OUT OF TUNE
Chapter Nineteen: Repaired Relationships
Hehehe, did I surprise you?
And I apologize to La La La Anime Fan for forgetting to type in your name when I made the special shout out for remembering who Sony was. I guess I was typing so fast, it just slipped my mind! So here it is again!
Special shout out to La La La Anime Fan for remembering who Sony was!!!
Finally, there is a hint of lime at the very end but it stays well within the border of PG-13. However, I feel it my duty to warn you, just in case you're 12 ½ or younger!!
Disclaimer: I do not own any character, logo, etc. of Gundam Wing.
"NO!!!" Dorothy cried, her legs giving out beneath her. She fell to the floor before Hilde or Duo could reach her, the vid-phone clattering to the floor, its screen black and empty.
"Dorothy, it's okay," Hilde said, carefully easing herself to the floor to embrace the sobbing girl. Dorothy shook her head violently, tears falling off her cheeks every which way.
"No, no, it's not okay! What if he didn't believe me? What if they don't get off the shuttle in time?!" she cried into Hilde's shoulder. Duo looked on helplessly, his cerulean blue eyes full of concern. Sally walked around the bed, Wufei behind her. The doctor knelt down and embraced the other two women. The three rocked back and forth, trying to soothe the crying girl but they knew that there was really nothing else they could do. Dorothy's heart had been ripped out her chest and there'd be no healing her until Trowa walked through that door, if he ever did.
Wufei and Duo, clueless as to what to do, sat down on the bed. They'd never admit it but neither would mind a hug from someone else either; they'd lost Quatre through betrayal and know might have lost Heero and Trowa. The pair looked at each other with a new understanding in their eyes. If they were the last two on the colonies then they wouldn't let anything stand between their friendship anymore. And that included their manly pride. So with a new understanding, they gave each other an awkward hug, setting both somewhat at ease.
Heero tugged on Trowa's arm and pulled him out of his seat, much like he'd done earlier. The vid-phone had gone blank and it seemed to have taken Trowa's mind with it for the young man seemed slow on his feet despite the urgency that filled Heero. A brave flight attendant, seeing the two out of their seats, stopped them.
"Gentlemen, you need to buckle in, entering the Earth's atmosphere can be-" she began but the two passed her by. Trowa seemed to snap out of his daze at the mention of the Earth's atmosphere and began running just as hard as Heero.
"I hope the hangar's still open," Heero muttered as they passed the guard. The guard gave them both a wary look but hid it with a cocky smirk, conveying what he thought of their postponed leaving.
The hangar was still indeed open but the doors which led out into the dock that eventually led out to space were slowly closing.
"Hurry, where's your mobile suit?" Trowa asked, practically throwing himself down the black metal stairs that led from the catwalk above. Heero pointed in the direction and the two took off across the concrete floor. A mechanic yelled as they passed and began muttering about stupid last minute leavers.
Heero opened the cockpit and ushered Trowa inside into the only thing that could serve as a passenger seat; a small cargo holder that had straps to keep things from flying across the cockpit. Luckily, Trowa was thin enough to use the straps to keep him stable.
"Ready?"
"Ready," Trowa confirmed. Without any further incentive, Heero turned the mobile suit on and after a pause, turned on the jets that would let them fly out into the docking area. He knew that the shuttle pilots would not be happy about them leaving but they'd have no choice as long as he was in the docking area before the doors closed.
"Hang on," Heero muttered. Trowa's grip on his straps tightened as the mobile suit turned itself halfway in the air, allowing it to slip through the closing doors. The doors closed shortly afterward with a loud and resounding thud and a pilot's picture appeared onscreen inside the cockpit.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" the man screeched. Heero stared back at him coldly, his eyes warning the man to use a better tone with him.
"I'm leaving." was Heero's answer. The pilot snarled but the co-pilot's hand squeezed his shoulder. A woman's face appeared onscreen with a bright smile.
"We'll slow down a little and let you get off, but next time give us more warning, okay?" she said sweetly, giving him another warm smile. Heero nodded.
"Thank you, ma'm," he said. He could hear the pilot's angry muttering just before the screen went black. Next came the roar of the shuttle's engines as they slowed the decent into Earth's atmosphere. Finally, the doors that opened up into space allowed them to pass, sucking out any debris that was still present in the docking area.
"We're out of the clear Trowa," Heero said a few minutes later, his voice soft. Trowa nodded.
"Is there anyway we can contact Dorothy again?" he asked, his voice low and soft. Heero looked around into the various compartments that surrounded the cockpit before remembering where the vid-phone was.
"We left the vid-phone back on the shuttle and there's no other way to communicate with civilians on the colony from a mobile suit," he replied, his tone struggling to remain soft. Trowa nodded again and sat staring at the floor.
The two glided on in silence for a good ten minutes before, finally, Trowa spoke again.
"Thank you Heero."
Heero took his eyes off the control panel to look at him. The two both knew that Heero didn't have to pay so much attention to the panel since he'd already set it on a course for the colonies and had put it on auto-pilot.
"…You're welcome," he replied, looking down at the floor. Trowa's gaze followed, because he felt he had more to look down on then Heero did.
"And I'm sorry about…about earlier," he finished. Heero laughed.
