New Port City, Cinq Kingdom
The first thing Trynity saw when she opened her eyes, was her father's beloved face, and she was surprised to see tears in his eyes. She didn't know where she was, couldn't feel anything although she was aware that she was lying in a bed. She tried to sit up, but she could barely lift her head.
"Lie still, pumpkin," said Dr. Stryfe as he gently laid his hand on her cheek.
"Where…where am I?"
"Peacecraft Memorial Hospital," he told her as he brushed back her hair.
"I'm not dead," she remarked.
Her father chuckled and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "No, pumpkin, you are not dead."
"Shadowhawk is destroyed."
"Shadowhawk is gone forever. I will never build another gundam."
Trynity closed her eyes and tried to bite back her tears, but she failed.
He took her face between his hands and brushed away her tears with his thumbs. "Someday you will be glad of what happened."
Trynity met his gaze although his face was blurry. "I am glad now, father!"
Dr. Stryfe lifted her into his embrace and held her close. "We have so much wasted time to make up for."
She held him as tightly as she could, but she felt as weak as a newborn kitten. Reluctantly he laid her back on the bed. "Get some rest, pumpkin."
Trynity managed to grab his hand as he stood. "Father, are… the others…"
"If you are worried about that rascally group of young men that have been pestering the medical staff here for the last week, I assure you much to everyone's annoyance, they are alive and well. Chang Wufei sustained several injuries, but he has already been released."
"He saved my life," she commented. Although it hurt, she laughed. "He will live to regret it."
"That's my pumpkin!"
"And Lars?"
"Young Nelson is down the hall from you. He is recovering quickly, especially with all the extra attention he is getting from the nurses."
"Is he…are we to be arrested?"
Her father patted her hand. "Don't worry about such things. I think Miliardo Peacecraft wants to put this ugly episode in the past. He is returning from space today, so we will know more later."
Trynity sighed and laid back to close her eyes. "I am so tired."
"You have a lot of healing to do. Just relax." He said something else, but Trynity had already fallen asleep.
Sometime later, she awoke to a dark room lit only by the light of the moon. On her side, she stared at it and knew she would never be able to look at it again without remembering what had occurred on the dark side. Hot tears ran down her cheeks as she recalled the feeling of shooting the arrow that could have destroyed the Deathscythe. It had been charged to pierce gundanium, and if Lars hadn't deflected the shaft, Duo would have died.
She sobbed and turned away from the moon. Her movement was restricted, and she realized she had come up against a body. Trynity reached out to touch the head, and she was filled with joy to come into contact with a long, thick braid.
"Duo!"
"Hey, not so loud! If those nurses catch me in here, they will fry my ass!" His hand caressed her check. "Oh, Trynity, you're not crying are you!" There was a catch in his voice when he said the last words. "Crap!"
She touched his face and felt the wetness. "Duo, why are you crying?"
"Because you are! Now stop it!"
Trynity pulled his head to her shoulder and his arm came around her to hold her tight. Although it caused her some pain, she did not let him know. She wanted to keep him close to her in the dark. "I'm sorry, Duo."
"A little tears never hurt anyone." He found her hand and laced his fingers with hers.
"I mean about the battle," she said softly.
He didn't say anything for a moment and she was afraid he was angry or hurt, but he finally said, "I understand why you did it Miss Stryfe. What I don't understand is why that jerk Nelson threw himself in the way. Kind of makes it impossible now to kick the snot out of him."
Trynity knew why he had done it, but she suspected Duo still wouldn't understand that a man like Lars Nelson could have any kind of honor. Lars knew she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she had killed Duo. He had made the ultimate sacrifice for her, and she would never be able to repay him. "I am sure the god of death can show some leniency."
"If he so much as looks at you, he's going to become dog meat."
Trynity laughed and squeezed his hand. "You don't have to worry about him."
"You're right! He's got six nurses all to himself, each one prettier than the next."
"Pretty, huh?"
"None of them are prettier than you," he said quickly.
"That must mean I can expect Lars to visit me as soon as he is able," she teased.
