For Rel
Note: I don't own Gundam Wing or its characters.
For one of the very rare times in his life, Heero had followed Duo's lead and came to the duplex of Relena's supposed accomplice, along with Mr. and Mrs. Peterson. They were both rather intrigued yet on the suspicious side when Heero had told them of what Duo suspected when he investigated the place a second time. To say the least, the landlord and lady were in a hurry to get this investigation done with so they could rent the floor out again.
"Are you telling us you want to tear down that wall!" Mrs. Peterson cried pointing to the wall that Heero was busy tapping to find the hollow point that Duo had told him about.
"Yeah."
"No way!" denied Mr. Peterson in a determined manner. Anyone could tell that the man projected the image of one that wasn't meant to be pushed around by anyone. "The costs money to tear down and to repair the damage."
I'm very well aware of that, Heero thought in a sarcastic manner. "Your repair fees will be handled by the preventer cooperation and creating a hole in the wall will cost you nothing since I am the one going to be doing the hole making," Heero assured them. Should have been a salesman.
"Well, if you put it that way…" began Mr. Peterson as he pretended to think about it for a second, though Heero could tell by the man's eyes that he liked the idea of him not having to pay for repairs.
"Fredrick!" yelled his wife in outrage though.
"Thank you for your cooperation," nodded Heero right before his cell phone went off in the "Entertainer" jingle, which Duo had actually downloaded onto Heero's cell phone for him. "Excuse me." The husband and wife nodded and Heero snuck out of the room into the nearest room with a door.
Closing the door, Heero answered his cell phone. "Yuy."
"Heero, she just contacted me," came Wufei's unmistakable voice on the other end of the line.
"Who, Wufei?" questioned Heero not able to think of who the preventer could be speaking of.
"Relena," sighed the Chinese man. At this the Zero pilot had to resist the urge to hit, or kick, himself for being a bit on the dense side not to figure that out on his own. "She wishes for you to stop looking for her and she wants me to the negotiator between you and her."
"Did you track the e-mail?" Part of the gundam pilot's brain was screaming at him not to sound so eager, still he couldn't help
but show a bit of emotion about hearing that Relena was still alive and obviously well. How does she know that I'm still looking for her though? wondered Heero only to answer his own question. The 'For Rel' group of course, they would know that I am still on her trail.
"It came from somewhere in New York City, really early this morning in a moving location that I couldn't hold a trace on for so long," answered Wufei.
"Hn." She was in New York at the same time I was, noted Heero getting the sense that he was near to finding where Relena was and possibly who she was.
"Do you agree with the terms of this woman?" inquired Wufei as his partner started shouting out questions for him to ask Heero. "Quiet woman!"
"No, I will find her on my own, no matter what it takes," replied Heero holding firm to his stubbornness and his pride of sorts.
"I will tell her," sighed Wufei about to hang up.
"Wait, give me the e-mail address and I will tell her myself. No negotiations will be taking place, either I get her back or I die trying," commanded the "Perfect Soldier".
"Very well," agreed Wufei sounding rather pleased with Heero's choice of action. "Here it is, recalled to life at rock dot com." There was no need for the Chinese pilot to ask Heero if he had written it all down because he knew that the other pilot had a superb memory just like all of the pilots. For it was part of their training.
After getting the address Heero just hung up knowing that Wufei wouldn't take offense to it since their conversation was done with for the moment. Why would she contact Wufei instead of someone like Duo or Hilde? Those three more like friends than Relena and Wufei, even if she and Sally got along rather well. Much like half-siblings, Heero thought as he re-entered the room where the Petersons still were.
"Do I have your permission to tear a hole in the wall, or do I need a warrant?" Heero asked dryly.
"You have our permission," approved Mr. Peterson.
She had no idea why Heero wanted her there so badly but there she was, at her mother's mansion waiting in the tea room for her dear mother to come and greet her. Sylvia didn't have to wait long before her mother came into the room in a proper fashion, wearing a navy blue dress that had a high collar. It was just like how Sylvia had always been brought up but had never truly followed in her mother's footsteps in.
"Sylvia, I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long," greeted her mother with a smile as she brushed aside a strand of gray hair that fell loose from her pinned hair.