"It's okay, you couldn't hurt me anyhow," he joked, his eyes smiling. Trowa snorted and raised a sophisticated eyebrow at his friend, his eyes looking more relieved than Heero had seen them in what seemed a long time.
"Wanna bet on that?"
Hilde idly stroked Dorothy's hair and watched the steady rise and fall of her chest. She had fallen into a drug-induced sleep after close to two hours of crying. Hilde had prepared herself for dealing with hours of non-stop crying but not when dealing with adult crying. It had strained just about everyone in the room, even Sally who was used to comforting others. So now the group was taking a much needed break, although no one could escape from the anxiety that filled them. It was utterly frustrating how much waiting was involved in their current situation.
"How's she doing?" came Duo's voice from behind her. She looked up as he loosely wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She reached up and clasped one of his hands in her own before kissing him on the cheek.
"Same as before, I don't think we'll have any problems with dreams waking her up," she said, nuzzling up against his neck. Duo nodded and gave her a quick kiss. Then he untangled himself and grabbed a chair so he could sit next to her. "Where are the others?"
"Wufei and Sally went to the cafeteria to get something to eat, they both looked pretty wiped out," Duo replied. Hilde nodded and turned back towards Dorothy. The two sat in silence for a long time, the only sound coming from Dorothy's soft breathing.
"Do you think he'll make it back?" Duo closed his eyes. He knew that question would be asked somewhere by someone eventually. He wanted to tell her that yes, Trowa would be back. In fact, he wanted to tell her that all of this would disappear and things would go back to how they were a few weeks ago; Trowa and Dorothy would still be falling in love and together, Quatre would still be their friend and he'd be leaving for Earth, Heero and Relena would still be trying to keep their "secret" relationship hidden from their friends who knew all about it, and he and Hilde would still be enjoying the comfort of knowing all their friends would be present for their wedding and most of them would be there for the birth of their child. But he couldn't say that everything would be alright because he didn't know that for sure. In fact, he felt like he didn't know anything for sure.
"I hope so," came his final reply.
"Me too," she said, leaning onto his shoulder. Duo smiled and decided to return the favor of being the comforter and began to stroke her short, silky black hair. For a few moments, he let himself think about how he'd feel if he were Trowa. As he looked down at the pregnant woman in his arms he realized he'd probably go crazy if he had to spend a year or more away from her. His eyes fell on Dorothy, still sleeping in her bed. He wished that there was some way he could comfort his new friend but he could think of nothing. He had already tried to keep Trowa here for her and he had failed.
Duo looked at the delicate watch on his girlfriend's wrist that he'd given to her for a Christmas gift a few years ago. He smiled at the memory of her stealing his watch constantly so she'd have something of his to wear; as if his sweatshirts weren't enough. However, the time on the watch was disturbing. It was now 9 in the evening. Although the day had seemed long, he didn't think it had gotten to be that late. He began to wonder why they were still here, since it was obviously well past visiting hours when his somewhat unfocused mind remembered that Sally had said she'd pull a few strings to let them stay longer. He looked over at Dorothy again.
'Thank God for Sally,' he thought.
"Gentlemen, you can't be here at this hour!!" came a screeching, high pitched voice from the hallway. Hilde pushed herself away from Duo, the pair tensing at the sound. The unbidden thought passed through the room in a second; 'What if it was Quatre and Dermail?' Duo instinctively reached for his gun, pushing the safety button off.
"Gentlemen, I'll have to ask you to leave!!" the woman screamed again. Dorothy moaned and turned over, her light sleep broken.
"What's going on?" she asked, her voice hoarse from crying and sleep. Hilde motioned for her to be quiet and Duo closed the door carefully, so as not to attract attention. He peered through the window but couldn't quite see who it was that was causing the commotion. However, he did see Sally and Wufei running past the room, their figures blurs. Distantly, he heard Sally demand to know what was going on and then the conversation either stopped or went too quiet for the pilot to hear through the door. He backed away and pushed his chair so that it was directly in front of the door.
"Hilde, sit with Dorothy," he instructed in a whisper. She nodded and sat next to the blonde, putting her arm around her shoulders. Apparently, Sally was approaching their room because her voice was getting louder yet he still couldn't make out what she was saying. The door knob turned slowly yet Duo could only see Sally's face through the window. He took his finger off the trigger and turned the safety back on, but it stayed in his hand just in case.
"-come in, it's okay. It may be after visiting hours, but you're a visitor this girl's been waiting to see!" Sally exclaimed. The ears of the room picked up and Duo stood, hoping beyond hope that it was who he thought it was. Dorothy's heart leapt into her throat as she watched the door open and Sally step in. She sat up in bed, Hilde's arm falling off her shoulders and onto the mattress. 'Please be him, please God…' she bargained in her mind.
Her heart fell as Wufei and Heero filed into the room. Duo looked down and away, putting his gun back in its holster. Hilde gave Dorothy's shoulder a squeeze and stood up. Dorothy simply felt empty. There was no more room left for tears. Distantly, she heard footsteps in the doorway but just assumed they were Heero or Wufei. She fixed her gaze out the window that had the view she'd shown Trowa over the vid-phone. He wasn't coming home.
