For you newcomers (if you don't want to read through the rest of it): In the year AC 206, the gundams have been rebuilt and there is talk of war between the colonies. The boys have just returned from 1.) a humiliating round of "get the target" in front of thousands of people and 2.) what would be the closest thing to a Soccer Mob in the colonies. Heero, now committed to nonviolence (he gets worried about his wife Relena and daughter Akiko) storms out of the colony dragging the others with him. Unfamiliar characters: Sophie, Duo's wife; Phailin, Wufei's fiance; Senator Erik Beliv, a somewhat despicable, young, inexperienced, childish and overall immoral man.
In this chapter, the boys travel with their families to Rome to face legal charges (for violating their contract), only to discover they've stepped into a danger zone. This chapter leaves most of the characters feeling very exposed and shaken. Also, the mystery characters return. There's a bit of innuendo in here, mostly between Wufei and Phailin, but also Heero and Relena. This piece has some comedy element before I get into the real heavy depressing stuff. So, enjoy!
AC 206: The Change Time Brings (Part VIII)
Dangerous Ways
Quatre retired to his apartment in New Delhi emotionally drained. Why did things have to be so difficult? He had never understood why people just couldn't stay peaceful; He'd never had a problem with it.
Jobel, his roommate, looked up from the small kitchen table, his arms holding a large book. "Still studying? That test must be tough."
"Entrance exams to the elite guard? Are you kidding?" Jobel buried his nose in the book, literally. "I haven't slept in four days," he mumbled.
"At least the fate of the colonies doesn't rest in your hands. Sandrock's been really edgy lately." Quatre yawned, looking to where the sun was rising out the window. "Yell at me if anyone calls."
"I unplugged the phone." Jobel said.
Quatre sighed and plugged it back in. "I mean it. It might be important."
"More important than my sleep?"
"Yeah. 'Fraid so. "
Quatre went to his room and closed the blackout curtains. He'd never been good with time changes. He lay on his narrow mattress, trying to ignore the sounds of the traffic in the city. Tossing and turning, he didn't really sleep at all.
"Trowa's on the phone!" Jobel yelled hours later. Quatre immediately sat up and picked up the line. Trowa's haggard face appeared on the screen. "Don't you find it odd that they haven't hauled us in for questions yet?" he asked.
"Don't talk to me about that. I don't even want to think about having to get on another plane right now. I'll admit, though, it's a little unusual. Maybe they're trying to give us a little rest-up time?"
"Doubt it," Trowa said.
"Yeah, didn't think so. I bet somebody pulled some strings. Might've been Relena."
At the other end, Trowa nodded. "That sounds as likely as anything. I suppose she would know how much sleep we've lost lately, huh?"
Quatre scratched his head. "So if you wouldn't mind, I'm trying to catch up. Sorry, but I'm too tired to talk."
"No problem. 'Night." Trowa hung up. When Mariemaia walked in the next morning to tell him she was off to school, she found him face down at the console, snoring.
~~@[~*~]@~~
"Wufei?" Phailin touched his shoulder gently. "You're awake." He looked at her, his black eyes alert. He looked rested, refreshed. She noticed his hair was still wet from the shower. "Sleep well?"
"Yes, thank you. That herbal-whatever you gave me helped quite a bit. Though I do kind of have a headache. Probably just an after-effect." He reached up to touch her cheek. "Where did you find it?"
"That store next to work." She smiled slyly.
Wufei's eyes narrowed. "I don't remember there being an herbal medicine shop next to the Martial Arts Center."
Phailin hugged his neck and kissed his cheek. "There isn't."
"What—" Wufei tugged out of her arms, realizing what was next to the Center. "You've been getting me drunk, woman!"
She laughed, rolling backward onto their bed. "That stuff's so strong you never even remember drinking it. Do you just have a low tolerance for hard liquor?"
Feeling embarrassed and a little betrayed, Wufei slumped back into his seat. "You've done this before?"
"Once or twice. I just remembered that having a drink once in a while helps you relax. And, well, I'm not totally unselfish . . . last night was wild."
