The story continues.here's Part 4. Read and review pretty please? ^.^
Disclaimer: don't own them aight?
~*~
It took about half an hour until the limo was pulling into the long driveway leading to the immense Peacecraft estate. Hilde sat up straighter in her seat, her stomach starting to jump again. After what seemed like an hour, she spied the mansion at the end of the drive, and several limos pulling up to and away from it. She wondered fleetingly if any of them contained her friends.
But all too soon they were in the line of limos unloading passengers, and when her turn came the driver once again got out and opened her door with a chivalric flourish that made her laugh. It reminded her of something Duo would've done. Her face sobered with that thought, but she was soon distracted by an ecstatic cry, "Hilde!!"
She looked to see Relena coming towards her as fast as her dress would allow. She smiled at her friend and then turned back to the driver saying, "Thank you." But he was gone and her words blew away on the soft breeze. She looked about in confusion and even peeked into the limo; he wasn't anywhere around.
Then she felt Relena's arm lock with hers in a gesture of friends too long parted. Giving up her search, Hilde turned back to her friend. "Oh, you finally got here! I was wondering if you were even going to show up." There was a teasing hint in Relena's voice that made Hilde smile again.
"Hey, don't blame me! You're the one that hired the limo." They both laughed, glad just to be together again. "But really, was the limo okay? I've never used the service myself, but I'd heard from Quatre that it was good, with nice drivers." Relena said when they'd both finished laughing.
Hilde nodded. "Yes, it was excellent. And the driver was very considerate, certainly a change from all those taxis on the colony." Relena grinned knowingly. She'd experienced the courtesy of taxi drivers on colonies once or twice. Not something one wished to go through too many times.
They crossed the threshold and instantly were surrounded by the lights, laughter, conversation, and music of the celebration banquet. Hilde gave a little "Oh." in awe. Relena was quite the hostess; there wasn't a disappointed face in the entire crowd, and that was just in the high- ceilinged entrance hall. Relena laughed lightly and leaned over to whisper, "Wait till you see the dance hall. That's where the real action is," in Hilde's ear and gave a sly wink.
"Is everyone here yet? Don't tell me I'm the last one." Hilde said despairingly as they made their way through the crowd. "Oh no, Hilde. Now that you're here, we're only waiting on Wufei and Sally, who had something to finish up at the headquarters, Quatre, who got held up at his corporation, and Heero, and lord knows where he is." Relena drifted off into a nervous chuckle. Hilde just hoped for her sake that Heero held true to his promise and made an appearance at least.
"But, other than that, everyone's here. Want to go and see them? We're headed that way." Relena said and smiled at her friend, knowing the answer. "Well, of course I want to see them! You don't think I dragged my ass all the way from L2 just for you, do you?" She said teasingly and they both laughed again.
Then Hilde remembered something and halted, reaching down to search through her handbag. "But first Relena, I've got something I want you to look at. Sure got me fooled. I know it's just a joke, but I want to know who's behind it." She slipped the envelope out of her bag and handed it to Relena, "Can you tell whose handwriting it is?"
Relena pulled the card from the envelope and read it, her eyes widening in shock. "But.who would do something like this to you? How awful!" She said in anger and disgust. She kept her eyes on the card, trying to decipher the handwriting. She sighed and looked sadly up at her friend, "I'm sorry. I don't know whose it is, though it does look awfully familiar. Kind of a sweet message though, only if it hadn't been coming from a prankster."
Hilde regarded Relena quizzically. "What message? All I saw was a signature." She said with a confused expression. "It's right there, along the top. Written really small, I'm not surprised you missed it." She pointed to the words and held the card so Hilde could view it. "There, see?" Hilde took it from Relena's hands to get a better look.
Hilde's eyes scanned it. They widened and she read it again, and again. She threw the card to the ground as if it had bitten her. Her mouth hung open and her throat went dry. "It.it couldn't be. It just couldn't. How.how could they have known? How did they.? What kind of joke is this?" She stumbled around the words.
~ ~
Relena became worried at the sudden change in her friend. What was going on, anyway? She put her hand on Hilde's shoulder, "What's the matter, Hilde?" Hilde tore her eyes away from where the card lay on the floor and looked at her friend. Relena became even more worried.Hilde's skin had paled; she looked like she'd seen a ghost.
"I don't understand it, Relena. How could they have known?" Relena's heart raced faster. Hilde was beginning to scare her. "How could they have known what?" She said gently, hoping her friend would stop being so cryptic. Hilde just regarded her for a second, obviously thinking something over. Seeming to come to a decision, she shifted her eyes to her hands and pulled a ring from her ring finger.