"Dorothy?"
She was so caught up in the view of the window that she almost missed the familiar voice calling her name. Almost.
With a gasp, her body tensed and refused to move, yet her heart screamed for her to turn around.
"Trowa?" she whispered. A familiar warmth seeped through her body as even more familiar arms wrapped around her. A face she'd missed nuzzled against her neck and the feel of his breath against her neck made her want to jump for joy.
"Yes, it's me," he whispered back.
However, her heart needed to be sure, needed reassurance that this wasn't another dream, that he was here, with her. He was safe, she was secure…she needed to know.
Slowly, as though if she moved to quick he might be frightened off or she might wake up, she turned to face him. She met his emerald green eyes first. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, which he hadn't, and his face needed a good shave. His hair was messy and his clothes were rumpled and disheveled. Yet he were smiling a smile she'd never seen before but made her heart melt all the same.
Still wary, she reached out to touch him. She cupped his face in her hand and he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. When he opened his eyes again she knew he was real and her face brightened and the first real smile leapt to her face in what seemed like years.
"It is you!" she cried, throwing her arms around him. Trowa laughed and pulled her tighter, rocking her back and forth and showering her with butterfly kisses.
"Oh God, I've missed you so much, Dorothy!" he exclaimed between kisses. "And I've missed this," he kissed her, "And that," he kissed her again, "And that!" Dorothy laughed and cried into his shoulder at the same time, falling limp against him. He pulled her into his lap and kissed her forehead as if she were a child and ran his fingers through her long, platinum hair.
"What about us?!" Duo cried, his eyes amused. "Didn't you miss us?!"
Trowa laughed and looked down at his girlfriend, then back at Duo.
"Nah!"
Duo, Hilde, and Heero went back to Sally and Wufei's home that night, along with Sally and Wufei. However, Sally had let Trowa stay with Dorothy at the hospital the rest of the night, under the condition that the two got some much needed sleep. However, the majority of the night, the pair stayed up talking about each other, the apartment, their future together, and then, jokingly, marriage. It wasn't until they had talked about children until they were blue in the face that they finally fell asleep together, around 3 in the morning. They were awoken by their friends around 9, their cheery attitudes still prevailing.
"We're going to go to the cafeteria for some chow, you wanna come?" Duo asked. However, Sally put up her hand.
"Dorothy can't, she needs to stay in bed. That stunt you pulled last night was an okay once-in-awhile thing, but the cafeteria is much too long of a walk for you young lady," she said, her tone reverting back to Doctor-ish.
"Then we'll bring you back something, k?" Duo offered. Dorothy shook her head.
"I'm picky about my food," she laughed. Trowa rolled his eyes.
"She's serious, she won't drink her coffee unless it has just the right amount of creamer in it," he said. Dorothy mock-glared at him but only ended up laughing. "I'll go and get you some breakfast, does that sound good?" he offered.
"Sure, just make sure none of the fruit is next to any eggs, hash browns, or bacon….or any other breakfast food for that matter. And don't put any ketchup on anything, put that separate!!" she ordered. She opened up her mouth again but stopped when the group heard a knock on the door. Wufei opened it up, his black eyes looking confused as Lady Une stepped through.
"Good morning everyone, the nurse told me I'd find you here," she said, her voice calm but her eyes fixed on the floor.
"Lady, is something wrong?" Sally asked, picking up on Lady's odd behavior. The woman sighed and nodded, picking up her head with a determined gaze replacing her sad one.
"I've come to inform you that I've relieved Quatre of his position," she explained. Duo growled.
"Good!! Serves the bastard right!!" he cried. Hilde smacked him on the arm but her lack of force conveyed that she agreed with him all the same.
"I agree with Duo, I still can't believe he was in on Duke Dermail's gang," Trowa said, anger filling him again. Lady Une nodded, soaking in all the input she was hearing about Quatre.
"I understand your anger, gentlemen, but there's a piece of the puzzle that you were never made aware of," she said. Wufei looked up from the window he had been standing at.
"And what is that?" he demanded. Lady Une sighed again and looked down at the floor.
"Quatre has been a double agent for the Preventers for close to a year now," she explained. "He himself decided that it was best not to let the rest of you in on this information because he thought that you'd only try to protect him and end up getting in his way."
"So he double crossed not only us but the Preventers?" Heero asked. Lady Une shook her head.
"No, the only people he's truly crossed are Trowa and Dorothy. He was doing his duty by getting closer to Duke Dermail to take out the inner ring from the inside while we took it out from the outside. Him posing the idea of blocking off Earth from the colonies was actually my idea. No, it wasn't ever a matter of him doing his duty incorrectly, it was his means. Quatre had decided to use Dorothy as a means of getting closer to Duke Dermail and to win her heart back," she informed them. Trowa sat on the bed, Dorothy still leaning against his chest. His arms tightened around her as he bristled with anger.
"I didn't actually have to tell you that Quatre had been relieved, as you all know from the Preventer Code. However, not only because he was your friend did I come to tell you but also because it wasn't I who decided to relieve him. He chose to resign… He knows what he was losing by continuing to lie to you and to pretend he was someone different."
The group sat, stood, and lay paused, digesting this information. Lady Une lifted her head and gave a quick, impersonal salute.
