Tapestry - Chapter 16
"Such power and chaos. And yet, even this is controlled, predictable ... bound by the laws of nature."
Gods. I was halfway out of my chair when I realized who it was - doesn't he knock, or make any noise when he walks? The fact that this was Treize's house, and that he didn't have to knock before entering a room did cross my mind - but because it didn't fit with my hammering heart or my suddenly damp palms, I ignored it. Sinking back, I murmured, "It - it is powerful."
"It is truly a miracle." His voice was quiet, resonant, sounding as if it was coming from all corners of the room.
Dying firelight and the waning sunset cast light in lovely, earthen tones across Treize's face, throwing the rest of his body into shadow. Tilting his head, he regarded me with what looked like an amused expression mixed with a predatory hunger, beautiful and cold. He seemed to be a very dangerous man, one that I was eager NOT to antagonize - but at the same time, I was resolved not to show him any fear. Once a predator smelled fear, you were finished.
I looked back at him, throwing my suspicion and dismay behind me, carefully controlling my expression, pushing it into one of bland interest.
Yes ... you always do ...
"May I sit here?" Treize indicated the chair opposite me, waving at it with one manicured hand.
"Of course, General," I replied, respectful and courteous. I gave him a light smile, resolving not to allow myself to be sucked into something I didn't understand.
Ha. Good luck, said my little voice - which suddenly went silent, as if a switch had been thrown. .
Treize sat across from me, moving with the grace and stealth of a large cat. He looked as if he had just finished a long night somewhere - his white shirt was unbuttoned at the collar and he had taken his jacket off and folded it neatly across the back of the chair.
"And how did you find your way in here, Sally?"
I looked at him, as calm as possible, and shrugged. "I opened the door."
"Walked in?" He raised an eyebrow at me, smiling. The light from the window was almost gone; half his fact was now in shadow, the other lit by golden firelight.
"The door wasn't locked," I said, just a little defensive.
He laughed. "Of course it was, Sally. You are welcome here."
I eyed him in distrust. I knew there was a trap there - somewhere. The trick was in finding it. The sharp planes of this face were thrown in relief by the bronze light cast by the fire; and try as I might, I could see no flaw. Every single inch of him was perfect; every pore, every muscle, every sinew. His eyebrows were oddly shaped, that was true, but even THEY looked good on him.
There was something else at work here, I was sure of it. He had to have been giving off pheromones. Even from where I sat, at least two meters away, I could sense the heat of his body - and it was triggering a response in mine. Suddenly I was remembering how strong he was, the firmness of his chest and arms, how it felt when he lifted me from the plane -
Gods - stop that. I was convinced that I was partially insane. Here I was, a grown woman, and I couldn't even control my own body's response to someone sitting across from me? And not just my body, either - now my mind decided it wanted to join in, as well.
Gads, that's great. Pull it together, Sally. Focus on what he's saying. Don't miss anything.
"This is my personal library. Wufei is often in here. You are welcome, of course. I only ask that you spill nothing while you are here," he said, smiling at me.
I frowned, surprised. "Ah ... spill something? Of course not. The books in here are quite old. I wouldn't handle them with anything but care." I looked up at the shelves and smiled.
"I have collected them all my life." Treize smiled at the shelves himself, giving me an excellent view of his profile; and gads, now I could see that the muscles in his neck were visible, and just as perfect as the rest of him...
This was awful. I was fighting with myself, trying to pull my awareness away from the general's body and everything I was noticing about it, when it was the general himself that shocked me back to normal. Without any noticeable change in his tone or body language, Treize leaned forward and confided, "Wufei and I had a lovely chat this evening."
A bucket of ice water was just dumped on my psyche. Gone was any awareness I had of his body or mine as I looked over at him, unable to keep that small dollop of panic from leaping into my eyes. "Did - did you?" I stammered, struggling for calm.
He nodded and gave me a look the likes of which I had never seen from anyone in my life - sidelong, head down just a little, with eyes that practically burned with passion.
"He has asked me to preserve your life," Treize said lightly.
My hands felt numb from gripping the edge of the book. I swallowed and stared at him, feeling my eyes widen slightly with every breath I took. I tried to say something in response; but to my chagrin, not a sound came out of my mouth.
Staring, I tried again, and was a bit more successful. " ... he ..."
Treize hadn't moved at all; in fact, he was still smiling, watching me intently, his eyes blazing blue fire.
"Oh...." I said, weakly.
His smile grew a little. "I find it interesting that he found it necessary to say so. I hope you have not been uncomfortable? Threatened, in some way? Frightened?" He looked at me, tilting his head. "I have sent Lady Une away for the time being. She does not - understand - your situation, and believes that you are going to take advantage of me." There was something in his eyes that was laughing at the very idea; Sally Po, a threat?
Well, my thoughts exactly. I found my voice again, and was pleasantly surprised to find it was still working. "Ah ... no. I - I don't believe she understands my position - at all."
Considering that I didn't have a clue about it, I would have been shocked to discover that Une knew something.
Treize gave a minimal nod, never taking his gaze from me, that intense, amused expression still in his eyes. "I will not kill you. That was never my intention. Unnecessary death is ... unpleasant." His voice lingered over the last word, giving it a special emphasis.
"Certainly ... for those experiencing it, it is." I was still gripping the book; by now, it probably had indentations from my nails all along its leather jacket. "And it is comforting to know that you ... will not kill me."
"It is a sad and horrible thing," he agreed. "I do not cause death when I can avoid it. But Sally ... that is not what he asked me for."
I frowned at him, not understanding. "It isn't?"
"No."
"But - I thought you said -"
"He asked, specifically, that I preserve your life - not that I not kill you. That I keep you alive." Treize smiled a little. "He has been with me long enough now to know better than to use sloppy semantics. This was carefully worded."
I stared at him as the implications of Wufei's request sank into my mind. I couldn't quite believe it; the more I thought about it, the larger the issue became. Wufei said ... that?
Treize nodded, as if he heard my unspoken thoughts. "Naturally, I agreed. At the very least it shows a certain level of ... trust ... in my abilities, which I felt I could not rightfully ignore. Of course, with such a selfless request, I couldn't turn him down; although he IS technically my prisoner, and as such has no right to requests at all."
And so are you, chortled that nasty little voice in my head. Gods, I hated that thing.
"It seems, however, that in return you WILL be with me for ... a while. How else can I keep you alive? Your place is - how do I put this - guaranteed at my table." He leaned back and regarded me, looking amused and just a little self-satisfied.
I looked back at him, trying my best to keep the shock and horror from my expression. Bland, Sally, make it bland, I thought, staring back at him, willing my heart to stop beating frantically. He's just told you that he's not going to let you go. Ever. That can't be right. He can't mean that - not really.
"Ah - Treize," I said carefully, taking a deep breath. "I don't wish to appear ungrateful - in fact, in the time I've been awake, I've been treated with nothing but kindness - but ... how long are you anticipating I will be - with - you?"
My gut was wrenching as I waited for him to respond. Treize, on the other hand, now looked REALLY amused. Steepling his fingers together, he leaned back and casually sprawled in his chair in a graceful, leonine way, regarding me from half lidded eyes.
"I suppose as long as Wufei is," he said, shrugging. "No offense, my dear, but if he leaves, I doubt I will consider my word to him any longer upheld. One would assume he would not leave you behind at that point. However, as of now ... I see no specific time limit for him."
Oh, gods. He's keeping Wufei, too. I should have realized.
"I ... see," I said, swallowing. My mouth and throat had suddenly become as dry as the Sahara, and I could have sworn the temperature just increased fifteen degrees. I felt fine beads of perspiration on my forehead.
Treize's smile became a little larger as he watched me. He didn't seem to be hiding his reactions as much tonight. Probably because we were alone. There were no witnesses - what would it matter?
"I would not want to leave Wufei, either," I said with some asperity, looking directly at him. Well, I didn't care. If he told Wufei he wasn't going to kill me - which I didn't believe for one moment - then he wouldn't kill me for speaking my mind.
At least, not now. Not immediately after he made his promise to Wufei. It didn't occur to me to ask myself what Wufei might have to give him in return for that promise, either. The whole 'promise' idea was just too shocking.
"One would assume not," he replied, nodding.
And this was odd, too. He seemed to be waiting for me to say something, to do something - giving me time to formulate - a question? Questions? I didn't know, but I knew opportunity when I saw it. Pushing my fear of him to another corner of my mind, I raised my chin and continued staring at him.
"May I ask you a question ...?"
"Of course," he said, smiling. He sounded almost eager, as if I was doing exactly what he wanted; and he looked pleased, as if I was an exceptionally bright child who had just done something quite clever.
"Why Wufei?"
Now he smiled at me with a contented look, his eyes fixed on mine. He was still sprawled in his chair; and the reflected light from the fireplace outlined him in gold. Even his skin looked golden, almost bronze. Sensuality seemed to pour from him. This was a side of Khushrenada that the general public never saw, I was certain of that; this was probably something else that only happened when he was alone.
"Why Wufei?" he murmured, almost a purr. "What do you mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean." I gave him my best even stare, realizing that I'd never be able to intimidate him, but hoping that perhaps I'd be able to match him. "Why - why choose him?"
Of course, my body started to respond to him the way it always did, which was both annoying and a little scary. After all, I was only sitting about a meter away from him; should he decide to do ... something ... I didn't have much room to maneuver.
"Choose him? For what, Sally?"
My temper threatened to get the better of me. I struggled for that calm, even, detached tone my professors had when they were describing a clinical situation with one of their patients. "He's a boy with little or no experience with any kind of relationship. I would think that someone such as yourself - a professed lover of beauty - would leave something so unspoiled in its natural state, as opposed to ... playing ... with it."
There. Now. If he's going to kill me, he has both motive and opportunity. I've just obliquely insulted him, and I'm alone with him.
He looked even more pleased than he had before. "I am not going to kill you; you certainly don't need to look at me as if I am. And I am not playing with him. Were I playing, Sally, I would have taken what I wanted and been done with him already. This is too long a project for play."
I felt my eyes widen. "A ... project?" Merciful heavens, what kind of project could Wufei be?