"Please tell me you had some too."
"Nearly as much as you did." Phailin walked over to him and sat down in his lap. "Oh, come on, wipe that sour look off your face. It was harmless, and I was worried about you. I'm just sorry you don't remember."
Wufei gave her a slightly incredulous look. "Did we really have that much fun?"
"Sure. That's why I try to have a bottle of wine handy. Haven't you noticed?"
"Why do you like it so much better?"
She sighed giving him a look that said 'that's not what I meant to imply.' "You're just a little looser, you know? Less formal. You always seem so tense when you're sober. You need to relax. You know, play around a little?"
Wufei looked at her surprised. He'd never known she felt that way.
She rubbed the back of his neck. "We're off today."
"Huh? Why?"
Phailin rolled her eyes. "Unity Day, remember? It's probably the only reason why those goons haven't called to yell at you for pulling out of your mission early."
"And you know that?"
"Of course not, but I'd put money on it."
"You Thais, always gambling . . ." Wufei said, feeling a little better. He shifted her until his arms were under her, lifted her slight body and carried her over to their small bed. "How much you wanna bet I can outdo myself?"
Phailin laughed softly. "You're irrepressible."
~~@[~*~]@~~
Four days later, the five pilots and their families/relations gathered in Rome to argue their case. Duo was being excessively loud, due to the fact that colony X-02484 (better known as Grannal by the citizens) was trying to sue the pants off him for the drone he'd smashed. "Yes, I would very much mind if you settled for a public appearance in your underwear endorsing the colony," Sophie told him as he explained his problem to the others. "I'm not going to let you take the easy way out on this one."
"Aw, Soph, I didn't mean to step on it. It was just on the ground, and it wasn't supposed to be," Duo was pleading.
"Exactly. We're gonna win."
Duo smacked his forehead. "Oy."
"Uncle Duo, how much is that little robot actually worth?" Akiko asked. "Couldn't be more than a couple hundred."
"About three hundred-fifty, I think," Sophie said. "I'm sure the Gundam Games budget isn't stretched so tight that buying another one would be a dent in the account. Thanks for the insight, honey."
"Well, we aren't supposed to come to court until later this evening," Relena said. "I say we all go out and have a look at the city. It'll be a nice way to take our minds off things. Anyone else up for it?"
The good-natured suggestion was followed by a series of noises from the men that she had learned to interpret as "fine" (but actually meant "no, but I don't want to be killed right now") by speaking with Heero for years, as well as three sure's from the girls. "Alright, let's go!"
Enthusiastic as a tourist, Relena bounded out of the room, followed by Phailin, Akiko and Sophie. The others followed in slow, somewhat reluctant slumps.
"Women," groaned Trowa so that the aforementioned wouldn't hear.
"Duh," said Wufei.
"Speak for yourselves," Duo told them cheerfully, dashing forward and putting his arm around Sophie's shoulders.
"Why's he in such a good mood?" persisted Wufei sourly.
Heero, glancing between the Chinese pilot and his wife, elected to go walk with his daughter.
"Not all of us have a third option," grumbled Wufei, scuffing his feet on the pavement.
"What is with you?" demanded Trowa, irritated. "Could you a least stop sniping?"
"It's driving me nuts," Quatre added. The Mediterranean sun glinted in his eye at what he obviously thought was a good pun, though no one noticed. (Goes to show, doesn't it?)
Phailin glanced back, raising her eyebrow at the three, who had stopped for an argument behind them. She grinned. "Oh, what's the matter, you boys? Is something bothering you, Wuffie?"
Duo's head perked up. He turned, a maniacal grin plastered all over that incredibly annoying face of his. "Wuffie?"
Quatre covered his mouth with his hand and snickered.
Trowa tactfully stepped away from the now-fuming Chang. Incredibly, he was blushing. "No, I'm dandy," he said, his voice sub-zero, narrow eyes even narrower.
The nine of them stood staring at each other until Akiko piped up. "Is that kinda like 'little Heero—?'"
Heero's hand shot out to clamp around his daughter's mouth but it was too late.