"I'll leave you all alone now, we'll begin to hash out this isolation from Earth at work the day after tomorrow. I think you all need a day off to sort everything out." And with that, she took her leave from the room. The group sat silent for another few moments, not saying anything about Quatre. Trowa was reminded of the isolation from Earth and looked over at Heero. He had been so caught up with thinking about Dorothy he'd forgotten that now Heero had no way of getting to Earth. 'The poor guy,' he thought.
"Anyone still up for breakfast?" Duo asked, his tone much less energetic than it had been earlier. The group gave an almost unified nod and began to file out.
"I'll stay here with Dorothy, could you get me some food though Duo?" Hilde asked. Duo nodded and gave her a peck on the cheek before following the group out. Hilde sat down next to Dorothy, who gave her a warm smile.
"I'm glad you stayed behind," Dorothy began as the last person left, "I wanted to thank you for being here for me," she said. Hilde smiled back and shrugged.
"Hey, it was the least I could do," she replied. The girls paused for a moment. "That was some pretty tough stuff to digest, huh?" Hilde ventured.
"Yeah, it was," Dorothy replied. "But it makes sense, it just didn't seem right that he had actually become that evil."
"I know what you mean. Duo and I had talked about that before we went to bed last night. It was like it wasn't real," Hilde agreed. Dorothy nodded and the two went quiet again. Dorothy had come to realize how many good friends she had in her life, especially the one sitting next to her.
"I wonder if things between us and him will ever be the same again," Dorothy whispered. Hilde nodded.
"I don't know, deep down I hope that we can all make peace with him someday…I know Duo was looking forward to having all his friends as grooms men at our wedding," she said, her voice just as quiet.
"Oh, I can see that happening!" Dorothy laughed. "There's Duo, Heero, Trowa, and Wufei in their tuxes. And in comes Quatre and they all pull out guns and other weapons of mass destruction!!" Hilde groaned and laughed at the same time.
"God, I hope not! But then, it would make for an interesting reception, wouldn't it?" she joked. Dorothy laughed along with her as the two began to come up with funny situations involving Quatre and the boy's grudge against him. The two laughed for a good 10 minutes before slowing to a stop. After a small pause, Hilde asked the question that had been weighing on her mind.
"What about you? Do you think you'll come to peace with him?" she asked. Dorothy was quiet for a while before turning towards her new friend.
"I'm going to make a point of it," she replied. Hilde nodded, processing the answer. However, it only lead to one more question.
"May I ask why?"
"I don't want either one of us to have to wear a holster under our dresses just to keep the peace!"
Dorothy had stayed in the hospital for another day, giving Trowa time to go back to their apartment and clean up the mess the party had left behind. The group had decided they'd hold another party so that they could open the gifts that had been left in the wake of taking Dorothy to the hospital. However, no one had had time to clean up the refreshments that had been for the guests and a couple days sitting out on a counter never made anything look appetizing.
The day Dorothy was released from the hospital was an extremely happy one for Trowa. He'd made sure that what was now the room they shared looked perfect for her arrival; complete with candles, extra pillows so she'd be comfy, all of her favorite books piled up on the bed stand, and he'd even moved all her clothes and belongings into their room together. The 2nd room they'd decided would be their mutual office, because as soon as she'd fully recovered, Dorothy was going to begin her career anew in politics, only this time on the colonies.
"Mmm, I've missed this place," Dorothy said as she stepped into their apartment. She laughed when she spotted the tree still piled with presents. "Poor Marameia, she never did get her doll house!"
"She will, I told Lady Une to tell her she was getting it so she wouldn't mope," Trowa assured her. Dorothy frowned a little.
"It's good she won't mope, but that ruins the surprise," she said. Trowa rolled his eyes and kissed her, making her forget about dollhouses and moping.
"Speaking of surprises, I have one for you," he said, pulling her towards their new bedroom. "Close your eyes," he instructed. She followed his directions and let him lead her into their room and let him sit her down on the bed. "Now open them."
Dorothy opened her eyes to find a totally new bedroom. The combined interests that the two of them had seemed like they would have clashed together but instead they flowed smoothly, making a very tasteful room. He'd laid out her favorite books, put away her things, it was just so sweet!
"Thank you!" she exclaimed, standing to give him a hug. He smiled back at her in welcome, and spun her around.
"It's still hard to believe we're going to have our own room together now," Trowa said, stopping their spin. Dorothy smiled and stroked the hair at the nape of his neck. Her smile slowly turned to a smirk and her blue-gray eyes turned mischievous. "What?" Trowa asked, noticing her facial expression.
"Why don't we break in our new room?" she asked, her voice hinting and implying something that made Trowa's jeans tighten. However, he forced back the urge to pick her up and take her to bed at that moment.
"Are you sure you'd be up for that? You just got out of the hospital," he said, his tone laced with concern but fighting back lust.
"I'm sure, besides, you never did finish my guitar lesson," she replied. Trowa grinned and with now more coaxing, he gave into his urge to pick her up and take her to bed. Besides, she had a point. The girl needed to learn to play the guitar sometime.
The End!!
Epilogue will be out soon,
Hugs and kisses!!!
