Cinq Kingdom Colony L12

"I don't believe it! This can't be happening!"

Heero gently pushed his seemingly petrified wife out of the way to throw his arms around Duo Maxwell. He murmured in his ear, "Just ditto what she said."

Relena seemed to snap out of her shocked state enough to hurry to her nephew. "Zieben, your parents are worried sick about you!"

The young man shrugged. "I had a good time! I'm ready to go back to Calabria any day! Hey, you know what? Benton hitched up with a Calabrian woman. I don't think he's ever coming back! You got anything to eat around here that doesn't have bugs in it? Even if it does, I guess I'd eat it anyway." He pushed past his aunt. "Chaz, you know of any good spots to go out tonight? I haven't had a beer since I left!"

Relena was frowning, but she saved whatever she was going to say when she decided instead to hug and kiss both Quynn and Stryfe. "I really can't believe this is actually happening, that you have actually returned and without using the wormhole! Trynity is going to be so happy!"

"Mom is alive!" Stryfe and Quynn hugged with joyous relief. Duo had never doubted it but he found himself receiving hugs from his son and daughter as well as a clap on the shoulder by their grandfather.

"I hope mom didn't give up hope of seeing us again," said Quynn with a laugh as she wiped tears from her eyes. "Is she around?"

Relena sighed. "I'm sorry, but she's not on L12."

"Not on L12?" After spending so much time already getting here, Duo was a bit disheartened to realize that he would have to wait even longer to see her. "Is she back on Mars Colony?" A few days more wouldn't be so difficult to bear.

"Sorry, but she didn't return to Mars Colony." Relena was clearly reluctant to answer him.

"So what has that silly girl gone and done now?" asked Dr. Stryfe as he barged his way past them to sit down on the couch.

Relena glared at him, then turned around to look at Lady Virineia who had been standing by quietly. "I can't believe you have returned for a visit! Trey let you leave?"

The older woman took her hands in welcome and kissed her cheeks. "No, my dear, he really doesn't have much of a say in what I do. And I choose to go where my husband takes me."

Relena looked with surprise from her to Ivan Stryfe who was wriggling his shaggy brows. Duo shrugged when she turned her stare back to him as if asking him to deny that a beautiful, intelligent woman like her could tie herself to Ivan Stryfe.

"Come in and sit down," said Heero with a chuckle. "I am sorry I didn't come to the docking bay to meet your ship. I wasn't aware so many dignitaries were aboard, not the least of which is my nephew, the heir to the Cinq Kingdom."

"Zieben didn't want a big deal made out of his return home," said Quynn.

The young prince who was the topic of their discussion was already heading for the door with Chaz. "Hey, Stryfe are you coming with us?"

"What about me?" demanded Quynn with her hands on her hips.

"No girls allowed."

Stryfe seemed to be torn, but Duo said, "Go ahead. If there were anything to worry about concerning your mother, we would have heard by now. Just enjoy yourself and don't get into trouble."

When they were gone, Duo got the answers to his question about Trynity once he had explained everything that happened on Calabria. Relena and Heero were able to fill in the gaps of his story, especially what had become of Trynity. After the entity known as Camrin had released its hold on Quatre, Quatre returned to Trynity, and seeing that she was still alive, made his escape from Calabria with her. Had he not done so, Trynity might be dead because she had needed life support for six months until her body recovered from her attempt to heal Duo. She had sacrificed her own life to save him, and if it hadn't been for Quatre, she would be dead.

When Duo explained this to Heero, he nodded. "Quatre wasn't very forthcoming with details when he returned. I sent him to L11 under arrest until I could figure out what to do with him. Trynity's story seemed a little bizarre, but knowing what I do about Guerani people and Calabria, I had to believe it. I can't punish him any further and still have a good conscience. Quatre will never be the same."

"Camrin robbed him of his life," said Duo with a nod. "Quatre was easier to control than the Guerani that had housed his essence for centuries." He looked at Relena who had been sitting quietly listening. "So where is Trynity if she is not here or on Mars Colony?"

"Trynity has been on Earth for about six months."

"What the hell is she doing there?" demanded Dr. Stryfe with annoyance. Obviously he didn't want to get on a spaceship again either.

