Shot in the Dark

A sequel to Godspeed

By Dragonfire

AU: Umm….I'm back! :D Hehhehheh…stares at empty audience Okay, so I know everyone left in the, like, eight-month span of me not updating coughat allcough but maybe this will bring some folks back? Anyway, this is the sequel to my songfic Godspeed…if you haven't read it, it'd make sense to do so before continuing on - don't worry, it's not that long at all. If you have read Godspeed, I am amazed that you are back for more! =) Amazed and honored.

In any case, I have to make sure I thank Adilande - THANK YOU SO MUCH! If it weren't for you, this fic would still be in my Drafts folder!! Much luvs!

Okay! Thanks to everybody who has reviewed any of my work! Hope you guys enjoy this one! :D Let's say...about five or so chapters? Mind you, that's tentative, but it'll be a lot shorter than my other fics. :D

Chapter 1

"Really, Relena, I would've watched him for you."

Preoccupied with making sure her son's tie looked perfect, Relena Peacecraft didn't even glance up at her best friend. "Hilde, you know you have to watch your kids, and he was over there last night. It's not a problem, I'll just - "

"You can't take a kid to a Council meeting, Re, not when you're making the biggest speech - "

"Of my career, I know. But I couldn't find a babysitter - "

"So let me watch him! I'm close enough to being his aunt, for heaven's sake. Who cares if I watched him last night - "

"Mom?"

Both women stopped and turned to look at the blond six-year-old watching them with a hint of amusement in his observant, always-alert dark blue eyes. "What, Case?" Relena asked, sighing. She hadn't meant to squabble with Hilde, but she was so tired of having to get help from everyone for everything…

"I'll sit right in the chair, Mom, and I won't move. Promise. I can even hold up your note cards for you if you want."

She had to smile. How lucky she had been, to get Case; always eager to please, eager to help, eager to try and make things right for his single mother. Though too young to fully realize the gravity of the situation, and how much Relena was struggling, Case was more than perceptive enough to see that his mom needed more than a little extra help, and that she was far too stubborn in not receiving that help.

"That's okay, honey. It'll be really long, though, Case. You'll have to sit there - "

"It's fine, Mom," he assured her, deep blue eyes - his father's eyes - twinkling. Then Case thought about the seriousness of that possibility - two hours with no toys, and no fidgeting! - and began to have second thoughts.

Relena, seeing an oncoming storm, quickly added, "You can bring one toy, Case, but only one. And you can't lose it there, or make too much noise…or bother anybody with it, or - "

She stopped. Both Hilde and Case were giving her their typical raised-eyebrow you're-being-a-worrywart looks.

"I won't, Mom," Case said, smiling.

Relena took a breath. "Okay. Run to your room and grab a toy, then go by the window and wait for the limousine. I'll grab my purse."

"And your note cards," he added as he dashed off to the stairs. "They're in the study, on the computer!"

Watching him go, Relena felt the familiar pulling of her heartstrings. He was such a good kid…

"He'll be fine," Hilde said quietly. Relena, shaken from her thoughts, quickly reached up and tucked her hair behind one ear to appear busy. Hilde watched her friend closely, then added in a low murmur, "I'm just worried about his mom."

Relena didn't move. She kept her eyes on the floor, and mumbled, "I'm fine."

"If that's true, I'm the Queen of Sheba."

They both looked at Hilde then, in her faded overalls and t-shirt, dark hair back in a messy ponytail, grease stains on the clothing courtesy of her and Duo's mechanic shop. Hilde laughed, Relena managed a smile, and then Case was back downstairs - complete with a fistful of Legos - and there came a polite honk from outside.

"Limousine," Case yelled, excitement evident in his voice. He waved goodbye to Hilde and made a dash for the door.

"Wait up, honey, and be careful - it just rained…" Relena gave Hilde a quick one-armed hug, gathered her things, and opened her umbrella. Then they were outside, and Hilde crossed to the huge living room window to watch the pair get into the vehicle and pull away.

