1 Bodyguards: Part IX
"Dammit!" Duo shouted from the next room. Angel blinked and sipped her tea. Quatre sighed, stirring his own.
"Doesn't sound like he's having much luck," he commented.
"Neither did Mako."
Quatre looked over at the slumbering redhead. "She's taxed herself. It's the first time I've seen her sleep in the past few days."
Angel smiled down at her partner. "She's awesome. She really gets things done. I don't trust anyone as much as I trust her. I'm surprised she hasn't figured out the hack yet."
Quatre nodded, once again feeling impressed by this dynamic pair. They'd proved to be as efficient and resourceful as Heero, and as inventive and energetic as Duo. They both showed his own skill of firm leadership. They'd shown considerable control over their emotions and bodies, like Wufei; and similar to Trowa, the girls were both excellent strategists. Their varying styles of combat enabled them to look at things from two entirely different perspectives. Their powers of compromise made them perfect ambassadors.
Presently, Angel stood and wandered over to Duo, occasionally pointing to the screen. Duo would grunt and make adjustments as necessary, picking away at the Dragon Regime's massive anti-virus/anti-hacker system. It seemed impenetrable, but Duo had a knack for doing things that couldn't be done. Quatre had faith in him.
Heero walked in from upstairs, his face stony. He said nothing, and took a seat that allowed him to view the entire room. The girls had gotten used to shrugging this stoic-ness off, but Quatre silently disapproved of this rude behavior. After all, the girls were their guests. The least he could do was act like a normal human being, whether he was interested in conversation or not.
The phone rang, startling him from his musings. He plucked it from its cradle.
"Hello?"
"Winner. It's Wufei."
"Hello, Wufei." He smiled in relief. It was always good to hear from a friend in potential danger—that meant he wasn't dead yet.
"We will be attending a bash in two days." Wufei sighed over the phone. "I don't trust these people. They don't trust me."
"Perfect," Angel said, having picked up the phone in the next room. "With this equal distrust, they won't sense anything too out of the norm. You're wary of them, they're wary of you. Cat-n-mouse."
"Hn. I hope you're right."
Angel sighed. So do I.
~*~
"You were distant with me today, Wufei. Is something wrong?" Lian asked, settling down into bed. Wufei avoided her gaze and sat down in a chair.
"No. I was simply playing my role."
"Your role?" She lifted a slightly irked eyebrow. "I wasn't informed of these 'roles.'"
"I am your husband and protector."
"But not lover."
"No. Of course not."
He swallowed as her eyes flashed.
"So we share a bed because it was part of your plan, but we're not 'lovers?'"
"Onna," he started, but she leapt up.
"Don't call me that!" She looked murderous as she paced in front of him. "I have been terribly patient with you, and this whole goddamn situation! And 'onna' is all I get? I have a NAME, Wufei!"
Wufei was startled by Lian's burst of temper. He'd never known her to be this irrational…this…angry.
"*Lian,*" He amended, sighing. "I simply thought it easier this way.
"You shouldn't think. You're not very good at it," she snapped. "I'm your *partner,* Wufei, not your enemy. You shouldn't hide things from me."
Wufei grabbed her arms, spinning her to face him.
"I'm not HIDING things from you. I was simply making it easier to protect you, and easier for you to do your job."
She quieted and pulled away, pulling a sheet from the bed to settle down with. Wufei caught her arm again. "What're you doing?"
"Sleeping."
"Come here." When she didn't respond, he scooped her up and deposited her onto the bed. "Sleep."
He watched as she closed her eyes and nearly breathed a sigh of relief. That storm was over… Smiling wryly, he began to wonder where the old Wufei had gone.
~*~
"Computer systems."
"Check."
"Cameras."
"Check."
"Wires."
"Check."
"Quatre's tux."
"…Damn." Mako sighed and pulled away from the mic. "Quatre!"
"Yes?"
"Where's your tux?"
"Hanging in my closet."
She turned back to the mic. "Check."
"Evening gown."
"Check."
"Tickets."
"Check."
"Reason we're going to see the Alliance Sphere Orchestra."
"Unconfirmed," Mako responded, laughing. She could practically see Angel's exasperated face.
"The *reason* is, Miss Relena invited me, and it's not often I get to see an orchestra perform," Quatre said into the mic, tying a knot in the dark blue tie around his neck. The crisp white dress shirt made his eyes look shockingly blue. Mako smiled. __Boy, Angel'd be JEALOUS if she knew…__
"Are you forgetting the fact that there are people out to get you?" Angel stressed.
"No. Live fast, die pretty," he replied.
"If you believed that, you wouldn't have called us."
"Live fast, die with pretty people protecting you," he corrected.
"You…!"
"All right, knock it off you two." Mako laughed. "Come get ready. Everything's in place."
Angel smiled as she headed in. __Everything's going according to plan…thank God.__
~*~
Mako and Angel flanked Quatre, and throughout the crowd he spotted the guys and a few Maganac. He relaxed, feeling safe. Hopefully this works out and I won't get shot at during the performance, he thought.
Angel and Mako exchanged glances and nodded. Time to launch the plan. With any luck, it would shine a new light on whatever was going on. Angel rose from her seat and slipped off of the balcony.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
"Go."