Virineia gently slapped his arm in admonishment.

Heero smiled, then looked at Duo. "I think she just wanted to be busy, and for some reason she wouldn't even consider returning to Mars Colony."

"She didn't even mention it," added Relena with a sniff. "Good riddance, I say. That place was almost the death of her."

"So what is she doing?" asked Duo. He could imagine her working in a big hospital with the latest technology. He hoped she wasn't trying to use healing powers.

"She is teaching at the Academy," Relena announced.

"Teaching!" burst out Dr. Stryfe.

"At the Academy?" Duo couldn't help the choking laughter.

Heero also laughed. "From her messages she seems to be enjoying the work."

"I'd love to see it," commented her father with a snort. "She doesn't have the patience a teacher needs."

"How long does it take to get back to Earth from here," Duo asked, ignoring the chuckling old man who was muttering under his breath.

"A couple of weeks," said Relena. "We can be ready to leave tomorrow!"

Duo wasn't looking forward to spending another two weeks in space, but at least he knew Trynity would be at the end of this journey.

"We?" Heero raised his brow.

She frowned at him. "You don't think I am going to be here when Trynity finds out Duo isn't dead?" Relena looked at Duo. "You are going to marry her, aren't you?"

"They are all ready married," Quynn told her.

"What?! And I was not invited to the wedding?" Relena was outraged.

"I wasn't invited either," Dr. Stryfe told her. "But I got a damn good description of it. Her gown was some revealing negligee and the guests were an angry mob."

Heero chuckled. "That sounds like a wedding Relena could have planned." His wife smacked him on the arm.

Duo laughed. "I wouldn't dream of holding Trynity to our Calabrian marriage. I don't think she ever thought of herself as my wife anyway."

Relena took Heero's hand. "We've never had a formal ceremony, but I don't consider myself anything but his wife."

"I'd like it done right, the way she'd like it," Duo told her. "But Trynity and I never really discussed any kind of wedding. I suppose we both assumed we would head off to a justice of the peace when the time was right." Duo knew from pictures he had seen at her home that her wedding to Lars had been small, but they did have a ceremony.

"I know exactly what she would like!" exclaimed Relena with excitement.

"Are you sure you aren't just thinking about what you would like?" asked Heero skeptically. "Somehow I can't see you and Trynity sitting around talking about the weddings that never were."

"Me and Mom have talked about it," spoke up Quynn. "She told me what she would like for my wedding some day, and I got the impression that she was actually describing what she would have liked."

"Exactly! And I am going to plan the wedding on our way to Earth." She suddenly jumped up from her seat. "Oh my! Do you know what is taking place around the time we arrive on Earth?"

"I can't imagine," said Heero.

Duo glanced at the date on a wall calendar, then said "The Stardust Ball."

"Damn right!" Relena was brimming with excitement. "This is perfect!"

Dr. Stryfe scratched his head. "How did you know that?" he asked Duo.

Duo smiled at the old man. "I'm not about to forget the exact date when I realized I was in love with her."

"How romantic!" Quynn was smiling dreamily. "Did mom feel the same that night?"

"Before or after she strafed the dance hall with energy blasts?" asked Heero with a snort.

Quynn frowned. "I was hoping for a little romantic tale about my parents. Did you have to ruin it?"

"It might have been romantic if Duo hadn't screwed it up," said Relena.

"I screwed it up?" Duo couldn't believe he was getting the blame for something that was almost completely her fault.

"Of course! You should have simply asked her to the dance without waiting for that stupid ritual."

Duo looked at Heero. "The winner gets to pop her good."

They did rock, paper, scissors. When Heero lost, he shrugged, and Relena looked at Duo and fearing he would carry out his threat, she dashed away, but she paused before leaving the room and said, "Leave everything to me! Quynn, come and help me make some plans. We are going to have to be well-organized to pull this off!"

Quynn raised a brow. "Well, I suppose since it is for a good cause I can sacrifice myself to the goddess of special event destruction."

When she had gone, Dr. Stryfe said, "I think you had better inform Trynity of what is happening. She doesn't take surprises very well."

