Disclaimers: The song is Fiona's, the boys belong to some production company somewhere, not making any money from this, you know the routine.
Spoilers: Nothing noticeable unless you've seen the parts I've given away.
Feedback: Pretty please? With little chibis on top? (You
pick which ones ~_^) Post here, or you can e-mail me at quelirain@yahoo.com.
Notes: Bless my beta reader, to whom I sent six chapters of this fic
over three days! Amikins is very, very grateful!
//blah// Relena's thoughts
blah>> electronics
Never Let You Go
Chapter 11
by quelirain
| What I need is a good defense
'Cause I'm feeling like a criminal And I need to be redeemed To the one I've sinned against --Fiona Apple, "Criminal" |
Duo's braid whipped across Relena's chest as he moved to the laptop. Relena scrubbed her eyes before swiveling to face the screen. "Quatre, I'm here," Duo said. "Wufei and I picked up Relena."
"Trowa's here too," Relena added.
Quatre pinkened slightly, then gave a single nod. Good.>>
Quatre wore wide sunglasses that covered most of his face, as well as
a baseball cap that sat precariously on disheveled hair.
Only his head and shoulders were visible on the screen, but he
was wearing a wrinkled white dress shirt. A brownish stain on one shoulder
caught her attention.
//Blood?//
"Are you all right, man?" Duo asked. "Last we heard, you had a close encounter of the 01 kind."
Quatre smiled slightly. Just get the others, okay? I don't have a lot of time.>>
"Sure thing." Duo quickly disappeared.
Quatre glanced behind him before studying Relena. Are you all right? You got out okay?>> he asked.
"Yes, fine." Relena peered into the screen. "Are you all right?"
Quatre nodded once, stiffly. Fine.>> He glanced behind him again. Where are they?>>
"Here." Duo entered the kitchen first, with Wufei and Trowa immediately
behind him. "We're all here. Are you all right? Where
the hell are you?"
Quatre scanned the faces of his friends before replying. If
you're thinking about sweeping in here and 'rescuing' me from
Heero, it's not necessary. I'm fine.>>
"You're with Heero?" Relena asked. "Where is he?"
We left shortly after you did.>> Quatre glanced away from the
screen before continuing. I... don't think it would be a
good idea for you to see him just yet.>>
"Is there a way we can contact you?" Trowa asked.
The blonde's aqua eyes looked at Trowa for a moment, then he shook his head slowly. Better not. Heero specifically requested that I leave it alone.>>
"Winner." Wufei scrutinized the screen. "You've been wounded."
Quatre glanced at the rust stain on his shoulder. Oh, that. Barely a scratch. I've had worse.>>
"Take off your glasses," Trowa said suddenly.
I don't have time for this, Trowa. I'm fine.>>
"Your motions are stiff and you keep looking behind you," Wufei stated. "Take off the glasses and cap, Winner. We already know you've been injured."
Then it's not necessary-->>
"Damnit, Quatre, just _do_ it!" The strangled sound of Trowa's voice alarmed Relena, and she turned to look at him. His face was pale, and his hands gripped the back of the chair Wufei had sat in at dinner so tightly that Relena thought the wood was bending under the unrelenting pressure.
Quatre hesistated, but took off the glasses.
The first thing Relena noted was the tenderness in Quatre's blue eyes as he looked at Trowa. The second thing she noticed were the fading purple and green bruises that began just under the dark circles around Quatre's left eye. Raising his arm stiffly, he removed the cap to reveal a healing cut and surrounding bruise on his temple.
The chair cracked under Trowa's hands.
Trowa, listen, this isn't his fault-->>
"Then whose?" Trowa replied.
The other pilots were kind enough not answer that question aloud, although Relena knew they all had the answer. She knew it too. It would always, always come back to her.
//I can't let this go on. I have to stop this. I'm the only one who can.//
When Relena looked up again, the cap and sunglasses were back on. "Quatre," she said quietly.
Quatre looked at her. Yes?>>
"Where are you?"
Relena, I won't tell you that.>>
"Please, Quatre."
