Mind Games
By Queen of Sarab
Chapter 6
"I'm sooo glad you came, Heero," Relena bubbled mercilessly. "I feel so much safer with you here."
"And Quatre," threw in Duo. "He's here to protect you too. And maybe Wufei, but I'm not really sure. He's too busy staring at Rory to notice anyone else."
At that, Aurora's face turned red and Wufei looked like he wouldn't have minded at all if the earth had opened up and swallowed him. Celeste grinned knowingly. "Not the only one staring at people, is he now Duo?" she muttered where only he could hear. "Try to keep your Heero fantasies
rated PG, PG-13 tops, 'Kay?"
Grinning forcedly, Duo gave her a swift kick under the table they
sat at, hissing between his teeth, "Stop reading my mind."
"Kinda hard, the way your shouting."
"I am not shouting, I'm whispering."
"In your mind, dumbass. I would be able to hear you across the room easily."
"Duo," Relena's voice cut in. "I was surprised to see you brought a date. Celeste, isn't it?"
"No," Celeste cut in. "It's Flare."
"Um...ok." Relena looked at her uncertainly. "Are you a, uh, student?"
Celeste looked at her seriously. "Only by day. By night I'm actually a topless dancer. Pays really well. "
Duo smothered a laugh with his fist. Relena looked at her uncertainly, then turned her attention back to Heero.
"Hey, Duo, wanna dance?" asked Celeste brightly.
Duo grinned. "Love to, Flare. As long as you don't start stripping or something."
"Oh, you know you'd love it. You could just imagine I'm Heero." Celeste's grin melted into a grimace. "Ew, Duo, at least TRY to hide your thoughts."
Across the room, Celeste could see Trowa standing silent and alert on one of the balconies. Suddenly remembering what they were here to do, she turned her face to Duo. "Who are we assassinating, anyway? There doesn't seem to be anyone extremely important here..."
Duo shrugged. "Some guy- we really didn't even get a name, just a description and picture."
With a slight frown, Celeste stopped moving as the music cut off suddenly, and a spotlight fixed itself on the stage at the far end of the room. The bright light reflected sharply off of the microphone, creating spots of light on the walls and ceiling.
"This should be the guy," Duo murmured to her. "The guy who's gonna
speak."
A ripple of applause rode through the crowd as the speaker walked on stage. The middle-aged man, walking with the bearing denoting someone of importance, had a head of sandy blond hair shot through with gray, and harsh, calculating gray eyes.
Celeste felt a shock of recognition course through her, and she put a hand to her mouth to keep herself from either vomiting or screaming.
At their table, she saw Aurora's normally tan face drain of all color.
The man on stage was their father.
She felt as if the world had been ripped out from under her feet, and she was falling into an endless void of screaming terror. This was not possible. This was not happening. Celeste realized vaguely that Duo was supporting her, giving her a worried look. Huh. She must have started to fall.
Doesn't matter now. Nothing matters. Nothing except...ohgod, but he was DEAD, and that's why they had to run. He didn't know....he wasn't bad....
Even as she thought it, Celeste realized it wasn't really true. Her father had never been kind. He'd never comforted, praised, encouraged....it had always been cool, calculating looks and clipped conversations. He hadn't been good- he'd simply been all Celeste and Aurora had ever had.
But it all made sense now- it wasn't their nanny who had told Oz about them- it was their father. It had been him all along. Celeste felt a sudden calm overcome her, and she pushed Duo away. She knew what she had to do- Trowa wouldn't have to kill him.
She would.
By Queen of Sarab
Chapter 6
"I'm sooo glad you came, Heero," Relena bubbled mercilessly. "I feel so much safer with you here."
"And Quatre," threw in Duo. "He's here to protect you too. And maybe Wufei, but I'm not really sure. He's too busy staring at Rory to notice anyone else."
At that, Aurora's face turned red and Wufei looked like he wouldn't have minded at all if the earth had opened up and swallowed him. Celeste grinned knowingly. "Not the only one staring at people, is he now Duo?" she muttered where only he could hear. "Try to keep your Heero fantasies
rated PG, PG-13 tops, 'Kay?"
Grinning forcedly, Duo gave her a swift kick under the table they
sat at, hissing between his teeth, "Stop reading my mind."
"Kinda hard, the way your shouting."
"I am not shouting, I'm whispering."
"In your mind, dumbass. I would be able to hear you across the room easily."
"Duo," Relena's voice cut in. "I was surprised to see you brought a date. Celeste, isn't it?"
"No," Celeste cut in. "It's Flare."
"Um...ok." Relena looked at her uncertainly. "Are you a, uh, student?"
Celeste looked at her seriously. "Only by day. By night I'm actually a topless dancer. Pays really well. "
Duo smothered a laugh with his fist. Relena looked at her uncertainly, then turned her attention back to Heero.
"Hey, Duo, wanna dance?" asked Celeste brightly.
Duo grinned. "Love to, Flare. As long as you don't start stripping or something."
"Oh, you know you'd love it. You could just imagine I'm Heero." Celeste's grin melted into a grimace. "Ew, Duo, at least TRY to hide your thoughts."
Across the room, Celeste could see Trowa standing silent and alert on one of the balconies. Suddenly remembering what they were here to do, she turned her face to Duo. "Who are we assassinating, anyway? There doesn't seem to be anyone extremely important here..."
Duo shrugged. "Some guy- we really didn't even get a name, just a description and picture."
With a slight frown, Celeste stopped moving as the music cut off suddenly, and a spotlight fixed itself on the stage at the far end of the room. The bright light reflected sharply off of the microphone, creating spots of light on the walls and ceiling.
"This should be the guy," Duo murmured to her. "The guy who's gonna
speak."
A ripple of applause rode through the crowd as the speaker walked on stage. The middle-aged man, walking with the bearing denoting someone of importance, had a head of sandy blond hair shot through with gray, and harsh, calculating gray eyes.
Celeste felt a shock of recognition course through her, and she put a hand to her mouth to keep herself from either vomiting or screaming.
At their table, she saw Aurora's normally tan face drain of all color.
The man on stage was their father.
She felt as if the world had been ripped out from under her feet, and she was falling into an endless void of screaming terror. This was not possible. This was not happening. Celeste realized vaguely that Duo was supporting her, giving her a worried look. Huh. She must have started to fall.
Doesn't matter now. Nothing matters. Nothing except...ohgod, but he was DEAD, and that's why they had to run. He didn't know....he wasn't bad....
Even as she thought it, Celeste realized it wasn't really true. Her father had never been kind. He'd never comforted, praised, encouraged....it had always been cool, calculating looks and clipped conversations. He hadn't been good- he'd simply been all Celeste and Aurora had ever had.
But it all made sense now- it wasn't their nanny who had told Oz about them- it was their father. It had been him all along. Celeste felt a sudden calm overcome her, and she pushed Duo away. She knew what she had to do- Trowa wouldn't have to kill him.
She would.