Heero led Duo to the communicator. "I know she'll be more than happy to hear that you are alive."

There was no answer to his communication, so he left a message. He was disappointed not to be able to contact her, but he was sure she would get back to him. But when they left on the transport a few days later, she still hadn't contacted him despite the many messages he had sent. Relena told him not to worry about it, that the array needed some repairs, but she was sure Trynity would receive his messages.

Duo was afraid they were going to show up unannounced.

Royal Academy, Cinq Kingdom

"I can't believe the communications array is down! My son is on L10 and I haven't heard from him in weeks!"

Trynity took her eyes from her cup of coffee to glance at the whining art teacher. In the last few weeks she had heard a lot of angry grumbling because the space collectors used to receive and send messages to deep space were now out of commission. She was glad they hadn't found out that a training mission from Seaside Lab had caused the destruction of the collectors, and that she had been piloting one of the gundams that was out in space that day. Trynity had already smoothed the ruffled feathers of the king by pointing out that the space collectors were old and needed replacing anyway, that the young pilot, Dalton Riggs, had actually done them a favor by disposing of them so efficiently. The technicians would just have to work a little faster to construct the new ones, and soon enough communications would be improved.

"You don't seem to be bothered."

Trynity looked up to see Agnes Drivel staring at her from over the rim of her wire glasses.

"When are you going to retire?" asked Trynity with annoyance before taking a sip of her coffee.

Mrs. Drivel snorted and drank from her cup of coffee that Trynity was sure she had spiked with whiskey if she could judge the fumes rising from the steaming liquid. "What do you care? I'm not too old to teach. I have a very good memory, young woman, and I remember that you never received a passing grade in my class. Not a single one."

Trynity shrugged. "My son and daughter received decent enough grades."

"Only because they had some of their father's talent for telling a story." Mrs. Drivel finished her coffee as the door to the teacher's lounge opened and another teacher walked in. "Now there is a specimen. You should run some experiments on him in your Biology class, Dr. Nelson. I'm quite sure he would gladly volunteer to be your lab rat."

Trynity glanced at the man in question. He was the new gym teacher, the other having suffered a fatal heart attack while demonstrating a golf swing. The club had flown out of his hands and struck Mr. Himmler, the headmaster. He hadn't been the same since that day. The new gym teacher, Mitch Weldon, was a good-looking man, about her own age, a little taller than her, blond hair, brown eyes and a deep tan. But Trynity wasn't attracted to him, not even remotely, possibly because he couldn't find two intelligent thoughts in his head to rub together. Unfortunately he was persistent in his pursuit of her, and she was forced now to smile politely and thank him as he refreshed her cup of coffee and slid onto the chair next to her.

"You haven't given me an answer yet," he said.

"I could use a little more coffee," said Mrs. Drivel as she pushed her cup toward him.

He ignored her. "You don't have a date for the Stardust Ball, Dr. Nelson, and neither do I. Seems like there's an obvious solution to both our problems."

Trynity didn't think there was a problem. Although she was required to chaperone the event, she had plans to call in sick that night. She didn't want the bittersweet memories that the Stardust Ball would stir up.

"You don't want to take her." Mrs. Drivel grabbed the coffeepot from him and poured her own coffee, then took out a flask and poured a liberal amount of whatever it contained in her cup. Although the fumes almost made Trynity gag, she was tempted to ask for a little for her own cup. "Can't stomach black coffee," Mrs. Drivel told her with a wink. "I have to add a little of my own special recipe to spice it up."

Mitch glared at her for a moment, then looked back at Trynity. "Well?"

"I wasn't planning to go," she told him.

"Good!" barked Mrs. Drivel, "Because I am chaperoning this year and I don't really want to see it fall to pieces. Isn't it bad enough you are in charge of those rascals from the Lab? What lunatic arranged that?"

Mitch grabbed the cup from Mrs. Drivel's hand. "I think you've had enough. How are you planning to teach your classes in this condition?"

Mrs. Drivel stood. "I can teach better loaded than you can on your best day, Mr. Weldon, thank you very much." She walked out with a slight stumble at the door.

Trynity smiled to herself. Mrs. Drivel had probably been taking a nip or two back in the days when she had been her student almost twenty years ago.