"Oh, God," Relena said, hiding her face. "Where did you hear that? No, never mind, don't answer."
"Gm . . ." Duo clutched at his stomach, doubled up. "Don'tcha love kids??"
"Gesh not," Akiko said, still muffled.
Trowa grinned, giving Heero a look.
"Oh, shut up," he told the other. "Honey, don't ask about things like that in public, okay?"
"Is it like that?" Quatre looked to Wufei, who was still red.
". . . No."
"Kind of," Phailin said.
Wufei glared at her. "Mind if we don't discuss that with everybody?"
"I don't mind it at all. Oh, stop acting like a kid. You can't really be so angry over that."
"This is not the time to talk about it," Wufei told her stonily.
"Come on," Duo whined, still grinning. Wufei wanted to slug him, no matter how dishonorable it was to hit an unarmed man. "What is going on here?"
"Um, Duo?" Sophie whispered something in his ear.
Other people on the street stared at Duo's hysterics fit. "You can't— gnsh, hahaha!"
Heero rolled his eyes. "Can't you even act mature?"
"And if they are having trouble in bed, it's none of our business," Relena added quietly.
"I certainly don't want to hear about it." Heero felt Akiko tugging on his pant leg. "What is it now?"
Eyes wide, Akiko said, "That man has a gun."
Quick as a cat, Heero turned. A dark figure in an alleyway, realizing he'd been noticed, began firing at them. People were screaming. "Get back!" He leapt in front of Relena and Akiko and fired back, but the target was too far away and in shadow. "Everybody, get into that avenue behind us. Now!"
The others made a dash for it. Another figure leaned out his window, above them. Wufei was the only one who saw him. "Look out!" He cried, diving for Phailin. A bullet caught him in the shoulder as he tackled her. Duo leapt from his shelter and hit the gunmen in the head. The body rolled back into the apartment.
Heero found his mark and the streets became eerily quiet.
"Wufei!" Phailin shouted. He was still on top of her, grimacing in pain. His shirt was turning deep red.
"Damn, that hurts," he groaned, eyes squeezed shut.
"Somebody call an ambulance!" yelled Quatre. A dozen people when scurrying. "Get his shirt off to stifle the bleeding! Careful!"
"Hit him high in the shoulder," Trowa said, trying to calm Phailin down "He should be fine once we get that bullet out."
Back in the narrow avenue, Heero and Relena were talking urgently. "Call some cars, then, if you really want a tour that bad," he told her. "I don't want you or Akiko to get shot."
"Oh, you're expendable?"
"If it comes down to me or you, yes. You know how I feel, especially now. That might not have been the last of them."
Down the street, a siren could be heard. The crowd that had gathered scattered when the police arrived, trailing an ambulance. Wufei was loaded in a driven away immediately, and the others were left to answer questions. Duo, of course, blew the story way out of proportion, making himself the hero who took down ten, no, a dozen gunmen (though they only found the two bodies). The others, however, gave almost identical testimony.
"How many bullets were fired by the gunmen in the window?" One of the policemen asked Phailin.
She shook her head, unable to speak. Relena put her hand on the woman's shoulder. "With all due respect, Sergeant, please stop. Her fiancee's been shot and she's in shock. I'm sure she'll be able to answer questions later."
The officer looked to Relena to admonish her and stopped on recognition of Senator Darlian. "Before midnight tomorrow, understand. I have paperwork due."
"Of course."
"Thank you," Phailin told Relena quietly.
Relena hugged her sympathetically. "No problem. I know exactly what it's like, trust me."
~~@[~*~]@~~
"What is a drone worth, three hundred? The Gundam Games budget has a surplus of several million, for exactly this reason. We'd gladly pay for another one! Why are those terms so hard to agree with?" Sophie was angry. She knew Duo felt the same way. What they were asking was insane.
"It is not only the matter of the robot incident which we intend to press charges for," Senator Beliv told Sophie smugly. "My, Ms Dorlian, I thought you'd taken a leave from your duties."
"I am here as an advisor to the pilots, not under my official status," Relena told him coldly. His stare was unnerving.