MadameHotaru.of.87
Chapter Nineteen: Repaired Relationships
Hehehe, did I surprise you?
And I apologize to La La La Anime Fan for forgetting to type in your name when I made the special shout out for remembering who Sony was. I guess I was typing so fast, it just slipped my mind! So here it is again!
Special shout out to La La La Anime Fan for remembering who Sony was!!!
Finally, there is a hint of lime at the very end but it stays well within the border of PG-13. However, I feel it my duty to warn you, just in case you're 12 ½ or younger!!
Disclaimer: I do not own any character, logo, etc. of Gundam Wing.
"NO!!!" Dorothy cried, her legs giving out beneath her. She fell to the floor before Hilde or Duo could reach her, the vid-phone clattering to the floor, its screen black and empty.
"Dorothy, it's okay," Hilde said, carefully easing herself to the floor to embrace the sobbing girl. Dorothy shook her head violently, tears falling off her cheeks every which way.
"No, no, it's not okay! What if he didn't believe me? What if they don't get off the shuttle in time?!" she cried into Hilde's shoulder. Duo looked on helplessly, his cerulean blue eyes full of concern. Sally walked around the bed, Wufei behind her. The doctor knelt down and embraced the other two women. The three rocked back and forth, trying to soothe the crying girl but they knew that there was really nothing else they could do. Dorothy's heart had been ripped out her chest and there'd be no healing her until Trowa walked through that door, if he ever did.
Wufei and Duo, clueless as to what to do, sat down on the bed. They'd never admit it but neither would mind a hug from someone else either; they'd lost Quatre through betrayal and know might have lost Heero and Trowa. The pair looked at each other with a new understanding in their eyes. If they were the last two on the colonies then they wouldn't let anything stand between their friendship anymore. And that included their manly pride. So with a new understanding, they gave each other an awkward hug, setting both somewhat at ease.
Heero tugged on Trowa's arm and pulled him out of his seat, much like he'd done earlier. The vid-phone had gone blank and it seemed to have taken Trowa's mind with it for the young man seemed slow on his feet despite the urgency that filled Heero. A brave flight attendant, seeing the two out of their seats, stopped them.
"Gentlemen, you need to buckle in, entering the Earth's atmosphere can be-" she began but the two passed her by. Trowa seemed to snap out of his daze at the mention of the Earth's atmosphere and began running just as hard as Heero.
"I hope the hangar's still open," Heero muttered as they passed the guard. The guard gave them both a wary look but hid it with a cocky smirk, conveying what he thought of their postponed leaving.
The hangar was still indeed open but the doors which led out into the dock that eventually led out to space were slowly closing.
"Hurry, where's your mobile suit?" Trowa asked, practically throwing himself down the black metal stairs that led from the catwalk above. Heero pointed in the direction and the two took off across the concrete floor. A mechanic yelled as they passed and began muttering about stupid last minute leavers.
Heero opened the cockpit and ushered Trowa inside into the only thing that could serve as a passenger seat; a small cargo holder that had straps to keep things from flying across the cockpit. Luckily, Trowa was thin enough to use the straps to keep him stable.
"Ready?"
"Ready," Trowa confirmed. Without any further incentive, Heero turned the mobile suit on and after a pause, turned on the jets that would let them fly out into the docking area. He knew that the shuttle pilots would not be happy about them leaving but they'd have no choice as long as he was in the docking area before the doors closed.
"Hang on," Heero muttered. Trowa's grip on his straps tightened as the mobile suit turned itself halfway in the air, allowing it to slip through the closing doors. The doors closed shortly afterward with a loud and resounding thud and a pilot's picture appeared onscreen inside the cockpit.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" the man screeched. Heero stared back at him coldly, his eyes warning the man to use a better tone with him.
"I'm leaving." was Heero's answer. The pilot snarled but the co-pilot's hand squeezed his shoulder. A woman's face appeared onscreen with a bright smile.
"We'll slow down a little and let you get off, but next time give us more warning, okay?" she said sweetly, giving him another warm smile. Heero nodded.
"Thank you, ma'm," he said. He could hear the pilot's angry muttering just before the screen went black. Next came the roar of the shuttle's engines as they slowed the decent into Earth's atmosphere. Finally, the doors that opened up into space allowed them to pass, sucking out any debris that was still present in the docking area.
"We're out of the clear Trowa," Heero said a few minutes later, his voice soft. Trowa nodded.
"Is there anyway we can contact Dorothy again?" he asked, his voice low and soft. Heero looked around into the various compartments that surrounded the cockpit before remembering where the vid-phone was.
"We left the vid-phone back on the shuttle and there's no other way to communicate with civilians on the colony from a mobile suit," he replied, his tone struggling to remain soft. Trowa nodded again and sat staring at the floor.
The two glided on in silence for a good ten minutes before, finally, Trowa spoke again.
"Thank you Heero."
Heero took his eyes off the control panel to look at him. The two both knew that Heero didn't have to pay so much attention to the panel since he'd already set it on a course for the colonies and had put it on auto-pilot.
"…You're welcome," he replied, looking down at the floor. Trowa's gaze followed, because he felt he had more to look down on then Heero did.
"And I'm sorry about…about earlier," he finished. Heero laughed.