"Well, there might be one or two nurses that…Hey, you are messing with my head."
"I'm tired Duo," she told him as a wave of weariness rolled through her. The sedative in her I.V. must be taking affect.
"That's fine by me. I need some sleep too. Zechs is returning tomorrow and I have to fly escort with the others."
"Are they expecting trouble?"
"Nope! Just a pretty show to welcome them back. Since Vice Minister Une was forced to resign and the Assembly voted to accept Miliardo Peacecraft as king, he really has nothing to worry about." Duo chuckled. "At least, almost nothing."
Trynity didn't know what he meant by that, nor did she care as she drifted off to sleep.
**********
"I can't go out there!"
Miliardo and Benton watched Noin paced back and forth. The shuttle had landed, and lining the exit from the shuttle were the gundams performing the duties of an honor guard. But the shuttle port was jammed with reporters, and while Miliardo was used to such an invasion, Noin was the one in the hot seat now.
"Be reasonable, Lucrezia. What are they going to do to you?"
"This!" She walked over to the large screen telecom and punched the button to turn it on. There were pictures flashing of her, and the reporter was doing a story about the new queen consort of King Miliardo Peacecraft. Then it happened. The face of Roxy Rivera was plastered on the screen, and she listened with mortification to her own recorded voice say, "You are not getting away that easy, loverboy."
"I'm going to be sick!"
Miliardo watched her stumble away to the bathroom, and the sounds coming from within made him wince.
Benton sighed. "Perhaps you should have warned her that the required number of witnesses for your ceremony was the entire Cinq Kingdom when you opened up the communications."
Miliardo snorted with laughter. "When has she ever used any common sense before opening her mouth?"
Noin walked out of the bathroom brushing her teeth.
Benton and Miliardo exchanged a look, and she turned on her heel and walked back to the bathroom.
"Some habits may be difficult to break," commented Benton.
"What the hell, I married her despite them," said Miliardo with a laugh. "But she had better learn how to hold a spoon and use the correct fork. There are many formal dinners to attend, and I doubt she would want to be embarrassed."
"Leave it to me, your Excellency."
Noin stepped out of the bathroom only to see more pictures of Roxy Rivera in many forms of undress giving sassy responses to questions. She groaned and looked at Miliardo. "Is there no way to clear away the reporters?"
He came to her and slipped an arm around her waist. "Let's go face the enemy and get it over with. It's just a battle of another kind, the first of many." He had tried to talk her out of wearing her uniform, but he suspected she was using as if it were armor to protect her from the onslaught of the reporters.
They stepped out of the shuttle together, and for just a moment there was complete silence. Miliardo took the opportunity to turn to her, and for their benefit, and his own, he drew her to him and kissed her. She put her hands on his shoulders, then slid her fingers into his hair. Miliardo didn't release her until the sensible Benton cleared his throat politely to remind them that they weren't alone.
Noin took a deep breath, tossed back the cape she wore over one shoulder, then moved down the steps ahead of him to greet her audience. He couldn't have been more proud of the way she handled the reporters. Somehow she had managed to find ground between the no-nonsense Commander Noin and the spunky Roxy Rivera. That was the woman he loved. As she made her way to the limousine, she tossed out answers to questions from every direction with the finesse of the commander she had been. She paused for pictures beside the Valkryie and announced that she would no longer be piloting the gundam or any other mobile suit. Her duties would be defined by her new role in King Miliardo Peacecraft's life. She would be his consort, his wife and mother of his children.
Miliardo was smiling obliviously as he admired her, imagining how they could spend the hour ride to the palace, when the press suddenly turned on him, and he noticed Noin laughing as she ducked into the limousine.
"What did she just say?" he asked Benton fearfully although he managed to keep up the smile for the press who had attacked en masse.
Benton snorted with laughter. "I believe she told them her duties as mother would begin quite soon. Are you all right, your Excellency?"
"I think I'm going to be sick!"
Benton put his hand on his shoulder. "Time to face the enemy, your Excellency. Remember that it's just another battle. Maybe the first of many."
Miliardo raised his brow.
