Dances and Reconciliations
DISCLAIMER: I don't own GW or the characters. I think that covers it.
WARNINGS: non-yaoi, angst (sorta), and well it's got couples in it.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This fic came out of no where. It's not the greatest fic I've ever written but I hope you enjoy. Feed back welcome and archive if you like...
DANCES AND RECONCILIATIONS
10 YEARS AFTER ENDLESS WALTZ...
Quatre sat with his head propped in his palms. He watched as couples swirled by oblivious to his presence. He sighed.
'Why did I even come? I knew I would be bored out of my mind. I mean, this whole thing is stupid. Why does the Preventer Corps have to have an annual dance anyway? Why can't we just work?' He didn't want to admit, even to himself, the REAL reason why he was irritated and would rather be someplace else. His real reason was because he had no one to dance with. No giddy girl to laugh at even his lamest jokes, or to bring punch to, or buy flowers for. No woman to walk or drive home tonight. No one to steal kisses from under the moon. No one...
He looked around him dejected and finally admitted it. 'No one to dance with.' He felt like crying. He felt so left out. He felt like leaving. He knew it wasn't the others fault that he'd come with. They just had their own dates, that's all. Wufei was with Relena. He looked in their direction. Wufei sat on a chair pretending to ignore her, but was paying vivid attention to what Relena and her friends were saying. Duo was dancing in elaborate styles with Sally Po, while Heero danced quietly with some girl Duo knew named Hilde. Trowa was outside with a girl he said he had met during the wars named Sylvia Noventa. But where did that leave HIM?
Quatre looked around once more. "Who needs to dance anyway?" he grumbled, not really meaning it. He got up and decided to get some punch. At least he could get good food here. 'I guess that's one good thing about being here.' Slowly he made his way to the table on the other side of the room, dodging couples, and finally began to dip out some of the red liquid into a shimmering, crystal glass. After finishing, he turned to his right to look for a new seat, raising the glass to his lips. But just as he did it, he halted.
Sitting there in a chair, looking completely out of place and lost, just as he did, was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Her hair was red in color, and it flowed to her shoulders, parted to the side. Her eyes were a beautiful blue, and her dress complimented them by being the same shade. Realizing he had been staring, he quickly looked away. Should he ask HER to dance? How could he approach her? The irony that he had 29 sisters and wasn't sure how to approach one girl made him almost laugh aloud. Suddenly he got an idea. He hastily poured another glass of punch and made his way over to her.
"You look thirsty," he said, tentatively handing her the glass of punch. She regarded him for a moment then smiled gently and took the glass.
"Thank you." She nodded at the chair next to her. "Please sit down."
"Thanks." He sat down with his heart pounding.
"So you're a Preventer?" she asked. He nodded and took a sip of punch. She smiled and followed him in kind as her gaze returned to the dance floor and the twirling couples. Quatre's gaze followed hers.
"You want to dance?" he asked shyly. She looked over at him, and a giant smile lit up her features.
"Only if you ask me to." He adopted a crooked, shy smile.
"Well, I guess I am asking. Care to dance?"
"Gladly," she answered gleefully.
"Great!" he said all too happily. Holding out his arm to lead her to the dance floor, he beamed as she took it and he pranced her out on the floor. Finally, they stopped in the middle, and took a position to start as a slow song started ringing out. He couldn't help but notice some of the guests' stares, particularly Heero's, they received when they came to the floor, then they just seemed to evaporate.
"Can I ask your name?" she asked after a minute or two.
"Quatre Winner. And yours?" he asked in anticipation. She looked away. He couldn't tell if it was through shyness or shame, then she looked back in his eyes disdainfully.
"Mariemaia Kushrenda."
"Mariemaia?" Quatre whispered in surprise and stopped dancing. No wonder people had stared at them so. She looked down ashamed.
"I guess you don't want to dance with me anymore, huh? After all I did in the past... and you were a Gundam pilot." She began to walk away.
"Wait a minute!" Quatre practically shouted, causing him to get stares from all around as he pulled her back. "That was TEN years ago!" He looked around then grabbed her close and began dancing again. "You were only six years old!"
"And manipulative and stupid. I almost had you and your friends killed." She looked down then back up. "I'm sorry. So many died because of what I did. I wish I could tell them or their families how sorry I am." She looked away then pulled out of his arms. "You don't HAVE to dance with me if you don't want to anymore."
Quatre grabbed her arm again before she could walk away. "Manipulative? I'd have to say manipulated. Okay? And your sorry for what you've done. THAT makes all the difference. That means no one's death was in vain anymore. Now..." He twirled her out and spun her back, and clasped her close as he smiled and finished, "... let's dance."
~END~