"It's okay, you couldn't hurt me anyhow," he joked, his eyes smiling. Trowa snorted and raised a sophisticated eyebrow at his friend, his eyes looking more relieved than Heero had seen them in what seemed a long time.
"Wanna bet on that?"
Hilde idly stroked Dorothy's hair and watched the steady rise and fall of her chest. She had fallen into a drug-induced sleep after close to two hours of crying. Hilde had prepared herself for dealing with hours of non-stop crying but not when dealing with adult crying. It had strained just about everyone in the room, even Sally who was used to comforting others. So now the group was taking a much needed break, although no one could escape from the anxiety that filled them. It was utterly frustrating how much waiting was involved in their current situation.
"How's she doing?" came Duo's voice from behind her. She looked up as he loosely wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She reached up and clasped one of his hands in her own before kissing him on the cheek.
"Same as before, I don't think we'll have any problems with dreams waking her up," she said, nuzzling up against his neck. Duo nodded and gave her a quick kiss. Then he untangled himself and grabbed a chair so he could sit next to her. "Where are the others?"
"Wufei and Sally went to the cafeteria to get something to eat, they both looked pretty wiped out," Duo replied. Hilde nodded and turned back towards Dorothy. The two sat in silence for a long time, the only sound coming from Dorothy's soft breathing.
"Do you think he'll make it back?" Duo closed his eyes. He knew that question would be asked somewhere by someone eventually. He wanted to tell her that yes, Trowa would be back. In fact, he wanted to tell her that all of this would disappear and things would go back to how they were a few weeks ago; Trowa and Dorothy would still be falling in love and together, Quatre would still be their friend and he'd be leaving for Earth, Heero and Relena would still be trying to keep their "secret" relationship hidden from their friends who knew all about it, and he and Hilde would still be enjoying the comfort of knowing all their friends would be present for their wedding and most of them would be there for the birth of their child. But he couldn't say that everything would be alright because he didn't know that for sure. In fact, he felt like he didn't know anything for sure.
"I hope so," came his final reply.
"Me too," she said, leaning onto his shoulder. Duo smiled and decided to return the favor of being the comforter and began to stroke her short, silky black hair. For a few moments, he let himself think about how he'd feel if he were Trowa. As he looked down at the pregnant woman in his arms he realized he'd probably go crazy if he had to spend a year or more away from her. His eyes fell on Dorothy, still sleeping in her bed. He wished that there was some way he could comfort his new friend but he could think of nothing. He had already tried to keep Trowa here for her and he had failed.
Duo looked at the delicate watch on his girlfriend's wrist that he'd given to her for a Christmas gift a few years ago. He smiled at the memory of her stealing his watch constantly so she'd have something of his to wear; as if his sweatshirts weren't enough. However, the time on the watch was disturbing. It was now 9 in the evening. Although the day had seemed long, he didn't think it had gotten to be that late. He began to wonder why they were still here, since it was obviously well past visiting hours when his somewhat unfocused mind remembered that Sally had said she'd pull a few strings to let them stay longer. He looked over at Dorothy again.
'Thank God for Sally,' he thought.
"Gentlemen, you can't be here at this hour!!" came a screeching, high pitched voice from the hallway. Hilde pushed herself away from Duo, the pair tensing at the sound. The unbidden thought passed through the room in a second; 'What if it was Quatre and Dermail?' Duo instinctively reached for his gun, pushing the safety button off.
"Gentlemen, I'll have to ask you to leave!!" the woman screamed again. Dorothy moaned and turned over, her light sleep broken.
"What's going on?" she asked, her voice hoarse from crying and sleep. Hilde motioned for her to be quiet and Duo closed the door carefully, so as not to attract attention. He peered through the window but couldn't quite see who it was that was causing the commotion. However, he did see Sally and Wufei running past the room, their figures blurs. Distantly, he heard Sally demand to know what was going on and then the conversation either stopped or went too quiet for the pilot to hear through the door. He backed away and pushed his chair so that it was directly in front of the door.
"Hilde, sit with Dorothy," he instructed in a whisper. She nodded and sat next to the blonde, putting her arm around her shoulders. Apparently, Sally was approaching their room because her voice was getting louder yet he still couldn't make out what she was saying. The door knob turned slowly yet Duo could only see Sally's face through the window. He took his finger off the trigger and turned the safety back on, but it stayed in his hand just in case.
"-come in, it's okay. It may be after visiting hours, but you're a visitor this girl's been waiting to see!" Sally exclaimed. The ears of the room picked up and Duo stood, hoping beyond hope that it was who he thought it was. Dorothy's heart leapt into her throat as she watched the door open and Sally step in. She sat up in bed, Hilde's arm falling off her shoulders and onto the mattress. 'Please be him, please God…' she bargained in her mind.
Her heart fell as Wufei and Heero filed into the room. Duo looked down and away, putting his gun back in its holster. Hilde gave Dorothy's shoulder a squeeze and stood up. Dorothy simply felt empty. There was no more room left for tears. Distantly, she heard footsteps in the doorway but just assumed they were Heero or Wufei. She fixed her gaze out the window that had the view she'd shown Trowa over the vid-phone. He wasn't coming home.
"Dorothy?"
