By Neesah
For those of you who were wondering what kind of setting I used for this fic, well, it's kind of an AU where the time is like our 'present' though the mode of living, not to mention the values, morals and beliefs were that of a fiefdom. That's why they talk like us, act like us, even if the setting feels like that of the olden days.
Well, I planned for this to be the final chapter but thinking that it'll be too long, I decided to cut it. Gomen ne!
Chapter 3: If…You
Relena stopped by the door of the study, feeling a bit apprehensive. There was no reason to fear what was at the opposite side of that door, she reasoned to herself. It was Heero who was inside the study. Her husband. Her friend. The one who promised to take care of her and protect her from whoever her enemies might be. But that thought alone was enough reason for her fear. Not of him but for him. He would do anything to protect her. Anything. That fact sent a chill down her spine, almost making her drop the tray she was carrying and all the coffee service on it to the floor.
Their communal lunch that afternoon turned out to be a spectacle. Well, all of their weekly communal lunches always turned out to be a spectacle of sort. Everybody who lived in the Peacecraft Estate, from the retainers and tenants to the smallest children, waited for Heero's weekly visit that it became a ritual, a routine. They had accepted him as their Laird, thankful to their old Laird for choosing him because he was fair, just and had a big heart. He might be silent or aloof at times, stern even, but they saw beneath the façade. They loved him and would defend his honor and his household. They saw him as one of them for he treated them as equals. Heero didn't like them to call him 'Lord Heero', just like she didn't want to be called 'Lady Relena', so the males settled to calling him 'boss' affectionately.
That was why she couldn't blame Trowa, Frank and the others when they told him about the incident that happened 2 days ago. Well, they didn't really tell him what happened. She did. But there was no doubt in her mind that the men must had slipped or dropped some hints earlier that made Heero curious enough to ask Trowa what was going on after they ate. Of course, Trowa being Trowa, told him that it wasn't his place to tell it, before looking at her. And Heero being Heero, just looked at her and patiently waited for her answer.
It took her a while to reply. She knew he wouldn't like what she was going to tell him. She knew he would be mad and she didn't want to trouble him. She didn't want him to do something he might regret later on just because of her. That was why she spent the last 2 days thinking on how to gently break the news to him so he wouldn't react as strongly as she knew he would if she told him the unedited version. The thought of just keeping it a secret from him even crossed her mind, but she decided against it. She had to tell him. She owed that much to him. And she would try to make it sound as if it weren't such a big deal so he wouldn't worry too much.
But being the weak fool that she was, she told him everything. Not the edited version but the actual one, with all the details that even the others didn't know. Because in all honestly, it was a big deal. She had never felt or known that much fear in her entire life than she felt during that time though she hid it quite well in front of Trowa and the others. But all of her hard-won self-control slipped upon seeing Heero. With him, she could let herself feel fear because she believed with all of her heart that he would keep her safe.
Two days ago, Daniel Wise came to the manor. There wasn't anything unusual about that. Lairds and their heirs had always come to the estate to do business with her. Heero had told all the Lairds who came to him that if ever they wanted to do business with the Peacecraft Estate, they didn't have to look or come for him for permission. They could do it directly with her and Trowa. If for whatever reasons Relena and Trowa couldn't help them, then they could come to him. But Heero also made a provision stating that whenever any of the Lairds would come to the Estate to talk to Relena, they should send a word of their arrival beforehand, and that they should come in a party of three or four. And that in these meetings, Relena should be accompanied by Trowa, or if Trowa was unavailable, by any other retainer or tenant there. She knew that he made this provision to make sure of her safety and reputation. So far, that arrangement had been effective, though at first the Lairds were uncomfortable dealing with a woman. They got used to it after awhile. In fact, they got so used to it that most of the young men had come for social calls as well. This time it was she who became uncomfortable. Since it wasn't business, Trowa or any other retainer or tenant couldn't stay with them, though they and the other women in the manor still managed to keep an eye on her. They wouldn't let her be 'really' alone with those jackals who saw an opportunity to take advantage of a very beautiful yet vulnerable married lady. The young men coaxed, wooed, cajoled and flirted with her, trying to extract information on her and Heero's personal life in exchange for the rumors they heard about their marriage that circulated among the estates. Everybody knew that they stayed in different estates and that Heero only came once a week to visit and that because of this, the men thought that she was 'craving' male companionship.
