Only Time

By: Zarabeth McGregor

Chapter: 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon. They belong to some other peeps that I named some chapters before. Yes, if you want to know who they are, you'll have to read them.

                  Okay, I think I should tell you people early, this fic isn't to be taken at face value. There are some twists, turns and curves still to come, so stay tuned! Please, this fic isn't exactly what it seems. Oh, and I figured that you guys deserve it, so this is an extra long chapter. It took me two days to write. 

Q or C and A:

Polgara: Short end of the stick…maybe…but maybe not…

Cocheta: Oh, and I'm sure you peeps have strong hearts…juts don't get the idea to do this to me…*puppy dog eyes* Please?

Spooky Fyre: Heero is very… 'pissable'. As for school…oh, don't worry, just

count down the semesters until graduation…that's what's keeping me barely alive…

Mercury Ice Storm: Hmmmmmm? What's that mean? *smile*

Silver Star: Good! My dear girl…I beginning to think I invented that. Well, good luck and I'll definitely look out for it!

Za Kaze no Nisou: Oh yes he is!

SweetAngels3: I'm glad you are. Yes, I becoming very attached to Ami now…as a matter a fact, would you happen to know any good Ami-centered fics? Have you written any?

Jessica: Yeah, it's bound to be…interesting. Yeah…so is Duo's response.

IL195: Oh shit…uh…sorry? *hits Heero* Heero…help!

*Heero gives sadistic smirk* You got yourself in this, you get yourself out…*walks off, smiling, smirking*

*Zarabeth looks back at reviewer, gives a dazzling, if not a bit nervous smile*

Wicked Lady: Yeah, a lot of stuff went BOOM! Oh, do you mean that pic where Treize in his navy blue robe, holding a glass of red wine? Girl, I adore that picture!

Kaiya: Oh, my fave line is when he's in his room at the bad guy's house and he just got his…free show, yeah…and he's smiling saying 'the things I'm gonna do for my country!' The whole cinema cracked up! Oh and Cappuccino doesn't eat doggie biscuits…hehe!

Kat Silver: It's different, isn't it? Glad you're addicted.

~*~

The world suddenly took on a very blurry appearance. I dropped my fork on my plate with clatter.

"What?!" I gasped. Just had to make sure. Duo sighed.

"He wanted to know whose idea it was to hook up him and Relena," he repeated softly. I gaped at him.

"And you're so calm WHY?!" I said, momentarily losing my cool. Several patrons looked in our direction.

"Because I took care of it," Duo answered, and leaned back in his chair.

"Huh?" I asked, totally baffled. "How?"

"Total case of coincidence," he answered with a grin. I blinked, waiting for him to continue. "Okay, last night I told Heero and Relena someone called to ask for my help with an assignment."

"Uh huh," I said slowly, nodding.

"So when I came home last night, someone really did come by to ask for my help." I sighed loudly.

"Thank God," I whispered.

"Yeah, Jan was there when Heero stopped by," I frowned.

"Jan?" I repeated. Duo nodded.

"Yeah, she always has some problem she needs my help with," he said and took a casual sip of his espresso.

"I bet," I murmured darkly as I took a bite of my cake. I remembered the tricks of the trade Mina and Serena especially would try to attract a guy.

Then, I blinked and took a deep breath. Was I jealous? I shook my head rapidly.

"So, you sure he didn't suspect?" I asked cautiously. Duo shrugged.

"No problem," I replied. My heart rate finally started to slow down. I took another bit of my cake. I now understood why people liked to eat when she was stressed; it was very calming.

"You're gonna get fat, you know," Duo said suddenly. I stopped eating mid-bite.

"Hmm?" I said, my mouth stuffed with cake. Duo nodded.

"Yeah, do you know how much fat that's laden with?" he said, in a professional voice. "Especially since it's chocolate. It can also lead to breakouts." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Duo," I said when I swallowed. I caught on. "Buy your own cake."

"Why? Then I'd be defeating my purpose."

"Which is?" I asked, raising a brow.

"Saving your perfect size 6 figure."

"Duo," I said again.

"Yes?" he said expectantly.

"Screw you," I replied, stuffing another forkful into my mouth.

~*~

I was back in the elevator going up to Relena's offices. Duo, tried as he might, couldn't get me to relinquish my cake. I smiled in remembrance of his failed attempts. Now thinking about it, he was very lucky that I wasn't one of those women who were sensitive about their weight, or else he would've gone home with a black eye for some of those comments. I got out of the elevator still smiling, only to but directly into someone. The guy who delivered lunches.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," I apologized immediately. He grunted in response and steppe into the elevator. I sighed. I really must be more careful. I peeped into Relena's office to let her know I was back then went into mine.

On my desk was another immaculate white rose. I frowned, remembering it wasn't there this morning. I walked up to my desk and sure enough, it was just flawless in it's appearance. There was also another poem attached to it.