"It makes one wonder why you took such a leave in the first place under these seemingly perilous circumstances."
Beliv's face was taking on an expression that Heero was feeling uncomfortable about. "This is not the time to discuss Ms. Dorlian's personal decisions, senator. Your nosiness is not appreciated," he said, his voice menacing.
"Ah," Beliv responded, small, rat-like eyes glinting.
Up on the podium, Beliv cleared his throat. "Let us get to business, shall we? Continuing my comment earlier, we are here, in fact, to discuss the entirety of the actions taken on the contracted employees, the five gundam pilots Heero Yuy, Quatre Raberba Winner, Duo Maxwell, Chang Wufei and Trowa Barton six days previous at colony X-02484. Before we begin, I must state for the record that one of the aforementioned pilots is not present. This my be interpreted by myself and others as an act of treason—"
Heero stood, outraged. "Chang Wufei fully intended to be here for this hearing. Due to circumstances beyond his control, he is in the emergency room at Saint Catherine's for removal of a bullet from his right shoulder. Furthermore, I would like to say— for the record— that with proper security measures the act of terrorism my colleagues and I experienced today would never have happened. Our contract specifically states, in clause five, paragraph two, line nine that the Earthsphere United Nations is to provide all required security for the gundam pilots and their families. If Duo and I hadn't been armed we might have been dead now."
"You've learned how to speak politically, now, have you?" Beliv asked, cornered. This hearing wasn't going quite as planned.
"Stop playing games, Beliv. We left the colony because our contract had been violated. I have the paper right here to back me up. Do you want to debate it, or should we just end this early and go have some cocktail weenies?" Relena was impressed by her husband. He could be very devious if roused in the right way. His sarcasm not only denounced the amateur who appeared to be running this operation, but won the side of other senators and onlookers.
"Hand me that report," Beliv insisted.
Relena had looked it over. Trowa and Duo had done a very thorough job. As far as she could tell, there were no holes, loops, or inaccurate wordings to be found.
Beliv read through the document then handed it to his aide. "File this for future reference."
Bingo! Relena felt much more satisfied. Don't try and outmaneuver skilled pilots. We've already saved our own copy.
Obviously feeling bashed, Senator called an end to the hearing. "All charges against the pilots are dropped, and three hundred-fifty dollars will be billed to the Gundam Games department for the loss of the drone." It was plain some of the other younger delegates were disappointed that gundam caretakers had enough foresight to determine what arguments they would need to win. Heero had beaten Beliv with a thousand-point advantage (to put it in GG terms).
The city of Rome had provided an admirable dinner party, open to those present at the conference. The pilots and the women, minus Wufei, Phailin and Akiko (who was with the two Orientals to keep them company) gathered to talk.
"So why are you retired, Relena? You plan on going back, don't you?" Trowa asked.
"In a few months," she told him, with a definite "drop the subject" tone.
"Ah."
Heero munched silently on a flaky pastry, and Relena habitually reached over to brush crumbs off his dinner jacket. He rolled his eyes. "Honestly . . ."
Duo had his arms around his wife still, giving the impression that he was one of those stuffed animals with velcro attached to the end of their extremities. "Haven't you gotten used to that by now?"
"Not in public." Heero grabbed Relena's hand, on its way back to his jacket, and gave her a look.
"Fine, do it yourself."
"For someone who tries to imply you two don't have a relationship, you sure act motherly," Quatre pointed out, earning an eternally grateful look from Heero.
"Can we drop it?" Trowa asked.
"Are you kidding?" Duo whispered something in Sophie's ear and she grinned.
Trowa sighed loudly. "Why don't we go try and talk to other people for a while?"
Heero shrugged, his mouth full.
They dispersed, Relena heading for the hallway. Someone grabbed her arm. "It's not like a politician to be openly secretive, you know," a voice told her.
She turned and looked at Erik Beliv's face, His black eyes were cold, dangerous. They were alone in the hallway. Relena drew her hand back and slapped the man hard across the face. (Ooh, for how long she'd wanted to do that!)