Benton chuckled.
Seaside Laboratory
"Hey, you can't do this!" Duo lunged for the special strawberry shortcake Heero and Trowa had spent the morning preparing in honor of the homecoming of Miss Trynity Stryfe.
Quatre grabbed his arm. "You can't deny we owe it to her."
"I know, but I want to taste it first!" Duo tried to swipe the cake from Heero. It looked twice as good as that chocolate mousse she had treated them to.
Trowa took a taste of the frosting. "I think it needs a little more gunpowder."
"At least give me a strawberry!"
Wufei raised a brow as Duo made a last lunge. He crashed into Heero, who bumped Trowa on the way down, and Trowa grabbed Wufei to keep his balance and succeeded only in shoving Wufei's face into the cake as they all landed on the floor. Quatre stood above laughing.
The door to the kitchen opened and Sally Po walked in. Her eyes were blazing with anger as she took in the scene, "What are you guys doing?"
She was bumped as the kitchen door swung open and Dr. Stryfe hurried in holding a thin wire. "You'll need this! From what you described, she used a very fine detonation device…" His voice trailed off as he saw the new Commander of the Cinq Kingdom forces on the floor with frosting on her face.
Duo laughed as he snatched a strawberry and popped it in his mouth. "Sorry, Dr. Stryfe, but we seem to have messed up the cake."
Dr. Stryfe rubbed his cheeks, then reached down to help Sally Po up.
Wufei hurried forward to help wipe her face, and they shared a lingering glance that Duo thought was a little obvious. They would no doubt be cuddling in the shadow of the Altron later.
Sally tore her eyes from Wufei, and she gave Trynity's father a stern look that Duo knew all too well. "I hope this is not an example of how you will be watching out for these young men. What King Miliardo was thinking when he appointed you their guardian, I have no clue! I think he has lost all sense of reason."
He watched her walk out, then turned to look at them. "She's a feisty woman!"
"She's my feisty woman," declared Wufei before following her out.
Dr. Stryfe frowned.
"You aren't in the market for a woman, are you?" asked Trowa. "Count yourself lucky to not have one! They nag constantly."
"You can say that again," remarked Heero.
Duo grinned. "Not all of them nag."
"Just so!" Dr. Stryfe slapped him on the back. "I think you and I found the best of the lot!"
"I know I did." Duo was just glad Trynity was coming home. He was getting tired of the trips to the hospital and all the sneaking around he had to do. To have Trynity so close by would be heaven. He noticed Dr. Stryfe looking at him with a raised brow. Well, maybe he was going to have to continue sneaking.
"Say, I have noticed you talking to Miss Dimster at school," commented Quatre. "She's not married."
"She would make quite a catch!" added Trowa with a laugh.
"And Trynity would welcome her into your family with open arms." Heero had to bite his lip to keep from laughing.
"Do you think so?" Dr. Stryfe looked as if he were thinking about the possibility. Since his return to Earth, he had been given the position vacated by Dr. Plume at the academy. After the first week, the physics lab had to be relocated due to several unfortunate accidents. But physics class had never been so interesting. Duo thought it might be that element of danger. One never knew whose hair was going to get singed!
Before they could discuss it further, the intercom in the kitchen buzzed. "The car is coming," said Sally. "Get down there to greet them."
Them! Duo was frowning as he followed the others out of the kitchen after they had managed to wipe up most of the mess. They stood in the courtyard as the limo pulled up, and the driver hardly opened his door when the back door flung open and Trynity hopped out. After she hugged her father, she was passed around for hugs from the others, and as Duo stood by the car, the other person who had stepped from the car joined him.
He didn't even look at him. "Beware the god of death," he muttered.
Lars Nelson chuckled. "You haven't been sneaking into my room at the hospital at night to say that, have you?"
Duo glanced at him. "Me? You must be hallucinating."
"I don't think so. I stayed awake to wait for you last night just to be sure."
Duo chuckled and turned to offer his hand.
"I never thanked you for what you did."
Nelson took his hand. "I didn't do it for you, Maxwell."
"I didn't think you did!"