"Dammit!" Duo shouted from the next room. Angel blinked and sipped her tea. Quatre sighed, stirring his own.
"Doesn't sound like he's having much luck," he commented.
"Neither did Mako."
Quatre looked over at the slumbering redhead. "She's taxed herself. It's the first time I've seen her sleep in the past few days."
Angel smiled down at her partner. "She's awesome. She really gets things done. I don't trust anyone as much as I trust her. I'm surprised she hasn't figured out the hack yet."
Quatre nodded, once again feeling impressed by this dynamic pair. They'd proved to be as efficient and resourceful as Heero, and as inventive and energetic as Duo. They both showed his own skill of firm leadership. They'd shown considerable control over their emotions and bodies, like Wufei; and similar to Trowa, the girls were both excellent strategists. Their varying styles of combat enabled them to look at things from two entirely different perspectives. Their powers of compromise made them perfect ambassadors.
Presently, Angel stood and wandered over to Duo, occasionally pointing to the screen. Duo would grunt and make adjustments as necessary, picking away at the Dragon Regime's massive anti-virus/anti-hacker system. It seemed impenetrable, but Duo had a knack for doing things that couldn't be done. Quatre had faith in him.
Heero walked in from upstairs, his face stony. He said nothing, and took a seat that allowed him to view the entire room. The girls had gotten used to shrugging this stoic-ness off, but Quatre silently disapproved of this rude behavior. After all, the girls were their guests. The least he could do was act like a normal human being, whether he was interested in conversation or not.
The phone rang, startling him from his musings. He plucked it from its cradle.
"Hello?"
"Winner. It's Wufei."
"Hello, Wufei." He smiled in relief. It was always good to hear from a friend in potential danger—that meant he wasn't dead yet.
"We will be attending a bash in two days." Wufei sighed over the phone. "I don't trust these people. They don't trust me."
"Perfect," Angel said, having picked up the phone in the next room. "With this equal distrust, they won't sense anything too out of the norm. You're wary of them, they're wary of you. Cat-n-mouse."
"Hn. I hope you're right."
Angel sighed. So do I.
~*~
"You were distant with me today, Wufei. Is something wrong?" Lian asked, settling down into bed. Wufei avoided her gaze and sat down in a chair.
"No. I was simply playing my role."
"Your role?" She lifted a slightly irked eyebrow. "I wasn't informed of these 'roles.'"
"I am your husband and protector."
"But not lover."
"No. Of course not."
He swallowed as her eyes flashed.
"So we share a bed because it was part of your plan, but we're not 'lovers?'"
"Onna," he started, but she leapt up.
"Don't call me that!" She looked murderous as she paced in front of him. "I have been terribly patient with you, and this whole goddamn situation! And 'onna' is all I get? I have a NAME, Wufei!"
Wufei was startled by Lian's burst of temper. He'd never known her to be this irrational…this…angry.
"*Lian,*" He amended, sighing. "I simply thought it easier this way.
"You shouldn't think. You're not very good at it," she snapped. "I'm your *partner,* Wufei, not your enemy. You shouldn't hide things from me."
Wufei grabbed her arms, spinning her to face him.
"I'm not HIDING things from you. I was simply making it easier to protect you, and easier for you to do your job."
She quieted and pulled away, pulling a sheet from the bed to settle down with. Wufei caught her arm again. "What're you doing?"
"Sleeping."
"Come here." When she didn't respond, he scooped her up and deposited her onto the bed. "Sleep."
He watched as she closed her eyes and nearly breathed a sigh of relief. That storm was over… Smiling wryly, he began to wonder where the old Wufei had gone.
~*~
"Computer systems."
"Check."
"Cameras."
"Check."
"Wires."
"Check."
"Quatre's tux."
"…Damn." Mako sighed and pulled away from the mic. "Quatre!"
"Yes?"
"Where's your tux?"
"Hanging in my closet."
She turned back to the mic. "Check."
"Evening gown."
"Check."
"Tickets."
"Check."
"Reason we're going to see the Alliance Sphere Orchestra."
"Unconfirmed," Mako responded, laughing. She could practically see Angel's exasperated face.
"The *reason* is, Miss Relena invited me, and it's not often I get to see an orchestra perform," Quatre said into the mic, tying a knot in the dark blue tie around his neck. The crisp white dress shirt made his eyes look shockingly blue. Mako smiled. __Boy, Angel'd be JEALOUS if she knew…__
"Are you forgetting the fact that there are people out to get you?" Angel stressed.
"No. Live fast, die pretty," he replied.
"If you believed that, you wouldn't have called us."
"Live fast, die with pretty people protecting you," he corrected.
"You…!"
"All right, knock it off you two." Mako laughed. "Come get ready. Everything's in place."
Angel smiled as she headed in. __Everything's going according to plan…thank God.__
~*~
Mako and Angel flanked Quatre, and throughout the crowd he spotted the guys and a few Maganac. He relaxed, feeling safe. Hopefully this works out and I won't get shot at during the performance, he thought.
Angel and Mako exchanged glances and nodded. Time to launch the plan. With any luck, it would shine a new light on whatever was going on. Angel rose from her seat and slipped off of the balcony.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
"Go."