"And if I really was the Queen of Sheba," Hilde murmured, her forehead pressed against the cool glass of the window, "I would force that guy down here to see what he did to you, Re, make him apologize on bended knee, and then chop his head off…"

A moment passed, then Hilde gave a groan.

"Okay, so I couldn't do that, you'd hate me forever…all right, I'll think of some torture device…just give me a few minutes…"

As they entered the grand Council room, Relena immediately took Case to an inconspicuous seat in the middle of the auditorium. It he sat too close to the stage it would become a distraction for her, but there was no way she would let him sit so far back that he was out of her sight. Case climbed happily into the assigned chair, gave her a big grin, and said, "I'll watch you the whole time, Mom."

Relena bent and quickly kissed him on the cheek, never believing the words but appreciating them all the same. "That's fine, honey, but just stay right there, okay? If you be good we can have ice cream afterwards."

"But Mom, you have a meeting after the speech, right?"

She caught herself, felt her heart and throat constrict, then managed a weak smile and murmured, "You're right, I do. Well, after the meeting, then. Okay?"

The blond head nodded once, then bent cheerfully over his Legos. Relena, walking backwards, left him. As she passed the nearest usher, she whispered, "Keep an eye on my boy?"

Looking surprised, the elderly woman nodded. Relena gave Case one final glance, and then strode away, thinking bitterly to herself, Yes, that's me, the mother who no one will baby-sit for, the single mother who is a complete workaholic but can't help it because otherwise she wouldn't be able to survive. Yes, me, the one blessed with a boy who deserves the best of everything – especially a father – and me, the one who is so hardheadedly stubborn that she refuses to move on…

She climbed the stairs backstage and was immediately assaulted by a horde of makeup, dress, and sound professionals; Relena was dragged into a dressing room and stuffed into a beautiful, elegant, blatantly horridly expensive suit, and then pulled into a chair in front of a huge mirror. This was where thousands upon thousands of poking, prodding, teasing, brushing, and all-around 'primping' took place; within ten seconds flat – it seemed like – she was wearing enough stage makeup for a Broadway premiere and her hair was in the most elegant yet professional-looking updo she had ever seen. Then again, that was how she always felt after these 'artists' were finished…

And then she stood numbly while listening to three of the sound crew give her harried, three-second instructions on how to make sure the microphone was still in place, in what direction to speak, etc. Finally, when it seemed like it was all done, she heard the Council leader's booming voice bellow, "…Foreign Minister and Senate member, Relena Peacecraft!"

There was the polite applause, of course much less than any other Senator received, and then she was striding briskly out onto the stage, headed toward that lonely podium in the glaring stage lights, pasting the smile on her face, shoving all her grief and worry and anxiety to the back of her mind, becoming the professional robot.

Her mouth opened mechanically, and as Relena the person drifted away, Relena the businesswoman, the automatic machine, smiled and began to speak.

In the seats, Case was doing very well for an energetic six-year-old. His Lego supply was more than adequate, and the nice old man seated next to him kept smiling genuinely at his creations and giving very helpful tips. Case suspected that the man had done some Lego-constructing in his own lifetime.

His forehead creased and Case bit his lip as he struggled to fasten the wheels onto his newly-renovated Lego-automobile. Finally, with the satisfactory 'click', they connected – and then a burst of applause thundered in the auditorium. Case looked up, surprised and delighted to see his mother cross the stage, and as a result lost his grip on his car. It fell to the ground and immediately went rolling, on its newly-connected wheels, up the aisle. Spurred on by speed of the fall, the car fairly zoomed its way farther and farther away from Case.

Realizing trouble when he saw it – he was quite certain the old people sitting in the auditorium wouldn't enjoy a show of his Lego skill; he knew that from the dinners he had attended with his mom – Case took a steadying breath, cast a glance at his mom and clapped his hands together a few more times in apology, and then stood up in his seat. The elderly man next to him was distracted, listening intently to the words his mom was saying, and didn't notice as Case went down on his hands and knees and quickly crawled up the aisle after the Lego car.

