- Chimera of Life -
Story Four: Righteous Mirage
Chapter Ten By Heartfire~*~
"Dorothy, sweetheart…" Jess bit his lower lip as the endearment left his mouth. He waited for any reaction from her and prayed to God that she didn't hear… When she didn't answer, he breathed a sigh of relief and frustration then continued. "I… I can't seem to find my scarf anywhere… have you seen it?"
From inside the kitchen, Dorothy clutched at her chest… Sweetheart… That small call of sweet nothing had melted through her… even after she had tried so hard to replace the barriers around her and readied for his leave… "No… I didn't. Isn't it there?"
She breathed in deeply, trying to calm her nerves as she walked into the bedroom and found him rummaging through his drawers. The room looked ransacked, but it only gave a lived in feeling…
"I can't… It's not anywhere!" Jess finally gave up and closed the drawer with a sigh. "Well… guess I'll have to make do with my collar." He glanced at Dorothy as he jokingly pulled his collar up then grinned at her wickedly. "Do I look like Count Dracula?"
With his black trench coat, brown sweater and black pants? Even with that collar up… he didn't look menacing at all- or maybe she was biased. "No… you don't. You don't have his blood thirsty look."
Jess pouted. "Oh darn… ah well…" He looked outside and shrugged. "Guess I'll have to go through the blizzard without any protection for my neck."
That comment made her glance at the window and she saw the soft fall of snowflakes, almost like leaves riding a gentle breeze. But what if… "Jess… are you sure there wouldn't be any blizzard? I mean… we haven't been in touch with the news and…"
Jess shook his head, stopping her words. "I've lived here for a pretty decent time… It's as clear as a Sunday morning."
"Whatever that means." Dorothy answered before she closed the opened drawer nearest to her. The wild thumping of her heartbeat echoed in her ears while she walked around the bedroom as if trying to look for his scarf. "You're right. It's not here."
"I told you…" Jess shrugged. "Forget it. It's alright."
"No…" She chewed on her lower lip in concentration then her eyes sparkled. "I have an idea…" Dorothy walked out of the bedroom and she could hear Jess's footsteps right behind. She saw his bag ready and waiting by the door and tried not to look at it.
He watched as she stopped in front of the coat rack and reached up.
She grabbed her scarf and turned. "Here… you can use mine."
Jess looked at the light, yellow long scarf… Does she even know what she's doing? Giving him something of hers?
She walked in front of him and focused her eyes on his chest. "Here… I'll wrap it around you…" Gently. Memorably. Slowly… she made sure it was secure.
He leaned down and pressed a kiss on her hair while his hands went around her waist. He could smell the perfume from the scarf… clouding his senses… "Thank you."
"You're welcome…" She forced her hands to bring his coat back in place… to just pat the lapels but she found her hands going around his neck and holding him just as tightly as he was holding her.
The jarring horn from outside broke the silence around them… Reality knocked at their door…
"Your cab is here." She didn't want to let him go.
"I know…" If he could just freeze time… he would… Knowing that if he didn't let go of her now, he probably wouldn't be able to… ever. He dropped his hands and stepped back. Dorothy let her hands fall down.
"I'll miss you." He stared at her and tried to memorize her… When did she put on the things he gave her? He couldn't remember a single moment when he had let her escape his embrace through out the night, and he could quite remember that she took them off while they took a shower…
Dorothy nodded, still unable to look at him… Then, she felt his hand under her chin and she looked up… Her eyes met his and it was moments like these… moments such as these that created fairytales… She closed her eyes, as did he… Their lips met in one of her most cherished memories… A deep, caressing kiss that left them a memory and more… Then he was gone. She felt the wind blow her hair back and knew he had opened the door… then heard his shoes leave the patio…
She opened her eyes, watched him drop his bag in the trunk then walk to the cab door… "Jess!" His name was ripped from her throat… She didn't want to call him back… but with him… not for the first time had her control failed her.
Jess looked up and stared at the woman in his robe and socked feet… If he could just have a picture of that… God! What was he doing?! She was calling him and he was just standing there… His feet moved and he was suddenly in front of her once again.
"I… You…" Dorothy breathed in deeply. She could do this… "I never ask for favors…"
He could tell that this was difficult for her but he'll wait… He's got patience… although, he would knock the man in the taxi if he beeps his damn horn again.
"Just… I want you to call… here…" She looked away, embarrassed with the flood of emotion that was suffocating her and bit her tongue so she wouldn't be able to say what she was thinking- 'So I can be sure you're alright…'
"I promise." Jess whispered. His heart was singing with joy yet at the same time weeping… He reached for her hands and Dorothy looked back at him. He brought them to his lips and kissed them and that tender act nearly made her bawl. She had been a damn waterfall since last night… years and years of not crying and now…
"You're going to stay for a couple more days, right?"