Treize nodded slowly, his eyes closing for a moment in acknowledgement. He opened them again, and I was caught. His gaze was clear and direct, and seemed to slice right through any feeble defenses I had. He could see right inside my head, hear and see what I was thinking. At least, it felt that way.
"What - what kind of project is Wufei?"
The general really did seem to be enjoying himself. A smile tugged at the sides of his mouth. "He is a project inasmuch as I am devoting more personal time to him than to any other in a long, long time. Eventually, I hope to make him into a contributing member of society." The last part, though, was delivered in a tone that simply dripped with sarcasm.
I eyed him. "So. You mean to 'rehabilitate' him publicly? A 'here's the reformed gundam pilot' type thing, all due in no small part to your heroic efforts?"
Smiling softly, Treize watched me. "In part - although that is not an end in itself."
"What else is there?" I asked flatly. "I didn't believe it could be that simple."
"To be blunt, Sally, I am a great fan of beauty, as you said. Truthfully, I believe that is all that honestly matters in this world, even though it is easily faded. What we have in Wufei is very much like a diamond in its unfinished state, if that is not too trite an example. Have you ever seen an unfinished diamond, Sally? Held one in your hand?"
"No ... I haven't."
"Stay here," Treize commanded, smiling. He stood in one graceful motion and walked over to the small writing desk next to the fireplace. His long, supple fingers reached for something tucked away in the small recesses of the desk. Apparently, he found what he wanted because he turned from the desk and walked back to me with something in each hand.
"Hold out your hands, please, Sally."
I obeyed, holding out my hands, palms up, curious. He dropped two rocks into my left hand. Both were rough, rather yellowish - they looked a little like amber, but they didn't shine. All in all, they were rather ugly. They sat there, patiently waiting for me to make some kind of assessment. I stared at them for a moment, and then looked up at Treize. "These are uncut diamonds?" I guessed, watching his face.
I thought they'd make interesting paperweights. They certainly didn't look like diamonds - they didn't even look like interesting polished rocks.
"One is. The other is simply carbon. If you were to find them on the beach, Sally," he said gently, "would you bother picking them up? And if you did - would you keep them?"
"Only if I knew what I was looking for," I replied, weighing the pieces in my hand.
"Correct," Treize said, smiling a bit. "And I do. I see in that ... potential for something more similar to this." So saying, he dropped a very large, rather heavy and very elegantly cut diamond into my right hand.
I gasped - it was so unexpected, and the stone was so beautiful, that I was quite taken aback. "It's - that's - magnificent ...."
"And yet, it was uglier than these," he said, pointing to my left hand. "I can recognize such things, Sally, because I have watched and waited for a long, long time. Having done away with God, man is the reason for my existence.""
Holding the jewel up to the light between my thumb and fingers, I looked up at Treize again, speculative. "But much has to do with the skill of the jeweler. Should you press too hard, it will shatter."
"Correct," Treize said, relaxing back into his chair. "I am the one who cut that diamond. In a very shallow sense, it is what I am doing with Wufei. I believe he is worth the effort - and I believe it will take years." He smiled at me again. "I have always been a patient man."
There was nothing to gain by being indirect with this man. He was completely unrepentant about his reasons and methods, and that made me furious. "I'm afraid you're going to break him - cause him to shatter. You may have done away with God, but you can't predict everything."
"He will not shatter." Treize shifted in his chair, watching me with a small smile. "He will bruise, and he will learn to bend, but he will not shatter. Were he going to do that, Sally, it would have happened already. Of course, there is at least one more test through which he can be put, but ..."
"What?" I blinked up at him.
Shrugging eloquently, he continued. "I know you consider this to be a game - that my efforts are somehow ... 'bad.'"
"They're cruel," I broke in, unable to contain myself any longer. I felt the heat rise in my cheeks, but I didn't care. Put the boy through another one of his tests for his amusement? I was feeling extremely protective of Wufei at the moment, and was incensed that Treize would even consider performing more of his 'tests.'
"Are they, Sally?" he asked, tilting his head. It felt as if he was watching me as closely as a snake observes its prey before striking.
I didn't answer - I simply closed my mouth and glared at him from the safety of my chair.
"One might consider the efforts of a parent cruel. Shaping one's mind rather means that some things ... must be left behind."
"You aren't his parent," I snapped, pointing out what I considered to be the obvious.
"Very true," he replied mildly. "And neither are you. His parents are long dead."
Gads, he was infuriating. What little arguing I had done with him usually left me bruised and wondering how the hell he had gained the upper hand yet again. This time was no different.
I took a deep breath and composed myself, presenting my best and blandest face to him. "So. You wish to bring out the true essence of Wufei. Once this essence has been brought to light - what then? What will he have become?"
"He will become himself, of course - with one slight difference. I do not know if you have known him long enough, or well enough, to see this ... but he has no direction. No belief, in fact, in anything objective and substantial enough to GIVE him direction."
Ah. Now this was something I didn't expect from Treize. "Yes, he has been searching for a long time," I agreed, not looking at the general.
"He has," Treize said pleasantly, "since long before he came to earth. His mind is something more extraordinary than even the diamond, Sally. His mind is like mine."
I looked over at him sharply. What did he mean...?
"Had we been raised in similar circumstances, Sally, there would be not quite as much of a difference as you now suppose. I can tell you that in just six week's time, he has come to understand me in a way no human ever has. In just over a month."
Something else was pushing Treize's words, of that I was sure. He was looking at me intently, as if he wanted me to figure out exactly what he was saying without his explanation.
"What do you think that means, Sally?"
"You want companionship through Wufei?" I guessed. I really hated these types of guessing games; invariably, I was wrong, and was usually told so in sarcastic, uncompromising terms.
He smiled a bit. "Mmmm ... keep thinking. I know you can, Sally. You hide yourself well, but I can see the worth in you. Keep thinking."
That comment unnerved me. I stared at him, wondering faintly just how much this man could possibly know about me. "What ... what do you mean...?"
"He understands me as no other human ever has - more than Milliardo, who grew up with me. More than Une - but that's not very difficult. Even you understand me more than Une."
I felt a little faint. I'd known this man for three days, and he said I understood him more than his personal attaché. That was a little scary.
He laughed softly, reached out, and cupped my cheek with his hand. I felt his fingers - long, strong, and warm - slide across my jaw and behind my ear.
My breathing and heart rate jumped to twice their normal rate - again. I couldn't control either one; but I could control my expression, and I tried. I really tried. I didn't flinch, I didn't pull back ... but I knew my eyes grew wider with shock.
"Saa ... such surprise in your eyes ..." he purred, leaning toward me. He stroked my cheekbone gently with his thumb, once, never taking his gaze from me; then caressed my face and withdrew his hand, sitting back.
"Tell me, Sally. What do you think I want?"
I could hardly believe we were having this conversation. My body had started vibrating the moment I realized he was in the room; and now he was touching me and I couldn't even allow myself to react. He knew how I felt, though. I didn't know how I knew that, but I did.
And now he was waiting for me to say something. Gads, hurry, Sally - say something. Breathless, I started. "I ... I think you want to be understood and known ... by someone you believe is or can be your peer. And you think that's Wufei."
"Mmmm ... not quite." He leaned toward me again, his gaze intense and powerful; and as if he uttered a sexual command, he murmured, "Deeper, Sally. Deeper."
Now I was totally at a loss. All I could do was sit and look at him, hoping some other inspiration would strike and that I wouldn't feel so defenseless and exposed.
Treize recrossed his legs, his gaze pinning me as effectively as if he was holding my shoulders. "Wufei understood this within a week ... and granted, I am leading you by the hand whereas he simply figured it out. Nevertheless ... I think it would make things more interesting for you to be fully aware, at least on one level. It's only fair - ne?"
Gods. I had NO idea what he was talking about - only that he wanted me to come up with some type of conclusion about himself and Wufei. I looked down at my hands in my lap, praying I could think of something soon.
"Occam's Razor, Sally," he said gently. "The simplest explanation is usually the correct one."
I looked up at him. "...you ... want ... him?" I asked, weakly, feeling totally inadequate.
"Yes," Treize agreed, cheerful. "His mind ... his heart ... his abilities. Everything about him appears to my senses, with the sole exception of his voice. However, I think that will smooth out when he has spent some time NOT shouting at the top of his lungs."
Gods. He was completely, absolutely open about what he wanted. I blinked and swallowed. "... but ... you're ... you're taking away any kind of choice that he might have made on his own .."
"I want to see him become a man. To finish forming his body - to mature. To find his place - I want to HELP him find his place. Because, Sally, his choice right now would be to die. He has wanted to die for well over a year. These promises I extract from him are in part to ensure he does not do away with himself. He has come close - or did Duo not tell you that part?"
".....what....?" I said, feeling all the blood rush away from my face. What? He knows I spoke with Duo?!
Treize gave me a knowing look with a gentle smile. "Perhaps you should ask him. Yes, I want Wufei. But not in any one form - or in any temporary sense." He looked past my shoulder, as if he was imagining Wufei standing in front of him. "His lineage fascinates me. He's Chinese, as are you. And yet, one would not know to look at you that you come from the same bloodline, ne? .....really, you don't. You are Chinee, and he is of the Dragon Clan - one of the most genetically exclusive groups to survive the age of colonization. He carries in himself a pure strain of Chinese that - no offense - you do not have. You are nearly as Caucasian as I am."
He brought his gaze back to me, and smiled. "Ask him what he said to me on our fourth breakfast together. I'm sure you will be going to see him soon after this." His tone changed again, became even and measured. "I am not going to hurt him, Sally. Not in terms of injury."
This conversation had just turned surreal. "What - what if he doesn't want you after you are finished with him, Treize? What then?
"Oh, he will," Treize replied lightly.
"You sound very sure," I said, doubt ringing in my mind. I looked at the storm beyond the windows, surprised to see that it seemed to have gained power and strength.
"I have never failed to arouse the desire of someone I wanted, Sally, male or female - and I am not simply speaking in sexual terms. It is my nature."
I stared back at him, raising one eyebrow in polite disbelief. Really, now ...
Treize smiled at me, shifting his position in his chair slightly. "...it is a gift, don't you think ...? To be able to simply override the natural inclinations of a person."
"It is a talent that many people would envy," I agreed, careful that my words and tone conveyed no threat or censure.