She tried to pull away, but his fingers tightened around her arm. His thin lips pulled back to reveal shiny, almost unnaturally straight teeth. His evil little black goatee hung like the Devil's beard from his reddening face. "My, could I call that assault, my Sanc Kingdom Princess?"
"I'd call it self-defense, you bastard. Let me go!" Relena tried to pull away, but Beliv was by no means a weak man.
"Now, now, Ms Darlian. No need for hostilities." Before she could say anything he put his hand over her mouth, his face mere centimeters from hers. "I must admit I have feelings for you. Surely you'll let me—"
No! Relena twisted desperately, but uselessly. Her cries muffled, Beliv hauled her off. Heero!
~~@[~*~]@~~
Heero felt his finger twitch. What was that? He suddenly had a bad feeling. Instinctively nervous, he glanced around for Relena.
She wasn't in the dining hall. Nor was Senator Beliv. Heero cursed softly. Foolish of him, letting both of them get out of his sight. He patted his coat, where his gun was hidden.
"Relena's gone." He told Trowa quietly, sidling up to the lone man. "Get the others. We need to go look for her."
"You think she might be in danger?"
"Beliv's missing too."
Trowa nodded and went to pry Duo away from Sophie. Now was a time when you really missed Wufei; He had an instinct for searches.
Heero ran down the only open hallway, heart pounding. His gun was already out and held in front of him. Down the hall, Quatre and Duo called to him "We've got the right-side doors!" Trowa ran ahead of Heero, checking every other knob, busting the door inwards if it was locked. The four of them were twenty doors down when Heero heard a scream.
Teeth clenched, he raced ahead of the desperate men. A large crash came from the last room down. Not hesitating, he kicked at it and heard the wood crunch. Damn, it's triple-bolted!
"Aah—!" It was Relena, all right. Borne of his fear, Heero swore loudly and rammed the heavy oak door with his shoulder. Pain shot down his back, but he heard the distinct sound of strained metal tearing. The others were still down the hall, as even Trowa's long legs were not enough to keep up with Heero's panicked despair.
The door cracked and Heero was able to see the last bolt. He took careful aim and shot it. He kicked the door the rest of the way open and saw his wife, bound and gagged on an overstuffed couch, blouse torn and halfway off. Beliv's back was to him.
Heero cocked his gun and pressed it against the man's head. "Omae o korosu," he said quietly, meaning every syllable. No one threatened his family.
"Oh, would you, Mister Yuy? I daresay the press would have a field day." Beliv chuckled. "Though I do believe this position is quite fitting. You really are Ms Darlian's knight in shining armor, aren't you?"
"You okay?" Heero asked, not taking his eyes off the retched excuse for a man. "Move it, you son-of-a-bitch!" He pressed the hot barrel of his gun harder against the side of Beliv's head, bringing his arm down to block the blow the larger man tried to deal. "And don't try anything stupid. I've got the means to kill you, and God knows I'd do it."
He forced Beliv aside and Relena rolled away from him, hands tied behind her back. Heero waved his hand. "Trowa, watch this guy, huh? Duo, you'd better get back to Sophie before everyone starts to come looking for us. You too, Quatre. Why don't you call the police? Get the press in here."
Trowa took the gun, settling down in a nearby chair and Heero knelt beside his wife, untied her, and tossed the ropes to Duo, who'd refused to leave until he was sure they were secure. She was trembling. "Hsh," he told her, holding her. "It's okay. You're all right."
Relena pressed against him, unable to support herself. "Oh, God . . ."
Heero draped his jacket, crumbs and all, over her. "I'm here, sweetheart."
Beliv was eyeing them, deviousness written all over his face. Trowa leaned forward and poked his temple with the weapon. "And if you think you'll be letting anything out, you're greatly mistaken, Senator."
"You guys gonna be okay?" Duo asked, squeezing Relena's shoulder gently.
"We'll survive," Heero told him, and Duo left.
After a few moments, Heero stood and helped Relena up. "We'd better go to the party before the officials and cameras get here. We want them to see you're fine."
