This is for the Strange Days contest. This
pairing was a challenge issued by a friend who thought it
would be an interesting combination. Okay – I think I'm
back on track with writing this now! *grins* You should
also get a big HINT over the main pairing…..
Title: Two Become One 3/?
Author: Rhina
Pairings: You should get a hint this time! Most definitely!
But it's a surprise so I'm not saying a thing now…..
*******
WARNING: Angst
*******
Disclaimer: I don't own the GW boys or their female counterparts
otherwise I'd be retiring instead of dealing with the likes of the
school board. I don't own the song "Two Become One" by the
Spice Girls either – thank goodness, who'd want to lay claim to
them?!
lyrics
~~~ scene change ~~~
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Come a little bit closer baby, get it on, get it on
'Cause tonight is the night when two become one
"One never would have suspected you of being a massive
party animal, Wu-man," mused Duo from the backseat of
Wufei's overtly practical sedan.
Une looked across at the solemn countenance of Wufei, lit by
the passing street lights. Deep brown eyes were focused on
the road, but his mouth frowned at Duo's comment. "He's
right you know Wufei. I don't think I'd ever consider you
the life of a party," added Une, mischief alive in her voice.
With an indignant huff, Wufei guided the car around the
corner and into a large parking lot. "For your information, I
do enjoy getting out and being with my friends. And at least
I understand the value of that next to the pair of an obsessed
workaholics."
Duo clutched his chest in mock pain as he exited the car.
"Wounded to the quick! To think that the Wu-man would
ever accuse me of being a workaholic."
Sighing deeply, Une ran a slender hand through deep brown
hair, reflecting the street light in a radiant shimmer. Wufei's
eyes followed the movement carefully, but Une was lost in
her thoughts and she missed the concern evident in his gaze.
"He's right about me at least. I do think I need to start getting
out more often and doing less brooding on certain subjects,"
admitted Une in a rueful tone.
In a friendly gesture, Wufei wrapped his arm around Une's
shoulders. "This is what I've been trying to tell you," he
added attempting to look wise beyond his mere 21 years.
"Perhaps now you'll listen to my sage advice."
Snorting with suppressed laughter, Duo slung an arm around
Wufei's shoulders. "You and sage advice – that I doubt. Let's
just get to the party man."
Rolling his eyes at Dou's lack of faith in his knowledge,
Wufei led the way across the parking lot and into the small
apartment building on the opposite side of the road. Without
a comment, he produced a key to the outside security door
and let the trio in.
"That serious with Sally, Wu-man?" teased Duo, eager to
poke Wufei a couple of more times. It was funny to see how
Wufei reacted now that he had miraculously discovered a
sense of humor. "Key to her apartment and all that."
Wufei turned around and scowled fiercely at Duo, though his
gaze never left that of Une's face. "For your information,
Sally and I are merely good friends. There is no sordid
connection between me and this key."
"I didn't think you were having relations with the key," teased
Duo enjoying the fieriness of Wufei's attitude. "I thought it
was Sally that was the main object of attraction.
Angrily, Wufei punched the up button for the elevator and then rounded on Duo his pent up frustration over always being connected with Sally
exploding at the nearest target. "I don't have anything more
than a friendship with Sally. I've never seen her as anything
but a very good friend. She was there when I needed her and
that's all you really need to know."
Holding up his hands to ward off the onslaught of a furiously
advancing Wufei, Duo took a step backwards. "If you say so
Wu-man, then I believe you. There's nothing between you
and Sally."
Nodding defiantly, Wufei turned his back to Duo as the
elevator doors slid open. Silently he held the parted doors for
Une, smiling at her slightly. "Sorry to be so …. disagreeable,"
murmured Wufei to the lady as the doors closed behind Duo
who followed them in.
Wufei's vehemence on the topic puzzled Duo. He had always
assumed that Wufei and Sally were a done deal. Anything
different was a complete surprise. He continued to quietly
digest the information and observed the Chinese man without
further comment.
Une smiled softly, laying a gentle hand on Wufei's arm,
hoping to calm him down. "It's quite all right. I'm sure
you're just tired of people insinuating about a relationship
that doesn't really exist at this time."
Wufei nodded and leaned back against the wall of the
elevator, contemplating his female companion, while trying
to drive a point home to the male one. "I don't think there
will ever be more than friendship between us. We're kind of
like oil and water – not a whole lot of mixing going on." He
shook his head and pulled himself from his reverie as the
elevator doors slid open once more. "Here's our floor though."
