Whimpering from a frightening dream, Trowa awoke from his nap in the library. Pushing the large novel from his chest and stretching, he brought his mind back to reality and started to walk towards the door of the study. He faintly heard the chime of the grandfather clock in the hallway; it was six and that meant dinnertime in Quatre's world. He ran to the bathroom to wash his hands and hurried down the stairs towards the dining room.
Surprisingly the only person to meet him was Dorothy, she was sitting rather properly at the table politely waiting on everyone else to join her. She smirked at Trowa and he nodded in acknowledgment of her and sat on the opposite side facing Dorothy. A deathful silence fell upon them, so quiet that they could only hear the sounds of the crickets chirping outside from an open window.
"This is unlike Quatre to be late," Dorothy commented and poured herself some water from the crystal pitcher in the middle of the table. She took a slice of lemon and twisted the juice into the clear fluid and took a sip.
"Maybe you should go check on him." Trowa answered, mocking Dorothy's actions with the water.
"He seemed a bit upset about the arrival of Heero." Dorothy commented. Trowa looked up at her with wide eyes not realizing that Heero had arrived earlier that day. Dorothy smirked at his reaction, noting the surprise on his face.
"Ah yes, you wouldn't have known would you? They arrived while you were napping in the library, but they quickly retired after they got here, having been extremely tired from the trek across the desert. But he did say that dinner was at six, so he should be down here." Dorothy looked at her reflection in the glowing, silver knife and scoffed.
"I'll go check on him," Trowa said lowly and solemnly and left Dorothy to go get Quatre. He left the large dining room and walked back towards the wing of the mansion that held the bedrooms. Noticing a light on in the library, Trowa thought that it would be wise to go inside, thinking that it would be Quatre. He was wrong. When he walked into the library he laid eyes on a sight he'd not seen in six years.
"Trowa." Her voice was breathy, almost frightened. She sounded like she'd seen a ghost, an apparition from her past. She shook her head in disbelief and slowly proceeded towards him one foot in front of the other.
The only thing that he could do was stand and stare at her. Never in his lifetime did he think that he'd see her again. Never in his lifetime did he think that his past would catch up so quickly and fluently. Yet, there she was standing in front of him; she was not a ghost, nor was she a skeleton, but she was real. This was not a dream or some strange desert fantasy or mirage; this was a true to life occurrence. Part of him wanted to run away, afraid of what she might do when she finally got close enough, the other part of him wanted to stay and hold her until they melted into one. He waited.
Her footsteps were creaking against the wooden floor, step by step, creak by melodic creak she stepped forward. Her eyes never left his. All the memories came flooding back from his green eyes. The day they met, the way they fell in love, the nights of tumultuous passion; the frantic nights of lovemaking, the burning needs and desires, the chaotic, frenzied, zealous love that they both shared. The memories of her nine months, the nights when he would lay his head on her stomach, kiss her belly, talk to the unborn child growing inside. Her little boy was no doubt confused and missing her while she was away on this long, dangerous journey.
She was finally close to Trowa; his shadow was looming over her figure and their eyes never parted. She lifted her hand up to his face, tracing the contours of his jaw with the pads of her fingers. Her hand trailed down his jaw to his neck and down the strong, sturdy chest.
"Roddy," he said almost as breathily as she'd said his name. His eyes were deeply welled into her, his jade orbs holding the undivided attention of her hazel ones.
"Roddy… I," before he could speak, it seemed as if she moved in slow motion. He saw every movement, every motion, and every shift of every joint in her body. He saw her eyes modify from that of unconditional love to that of hurt and anger. He knew what was coming. Her hands balled into a tight fist, her arm lifted and with the force and speed of a Major League Baseball pitcher, she socked him in the eye.
Trowa reeled back form the blow, holding his eyes in utter pain; he was sure that a weak whimper escaped his lips as well. And there she was advancing on him. Before he could even protest to her pummeling him, there was a sidekick to the stomach and an elbow to the back. He fell to the ground, cradling his poor stomach and eye. He didn't even notice why the pain had stopped.
Quatre, upon hearing the commotion had come to his rescue, along with Heero and Relena who had pealed Roddy's emotional form from Trowa's aching one. Dorothy helped the large man from the floor to a green leather chair and Quatre ordered Rashid to get some ice and a few bandages. Relena was presently conversing with a sobbing Roddy and Heero was making sure that there was no more ruckus.
"What the hell is going on here?!" Quatre half yelled, half demanded.
"It's a long story." Trowa said spitting blood and putting a large towel-full of ice on his swollen eye.
"I have all night." Quatre said venomously looking at both people.
"He's a bastard!!!" Roddy yelled from the other side of the room. Relena held her back as much as she could, not knowing what the poor emotional woman was going to do next.
"Have you gone crazy Adelphia?" Dorothy asked, cleaning an open scratch that Trowa had received from Roddy's Princess-cut diamond ring.
"Me! He deserved everything that I did to him!!" she screamed, "Don't you Trowa?" she pushed Relena out of the way, grabbed Heero's gun and pointed it at Trowa's head.
" I told you she wasn't to be trusted." Quatre said, motioning to Rashid to get the Maguanac guards. Trowa put a strong hand up, telling Quatre to stop calling the guards.