She managed a weak smile. "Concerned for my image, as always."
"You've taught me a bit about that." Hand at her back in a polite but not necessarily affectionate gesture, he led her to the Hall, where no one appeared to have noticed a thing. Relena gripped Heero's jacket tightly, conscious about how she'd be seen.
"Ms Relena?" The elder Senator Vernon Rand approached, holding out her hand. "I have to congratulate— My, is something the matter?"
"I— I'm fine," she told him. "Please, continue?"
He held out a hand. "I just must congratulate you for your superb work with the pilots on this one. Your composure today, especially under our spokesman rather uncurbed behavior, has been excellent, as always. I wanted to apologize personally for him."
"Don't do that," Heero said. "Don't get me wrong, Senator, because I admire you, but you'd be wasting your breath trying to apologize for what Beliv's done."
Rand blinked. "Would I? Perhaps you're exaggerating, Mr. Yuy?"
Heero shook his head, but Relena stopped him. "Heero—"
"No. This needs to be known. Beliv molested you. That's not appropriate, and what's more, it's illegal."
"Oh, goodness! When did this happen?" Rand asked, looking shocked.
"Just now," Relena said, giving up. "He caught me off guard. I was only lucky Trowa, Duo, Quatre and Heero noticed I was gone."
"I'm terribly sorry! Mr. Yuy's right, that's completely inappropriate."
Quatre came jogging over. "I used Sophie's phone to call—" he shot Heero a questioning glance and received a nod— "The police should be here in a moment."
"Thanks a lot. This trip has not gone well," Relena sighed. Unnoticed. Heero rubbed her shoulder blades.
"First Wufei, now you," agreed Quatre. "I wonder if this was planned."
"Thoughts later," Heero told him quietly. "Facts now. I can see the press van pulling up."
"Right." Quatre ran outside to greet them and allow them through the guards.
"Ready?" Heero asked Relena, "Or do you need a spokesman?"
She smiled. "How would that look?"
"I'm more concerned about you right now."
"You're sweet. Yes, go ahead and speak for me. You've been doing it for everyone else anyway. You always seem to convey a sense of control." Relena let him put his arm around her shoulders.
Senator Rand was watching them with interest. "Is there something here I'm perhaps missing? Or is it private?"
"As long as you keep it to yourself, I don't see a problem in you knowing, Senator. You're one of the few men I trust these days. We have a relationship." Relena settled against Heero, seeking his comfort. "It'll get out soon enough, but I'd appreciate if you didn't spread rumors."
"It's about time." Rand inclined his gray-bearded head. "I've been wondering about that for years. Of course, I'll honor that request. Have you received any word on young Chang, by the way? I heard that wound of his was pretty serious."
"It's not as bad as it looked," Heero assured him. He'd gotten a message earlier from Akiko. "He's stable, and it was a clean wound and shouldn't take long to heal. It didn't hit anything but muscle."
"That's fortunate."
"Yes, but it's going to anger a lot of people," Relena said.
"Ms Relena, we'd gotten word you were attacked by Senator Erik Beliv! Is this true??" A man in a suit ran forward with a microphone, followed by a camera crew.
"It's true," Heero told him. People were turning to see what the ruckus was.
"What happened?"
"Ms Darlian was alone in the hallway and was confronted by Senator Beliv," Heero explained. "He threatened her, and attempted to molest her. She was lucky I noticed her disappearance and was able to get to Beliv before anything serious happened."
"Pardon me, Mister Yuy, but might we get a statement directly from Ms Darlian?"
Heero looked at Relena, and she clutched his jacket more tightly around her. "It was the scariest thing that's ever happened to me," she said, looking into the cameras so that others would see how shaken she was. "What a horrible world we live in, where a person cannot even walk in a lonely hallway in safety."
"Indeed, said the newscaster somberly. "What can this mean for future relations between the Gundam Pilot Organization and the Senate, Mr. Yuy?"
Heero shook his head. "That is undecided. If history teaches us anything, the smallest incident can turn into tragedy. We will work hard to keep that from happening, though if necessary I will see that Senator Beliv is pursued for his crime."
