Only Time

By: Zarabeth McGregor

Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon. Never have, never will, never intend to…I rather write fanfics seeing as I can't draw to save my life.

*Cackles* I cliffhangered it!!! Just when you thought you saw the last of them!!! *Calms down* Yeah, anyways…

Okay, I think I should give you people a little insight into the "Only Time" series. First of all, the other scouts will be brought into this dimension. They will be continuations to certain situations I will be introducing in this particular fic (I'll mention them quite soon…very soon. But the impact will be shown in later chapters). They'll also be my belated tribute to the events of 9/11; not only to the thousands of people who lost their lives but many the thousands more who have been asked to risk their own lives for the service of their country. The series will climax at in the last installment and it will be centered on a particular scout. I'm still trying to decide who it will be…but it won't be Serena. Oh, and please don't think I put Ami first to get her out of the way because she is the so-called weakest. She will play a part in the other fics. Come on, who do think will show the scouts the ropes?

Right, now, onto the:

Q or C and A:

Mercury Ice Storm: Ah! Glad to see I made you happy! Uh, concerning my review…would you find it impossible to believe if I told you I didn't read your notes on the couples before I reviewed? No? Okay…

Autumn Ice: Yah! I stumped at least one person! You made my day! Well, I look forward to writing them.

Lady Light: My dear, I can't reveal that just yet…unless I want Heero to kill me…*looks warily at Heero who is shining his pistol*

Crystal Dragon: Oh, yes, quite complicated. That's how I like things! Did I mention that's one of my all-time favorite songs? As for Eminem, I never really used to like him until I really listened to this present CD. Now, I'm the first person to defend him.

Kaiya: I wonder too…As for the notebook…if you want to waste your time, go right ahead, I ain't stopping you!

Oldestof3: I know; I'm sooo sorry! History was killing me…Ah, I like the way you outlined the 'complicatedness' of this triangle…hehe!

Fate's Child: Ah! But if Duo and Ami can't love each other because they haven't known each other for that long…*chuckles* Yes, I am enjoying this very much.

Myst Lady: Okay, for Setsuna's character, may I suggest you use her manga personality? She much more developed there than in the anime. If you want any information, feel free to ask and I can email it to you.

RenaGoddess: *laughs* Not when the person's me!

Arella Hallo: Deep breaths hon…are we okay now? How did he? Longer chapters? *Whimpers* I'm too lazy…

Za Kaze no Nisou: Yes, it is. Eminem's just misunderstood, though he tries to correct that in his latest CD. I'm sure to watch '8 mile' when it comes out.

Silver-Star: *Eyes twinkle; purrs* So, Bob-chan, did you like the last chapter? *bats lashes*

WikeD tEnShI: He's a Taurus, so he can't help it…which is good for Cancerian girls like me!

Daughter of the Damned: Oh, you can relate? That's good, I guess.

Aurora: *Laughs* Didn't expect it so soon, huh?

Kid: Yeah, Eminem's cool…in a screwed up kind of way…Ah, well, glad to see you aren't ready to kill me…

Wicked Lady: Breathe Jenna…breathe…we have 13 more chapters to go, including this one. A lot can happen in 13 chapters.

Eternal Sailor Mercury: Ooh! Happy Belated Birthday Sweet Sixteen! Too bad I won't be hitting them vibes till next July…

Kate: Uh…lemme check…*checks previous chapters* nine chapters. Yes, you have been waiting nine chapters and…two months to find out. Yeah, that's it…Ah… so many questions, so little time…

Medusa: What is she going to do indeed?

Jessica: Yeah, I love "White America" though I was a bit hesitant due to the name. His first CD you say…hmm, must check that out…

Minimerc: You have a parody? Cool!! Well, Eminem isn't really serious half the time, you know, all the crap about being racist and homophobic. However, I think I believe him when he says how much he hates his mother and ex…I can see why too…

Callisto Star: I know…you think you have him all figured out…then he goes and pulls something like this…thanks for the glowing compliment, by the way.

~*~

                  So, I bet you're wondering what I did after this little revelation. You're wondering whether I started freaking out completely or crumpled onto the pavement and started to cry, huh?

Well, when I finally came back to planet Earth, I walked two blocks to the nearest pharmacy and bought the most potent non-prescription sleeping pills I could find. See, I knew I wasn't going to fall asleep on my own anytime tonight and I desperately needed it for the trip to the colony.

However, you may not be surprised to hear that my investment in the sleeping pills was a total waste of time. No, I didn't fall asleep; I stayed up for the whole night running questions and theories through my head. And at this moment while I sat in the shuttle, waiting for it to take off, I was nowhere closer to finding anything concrete than I was last night. If anything, I was more confused. Here are a few of the main questions I was agonizing over:

How did he know where I was? I mean, my decision to go to the mall was completely last minute; no one knew I was going there. Did he happen to see me across the street sheltering from the rain or is he stalking me? Oh, yes, I am ruling out nothing. Why did he choose now to reveal his affections for me? Okay, was it a spur of the moment kind of thing, did he originally plan to do it that day…or is there a more vindictive reason behind of it? Like, he found out about my hooking up with Duo and…okay, I'm lost on this point. Why didn't I pick it up earlier? For Kami's Sake, it was so obvious! Maybe not in the beginning, but the message on the rose which came immediately after our conversation on the beach. Does he really like me? Or is he playing with my head? Well, I had an answer for this one, which I find plausible. He seemed sincere enough. What did he expect to happen now? If he doesn't know about Duo and me, I can actually pity the guy…but if he does… I don't know how this fits in but it juts occurred to me: Did he know that Duo and I were trying to hook him and Relena up? I have to think on this one, really, But it brings me to my final question… What about Relena? This one has me really worried. Was he using her? For some reason, I couldn't see this happening, but then again I don't know him that well. I just hate to think that I put Relena through this emotional roller coaster: you know, the possibility that he liked her again only to find out he was just playing with her.

