- Chimera of Life -

Story Five: Righteous Mirage

Chapter Four By Heartfire

~*~

She avoided him the whole day- thankfully! How she was able to do it, she had no idea. She's just happy that she did… All right. So she doesn't want to face him yet, she's trying to elude that frustrating person… but…  She still had to come to grip with what she had done last night.

'Last night…'

Her throat dried at the thought of him… What had happened to her? Does she not have complete control over her emotions? Had she not surpassed all emotional and mental preparations to be unfeeling? Why was it that this one person was able to make her lose control?!

Was this how Heero Yuy felt for Relena?

She shook her head and yanked her door open, still contemplating her predicament… She turned, still unaware of anything but the fact that she must focus on regaining control… Then she stopped as her eyes fell upon a long stemmed, blood red rose on top of her pillow…

A frown appeared on her perfect face as she walked to it, touched and held its stem with one hand and took the small card with another.

Thank you for a lovely evening rendezvous

- Jessie

Her right eyebrow shot up and she tried to squash the feeling of lithe joy that started to pump through her veins. She should throw away this perfect rose… and yet, she found herself taking a cup from her bathroom and placing that small flower in there…

After changing, she lay on her bed, and glanced at it… She must talk to him sometime soon- after she finishes sorting out her muddled thoughts…

…

She knew every nook and cranny by now, having spent nearly a month in this invisible domain. Just too bad that she wasn't able to obtain the information she wanted… It'd be a shame if the technological advances that Blake had developed would just suddenly… blow up. Too bad that the first time she finally got everything down… someone just had to be in the control room. Since then, there was never a perfect time.

Dorothy's eyes widened as she saw a familiar face in the middle of a group of soldiers.

'It couldn't be!' She moved forward, intending to find out if the person she saw was truly him… Trying to look unnoticeable, she pulled the first flower she saw and brought it to her face to act as if enjoying its smell while she was actually observing the man…

That brown hair that was covering half the face… those serious forest green eyes… "Trowa Barton…"

The marching troop turned then started walking towards her direction, giving her ample time to re-evaluate her observation. He hadn't given her any sign of recognition… could it be that he was brainwashed? Every single person in this center had been, except for the medics, and a few others… Then again… following Trowa Barton's history… he never showed much emotion, just like Heero Yuy… And, he also worked independently… But the question was… if he's working independently, was he on her side or someone else's?

She quickly looked down at the flower she had pulled when she realized that she was staring. 'Surprises and more surprises… why couldn't this be a regular one? Oh… of course… having an invisible center isn't exactly regular, is it?'

Sunlight glittered off the petals of the daffodil, making her smile. The flower was beautiful… She does have an affinity for yellow and gold… maybe it's because gold was power… a symbol of money and strength…

Dorothy brought it to her nose to breathe in its fragrance when something whitish cream suddenly moved on one of its petals. She nearly grew cross-eyed in shock!!!

With a gasp of something in the middle of shock and disgust, she threw the daffodil as far away from her as possible then quickly turned around and promptly collided against someone.

Hands went around her waist reflexively while her own hands reached up in front instinctively, then she looked up and stared into his grinning face…

"Why Ms. Catalonia… I didn't know that you would be this excited to see me! If I had known…" Actually, he just saw her looking like a perfect statue while she held that daffodil- serene and stony yet lovely to look at… Strands of gorgeous blonde played with the soft breeze that swept through them and he saw how her large, catlike eyes, the color of gleaming sapphire, could sparkle with fury.

His innuendo grated her already frayed nerves. "Let me go, Matthew."

Her ice-cold voice made his grin disappear and he instantly let her go. She quickly took a step back. Once again, he was reminded of her… damn to hell attitude, which was usually not his type in a woman… "So… why did you throw a perfectly good flower away?"

Her eyes slanted to sharp knives that could have slit him in half. "Because if there's anything in the world I hate most… it's a worm." She placed the inflection on the last word that hinted she considered him a part of that class.