"This has nothing to do with the present situation and Marimeia. I deserve everything she did to me. I am a bastard." He said through spits of blood.
"Tell them why, Trowa."
"She's my… my wife."
****
"Hello?" Duo asked as he pushed his way through the heavy door of Quatre's estate. It was extremely dark inside the foyer and no one was presently guarding or answering any of the doors. Mysteriously, the front door of Quatre's palace had been left unattended and unlocked so Duo just pushed his way inside. Hilde and Wufei followed close behind awed at the vastness of the mansion. Duo finally stepped completely inside and Wufei shut the door and locked it behind them.
"I wonder where everyone is?" Duo asked, scratching his head then placing his hands on his hips. He looked around and called again trying to get an answer. Complete silence. The quick flicker of a light on the West stair alarmed them to the presence of human life and they all trailed Duo as he quickly climbed the stair. Upon reaching the top of the stair and walking down a hall a bit towards the illuminated room, the group of three came upon a commotion. Stopping quickly, Duo listened to the voices coming from the library.
"What the hell is going on here?!" this sounded like Quatre's voice, though he hadn't heard it in seven years and it had gotten considerably deeper but it still held a tinge of the younger tenor that he once comprised.
"It's a long story." This was definitely Trowa's voice, it was still soft and calm, but something behind the voice held a deep-seated pain and fear that Duo was unfamiliar with in the usually confident man. Hilde and Wufei came behind Duo following his lead and listening to the conversation at hand.
"I have all night." Quatre again, he sounded berating and utterly agitated.
"He's a bastard!!!" a voice Duo hadn't ever heard before a woman indeed an angry one at that.
"Have you gone crazy Adelphia?" This voice was strange, it something he'd heard and an accent of the past but he couldn't quite place it.
"Me! He deserved everything that I did to him, don't you Trowa?!!!" The woman was obviously angry with Trowa and after she spoke there was a definite struggle ending with the woman being in complete control. Duo readied himself to walk into an abrasive situation with any sign that the guys needed help.
" I told you she wasn't to be trusted." Quatre said again, agitation deep in his tone.
"This has nothing to do with the present situation and Marimeia. I deserve everything she did to me. I am a bastard." Trowa's voice was utterly calm, which in turn calmed both Duo and Wufei. They relaxed against the butter cream wall and let their heads fall backwards against it.
"Tell them why, Trowa." Duo heard the telltale click of a gun and the men both tensed again. Duo was ready to spring into action at any sign of weakness in the woman's voice. But what he heard next only allowed him to voice that he was standing outside of the door.
"She's my… my wife." Trowa said calmly with a bit of guilt tingeing his words. The group inhaled collectively and Roddy quickly dropped the gun to the floor and followed it down holding her hands to her sobbing face. Dorothy and Relena ran over to the crying woman and helped her stand so that they could walk her towards one of the many bedrooms. Quatre and Heero stayed in the library with Trowa. Quatre's cerulean eyes were filled with disappointment and Heero only snorted in response to Trowa's bleeding nose and bruised aching ribs. Quatre was about to speak but was cut-off quickly by the strong baritone of Duo.
"Quatre." Duo said turning the blonde's attention towards him.
"Duo, we were wondering when you'd make it," Quatre said sarcastically then he notice Wufei leaning against the library door, "you as well Wufei. I'm going to my room. Everyone, please, take full leave of my things." The blonde's eyes narrowed and he snorted as he walked away stalking bitterly towards his room.
"What was that all about?" Duo asked.
"Quatre is not himself any longer." Trowa answered. All eyes turned towards the auburn-haired man in question.
"It seems as if no one is themselves any longer." Wufei responded.
"Yeah man, you're married to a wife that can throw a right hook better than Heero. Who taught her how to punch because she really messed you up there pal." Duo said looking at the rapidly swelling purple bruise around Trowa's left eye.
"And the real messed up thing is that you don't even have a bang to cover it."
"Shut up Duo. I'm in no mood." Trowa said reclining onto the soft, brown leather sofa.
"So you got married," Heero said bringing them back to the earlier subject.
"Not only that, I have a kid. He should be about six years old by now."
"Shit Trowa, when did you have time to do all of this." Duo asked, running a shaky hand through the thick, chestnut waves of his hair.
"It's been seven years Duo, it only takes a second to have a kid and get married." Trowa picked up a towel full of ice and placed it on his black eye.
"Funny, I thought it took nine months." Duo said giving Trowa a sarcastic grin.
"I don't want to talk about this anymore. I think I'll follow Quatre's lead and go to bed. This has been an exhausting day." Trowa said walking towards the exit of the library.
"What about dinner guys?" Duo asked looking at his three friends.
"If you want dinner go downstairs and eat. I'm sure you won't be the only one enjoying the meal." Wufei said as he exited after Trowa.
"What about you Heero?" Duo asked, looking a bit upset that his friends didn't want to catch up on old times.
"I'm not hungry Duo." Heero said and exited down the dark corridor.
"We're never going to beat Marimeia if we're this disjointed." Duo said with a shrug and slouched down onto the leather sofa.