Trynity came to them and put her arms around Duo. "Don't I get a welcome from you?"
He kissed her cheek, then whispered in her ear, "Later!"
"I'll bring the blanket," she whispered back.
"I'll bring the beer."
They laughed.
Dr. Stryfe came forward to take Lars' arm. "Come along, young Nelson. You need to meet the crew."
"I don't like this!" snapped Heero. "Why does he get to pilot the Epyon?"
"I believe that was King Miliardo's decision," explained Trynity's father. "We don't have to like his decisions, but we must abide by them."
Duo knew that he didn't like that Trynity would be piloting the Valkyrie for the Cinq Kingdom. But like it or not, she was a gundam pilot. At least the Valkyrie would not be as dangerous as the Shadowhawk had been.
"Let's get inside. Trynity probably wants to settle in. Tonight is a big night! She may wish to rest before the guests arrive for her homecoming party." Dr. Stryfe herded them back into the building, and as he hustled Lars off to find his room – quite far away from Trynity's – Duo escorted Trynity to her room.
"I tried to get my room changed to this floor," he told her. "But your father decided to take the other suite up here." Duo wondered how strict he was going to be.
Trynity raised a brow as she reached out to open the door to her room but found the cover to the panel hanging and wires were exposed. She turned to look at Duo.
"Hey, I didn't have time to put it back together!" He watched as she quickly rewired the door and it slid open.
"It might be easier," she commented, "if I just gave you the combination to the lock."
"It might be, but it wouldn't be as fun," he remarked as they walked in.
Trynity looked around, and then her gaze came to rest on the purple flowers on the bed. "Only you would do such a thing, Duo." She walked over and picked up a thistle.
He shrugged. "One of my more romantic moments!"
"Mr. Winner didn't advise you?"
Duo went to sit on the edge of the bed. "Not in the slightest. I had a hell of a time picking them all!" He took her hand and pulled her on his lap. "Did you miss me, Miss Stryfe?"
"I saw you last night, Mr. Maxwell," she remarked. But she put her arms around his neck and smiled. "At least we don't have to worry about the nurses walking in anymore."
"No, just your father!"
"He's busy with Lars just now."
"At least Lars is good for something." He pulled her to him, and as they kissed, he fell back on the bed. "Yow!"
Trynity tumbled on the floor as he jumped up, and the door opened to reveal Dr. Stryfe. Duo stopped picking thistles from his hair as he came face to face with her glaring father.
He grinned.
Trynity was smiling as her father grabbed Duo's braid and hauled him to the door.
"Hey, Dr. Stryfe, this is no way to treat your future son-in-law."
"When future becomes present, I might give you a break! In the meantime, I expect you to behave appropriately with my daughter under this roof."
Duo was laughing as he was tossed in the hall and the door shut. Well, he would just have to conduct business elsewhere! He knew just the spot on the beach!
"I hope you, at least, can show some common sense!"
Trynity stopped smiling to look at her father with wide eyes. "I…I…"
He was taking his responsibilities way too seriously. She didn't like it one bit.
"Get over here and sit down now!"
Trynity pushed the thistles off her bed and noticed her father's puzzled stare at the weeds. She sat down, and he came to her and dropped to a knee before her.
"This is one thing I will not abide by any longer!" He grabbed her foot and propped it on his knee. "Honestly, Trynity Stryfe! You are old enough to tie your own shoes! Now watch how it's done!"
She took a deep breath to keep from crying as he slowly tied her shoe, explaining to her as if she were a small child how to do it. He set down that foot, then lifted the other and waited for her to tie it. She did, without a mistake.
He smiled at her. "There! Now I don't want you falling at any other boy's feet." He sat beside her on the bed and put his arm around her shoulders. "I am here for you, Trynity. I wasn't a good father even though you are the most precious thing in my life. But I intend to be very diligent until Maxwell takes you off my hands."
"How do you know it will be him?" she asked with raised brows. "He is an idiot, you know."