"Some would. Most would waste it. I ... do not."
The storm was increasing in intensity outside. Rain was beating a relentless tattoo on the windowpanes, and the howling of the wind sounded like voices on the other side of the glass.
"It's a talent, I'm sure, that you've put to good use time and time again ..."
"What do you think, Sally? Of course ... such things now are preserved for special occasions. But - yes. I have put it to use."
"Special occasions?" I looked at him, not really understanding. "You mean - when the stray politician needs convincing?"
"No," he replied with a dry look. "I do not GIVE it, Sally. The stray politician can be persuaded by much less messier means."
"Ah - that would be graft and corruption."
"And death," Treize added. "Power tends to increase exponentially - but sex is really not something I'd use for that. It's terribly messy. Special occasions - as I said - which is to say, when I actually desire it." His eyes narrowed slightly as he tilted his head again, watching me. "Humans live in a constant state of semi-sexual arousal. I find this ... weak."
Now I felt vulnerable and exposed. "....oh ......"
He recrossed his legs, smiling at me - and I had the quick impression of leashed power, held under tight control. Aimed right at me.
"You see," he started gently, "you ... would be the work of a few hours, possibly days. Wufei has already handled much more - intense - moments. Most of them he simply misunderstood. Some, his body understood for him - and yet, he held out. Yes," he murmured, nodding his head, "a worthy project, I believe, for several years to come - at least."
At this point, oddly enough, it was difficult to hear him. The wind outside was so strong that I wondered again about hurricanes. I quickly glanced outside, thinking about that raw power, unleashed and unfettered, battering the house again and again, a demon trying to force its way inside.
I was breathing deeply; I would be the work of a few hours? Well, that certainly explains why Wufei can withstand him but others cannot. And that comment he made about humans was ... odd. As I looked at him, another horrible certainty stole across my mind. "You've driven people mad, then..."
Treize was smiling at me - really smiling. "Yes."
Gads ... and now I couldn't tell whether it was my imagination or not, but his teeth actually looked sharper than normal. Something awful was happening to me, and I was powerless to stop it. In spite of myself - in spite of hating him, in spite of wishing with all my heart that there was something I could do - my body was acknowledging him yet again, swaying in his direction.
He knew it, too. It wasn't hard to miss, and it was frightening. The combination of my wanting to pull away and my inability to do so was causing my stomach to churn, making me rather nauseated.
Now the wind was buffeting the house, sounding as if it wanted to beat down the walls in its efforts to reach me.
"Saa, Sally ... " Treize purred, "...did you think I said you were not my type because your are not desirable? You are."
A horrible feeling, a weird kind of lethargy, stole over me, robbing me of any ability or desire to move. Right now, I couldn't run if I wanted to; I was caught, snared by his gaze and this odd, terrible feeling of powerlessness. I stared at him, unable to look away.
He leaned forward, his eyes a brilliant blue. "You are," he repeated, breathing softly. "Believe me. There is a kind of purity in you that normally comes with saints. But you are no saint ... are you, Sally ..."
My body actually leaned toward him; I swear my shoulders were trying to reach him first.
"...it gives you a soft ... white ... glow ..." He moved closer to me and caressed my cheek with his knuckles, very lightly moving across my jaw and over to my ear.
"Really ... terribly pretty, " he murmured, more to himself. "Not beautiful - you will never be that - but very, very pretty, all told. Strong ... intelligent ..."
I could hardly hear him over the wind, it was so loud; and every place he touched suddenly felt as if is was on fire. Sensations fanned out from each spot; and somehow, in between one blink of my eyes and the next, he was REALLY close.
Within kissing distance, in fact. His gaze held mine and refused to relinquish it, demanding my complete, undivided attention. I was completely in thrall, staring at him.
"...protective instinct..." he said softly. "Were you an element, Sally Po ... that is what you would be. Your heritage allows no less."
The delicate aroma of roses surrounded me. I had no will of my own - the desire to pull away had faded, and all I could do was stare into the blue of his eyes and wait - and hope - for the inevitable. His lips were so close that I wasn't sure if they were actually touching mine as he spoke, or if it was simply his breath.
"Tell me, Sally," he murmured as a flash of lightening illuminated the room, flickering across his face, "what would YOU do -"
His hand found the back of my shoulder as he pulled me to him -
"- to ensure ... the safety ... of another?"
- and pressed his lips to mine, closing his eyes. I shivered for a moment, then surrendered to one of the most intense sensations I had ever felt. A sudden, sharp, and traitorous orgasm rocked through my body, closing my eyes for me and tingling through my skin to places I forgot I had.
Then I woke up.
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I was cold and shivering, face down on the floor in front of the open library window. Rain was blowing through the window and pooling on the floor next to me; and the 'wind' I had heard in my dream was real, beating the drapes into the room. Half the floor was drenched, as was I - but my body wasn't shivering from the cold.
Blinking, I pushed myself over on my side and then up to a sitting position, cold and stiff, seeing nothing, my mind still enthralled with the memory of that kiss. Somehow, I rose from the floor; and even that simple movement helped to bring my awareness back to ... wherever I was.
The voices I heard on the wind? Now it seemed that they were real - in fact, there was pounding coming from somewhere in the room, and it sounded like someone was calling my name.
I looked over at the fireplace - and the fire was long dead, burned to ashes in the grate, no heat radiating into the room whatsoever. Dragging my gaze to the opposite side, I realized the door was closed - and that someone was pounding on the door and shouting my name. Numbly, my mind cataloged the sound, and decided it was Wufei.
"Sally! ANSWER me! SALLY!"
There were no diamonds in my hand, cut or uncut; no one else was in the room; and the smell of roses was conspicuously absent. But my body had been thrown into a state that it had it hadn't experienced in years, if ever ... and I wasn't easily coming out of it.
"SALLY!"
Stiffly, I reached over, leaning on the sash, and pulled the window closed, heedless of the rain whipping in my face. Lightning flashed, throwing everything into stark relief. The sky had a dim, gray cast to it, making it impossible for me to gauge the hour. One more cursory glance over the chairs and table by the window showed that no books were wet, fortunately, with the exception of the one I had pulled from the shelf. Absently, I passed my hand over its spine, brushing away droplets of water, picked it up from the table, and carefully put it down on the secretary next to the bookshelves.
I felt as if I was sleepwalking. Moving from the bookshelves to the door, I reached out and turned the knob, only to find the door was locked. Something unfamiliar passed over me; I was bothered by that, because I didn't remember locking the door. Turning the latch, I pulled again at the doorknob, and now the door opened a crack.
Peering out through the opening, my gaze bleary and my eyes unfocused, I saw Wufei standing in front of the door, his usually reserved demeanor gone. He wasn't frantic, but was approaching that state.
He stared at me for a moment, then pushed the door open with enough force to make me stagger backwards, grabbed my arms, and pulled me out into the hallway.
"Sally! GODS, Sally - what -"
"Eh ..." I gasped, blinking in the strong light. Gods, it was like walking into bright sunlight after being in a cave; and I was cold, so cold I was shivering.
But that wasn't simply from the cold, either.
"You've been gone for hours! What happened to you?"
Wufei kept his grip on my upper arm and pulled me down the hallway. From the set of his shoulders and the look on his face, I knew he wasn't going to listen to any arguments; he was going to take me where HE wanted, and that was that.
Actually, that was fine with me, as I was in no condition to argue with anyone about anything. Bone chilling cold was seeping across my arms and legs, and I was having enough trouble making sure my feet didn't stumble over each other.
" ... and I looked all over, and they said you hadn't left. And this was the only room you COULD be in, but the door was locked and Treize hasn't come BACK yet and he's the only one with the key ..."
I heard his scolding, but it was taking me more time than usual to process what he was saying. He marched me right into his room, hardly stopping to throw the door open before he pushed me in, anger and worry pulling his brows together in a threatening manner, his eyes dark and ominous.
"...what's WRONG with you? Did you fall and hit your head?"
Without warning, a large, thick, terrycloth bathrobe was around my shoulders, engulfing me. I automatically stuck my arms into the sleeves and drew it around myself, my arms wrapped protectively about my body.
I looked at him, my mind still clouded. "I ...I don't ..."
Worry and fear were written plainly across his face. "I was about ready to go look to see if the dogs got you ..."
...when something he said finally registered. If I was cold before, now it felt as though a rock of solid ice had dropped into my stomach.
"...Treize ... isn't ... back...?"
"Of course not," he replied, shaking his head and giving me an odd look. "He came to see me before he left, and that was it. Sit down." He pulled me over to his bed and pushed down on my shoulders, intent on getting me to sit where he wanted.
My body started shaking. I was shaking so much, I couldn't control it. "You ... saw ... him? Did you ... what did ... you ..."
Wufei nodded, not looking at me. "Yes. He came to see me before he left, I said." He was grabbing towels and some other things, and was heading into the bathroom. "You need to take a hot bath - you're chilled. I won't bathe you," he added, his face flushing. "Gods - what got INTO you, Sally?"
Now my teeth were chattering. "What ... did ... you ... ask ... him...?" I managed to grate out, staring at him, my arms wrapped protectively around my midsection. I was feeling cold, but the coldness I felt had absolutely nothing to do with the spreading shock and slow panic that was moving across my mind.
Treize wasn't in the house. He wasn't there. He hadn't BEEN there for hours.
Wufei stopped and looked right at me. " ... what? He came right after you left. I'm surprised you didn't see him in the hallway - and then he left again."
I was shaking so hard it felt as if my entire body was spasming. "Did ... you ... ask ... him ... anything?" I had to know - I just had to know.
"... yes .." Poor Wufei looked completely taken aback; that, and he was trying to understand what I was saying. Difficult, I admit, because I was shaking so much I could hardly get the words out.
"What ... did ... you ... ask?" I stared at him, intense, clenching my teeth so that he could understand me. He had to tell me - he had the answer.
He looked back at me, unsure. "A couple of things," he started slowly, giving me a strange look.
"Wufei - I need to know. Please ..."
I was clutching the front of the bathrobe in ice cold hands; I felt like I was clenching my entire body to stop its quaking.
Wufei looked back at me, blinking and frowning. He held my gaze, but lowered his head and looked as if he wasn't sure if he should be guilty or not. "I - I asked him for a couple of things ... and he agreed."