Relena didn't understand what she was doing. Hilde placed the ring in Relena's hand. "Read it," she said in a soft voice. Relena was still puzzled, but she held the ring up to her eyes, admiring the way the sapphire glinted in the light. As she read the inscription, she only became more confused. It said almost the same thing as the card had. Only, the card had read: You're my angel, my world, my everything.I ~miss~ you.
She handed it back to its owner. "So it says the same thing. Almost, anyway. What does that mean? Why's it got you all worked up?" Relena said softly to her shaken friend. "Don't you see Relena? That's the ring Duo gave me for our engagement," she slipped it back onto her finger, "Only he and I knew what it said. How could someone have known? I've barely taken it off since I've had it, let alone let anyone else read it."
Understanding dawned in Relena's eyes, and she became even more nervous. She gripped Hilde's shoulder more firmly. Her friend was really starting to panic now; Relena could see it in her eyes and rapid breaths. "Let's go out upstairs and onto the balcony. We can both cool off there and get our heads together. Then we'll talk about it some more. No use doing it in the middle of this mob." Relena said and, seeing Hilde's slight nod, she lead the way out of the main entryway, through a small corridor, and up a large staircase.
None of the partygoers were allowed on the second floor, so Relena and Hilde were met with no one to impede their progress. Relena entered her room and made straight for the balcony doors. She opened them and the rush of cool night air instantly calmed her nerves.a little anyway.
Hilde visibly relaxed a bit, too. Getting away from the party life was already helping her calm her raging, swirling mind. She took off her wrap, tossing it onto a nearby chair. She then went over to the edge of the balcony and leaned her elbows on the railing. Relena walked up beside her and mimicked her stance, both of them just staring into the night sky for quite some time.
~ ~
Hilde was the first to break the silence. "I don't understand it, Relena. Duo's dead, everyone knows that. But how could anyone else have known what was inscribed in the ring? I mean, it just doesn't make sense." Relena sighed. "Well, maybe Duo told someone what the inscription was. Or maybe the jeweler." Hilde sighed, stopping Relena mid-sentence.
"Yeah, maybe.I'm probably just being stupid. Hey, shouldn't you get back to the party? I'm sure that they can't go without you for long." Relena chuckled and stood back up straight. She knew it would be best if Hilde thought this out on her own for a little while. "Actually, I think I'll just go and make sure everything is still running smoothly. But I'll be right back, I promise."
Hilde looked over at her friend and smiled slightly. "Ok.take your time, I'll be fine. Go make sure they haven't gotten too rowdy down there." She said and Relena chuckled softly. "Alright, I won't be long." Relena said and exited the balcony.
Hilde sighed and looked back out to the stars, they were just as captivating as they had been from the limo. Relena hadn't turned the lights in her room on, so the moon cast an eerie glow on the whole scene. Hilde's face glowed with the soft illumination as she tried to ease her troubled thoughts. There was a rational explanation for this. There had to be.
~ ~
Relena was halfway back down the staircase, her eyes down at her feet, when she nearly bumped into an unexpected obstacle. She looked up, startled, to see a young man dressed in a chauffeur's suit, who had been on his way up the stairs. His cap was pulled far down, hiding his eyes. He stood a couple steps below her, and her height advantage made it even more difficult to see his face.
She quickly regained her composure, "Excuse me, sir, but this area of the house is off-limits. If you would please return to the." He put up his hand, silencing her. She just stared at him indignantly, wondering what this stranger was doing traipsing about her house.
"Hello, Relena. I've been looking all over for you." Relena's eyes widened in shock as she recognized the deep husky voice. Tentatively she reached out for his cap, and when he made no move to stop her, she slowly lifted it off his head. An unruly crop of rich brown hair fell back into place, obscuring but not hiding a pair of cobalt blue eyes.
Relena gasped. "Heero?" She squeaked. A slight, rare smile fell across his lips and he bowed slightly. She could do nothing but stare in astonishment. She was almost afraid to blink, fearing she was just imagining him before her. It had been two years since she'd seen him last, two long years.and now the perfect soldier was before her once again.
He held his arm out to her and she shyly accepted it, never taking her eyes from his. She finally found her voice again, "Heero, I'm pleased that you were able to come. Most of us are already here. Would you like to go and say hi?" She smiled at him, mostly because she'd been able to keep her voice steady. "Very much." Was his simple reply, but Relena had expected nothing more. So she nodded and they began walking side-by-side back down the stairs.
