Mano A Womano!
Man to Woman
Part 6
By: Kate Maxwell
How can this be? Quatre . . . . . . . . and Michelle?
Duo was so confused. He looked at the clock. It had been 6 hours from when he had learned of Michelle's secret.
Her name isn't even Michelle, it's Alliana. Why didn't she tell us that her name was Alliana Winner. I can't believe this.
Duo flopped on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't stop wondering about what Alliana had said. About being Quatre's twin, about having to protect him until another agent came along, about having to leave.
I'll probably never see her again. I'm such an idiot. I never should have said what I did.
The door to Duo's room opened and Heero poked his head through.
"Are you okay Duo?" Heero asked in his monotonous voice he always used.
"Me? I'm fine Heero, don't worry about me. You gotta keep your eyes on Relena and make sure she doesn't snatch you up in a trap of L-O-V-E." Duo said, batting his eyes trying to look very girly.
"Duo, I'm serious. You don't seem like yourself."
"I told you, don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
Heero just looked at Duo for a minute, and then left, closing the door on his way.
Duo just continued to stare at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts. Then, after a short while, he got up and left th apartment he shared with Heero and Wufei.
Alliana was packing her things when James walked in the room.
"Someone is at the door and wants to see you," he said.
"Who is it?" Alliana asked.
"I cannot say, for sure, but the person looks like a girl yet sounds like a boy. And no, it's not Relena because I always use that joke behind her back," he chortled.
"Alright, I'll go see who it is... since I know you won't tell me," Alliana said, dropping the shirt she had been folding into her suitcase and walked into the front room. Seeing that the front door was slightly open, Alliana walked over to the door and opened it all the way.
"Hi, can I talk to you?"
It was Duo.
She glared at him. "What do you want?" she asked, feeling tension grow in her mind.
"I just want to talk. Can I come in?" he said.
She moved and he walked through. As soon as she had closed the door, he turned and took one of her hands in his two.
"I'm sorry for what you thought I was trying to do but I really like you and I just wanted to give you a small gift showing you how much," Duo said and dropped something into her hand which he was holding and closed hers. "I hope you like it Alliana. It means a lot to me."
He let go of her hands and walked towards the door. As he was walking, Alliana opened her hand and saw a small silver ring. She turned it around and saw that it was a claddagh ring, a 17th century Irish wedding ring. Her eyes started to water.
"Duo," she whispered, "where did you get this?"
Duo stopped walking and turned around slowly. "I got it from the only person I have ever considered my mother, her name was Sister Helen. She gave that to me as a sort of good luck charm, just before the Maxwell Church was attacked," he said. He started to think about when he was handed the ring from Sister Helen. His eyes glazed over as his entire childhood started to play before his eyes.
Alliana just stared at Duo. She had never seen him so serious before. Although she had only just met him a few days before, she could tell that something was wrong with him; something was bothering him. She walked up to him and stood there for a minute. She looked at his face, and saw it had no expression. A cold, lifeless stare she had never seen before was in his eyes . . .
Alliana put her arms around him and held him close. She could feel Duo's tears on his face with her own. Duo closed his eyes and put his arms around her. They stood like that for a moment, yet the moment lasted an eternity. After the moment seemed over, they let go of each other. Alliana could see a new expression in Duo's eyes now; a sort of happy, yet sad look.
"Do you want something to drink?" Alliana asked, it looked as if Duo hadn't cried in the longest time and chances are he didn't really know what to do next.
She led him into the small kitchen and showed him to the closest chair. Duo sat down and leaned back, closing his eyes.
"Do you still have to leave?" he asked, trying not to show how much it hurt him.
Alliana went to the cupboard and got him a cup. "Yes, I do. I can't help where my missions take me. My information contact is lousy with details and I normally have to get myself set up weeks in advance before a mission," she replied as she poured him a glass of water at the fridge door.
Duo cast sad eyes to the floor. He didn't want Alliana to leave, but if her missions were anything like his, the last thing she needed was a possible emotional attatchment to ditract her. His thoughts were interuppted as a glass entered his vision. He looked up and, smiling slightly, took the glass. "How did Quatre take it?" he asked.
Alliana looked away from Duo. "I... haven't told him yet," she said quietly, "It's hard to leave family behind, and I can't say goodbyes well."
There was a silence then. Neither really knew what to say. Duo sipped from his glass of water while thinking. Alliana took her hair out of her double braid and put it in a high ponytail.
Duo finished his water and, placing the glass on the kitchen table, stood. "I should let you finish packing," he said sadly, "But before you go, I want to take you out on the town. You can't just leave Relena-land without at least partying once." He turned his cobalt eyes to Alliana and waited for her answer.
Alliana finally brought her gaze to Duo, "I'd like that a lot. I'm almost done packing anyway, it's not like I had a lot with me originally. Will you wait while I finish?" She smiled, awaiting Duo's answer.
"Oh, I think I can wait a little while. But don't take too long," Duo joked, sitting back down in the chair.
Alliana laughed, left the kitchen, went into her room, and finished packing. She also changed from her jean shorts and long grey shirt into a powder blue shirt with split sleeves and a knee length black skirt that had a slit come up to the mid-thigh area.
Duo watched as Alliana returned from her room in a newer outfit than the one she had left in. She had gone from hot to sexy with a shirt, a skirt, and a change in hairstyle. Duo stood and gave her a quick look over. "Can she get any more gorgeous?"
"Ready to go, Duo?"
"Of course, Mademoiselle," Duo replied, offering Alliana his arm when he reached her.
"Why thank you, kind Sir," Alliana jested, taking his arm.
They walked out of the apartment leaving a fairly confused James in the doorway.