"Yes, I know that! Believe me, after living with the young man for two weeks, I am well aware of his shortcomings. But I know how he feels about you, and I am quite sure you feel the same. I've been down that road myself, Trynity. Maxwell is the one who is going to walk it with you."
Trynity kissed his cheek. "I promise to behave."
"You are an adult." He kissed the top of her head. "I know I can trust you."
As he left, Trynity was thinking of the perfect spot on the beach.
Later in the afternoon after she had a nap, Trynity left her room in search of her father and found him in the laboratory to which she now had access. The hanger was the largest she had ever seen in her life, and she walked from gundam to gundam, admiring the work of the scientists she had never met, but who now comprised her father's circle of friends. She stopped at the Valkryie and was joined by a man in a bright pink shirt, wearing sunglasses.
"My name is Howard." He held out his hand.
Trynity took it. "Is this your creation?"
Howard looked up at the Valkyrie. "Indeed it is. I designed it for Lucrezia Noin. I had a feeling she wouldn't be using it much."
She smiled at him. "I hope I am worthy to fill her shoes."
"My dear, I have seen you in action. You are quite worthy. Next week-end will be your first training exercise in the Arctic."
Trynity was cold just thinking about it. "I am looking forward to it."
Howard chuckled. "I know you will be busy with school, but you need to make time to get down here."
Trynity had always wondered where the others disappeared to after supper. Now she knew. "You can expect me."
Howard stroked his pointed chin as he stared at her. "You look like your mother. She was the prettiest girl in the lab. Pity about the hair." He laughed as he wandered away.
Trynity put her hand to her hair then scolded herself for being vain as she made her way to her father. He had just said something that made Heero and Trowa laugh, and she had no doubt he was describing in detail some explosion he had caused. If Seaside Lab did not disappear into a crater in the ground within a month, Trynity would be surprised.
They parted for her, and Dr. Stryfe's laughter died away. "Oh, pumpkin, here you are! Feeling better?"
"Pumpkin?" Heero snorted.
Trowa chuckled. "Let's just call her jack-o-lantern."
They laughed.
Trynity crossed her arms and glared at them. "Try it, either of you!"
Her father laughed. "Don't be a sourpuss, Trynity."
She looked back at him, then reached into her pocket and withdrew a disk. "Before the battle, I went to the lab to find you. When you weren't there, I was afraid Nelson would do something to you, and I didn't want your work to be destroyed after the many hours you spent on your project. So I took the disk."
He took it from her, but she noticed he was blushing. "Now, that was very thoughtful of you, pumpkin."
Trynity frowned. "I thought you would be pleased."
"Well, I am!" He dropped the disk on the desk behind him.
She waited for him to say something more, but he appeared to be feeling some type of guilt. "Father, what is on that disk?" Trynity reached for it, but he blocked her.
"My secret project, Trynity. Now why don't you run along and find Duo. The two of you can take a walk on the beach."
Now that proved to Trynity he was hiding something. She reached out again, and when he moved to grab the disk, she snatched it with her other hand. "Just what are you working on?"
Heero and Trowa crowded in as she slammed the disk into the computer. Trynity expected to see complicated calculations appear, or scientific data even she would have difficulty understanding. But when a colorful screen appeared, and an elf jumped out from behind a tree swinging a sword, she gasped with indignation.
"The Legend of Zelda!" Trowa and Heero gave each other a high five, then gave one to Dr. Stryfe. "The Return of Ganondorf!"
Trynity glared at her father who hung his head. "This is what you have been working on!?"
"Now, I never said…"
"This is what I saved from destruction at the risk of my own personal safety?"
"I am on level thirteen," he told her sheepishly.
Trowa and Heero looked at each other. "The Gorgon's Swamp!" they exclaimed at the same time.
Disgusted, she marched out of the lab, passing Duo who said, "Do I hear Zelda's lullaby?"
She was forgotten as they turned their attention to their ridiculous video game. So Trynity took the elevator and went to the recreation room. When the door opened, she almost shut it again when she noticed that Chang Wufei was standing on the balcony overlooking the sea. Well, she had something to say to him and she had waited too long as it was.