~*~ End Part 4. .More soon ^.~
~*~
It took about half an hour until the limo was pulling into the long driveway leading to the immense Peacecraft estate. Hilde sat up straighter in her seat, her stomach starting to jump again. After what seemed like an hour, she spied the mansion at the end of the drive, and several limos pulling up to and away from it. She wondered fleetingly if any of them contained her friends.
But all too soon they were in the line of limos unloading passengers, and when her turn came the driver once again got out and opened her door with a chivalric flourish that made her laugh. It reminded her of something Duo would've done. Her face sobered with that thought, but she was soon distracted by an ecstatic cry, "Hilde!!"
She looked to see Relena coming towards her as fast as her dress would allow. She smiled at her friend and then turned back to the driver saying, "Thank you." But he was gone and her words blew away on the soft breeze. She looked about in confusion and even peeked into the limo; he wasn't anywhere around.
Then she felt Relena's arm lock with hers in a gesture of friends too long parted. Giving up her search, Hilde turned back to her friend. "Oh, you finally got here! I was wondering if you were even going to show up." There was a teasing hint in Relena's voice that made Hilde smile again.
"Hey, don't blame me! You're the one that hired the limo." They both laughed, glad just to be together again. "But really, was the limo okay? I've never used the service myself, but I'd heard from Quatre that it was good, with nice drivers." Relena said when they'd both finished laughing.
Hilde nodded. "Yes, it was excellent. And the driver was very considerate, certainly a change from all those taxis on the colony." Relena grinned knowingly. She'd experienced the courtesy of taxi drivers on colonies once or twice. Not something one wished to go through too many times.
They crossed the threshold and instantly were surrounded by the lights, laughter, conversation, and music of the celebration banquet. Hilde gave a little "Oh." in awe. Relena was quite the hostess; there wasn't a disappointed face in the entire crowd, and that was just in the high- ceilinged entrance hall. Relena laughed lightly and leaned over to whisper, "Wait till you see the dance hall. That's where the real action is," in Hilde's ear and gave a sly wink.
"Is everyone here yet? Don't tell me I'm the last one." Hilde said despairingly as they made their way through the crowd. "Oh no, Hilde. Now that you're here, we're only waiting on Wufei and Sally, who had something to finish up at the headquarters, Quatre, who got held up at his corporation, and Heero, and lord knows where he is." Relena drifted off into a nervous chuckle. Hilde just hoped for her sake that Heero held true to his promise and made an appearance at least.
"But, other than that, everyone's here. Want to go and see them? We're headed that way." Relena said and smiled at her friend, knowing the answer. "Well, of course I want to see them! You don't think I dragged my ass all the way from L2 just for you, do you?" She said teasingly and they both laughed again.
Then Hilde remembered something and halted, reaching down to search through her handbag. "But first Relena, I've got something I want you to look at. Sure got me fooled. I know it's just a joke, but I want to know who's behind it." She slipped the envelope out of her bag and handed it to Relena, "Can you tell whose handwriting it is?"
Relena pulled the card from the envelope and read it, her eyes widening in shock. "But.who would do something like this to you? How awful!" She said in anger and disgust. She kept her eyes on the card, trying to decipher the handwriting. She sighed and looked sadly up at her friend, "I'm sorry. I don't know whose it is, though it does look awfully familiar. Kind of a sweet message though, only if it hadn't been coming from a prankster."
Hilde regarded Relena quizzically. "What message? All I saw was a signature." She said with a confused expression. "It's right there, along the top. Written really small, I'm not surprised you missed it." She pointed to the words and held the card so Hilde could view it. "There, see?" Hilde took it from Relena's hands to get a better look.
Hilde's eyes scanned it. They widened and she read it again, and again. She threw the card to the ground as if it had bitten her. Her mouth hung open and her throat went dry. "It.it couldn't be. It just couldn't. How.how could they have known? How did they.? What kind of joke is this?" She stumbled around the words.
~ ~
Relena became worried at the sudden change in her friend. What was going on, anyway? She put her hand on Hilde's shoulder, "What's the matter, Hilde?" Hilde tore her eyes away from where the card lay on the floor and looked at her friend. Relena became even more worried.Hilde's skin had paled; she looked like she'd seen a ghost.
"I don't understand it, Relena. How could they have known?" Relena's heart raced faster. Hilde was beginning to scare her. "How could they have known what?" She said gently, hoping her friend would stop being so cryptic. Hilde just regarded her for a second, obviously thinking something over. Seeming to come to a decision, she shifted her eyes to her hands and pulled a ring from her ring finger.