Smiling to herself, Une tucked away the knowledge that
Wufei had just imparted to her. There was something about
it that tantalized her heart and she wanted a chance to savor
it and think about it later.
Duo left his contemplation behind as he exited the elevator,
his braid swinging excitedly behind him. Violet eyes danced
with suppressed excitement as he rubbed his hands together
as Wufei led them down the hall and knocked on the third
door on the left. "I'm ready to party."
Wufei and Une laughed then, enjoying the undisguised glee
on his face. The broad grin lit his face and for the first time
since Une and shared his 'special assignment' with him, the
dark Shinigami vanished from his face completely. Une
sighed inaudibly as she felt some of the guilt at thrusting such
a chore on his shoulder slip away and shared an understanding
smile with Wufei as the door to the apartment was thrown open.
Standing just inside the door was perhaps the most gorgeous
blonde female that Duo had ever seen. She took his breath
away with the long golden curls falling over one shoulder and
the bright shining blue eyes that smiled out at the trio in
welcome. Her lithe form was encased in a well molded blue
shirt and a pair of sleek black shorts above the longest pair of
golden legs he'd ever seen. His eyes focused on the only other
ornament she wore. The dark blue dragon tattoo twined its
way around a slim ankle across a bare slender foot. Never had
Duo seen such delectable ankles. Hell, he'd never thought of
ankles as seductive before!
Mentally Duo kicked himself for drooling so obviously, but
he had to get to know this lovely creature. He knew
instinctively that he was drawn to her the way flies were to
attracted to sweet pure sweet honey. Every masculine ounce
of his flesh screamed at him to make this woman his and join
with her in the intimate dance that a couple shared.
With hooded violet eyes watching carefully, the blonde
glomped the Chinese man, wrapping her arms close around
him. Duo growled softly to himself, the green eyed monster
possessing him as he contemplated _his_ woman belonging
to another. Giving himself a mental shake, he wondered just
how his mind had decided that she belonged to him.
"Wufei," she cried with delight. "I'm so glad that you
managed to pry yourself away from that ever so interesting
paperwork."
"Just because I have a work ethic Sally is no reason to think I
don't know how to have fun, you should be quite aware of that,"
growled Wufei with a smothered laugh, enjoying the repartee
that went along with their friendship. "But I figured you would
be lost without my presence, so I decided to drop by."
Stunned, Duo contemplated the blonde even further, now seeing
the tall woman he had met before. It had been several years
since he had been in the same room with the enticing female
though and he realized that time did make a great difference with
some things. He was looking forward to a certain renewal of
acquaintances, glad to already have an 'in' with her. Their history
gave him an edge over all the other guys he was sure were
clamoring for her hand.
"Besides," added Une dryly, "Wufei merely wanted an excuse
to drag me away from the work I needed to get done."
Sally reached out and hugged Une then, smiling at her
commander's comment. "You know you should relax more.
I'd harp on it too, but he usually beats me to it for some reason.
For once, Wufei was right. I must note this down in my journal."
Blue eyes glinted with wicked pleasure, watching Wufei's face
for a reaction.
Continuing to watch the byplay with interest, Duo's mind
worked furiously to devour every sight of the luscious female
in front of him. And it rejoiced in the knowledge that Wufei
was only in interested in a friendship with the beauty. He only
hoped that she felt the same about Wufei. He wasn't so sure
with the way that she continued to smile and tease him, holding
his arm tightly.
"And who's this?" asked Sally, blue eyes turning to Duo, who
started under the concentrated gaze.
"You don't remember Duo?!" asked Wufei with amazement,
but the considered the idea carefully. "Though I suppose one
does try to forget the unpleasant memories."
Sally poked Wufei who grinned unrepentantly in response
and then moved forward to stand across from Duo. "Of course
I remember Duo." She titled her head back, long hair falling
loose against her back. "You certainly grew up."
"That does happen I'm told," smiled Duo and Sally knew she was totally lost. His arms stole around her in a casual embrace of friendship, but Sally found herself holding her breath. "It's good to see you again," said Duo. His words
rumbled through his chest and Sally reveled in every vibration.
The mere timbre of his voice sent sparks down her spine.