When she joined him on the balcony, he turned to look at her. "Miss Stryfe."
"Wufei." She turned to look at the late afternoon sun shimmering on the water.
"A remarkable sight."
She turned to see him looking at her. "Not you, Wufei! I have enough suitors! I would not be in the least interested in a relationship with you!"
"Nor I with you. I was merely making an observation."
"Thank you." She sighed. "I have much to thank you for, Chang Wufei."
"So you do."
"If you hadn't knocked me out, Nelson would have shot me on the spot. As it was, even though you tied me up and left me in a closet – I won't thank you for leaving me next to that musty mop – he held a gun to my head and threatened to shoot me if I proved to be a traitor."
"Believe me, Miss Stryfe, I took no pleasure in what I did – except maybe the part about the mop." But his smile told her otherwise.
"Some day, Wufei, I am going to wipe that smug look off your face."
"I look forward to it."
"Is that why you saved my life in space?"
"Of course! You have proven yourself a worthy opponent, almost my equal."
She laughed. "There are so few of us, aren't there?"
Wufei chuckled and put his hand on her arm. "You are my friend, Trynity. I would have done the same for Heero, Trowa, Quatre, and even Duo. You are a brave and honorable woman."
She leaned forward to kiss his cheek, then smiled. The words to thank him again died away as Wufei swayed and grabbed the edge of the balcony, and she cursed herself. Was she doomed to frown with these guys?
"I…I have to go!" Wufei stumbled away, and she was left alone.
But she was alone for only a few minutes before Duo walked into the recreation room. "Hey, what did you do to Wufei?"
She leaned against the balcony railing. "I smiled at him."
"Poor guy!" He joined her, slipping an arm around her waist. When he would have kissed her, she put her fingers on his lips.
"Shame on you! What would my father say?"
"He's too busy fighting a swamp rat with a beam saber. I didn't bother telling him he is supposed to use a whip. He'll be at it all night."
Trynity wriggled out of his embrace. "I promised I would behave. Besides, I have to get ready for the party. I heard the king won't be coming."
"Yeah, I guess Noin was heaving pretty good today. Too bad for Zechs. Cut down in the prime of life! One day a bachelor prince with any chick at the snap of his fingers, the next shackled to a puking, whining baby-making machine. Next thing you know, he will be knee-deep in stinking diapers."
Trynity crossed her arms and frowned at him. "Is that your views on marriage and fatherhood?"
"Well…ah…" Duo scratched his head.
"I think we already know one aspect to look forward to." Trynity laughed and kissed his cheek. "See you later."
"I'll give that whole marriage thing more thought," he promised her. "Maybe it isn't all bad! Uh, hey, there isn't something I should…uh..know about?"
There was just a hint of rising panic in his voice, so she waited until just before the elevator door closed before saying, "You don't need to worry about those stinking diapers just yet."
Duo was thinking about what she had said later as he made his way to the salon where the guests were ushered. Colonel Benton was attending in place of the king who sent his regrets. Benton confided that he was glad to escape the palace for the evening and said the king almost didn't let him go.
"In a few weeks she will be feeling better," said Sally with a laugh.
Benton groaned. "I may resign before those few weeks are up."
"I never thought Noin would become a weak female," commented Wufei.
"Since when were you a good judge of female character?" asked Sally.
He smiled at her. "I wasn't wrong about you."
Duo laughed as she blushed, then he noticed Lars standing with Trynity as Dr. Stryfe introduced people to them. Was he standing a bit too close?
"Where's your scythe?" asked Heero.
"About to be buried in his back."
"Don't look now, but trouble just walked in the door."
"Duo!" Hilde skittered across the room, rudely ignoring the guest of honor as she threw herself against him.
"Damn it, Hilde, get off me!" He tried to avoid her kiss, but she planted one on his lips.
Heero snorted and walked away.
Duo shoved Hilde back. "Can't you understand? I'm with Trynity!"
Hilde put her hands on her hips. "With Trynity!? She tried to kill you!"
"Hey, I'd rather be killed by her than kissed by you. Now run along and dig your claws into some other guy. Quatre's alone. Dot isn't here yet."
