Only Time
By: Zarabeth McGregor
Chapter: 8
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon; they belong to their respective companies. Thank you.
Okay, I know I'm updating faster than Vin Diesel in Fast and the Furious (he is so fine!), but that doesn't mean I was just bluffing when I made that little announcement in Chapter 4. I just want to get out these chapters before I really have to cut back on the updating. Once again, I will not be abandoning this fic. Not on my life (besides, I know some of you will kill me if I did…you guys know who you are…) Actually, this may be my last chapter for a while.
Questions and comments time…
Wicked Lady: Yeah…it gets interesting from here on out…glad it could make your day…Jenna.
Mercury Ice Storm: Yeah, thanks, I'll be checking it out soon.
Jessica: Thank you. Yeah…it took all my willpower not to make it into a cliffhanger…though my willpower can't hold out for long…*evil grin*
Hope129: *shrugs* Well, it was my first time writing in first person and I never really focused on Ami before…I thought I'd muck it up, really, cause I just thought about it like the night before, I didn't really plan it out like I usually do. But Ami's fun to work with.
Megami*Silence: Evil? Me? Nuh-uh, you have me confused with someone else…as for the curses, anytime, dear, anytime…oh, and thanks for the little cheese rant, you'll see why. Though I must wonder…are you alright? *sniffs* You don't email me anymore…*pouts*
Kaiya: Well, those other 'quiet, innocent' people are just pretenders. I'm the real deal!
Dragon Lady: Yeah, I enjoyed writing that chapter, believe it or not, the wait before I could write that chapter was as stressing on me as it was on you guys. I even got up and started to try out the moves so I could describe them accurately. Yes, that was Wufei in a good mood. If he wasn't in a good mood, he would've been swearing up a storm by now…
Kate: Good question, really, cause I'm not too sure about that…I'll have to see, though because I think I have an idea *wink*
Amy: Who will it be, indeed…hm. Thanks for the compliment.
Midnight Angel: Thank you so very much…yeah, Ami/Duo interactions are quite fun to write, if you want to know the truth.
Thank you again for reviewing! And thanks for reading this fic thus far.
~*~
It was one in the morning and the party was still swinging. But I wasn't on the dance floor. I was back at the balcony, looking at the moon in the sky. Yet, I wasn't alone this time. I was sitting on the wall, my legs dangling above the hedges below, while Duo was leaning next to me. We each had a flute of champagne in our hand.
"Is the moon really made from Swiss cheese?" Duo asked suddenly. I giggled at the absurdity of his statement, yet the mock-seriousness of his tone.
"What?" I asked. Just had to make sure that's what he really said.
"No, seriously," he said. He waved a hand at the moon. "Look at it, it's not that hard to believe." I followed his gaze and tipped my head to one side. It really did look like it could be made from Swiss cheese…but then again, I think I was feeling slightly tipsy from the mixture of coke and champagne…
"Yeah…" I agreed with some measure of seriousness. "All that crap they taught us in school about the moon being made from rock…" I shook my head. "Nonsense." Duo nodded in agreement.
"It's just this big…what's the word…?" he said, waving his hand idly, trying to remember. I shrugged.
"Gouda?" I supplied.
"Yeah, that's it," he nodded. "Yeah, this big Gouda of Swiss cheese." I threw back my head and laughed really hard.
"So, what about the other planets?" I asked, and sipped my champagne. Duo squinted up at the sky.
"Well, let's see…Venus is…" he tipped his head to one side, obviously thinking of the most ridiculous thing he could imagine. "One of those Hostess vanilla cream cakes." We both cracked up.
"Yeah…Mars is a…a helluva big cherry," I said off the top of my head. Duo nodded in agreement.
"Jupiter is…" Duo started, then stopped. We both looked up into the sky for this one, trying to think of food to describe this planet. He snapped his fingers.
"One of those big lollipops that take a whole day to eat," he said excitedly. I nodded while giggling.
"Yeah, the ones with all the colors swirled around the place," I backed up. This was quite fun, though very senseless. But that's what made it fun, no? For the next few minutes, we went through all the different planets; Neptune was described as a blue jawbreaker, while Saturn was a round ball of frozen milk while its rings were rotating circles of sugar, among others.
"Aren't we forgetting one?" Duo asked as I declared us finished. I thought a while before shaking my head.
"No, I don't think so," I replied. Duo frowned, then laughed.
"Oh, yeah, Mercury!" he said triumphantly. My heart went slightly cold. How could I forget my planet? What did this mean?
"Oh, yeah," I said weakly and took a long sip from my glass. Duo followed suit.
"Hmm…" he said thoughtfully as we drank. "What do you suppose Mercury is made from?" I didn't think, I just answered.
"A big ball of ice," I said softly. I was looking at my planet right now. It was very hard to see; yet I always found it. Duo looked me strangely.