She was so caught up in the view of the window that she almost missed the familiar voice calling her name. Almost.
With a gasp, her body tensed and refused to move, yet her heart screamed for her to turn around.
"Trowa?" she whispered. A familiar warmth seeped through her body as even more familiar arms wrapped around her. A face she'd missed nuzzled against her neck and the feel of his breath against her neck made her want to jump for joy.
"Yes, it's me," he whispered back.
However, her heart needed to be sure, needed reassurance that this wasn't another dream, that he was here, with her. He was safe, she was secure…she needed to know.
Slowly, as though if she moved to quick he might be frightened off or she might wake up, she turned to face him. She met his emerald green eyes first. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, which he hadn't, and his face needed a good shave. His hair was messy and his clothes were rumpled and disheveled. Yet he were smiling a smile she'd never seen before but made her heart melt all the same.
Still wary, she reached out to touch him. She cupped his face in her hand and he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. When he opened his eyes again she knew he was real and her face brightened and the first real smile leapt to her face in what seemed like years.
"It is you!" she cried, throwing her arms around him. Trowa laughed and pulled her tighter, rocking her back and forth and showering her with butterfly kisses.
"Oh God, I've missed you so much, Dorothy!" he exclaimed between kisses. "And I've missed this," he kissed her, "And that," he kissed her again, "And that!" Dorothy laughed and cried into his shoulder at the same time, falling limp against him. He pulled her into his lap and kissed her forehead as if she were a child and ran his fingers through her long, platinum hair.
"What about us?!" Duo cried, his eyes amused. "Didn't you miss us?!"
Trowa laughed and looked down at his girlfriend, then back at Duo.
"Nah!"
Duo, Hilde, and Heero went back to Sally and Wufei's home that night, along with Sally and Wufei. However, Sally had let Trowa stay with Dorothy at the hospital the rest of the night, under the condition that the two got some much needed sleep. However, the majority of the night, the pair stayed up talking about each other, the apartment, their future together, and then, jokingly, marriage. It wasn't until they had talked about children until they were blue in the face that they finally fell asleep together, around 3 in the morning. They were awoken by their friends around 9, their cheery attitudes still prevailing.
"We're going to go to the cafeteria for some chow, you wanna come?" Duo asked. However, Sally put up her hand.
"Dorothy can't, she needs to stay in bed. That stunt you pulled last night was an okay once-in-awhile thing, but the cafeteria is much too long of a walk for you young lady," she said, her tone reverting back to Doctor-ish.
"Then we'll bring you back something, k?" Duo offered. Dorothy shook her head.
"I'm picky about my food," she laughed. Trowa rolled his eyes.
"She's serious, she won't drink her coffee unless it has just the right amount of creamer in it," he said. Dorothy mock-glared at him but only ended up laughing. "I'll go and get you some breakfast, does that sound good?" he offered.
"Sure, just make sure none of the fruit is next to any eggs, hash browns, or bacon….or any other breakfast food for that matter. And don't put any ketchup on anything, put that separate!!" she ordered. She opened up her mouth again but stopped when the group heard a knock on the door. Wufei opened it up, his black eyes looking confused as Lady Une stepped through.
"Good morning everyone, the nurse told me I'd find you here," she said, her voice calm but her eyes fixed on the floor.
"Lady, is something wrong?" Sally asked, picking up on Lady's odd behavior. The woman sighed and nodded, picking up her head with a determined gaze replacing her sad one.
"I've come to inform you that I've relieved Quatre of his position," she explained. Duo growled.
"Good!! Serves the bastard right!!" he cried. Hilde smacked him on the arm but her lack of force conveyed that she agreed with him all the same.
"I agree with Duo, I still can't believe he was in on Duke Dermail's gang," Trowa said, anger filling him again. Lady Une nodded, soaking in all the input she was hearing about Quatre.
"I understand your anger, gentlemen, but there's a piece of the puzzle that you were never made aware of," she said. Wufei looked up from the window he had been standing at.
"And what is that?" he demanded. Lady Une sighed again and looked down at the floor.
"Quatre has been a double agent for the Preventers for close to a year now," she explained. "He himself decided that it was best not to let the rest of you in on this information because he thought that you'd only try to protect him and end up getting in his way."
"So he double crossed not only us but the Preventers?" Heero asked. Lady Une shook her head.
"No, the only people he's truly crossed are Trowa and Dorothy. He was doing his duty by getting closer to Duke Dermail to take out the inner ring from the inside while we took it out from the outside. Him posing the idea of blocking off Earth from the colonies was actually my idea. No, it wasn't ever a matter of him doing his duty incorrectly, it was his means. Quatre had decided to use Dorothy as a means of getting closer to Duke Dermail and to win her heart back," she informed them. Trowa sat on the bed, Dorothy still leaning against his chest. His arms tightened around her as he bristled with anger.
"I didn't actually have to tell you that Quatre had been relieved, as you all know from the Preventer Code. However, not only because he was your friend did I come to tell you but also because it wasn't I who decided to relieve him. He chose to resign… He knows what he was losing by continuing to lie to you and to pretend he was someone different."
The group sat, stood, and lay paused, digesting this information. Lady Une lifted her head and gave a quick, impersonal salute.