Lighting streaked across the sky, immediately followed by a deafening roar of thunder. I shrank together involuntarily and stared out the window for a moment; then looked back at Wufei.
He had been studying me, his gaze worried. "Um ... why are you asking?"
Gods, that's right - I hadn't told him. What was I going to tell him - that Treize, who had been gone from the house for hours, was actually in the library with me, and had -
No. I'm NOT going there right now. My nerves couldn't handle it.
I looked back at him, pleading. "Please .. Wufei .. tell me ..."
"I asked - for a couple of books .. and.." He stopped, looking at me. "I - wanted to be sure you would be all right, and so ..."
"Yes?" I asked, holding my breath.
"I asked him if - if you could be kept safe, as I seem to be here. And he told me you'd been convicted, legally, of worse than I .. but that he would think about it and let me know tonight. And then he ... just left. Sally, what's wrong with you? Why are you looking at me like that?"
I was staring, slack jawed, at Wufei. I knew I was, and I couldn't help it. This was just like those bad dreams I had as a child, where everything had turned inside out and nothing I did could possibly fix what was wrong. I was sliding down a hill, toward an abyss, and I couldn't stop.
My hands were shaking even more now. "...Wufei ...?"
"Sally? Sally, you're shaking - you're chilled. You need -"
"Wufei," I broke in. "Wufei .. please .. I want - I have to take a bath ..."
He nodded, looking very confused, and swept me off the bed, into his arms, and walked into the bathroom. I clutched around his neck, needing some human comfort; and the poor boy felt my body shake the entire time he carried me.
He set me down gently on the edge of the tub, leaned over and turned the water on. "I ... um ... I can't undress you." He was blushing badly, focusing his attention on making sure the bathwater was the right temperature.
It occurred to me - briefly - that even though he was married, he had probably never seen a grown woman naked. I wondered if his wife - and what had she been, all of thirteen? - actually had breasts.
No wonder he was so acutely uncomfortable.
"That's okay, Wufei," I whispered. "I .. I should be all right. But would you - would you stay outside the door?"
He nodded at me, concern and worry still in his eyes.
"And .. don't close it all the way .. please ..."
Wufei blinked, then nodded again, looking confused. He knelt next to me and started unlacing my boots, helping me out of the clothes he could.
I suddenly realized I still had Duo's cellphone; and the ridiculousness of THAT suddenly hit me. I started giggling, a high-pitched, slightly hysterical sound which I immediately tried to suppress.
"Oh .. I can't get the phone wet .."
Gods, now the poor boy probably thought I had gone completely over the edge. He was sitting back on his heels, staring at me, his eyes wide.
"...Sally...?" he said, softly.
I stared back at him. "I'm - okay, Wufei. I'm okay. Really, I'm okay." It felt as if I was trying to convince myself more than anything else.
He wasn't buying it. "I'll call the mainland for a doctor."
"No! No doctors, Wufei!" I clutched at his arm, pleading.
"Sally..." he started, giving me an odd look.
"Promise me, Wufei - no doctors. Not now, not ever..."
Gods, who knows what they'd do? I know what I would do, faced with a patient like me - and I wasn't going to give them the chance.
"Why?" he asked, obviously unnerved. I realized belatedly that he'd never seen me in any situation where I wasn't in control. This must be a complete shock to him, poor boy.
I was intense. "I .. I .. " I swallowed my fear and looked at him. "I'll tell you after I'm done with my bath - but no doctors. Do you promise?"
"Okay." He was confused - terribly confused, in fact. "Are you sure you don't need help of some kind ...?"
Steam was rising from the bathwater, filling the room. It felt comforting; some of the coldness started to seep out of my bones.
"No .. I'm all right, Wufei. But wait - wait just a moment -"
I turned away from him, pulled the cellphone out of its hiding place, and turned back to him. "Would you take care of this for me?" I asked, handing him the phone.
"Um .. okay," he said, blinking, looking puzzled.
"Okay ... thank you, Wufei. I'll - I'll be fine. Just - don't close the door all the way ... and stay right outside ... just in case ..."
"I said I would." He looked at me and retreated quickly out of the bathroom.
I sighed, then turned back to the bath. Stripping quickly, I stepped into the tub and carefully lowered myself into the steaming water.
Ahhhhh..... it felt so good......
The heat penetrated to my bones, helping to still the trembling from the cold. But not all of my shaking was from the cold; it still felt as if my body was responding to that dream. I was still quivering, soaking in hot water up to my shoulders, remembering sensations that struck through my body like electricity... gah..
I stared straight ahead, willing myself to keep on track. There was no one IN the room; but the door was locked from the inside; but I knew I didn't lock the door when I walked into the room.
And there was that other problem. If Treize told Wufei that he would 'think about it, and let him know tonight' - but he already told ME that he was going to keep me here ...
I heard voices - and because the bathroom door was open, they were quite clear. Treize had returned.
Oh, gods. I sank down lower into the bathtub, until only my eyes were visible over the rim. Wufei had thoughtfully put bubble bath into the water when he was filling the tub, so I was reasonably sure the only thing anyone could see was the top of my head, my eyes, and mounds of bubbles floating on top of the water.
I wanted to sink down all the way and not surface for a long, long time.
"...and yes, it was a marvelous time! I hadn't had that much fun in ages, thank you for asking ..."
Boy, did Treize sound chipper - very light, pleased with the world. That overbearing, commanding quality just wasn't in his voice - not the way it was when he -
"Ah, yes, I'm home now - yes, yes, goodbye!"
Apparently, he was on his cellphone. There was a short silence from the other room, then:
"Wufei ... you look like you've seen a ghost. Are you well?"
Oh geez ... I shrank farther into the tub, wishing he would just go away. What was he, that he could be in two places at once? Or was I going mad?
I heard Wufei murmur a response to him.
"Oh, no ...." Treize sounded concerned. Another short silence, broken by soft rapping on the bathroom door. "Sally? Sally, are you all right? Wufei said you seemed unwell ..."
Don't come in, don't come in - he wasn't coming in, was he? No, I prayed he wasn't coming in. I took a shaky breath and tried to say something, but it came out as a breathy kind of squeak. "..fine .. I'm fine ..."
"Would you like to see a doctor?" he asked gently, through the door. Thank the gods for small miracles, he wasn't coming in. "The weather is horrific, but I'm sure we could summon someone from the mainland -"
"Oh, no, please," I said immediately, my voice stronger. "No doctor. I'm - fine, really, I am - I'm all right."
"If you're certain," he replied, concern evident in his tone. "Wufei said you ... passed out. Which room was she in?" he murmured to Wufei.
I heard Wufei answer him, but I couldn't make out the words.
" ...my library? Good heavens, that side of the house is being buffetted by the storm. I had best go check on my books - no, Wufei, you stay. She asked you to, you said -"
"Sally." Treize's voice floated over to me though the doorway. "Whatever is wrong, please rest assured that we will take care of it - all right?"
Now I wanted to sink to the bottom of the tub and never come up. "Oh ... yes," I responded weakly, "of course."
There was more soft talking outside the door, more things I couldn't follow. Then I heard Treize's voice, soft but clear.
"Yes. I was hesitant .. but now ... yes, definitely."
I stopped breathing. I thought the world had stopped.
"Good night, Wufei. Call me if you need anything - anything at all."
I heard the door close softly; and once I heard that, I exhaled. My hands were shaking, but not as much as they had been, and I sat for a few moments - just to make sure Treize was well and truly gone.
"Wufei," I called, "I'm getting out now. I'll be right out ..."
I crawled out of the tub, dried myself off with the huge towels Wufei left for me and wrapped myself in the terrycloth robe. Once that was done, I realized I couldn't delay any longer, so I peered around the doorway.
"Wufei...?"
His face was flushed; he was obviously aware I was naked, but was trying to deal with that as best he could.
"Wufei. Did - did Treize say anything ...?"
Wufei turned toward me and looked. "Say anything?" he repeated, not understanding. "Are you naked?"
"Um ... no .. well, I'm wearing that robe you gave me ..."
"Oh. Okay, then." He had been standing away from the door, but now stepped forward and opened it all the way. "You should be lying down. Come on," he said, giving me a stern look and taking my arm, drawing me out of the bathroom.
I wilted, and allowed Wufei to lead me over to the bed. A deep lethargy came over me, and it was an effort to shuffle that far. "I'm ... I'm so tired, Wufei..."
"Of course you are. You're ill." He turned down the covers and looked ready to sweep me off my feet again to get me into bed. I forestalled that by hopping up and sliding under the covers. He tucked the blankets around me - very businesslike, but very tender. It didn't seem to matter to him that he was putting me to bed in his bed.
My eyes were closing, when I was struck by another stray thought. "No doctors," I said, staring up at him as he hovered over me. "You promised."
Wufei nodded and frowned. "And you never told me why not."
"I don't want that Dr. White poking around ..."
He blinked at me. "She wouldn't be here, anyway. We're quite close to Greece - we'd get someone else. If it's just her -"
I turned my head into the pillow. "I'll - can I tell you when I wake up?" I looked at him, imploring. Please don't make me talk about this now, Wufei ... please.
"All right," he said, grimly. I knew he'd want an explanation when I woke up, and I thought I'd be better able to give one to him when I had had some rest.
He fussed around me a few minutes more, putting another quilt on the bed, then sat in a chair opposite me, keeping watch.
My eyes were already closing. "What .. what did Treize say to you?"
"He said yes."
Now my eyes snapped open. I knew he had, of course ... but to hear it confirmed by Wufei ... ah, that was frightening. "Oh..."
"He wasn't going to - but you collapsed, and ... you're scaring me, Sally."
I swallowed, looking back at him. "I - I'm sorry, Wufei. I don't mean to."
He shifted his position in the chair. "Go to sleep, Sally. You need it. And Treize meant what he said. He's going to do whatever is necessary to help you."
My toes were still tingling; now, what Wufei said to me had worlds of new meanings. I burrowed under the covers, closing my eyes tightly.
"Good night, Sally," I heard him say softly before I dropped off to sleep. The last thought - impression - I had was of a young man with dark hair and eyes, guarding me while I slept.
