Rocks in Sand
© Lady Pax
A/N- Thank you for the kind reviews!!
Azngirl- thank you! I hope to update them soon, but school, studying/homework, and other works that I really NEED to get done have been consuming my time! Not to mention holidays, and holiday shopping! Carole- AHH!! ANOTHER 6x13/13x6 FAN!! WAI!! 3!! Yes yes yes! Follow follow follow! Madisonne- I LOVE YOUR FICS!! WAI!! Zechs/Treize fan, also!! WAI!!! 3 3 3!!
A/N- Also, I am starting a mailing list. It would really help if you would put your e-mail addresses in your review, so I don't have to go searching for it. You don't have to, but say that you would rather not be on the mailing list (don't have to give a reason; I'll understand) – because if you don't, I'll just think you forgot...
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. But Shae and Riana are MY creations! Therefore copyrighted (©) to ME: LADY PAX! SO NO USING WITHOUT STATEMENT OR PERMISSION!! And don't sue! They all came from MY MIND and MY MIND ONLY!! (Yes, contrary to popular belief, I have one... I just tend not to use it...) SO THERE!
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part | five
The adults watched in unison as Riana seemed to stumble down the stairs, and ask Relena where her room was in a rush.
"Riana...Riana calm down," Relena said firmly, holding her niece's elbows. She gasped slightly when she realized how much they were shaking. "Riana...are you okay?"
But before she could respond, Wufei interjected. "Your room is on the third floor – fifth door on the right. Right above the nursery." Riana looked at him, nodded then fled back up the stairs, long ivory hair wafting like a shining wave behind her.
Zechs stood up, and looked at the stairs after her. Before he could begin his trek, though, Wufei stopped him.
"She found Heero and Duo's offspring," he said calmly. Zechs' chest contracted before he strode quickly to the stairs – and was stopped again by Heero, then Duo – a baby in his arms.
"Zechs—" Heero began, but this time it was Duo who overlapped his voice.
"Merquise! You better have some explanation to why your daughter practically killed our son!" he yelled, deep voice booming through the whole first floor. Zechs' face became tangled in worry for his daughter, and fury for Duo blaming his daughter...his fiancé's daughter, also... He pushed them aside, and ran up the stairs without an answer.
"MERQUISE!" Duo yelled again, handed Heero the child, and ran up after him.
* ~symbolizes a movement of 3rd person limited POVs
Riana heard a loud set of uneven thumps on the stairs, like bongo drums. Thumpthump, thumpthump, thumpthump..."MAXWELL! OUT OF MY WAY!"
"YOU GET OUT OF MINE!"
She wiped her eyes, and walked to her door; just as her long fingers were about to enclose on the brass doorknob, it burst open – revealing her father and Duo. She stepped back, scared out of her mind, and put a hand to her heart. "What...What are you two doing!?" she exclaimed, eyes wide in fright.
Zechs stepped towards her, and put his hands on her shoulders. "Riana, I was going to tell you tonight, at dinner – since, your father and Duo were going to be away for the night—"
"WE'RE STAYING NOW! She might try killing Akio again!"
"Shut up, Maxwell!"
"Make me, Merquise!"
Riana – being the only one looking at the door, the other two men either glaring or staring at her – saw several pairs of eyes staring into her room. The others. Coming to see what the commotion was all about – all the yelling. And to make sure the two men hadn't killed each other. Her Aunt Relena stepped up, and put a hand on Zechs' shoulder, while Heero and Akio took Duo away from the room. Something flickered in Riana's eyes, as well as in Zechs', but the young woman looked away and took her shoulders away from her father's grasp.
"At least I figured out for myself," she said softly.
A voice penetrated the silence that followed Riana's words. "Sissy! I found you! And Daddy!" It was Shae. Sweet and innocent little Shae, that would never know the pain Heero and Duo – and Akio – had caused her family. She pushed through the legs of Relena, Trowa, Quatre, Hilde, Sally, Noin, Heero and Duo who stepped away quickly, Wufei, and Treize – all to be picked up in her father's arms and held.
"This conversation never happened, Dad, and everyone else," she said – her eyes wandering from her father to the others, who nodded in understanding – especially Noin and Sally.
"We'll see about that," Duo growled.
"Duo..." said Heero warningly, between clenched teeth.
"What? She practically gave Akio a concussion- this isn't over Merquise!-" the rest of his words were drowned out, leaving Zechs wondering which Merquise he was talking about.
The others began to filter out, giving small smiles to Riana, telling her they understood - the conversation never happened – leaving only Relena. But she just told them when they were to be downstairs to leave for the restaurant they were eating at (7:00), then left with a quick hug to all of them- taking Shae with her, much to the relief to Zechs and Riana.
"Riana...I was going to tell you today, or either Heero was...you've got to believe that," said Zechs, his star-blue eyes despaired. His daughter nodded.
"I believe you," she said. "But why couldn't they have waited – why couldn't they have had a shred of patience, and waited until the paperwork was done? They're not teenage men anymore – they should have their hormones in control by now!" she cried, her voice and eyes pleading with him to agree – to make everything all right again.
"Riana...I know they should, but it's not our place to interfere. I'm upset too, with Heero more than I am with Duo, but..." His voice trailed off, sentence broken.
Riana wiped her eyes. "I'm not going back to America," she said suddenly.
"What?" asked Zechs, his eyebrows creasing together. "No! You can't, Riana! Your education..."
"I can go back, I can, Dad," said Riana quickly. "Really, I can go back at anytime. I just want to make sure that you and Shae are going to be okay without me, because you're going to have to tell Shae about Akio too, and how what they did was illegal- and she's going to want to talk to me about it, and this will just be so much easier and more convenient for all of us, and—"
"Riana, stop it!" said Zechs, still softly but sternly enough for her to be quiet. "You're staying in school, you've got the brains to graduate in the top two percent of your class at this rate, and you want to drop out right now? You want to go into one of the top colleges, don't you? Well this isn't the way to get at it! No, you're staying; Shae and I will just have to manage. And anyway..." He smiled then, "you're too young to be worrying like you are. You're barely fifteen."
Riana blushed a bit. "I'm a little stressed right now..." she admitted, "what with being away from you two for so long, and all this new stuff popping up everywhere..." She sighed, and looked out the window. "Maybe I'll take Shae and Mariemaia out to the pool. It's a nice day outside."
"She's been begging to go out for a long time, now. You'll be her hero," said Zechs, standing up and heading for the door.
"Well, you'll have to do something to win her back then. You're her daddy after all," Riana said.
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That was interesting... And short. Lol. Chapter six coming right up! ^^
© 2003 Lady Pax