Man to Woman
Part 6
By: Kate Maxwell
How can this be? Quatre . . . . . . . . and Michelle?
Duo was so confused. He looked at the clock. It had been 6 hours from when he had learned of Michelle's secret.
Her name isn't even Michelle, it's Alliana. Why didn't she tell us that her name was Alliana Winner. I can't believe this.
Duo flopped on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't stop wondering about what Alliana had said. About being Quatre's twin, about having to protect him until another agent came along, about having to leave.
I'll probably never see her again. I'm such an idiot. I never should have said what I did.
The door to Duo's room opened and Heero poked his head through.
"Are you okay Duo?" Heero asked in his monotonous voice he always used.
"Me? I'm fine Heero, don't worry about me. You gotta keep your eyes on Relena and make sure she doesn't snatch you up in a trap of L-O-V-E." Duo said, batting his eyes trying to look very girly.
"Duo, I'm serious. You don't seem like yourself."
"I told you, don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
Heero just looked at Duo for a minute, and then left, closing the door on his way.
Duo just continued to stare at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts. Then, after a short while, he got up and left th apartment he shared with Heero and Wufei.
Alliana was packing her things when James walked in the room.
"Someone is at the door and wants to see you," he said.
"Who is it?" Alliana asked.
"I cannot say, for sure, but the person looks like a girl yet sounds like a boy. And no, it's not Relena because I always use that joke behind her back," he chortled.
"Alright, I'll go see who it is... since I know you won't tell me," Alliana said, dropping the shirt she had been folding into her suitcase and walked into the front room. Seeing that the front door was slightly open, Alliana walked over to the door and opened it all the way.
"Hi, can I talk to you?"
It was Duo.
She glared at him. "What do you want?" she asked, feeling tension grow in her mind.
"I just want to talk. Can I come in?" he said.
She moved and he walked through. As soon as she had closed the door, he turned and took one of her hands in his two.
"I'm sorry for what you thought I was trying to do but I really like you and I just wanted to give you a small gift showing you how much," Duo said and dropped something into her hand which he was holding and closed hers. "I hope you like it Alliana. It means a lot to me."
He let go of her hands and walked towards the door. As he was walking, Alliana opened her hand and saw a small silver ring. She turned it around and saw that it was a claddagh ring, a 17th century Irish wedding ring. Her eyes started to water.
"Duo," she whispered, "where did you get this?"
Duo stopped walking and turned around slowly. "I got it from the only person I have ever considered my mother, her name was Sister Helen. She gave that to me as a sort of good luck charm, just before the Maxwell Church was attacked," he said. He started to think about when he was handed the ring from Sister Helen. His eyes glazed over as his entire childhood started to play before his eyes.
Alliana just stared at Duo. She had never seen him so serious before. Although she had only just met him a few days before, she could tell that something was wrong with him; something was bothering him. She walked up to him and stood there for a minute. She looked at his face, and saw it had no expression. A cold, lifeless stare she had never seen before was in his eyes . . .
Alliana put her arms around him and held him close. She could feel Duo's tears on his face with her own. Duo closed his eyes and put his arms around her. They stood like that for a moment, yet the moment lasted an eternity. After the moment seemed over, they let go of each other. Alliana could see a new expression in Duo's eyes now; a sort of happy, yet sad look.
"Do you want something to drink?" Alliana asked, it looked as if Duo hadn't cried in the longest time and chances are he didn't really know what to do next.
She led him into the small kitchen and showed him to the closest chair. Duo sat down and leaned back, closing his eyes.
"Do you still have to leave?" he asked, trying not to show how much it hurt him.
Alliana went to the cupboard and got him a cup. "Yes, I do. I can't help where my missions take me. My information contact is lousy with details and I normally have to get myself set up weeks in advance before a mission," she replied as she poured him a glass of water at the fridge door.
Duo cast sad eyes to the floor. He didn't want Alliana to leave, but if her missions were anything like his, the last thing she needed was a possible emotional attatchment to ditract her. His thoughts were interuppted as a glass entered his vision. He looked up and, smiling slightly, took the glass. "How did Quatre take it?" he asked.
Alliana looked away from Duo. "I... haven't told him yet," she said quietly, "It's hard to leave family behind, and I can't say goodbyes well."
There was a silence then. Neither really knew what to say. Duo sipped from his glass of water while thinking. Alliana took her hair out of her double braid and put it in a high ponytail.
Duo finished his water and, placing the glass on the kitchen table, stood. "I should let you finish packing," he said sadly, "But before you go, I want to take you out on the town. You can't just leave Relena-land without at least partying once." He turned his cobalt eyes to Alliana and waited for her answer.
Alliana finally brought her gaze to Duo, "I'd like that a lot. I'm almost done packing anyway, it's not like I had a lot with me originally. Will you wait while I finish?" She smiled, awaiting Duo's answer.
"Oh, I think I can wait a little while. But don't take too long," Duo joked, sitting back down in the chair.
Alliana laughed, left the kitchen, went into her room, and finished packing. She also changed from her jean shorts and long grey shirt into a powder blue shirt with split sleeves and a knee length black skirt that had a slit come up to the mid-thigh area.
Duo watched as Alliana returned from her room in a newer outfit than the one she had left in. She had gone from hot to sexy with a shirt, a skirt, and a change in hairstyle. Duo stood and gave her a quick look over. "Can she get any more gorgeous?"
"Ready to go, Duo?"
"Of course, Mademoiselle," Duo replied, offering Alliana his arm when he reached her.
"Why thank you, kind Sir," Alliana jested, taking his arm.
They walked out of the apartment leaving a fairly confused James in the doorway.