"Such power and chaos. And yet, even this is controlled, predictable ... bound by the laws of nature."
Gods. I was halfway out of my chair when I realized who it was - doesn't he knock, or make any noise when he walks? The fact that this was Treize's house, and that he didn't have to knock before entering a room did cross my mind - but because it didn't fit with my hammering heart or my suddenly damp palms, I ignored it. Sinking back, I murmured, "It - it is powerful."
"It is truly a miracle." His voice was quiet, resonant, sounding as if it was coming from all corners of the room.
Dying firelight and the waning sunset cast light in lovely, earthen tones across Treize's face, throwing the rest of his body into shadow. Tilting his head, he regarded me with what looked like an amused expression mixed with a predatory hunger, beautiful and cold. He seemed to be a very dangerous man, one that I was eager NOT to antagonize - but at the same time, I was resolved not to show him any fear. Once a predator smelled fear, you were finished.
I looked back at him, throwing my suspicion and dismay behind me, carefully controlling my expression, pushing it into one of bland interest.
Yes ... you always do ...
"May I sit here?" Treize indicated the chair opposite me, waving at it with one manicured hand.
"Of course, General," I replied, respectful and courteous. I gave him a light smile, resolving not to allow myself to be sucked into something I didn't understand.
Ha. Good luck, said my little voice - which suddenly went silent, as if a switch had been thrown. .
Treize sat across from me, moving with the grace and stealth of a large cat. He looked as if he had just finished a long night somewhere - his white shirt was unbuttoned at the collar and he had taken his jacket off and folded it neatly across the back of the chair.
"And how did you find your way in here, Sally?"
I looked at him, as calm as possible, and shrugged. "I opened the door."
"Walked in?" He raised an eyebrow at me, smiling. The light from the window was almost gone; half his fact was now in shadow, the other lit by golden firelight.
"The door wasn't locked," I said, just a little defensive.
He laughed. "Of course it was, Sally. You are welcome here."
I eyed him in distrust. I knew there was a trap there - somewhere. The trick was in finding it. The sharp planes of this face were thrown in relief by the bronze light cast by the fire; and try as I might, I could see no flaw. Every single inch of him was perfect; every pore, every muscle, every sinew. His eyebrows were oddly shaped, that was true, but even THEY looked good on him.
There was something else at work here, I was sure of it. He had to have been giving off pheromones. Even from where I sat, at least two meters away, I could sense the heat of his body - and it was triggering a response in mine. Suddenly I was remembering how strong he was, the firmness of his chest and arms, how it felt when he lifted me from the plane -
Gods - stop that. I was convinced that I was partially insane. Here I was, a grown woman, and I couldn't even control my own body's response to someone sitting across from me? And not just my body, either - now my mind decided it wanted to join in, as well.
Gads, that's great. Pull it together, Sally. Focus on what he's saying. Don't miss anything.
"This is my personal library. Wufei is often in here. You are welcome, of course. I only ask that you spill nothing while you are here," he said, smiling at me.
I frowned, surprised. "Ah ... spill something? Of course not. The books in here are quite old. I wouldn't handle them with anything but care." I looked up at the shelves and smiled.
"I have collected them all my life." Treize smiled at the shelves himself, giving me an excellent view of his profile; and gads, now I could see that the muscles in his neck were visible, and just as perfect as the rest of him...
This was awful. I was fighting with myself, trying to pull my awareness away from the general's body and everything I was noticing about it, when it was the general himself that shocked me back to normal. Without any noticeable change in his tone or body language, Treize leaned forward and confided, "Wufei and I had a lovely chat this evening."
A bucket of ice water was just dumped on my psyche. Gone was any awareness I had of his body or mine as I looked over at him, unable to keep that small dollop of panic from leaping into my eyes. "Did - did you?" I stammered, struggling for calm.
He nodded and gave me a look the likes of which I had never seen from anyone in my life - sidelong, head down just a little, with eyes that practically burned with passion.
"He has asked me to preserve your life," Treize said lightly.
My hands felt numb from gripping the edge of the book. I swallowed and stared at him, feeling my eyes widen slightly with every breath I took. I tried to say something in response; but to my chagrin, not a sound came out of my mouth.
Staring, I tried again, and was a bit more successful. " ... he ..."
Treize hadn't moved at all; in fact, he was still smiling, watching me intently, his eyes blazing blue fire.
"Oh...." I said, weakly.
His smile grew a little. "I find it interesting that he found it necessary to say so. I hope you have not been uncomfortable? Threatened, in some way? Frightened?" He looked at me, tilting his head. "I have sent Lady Une away for the time being. She does not - understand - your situation, and believes that you are going to take advantage of me." There was something in his eyes that was laughing at the very idea; Sally Po, a threat?
Well, my thoughts exactly. I found my voice again, and was pleasantly surprised to find it was still working. "Ah ... no. I - I don't believe she understands my position - at all."
Considering that I didn't have a clue about it, I would have been shocked to discover that Une knew something.
Treize gave a minimal nod, never taking his gaze from me, that intense, amused expression still in his eyes. "I will not kill you. That was never my intention. Unnecessary death is ... unpleasant." His voice lingered over the last word, giving it a special emphasis.
"Certainly ... for those experiencing it, it is." I was still gripping the book; by now, it probably had indentations from my nails all along its leather jacket. "And it is comforting to know that you ... will not kill me."
"It is a sad and horrible thing," he agreed. "I do not cause death when I can avoid it. But Sally ... that is not what he asked me for."
I frowned at him, not understanding. "It isn't?"
"No."
"But - I thought you said -"
"He asked, specifically, that I preserve your life - not that I not kill you. That I keep you alive." Treize smiled a little. "He has been with me long enough now to know better than to use sloppy semantics. This was carefully worded."
I stared at him as the implications of Wufei's request sank into my mind. I couldn't quite believe it; the more I thought about it, the larger the issue became. Wufei said ... that?
Treize nodded, as if he heard my unspoken thoughts. "Naturally, I agreed. At the very least it shows a certain level of ... trust ... in my abilities, which I felt I could not rightfully ignore. Of course, with such a selfless request, I couldn't turn him down; although he IS technically my prisoner, and as such has no right to requests at all."
And so are you, chortled that nasty little voice in my head. Gods, I hated that thing.
"It seems, however, that in return you WILL be with me for ... a while. How else can I keep you alive? Your place is - how do I put this - guaranteed at my table." He leaned back and regarded me, looking amused and just a little self-satisfied.
I looked back at him, trying my best to keep the shock and horror from my expression. Bland, Sally, make it bland, I thought, staring back at him, willing my heart to stop beating frantically. He's just told you that he's not going to let you go. Ever. That can't be right. He can't mean that - not really.
"Ah - Treize," I said carefully, taking a deep breath. "I don't wish to appear ungrateful - in fact, in the time I've been awake, I've been treated with nothing but kindness - but ... how long are you anticipating I will be - with - you?"
My gut was wrenching as I waited for him to respond. Treize, on the other hand, now looked REALLY amused. Steepling his fingers together, he leaned back and casually sprawled in his chair in a graceful, leonine way, regarding me from half lidded eyes.
"I suppose as long as Wufei is," he said, shrugging. "No offense, my dear, but if he leaves, I doubt I will consider my word to him any longer upheld. One would assume he would not leave you behind at that point. However, as of now ... I see no specific time limit for him."
Oh, gods. He's keeping Wufei, too. I should have realized.
"I ... see," I said, swallowing. My mouth and throat had suddenly become as dry as the Sahara, and I could have sworn the temperature just increased fifteen degrees. I felt fine beads of perspiration on my forehead.
Treize's smile became a little larger as he watched me. He didn't seem to be hiding his reactions as much tonight. Probably because we were alone. There were no witnesses - what would it matter?
"I would not want to leave Wufei, either," I said with some asperity, looking directly at him. Well, I didn't care. If he told Wufei he wasn't going to kill me - which I didn't believe for one moment - then he wouldn't kill me for speaking my mind.
At least, not now. Not immediately after he made his promise to Wufei. It didn't occur to me to ask myself what Wufei might have to give him in return for that promise, either. The whole 'promise' idea was just too shocking.
"One would assume not," he replied, nodding.
And this was odd, too. He seemed to be waiting for me to say something, to do something - giving me time to formulate - a question? Questions? I didn't know, but I knew opportunity when I saw it. Pushing my fear of him to another corner of my mind, I raised my chin and continued staring at him.
"May I ask you a question ...?"
"Of course," he said, smiling. He sounded almost eager, as if I was doing exactly what he wanted; and he looked pleased, as if I was an exceptionally bright child who had just done something quite clever.
"Why Wufei?"
Now he smiled at me with a contented look, his eyes fixed on mine. He was still sprawled in his chair; and the reflected light from the fireplace outlined him in gold. Even his skin looked golden, almost bronze. Sensuality seemed to pour from him. This was a side of Khushrenada that the general public never saw, I was certain of that; this was probably something else that only happened when he was alone.
"Why Wufei?" he murmured, almost a purr. "What do you mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean." I gave him my best even stare, realizing that I'd never be able to intimidate him, but hoping that perhaps I'd be able to match him. "Why - why choose him?"
Of course, my body started to respond to him the way it always did, which was both annoying and a little scary. After all, I was only sitting about a meter away from him; should he decide to do ... something ... I didn't have much room to maneuver.
"Choose him? For what, Sally?"
My temper threatened to get the better of me. I struggled for that calm, even, detached tone my professors had when they were describing a clinical situation with one of their patients. "He's a boy with little or no experience with any kind of relationship. I would think that someone such as yourself - a professed lover of beauty - would leave something so unspoiled in its natural state, as opposed to ... playing ... with it."
There. Now. If he's going to kill me, he has both motive and opportunity. I've just obliquely insulted him, and I'm alone with him.
He looked even more pleased than he had before. "I am not going to kill you; you certainly don't need to look at me as if I am. And I am not playing with him. Were I playing, Sally, I would have taken what I wanted and been done with him already. This is too long a project for play."
I felt my eyes widen. "A ... project?" Merciful heavens, what kind of project could Wufei be?