Right then, I looked at Relena who was sitting across from me, a low glass topped table separating us. She was writing up something on her lap, while muttering to herself. She looked perfectly elegant today in a simple black suit pearls. Her hair was pulled back into a bun with a few tendrils spilling out at the sides of her face. She seemed to sense my eyes on her because she looked up and gave me a smile. I smiled back and she went back to her work. But now she just seemed distracted. She occasionally took to looking out of the window, seemingly deep in thought. And she would glance at me and sigh heavily. Quite strange.

Anyway, Relena finally put down her notebook on the table and took off her glasses. She fixed me with a serious but kind of…apologetic look. Needless to say, I was curious. She sighed again and clasped her hands in her lap.

"Ami," she began softly, "I have something to tell you." I leaned forward slightly. "I was supposed to tell you yesterday but I couldn't bring myself to do it. By the time I worked up my nerve, you were gone." She looked up sheepishly.

"We knew," she said bluntly. I frowned.

"What?" I queried, quite clueless. However, there was a sinking feeling in my stomach.

"Heero and I knew that you and Duo were trying to play matchmaker," she said quickly. I started at her stupidly, blinking with my mouth opened slightly.

"Begging your pardon?" I said flatly. The most pained look crossed Relena's face at that time.

"It all happened that night at Roxanne's. I must admit I was quite shocked to see Heero out in public, but I thought nothing of it. But when Heero came back after you left, he told me that he suspected you two were up to something. He explained that he was suspicious of Duo from the time he asked him to come out with him, and it grew when he saw us there. He monitored the two of you during the time we were there and he felt his theory was correct," I heard her talking; hell, I was listening to her. But it was…processing.

"He told me that he had to investigate and that he would call me later that night," she went on, "and we parted ways. I did get a call that night and Heero said he just talked to Duo and from his response, it was confirmed. Heero didn't elaborate on all of this." I held up a hand to stop her.

"Did Duo come right out and say it?" I asked. Relena wrinkled her nose before shaking her head vigorously.

"No, no, I doubt it. Duo would never confess. Not after what happened last time," she said. I nodded slightly. So this must've been when Heero came by Duo's apartment. What did he do to make Heero so confident that he was right? Relena took my nod as her cue to continue. "So, I came up with this bright idea: pretend that we fell for it." I raised a brow a high as I could.

"Why?" was the only coherent word I could form at the time.

"Well, I saw it as I way to push you and Duo together, I figured if you went out with him enough, you'd be charmed. I knew you wouldn't necessarily do it on your own, so…" she trailed off, waving a hand in the air.

"You took the initiative," I finished for her. She nodded. I shook my head. "That's not the only reason."

"What?" Relena asked, frowning.

"Why would you put yourself in the position of pretending that you and Heero were together again…it's pretense, yes, but why? It must have some psychological impact on you, you know, you're acting out what could've been. That has to hurt," I said simply. Yet, I was confused as hell.

"Well, I see Duo gave you a rundown as to our history, mine and Heero's," she mused. "But, yes, there was another reason; quite selfish, really. I wanted to pretend. I wanted to see what could've have been, what it used to be like." She sighed and lowered her head. "After our 'breakup,'" she said, using her fingers to put the last word in inverted commas. "Heero and I barely said two words to each other. You saw how uncomfortable I was at Roxanne's. And I hated it. I hoped this plan would've put an end to that, that we'd be closer after we revealed our knowledge to you two. Heero should be telling Duo sometime today," she added with a shrug. "But anyway, I don't care how pathetic it sounds, but I missed the contact we used to have. And I wanted it back. I figured, 'what the hell? I have nothing to lose.'" She shrugged again and gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry." I guess from the look on my face, she figured I was upset.

I wasn't, in fact, I forgave her; long time ago, but I had something else on my mind. Did Relena know that Heero was my secret rose sender? I tried to find a way to find out discretely, without arousing her suspicions if she didn't know.

"So, He must be a really sweet guy if you're putting yourself through this kind of stress?" I asked, slightly hesitant. Relena smiled softly.

"When he wants to be," she said with a chuckle. "But yes, he is. I mean, I know it won't work out between us again, so I must say that the next girl who gets him will be quite lucky." I listened to her voice, listened for any undertones. Nothing, just pure sincerity. So…she doesn't know. Not that I was surprised.

True, I got some of my questions answered, including the one about Relena's welfare. But it strengthened the weight of the others on my mind. In addition to those, I had these new questions:

Why did Heero agree to Relena's idea? Okay, as I said, I don't know Heero that well, but if I did, I'm sure I'd find it highly unusual. Will Heero tell Duo about his and Relena's plan? That speaks for itself. By the way, if he does, I wonder what his excuse for agreeing will be? And will Duo buy it? Will Heero tell Duo that he's my secret admirer? That speaks for itself as well.

Oh, gods, I'm twice as confused now.

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