Jessie flinched playfully although she did hit a nerve. "Ouch… So now, I'm a worm, eh?"

"Give me one good reason why I should think otherwise." Dorothy pulled the edge of her blouse, trying to bring back order on her clothing and not knowing that the V collar of her blouse inched lower, showing more flesh than it probably should.

Jessie's eyes grabbed a quick look at the creamy valley and then gritted his teeth as he felt himself respond yet once again. 'Better keep playing, pal…' Especially because he's going nowhere fast…  "Oh… I don't know… my good looks, charm… bubbly personality… compared to your cold, indifferent, huffy one?"

Her jaw nearly dropped at his forwardness- not to mention that no one had ever talked to her like that! She pushed a finger to his chest while at the same time, gave a look around to make sure that no one was looking. "You are a liar, Mr. Matthew- if that is even your true last name… At least I show my true self." She met his eyes unflinchingly and didn't say the last part of her sentence. 'Although not my true intent…'

Okay, this woman had stepped on him more times than the welcome mat in the front entrance of the center had been stepped on! "Let's get one thing straight, Ms. Catalonia." Jessie grabbed the hand that burned a hole through his chest. It was soft and delicate, such a contrast from her hard personality. "You hate me because you think I'm sabotaging this project and I hate you because I think this project doesn't need you… But," He pulled her hand forward and made her collide against his chest. Her perfume enveloped his senses once again and the feel of her soft breasts against his hard chest was torture… Though, the mere fact that she still met his eyes unflinchingly was making him a fan of hers… "No one can dispute the fact that there are fireworks between us."

Before Dorothy could object, his hand cupped the back of her head and searing hot lips suddenly encompassed her mouth, rendering her senseless. His velvety tongue outlined her lips and incited her response until she dueled with him. Their beat became faster, more demanding as fire exploded in them and her hands went around his neck to pull him down some more while his other hand went around her waist to bring her in.

The sounds of marching feet slowly penetrated through their deep haze and it seemed that reason came along with it because they both instantly pulled away.

Dorothy tried to get her breath back and a feeling of satisfaction went through her when she noticed that he was as blown away as she was… but that didn't cover the fact that- "I hate you…"

Jessie grinned, happy as a boy who got exactly what he wanted for Christmas- and more! "I know… but you kissed me back."

Her lips drew to a thin line, the very hint that she was on the verge of her last strands of patience. She was trying to find the right word for him… so many words but one left her lips… one that she wasn't truly proud of because she wanted a harsher word for him. "Jerk."

Jessie's grin widened… So, she's a normal person after all… "Jerk-ette." He watched her blue eyes turn a shade darker in anger and her hands opened and closed as if she wasn't sure whether to sock him or slap him… He was expecting both actually… but to his surprise, she just spun around and walked away in an obvious trying-not-to-stomp walk.

She doesn't need… doesn't want this… Her life's complicated enough. Not to mention that… she has work to do. She stopped. She must put an end to this game. "Jessie, stay away from me. I am not a toy you play with and leave after you'd had enough. When I play… I play hard."

'Females aren't toys Jess… Remember that for our sake, okay?' One of his sisters' advices came back to him like a long forgotten song… His palm slammed against his forehead. He was raised better than that! He was raised with respect for women! And what did he do? He did exactly what he was told not to do… he was following his damn libido… But God! When he kissed her… the world literally reeled!

Besides… she's not the only one who has a chance to get hurt… They were enemies but they're attracted to each other… Maybe its better her way- ignore it… but maybe it would be better to get it off their system, too… Because if he read her correctly… she's as struck as he was!

He's not going to hurt her… he'll make sure that no one gets hurt and that the terms are set in place… He had never felt anything the way he did for Ms. Catalonia and he just wants to see what the hell it was before it drives him crazy! So… no fire or hail could stop him…