Treize nodded slowly, his eyes closing for a moment in acknowledgement. He opened them again, and I was caught. His gaze was clear and direct, and seemed to slice right through any feeble defenses I had. He could see right inside my head, hear and see what I was thinking. At least, it felt that way.
"What - what kind of project is Wufei?"
The general really did seem to be enjoying himself. A smile tugged at the sides of his mouth. "He is a project inasmuch as I am devoting more personal time to him than to any other in a long, long time. Eventually, I hope to make him into a contributing member of society." The last part, though, was delivered in a tone that simply dripped with sarcasm.
I eyed him. "So. You mean to 'rehabilitate' him publicly? A 'here's the reformed gundam pilot' type thing, all due in no small part to your heroic efforts?"
Smiling softly, Treize watched me. "In part - although that is not an end in itself."
"What else is there?" I asked flatly. "I didn't believe it could be that simple."
"To be blunt, Sally, I am a great fan of beauty, as you said. Truthfully, I believe that is all that honestly matters in this world, even though it is easily faded. What we have in Wufei is very much like a diamond in its unfinished state, if that is not too trite an example. Have you ever seen an unfinished diamond, Sally? Held one in your hand?"
"No ... I haven't."
"Stay here," Treize commanded, smiling. He stood in one graceful motion and walked over to the small writing desk next to the fireplace. His long, supple fingers reached for something tucked away in the small recesses of the desk. Apparently, he found what he wanted because he turned from the desk and walked back to me with something in each hand.
"Hold out your hands, please, Sally."
I obeyed, holding out my hands, palms up, curious. He dropped two rocks into my left hand. Both were rough, rather yellowish - they looked a little like amber, but they didn't shine. All in all, they were rather ugly. They sat there, patiently waiting for me to make some kind of assessment. I stared at them for a moment, and then looked up at Treize. "These are uncut diamonds?" I guessed, watching his face.
I thought they'd make interesting paperweights. They certainly didn't look like diamonds - they didn't even look like interesting polished rocks.
"One is. The other is simply carbon. If you were to find them on the beach, Sally," he said gently, "would you bother picking them up? And if you did - would you keep them?"
"Only if I knew what I was looking for," I replied, weighing the pieces in my hand.
"Correct," Treize said, smiling a bit. "And I do. I see in that ... potential for something more similar to this." So saying, he dropped a very large, rather heavy and very elegantly cut diamond into my right hand.
I gasped - it was so unexpected, and the stone was so beautiful, that I was quite taken aback. "It's - that's - magnificent ...."
"And yet, it was uglier than these," he said, pointing to my left hand. "I can recognize such things, Sally, because I have watched and waited for a long, long time. Having done away with God, man is the reason for my existence.""
Holding the jewel up to the light between my thumb and fingers, I looked up at Treize again, speculative. "But much has to do with the skill of the jeweler. Should you press too hard, it will shatter."
"Correct," Treize said, relaxing back into his chair. "I am the one who cut that diamond. In a very shallow sense, it is what I am doing with Wufei. I believe he is worth the effort - and I believe it will take years." He smiled at me again. "I have always been a patient man."
There was nothing to gain by being indirect with this man. He was completely unrepentant about his reasons and methods, and that made me furious. "I'm afraid you're going to break him - cause him to shatter. You may have done away with God, but you can't predict everything."
"He will not shatter." Treize shifted in his chair, watching me with a small smile. "He will bruise, and he will learn to bend, but he will not shatter. Were he going to do that, Sally, it would have happened already. Of course, there is at least one more test through which he can be put, but ..."
"What?" I blinked up at him.
Shrugging eloquently, he continued. "I know you consider this to be a game - that my efforts are somehow ... 'bad.'"
"They're cruel," I broke in, unable to contain myself any longer. I felt the heat rise in my cheeks, but I didn't care. Put the boy through another one of his tests for his amusement? I was feeling extremely protective of Wufei at the moment, and was incensed that Treize would even consider performing more of his 'tests.'
"Are they, Sally?" he asked, tilting his head. It felt as if he was watching me as closely as a snake observes its prey before striking.
I didn't answer - I simply closed my mouth and glared at him from the safety of my chair.
"One might consider the efforts of a parent cruel. Shaping one's mind rather means that some things ... must be left behind."
"You aren't his parent," I snapped, pointing out what I considered to be the obvious.
"Very true," he replied mildly. "And neither are you. His parents are long dead."
Gads, he was infuriating. What little arguing I had done with him usually left me bruised and wondering how the hell he had gained the upper hand yet again. This time was no different.
I took a deep breath and composed myself, presenting my best and blandest face to him. "So. You wish to bring out the true essence of Wufei. Once this essence has been brought to light - what then? What will he have become?"
"He will become himself, of course - with one slight difference. I do not know if you have known him long enough, or well enough, to see this ... but he has no direction. No belief, in fact, in anything objective and substantial enough to GIVE him direction."
Ah. Now this was something I didn't expect from Treize. "Yes, he has been searching for a long time," I agreed, not looking at the general.
"He has," Treize said pleasantly, "since long before he came to earth. His mind is something more extraordinary than even the diamond, Sally. His mind is like mine."
I looked over at him sharply. What did he mean...?
"Had we been raised in similar circumstances, Sally, there would be not quite as much of a difference as you now suppose. I can tell you that in just six week's time, he has come to understand me in a way no human ever has. In just over a month."
Something else was pushing Treize's words, of that I was sure. He was looking at me intently, as if he wanted me to figure out exactly what he was saying without his explanation.
"What do you think that means, Sally?"
"You want companionship through Wufei?" I guessed. I really hated these types of guessing games; invariably, I was wrong, and was usually told so in sarcastic, uncompromising terms.
He smiled a bit. "Mmmm ... keep thinking. I know you can, Sally. You hide yourself well, but I can see the worth in you. Keep thinking."
That comment unnerved me. I stared at him, wondering faintly just how much this man could possibly know about me. "What ... what do you mean...?"
"He understands me as no other human ever has - more than Milliardo, who grew up with me. More than Une - but that's not very difficult. Even you understand me more than Une."
I felt a little faint. I'd known this man for three days, and he said I understood him more than his personal attaché. That was a little scary.
He laughed softly, reached out, and cupped my cheek with his hand. I felt his fingers - long, strong, and warm - slide across my jaw and behind my ear.
My breathing and heart rate jumped to twice their normal rate - again. I couldn't control either one; but I could control my expression, and I tried. I really tried. I didn't flinch, I didn't pull back ... but I knew my eyes grew wider with shock.
"Saa ... such surprise in your eyes ..." he purred, leaning toward me. He stroked my cheekbone gently with his thumb, once, never taking his gaze from me; then caressed my face and withdrew his hand, sitting back.
"Tell me, Sally. What do you think I want?"
I could hardly believe we were having this conversation. My body had started vibrating the moment I realized he was in the room; and now he was touching me and I couldn't even allow myself to react. He knew how I felt, though. I didn't know how I knew that, but I did.
And now he was waiting for me to say something. Gads, hurry, Sally - say something. Breathless, I started. "I ... I think you want to be understood and known ... by someone you believe is or can be your peer. And you think that's Wufei."
"Mmmm ... not quite." He leaned toward me again, his gaze intense and powerful; and as if he uttered a sexual command, he murmured, "Deeper, Sally. Deeper."
Now I was totally at a loss. All I could do was sit and look at him, hoping some other inspiration would strike and that I wouldn't feel so defenseless and exposed.
Treize recrossed his legs, his gaze pinning me as effectively as if he was holding my shoulders. "Wufei understood this within a week ... and granted, I am leading you by the hand whereas he simply figured it out. Nevertheless ... I think it would make things more interesting for you to be fully aware, at least on one level. It's only fair - ne?"
Gods. I had NO idea what he was talking about - only that he wanted me to come up with some type of conclusion about himself and Wufei. I looked down at my hands in my lap, praying I could think of something soon.
"Occam's Razor, Sally," he said gently. "The simplest explanation is usually the correct one."
I looked up at him. "...you ... want ... him?" I asked, weakly, feeling totally inadequate.
"Yes," Treize agreed, cheerful. "His mind ... his heart ... his abilities. Everything about him appears to my senses, with the sole exception of his voice. However, I think that will smooth out when he has spent some time NOT shouting at the top of his lungs."
Gods. He was completely, absolutely open about what he wanted. I blinked and swallowed. "... but ... you're ... you're taking away any kind of choice that he might have made on his own .."
"I want to see him become a man. To finish forming his body - to mature. To find his place - I want to HELP him find his place. Because, Sally, his choice right now would be to die. He has wanted to die for well over a year. These promises I extract from him are in part to ensure he does not do away with himself. He has come close - or did Duo not tell you that part?"
".....what....?" I said, feeling all the blood rush away from my face. What? He knows I spoke with Duo?!
Treize gave me a knowing look with a gentle smile. "Perhaps you should ask him. Yes, I want Wufei. But not in any one form - or in any temporary sense." He looked past my shoulder, as if he was imagining Wufei standing in front of him. "His lineage fascinates me. He's Chinese, as are you. And yet, one would not know to look at you that you come from the same bloodline, ne? .....really, you don't. You are Chinee, and he is of the Dragon Clan - one of the most genetically exclusive groups to survive the age of colonization. He carries in himself a pure strain of Chinese that - no offense - you do not have. You are nearly as Caucasian as I am."
He brought his gaze back to me, and smiled. "Ask him what he said to me on our fourth breakfast together. I'm sure you will be going to see him soon after this." His tone changed again, became even and measured. "I am not going to hurt him, Sally. Not in terms of injury."
This conversation had just turned surreal. "What - what if he doesn't want you after you are finished with him, Treize? What then?
"Oh, he will," Treize replied lightly.
"You sound very sure," I said, doubt ringing in my mind. I looked at the storm beyond the windows, surprised to see that it seemed to have gained power and strength.
"I have never failed to arouse the desire of someone I wanted, Sally, male or female - and I am not simply speaking in sexual terms. It is my nature."
I stared back at him, raising one eyebrow in polite disbelief. Really, now ...
Treize smiled at me, shifting his position in his chair slightly. "...it is a gift, don't you think ...? To be able to simply override the natural inclinations of a person."
"It is a talent that many people would envy," I agreed, careful that my words and tone conveyed no threat or censure.
