Sahara Desert

A cool breeze awoke Noin from her warm slumber, and for a moment, she lay still with her eyes closed. Where was she? She was in a soft bed, and except for the occasional breeze, her surroundings were very warm and dry. Noin also realized that she wasn't wearing any clothing.

Sitting up, she held a sheet to her and immediately groaned from the dull aches of her body. Now she remembered the blast from the mobile doll that had knocked her flat, but she couldn't remember what had happened after that. Looking around the luxuriously decorated suite, she knew she wasn't in a hospital. To the left where the breeze came from, she noted an exit, well, actually a glass door that opened to what appeared from her position to be a patio leading to a swimming pool. She could see the glimmering aqua water as the white curtains danced in the breeze.

Noin crawled from the bed, wrapping the sheet around her, then hunted for her clothing. She came up empty handed. Her head ached and she felt groggy as if she had slept far too many hours. Noin felt silly moving around wrapped in a sheet, but her clothing was nowhere in sight. Was this some type of prison? Miliardo had no reason to trust her anymore. Why did she let Duo talk her into such reckless behavior? Was he being punished as well? She sighed as she looked around. At least the bed was soft and her surroundings were pleasant. She might be able to stand it here for a while.

There was a basket of fruit on a table, and Noin realized that she was starving, so she grabbed and orange and sat down to peel it when a movement at the door caught her eye.

Miliardo walked in, just as bar as she except for a towed he had wrapped and tucked at his waist. His skin was sun-darkened, his long hair bleached almost white. The orange dropped from her hand as she stared, her mouth gaping open. What was going on?

The sound the orange made hitting the floor drew his attention. His lazy smile almost frightened her considering all that she had done in incur his anger.

"So you are finally awake."

Noin could only nod as he sauntered across the room. If it weren't for that towel, she suspected he would be as naked as she. Noin tucked the sheet tighter as he came close and leaned against the table, crossing his arms as he looked down at her.

"You have been asleep for thirty-six hours, twenty-one minutes and sixteen seconds."

She felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment and he chuckled. Trying to ignore him, she reached for the orange with one hand while holding the sheet with the other. "Where are we? Is this my new prison?"

Miliardo laughed and put his hand under her chin to raise her face to look at him. "Yes, Lucrezia, this is your new prison."

She swallowed her disappointment. What did she expect? Forgiveness?

Suddenly he lowered his head to kiss her, and she momentarily forgot the trouble she was in. Then he released her and put his hands on the table behind him to watch her with half-closed eyes. That pose was certainly disturbing, thought Noin. He was giving her that lazy smile that made her feel very warm and uncomfortable in an oh so pleasant way. She couldn't think.

"How…how long will I be here?" she forced herself to say.

He reached out to sift his hand through her hair. "Indefinitely."

"Oh." She should have expected it. She had forged his orders, tried to kill Vice-Minister Une, almost killed him, caused horrendous destruction in the Cinq Kingdom, stolen the Valkyrie…

His hand slide down her cheek to her neck where he caressed her throbbing pulse with his thumb. "And I, my dear Lucrezia, will be your jailer."

She looked in his eyes and saw the amusement he couldn't hide. Noin did not enjoy being the butt of his joke. She pushed his hand away. "You let me think that…"

"Lucrezia, I have no idea what you are thinking. Ever." He hooked a finger under the sheet and tried to pull it away. "It's a part of your mystery that intrigues me."

Noin shoved his hand away and held the sheet tighter to her. "What is going on? I insist on an explanation."

Miliardo pushed off the table and crossed the room where he poured a couple of drinks. "We are taking a well-deserved holiday."

"Taking a holiday?" Noin was aghast. When he returned to her handing her the drink, she almost choked on the first swallow as she noticed that this towel was slipping. She quickly looked at his face and found him smiling rather smugly. "Where is my clothing?" she demanded.

"wherever mine are."

"Where would that be?" Noin didn't dare look anywhere but his face. Miliardo seemed to be enjoying her discomfort.

"I suppose some are in the Valkyrie and I don't really know where we left the rest."

Her face must have turned redder than a beet as bits and pieces of her memory of the battle on the Sahara came back to her, especially how it had concluded in the cramped cockpit of the Valkyrie. Noin wante dto slide under the table with her embarrassment.

"I didn't think you knew how to blush," commented Miliardo with a laugh. "Roxie certainly didn't."

"I am not Roxie," she reminded him tartly.

"Too bad. We could have had a lot of fun." He set aside his drink and walked to the bed. "Now that you aren't thrashing around all over the place, I am going to take a nap."