Relena didn't understand what she was doing. Hilde placed the ring in Relena's hand. "Read it," she said in a soft voice. Relena was still puzzled, but she held the ring up to her eyes, admiring the way the sapphire glinted in the light. As she read the inscription, she only became more confused. It said almost the same thing as the card had. Only, the card had read: You're my angel, my world, my everything.I ~miss~ you.
She handed it back to its owner. "So it says the same thing. Almost, anyway. What does that mean? Why's it got you all worked up?" Relena said softly to her shaken friend. "Don't you see Relena? That's the ring Duo gave me for our engagement," she slipped it back onto her finger, "Only he and I knew what it said. How could someone have known? I've barely taken it off since I've had it, let alone let anyone else read it."
Understanding dawned in Relena's eyes, and she became even more nervous. She gripped Hilde's shoulder more firmly. Her friend was really starting to panic now; Relena could see it in her eyes and rapid breaths. "Let's go out upstairs and onto the balcony. We can both cool off there and get our heads together. Then we'll talk about it some more. No use doing it in the middle of this mob." Relena said and, seeing Hilde's slight nod, she lead the way out of the main entryway, through a small corridor, and up a large staircase.
None of the partygoers were allowed on the second floor, so Relena and Hilde were met with no one to impede their progress. Relena entered her room and made straight for the balcony doors. She opened them and the rush of cool night air instantly calmed her nerves.a little anyway.
Hilde visibly relaxed a bit, too. Getting away from the party life was already helping her calm her raging, swirling mind. She took off her wrap, tossing it onto a nearby chair. She then went over to the edge of the balcony and leaned her elbows on the railing. Relena walked up beside her and mimicked her stance, both of them just staring into the night sky for quite some time.
~ ~
Hilde was the first to break the silence. "I don't understand it, Relena. Duo's dead, everyone knows that. But how could anyone else have known what was inscribed in the ring? I mean, it just doesn't make sense." Relena sighed. "Well, maybe Duo told someone what the inscription was. Or maybe the jeweler." Hilde sighed, stopping Relena mid-sentence.
"Yeah, maybe.I'm probably just being stupid. Hey, shouldn't you get back to the party? I'm sure that they can't go without you for long." Relena chuckled and stood back up straight. She knew it would be best if Hilde thought this out on her own for a little while. "Actually, I think I'll just go and make sure everything is still running smoothly. But I'll be right back, I promise."
Hilde looked over at her friend and smiled slightly. "Ok.take your time, I'll be fine. Go make sure they haven't gotten too rowdy down there." She said and Relena chuckled softly. "Alright, I won't be long." Relena said and exited the balcony.
Hilde sighed and looked back out to the stars, they were just as captivating as they had been from the limo. Relena hadn't turned the lights in her room on, so the moon cast an eerie glow on the whole scene. Hilde's face glowed with the soft illumination as she tried to ease her troubled thoughts. There was a rational explanation for this. There had to be.
~ ~
Relena was halfway back down the staircase, her eyes down at her feet, when she nearly bumped into an unexpected obstacle. She looked up, startled, to see a young man dressed in a chauffeur's suit, who had been on his way up the stairs. His cap was pulled far down, hiding his eyes. He stood a couple steps below her, and her height advantage made it even more difficult to see his face.
She quickly regained her composure, "Excuse me, sir, but this area of the house is off-limits. If you would please return to the." He put up his hand, silencing her. She just stared at him indignantly, wondering what this stranger was doing traipsing about her house.
"Hello, Relena. I've been looking all over for you." Relena's eyes widened in shock as she recognized the deep husky voice. Tentatively she reached out for his cap, and when he made no move to stop her, she slowly lifted it off his head. An unruly crop of rich brown hair fell back into place, obscuring but not hiding a pair of cobalt blue eyes.
Relena gasped. "Heero?" She squeaked. A slight, rare smile fell across his lips and he bowed slightly. She could do nothing but stare in astonishment. She was almost afraid to blink, fearing she was just imagining him before her. It had been two years since she'd seen him last, two long years.and now the perfect soldier was before her once again.
He held his arm out to her and she shyly accepted it, never taking her eyes from his. She finally found her voice again, "Heero, I'm pleased that you were able to come. Most of us are already here. Would you like to go and say hi?" She smiled at him, mostly because she'd been able to keep her voice steady. "Very much." Was his simple reply, but Relena had expected nothing more. So she nodded and they began walking side-by-side back down the stairs.
~*~ End Part 4. .More soon ^.~
