Ch. 2

"Yeah, so Duo's been acting weird lately." Hilde beamed a smile towards the vidphone in the living room.

"Really? How so?" Relena asked, watching the black haired woman tuck the front of her hair behind her ears.

"Well he's been staying home a lot lately, you know, instead of going out with the guys everywhere. He paces around like he's thinking and then he'll stop and sit near me and ask me something. If I don't talk to him immediately he gets up and goes for a walk. I really think something's bothering him. Ideas?"

Relena sat there thinking it over. First off, Duo is not one to act like this. Relena always wondered if there was something more between Duo and Hilde than met the eye. Possibly, was Duo getting attached to her? "Well it could be you're lucky brake. The baka's in love with you and is trying to figure out how to tell you, but he's a moron, no offense, and doesn't know how to deal with it."

Hilde's eyes widened and she burst out laughing at the screen. She then fell over her chair dramatically, laughing, and Relena sat there with an serious look on her face. "Ahem, I was serious." Hilde reached back up on the table and sat up. She wiped the tears off her eyes, and chuckled some.

"Oh man, that was rich Relena."

"Hilde, you mean to tell me you two have lived together this long and there's never been an awkward moment?"

"No, it's always been a battle of the sexes between us, plus we're generally too busy to spend time together aside from dinner. At least, until lately. Now I don't know what's going on in that big head of his." she added, and Relena could tell that it was covering up the feelings she almost let slip out.

"Hilde, we've known each other for some time now, I think you could tell me the truth."

"Well...I do feel really close to him, but that's it." Hilde said honestly. "So tell me how's Heero been lately?" she said with a sheepish grin.

"Well...." she trailed off.

"Oh come on!"

"I haven't seen him since he left. He's called me once when he had finished moving in, but we only talked for ten minutes."

"Wow, I'm so happy Duo isn't gone. I don't know what I would do if he decided he should go to school to get a degree for what we do!"

"You would go crazy, and follow him, and go to school with him! And you know it." Relena grinned.

"Oh, you know me too well." Hilde said shaking her head.

"Yeah. Well Hil, I really have to get to emailing this representative that wants me to visit in L2. He says it's imperative that I attend a meeting. So I'll let you know if I'm in town."

"Great. We can go shopping and catch up some more. Duo would love to see you."

"Sounds like fun. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye Relena, you get some sleep tonight hun." Hilde smiled and reached up by the screen to switch the button.

"Bye Hilde." and Relena turned her vidphone off. 'Oh goodness, it's already 10:15. On to business', she thought, and walked over to her desk in the office to get to work.

~*~

Duo stood there daydreaming...about her. Little things would pop up into his head often. Some things would make him laugh, and some would make him angry. Like all those years ago when she risked her life going to Libra. He never wanted to come that close to losing her again. Then some of the embarrassing things would come to mind, like when he would walk into the bathroom for something and she was in there shaving or in the shower. As innocent as it was, he found himself ignoring the fact that the door was cracked to let steam out, and would waltz right in regardless. 'Man it's like we're married.' he thought, and shoved the thought out of his mind.

"Hello? Earth to braid boy?" a young girl, younger than he, waved her hand in front of the guy at her desk. "Hello? Can I help you?" *Snap* Duo jumped a little and turned to the girl with the sheepish grin on her face.

"Oh, hey babe! Sorry off daydreamin'." he said, flashing one of those infamous grins.

"Right."

"I wanna sign up for some classes. Got my papers and all, I just need to know if I am signed up, or whatever, and what I need to get, like books and all. Ya know what I mean?"

"Yeah yeah, name?"

"Duo Maxwell."

"Ok..." the girl replied, as she typed furiously on the computer next to her.

"Oh and I'm not going to this campus. I should be attending the one on lunar base." he frowned.

"Ok..."

"Hey you wouldn't be able to find out if the school is taking any more applicants?"

"Um, hang on, lemme check." she typed for a few minutes and Duo looked around the office building, placed in the middle of the huge campus that looked more like a city than a school. "Yeah we still have plenty of room for that campus. I guess it's not that popular because of the problems they have all the time."

"Yeah I heard about that, it's cause they just recently finished the school and there are still bugs to work out. But it sounds like the place is growing and has some fun stuff to do."

"Right." The girl pulled out some papers off of the printer and handed them to Duo. "Here, one is a list of your classes, all about them, schedules, and required books."

"Ok, thanks for your help."

"No problem."

"Later!" he said and walked out of the office. 'Man Hilde is gonna kill me.'

Eyes watched Duo leave the room and then settled on the girl he had just talked to. "So you think you're the big man that goes to college? I'll show you..."

~*~

Relena sits back in her chair and stairs out the window to the rain drenched garden. The thought crosses her mind: "I could wait until he finishes...it's not like I can just leave." Relena sat and pondered this thought. The dim light from the lamp on her desk set a shadow of her over the window. "Funny, in all the movies it's always some old man that is the politician in his office, questioning some aspect about life and remembering old times of his youth. When did I lose my youth?" she asked herself.

Unable to concentrate on her work, Relena jumped out of her seat and stormed out of her office. Something was eating away at her mind and she just couldn't think with piles of work suffocating her. The whole politician's thing was getting to her head and she knew she had to get out.

Relena kept up her walk, all the way out to the car, purse and keys. She pulled out of the driveway in her sports car collecting dust in the garage and stepped on the gas. The jolt from the reaction of her slight movements to the gas pedal made her scream. Relena screamed and hollered until she was out of breath and laughing hysterically.

She called the house once she hit the highway to let pagan know where she was and he was very surprised to hear a call from her. "Pagan, cancel my appointments for the next week, I won't be returning home until then." she said with a devilish smile on her face.

"But Ms. Relena, don't you think that is a little rash? Please tell me you are not serious." Pagan begged.

"Pagan, I love you. Thank you for understanding. I will return to let you know of my decision." she said.

"What? Decis....oh my." he said in a calm voice. "Very well then. I shall keep the house tidy until your return young Relena."

"You know I'm not young anymore Pagan..."

"Oh too well, oh too very well Relena. Goodbye Miss." he said right before hanging up the phone.

Feeling utterly fantastic about the ease of her decisions and having Pagan's complete understanding made Relena feel even more so excited. This time she set her foot down on the petal and sped all the way to the airport.

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Yea yea...don't own it. I'm feeling very generous...i might just go write another chappy to this one right now! lol....please R&R!
Love,
Olly