"Your time in Rome has not been pleasant, has it, Mr Yuy? We understand that Chang Wufei was gunned down this morning. Is that correct?"
"Wufei has been shot, but I assure everyone that it's a flesh wound and he'll be on his feet in no time. It is believed the two men who were shooting at us were acting independently."
"What are your feelings on this, if I may ask?" The camera zoomed in eagerly.
"This is not the kind of behavior that fills me with hope for the human race. Can we not express our ideals without bloodshed? I have considered many times in the past few days backing out on our contract with the government because the reappearance of the gundams has seemed only to spark violence throughout Earth and the colonies. Was it really the better choice to bring such powerful symbols of rebellion back when rebellion seemed to be the problem?"
"Thank you for your input, Mister Yuy. It is greatly appreciated." The newsman and his crew went off to interview others.
Right about then, the police came in. "Where is Senator Beliv being held?" the Sergeant who had conducted the investigation into the shootings asked Heero. His arm still protectively around Relena, Heero showed three officers down the hall, through the broken door to Beliv, bound and with a gun pointed at him. Heero had caught the tail end of the conversation he and Trowa had been having about painful gunshot wounds. Trowa was pointing Heero's gun at the man's stomach.
"They're here to take you in, Beliv," Heero said, reliving Trowa of his weapon. "So go along nice and quiet, will you? I'll hear about everything, won't I, Sergeant?"
"Of course, Mr. Yuy."
Expressionless, Beliv was handcuffed and read his rights.
"Can't say it hasn't been an interesting day," Relena said quietly, shivering inside Heero's jacket.
~~@[~*~]@~~
They watched them drive away, hidden in the shadow of the building. He was feeling extremely guilty. Relena's safety was supposed to be his concern.
"There's no way you could have known," she said, trying to comfort him. "And she's got the boys at her back. I wouldn't be surprised if Beliv's finished for good."
"I need to know these things. This is all my fault!"
"No, it's not. Beliv's never mentioned anything, and there was no predicting his behavior tonight. Stop moping, dammit! And even if we had known, what could we have done? We're not supposed to be here, remember?"
". . . I know."
"Heero looked very angry. I would bet anything he'll be watching her closely."
He took a deep breath, and sighed. "Did you know about those gunmen earlier today? We should've heard about that."
"I was down the street, but I didn't know the Liberators had the planned. I already talked to them."
"Who's 'them?'"
"They were called the Five. They aren't called anything anymore." She showed him her wrist carrier, where the spare round she always carried for her handgun was missing.
"You shouldn't have done that."
"They defied us, so they face the consequences."
"You're being too brutal."
"We have to play rough now. Talks of peace have gone nowhere. Can't you see that?"
He seized her wrist, trying to calm her down. "I don't want to believe it, but you're right. We have to go out to where the action is now."
"Our job is to put our lives in danger," she said gently, "so that they don't have to. We're protecting them at our expense. That's what you wanted, wasn't it?"
"Yes. How soon can we acquire a ship?"
"Let me make arrangements."
~~@[~*~]@~~
"What??" Wufei tried to sit up, but groaned in pain and had to lie back down. "That bastard! I knew he was up to something!"
"He tried to rape my mom," Akiko repeated, hugging herself. "What a creepy man."
Phailin knelt beside the girl, hugging her tightly. Akiko, however, seemed no more upset than she. The girl understood these things! "They'll be over in a few minutes, just as soon as they finish their business at the courthouse."
True to their word, Heero and Relena were there moments later. "Dad, Mom! Are you okay?"
Relena scooped her daughter into her arms. "I'll be okay. Beliv's been arrested."
"I sure hope your pressing charges." Akiko hugged her mother's neck.
"What would I do besides?"
Wufe was struggling to sit up again. "Dammit, that's it! That pathetic excuse for a human being has to be dealt with, and now. Never have I encountered such dishonor!"
"Calm down, Chang, you'll reopen your wound." Phailin pressed him gently but firmly against his pillow. "He's being dealt with in a more . . . shall we say . . . damaging way?"
