quite entertaining!

(1) This was sort of a borrowed idea from the manga Yasashii Akuma by Fujii Akemi. If anyone has ever read the manga, you'll know what I'm getting at here. In the manga, Wataru didn't like Tohko switching from glasses to contacts because he wanted for her to see only him when he kisses her without the glasses on. (Er… did that make sense?) Hm … come to think of it, there are quite a few similarities between this fic and that manga. But I swear I I didn't mean to steal the ideas … really! Anyway, read the manga if you ever get a hold of it, it's absolutely one of the best out there in my opinion.

Next chapter: Another cameo by one of the Gundam characters, a lost charm, and Wufei leaving, but not before he gives Sally something.