"Is that your final answer?" demanded Mitch with annoyance.

She was irked to still be bothered by his presence. "I thought I made myself clear. And since I have your attention, Mr. Weldon, I would appreciate that you cease calling my home. I actually bring work home from school and I don't have time to be continually hanging up on you."

He stood. "If you change your mind, you can give me a call. I'll leave my dance card open for you."

The man didn't understand the meaning of the word 'no." Finishing her coffee, she headed to her own classroom. She could hear the chaos inside before she opened the door, but once she turned the handle, it stopped completely and silence greeted her. She fought the urge to laugh as she imagined her students scrambling for their seats and picking up anything they had thrown at each other. At least she had trained them not to bug the hell out of her this early in the morning. No one would dare say a word unless she gave permission to speak.

When she slammed her briefcase on the front desk and snapped it open, and she heard a whimper. Trynity didn't bother to look up because she knew it was from that moronic girl who was the head of the squash team cheerleadering squad. Cindy Loo was her name. Or was that the name of the little girl in the Dr. Seuss story? Trynity shrugged. What difference did it make?

A movement caught the corner of her eye and she looked up to see Dalton Riggs raising his hand. He was an eyesore with his loud print psychedelic shirt, but when she had made a derogatory comment at the Lab over breakfast, he seemed quite proud to wear it.

"I will assume that you are not trying to wave away any flies."

"Are we having that test today on the different body systems?"

She raised a brow. "I believe we had that test last week, Mr. Dalton." A few students dared to giggle, and Trynity made it a point to remember which ones so that she could glare at them when they handed in their tests. Her only amusement in this lousy school was in intimidating the students. She certainly understood Mrs. Drivel a lot better now.

He lowered his hand and reached for his book.

When he had opened it, Trynity announced, "Close your books and take out something to write with."

Dalton raised his hand again. "I don't have anything. Can I borrow…."

Trynity opened up her desk drawer and pulled out an enormous syringe. "This is all I have to lend you. I'm sure it will hold enough of your blood to write your answers to this test."

Slowly lowering his hand, the young pilot in training swallowed nervously as he stared at the syringe that had a needle two inches long. Fortunately for him, Cindy Loo offered him a pencil. Trynity almost smiled as she returned the syringe to the desk drawer.

"Ms. Loo!"

The girl shot to her feet and squeaked, "Yes, Dr. Nelson!?"

Trynity pulled out the small stack of copied papers. "Would you be so kind as to hand out this test to your classmates."

Cindy approached her warily, almost side-stepping as if prepared to make a run for it. She took the papers, but she was shaking so badly that she dropped them on the floor. As Trynity folded her arms over her chest, Cindy sniffled and hurriedly tried to collect them. Ignoring the whispered warnings of his friends, Dalton jumped to her rescue and helped her. In the process, they bumped heads.

"That's the closest either of you have been to having a full brain," commented Trynity.

Dalton grinned stupidly at Cindy Loo, then took his seat again. Cindy Loo stood with a dazed expression on her face and Trynity had the pleasant memory of feeling the same when she was in the presence of Duo Maxwell. When she had been married to Lars, that kind of memory was very painful, but now she had a warm feeling inside.

"Are you all right, Dr. Nelson?" asked Cindy Loo. She was standing in front of her with what remained of the tests she had passed to the other students. "You look a little flushed."

Trynity snatched the papers from the girl so fast that she squealed, and she scurried back to her seat sucking on a paper cut. The students stared at her, waiting for her instruction to begin, but Trynity waited a few moments, allowing an uncomfortable silence to stretch until she saw one student squirm in his seat.

"You may begin your test. After you have labeled every bone in the human body, place your test face down on my desk." Even before she took her seat where she planned on staring at each student in turn, Dalton was at her desk and he placed the test face up. He had only written his name. She wasn't too surprised. "I think you should see me after class."

Shoulders slumping, he shuffled back to his seat and laid his head on his desk. Cindy Loo kept looking at him and if he still had his paper, Trynity might accuse her of cheating. Then again, Cindy Loo didn't really have to cheat to get good grades. Trynity felt the urge to smile with empathy about the budding romance, but she crushed it and contented herself with glaring at one of the other pilots in training who was spending far too much time looking at her fingernails. Did she actually think that Trynity didn't know the girl had spent the entirety of the previous evening putting answers on her nails with a very fine point indelible marker?

