Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.
-Note. Okay in this part * * * * * don't signify a flash back but a change in POV. I hope you can follow it.
Chapter 4 'Why won't life go back to normal?'
Heero grumbled and pulled another stack of files onto his desk. Why was it that when he was distracted he had the most to do? It seemed that in the last two days everyone had been on his case. Normally he didn't care, it was just all in the line of duty, so to speak, but now he seemed overly sensitive about everything. As in everything pissed him off. When he wasn't at home he was pissed. When he was at home he was depressed. Work had always been semi enjoyable for him. He didn't mind the paper work or the typing, until now.
Just yesterday he had been informed that Lady Une, a very pissed off superior, hadn't received his annual report. Not only that but, the back up disk had been corrupted and now he had to type it over again. The paper that had taken him twelve pain staking months to type was gone in missing in the blink of an eye. He had been very proud of that particular report. He was correct on everything down to the smallest most insignificant detail. How was he supposed to remember every detail from every mission he'd had since last June? In was ridiculous and more importantly he didn't really care at the moment.
How was he supposed to focus when there was something poking, prodding and distracting him every minute of the day? Starring at his blank lap top screen for a moment longer he slammed the lid shut and turned to look out his window. He had a large office on the top floor with a huge bay window. When he looked out of it he could see everything. The whole city was laid out before him like a perfect miniature model. He had been starring out this window a lot lately.
Heero put his hand on his chin and watched a woman in a nearby neighborhood walk her dog. Immediately he thought of Relena. Funny how everything reminded him of her. He had seen her only briefly over the past couple of days. Always she would take off in haste before he could reach her. At first he had wanted to talk, but it was apparent that she was avoiding him. Their jobs required that their paths cross often, but she was never at the meetings when he was. In fact she always sent Noin or Milliardo.
Noin would sit back in her chair and give him steady controlled looks even though he wasn't even in the main topic of conversation. She wasn't quite glaring, but she almost was. Milliardo on the other hand glared at him openly. He was never friendlier than he had to be. It didn't seem too fair that he was being treated so badly when she had been the one to leave him.
"Mr. Yuy?"
Heero swiveled his chair around and glanced at his intercom. The little red button on top of his phone was blinking. Silently he pushed the button hoping it wasn't Une demanding the rest of his report. "Who is it Silvi." He asked his secretary and waited for an answer.
"Ms. Une wants to see you."
Heero sighed and turned to his laptop the page was still blank. "Let her in Silvi." He told her in monotone and flipped up the lip of his computer and pretended to be typing. When in fact he didn't even know what to write about. Heero didn't look up when his door was opened he pretended to be lost in thought. He might as well appear busy.
"How long is this going to go on?"
Heero looked up at Lady Une. She was standing a file in one hand and her other on her hip. She was wearing a smart business suit that accentuated her features and brought out her eyes. "What?" Heero asked and stopped his fake work effort for the moment.
"I'm sick of having a half effort from you Heero." She told him bluntly. "I received your report on the Phillips base yesterday." She paused and brought the file from under her arm. Flipping through it briefly she stopped on a particular page and raised an eyebrow. "I must say the best part of this was when you described the weapons room and I quote. 'Large rounded metal object most likely missiles of some kind are all over the bottom floor. I must say that it is a weak spread if I were them I'd chosen weapons with a bit more power to them. I can't believe they actually call themselves a terrorist group. If I had been in charge they'd had this over and done with yesterday.' End quote." Lady Une flipped over two more pages and began again. 'Detailed description of upper level of the military base: Big, with cement floors and lots of chairs.'" Lady Une closed the file and frowned. "Do you know what the upper level of the base contained. What you so conveniently chose to leave out, two tons of C4. All of which we would have blown with the rest of the building had someone not gone in after you. Do you know what your half assed comment about running the terrorist group caused?" She asked half-yelled. "The head of the department is having you put under investigation! That makes me look bad." Lady Une was seething now and pacing the room. "I told him you were just an anal idiot, but he wouldn't hear anything else from me." Lady Une stopped pacing and walked right in front of Heero's desk and stopped. "You are now suspended pending further investigation."
Heero could barely let it sink in. If he wasn't a work he had to be at his house. He didn't want to be there. Even if work was annoying he didn't want to be at home. Every where he turned he say her. She was in the walls whispering, haunting. "No." he called his voice sounding too weak in his own ears, but he couldn't go home. He didn't want to be there.
Lady Une rose and frowned at him. "I'm sorry Yuy, but you brought this on yourself." She paused just before leaving and turned around again. "As a friend Heero I think you need this vacation." She paused and smiled. "I think it will do you some good to get away from work."
Heero watched her leave in a shocked stupor. Five minutes ago he had been complaining about work and when they'd told him to go home he hadn't wanted to. It was ridiculous why was everything so confused. Groaning in frustration he picked up the file Lady Une had left on his desk and hurled it across the room. Papers flew into the air covering the office in a blizzard of black type papers. He watched until each one fluttered to the floor in settled. He was broken. He didn't know what to do any more. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear his door open. The lump was back. With nothing to work on, or worry about besides her the pain returned.