"I'll leave you all alone now, we'll begin to hash out this isolation from Earth at work the day after tomorrow. I think you all need a day off to sort everything out." And with that, she took her leave from the room. The group sat silent for another few moments, not saying anything about Quatre. Trowa was reminded of the isolation from Earth and looked over at Heero. He had been so caught up with thinking about Dorothy he'd forgotten that now Heero had no way of getting to Earth. 'The poor guy,' he thought.
"Anyone still up for breakfast?" Duo asked, his tone much less energetic than it had been earlier. The group gave an almost unified nod and began to file out.
"I'll stay here with Dorothy, could you get me some food though Duo?" Hilde asked. Duo nodded and gave her a peck on the cheek before following the group out. Hilde sat down next to Dorothy, who gave her a warm smile.
"I'm glad you stayed behind," Dorothy began as the last person left, "I wanted to thank you for being here for me," she said. Hilde smiled back and shrugged.
"Hey, it was the least I could do," she replied. The girls paused for a moment. "That was some pretty tough stuff to digest, huh?" Hilde ventured.
"Yeah, it was," Dorothy replied. "But it makes sense, it just didn't seem right that he had actually become that evil."
"I know what you mean. Duo and I had talked about that before we went to bed last night. It was like it wasn't real," Hilde agreed. Dorothy nodded and the two went quiet again. Dorothy had come to realize how many good friends she had in her life, especially the one sitting next to her.
"I wonder if things between us and him will ever be the same again," Dorothy whispered. Hilde nodded.
"I don't know, deep down I hope that we can all make peace with him someday…I know Duo was looking forward to having all his friends as grooms men at our wedding," she said, her voice just as quiet.
"Oh, I can see that happening!" Dorothy laughed. "There's Duo, Heero, Trowa, and Wufei in their tuxes. And in comes Quatre and they all pull out guns and other weapons of mass destruction!!" Hilde groaned and laughed at the same time.
"God, I hope not! But then, it would make for an interesting reception, wouldn't it?" she joked. Dorothy laughed along with her as the two began to come up with funny situations involving Quatre and the boy's grudge against him. The two laughed for a good 10 minutes before slowing to a stop. After a small pause, Hilde asked the question that had been weighing on her mind.
"What about you? Do you think you'll come to peace with him?" she asked. Dorothy was quiet for a while before turning towards her new friend.
"I'm going to make a point of it," she replied. Hilde nodded, processing the answer. However, it only lead to one more question.
"May I ask why?"
"I don't want either one of us to have to wear a holster under our dresses just to keep the peace!"
Dorothy had stayed in the hospital for another day, giving Trowa time to go back to their apartment and clean up the mess the party had left behind. The group had decided they'd hold another party so that they could open the gifts that had been left in the wake of taking Dorothy to the hospital. However, no one had had time to clean up the refreshments that had been for the guests and a couple days sitting out on a counter never made anything look appetizing.
The day Dorothy was released from the hospital was an extremely happy one for Trowa. He'd made sure that what was now the room they shared looked perfect for her arrival; complete with candles, extra pillows so she'd be comfy, all of her favorite books piled up on the bed stand, and he'd even moved all her clothes and belongings into their room together. The 2nd room they'd decided would be their mutual office, because as soon as she'd fully recovered, Dorothy was going to begin her career anew in politics, only this time on the colonies.
"Mmm, I've missed this place," Dorothy said as she stepped into their apartment. She laughed when she spotted the tree still piled with presents. "Poor Marameia, she never did get her doll house!"
"She will, I told Lady Une to tell her she was getting it so she wouldn't mope," Trowa assured her. Dorothy frowned a little.
"It's good she won't mope, but that ruins the surprise," she said. Trowa rolled his eyes and kissed her, making her forget about dollhouses and moping.
"Speaking of surprises, I have one for you," he said, pulling her towards their new bedroom. "Close your eyes," he instructed. She followed his directions and let him lead her into their room and let him sit her down on the bed. "Now open them."
Dorothy opened her eyes to find a totally new bedroom. The combined interests that the two of them had seemed like they would have clashed together but instead they flowed smoothly, making a very tasteful room. He'd laid out her favorite books, put away her things, it was just so sweet!
"Thank you!" she exclaimed, standing to give him a hug. He smiled back at her in welcome, and spun her around.
"It's still hard to believe we're going to have our own room together now," Trowa said, stopping their spin. Dorothy smiled and stroked the hair at the nape of his neck. Her smile slowly turned to a smirk and her blue-gray eyes turned mischievous. "What?" Trowa asked, noticing her facial expression.
"Why don't we break in our new room?" she asked, her voice hinting and implying something that made Trowa's jeans tighten. However, he forced back the urge to pick her up and take her to bed at that moment.
"Are you sure you'd be up for that? You just got out of the hospital," he said, his tone laced with concern but fighting back lust.
"I'm sure, besides, you never did finish my guitar lesson," she replied. Trowa grinned and with now more coaxing, he gave into his urge to pick her up and take her to bed. Besides, she had a point. The girl needed to learn to play the guitar sometime.
The End!!
Epilogue will be out soon,
Hugs and kisses!!!
MadameHotaru.of.87