"Not at all," assured Sylvia returning her mother's smile.
"Good. Come, sit with me," urged her mother motioning for the new Vice Foreign Minister to sit on a nearby loveseat while her mother sat across from her pouring the pot of tea into two dainty tea cups. "My normal tea company is busy practicing downstairs."
"Really? Why would they be doing that?" questioned the daughter taking her cup of tea.
"They live here," responded Mrs. Noventa.
"What!"
"I have been renting out rooms to some of the college students. It brings in enough money to pay the bills at least," shrugged Mrs. Noventa as she waited for her daughter to take the first sip of tea before drinking her own.
"What of the fortune Grandpa and Papa left you? What happened to all of that!" cried out Sylvia never knowing what her mother did with the money she had inherited. Sylvia had been investing her money in stock, putting it into a savings account for her future children, and the such.
"Oh that had been set aside for you when you went off to college. Since you never did go to a college, I have been giving it away as scholarships the local high schools and making repairs to the mansion," replied her mother emotionlessly.
"Mother…!" Sylvia was about to rant, mainly about better ways she could have put that money to use.
"Afternoon Miss Noventa!" interjected a rather familiar voice from the doorway.
"Good afternoon boys and girls," returned the mansion owner as she turned her head to the doorway.
Following her mother's gaze, Sylvia saw the one sight she had prayed that she wouldn't see for a long, very long, time. The 'For Rel' group was standing there grinning like fools and just radiating gayness. The entire band was chuffed about something and they were obviously willing to show off their giddiness to anyone in their path.
"Sylvia, I would like to introduce you to…" began the mother politely.
"We all have met Mother, more than once I may add," hissed Sylvia as her voice began to ooze with spite while she glared at Draca. She had yet to forget what the girl had said to Heero just the other night.
"I see…Well, how did practice go?" inquired the mother sensing the tension that was starting to form in the air.
"It went well, Salimar almost has her song done, finally!" announced Adam as he pulled Salimar into a headlock.
"Hey, Adam, let go of me!" she screamed while the others just ignored them.
"Wonderful! You must have my daughter be the first to hear it!" clapped Mrs. Noventa.
"It's okay Mother, I have heard all of their songs," claimed Sylvia.
"Nah dudette, you heard the songs from our first CD," corrected Adam getting hit by Salimar.
"Yeah and we're almost done writing the second CD!" Lynn added in.
"Yes, it is a lovely CD and I get the first copy," Mrs. Noventa interjected.
This was horrifying Sylvia, that her own mother was making nice, even living, with the number one suspects of Relena's disappearance. She could no longer hold it in, she had to speak her mind. Standing up she accused, "Mother, how can you house these people who have information on Ms. Relena Darlain and refuse to tell neither me nor Heero!"
"Whoa Sylvia," Sage said in an attempt to calm the Vice Foreign Minister, "let's not go around making hasty accusations. Someone or some people may get hurt by them."
"Who's Heero?" Mrs. Noventa wondered out aloud but her daughter hadn't heard her, but Draca had so she approached her.
"Accusations! It's the truth Sage, and you know it!" exclaimed Sylvia as the rest of the band just watched silently, each mentally making his or her own comments.
"Her fiancée," whispered Draca to Mrs. Noventa.
"Oh," nodded the Mrs. Noventa then realized that her dear daughter was engaged. "My little girl is getting married!" Everyone else in the room veered their heads to the elder woman, each and every one of their faces held the same blank expression. "Congradulations on your engagement honey!" cheered the woman standing up and giving her daughter a hug.
"M…Mother…I'm not…" Sylvia tried to protest.
"Though I wish you had me meet this man first before going and getting engaged behind my back," continued Mrs. Noventa not hearing a word her daughter was saying.
"But I'm not…" Sylvia tried again.
"You must tell me all about me!" urged the older Noventa.
"We'll leave you two to do that," suggested Draca as she returned to the band and they began to scramble out of the room and going up to their rooms.
"Hey! Wait!" called Sylvia but to no avail.
"So what's he like? The strong but silent type? Warm as spring? Tell me…" pressured Sylvia's mother as she pulled her daughter down onto the loveseat after taking a seat on it.