She turned to look at Trynity, glaring, with hatred spitting from her eyes. Then suddenly she raised her brows. "Who is that god standing next to her?"
"Her father."
Hilde made a sound of disgust. "Not him! I mean that gorgeous model of manhood."
"You already know Trowa."
"You know who I mean!" She slapped his arm.
"You mean the traitor Nelson."
"Hmmm. Are he and Trynity Stryfe…"
"Don't finish that question, Hilde. Trynity is my girl. You want Nelson, I will bait the hook for you." He grabbed her arm and marched her over to them.
Trynity looked at Hilde, then at Duo, then turned her last gaze upon Lars. Good girl, she was getting the picture. "Lars, I would like you to meet Hilde," said Trynity. "She is a mobile suit pilot. I almost killed her."
Hilde glared at Trynity for the very brief and very rude introduction, and Duo almost laughed.
Lars took her hand like a gentleman and raised it to his lips. "Don't worry, Hilde. Many of us can lay claim to the fact that Trynity almost killed us. Right, Maxwell?"
"Hey, she might kill me yet." Lars seemed to be interested in Hilde, although Duo couldn't, for the life of him, figure out why any guy would choose Hilde over Trynity Stryfe. Hilde batted her long lashes, and Lars was charmed. Didn't take much, thought Duo. Sucker!
Relena Peacecraft arrived along with Dorothy Catalonia. There was an awkward moment when Dorothy greeted Trynity – the Shadowhawk had humiliated her mobile dolls – but after that, everything settled down as usual. Relena screeched for Heero, Catherine hung on Trowa, Dorothy bossed Quatre, and now Lars Nelson had Hilde eating out of his hand. The dinner party proceeded without incident, unless one counted Dr. Stryfe starting the tablecloth on fire when he lit the cherries jubilee dessert. Duo thought it was amusing although Trynity was very embarrassed. She needed to lighten up!
Before the end of the meal, Benton was called back to the palace. In fact he received two calls, one from the king and one from the king's wife. Poor Benton.
After the meal, Duo felt sorry for himself as he was forced to listen to Trowa and Quatre performing music. He noticed that Hilde and Lars had disappeared while he had to listen to the racket standing next to Dorothy who kept looking at him like a piece of meat while Trynity sat on the sofa with her father. When the evening came to a blessed end, he said goodnight to Trynity with a kiss on the cheek witnessed by her father, then made his way to his room. When the place grew quiet, he left his room, and went to the lower level. He went onto the beach, and stood under Trynity's window. Taking a stone, he tossed it at the window.
"Ow!" Trynity popped her head out. "What did you do that for?"
Oops! Before he could explain, she was free-falling from her window, and he didn't breathe until she landed like a cat in front of him.
"Jeez, Trynity! Why do you do that? You scared the crap out of me!"
"Well, you hit me with a stone!"
Duo took her hand. "I'll kiss your little owie!"
"You certainly will!" They dashed along the beach until they came to the spot where he had first come upon her. There they sat down and Duo held her in his arms as they both looked up at the moon.
"I will never forget this," she said, resting her head on his shoulder.
"It's almost like the first time we were out here together."
Trynity looked up at him. "This is better. The Shadowhawk isn't watching."
Duo shuddered and glanced into the distance at the rocky shoreline where the Shadowhawk had been cloaked. Then he looked back down at her. "You are beautiful in the moonlight, Miss Stryfe."
"Mr. Maxwell, I think you are becoming a poet." She smiled at him. "I don't know how you did it, you idiot, but I love you."
Duo laughed and touched his forehead to hers. "It took you long enough, Miss Stryfe! I've loved you since the moment you fell at my feet!" He glanced down and saw that her shoes were tied. "Hey! How did that happen?"
"I'll tell you later." Trynity slid her fingers into his hair and pulled his head down to hers.
"Hey, don't mess with my hair!"
Trynity laughed. "I'm going to do more than mess with your hair, Duo Maxwell."
"Well, then carry on."
And she did, under the light of the full moon and a starry sky.