"Is this some sort of new filing system?"
Heero glanced up at none other than Duo Maxwell. Last time he'd heard Duo was on L2 running a successful swapper business. When had he come back in town? "What are you doing here Maxwell?" He asked.
* * * * * * * * *
Relena frowned as the house came into view. The large bay windows covering one side of the wood and brick house were all too familiar. As she crested the hill leading to the driveway the stairs leading to the front porch came into view and Relena swallowed remembering the last time she'd seen this house. It seemed like years ago.
Her car pulled into the driveway and she shut off the ignition. It was getting hard to breathe. Everything was so vivid, so real. She remembered the rain. She remembered their last and final goodbye. Opening the door she almost tripped on the first step and barely saved herself from falling flat on her face. Closing the door with a mighty shove she turned toward the house. It was haunting. Every part of it reminded her of their life together.
This was their house, and every time she saw it she would think of Heero. She knew that he wasn't home, but still the fear of being caught pulled at her and sent her blood racing with uncertainty. She had come back for one last look before it was all over. One last time to look through her memories before she moved on. The last couple of days had been hard. Her nights had been sleepless and she couldn't work during the day. She felt helpless and lost and mostly confused. She wanted him to be there so badly that she was almost sick with it, but then she would remember the hurt and none of it would seem worth it. How was she supposed to know which was right? Did she follow her heart that was easily fooled or her mind that took in the facts and saw things the way they were?
Walking on feet weighed down with uncertainty she made her way to the front door and slipped her key into the lock. Somehow she was amazed that it still worked. The door swung open easily and she was hit with a cold blast of air. Trying to overcome her emotional fears she stepped inside and shut the door. Immediately she was plunged into darkness and the only sound she heard was the slam echoing through the empty house.
All around her she felt like something was wrong. This house possessed something that chilled her to the bone. She felt all of her pent up emotions spewing forth again as she looked down the darkened hallway. Somehow she could almost see him standing in the kitchen, just in the next room. She could hear him typing on his computer finishing his reports for work. Shaking her head she avoided the kitchen and stifled the urge to look and went up stairs.
She hadn't intended to go in there again, but something was driving her toward the room and pulling her with a force she couldn't deny. Wrapping her arms around her shoulders she looked at the wall, blank, white. She had always planned on putting pictures up, but had never gotten around to it. Now she was glad she hadn't. To many memories had already surfaced without pictures to make them worse. As she turned the corner she saw the door. Swallowing she took a step toward it.
Everything was crashing down on her. He heart was racing and her emotions were boiling over. It hurt so much. Another step followed by another place in right in front of the room. Turing the doorknob she pushed the door open and stepped inside. Quickly she shut the door behind her and flipped on the lights. Everything was just as she remembered it. It was like she was still living there…only. Relena looked to the wall directly across from her where was the picture, the one she'd give Heero. Scanning the room her eyes fell on a bent and twisted frame.
Slowly she crossed the room and bent down to pick up the picture. The frame was split in the corner and the small delicate nail that surrounded the frame stuck out of the sides. A few pieces of glass slid off the picture as she turned it up so she could look at it. Delicately she rubbed her finger over Heero's picture. They had been so happy then. Life had been perfect. But now everything had gone wrong. A few tears fell from her eyes as she touched the picture trying to understand.
After a while she got to her feet again. She was still crying, the tears falling mercilessly from her eyes. It felt good to cry she hadn't cried since she'd left. She had been almost ready to explode the last couple of days with her inability to express herself. Still keeping the picture close to her she walked toward the bed and sat on the edge. Not letting herself think she laid down and closed her eyes.
She could smell him all over the sheets. The sweet masculine scent filled her senses in an intoxicating wave and she rolled onto his pillow drying her tears on the soft fabric. She'd missed him when she'd slept at night. The way he had pulled her close in the beginning, how she'd felt so secure and safe with him beside her. Even when things had been bad she'd felt better knowing he was there.
It was strange in the last couple of days she hadn't been able to sleep. She lay awake all night long staring at her ceiling expecting something. No matter how tired she was her eyes wouldn't close. It had been maddening, but now as she lay curled in his scent on the bed that had once been theirs sleep washed over her and her eyes shut in contentment. Before she even realized her mistake she was asleep the picture still clutched tightly in her right hand and her other wrapped around his pillow pulling it close to her.
Outside the sky began to rumble and the clouds turned. There was something brewing in the sky. Another storm perhaps one worst than the last was threatening and in her joyful sleep she didn't hear the thunder booming or the fact that night had fallen all around her and she had stayed longer than she had ever intended.
Another chapter finished. It feels good to say that. Thank you for the encouraging reviews. *smiles and reaches arms out giving all her readers a big hugs* I love you guys.