Never frown because you never know
When someone is falling
In love with your smile

I felt my cheeks heat slight as I placed it into my makeshift vase, next to my first rose, which was beginning to wilt. For some reason, I didn't think Duo was lying when he said he didn't send it. Well, whoever it was, he was a very sweet person.

~*~

                  Thursday came quite quickly. Relena wasn't there that morning, since she went directly to her meeting with the Alliance. I waited around, my stomach rumbling with butterflies. I had to make this work; I just had to. It was around eleven in the morning and I was on the computer finishing up a report Relena left for me when I heard her door slam. I smiled. I went through the adjoining door to her office.

"Hey," I greeted, "how'd the meeting go?" I swallowed hastily when I caught the look. Her face was slightly flushed and her eyes were flashing dangerously.

"Oh perfectly fine," she spat acidly, literally throwing her briefcase on the cream couch.

"Um…what did they have to say about the hotel project?" I ventured. Don't know since when I became so brave. Relena gave a hollow, but biting laugh that made me wince.

"Oh, they just scrapped the frigging proposal!" she replied, shouting the last part. Relena turned from me and started what sounded like trying to breath calmly.

"What do you mean?" I asked. She sighed.

"I showed them all the graphs and charts, gave them all the information we gathered. Do you know what they did?" she asked rhetorically, a pained look on her face. She started to pace. "They brushed it off. 'Oh, there are at least five colonies like that in every hemisphere…they get by, what if we granted every one of those colonies every one of their wishes? Chaos!'" she mimicked, twisting her face as she did. "They don't care…they don't…" she turned to me again. "Remember I told you that one of the members holds the title deed?"

"Yeah," I answered with a nod.

"Do you know what he said at the end of the meeting? He said he was considering putting his own private villa on the abandoned colony now since it wouldn't be in use!" her voice was high and strained. "Do you know how many goddamned villas he has around this world? In the colonies? He wouldn't have even remembered the deed if I didn't mention it! They would rather think about their own wants before the needs of the people they swore to represent," she bit her lip. "And when I tried to stand up for the rights of the people of the colonies, they called me naïve and insubordinate." I could actually see her pain frustration etched on every one of her features, from her wrinkled brow to her slouched shoulders. I could feel it radiating from her too. I came up next to her and tentatively place an arm around her shoulders.

"Well," I started, looking for words to say. I wasn't exactly a pro at this. "You were doing your job, and very well too." I offered. Relena started to blink rapidly.

"It's frustrating," she whispered softly. I nodded.

"I can see why. Look," I said, noticing she was dangerously close to tears. "The colonies are very lucky to have someone like you looking after their interests so passionately. You just have to remember them every time you go up to the Alliance with a proposal and every time they shoot it down. It's hard work, but it wouldn't be worth it if it was easy." I was speaking freely from my heart, pouring my soul into it. During my little speech, I remembered every occasion where I'd feel totally defeated and despondent after a particularly hard battle with the Negaverse or Pharaoh 90, as well as when I was studying for my high school examinations. So, I was simply saying what I told myself when I felt like giving up. I never knew it to fail.

"Yeah," Relena said softly after a few moments, not facing me. Then she gave a weak laugh. "God, look at me here, crying like a baby." She got up from the side of her desk where we were and started to wipe at her face with a napkin, still not turning her face to mine. "What are we doing today?" Relena asked, her voice still shaky but sounding bright. That was when I remembered my plan with Duo.

"Oh, well, Duo and I were going to the beach today," I started. Relena finally turned to me, shaking her head. Her eyes were slightly red and her face blotchy.

"No, I couldn't impose," she started to reply. I shook my own head.

"No, you wouldn't be. You need to relax today, and the beach would be perfect," I insisted.

"No, Ami, you and Duo go have fun," she said with a smile. "I'll find something to do." God, this was going to be hard.

"Relena," I said firmly. "I would feel so very guilty if I was off having fun and I knew you were probably miserable."

"I won't be…" she protested.  Alright then, if she insisted, I had one last devise to use. Emotional manipulation.

"Remember last Friday, when you invited me to your party?" I stated quietly. Relena sighed and bowed her head. The picture of defeat. "I was wallowing in homesickness until that night. I mean that totally made my week. You saw me all unhappy and you did something about it. At least let me do the same for you."

"Alright," she said throwing up her hands. "Okay, what time?" I grinned. Man, I was good at this.

~*~

At three that afternoon, I heard a car horn outside my apartment complex. I finished plaiting my hair into two pigtails, and grabbed my bag before dashing out of the room. Under my cover up, which was a big, red shirt, I wore my bath-suit; a light blue tankini that Stacey and I picked up the afternoon we went shopping. Stepping out of the complex, I walked out to the Duo black convertible. I stopped short.

In the backseat, Heero and Relena were sitting together, deep in conversation. Duo gave me a slight nod and a smile as if to confirm what I was seeing. Suddenly feeling lighter than air, I sprinted to the car.

"Good afternoon everyone," I greeted as I got in, turning to face the two.

"Afternoon," Relena replied, glowing. Heero gave a nod and a half smile that totally lit up his features. They exchanged a smug smile before I turned back. Duo and I exchanged our own smile before driving off.