"Don't you think it would melt, being so close to the sun?" he asked. I shrugged. "Nah," he shook his head. "It's more like a big marshmallow." I laughed.
"Marshmallows are smooth, Duo. My planet is all pitted," I blanched and stopped short; I realized I made a very serious mistake, describing Mercury as my planet. I was no doubt thinking I was still in my old dimension. I looked up at Duo and he was staring at me strangely. Oh, God, I was so busted.
"I understand," he said softly, his eyes not leaving me. My heart was seriously pounding in my chest. How could I make such an error?
"You're Virgo, aren't you?" he said. I blinked once before it sunk in. I laughed nervously. He was talking about my star sign.
"Yeah, I am," I answered, my heart slowly returning to its normal rate. A very close call. I must stop drinking the champagne. Duo's violet eyes stayed on me for a few more moments before going back to the sky.
"Smooth, you say…" he muttered. "Okay, a round marshmallow that has been…nibbled at by a…bored four-year old." He concluded grandly with a grin. I laughed. That was a very…different way of hearing my planet being described.
"Yeah…and the sun's a big…open fire that it's roasting on," I ended off. We looked at each other and laughed. "Oh, God, I can't believe I'm having this conversation…" Duo cocked his head.
"Why?" he asked, slightly confused. Or at least he pretended to be. I shrugged.
"It's quite…" I trailed off at looked away from him up at the moon.
"Ridiculous?" he filled in. I looked back at him and laughed.
"Yeah," I shrugged. "I don't usually have 'ridiculous' conversations." Duo shrugged back and sipped from his glass.
"There's a first time for everything," he said softly, his violet eyes focused on me. They were so bright and so beautiful. We looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds before I blinked and looked down, smiling.
"I guess there is."
~*~
That night, or rather morning, I couldn't sleep. My mind was still reeling. I had gotten home about two hours ago and here I was in my bed like some lovesick teenager.
I think sometime tonight, I don't really know when, I realized I liked Duo. He was unlike any guy I had ever met. He was charming and funny and when he gave that lopsided grin of his, my heart would literally skip a beat.
Duo, Duo, Duo… I said the name over and over again in my mind and smiled. He wasn't bad looking either. I giggled at that thought. Now, where did that come from? Then again, it was a fact. And how he seemed to make me do things that I won't necessarily do. Like that conversation…
"Is the moon made of Swiss cheese?" I muttered then laughed. I turned over so I was on my back. Was this love? I sighed, but in a contented way. If it was, I wouldn't mind feeling like this for the rest of my life.
'…look into his eyes…' Relena's voice floated by briefly, but something remained. A pair of Prussian blue eyes implanted themselves into my mind. Heero. The bear thought of his name took my breath away. Those eyes…now so vividly emblazoned made my heart almost fail to beat. I remembered the feelings I experienced while looking into them…not the giddy feelings that usually accompany me while thinking of Duo. I couldn't describe it…just…drowning…slowly…
I tried to sleep from that point onward, but all that came to me were a pair of deep blue eyes.
Thank God it was a Friday…or more accurately Saturday.
~*~
Monday morning, bright and early, I came to work. I was wearing a white linen suit and my hair was spilled down over my shoulders in curls and on my feet were a pair of my blue pumps. I smiled at Gretchen as I passed her and went up in the elevator. Once on the sixteenth floor, I stepped out and saw Stacey.
"Hey, Ami, what's up?" she said brightly, though she sounded a bit nasal.
"Nothing," I replied. "Are you okay?" she nodded and laughed, only to have it cut short by a series of hacking coughs.
"Yeah, just fine. As fine as you can be with a cold, but hey," she shrugged.
"Hope you feel better," I said sympathetically. She smiled and nodded and then went back to what she was doing. I walked in the direction of my office, when she called me back.
"Oh, Ames," I looked back. "In case you miss it, there's something on your desk…" she trailed off and gave me a mysterious smile. I frowned and walked on back to my office, wanting to see what this 'something' was. I unlocked the door and walked in.
On my desk, no missing it, was a single white rose.
I gasped softly and walked over to it slowly, putting my purse and briefcase on the armchair. It was snowy white and immaculate, and in short, just beautiful. Its large white head sat elegantly on a slender, almost straight stem, free from any thorns with two large, perfectly green leaves mid-way down. I picked it up lightly and smelt it, it's perfume tantalizing me. Pulling it back from my nose, I noticed it had a small card on it, plain and white. I opened it and read the small, neat script.
My eyes widened and I re-read it for extra measure. This was quite honestly the most beautiful thing I ever had written to me. It simply said this:
Other men said they have seen angels,
But I have seen thee
And thou art enough.
And it was unsigned.
Ciaocito, baby!!!