With a delighted silent sigh, Sally melted into the hug. Duo
had become a warm solid man. His height now deliciously
topped her own and the strength and the sexuality he radiated
pulled at her feminine core. He still wore his chestnut hair in
a long enticing braid and his violet eyes shone with passion
and humor. Sally was positive that the strength of his character
surely must match the ever so appealing package it was
wrapped in.
Never had Sally fallen in so lust quickly before. So sure, there
had been lots of 'nice' guys, but nothing that even came close
to rivaling the feelings cursing through her veins at the moment.
She silently cursed the fact that she was to leave for a mission
tomorrow and would be without that chance to follow her
feelings for a good bit of time. Determinedly, she swore to
make sure that Wufei kept this man safe for her until she
returned and she knew that if at all possible, she'd make this
the shortest mission on record.
Reluctantly, Sally pulled out of Duo's embrace and turned
her now radiant smile on the trio, though her blue eyes
remained fixed on the interested face of Duo. "Come on in
then. Have something to eat and drink. We're just sitting
around chatting mostly."
With enthusiasm, the group followed Sally back in to her
apartment. Certain violet orbs followed the sway of sexy hips
as the owner of said hips swore to entice this man to her side
before the party was over. Both had their work cut out for
them.
But the fates worked overtime that night to conspire against
them. There seemed to be people clamoring for their attention
and long drawn out conversations that never brought them in
to contact with one another. Like wary tigers, the pair circled
each other around the room, looking, but never getting close
enough to touch. Regret sparked through both of them as they
never saw the other looking at them or even felt the awareness
of the longing gazes of the other. There was an almost tangible
sense of loss that neither of them could quite define.
With a sad sigh, Sally realized the night was nearly over and
that she had never even had a chance to speak to Duo alone.
She automatically made parting good-byes to a friend, her eyes
trained across the room where Duo was having an animated
conversation with the perky redheaded secretary. Suddenly
that secretary seemed to be too perky and too cute and _way_
too close to Duo for Sally's comfort.
"He's something all grown up isn't he?" asked Une softly.
Her silent tread had brought her next to Sally. She watched
the blonde's fixed gaze with some amusement. If someone
had told her that Sally would become obsessed with Duo a
week ago, she would have had a very hearty chuckle at their
expense. But seeing, did make believers out of doubters.
"Yes," agreed Sally quietly, dragging her gaze from the male
to face her commander. "Too bad he doesn't even notice me."
Une raised an eyebrow in reply, but choose to ignore the
comment for now. As pleased as she was that Sally had found
someone, she needed a clear thinking operative for the mission
ahead. "You ready for tomorrow?"
Bringing her mind out of its hormone induced fog, Sally
nodded to Une. "My contacts are set and I leave early
tomorrow for the first stop. It will take me a bit to set up
communication channels with you, so don't be worried if you
don't hear from me right away."
Frowning, Une realized that she was sending an agent in
undercover without a way to get backup if needed. "Maybe
this isn't such a good idea. I don't like the thought of you
being without backup. Perhaps we should cancel the
operation."
Sally shook her head. "I'll be fine. I doubt anyone will make
the connection between Margo Fairchild and the Preventers.
And you know well enough that I'm perfectly capable of
taking care of myself."
Sighing, Une knew she had hit Sally's stubborn determination
head on. "All right, but as your commander I need to know
_where_ you are going. I know the whys and wherefores, but
not the location. Though why you concealed that information,
I'll never know."
"And right now I won't tell you why, but I'll tell you the
where is L2," said Sally bluntly. "The whole smuggling ring
seems to stem straight from there. It's really an ideal location
if you think about it. We're just lucky that they were looking
to recruit 'qualified' doctors."
More comfortable at least knowing where Sally would be,
Une nodded her agreement just as Wufei joined them.
"Ready to go Une?" asked Wufei, his eyes showing concern
for the tiredness that was etched on her face.
Smiling at his concern, Une nodded and watched as Wufei
gestured to Duo that they were leaving. Like a slow toffee
pull, Duo left the secretary behind and joined the group at the
door.
Violet eyes roamed across Sally's face, her eyes which were
suspiciously bright and her smile seemed slightly false to his
eyes. He cursed the gods that had never given them some time
alone this evening. He made a silent promise to overcome any
obstacle to be with her. Before he lost his nerve, he quickly
asked her, "We never get to renew that old acquaintance Sally.
Perhaps you'd consider dinner with me tomorrow."