Quatre hesistated, then shook his head. Things are still too delicate on this end.>> He glanced behind him. I have to go.>>
Relena leaned closer to the screen. "At least tell me if Heero's all
right." Four pairs of eyes settled on Relena. She felt the weight
of their gazes, but only one mattered to her.
He's been better,>> the blonde replied shortly. He looked at
the others. I'll be in contact with Nasira over the next few
days. Contact her if necessary.>> Quatre disconnected.
A full silence descended upon the room. The slamming of the dining room door broke it. Relena looked up. Trowa was gone.
Duo looked at the door, then began tapping at the keyboard. "He was patched through his corporation. New York branch. I'll keep digging. We'll leave as soon as I have something solid."
Calmly, Wufei reached over Duo and hit the standby key on the laptop.
"Hey!" Duo yelped.
"Winner says wait. We wait," Wufei stated.
Duo just looked at him.
Reaching over Duo, Wufei tapped some keys, bringing up the replay of the call. He paused it just after Quatre took off his cap and glasses. "Those injuries are several days old. Nothing new has been inflicted since then."
Finally, Duo nodded slowly. "All right, we wait. But if Quatre's wrong--"
"He's not," Wufei said. "So we wait."
***
Relena paced in the bedroom while Duo sprawled on the bed, tapping away on his laptop. His rhythmic keystrokes combined with her repetitive motion lulled her into a sort of trance as she paced.
//I have to get to Heero before it's too late. I have to get to Heero... Heero.//
"Relena."
She didn't miss a step, nor did she answer.
"Relena, stop."
If anything, she walked faster.
"Relena." Hands grabbed her arms from behind, then swung her around into strong arms. "Stop."
She tensed, then leaned against him, closing her eyes and burrowing her face into his shirt.
//Heero... how many more? How many more?//
He didn't say anything, just rubbed her back with one hand and buried
the other in the hair at the base of her skull while she
pressed against him. A calloused hand lifted her face to meet those
blue eyes, sometimes gray, sometimes purple, and then it
didn't matter anymore as he lowered his head and kissed her, then worked
his way around to her earlobe.
//How much longer can we do this, Heero? It has to stop. Has to...//
"I know a better way to pass the time," he growled on a note that vibrated through her very core. His hands moved lower, cupping her hips and pulling them forward, making it crystal clear just what his suggestion was to pass the time.
//In your arms... everything is all right. Everything is always all right in your arms.//
Relena swayed into him, wrapping her arms around him as he nibbled at the soft skin just beneath her ear, then soothed it with tender kisses. She let her head fall back, exposing more sensitive of her neck to his lips. His bangs tickled as they brushed across her heated skin and his lips met the small divot at the center of her neck where it met her collarbone.
//Make it go away for a while... make it all right.//
One of his hands slid upward, up her back and underneath her shirt, slipping under the back of her bra and staying there, pressing her forward against him. His other hand eased up to the small of her back, supporting her.
"Mmmmm... Heero..."
The hands froze, then carefully eased from underneath her shirt and
settled on her shoulders. She opened her eyes to meet
guarded violet ones, studying her from underneath chestnut bangs.
//...violet, not blue... chestnut... not brown... Duo... not... Heero-- did I just-- oh, shit.//
Her first instinct was to flee, but the weight of his hands on her shoulders
forbade it. Her second impulse was to reassure, so she tried to press forward
against him, but he kept her at a distance. When she finally dared to lift
her head, she found his eyes
weren't cold and shuttered as she'd expected. Instead, there was a
strange sort of sympathy there, an understanding that, she
realized, had been there all along.
"At least I know where I stand, now," he said quietly.
"Duo... I didn't--"
"Yes, you did."
"That's not--"
Duo's lips pressed together, then twisted into a smile. "It's in your
eyes. It was there this afternoon. It was there on the shuttle.
It's been there every time you've been with me like this." He released
her shoulders. "I'm done deluding myself, Relena."
She closed her eyes. "Duo, I--"
"Shh." He pressed his splayed fingers against her lips to enforce the
command. "I'll find him for you." Leaning in, he kissed her
forehead, then turned and left the room.
~owari chapter 11~