Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.
A/N: For those of you who have been sticking with the story, this one's for you. Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews. You don't know how much they mean to me. Okay, enough sap, on with the show!! :o)
Chapter 7
The only sound heard coming from the last room on the third floor of the hotel was the sound of someone furiously typing away on a keyboard.
Behind the door, two young men sat on opposite sides of the room, hunched over their computers. Each of them concentrating on the task at hand. They had been that way for nearly two hours.
Groaning, Heero pushed himself away from the desk. Of all the missions he had been on, this was the hardest. Not because his of the main objective, but because he kept getting kicked off-line. 'How hard could it be to find one small cabin on this colony?'
"I've got it!" Duo announced, staring at the computer screen. Heero rushed from his side of the room to Duo's.
Looking up at Heero, Duo continued. "Right before I lost the connection, I was able to locate her position. She's staying at a resort on the east side of the colony called Simplicity Falls. According to the web, the resort is a replica of the Blue Ridge Mountains found in the good-ole US of A. She checked into Cabin #1 this morning and will be there for the next two days."
Heero walked over to his desk and began unhooking the computer. "Good. Pack up Duo, we leave tonight."
****************
About 0600 the following morning, the artificial sunlight was turned on and the backdrop of the mountains was picturesque. Fingers of light shone down on the cabins in the tiny valley. The sounds of the morning echoed around them.
The scene around him, reminded him of the time that he had followed Relena to the nearby mountains of the Sanc Kingdom. He smiled as he thought back to that weekend.
Relena had left early that morning, trying not to wake a soul as she stole downstairs. Heero had watched her from the shadows as she crept through the mansion and stood by as she ended up 'stealing' a car, taking it up to the Peacecraft cabin. For three whole days, he sat outside the cabin and watched her curl up and read a book. Or head down to the creek, squealing as she jumped into the icy water.
Sometimes she would sit along the railing of the porch, not moving from that spot for hours. He often wondered about what she was thinking about while she sat there, staring off into the unknown. 'Was she thinking about peace? Ways to maintain it, ways to save it? Was she thinking about me?'
For three days, he stayed hidden in the shadows of the trees, watching her every move. But during those two nights, he found himself standing next to her bed watching the silent rise and fall of her chest while she slept. Maybe she was aware of his presence, or not, but he liked to think that the smile on her face was because she was dreaming about him.
Duo's voice snapped Heero back to the present. "Buddy, I have to say that's the scariest thing I've ever seen you do."
Heero turned a confused look toward Duo. "What 'scariest' thing did I just do?"
Duo arched one eyebrow and said, with amusement in his voice, "You just smiled."
Shoving Duo to the side, Heero replied, "Hn.", as the stern expression returned to his face.
The opening of the door to Cabin #1, grabbed both of their attentions. Stunned, they both watched as SHE stepped out onto the patio.
Clad in a pair of short jean shorts and a white tank top, Relena stepped from the doorway. Extending her arms over her head, as she did her morning stretches. Her long blond hair had been chopped to shoulder length; the sides pulled back out of her face and secured with a clip. Finally, with a cat-like grace that she always possessed, she curled up in the porch swing with her book.
Heero kept his eyes focused on her as swung back and forth. 'She looks so out of place wearing those clothes; not the clothes of a diplomat or princess.'
Duo started to rise when Heero caught his shoulder. Pulling Duo back to a crouched position, Heero said, "Not just yet."
"What? Heero, she's right there." Duo stated as her pointed in her direction. "We'll walk up to the cabin, see if she remembers us. If not, we'll introduce ourselves."
"I said... Not... Just... Yet."
Heero turned his gaze toward Relena. 'Let her enjoy her normal life a little longer, before she is thrown back into the madness.'
Blowing a lock of hair out of his face, Duo replied, "Fine. While you sit here and gawk at her, I'm going to find something to eat." Quietly, Duo got up and headed in the other direction, leaving Heero to watch Relena.
After about an hour, Relena closed her book and set it down on the end table. Pushing away from the swing, she headed down the stairs of the porch and began to follow the trail that lead to the lake. Heero followed her, keeping a close distance under the cover of the trees.
Once they reached the lake, Relena headed straight for the water. Heero could see her flinch as she walked into the cold water stopping only when the water barely hit the bottom of her shorts.