The period seemed to drag on forever before the bell finally rang and the students left their tests behind. No one had dared to turn it in early except Dalton because they knew she would likely assign work to keep them busy.

Dalton now stopped at her desk. "Sorry, doc," he mumbled without looking at her face. "I didn't have time to study."

"I know," she said as she straightened the papers and slipped them in her briefcase to be forgotten for a few weeks. No student would dare to ask for them back before she would be ready to return them. She looked at Dalton. "Sam told me you were in the hangar last night pestering him with questions about the gundam."

"Sam doesn't like me."

"Sam doesn't like anyone." She snapped the briefcase shut, making him jump. "I will give you the test this evening. Spend some time studying. You may not actually have a reason to know all the bones in your body, but this is an excellent exercise in memorization."

"Thanks, doc."

"I hate it when you call me 'doc'."

Dalton paused at the door and grinned at her. "I know, 'doc'."

The following class filed in, and so her day continued with one boring test administration after another. So her night would be spent correcting tests if she actually felt like doing it. Trynity had already seen the movies showing at the cinema complex, and the play production at the Royal Theatre had not interested her. The six pilots in training at Seaside Lab had no missions scheduled because of the upcoming Stardust Ball, so Trynity was thoroughly bored. Even a call from Relena might break the tedium, but she and Dalton had effectively cut off that communication link. Perhaps Trynity shouldn't have positioned her mobile suit in front of the communication array collectors. She didn't actually think Dalton would fire at her. Then again, Trynity didn't actually care if she got messages from Relena or not. Her friend meant well, but she was smothering her with her concern. She needed some time to herself.

When she left the school in the afternoon, she was on her way to her car when she almost tripped over the headmaster, Mr. Himmler, who was crawling around in the parking lot on all fours. Trynity felt sorry for the old man and helped him up.

His glasses were askew as he looked at her squinting. "Ah, Dr. Stryfe, there you are."

"Dr. Nelson," she corrected him. The headmaster would be retiring in a few weeks at the end of the school year. His assistant was doing most of the work now so all Himmler had to do was to show up until the end so that he could receive his pension. Trynity knew that Noin, who was in charge of the educational system, had offered early retirement, but the crusty old man wouldn't hear of it.

"I was looking for you."

She raised a brow. "Usually I don't hide under the cars."

His eyes crossed as he looked at her. She bit her lip to keep from laughing as he stared at her. Then he blurted out, "Miss Stryfe, I hope you are aware that your improper behavior with Mr. Maxwell will be duly noted in your file."

"I'll make every attempt to behave properly in the future," she said meekly although she was having a difficult time containing her laughter.

"You will do that! Yes you will!" He started to walk away, then he paused, scratched his head and stumbled back to her. "I hope you intend to punish your son thoroughly."

"Has he been behaving improperly also?" Trynity raised her brows. Poor old Himmler didn't have a clue when and where he was.

"Smoking pot!"

Trynity remembered receiving some type of communication from Himmler three years ago about that incident. Lars had handled the particulars. "I assure you it won't happen again."

Himmler stared at her for a couple more seconds, then he said, "Heard something about Calabria today. Were you there, Dr. Stryfe? I think it was something about the Calabrian ambassador."

She nodded, but before he could say anything more, one of his assistants found them. He apologized profusely, then led the muttering old man away. Trynity was still smiling about the incident when she pulled up to Seaside lab in her sports car. As she stepped out, the pilots minus Dalton spilled out the door.

"Hey, can we borrow your car to go into town and get our Stardust rags?"

She raised a brow. "Do any of you actually have a drivers' license?"

They looked at each other. Trynity shrugged and tossed the keys to the girl whose fingernails were now a bright pink to cover the various words she couldn't remember for the test. What was her name? Did it matter? "Don't get into any trouble, Suzy Q."

"My name is…" she started, but seeing the keys in her hands, she didn't seem to care to correct Trynity. As she went into the house, Trynity heard them arguing about which radio station to listen to and whether they would drive with the top down.