Dorothy nodded. "At most…"
"Then I'll call."
She nodded once again. His hands left hers and she watched him as he walked to his cab once again… As he climbed in and closed the door…
He was forcing himself not to look at her… It was better not to… Why did she have to be an enemy? Why did she have to be an individual who finances government usurpers?! Why was it that even with that knowledge… with the knowledge of her background… of her actions during that first bloody war… he felt as if she wasn't truly an enemy?
'You're letting your emotions cloud your reason, Jess Daniel Callum...' His hands went up to his temples to rub them.
"Girl trouble, eh?" The friendly voice made Jess look up.
Jess grunted. If only it was just that. "You don't know the half of it…"
…
She had stayed on the patio, unfeeling of the cold weather, until she couldn't see the cab anymore… Funny that she did that… She couldn't remember a time in her life when she had done such a thing… When she was little and it was time for her grandfather to leave, she would just kiss him on the cheek and go back to whatever it was she was doing…
Her hand went up to the base of her neck and her fingers found the daffodil that hung by that thin line of chained gold…
"Take care…"
She closed the door behind her and slowly walked to the bedroom… She stopped as she reached the foot of the bed… leaned and pulled the upper cushion then reached inside and pulled out- a long, white scarf.
The cushion dropped back down once again but her attention was focused on the scarf as she brought it to her nose and smelled him… His mint cologne…
She had played an underhanded trick on him… lied to him… deceived him… but then again… one could never tell who was telling the truth from the lie… Besides… she had wanted to keep something of him, other than what he had given her, just to remind her that this was all real… that it was not a dream… And at the same time, she had wanted to give him something of her… to remind him of her…
Dorothy sat at the base of the bed. The scarf was on her lap and she just stared at it… She couldn't quite believe that after all she knew… after she had told herself over and over again not to… she still let herself feel this emotion… she still wasn't able to stop herself… And yet… she wouldn't trade what she was feeling right now for anything.
She pushed herself to the middle of the bed and laid on it, his scarf in her embrace… She didn't have any plans, except to wait for his call… and then she would leave knowing that he's safe… knowing that Blake won't harm him… for the moment.
…
For lack of anything else to do, Dorothy turned on the television before she walked to the kitchen. He didn't call yesterday. Then again, she hadn't expected him to.
A craving for hot cocoa made her walk to the kitchen and heat some water then she checked the fridge for a possible lunch or dinner… He was thoughtful enough to leave her food in microwaveable containers… Especially since she didn't know how to cook. He was a wonderful chef, but a messy one.
With her drink in hand, she walked back to the bedroom, placed her chocolate on top of the cabinet then walked to the mirrored dresser and stared at his gifts while she combed her hair, one ear deaf to the news, the other only half listening until she heard a name-
Arche.
"What?!" Dorothy turned and looked for the controls. Not able to find it, she ran to the television and tuned up the volume. A reporter with hoards of people in the background and airplanes flying behind the thick glass came to view.
"… World Alliance has been meeting everyday to consider plans for Arche, and to decide former dictator James Morley's sentence while people from around the world gather in airports to await the first flights to Arche in over fifty years just to visit relatives that were torn from their grasp at the sudden government change."
Dorothy couldn't believe her ears… "What happened?" She asked herself, though her quick mind had already started putting two and two together… Former- James had been taken out of office… Arche was now an open country… Jess's motherland…
Her blood ran cold.
'Blake…' What would he do to Jess without Morley's power of security?! Blake hated Morley's power over his project. There could- 'No…'
She nearly ran to the phone but Relena's picture from her retirement conference made her stop.
"There still no word about former peace delegate Relena Dorlian's condition since she had courageously stopped the assassination attempt on President Wilford's life. People all over the world have not stopped their prayers for her safety… Millions have gathered in Sanc Kingdom with flowers in their hands… Hoping for her well being."