Relena nodded. "The blow to his public image has been quite severe already, the by the time I'm finished suing he'll be ruined permanently. Beliv's entire life has centered in politics, therefore it's the best way to deal a heavy blow. Trust me, Wufei, you don't need to do a thing."
"I'd still like to."
"Don't. I'm afraid Beliv will find that an excuse to retaliate against us."
"He's locked up nice and tight. I've made sure of it," Heero told them. "Believe me, I really wanted to shoot him."
"Does everything look all right with your shoulder, Wufei?" Relena asked, trying to bring up a different subject. She still felt uneasy about talking about it.
"Yeah. They're going to keep me here for a few days to make sure the wound doesn't get infected, et cetera. It was pretty clean, though, so they expect I might be out as early as tomorrow. It's already started to heal."
"Well that's good news." Relena turned as a nurse with a clipboard poked her head in.
"Ms. Darlian? We're ready for you now."
"Oh, good. Are you coming, Heero?"
"Of course."
"What? Where are you going?" asked Phailin.
"Oh, there's a test I need to have done and I figured I might as well get it over with, as long as we're here. It shouldn't take more than ten minutes or so." Relena smiled for the first time that evening.
"What test?" asked Akiko.
"It's just a checkup on the baby," Heero told her. "Just to make sure everything's okay."
"Can I come?" Akiko brightened up. "Please?"
"Nurse, would that be allowed?"
"I don't see why not." The nurse shrugged.
Heero picked up his daughter. "We'll meet you out front, Phailin. How's that?"
"Fine." The door closed and Phailin sat down next to Wufei, on his bed. "I guess this is goodbye for tonight."
"We've got ten minutes." Wufei messed with the control buttons for his mattress until the motor whirred and it sat him up. He didn't want to risk re-wounding himself. "Hey, what's wrong with you?"
Her eyes were downcast, and she didn't reply. He touched her hands; they were ice-cold. It took him a minute to notice, but she was crying.
"What's this now?" Wufei was puzzled. Gently, he wiped at her eye. "I'm fine."
"I was scared, Wufei," he told him. "More scared than I've ever been. I'd always thought that at least we'd die together, in battle, maybe, but now . . . I realized that if it came down to you or me, you'd be gone before me!" She sobbed and buried her face in her hands. "I don't know what I'd do without you!"
She may defeat me in sparring, realized Wufei suddenly, but she's still a woman.
"I was so afraid," she whispered, "that you loved me for Nataku back when we met that once I knew it wasn't Merian you still longed for I couldn't imagine that security gone. I see my whole life with you, Wufei. I've never been sure of anything before you, and I almost lost you today. Please, forgive my weakness!"
"Phailin . . ." Wufei touched her soft chin gently, willing her eyes to look into his own. "How do you think I would have felt, had I lost you?"
She let him hold her, silently, something subtly different about the couple. They'd never been in such belly-up danger before. "Six weeks," he told her. "Six weeks is all we have left until I can't put other obligations before you. Can you wait that long?"
"I can."
She left. He realized, suddenly, I'm going to marry this woman. By choice, not because I have to. I value her more than my own life. My own! His sudden unselfishness was startling, yet he'd leapt in the path of that bullet unthinkingly. Everything up until this point had been so innocent, unreal, and now he'd been struck by an epiphany. Now he knew how Heero felt. He thought, and that selfishness is what's been holding me back, hasn't it? Wufei lowered his mattress, knowing he needed to sleep so he could leave the hospital and be with Phailin. It's what he wanted most.
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So . . . what do you think? I need some more reviews, guys!!
Anyway, like I said, it's a little depressing but ends on a good note. Next post will be the start of three long segments covering Wufei's wedding: "Thaiing Knots", "The Bachelor Party", and "Vies, Vows, and Valedictions". Wufei visits Thailand and Phailin's village, encountering a somewhat flirtatious grandmother, a possessive former boyfriend, and general cultural confusion. (Bet you can't wait to see how bad Duo screws things up, right?) The next chapter of AC 206: The Change Time Brings: "Thaiing Knots".