'What in the hell is she doing?'
Heero watched in amazement as she dove in the rest of the way. He began to worry when she didn't come up immediately and started to come out of his hiding place, but then she broke the surface of the lake with a peal of laughter. He let out the breath that he had been holding and relaxed, content to watch her swim in the frigid water. She finally had enough and began to make her way toward the bank, emerging from the water with no towel to cover her cold body.
His gaze was transfixed on her; the way the clothes clung to her damp body. He took a step forward without realizing it, until a bunch of twigs broke under his weight. Relena whipped her head around in his direction. She squinted her eyes and upon seeing his shadow in the trees, she took off running.
'Maybe we should have done things Duo's way.' He thought to himself as he chased after her. 'I don't remember her being so fast.' His long stride was able to eat away at the lead she had started with, but he still wasn't close enough to catch her. Against his better judgment, he shouted her name.
"RELENA!"
Relena turned her attention toward him as she continued running, when the voice behind her screamed again.
"Relena, look out!"
But it was too late, Relena's feet had been caught up in some overgrown roots, causing her to pitch forward and land head first into the tree. Rushing over to her side, Heero picked her up in his arms and began looking for injuries.
Besides the huge bump on the side of her head, he found a small white scar that marred her cheek below her right eye. Her violet eyes were confused as she looked at him. "Heero . . ." His name escaped her lips before her head slumped to the side as she passed out.
With Relena safely tucked his arms; he quickly headed back to the cabin. Staring down at her as he followed the trail, he could only think of one thing. 'She remembers.'
Duo was waiting by the cabin, when Heero strode up carrying Relena. Rushing forward, Duo asked, "I leave you alone for about a little over an hour and look what happens. What'd you do? Hit her over the head with a club so we could drag her back to Earth."
"Hn." Heero answered as he entered the cabin, with Duo on his heels.
****************
She felt she had been run over by a car. Her entire body hurt, but most of all she had an incredible headache. Slowly, she opened her eyes and found a pair of Prussian blue ones staring back at her.
"Heero?" She asked, as her vision started to clear more, bringing him into focus.
"Relena."
Gradually, she moved to a sitting position on the couch. They were content to stare at each other, until Duo walked into the room.
"Jousan, how are you feeling?" Duo asked, handing her an ice pack.
"Not very graceful at the moment, Duo" Relena said as accepted the aspirin he also handed her.
After taking the aspirin, she winced as she carefully put the ice pack on her head. 'I wish the world would stop spinning for a minute.'
Heero crossed his arms across his chest. "Why'd you take off like that?"
"I thought they were following me."
"They?" Duo asked as he sat down on the couch next to her.
"The ones who kidnapped me."
Duo an arm around her shoulders, his cobalt eyes held a serious expression. "Why didn't you let us know you were alive?"
Sighing, she hung her head and focused her gaze on her feet. "What was I suppose to do, walk up to the door, bang on it and say 'Honey, I'm home.' As far as you all knew I was dead. I couldn't risk returning home, they knew that is the first place I would go."
"Who is 'They', Relena?" The malevolence in Heero' voice made her shutter.
Relena turned her face up to his. "They call themselves 'die passende Rache'. They kept me prisoner for about 7 months; keeping me drugged the entire time. Apparently, they thought that I would be of use to them; they wanted information on the Preventers and the power of the ESUN. But when I refused to 'cooperate', even with the drugs they gave me, they shot me and left me for dead on L5-74."
Lifting up her the bottom of her tank top, she showed them the healing scar of the gunshot wound to her stomach.
Duo shook his head, amazed that she was sitting next to him after taking a shot like that.
'If I had been there, none of this would have ever happened.' Heero thought as he stared at her.
Pulling the top back into place, Relena continued, "Somehow, I survived and they have been trying to find me ever since. I realized that I had to go into hiding until they were either brought down or you found out the truth of my 'death'. So for the past two months, I have been running from colony to colony, hoping to keep one step ahead of them. "
Removing the ice pack from her head, she ran a hand across the massive bump, testing how sore it was. Heero leaned closer to her, his eyes locked with her violet ones.
"You are going to have that bump for a while. Hopefully, it won't bruise much more. Are you okay?"