Before going to her own room to change, Trynity glanced in the recreation room to see that Dalton was on the couch, the biology book covering his face as he snored. She shrugged then changed and went down the beach where she enjoyed a swim in the ocean. As she was toweling off, she noticed a car driving toward the Lab, then she saw Mitch Weldon get out. The man didn't give up!

Unfortunately he had spied her on the beach so she couldn't make a run for it to the hangar. She slipped a sundress on over her swimsuit and waited for him. He was dressed in a suit and tie, but he had taken off his jacket by the time he reached her.

"To what do I owe this honor?" she asked him.

He had a stupid grin on his face. "I thought I would surprise you and take you out to dinner."

"I have already made other plans." She picked up her towel.

"I know for a fact that you don't have any work with the pilots tonight and tomorrow there is no school. So tonight is a perfect night for dinner and dancing."

"I don't like…"

"I have already heard that you dance wonderfully. There is an elegant restaurant…"

She sighed. "What will it take to get you off my back?"

"Just give me a chance, Trynity." There was a hopeful look in his puppy-dog-brown eyes.

"I'm not interested in a relationship," she told him.

"Dinner and dancing," he said with a shrug. "We'll see what comes of it."

Nothing, she thought, but she decided to prove it to him. He waited for her while she showered and changed. Before leaving, she checked on Dalton. He was still happily snoring, so she left him a note informing him that he could take the test when she returned. On their way to the restaurant, they passed the car returning to the lab. The car containing the group of teenagers was being driven too fast, two of the young people holding rolls of toilet paper out to trail after them.

"Was that your car?" asked Mitch, doing a double take and looking through the rearview mirror.

Trynity shrugged. "I think it just looked like mine." She didn't really think the kids were going to get into trouble. They piloted gundams in space! Then again, there wasn't much to run into in space. While Mitch was concentrating on the road she sent an e-mail message to the car phone from her own phone. She noted that it had been received, so she knew the car would be neatly parked in the garage, scrubbed and shining by the time she got home.

The restaurant was rather quiet due to some important occasion up at the royal palace. Many of the Cinq Kingdom nobility that normally frequented this restaurant were dining with the Peacecraft family. Beyond grumbling about not being asked to cater the affair, the maitre'd did not discuss what was going on at the palace. Trynity wasn't interested in what the royalty did anyway even thought she was a close friend to the king's sister. They just weren't part of her social circle.

Though out the evening, Mitch was a perfect gentleman, and Trynity did note other women looking at him with interest. Trynity didn't blame her lingering feelings for Duo Maxwell. Mitch wasn't her type, but his performance through the evening made her realize she was silly to keep putting him off. She had actually enjoyed the evening out, and while his conversation was somewhat inane, he hadn't offended her. So when he returned her to her home, she agreed to attend the ball with him. Mitch was so happy that he whooped with glee as he drove off the happiest man on the planet.

Her car was in the garage in mint condition, no sign of tissue paper. Trynity expected the pilots to be in bed already because it was well after midnight, but she could hear a lot of noise from the recreation room. She figured that perhaps they were keeping Dalton company before his test, so she prepared to give them a stern reprimand for staying up passed the agreed upon curfew.

Grabbing the test to give to Dalton, she marched to the recreation room. The surprising sight that greeted her sent a wonderful feeling flowing through her straight to her toes.

"Quynn!"

"Mom!" Her daughter had been sitting on a stool with a group of admiring young men and women listening to whatever words of wisdom she had to impart, but she leapt off immediately and hurried across the room. She threw her arms around her and hugged her close.

Trynity couldn't stop the tears of happiness that spilled down her cheeks. "I can't believe this is happening!"

Quynn put her hands on her shoulders and stepped back so that she could look at her. "We sent you a lot of messages, mom, to tell you that we had returned, but we didn't realize until we arrived on Earth that the array was broken." She looked over her shoulder at Dalton. "I guess I know why."

Trynity remembered the test. She too looked at Dalton. "Are you ready?"

"Not really."

She tossed the test on the table, then lead Quynn out of the recreation room. Trynity wanted her daughter to herself. "Is Stryfe here?"