She watched him lay down, her brows drawing together in a frown. Now what? He looked as if he were actually going to sleep! But Noin waited, certain that he was playing games with her until he started to snore. Loudly. Miliardo snored? Noin had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing, then set about searching her new prison. She certainly had no intention of waltzing around naked! But a detailed search made her realize he was telling the truth. She couldn't even find his clothing. What kind of punishment was this?

After rearranging her sheet into a type of toga, she began her search for the telecom. Sally might be able to give her some answers. But she could not find it anywhere. Nor did she see another living person in her search through the small structure. The bungalow consisted of a kitchen, bathroom and this huge bedroom suite that opened to a patio and a large, oblong swimming pool. Throwing open the door, she was amazed to see a helicopter landing pad, and beyond that, endless desert. Apparently this structure had been built on a rare oasis, or one had been made to accommodate it.

Aggravated, she returned to the bed, sat on the edge for a moment and watched Miliardo snore for a few moments, then shoved him on his side to stop the noise. So she was stuck here with prince charming who snored loud enough to wake sleeping beauty. At least he stopped after he was on his side. With nothing better to do, she lay down beside him and stared at the ceiling.

Suddenly he turned around, and he was above her grinning. "I didn't think you would ever get into bed."

There was no escape! But as Miliardo's lips found hers and his hands were removing her carefully constructed toga, she realized that she didn't really want to escape. Not from this jailer.

Much later, he was snoring again. Noin jabbed him to wake him.

"What…what.." he flipped to look at her. "Are we under attack?"

Noin laughed. "How would we know? Now, really, Miliardo, where is the telecom? I want to contact Sally."

"There isn't any."

She frowned at him. "So who is running the Cinq Kingdom?"

He yawned and stretched. "I left Relena in charge."

"Relena!" Many horrifying scenarios started to play through her mind. "No, Miliardo, please tell me that you are joking! You didn't leave her in charge!"

"What harm could she possibly do? I checked my schedule before I left, rather Benton did. A few ribbon-cutting ceremonies, visits to hospitals, tea with the Cinq Kingdom matrons, etc., etc. A rather innocuous week. Besides, Lionel was there when I left. If there is an emergency, he can handle it."

"Like he handles the problems in space?" She propped herself up on an elbow, absent-mindedly wrapping one of his long blond strands around her finger.

"I don't think you like him," stated Miliardo. "I thought you were friends."

"He makes me uncomfortable." She unwrapped the hair from her finger, then sighed. Noin couldn't look at Miliardo. "Before you came to the academy, Nelson and I…"

His blond brows shot up. "You and Lionel?"

"We dated a few times," she confessed, and when she noticed the angry light in his blue eyes, she hurried to explain, leaving out details he didn't need to know. "It was nothing serious!"

"Just what does 'nothing serious' mean to you?" he demanded.

"Don't be unreasonable! I didn't even know you at the time."

Miliardo laid back and stared at the ceiling. "all this time I thought he was my friend."

Noin made a sound of disgust. "You aren't jealous, are you?"

"Should I be?" He looked at her. "How do you think Lionel feels?" Miliardo was remembering the look he had given Noin that day when they first encountered the Shadowhawk. Now he closed his eyes, rubbing them. "Lucrezia, why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Because it was none of your business!" she snapped irritably.

Miliardo glared at her. "So now I have left my kingdom in the hands of your jilted boyfriend."

"That was a long time ago!" Noin was flustered.

"Not long enough for him!" Miliardo got up and started to pace. "It all makes sense now!"

Noin didn't bother with the sheet as she stood to face him. "What are you talking about?"

"The attacks, his lack of response to threats in space, the appearance of the Shadowhawk after he went on record for trying to stop Ivan Stryfe." Miliardo looked at her. "Nelson is involved with the Coalition. How much, I can only imagine."

"Then we have to get out of here! Where is the telecom, Miliardo?"

"There isn't one! And we wont' be disturbed for a week."

"A week!" Noin was beside herself with anger. "What were you thinking? Is there no way out?"

Miliardo didn't really want to tell her that there was none. She might become violent. "Relax. There is nothing we can do for now. I doubt Nelson will do anything drastic yet, especially since he doesn't know where I am and he certainly doesn't know that you are alive. I don't think the Coalition has a force that can challenge the gundams, and Nelson has no clue who the pilots are. They are our aces in the hole."

Noin wasn't mollified in the slightest. She stood glaring at him. So much for the romantic getaway he had planned. The Winner villa was going to go to waste. Even Quatre didn't know where he had taken Noin and his faithful Magaunacs had taken the Valkyrie and Epyon away to hide from any World and Space Alliance patrols. Miliardo wished he had the foresight to let Benton know. Benton was level headed. He would keep the worst of the damage contained.

As for his cozy little nest in the desert? Miliardo hoped the floor was comfortable.