She straightened them out, politely of course, time and time again but they stubbornly kept on it. She couldn't really forbid them to come, it was against the rules of hospitality. And they hadn't done anything wrong really. She was strong enough to battle their verbal attacks and abuse. She didn't fear them. They couldn't do anything to her since this was her house and if ever things got out of hand, help was just around the corner.
Heero knew about these social calls. He knew that she got lonely sometimes and needed some friends to keep her company. Duo, Quatre, Wufei, Hilde and Dorothy frequently visited her. They also visited Heero in the Yuy manor from time to time. She had always told Heero of anyone who came to visit, though she left out the details about the young men trying to seduce her. Because there was no doubt that if she did, Heero would immediately pay these young men a 'visit' everyone wouldn't likely to forget. She thought that keeping quiet about this was the right thing to do. They would get tired of this little game eventually and leave her in peace.
But what happened two days ago told her otherwise. Daniel Wise was one of those jackals who kept on trying to get her to bed. And he was the most persistent of them all. Maybe it was because of the incident during Hilde's 15th birthday party. He came in midmorning unannounced and unchaperoned for a social visit. Since most of the males were already in the fields working, 13 yr old Allen became her chaperon. As was expected, he was up to his usual antics and he didn't leave 'til before lunch was served. He wouldn't even consider leaving if Relena didn't told him pointedly that he should leave since he spent two hours with her already and she still had some other things to do.
Siesta time came right after lunch. It was a period of rest and relaxation for everyone. During this time, the women who helped in the manor returned to their own homes and spent some relaxing time with their family while the servants went to their rooms to take naps. On her part, she usually spent this time taking walks in the nearby woods leading to her favorite pond. But that afternoon, she only got a few minutes to be alone by the pond for Daniel suddenly appeared and approached her from behind. Daniel had been hiding there and was waiting for her. And in that particular moment, she felt fear. So that was the reason for all those questions about her habits and routines! He must have been planning to get her alone like this! And then there was that habit of his of always coming before lunch. She bet that he had been observing her come to this place for a while now.
He said coaxing words at her at first while she succinctly told him to leave her alone, well, to actually leave her property. Then, he became pretty persuasive and violent. He grabbed her by the shoulders, pressed her tightly against him then kissed her viciously on the mouth. With all her strength, she bit him hard and shoved him away from her. She was about to run away when his arms grabbed her in a vise-like grip. She kicked and screamed, even if she knew that neither would be of help to her. Though she was just a little way off the manor, her voice would just be absorbed by the open space. Besides, the few servants she had would be sound asleep inside and wouldn't be able to hear. With all things considered, she still decided that that she wouldn't go down without a fight.
She continued kicking and screaming while Daniel pushed her against a tree. Out of nowhere, they heard someone scream, "Leave her alone!" before something from the tree dropped and hit Daniel from above. Relena felt relieved when he saw Allen standing in front of her, his arms outstretched, shielding her from Daniel. Her relief then instantly turned to fear when she thought what Daniel might do to a little kid. But Allen taunted him with words long enough for Trowa and the others to arrive, which, she figured out later on, was Allen and 12 yr old Yari's plan from the very start. They were playing hide and seek in the woods, near the pond, when they heard all the commotion. Allen sent Yari to go find Trowa while he distracted Daniel.
Allen immediately led her to the waiting men and as she approached them, Trowa's eyes turned on her, checking her from head to toe, noticing the bruises, the few rips on her dress, the paleness of her skin. "Relena," his voice was soft yet with sharp edge, it sounded like a mix between a question and a confirmation, concern bordering to rage evident on his face. "I'm alright, Trowa," she told him in a shaky voice. She saw his eyes thawed a bit, showing relief and tenderness, before reverting back to coldness as he pinned Daniel with an icy stare. He then wrapped an arm around her waist, comforting her, supporting her, helping her stand.
Seeing the irate males with weapons looming over him, Daniel tried to weasel his way out, telling them that he wasn't doing anything wrong and that Allen just appeared out of nowhere and started the whole ruckus. Of course nobody believed him. Even Yari glared and yelled at him, repeating what Allen had said to Daniel earlier. "When Heero hears about this, he's gonna kick your ass!"