"Some would. Most would waste it. I ... do not."
The storm was increasing in intensity outside. Rain was beating a relentless tattoo on the windowpanes, and the howling of the wind sounded like voices on the other side of the glass.
"It's a talent, I'm sure, that you've put to good use time and time again ..."
"What do you think, Sally? Of course ... such things now are preserved for special occasions. But - yes. I have put it to use."
"Special occasions?" I looked at him, not really understanding. "You mean - when the stray politician needs convincing?"
"No," he replied with a dry look. "I do not GIVE it, Sally. The stray politician can be persuaded by much less messier means."
"Ah - that would be graft and corruption."
"And death," Treize added. "Power tends to increase exponentially - but sex is really not something I'd use for that. It's terribly messy. Special occasions - as I said - which is to say, when I actually desire it." His eyes narrowed slightly as he tilted his head again, watching me. "Humans live in a constant state of semi-sexual arousal. I find this ... weak."
Now I felt vulnerable and exposed. "....oh ......"
He recrossed his legs, smiling at me - and I had the quick impression of leashed power, held under tight control. Aimed right at me.
"You see," he started gently, "you ... would be the work of a few hours, possibly days. Wufei has already handled much more - intense - moments. Most of them he simply misunderstood. Some, his body understood for him - and yet, he held out. Yes," he murmured, nodding his head, "a worthy project, I believe, for several years to come - at least."
At this point, oddly enough, it was difficult to hear him. The wind outside was so strong that I wondered again about hurricanes. I quickly glanced outside, thinking about that raw power, unleashed and unfettered, battering the house again and again, a demon trying to force its way inside.
I was breathing deeply; I would be the work of a few hours? Well, that certainly explains why Wufei can withstand him but others cannot. And that comment he made about humans was ... odd. As I looked at him, another horrible certainty stole across my mind. "You've driven people mad, then..."
Treize was smiling at me - really smiling. "Yes."
Gads ... and now I couldn't tell whether it was my imagination or not, but his teeth actually looked sharper than normal. Something awful was happening to me, and I was powerless to stop it. In spite of myself - in spite of hating him, in spite of wishing with all my heart that there was something I could do - my body was acknowledging him yet again, swaying in his direction.
He knew it, too. It wasn't hard to miss, and it was frightening. The combination of my wanting to pull away and my inability to do so was causing my stomach to churn, making me rather nauseated.
Now the wind was buffeting the house, sounding as if it wanted to beat down the walls in its efforts to reach me.
"Saa, Sally ... " Treize purred, "...did you think I said you were not my type because your are not desirable? You are."
A horrible feeling, a weird kind of lethargy, stole over me, robbing me of any ability or desire to move. Right now, I couldn't run if I wanted to; I was caught, snared by his gaze and this odd, terrible feeling of powerlessness. I stared at him, unable to look away.
He leaned forward, his eyes a brilliant blue. "You are," he repeated, breathing softly. "Believe me. There is a kind of purity in you that normally comes with saints. But you are no saint ... are you, Sally ..."
My body actually leaned toward him; I swear my shoulders were trying to reach him first.
"...it gives you a soft ... white ... glow ..." He moved closer to me and caressed my cheek with his knuckles, very lightly moving across my jaw and over to my ear.
"Really ... terribly pretty, " he murmured, more to himself. "Not beautiful - you will never be that - but very, very pretty, all told. Strong ... intelligent ..."
I could hardly hear him over the wind, it was so loud; and every place he touched suddenly felt as if is was on fire. Sensations fanned out from each spot; and somehow, in between one blink of my eyes and the next, he was REALLY close.
Within kissing distance, in fact. His gaze held mine and refused to relinquish it, demanding my complete, undivided attention. I was completely in thrall, staring at him.
"...protective instinct..." he said softly. "Were you an element, Sally Po ... that is what you would be. Your heritage allows no less."
The delicate aroma of roses surrounded me. I had no will of my own - the desire to pull away had faded, and all I could do was stare into the blue of his eyes and wait - and hope - for the inevitable. His lips were so close that I wasn't sure if they were actually touching mine as he spoke, or if it was simply his breath.
"Tell me, Sally," he murmured as a flash of lightening illuminated the room, flickering across his face, "what would YOU do -"
His hand found the back of my shoulder as he pulled me to him -
"- to ensure ... the safety ... of another?"
- and pressed his lips to mine, closing his eyes. I shivered for a moment, then surrendered to one of the most intense sensations I had ever felt. A sudden, sharp, and traitorous orgasm rocked through my body, closing my eyes for me and tingling through my skin to places I forgot I had.
Then I woke up.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^^*^*
I was cold and shivering, face down on the floor in front of the open library window. Rain was blowing through the window and pooling on the floor next to me; and the 'wind' I had heard in my dream was real, beating the drapes into the room. Half the floor was drenched, as was I - but my body wasn't shivering from the cold.
Blinking, I pushed myself over on my side and then up to a sitting position, cold and stiff, seeing nothing, my mind still enthralled with the memory of that kiss. Somehow, I rose from the floor; and even that simple movement helped to bring my awareness back to ... wherever I was.
The voices I heard on the wind? Now it seemed that they were real - in fact, there was pounding coming from somewhere in the room, and it sounded like someone was calling my name.
I looked over at the fireplace - and the fire was long dead, burned to ashes in the grate, no heat radiating into the room whatsoever. Dragging my gaze to the opposite side, I realized the door was closed - and that someone was pounding on the door and shouting my name. Numbly, my mind cataloged the sound, and decided it was Wufei.
"Sally! ANSWER me! SALLY!"
There were no diamonds in my hand, cut or uncut; no one else was in the room; and the smell of roses was conspicuously absent. But my body had been thrown into a state that it had it hadn't experienced in years, if ever ... and I wasn't easily coming out of it.
"SALLY!"
Stiffly, I reached over, leaning on the sash, and pulled the window closed, heedless of the rain whipping in my face. Lightning flashed, throwing everything into stark relief. The sky had a dim, gray cast to it, making it impossible for me to gauge the hour. One more cursory glance over the chairs and table by the window showed that no books were wet, fortunately, with the exception of the one I had pulled from the shelf. Absently, I passed my hand over its spine, brushing away droplets of water, picked it up from the table, and carefully put it down on the secretary next to the bookshelves.
I felt as if I was sleepwalking. Moving from the bookshelves to the door, I reached out and turned the knob, only to find the door was locked. Something unfamiliar passed over me; I was bothered by that, because I didn't remember locking the door. Turning the latch, I pulled again at the doorknob, and now the door opened a crack.
Peering out through the opening, my gaze bleary and my eyes unfocused, I saw Wufei standing in front of the door, his usually reserved demeanor gone. He wasn't frantic, but was approaching that state.
He stared at me for a moment, then pushed the door open with enough force to make me stagger backwards, grabbed my arms, and pulled me out into the hallway.
"Sally! GODS, Sally - what -"
"Eh ..." I gasped, blinking in the strong light. Gods, it was like walking into bright sunlight after being in a cave; and I was cold, so cold I was shivering.
But that wasn't simply from the cold, either.
"You've been gone for hours! What happened to you?"
Wufei kept his grip on my upper arm and pulled me down the hallway. From the set of his shoulders and the look on his face, I knew he wasn't going to listen to any arguments; he was going to take me where HE wanted, and that was that.
Actually, that was fine with me, as I was in no condition to argue with anyone about anything. Bone chilling cold was seeping across my arms and legs, and I was having enough trouble making sure my feet didn't stumble over each other.
" ... and I looked all over, and they said you hadn't left. And this was the only room you COULD be in, but the door was locked and Treize hasn't come BACK yet and he's the only one with the key ..."
I heard his scolding, but it was taking me more time than usual to process what he was saying. He marched me right into his room, hardly stopping to throw the door open before he pushed me in, anger and worry pulling his brows together in a threatening manner, his eyes dark and ominous.
"...what's WRONG with you? Did you fall and hit your head?"
Without warning, a large, thick, terrycloth bathrobe was around my shoulders, engulfing me. I automatically stuck my arms into the sleeves and drew it around myself, my arms wrapped protectively about my body.
I looked at him, my mind still clouded. "I ...I don't ..."
Worry and fear were written plainly across his face. "I was about ready to go look to see if the dogs got you ..."
...when something he said finally registered. If I was cold before, now it felt as though a rock of solid ice had dropped into my stomach.
"...Treize ... isn't ... back...?"
"Of course not," he replied, shaking his head and giving me an odd look. "He came to see me before he left, and that was it. Sit down." He pulled me over to his bed and pushed down on my shoulders, intent on getting me to sit where he wanted.
My body started shaking. I was shaking so much, I couldn't control it. "You ... saw ... him? Did you ... what did ... you ..."
Wufei nodded, not looking at me. "Yes. He came to see me before he left, I said." He was grabbing towels and some other things, and was heading into the bathroom. "You need to take a hot bath - you're chilled. I won't bathe you," he added, his face flushing. "Gods - what got INTO you, Sally?"
Now my teeth were chattering. "What ... did ... you ... ask ... him...?" I managed to grate out, staring at him, my arms wrapped protectively around my midsection. I was feeling cold, but the coldness I felt had absolutely nothing to do with the spreading shock and slow panic that was moving across my mind.
Treize wasn't in the house. He wasn't there. He hadn't BEEN there for hours.
Wufei stopped and looked right at me. " ... what? He came right after you left. I'm surprised you didn't see him in the hallway - and then he left again."
I was shaking so hard it felt as if my entire body was spasming. "Did ... you ... ask ... him ... anything?" I had to know - I just had to know.
"... yes .." Poor Wufei looked completely taken aback; that, and he was trying to understand what I was saying. Difficult, I admit, because I was shaking so much I could hardly get the words out.
"What ... did ... you ... ask?" I stared at him, intense, clenching my teeth so that he could understand me. He had to tell me - he had the answer.
He looked back at me, unsure. "A couple of things," he started slowly, giving me a strange look.
"Wufei - I need to know. Please ..."
I was clutching the front of the bathrobe in ice cold hands; I felt like I was clenching my entire body to stop its quaking.
Wufei looked back at me, blinking and frowning. He held my gaze, but lowered his head and looked as if he wasn't sure if he should be guilty or not. "I - I asked him for a couple of things ... and he agreed."