Half an hour later, we were on a long stretch of deserted road outside the city. Duo was going at a steady 60 mph, the radio blaring. The song playing was a mellow soft rock with a hypnotizing melody. I was leaning way back into my seat, resting my head on the headrest, my eyes closed. A sudden peals of giggles from the backseat woke me from my state of partial consciousness. I lowered by shaded with a finger and looked across at Duo who nodded. With my own giggle, I went back to my little nap. It didn't last long, however, because duo nudged me awake.

"We're here," he announced. I sat up straighter in my seat, seeing as the car was still moving. We were driving along the same stretch of road; only this time there was a lovely view. Along the way there was a stretch of crystal blue water, waves lolling gently along white sand. I took of my glasses and blinked. This looked like the type of beach one would find in the Caribbean, not in England.

"How…?" I stammered. Duo grinned.

"I'm just gifted like that," he replied. I rolled my eyes and chuckled. He parked the car on a bank of sand a short way from the beach itself.

"Alright," Duo said, switching off the ignition. "Everyone out."

~*~

After an hour of swimming and frolicking in the water, which was pleasantly warm, I stepped out of the water wearily. As I did, I noticed with slight dismay that my bathing suit was clinging very tightly to my body. It looked so modest on the hanger…no wonder Stacey didn't object like she usually did when I chose this over the bikini. Walking quicker than usual, I walked over to where I kept my towel. I also noticed that Heero was lying there, watching me as I came toward him.

"You swim really well," he said as I pulled the towel over my shoulders. I gaped at him. Those were the first words I've ever heard him utter to me. Recovering quickly, I gave a shy smile.

"Thanks," I sighed and sat down only a few feet away from him. Curious to see if he was going to tell me anything else, I glanced over at Heero. He was now on his back, his hands at the back of his head, looking up into the sky.

"What are you looking at?" I heard myself asking him. He glanced across at me, a slightly quizzical look on his face. But that passed away quickly.

"Nothing in particular," he replied. I found myself thinking how I liked his voice; it was deep and spellbinding and I didn't doubt my feeling of being able to listen to it all day. Before I could chastise myself for letting my mind wander in that direction, he spoke again. "Just thinking."

"Thinking? About what?" Okay, now I was just rattling off. I wouldn't have asked about his private thoughts. Maybe I was possessed by Destiny…seriously, I would not put it past her.

"The earth," he replied softly. "And why the hell I would want to put my life on line to save it." he looked slightly shocked when he said this. I frowned…no, I actually did.

"What do you mean?" I asked. Heero sighed.

"I'm not going to take for granted that you don't know; Relena probably told you already," he started as a matter a factly. "But I can't even count the amount of times I've risked my life for…nothing, it feels like."

"Nothing?" I said with a chuckle. "Heero, there are plenty reasons why one would want to preserve the earth." Heero looked over at me and raised a brow.

"Is that a fact?" he asked calmly. I sighed in exasperation.

"Yes, it is," I answered.

"Name one," he said simply, yet I could hear the challenge behind his voice. Well, what a challenge! That was one of the easiest questions anyone could've asked.

"For one, the inhabitants. I mean, take Duo and Relena for example," I said pointing at them as they chased each other along the beach with water guns. "There are millions of people around the world just like them. We have to safeguard them."

"We?" Heero asked. I sighed. Once again, still thinking I was a scout.

"Well, it's everyone's responsibility to safeguard the earth. In their own unique ways," I added the last part hastily. Heero gave me a calculating look but didn't comment.

"Relena is from England, Duo is American," he stated, his voice always even and level. "They are very loyal to their respective countries. Now, what if England declares war on America? You'll see how fast that relationship disintegrates."

"How can you say that? Your own two friends?" I asked, aghast.

"Ami, I've seen it happen. It will happen, God forbid my hypothetical situation become reality." He said. For the first time I heard some sort of emotion in his voice. Exasperation. Whether it was directed at the conversation, or me, I didn't know.

"Don't you have faith in the world?" I asked, shaking my head in disgust. It was really distressing to see what a morbid outlook to life Heero had. Heero gave me a cynical smile that looked strangely beautiful despite the feelings behind it.

"If you've seen what I've seen, you'll find it a tad difficult to believe the world is all good and pretty," he said. Though his voice had a hint of malice and patronizing behind it, his eyes held an overwhelming amount of sadness in them.

"But Heero, if you've seen what I've seen, you'd believe the world is worth every ounce of your love." I said softly, with a small smile. "If only you'd see the positive instead of the negative, you'd understand me." I looked at him and he gazed at me with an unreadable expression on his face.

"So innocent," he whispered, while still look at me. "I pray to God that doesn't change."

Okay, I would've had this chapter out a long time ago, but I took my own sweet time with it. I think you might've noticed my last two chapters seemed a bit rushed. And I think I owe you guys the best of my abilities. After all those cliffhangers and the suspense, you deserve it!