Hearing Heero's name again, he began this tirade on how Heero didn't really know what he was doing, that he wasn't a good laird, that he didn't care about them or the estate but just the money, that he didn't care about his wife and surely he had a mistress and so on and so forth. That made everybody even angrier, if that was possible. The kids yelled, "Don't talk about Heero like that!" while one of the men even threatened to cut off his tongue if he didn't stop talking nonsense. She was still in some state of shock because of what almost happened to her and if it weren't for Trowa's arm, she would have fallen on her knees a long time ago but hearing him insult Heero made her blood boil. And the strength she regained from that rage replaced her shock with the overwhelming desire to yell and hit him in a few places. But feeling Trowa's hand tensed around her waist and his clipped and cold voice saying, "Never say such insulting words about our Laird, Lady or anything pertaining to this estate ever again. Because if you do and I am there to hear it, I'll chop you to pieces and feed you to the birds," snapped her out of her stupor, making her realize that she had to remain calm and take control of the situation. Or else her retainers would really cut Daniel up to pieces. Oh, she savored the idea, but she didn't want anyone important to her to endanger and complicate their lives.
That was why she gathered her strength, raised her trembling hand to stop everyone from yelling and talking at the same time and told Daniel in a cold voice that the men would escort him now outside the estate. And that he wouldn't be welcome in the estate anymore except for business reasons but he should announce his arrival first and bring a lot of people with him or else she would kick him out. With that, Trowa, Yari and Allen helped her walk back to the manor while the remaining men escorted Daniel out of the estate.
Heero looked calm when she finished telling him the story but she knew him well enough to recognize the cold rage in his eyes and the way his whole body tightened like a tensed, coiled wire. The others noticed this too and remained silent. He then told everyone to start cleaning up so they could have their siesta because after that, all of them would be going back to work. When he stood up, she grabbed his hand and whispered his name. "Heero." Just one word, but she knew Heero understood what she was asking. He squeezed her hand and told her, "We'll talk later," before walking off, in the direction of the stables. Trowa glanced at her, stood up then walked after Heero.
She hadn't seen him since, until it was time for dinner. In their routine, the afternoon belonged to the people, satisfying their need to be with their Laird. But the evening was theirs, the only time they had for themselves. Dinner was like any other dinner they had. She told him what (else) happened during the week (her usual weekly report) while he told her about his week (his usual weekly report also), which of course led to the news of Duo and Hilde's engagement. All that time, she carefully watched him, wanting to ask him what he was planning to do, or more precisely, what he already did since she heard from the other men that he and Trowa disappeared for quite a while that afternoon. What she couldn't admit to herself was that she wanted to ask him if he was mad at her, or if that he was disgusted with her now.
After dinner, they usually retired to the study, had coffee, tea or wine and talked some more. Once he was settled inside, she went out to get their coffee service, which was the reason why she was standing outside the door right now. After taking a deep breath while balancing the tray on one hand, she opened the door and stepped inside.
She saw him standing by the window, gazing out. She put down the tray and poured both of them a cup. She took one cup to him, then walked back, took hers and sat down. She quietly sipped her coffee while watching him sipped his own. He remained standing, still gazing out the window. She studied his profile, noting that he really had changed from that little boy she knew back then, from the 15-yr old guy she married 3 years ago, to this strong and competent Laird standing with her now, though it was obvious that he still had some more growing to do. He was handsome, that fact she could honestly admit to herself since she could see it with her own eyes and hear it from other girls who giggled and sighed whenever he was near. She couldn't really blame them because giggling and sighing, she decided, were a normal reaction to seeing Heero. Actually, she sometimes felt the urge to giggle and sigh herself but pride wouldn't permit her to react that way so she didn't. Though that really took a lot of effort in her part.
The silence stretched far too long for her that she couldn't stand it any longer. "It's my fault. I know I should have told you about those jerks even before and if I did, we would have taken precautions by then and things wouldn't have gone so out of hand. This would have been avoided. So you see, it's much of my fault as those sleazy men…"
"Your only fault is not telling me sooner, though knowing how you don't like to worry or cause trouble to anyone, it's really more of an endearing yet frustrating character flaw than your fault." He finally turned around to face her, his intense gaze meeting her. Her heart skipped twice then stopped… then skipped again. "But remember this fact Relena--- because you worry about us so much, we have the right to worry about you in the same degree. Let us worry about you. It's our job. It's my job." He tilted his head. "Where did I hear that one before?" he asked with a slight smile.
She smiled back but then, she saw his smile fade and his face reverted back to that expressionless mask. He turned his face towards the window again. "Honestly, it's more of my fault than yours."
"And why is that?" she asked, a bit challenging.
"Because I wasn't here with you." He took a deep breath then turned to face her once again. "I've decided."