Continuing to hold her smile to the best of her ability, Sally
shook her head. "I'm afraid I won't be in town tomorrow. In
fact, I don't when I'll be available for awhile."
"Oh," said a down-hearted Duo. He knew his answer about
whether or not she liked him or pined for Wufei for sure now.
Pasting on a cheerful smile, though his eyes were dark and
solemn, he joined the trio in departing from the apartment.
As the door closed behind them, Une and Wufei exchanged
looks, passing silent messages between them. Duo withdrew
into himself and they let him. The drive through the dark
streets was deathly silent as Wufei went toward Une's condo
complex. Without a word uttered other than a quiet good-bye,
Une exited the car after another significant look at Wufei.
He nodded to her and pulled the car away from the curb once
he was certain she was inside safely.
In the dim light, Wufei looked across at the brooding Duo.
Concern for his friend was clearly written on his features. He
was fairly positive that Duo had fallen for Sally, but was
unsure that Duo realized how Sally had reacted to Duo's
presence. Contemplating how to bring the subject up, he drove
on through the streets. Then he realized the information that
Duo had forgotten in regards to his dinner invitation.
Duo stared blankly out the window. His mind was focused on
the final rejection from Sally. He hadn't realized how painful
such a simple no could be. Wondering what was wrong with
him, he began to berate himself for thinking he could win her so
easily. Just because he was head over heels in lust didn't mean
she even felt remotely the same about him.
His revive was interrupted by Wufei's quiet tone. "Don't
forget, Sally's leaving for a mission tomorrow."
"What?" squawked Duo, shocked as his brain immediately
launched into overdrive. It went from understanding relief at
the knowledge of why Sally turned him down to pure fright at
the thought of her being in deathly danger. "A mission?! With
that maniac on the loose?! Une has got to cancel this mission!"
Duo scrambled for his cell phone to place the urgent call to his
commander.
"She won't," said Wufei calmly. "Sally's already refused to
let her and Sally's even more stubborn than Une. The mission's
a go. Sally heads underground for a mission that only Une is
privileged to tomorrow morning."
Seething at his lack of control over the issue, Duo snarled,
"Well, she's going to damn well tell me if I'm to protect Sally."
And with that he slammed out of the car just as Wufei slowed in
front of his apartment building.
Smiling at the thought of Duo's torment and desire for his golden
haired friend, he shook his head and pulled away from the curb.
The pair were certainly a match for each other. Now how to get
them together was more of a puzzle. Perhaps locking them in a
closet when the mission was over…. Chuckling quietly to himself
at the mental images, he made his way home.
~~~ The next morning, 5am Earth, Preventer Headquarters ~~~
Duo scowled at his cup of coffee, weary eyes barely able to focus
due to only a brief amount of sleep. He had tossed and turned
throughout the night alternately haunted with images of a bloody
Sally as death came to collect her and the sensual callings of his
body for hers. The shortness of his sleep made him doubly irritable
this morning since mornings were never his prime time. But that
irritability was compounded by his worry for Sally and his
anxiousness to have the information he wanted from Une. In order
to make sure she provided that information, he camped himself in
her office, waiting silently.
He nursed the cup of coffee until the sun seeped over the
horizon and poured like molasses into the room. At that moment,
Une opened the door to her office and spotted the blazing head
of chestnut hair. Right away she knew it was going to be a long
day.
"Hello Duo," she said, closing the door with a click behind her.
"Tell me about her mission Une," growled Duo, forgoing all
pleasantries in return for demands of the facts. "I need to know
so I can protect her."
Hiding a secret smile of pleasure at his concern for Sally, Une
schooled her features and sat down in her desk chair, fingers
steepled in front of her. "All right."
~~~ Enroute to L2 ~~~~
Sally sighed softly to herself as she attempted to make herself
more comfortable on the hard plastic crate. It certainly wasn't
designed for sitting on for any length of time and her body was
letting her know. She watched as the sun slid from behind the
Earth and thought again about how much she really didn't want
to be here or headed towards the danger she was.
Sighing once more, she shoved the longing and lustful thoughts
away and concentrated on the work ahead.
"All right Margo," she whispered, pushing the glasses further
up her nose. "Show us your stuff."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Next time on Two Become One – Sally's Mission and Duo's Admission.
Join us then when you'll hear Duo Say:
"But I never use chocolate sauce that way!"
C&C?! Thanks for reading!!
^_^
Rhina