"No, he got a little wasted up at the palace tonight so he's spending the night there. Gramps said he'd come and see you tomorrow."

That cleared the mystery of what was happening at the palace! Zieben had most likely returned. Trynity could hardly believe that her family would be with her again. "I realize that the array is broken," she said as she closed the door to her bedroom, "but I would have heard about the wormhole opening up."

"It didn't." Quynn plopped on the edge of Trynity's bed. "Gramps and Lady Virineia put their heads together and came up with a route back. It only took us three months."

Three months! All these years Duo had been only three months away from her! Quynn gave her sketchy details about the months they had been separated, explaining what had happened on the mountain as best as she could understand. Although she should have been surprised that Camridaeus would do the right thing, she wasn't. Trynity didn't want to admit that he some good left in him. Quynn told her that Stryfe was planning to return to Calabria when he finished his duty for the Cinq Kingdom because he had become interested in the work the scribes did for the emperor. His aptitude for language and his excellent memory made him a natural for the coveted position in the emperor's household. Trynity would have to wait until tomorrow to see her father and his new wife. She couldn't imagine why Lady Virineia would marry Ivan Stryfe.

"I guess she always had a thing for gramps," Quynn explained to her. "One of the reasons she left to study the wormhole in the first place was that seeing him so happy with another woman was painful for her. They're pretty happy together, and she keeps him from getting on our nerves."

They had spoken about everyone except one person. Trynity wondered if there was a great funeral for Duo, but she didn't ask Quynn. Thinking about his death made her heart ache.

In a painful moment of silence when Trynity was sure they were both thinking about Duo, she noticed a large, flat box on the bed. "You brought me a gift?"

"Well, actually me and Relena, and Relena is back at the palace, so plan on spending some quality shopping time with her tomorrow." Quynn handed her the box. "We knew the Stardust Ball was coming up…"

"Tomorrow night, in fact." Trynity set the box on the bed and untied the strings. "I actually have a date!"

"A date!" Quynn jumped up from the bed. "No! No you can't! Mom, you have to cancel!"

Tossing off the top of the box, Trynity moved aside the tissue to find a garment of very fine silk and satin that she determined was a ball gown. Glancing at the box, she noted that it had come from an exclusive designer that Relena often used. "I am not going to cancel after all the trouble he went through to get me to agree." She raised a brow at Quynn. "It's not as if I am going to marry the guy." Then she lifted the gown from the box. White and elegant, it looked very much like the gown she had worn to the ball so many years ago except that this one had embroidered thistles on the edges. In fact, it looked more like a wedding gown than a ball gown.

Frowning, Trynity reached into the box expecting to find a matching veil, but Quynn snatched the box away. "Sorry you don't like it," sniffed Quynn. "Relena told me all about the first ball, and so we thought…"

Trynity didn't want to remind her that the most import part of that occasion was missing. "It is lovely. I will treasure it as I wear it."

"So, are you going to cancel that date?" asked Quynn hopefully.

"Not a chance." Trynity held the gown up to her. "I just hope this doesn't give Mitch any ideas."

"So his name is Mitch. What's his last name?"

Trynity looked at Quynn. "I'm not going to let you screw this up by hunting the guy down and threatening him." She set the gown aside then went to hug Quynn again. "I wish I had known you were coming!"

Quynn frowned at her. "We called the school and told Himmler to let you know we had arrived and that we were expecting to see you at the banquet welcoming Zieben back home. Apparently he didn't give you the message."

So that was why the old coot was looking for her! He had mentioned Calabria, but Trynity hadn't given it another thought. "Himmler hasn't been himself lately." She quickly explained what had happened to the headmaster, then added, "I just hope he doesn't put that letter of admonishment in my employment file."

"Well, it's late, mom. You need to get some sleep because tomorrow night is going to be a big night." Quynn paused at the door and winked at her.

After she left, Trynity held the dress up to herself again. She hadn't planned on attending the ball so this was all she had to wear. Besides, she didn't want to hurt Quynn's feelings and she certainly didn't want Relena nagging her all evening if she didn't.

And what did Quynn mean by that last comment?