Relena's forehead furrowed. "Decided on what?"
"That from now on, I'll be here for lunch until the end of siesta to keep you company. To keep you safe."
Her eyes widened in shock and, she grudgingly admitted, a little anticipation. "But wouldn't that be tiresome for you to go back and forth?"
He smiled. "You'll feed me so I know I'll survive. And don't tell Sally but I like your cooking better. Even if it's the same recipe, yours taste different than hers." His expression became serious again. "Besides, that's the only time when you're alone and unguarded, when everyone else is resting and caught up in their own little world. At least at night, you're inside, all the doors and windows bolted, the guard dogs stationed outside, and everyone's more alert, careful, expecting danger." He studied her face for a moment. "Is it ok with you? I mean, me coming here every lunch time and intruding---"
"No! Yes! I mean yes, it's ok with me and no, you won't be intruding. It'll be fun spending more time with you and I won't be lonely anymore." She then blushed, thinking that she said too much than what she intended to say. "Anyways, where did you and Trowa disappeared to?" she asked, wanting to change the subject.
"We went to the Wise Estate," he answered in a deceptively calm voice.
Relena sprang to her feet. "Heero…"
"Don't worry, I didn't kill him. Hell, I didn't even get the satisfaction of beating him into a bloody pulp for what he did to you."
"N-nothing serious really happened, believe me," she said, her voice and body trembling.
Heero put down his cup and went to her. He hugged her gently, and she welcomed it, settling her head against his chest. She savored his scent, his strength, basking in his presence. "I know. I believe you. But he planned on doing something. He thought of causing you harm. And I don't care if he didn't really succeed in doing it, it's all the same to me. I want him to pay. But since I know you won't like it if I hurt him too much, I settled on just punching him twice--- one on the face and the other on the stomach."
She lifted her chin, a defiant look in her eyes. "I'm not worried about what will happen to him."
He placed a finger on her lips, silencing her. "I know. You're worried about what will happen to me. You don't want me to get into trouble." He sighed, lifting his finger off her lips. "The fact is I don't know if I could hold my temper the next time I see that bastard. Even if he came just a foot away from you, I'm going to rip him apart. That's why I told the Wise Laird that if they still wanted to do business with us, he has to send someone else besides that stupid son of his. He is no longer welcome to step on either Peaceceraft or Yuy estates. I also warned him that if ever I or any of my people saw even the slightest glimpse of his son in my property, it will be considered trespassing and we will not hesitate to shoot him on the spot." He wrapped his other arm around her again. "This decree completely nullifies the decree you told Daniel, for that I apologize, but I'm telling you now, nothing will make me change my mind."
She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. "No worries here. I'm not planning on changing your mind. It's better this way. Boss."
He laughed then kissed her back on the cheek. In response, she kissed him on the other cheek. Not to be outdone, he also kissed her on her other cheek. She tried to kiss him on the cheek again but by some twist of fate (she might had miscalculated or Heero unconsciously tilted his head by accident), her lips landed on his mouth instead. Surprised, and a bit flushed, but rather than turn away, she gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Which he returned. Suddenly, she found herself kissing him again and again, wanting more and more. And he gave her more. Much more.
His fingers got tangled into her hair, while her hands clutched the front part of his shirt as their kiss deepened. Everything started to spin around them uncontrollably then suddenly froze. The outside world disappeared and Heero was the only thing, dead or alive, that still existed --- the one person who was making every inch of her skin alive and burning.
A moment later he pulled away. His face was just millimeters away from her, his eyes were two deep, drowning pools of blue burning with an unfathomable expression ---scary yet exciting. Realizing what she just did, well, what they just did, she let go of him abruptly as if stung. She was confused, and she now noticed that her confusion was mirrored in his eyes also, replacing that hungry look she had glimpsed of earlier. They stared at each other for a few heartbeats before Heero said, "We better head to bed. We'll be leaving for the Yuy estate first thing in the morning."
Honestly speaking, neither of them needed that reminder to a simple part of their routine. They had been doing this for a year and a half now, for crying out loud. But Relena nodded, watching him at the corner of her eye as he raked his fingers through his hair--- a nervous gesture of his, accepting his words for what they really were --- an excuse. An excuse for both of them to gracefully break the tension and leave. Heero picked up his cup and handed it to her, and she noticed that both of them were carefully trying to avoid not only their skin from touching but their eyes from meeting as well. Lifting the tray, she bid Heero goodnight before leaving the room.