Lighting streaked across the sky, immediately followed by a deafening roar of thunder. I shrank together involuntarily and stared out the window for a moment; then looked back at Wufei.
He had been studying me, his gaze worried. "Um ... why are you asking?"
Gods, that's right - I hadn't told him. What was I going to tell him - that Treize, who had been gone from the house for hours, was actually in the library with me, and had -
No. I'm NOT going there right now. My nerves couldn't handle it.
I looked back at him, pleading. "Please .. Wufei .. tell me ..."
"I asked - for a couple of books .. and.." He stopped, looking at me. "I - wanted to be sure you would be all right, and so ..."
"Yes?" I asked, holding my breath.
"I asked him if - if you could be kept safe, as I seem to be here. And he told me you'd been convicted, legally, of worse than I .. but that he would think about it and let me know tonight. And then he ... just left. Sally, what's wrong with you? Why are you looking at me like that?"
I was staring, slack jawed, at Wufei. I knew I was, and I couldn't help it. This was just like those bad dreams I had as a child, where everything had turned inside out and nothing I did could possibly fix what was wrong. I was sliding down a hill, toward an abyss, and I couldn't stop.
My hands were shaking even more now. "...Wufei ...?"
"Sally? Sally, you're shaking - you're chilled. You need -"
"Wufei," I broke in. "Wufei .. please .. I want - I have to take a bath ..."
He nodded, looking very confused, and swept me off the bed, into his arms, and walked into the bathroom. I clutched around his neck, needing some human comfort; and the poor boy felt my body shake the entire time he carried me.
He set me down gently on the edge of the tub, leaned over and turned the water on. "I ... um ... I can't undress you." He was blushing badly, focusing his attention on making sure the bathwater was the right temperature.
It occurred to me - briefly - that even though he was married, he had probably never seen a grown woman naked. I wondered if his wife - and what had she been, all of thirteen? - actually had breasts.
No wonder he was so acutely uncomfortable.
"That's okay, Wufei," I whispered. "I .. I should be all right. But would you - would you stay outside the door?"
He nodded at me, concern and worry still in his eyes.
"And .. don't close it all the way .. please ..."
Wufei blinked, then nodded again, looking confused. He knelt next to me and started unlacing my boots, helping me out of the clothes he could.
I suddenly realized I still had Duo's cellphone; and the ridiculousness of THAT suddenly hit me. I started giggling, a high-pitched, slightly hysterical sound which I immediately tried to suppress.
"Oh .. I can't get the phone wet .."
Gods, now the poor boy probably thought I had gone completely over the edge. He was sitting back on his heels, staring at me, his eyes wide.
"...Sally...?" he said, softly.
I stared back at him. "I'm - okay, Wufei. I'm okay. Really, I'm okay." It felt as if I was trying to convince myself more than anything else.
He wasn't buying it. "I'll call the mainland for a doctor."
"No! No doctors, Wufei!" I clutched at his arm, pleading.
"Sally..." he started, giving me an odd look.
"Promise me, Wufei - no doctors. Not now, not ever..."
Gods, who knows what they'd do? I know what I would do, faced with a patient like me - and I wasn't going to give them the chance.
"Why?" he asked, obviously unnerved. I realized belatedly that he'd never seen me in any situation where I wasn't in control. This must be a complete shock to him, poor boy.
I was intense. "I .. I .. " I swallowed my fear and looked at him. "I'll tell you after I'm done with my bath - but no doctors. Do you promise?"
"Okay." He was confused - terribly confused, in fact. "Are you sure you don't need help of some kind ...?"
Steam was rising from the bathwater, filling the room. It felt comforting; some of the coldness started to seep out of my bones.
"No .. I'm all right, Wufei. But wait - wait just a moment -"
I turned away from him, pulled the cellphone out of its hiding place, and turned back to him. "Would you take care of this for me?" I asked, handing him the phone.
"Um .. okay," he said, blinking, looking puzzled.
"Okay ... thank you, Wufei. I'll - I'll be fine. Just - don't close the door all the way ... and stay right outside ... just in case ..."
"I said I would." He looked at me and retreated quickly out of the bathroom.
I sighed, then turned back to the bath. Stripping quickly, I stepped into the tub and carefully lowered myself into the steaming water.
Ahhhhh..... it felt so good......
The heat penetrated to my bones, helping to still the trembling from the cold. But not all of my shaking was from the cold; it still felt as if my body was responding to that dream. I was still quivering, soaking in hot water up to my shoulders, remembering sensations that struck through my body like electricity... gah..
I stared straight ahead, willing myself to keep on track. There was no one IN the room; but the door was locked from the inside; but I knew I didn't lock the door when I walked into the room.
And there was that other problem. If Treize told Wufei that he would 'think about it, and let him know tonight' - but he already told ME that he was going to keep me here ...
I heard voices - and because the bathroom door was open, they were quite clear. Treize had returned.
Oh, gods. I sank down lower into the bathtub, until only my eyes were visible over the rim. Wufei had thoughtfully put bubble bath into the water when he was filling the tub, so I was reasonably sure the only thing anyone could see was the top of my head, my eyes, and mounds of bubbles floating on top of the water.
I wanted to sink down all the way and not surface for a long, long time.
"...and yes, it was a marvelous time! I hadn't had that much fun in ages, thank you for asking ..."
Boy, did Treize sound chipper - very light, pleased with the world. That overbearing, commanding quality just wasn't in his voice - not the way it was when he -
"Ah, yes, I'm home now - yes, yes, goodbye!"
Apparently, he was on his cellphone. There was a short silence from the other room, then:
"Wufei ... you look like you've seen a ghost. Are you well?"
Oh geez ... I shrank farther into the tub, wishing he would just go away. What was he, that he could be in two places at once? Or was I going mad?
I heard Wufei murmur a response to him.
"Oh, no ...." Treize sounded concerned. Another short silence, broken by soft rapping on the bathroom door. "Sally? Sally, are you all right? Wufei said you seemed unwell ..."
Don't come in, don't come in - he wasn't coming in, was he? No, I prayed he wasn't coming in. I took a shaky breath and tried to say something, but it came out as a breathy kind of squeak. "..fine .. I'm fine ..."
"Would you like to see a doctor?" he asked gently, through the door. Thank the gods for small miracles, he wasn't coming in. "The weather is horrific, but I'm sure we could summon someone from the mainland -"
"Oh, no, please," I said immediately, my voice stronger. "No doctor. I'm - fine, really, I am - I'm all right."
"If you're certain," he replied, concern evident in his tone. "Wufei said you ... passed out. Which room was she in?" he murmured to Wufei.
I heard Wufei answer him, but I couldn't make out the words.
" ...my library? Good heavens, that side of the house is being buffetted by the storm. I had best go check on my books - no, Wufei, you stay. She asked you to, you said -"
"Sally." Treize's voice floated over to me though the doorway. "Whatever is wrong, please rest assured that we will take care of it - all right?"
Now I wanted to sink to the bottom of the tub and never come up. "Oh ... yes," I responded weakly, "of course."
There was more soft talking outside the door, more things I couldn't follow. Then I heard Treize's voice, soft but clear.
"Yes. I was hesitant .. but now ... yes, definitely."
I stopped breathing. I thought the world had stopped.
"Good night, Wufei. Call me if you need anything - anything at all."
I heard the door close softly; and once I heard that, I exhaled. My hands were shaking, but not as much as they had been, and I sat for a few moments - just to make sure Treize was well and truly gone.
"Wufei," I called, "I'm getting out now. I'll be right out ..."
I crawled out of the tub, dried myself off with the huge towels Wufei left for me and wrapped myself in the terrycloth robe. Once that was done, I realized I couldn't delay any longer, so I peered around the doorway.
"Wufei...?"
His face was flushed; he was obviously aware I was naked, but was trying to deal with that as best he could.
"Wufei. Did - did Treize say anything ...?"
Wufei turned toward me and looked. "Say anything?" he repeated, not understanding. "Are you naked?"
"Um ... no .. well, I'm wearing that robe you gave me ..."
"Oh. Okay, then." He had been standing away from the door, but now stepped forward and opened it all the way. "You should be lying down. Come on," he said, giving me a stern look and taking my arm, drawing me out of the bathroom.
I wilted, and allowed Wufei to lead me over to the bed. A deep lethargy came over me, and it was an effort to shuffle that far. "I'm ... I'm so tired, Wufei..."
"Of course you are. You're ill." He turned down the covers and looked ready to sweep me off my feet again to get me into bed. I forestalled that by hopping up and sliding under the covers. He tucked the blankets around me - very businesslike, but very tender. It didn't seem to matter to him that he was putting me to bed in his bed.
My eyes were closing, when I was struck by another stray thought. "No doctors," I said, staring up at him as he hovered over me. "You promised."
Wufei nodded and frowned. "And you never told me why not."
"I don't want that Dr. White poking around ..."
He blinked at me. "She wouldn't be here, anyway. We're quite close to Greece - we'd get someone else. If it's just her -"
I turned my head into the pillow. "I'll - can I tell you when I wake up?" I looked at him, imploring. Please don't make me talk about this now, Wufei ... please.
"All right," he said, grimly. I knew he'd want an explanation when I woke up, and I thought I'd be better able to give one to him when I had had some rest.
He fussed around me a few minutes more, putting another quilt on the bed, then sat in a chair opposite me, keeping watch.
My eyes were already closing. "What .. what did Treize say to you?"
"He said yes."
Now my eyes snapped open. I knew he had, of course ... but to hear it confirmed by Wufei ... ah, that was frightening. "Oh..."
"He wasn't going to - but you collapsed, and ... you're scaring me, Sally."
I swallowed, looking back at him. "I - I'm sorry, Wufei. I don't mean to."
He shifted his position in the chair. "Go to sleep, Sally. You need it. And Treize meant what he said. He's going to do whatever is necessary to help you."
My toes were still tingling; now, what Wufei said to me had worlds of new meanings. I burrowed under the covers, closing my eyes tightly.
"Good night, Sally," I heard him say softly before I dropped off to sleep. The last thought - impression - I had was of a young man with dark hair and eyes, guarding me while I slept.