She flashed him a weak smile. "I'm fine, just a little tired."
Duo stood and helped her up to her feet. "Well, let's get you tucked into bed. While your asleep, Heero and I will make arrangements to get you back home." Looking at Heero over Relena's head, Duo flashed him a look that read, 'We need to talk.'
While Duo lead Relena toward the bedroom, Heero walked over to the computer he had step up earlier. Flipping the switch, the computer came to life and began to make the connection. Within a matter of minutes, Heero was talking with Zechs.
"Mission Completed."
"You have her in your custody? Is she all right?"
"She's fine. We'll be bringing her home as soon as you make the arrangements."
"Tomorrow. Be at the spaceport tomorrow at midnight. My private shuttle will be waiting."
"Affirmative." Heero killed the connection and turned to find Duo standing behind him.
Heero looked past him, down the hallway, making sure the door to the bedroom had been pulled shut.
"I don't think she's telling us everything, Heero."
Heero's blue eyes narrowed slightly. "I know she isn't telling us everything. But I am not about to push the issue here and now. We'll find out soon enough."
Duo sighed heavily, "Well, I guess I'll take first watch on the porch. But, first things first." He called over his shoulder as he headed toward the kitchen.
Quietly moving down the hallway, Heero found himself opening the door to her room. He peered around the corner at her sleeping form lying on the bed, covers pulled up to her chin. Silently, he entered the room and stood beside her. 'I'll protect you now Relena, make no mistake about that.' He leaned close to her and gently laid a ragged teddy bear next to her, before he turned and left the room.
****************
The room was filled with the lingering smell of cigar smoke. Unfinished glasses of brandy sat on the oak coffee table, beside the tray that once held small desserts. Over the mantle, hung a picture of the future. Their future.
The loud shrill of the intercom broke the heavy silence that hung in the study.
"Report."
"We haven't received her daily report. Our operative said that she was located earlier today."
A wicked smile could be heard in his tone of voice. "Excellent. Keep me informed of the situation."
'Now it is only a matter of time. I'm a very patient person. I can wait until the right moment to light the fuse to our time bomb.'
A/N: For those of you who have been sticking with the story, this one's for you. Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews. You don't know how much they mean to me. Okay, enough sap, on with the show!! :o)
Chapter 7
The only sound heard coming from the last room on the third floor of the hotel was the sound of someone furiously typing away on a keyboard.
Behind the door, two young men sat on opposite sides of the room, hunched over their computers. Each of them concentrating on the task at hand. They had been that way for nearly two hours.
Groaning, Heero pushed himself away from the desk. Of all the missions he had been on, this was the hardest. Not because his of the main objective, but because he kept getting kicked off-line. 'How hard could it be to find one small cabin on this colony?'
"I've got it!" Duo announced, staring at the computer screen. Heero rushed from his side of the room to Duo's.
Looking up at Heero, Duo continued. "Right before I lost the connection, I was able to locate her position. She's staying at a resort on the east side of the colony called Simplicity Falls. According to the web, the resort is a replica of the Blue Ridge Mountains found in the good-ole US of A. She checked into Cabin #1 this morning and will be there for the next two days."
Heero walked over to his desk and began unhooking the computer. "Good. Pack up Duo, we leave tonight."
****************
About 0600 the following morning, the artificial sunlight was turned on and the backdrop of the mountains was picturesque. Fingers of light shone down on the cabins in the tiny valley. The sounds of the morning echoed around them.
The scene around him, reminded him of the time that he had followed Relena to the nearby mountains of the Sanc Kingdom. He smiled as he thought back to that weekend.
Relena had left early that morning, trying not to wake a soul as she stole downstairs. Heero had watched her from the shadows as she crept through the mansion and stood by as she ended up 'stealing' a car, taking it up to the Peacecraft cabin. For three whole days, he sat outside the cabin and watched her curl up and read a book. Or head down to the creek, squealing as she jumped into the icy water.
Sometimes she would sit along the railing of the porch, not moving from that spot for hours. He often wondered about what she was thinking about while she sat there, staring off into the unknown. 'Was she thinking about peace? Ways to maintain it, ways to save it? Was she thinking about me?'