Dorothy slowly shook her head in disbelief… "No… not Relena…" One cannot say that they were the best of friends… but she had always admired her… And Relena had always welcomed her with open arms in those rare occasions when they met…
Half of her wanted to go right that minute and rush to Relena's side… Yet the other half was telling her to stay and wait for Jess's call… She was torn… She must decide…
Her hands went to her temples and she applied pressure to them. "What am I going to do?" Her eyes fell on the phone and she slowed her panicked breathing… Jess was her enemy and Relena was not… She had said two days… and it will be two days…
She walked to the phone and dialed a number memorized by heart… Une's recorded voice filtered through the speaker and she dropped the phone in disgust. She hates talking to machines… For a moment, she stared at her hands as she tried to think, then she picked up the phone once again…
By the time she let go, a flight had been reserved under her name… She would go to Relena first… see how she's doing… then she would go straight to Blake and make sure that Jess will not be harmed…
Dorothy stood up and started pacing. She could be quite sure that Relena was in the Main base… If so, then her decision to buy the house she's living in right now was a good one- it was near the base…
Her eyes fell on Jess's scarf and she felt that sharp intake of air. "Blake… if you do anything to hurt him…" she couldn't finish… Oh, she will make sure that Blake will be tortured… But right now… she could only wait for that one phone call… wait for…
…
Wait for nothing… She looked at the phone through the slightly ajar door and closed her eyes. He hadn't called… It wasn't like him… He had never broken a promise… He had never told her something that he was planning to do and not do it…
She turned away and for a moment, she thought she heard a soft ring… Dorothy turned and stared at the phone, barely breathing.
The ringing came again.
Her bags dropped onto the floor as she rushed to the bedroom and grabbed the phone. "Jess?"
No answer… Dorothy frowned.
"N-no ma'am…"
Her frown deepened. "Who's this?"
"This is Quentin, ma'am… Jessie's assistant…"
She could feel that fear in the man's stuttering voice and her hand gripped the phone. "Where's… Jessie?"
"He told me to tell you that he got here safely, ma'am… Mr. Blake- he's got- oh no! I can't talk right now!"
The connection died and left Dorothy staring at the phone while she slowly brought the receiver down…
His mint scent filtered through her nose and she closed her eyes and rubbed her cheek against his scarf… Something was happening back at the Center… Blake had done something to Jess but Jess didn't want to worry her…
Her hand crumpled a handful of blanket then she opened her eyes. A sense of purpose burned in those clear blue eyes. "Tackle everything one at a time…" The lethal whisper left her lips before she stood up then she walked back to her bags, picked it up and walked out the door. That was the only advice she had followed from her grandfather…
She didn't look back until she had closed the door to the cab… Then she glanced at the cabin and saw how lifeless the it was… no smoke came out of the chimney… no warm yellow light spilled from the windows… no music…
"Where to ma'am?"
Death…
The tomblike premonition brought a chill down her spine and nearly made her not answer the question. "To the airport."
One at a time.
…
She flashed her I.D. to the man who stopped her and didn't bat an eyelash when he let her pass. She was here for a purpose and she would not let anyone stop her. Without giving a second glance at the information desk in the usual corner, she walked to the office at the farther side of the hall.
The woman looked up. Her eyes serious as her face and Dorothy didn't give her a chance to greet her as she slammed her I.D. on the table.
"Where's Relena Dorlian?"
The woman looked at the I.D. then at Dorothy and an apologetic look passed over her face. "I'm sorry, Ms. Catalonia… That information is confidential."
Dorothy frowned… They were going to hoard this information from her?! "Where's Une?"
"Ms. Une is still in Arche."
That answers why she had been getting her answering machine. Dorothy nearly stamped her foot. "Who is left in charge?"
"Commander Chang, ma'am."
'Wufei?!' Her eyes widened for a brief moment then she took her I.D. and mentally shook her head. "Where is Commander Chang?"
"Commander Chang will be able to give you permission to see Ms. Dorlian. You have clearance to see him… He is located at Basement Floor One, Room 01."
Dorothy nodded and left the office. Wufei wouldn't be glad to see her… He wasn't exactly friendly to her before… Then again… isn't Wufei, Relena's bodyguard? If he's in charge… Who had been taking care of Relena?
The elevator opened and unconsciously, her hand went up to the scarf around her neck. Chang… He doesn't like her… she doesn't like him… but for Relena's sake…
She stopped in front of Room 01 and after a moment of hesitation, she pressed her ID to the pad. It lit and the door swished open.
A massive room wasn't what she was expecting… nor did she expect the furor of activity that she could see happening in front of her very eyes.
"Why did he have to disappear on us like that? Trowa…"
The soft, hopeless voice reached her ears… She knew that voice…
'Quatre.' She turned and saw Quatre with his face buried in his hands and a red haired girl seemingly trying to give comfort. She had never heard him sound like this… He was always the hopeful one… always the one who urged people to go on… yet now… She couldn't stand hearing him like this… seeing him like this…
She walked to Quatre, her purpose deterred. "I think I might know where Trowa Barton is… That is… if you need to find him."
Quatre's head snapped up, along with everyone else's, and they stared at her as if she had grown a new head.
"Dorothy?!"