For three days, he stayed hidden in the shadows of the trees, watching her every move. But during those two nights, he found himself standing next to her bed watching the silent rise and fall of her chest while she slept. Maybe she was aware of his presence, or not, but he liked to think that the smile on her face was because she was dreaming about him.
Duo's voice snapped Heero back to the present. "Buddy, I have to say that's the scariest thing I've ever seen you do."
Heero turned a confused look toward Duo. "What 'scariest' thing did I just do?"
Duo arched one eyebrow and said, with amusement in his voice, "You just smiled."
Shoving Duo to the side, Heero replied, "Hn.", as the stern expression returned to his face.
The opening of the door to Cabin #1, grabbed both of their attentions. Stunned, they both watched as SHE stepped out onto the patio.
Clad in a pair of short jean shorts and a white tank top, Relena stepped from the doorway. Extending her arms over her head, as she did her morning stretches. Her long blond hair had been chopped to shoulder length; the sides pulled back out of her face and secured with a clip. Finally, with a cat-like grace that she always possessed, she curled up in the porch swing with her book.
Heero kept his eyes focused on her as swung back and forth. 'She looks so out of place wearing those clothes; not the clothes of a diplomat or princess.'
Duo started to rise when Heero caught his shoulder. Pulling Duo back to a crouched position, Heero said, "Not just yet."
"What? Heero, she's right there." Duo stated as her pointed in her direction. "We'll walk up to the cabin, see if she remembers us. If not, we'll introduce ourselves."
"I said... Not... Just... Yet."
Heero turned his gaze toward Relena. 'Let her enjoy her normal life a little longer, before she is thrown back into the madness.'
Blowing a lock of hair out of his face, Duo replied, "Fine. While you sit here and gawk at her, I'm going to find something to eat." Quietly, Duo got up and headed in the other direction, leaving Heero to watch Relena.
After about an hour, Relena closed her book and set it down on the end table. Pushing away from the swing, she headed down the stairs of the porch and began to follow the trail that lead to the lake. Heero followed her, keeping a close distance under the cover of the trees.
Once they reached the lake, Relena headed straight for the water. Heero could see her flinch as she walked into the cold water stopping only when the water barely hit the bottom of her shorts.
'What in the hell is she doing?'
Heero watched in amazement as she dove in the rest of the way. He began to worry when she didn't come up immediately and started to come out of his hiding place, but then she broke the surface of the lake with a peal of laughter. He let out the breath that he had been holding and relaxed, content to watch her swim in the frigid water. She finally had enough and began to make her way toward the bank, emerging from the water with no towel to cover her cold body.
His gaze was transfixed on her; the way the clothes clung to her damp body. He took a step forward without realizing it, until a bunch of twigs broke under his weight. Relena whipped her head around in his direction. She squinted her eyes and upon seeing his shadow in the trees, she took off running.
'Maybe we should have done things Duo's way.' He thought to himself as he chased after her. 'I don't remember her being so fast.' His long stride was able to eat away at the lead she had started with, but he still wasn't close enough to catch her. Against his better judgment, he shouted her name.
"RELENA!"
Relena turned her attention toward him as she continued running, when the voice behind her screamed again.
"Relena, look out!"
But it was too late, Relena's feet had been caught up in some overgrown roots, causing her to pitch forward and land head first into the tree. Rushing over to her side, Heero picked her up in his arms and began looking for injuries.
Besides the huge bump on the side of her head, he found a small white scar that marred her cheek below her right eye. Her violet eyes were confused as she looked at him. "Heero . . ." His name escaped her lips before her head slumped to the side as she passed out.
With Relena safely tucked his arms; he quickly headed back to the cabin. Staring down at her as he followed the trail, he could only think of one thing. 'She remembers.'
Duo was waiting by the cabin, when Heero strode up carrying Relena. Rushing forward, Duo asked, "I leave you alone for about a little over an hour and look what happens. What'd you do? Hit her over the head with a club so we could drag her back to Earth."
"Hn." Heero answered as he entered the cabin, with Duo on his heels.
****************
She felt she had been run over by a car. Her entire body hurt, but most of all she had an incredible headache. Slowly, she opened her eyes and found a pair of Prussian blue ones staring back at her.
"Heero?" She asked, as her vision started to clear more, bringing him into focus.
"Relena."
Gradually, she moved to a sitting position on the couch. They were content to stare at each other, until Duo walked into the room.
"Jousan, how are you feeling?" Duo asked, handing her an ice pack.
"Not very graceful at the moment, Duo" Relena said as accepted the aspirin he also handed her.
After taking the aspirin, she winced as she carefully put the ice pack on her head. 'I wish the world would stop spinning for a minute.'
Heero crossed his arms across his chest. "Why'd you take off like that?"
"I thought they were following me."
"They?" Duo asked as he sat down on the couch next to her.
"The ones who kidnapped me."
Duo an arm around her shoulders, his cobalt eyes held a serious expression. "Why didn't you let us know you were alive?"
Sighing, she hung her head and focused her gaze on her feet. "What was I suppose to do, walk up to the door, bang on it and say 'Honey, I'm home.' As far as you all knew I was dead. I couldn't risk returning home, they knew that is the first place I would go."
"Who is 'They', Relena?" The malevolence in Heero' voice made her shutter.
Relena turned her face up to his. "They call themselves 'die passende Rache'. They kept me prisoner for about 7 months; keeping me drugged the entire time. Apparently, they thought that I would be of use to them; they wanted information on the Preventers and the power of the ESUN. But when I refused to 'cooperate', even with the drugs they gave me, they shot me and left me for dead on L5-74."
Lifting up her the bottom of her tank top, she showed them the healing scar of the gunshot wound to her stomach.
Duo shook his head, amazed that she was sitting next to him after taking a shot like that.
'If I had been there, none of this would have ever happened.' Heero thought as he stared at her.
Pulling the top back into place, Relena continued, "Somehow, I survived and they have been trying to find me ever since. I realized that I had to go into hiding until they were either brought down or you found out the truth of my 'death'. So for the past two months, I have been running from colony to colony, hoping to keep one step ahead of them. "
Removing the ice pack from her head, she ran a hand across the massive bump, testing how sore it was. Heero leaned closer to her, his eyes locked with her violet ones.
"You are going to have that bump for a while. Hopefully, it won't bruise much more. Are you okay?"
She flashed him a weak smile. "I'm fine, just a little tired."
Duo stood and helped her up to her feet. "Well, let's get you tucked into bed. While your asleep, Heero and I will make arrangements to get you back home." Looking at Heero over Relena's head, Duo flashed him a look that read, 'We need to talk.'
While Duo lead Relena toward the bedroom, Heero walked over to the computer he had step up earlier. Flipping the switch, the computer came to life and began to make the connection. Within a matter of minutes, Heero was talking with Zechs.
"Mission Completed."
"You have her in your custody? Is she all right?"
"She's fine. We'll be bringing her home as soon as you make the arrangements."
"Tomorrow. Be at the spaceport tomorrow at midnight. My private shuttle will be waiting."
"Affirmative." Heero killed the connection and turned to find Duo standing behind him.
Heero looked past him, down the hallway, making sure the door to the bedroom had been pulled shut.
"I don't think she's telling us everything, Heero."
Heero's blue eyes narrowed slightly. "I know she isn't telling us everything. But I am not about to push the issue here and now. We'll find out soon enough."
Duo sighed heavily, "Well, I guess I'll take first watch on the porch. But, first things first." He called over his shoulder as he headed toward the kitchen.
Quietly moving down the hallway, Heero found himself opening the door to her room. He peered around the corner at her sleeping form lying on the bed, covers pulled up to her chin. Silently, he entered the room and stood beside her. 'I'll protect you now Relena, make no mistake about that.' He leaned close to her and gently laid a ragged teddy bear next to her, before he turned and left the room.
****************
The room was filled with the lingering smell of cigar smoke. Unfinished glasses of brandy sat on the oak coffee table, beside the tray that once held small desserts. Over the mantle, hung a picture of the future. Their future.
The loud shrill of the intercom broke the heavy silence that hung in the study.
"Report."
"We haven't received her daily report. Our operative said that she was located earlier today."
A wicked smile could be heard in his tone of voice. "Excellent. Keep me informed of the situation."
'Now it is only a matter of time. I'm a very patient person. I can wait until the right moment to light the fuse to our time bomb.'