People were too busy focusing on Relena's speech, and altogether only a select few noticed a young boy crawling through the auditorium. The car stubbornly refused to slow down, however, and by the time it had finally come to a halt it was clear in the back of the hall. The corner was wreathed in shadows and altogether not a very cheerful place, and Case reached forward to grab the toy, fully intent on leaving the creepy corner alone.

His hand hit something that wasn't plastic, though, and Case stood up, astonished. There was a man hiding in those shadows, a man who at the moment was looking down at him in surprise.

"Sorry," Case squeaked, immediately intimidated. The man was very tall, and his dark hair was falling across his face; not to mention the fact that since his features were hidden in the shadows, the man was more than a little frightening. "Sorry," he repeated, backing away slightly, "I lost my Lego car, and…"

The man stepped forward, knelt down, and picked up something from the ground. He offered whatever it was to Case, and said, "Here you go."

Gratefully, Case reached out his hand to retrieve the toy, but all of a sudden he looked up, and met the man's gaze – and then he could not look away.

The physical feature Case was the most proud of was his eyes. In all his young life, short as it might have been, he had never met anyone who possessed the same degree of intensity as he did in his eyes. Nor had he met anyone with whom he shared the color; his eyes were a striking deep blue, a shade his mother affectionately called Prussian. Relena had also told him that his eyes were special, and as a result Case was extremely fond of his unique feature.

But this man, the one he had met in the shadows, had the exact same eyes as Case, down to the very last fleck of gold. Their faces just inches apart, Case found himself absolutely unable to look away, and slowly, he watched a hint of astonishment grow on the man's rugged features.

"You…you're her son," the man said, and it came out strangely shaky.

The sound of the man's voice jolted Case out of his stunned surprise; realizing what the stranger had said, Case paused for a moment to think, then said cheerfully, "Oh yeah, that's my mom up there."

The man rocked back on his heels, moving into the shadows again. "You're - Case?"

"Yeah," the little boy returned, delighted that a man who shared his eyes would know his name. "That's me." He paused, then added, "How'd you know?"

"I…I knew your mom, when we were growing up."

"Oh that's cool," Case said enthusiastically, eager to keep up a conversation with this stranger. "You went to school together?"

"Something like that, yeah." Silence stretched between them for a moment, and then he said in a low tone, "How is she these days?"

Always eager to please, Case replied with a jovial, "She's great! We have lots of fun, you know, we go get ice cream and stuff like that." Another pause. "When she doesn't have meetings."

The lines on the other's face softened. "She has a lot of meetings?"

Case nodded, his smile fading a little. "She works really hard, you know, because her job is helping other people and that takes a lot of time, but it's worth it."

For the first time, the corners of the man's mouth curved slightly: a hint of a smile. "She told you that?"

"Yup."

The man opened his mouth to say something else – probably another question – but they were interrupted by a round of applause, much more thunderous than the previous. Case turned quickly as the man shrank back into the shadows, and the little boy realized that his mom had finished her talk, and was striding down the steps. It would only be a matter of seconds before she came looking for him.

"Uh oh," he muttered, turning apologetically to the man. "I better go."

For a moment, the stranger just looked at him, staring down the three feet that separated them. Then, he broke into a quiet smile, and said, "It was nice to meet you, Case."

Worried about the possibility of his mother not finding him, Case nodded quickly, flashed the man a smile, took his Lego car, and hurried away, calling, "You too!"

The man slid back into the shadows, practically disappearing, as Case threaded his way through the slow Council members until he had traversed the entire length of the hall and was standing next to his mom. As soon as she finished speaking with a cameraman to her right, he reached up and took her hand. Relena looked, gave him a quick grin and squeezed his hand, and then turned to another reporter.

Moving slowly, talking constantly, she finally ended up outside of the capitol. Case, startled, glanced around. He had thought she would lead him into another business office…

"Mom?"

The reporter nearest to Relena stopped talking, and smiled at the little boy. Relena turned, too, and said, "What, honey?"

"I thought you had a meeting."

The reporter's smile grew, and Relena gave Case a grin. "Nope, they canceled it."

Concern grew on the six-year-old's face. "Did you get in trouble?"

Surrounding reporters laughed, and one of them reassured him, "No, son, we just loved your mother's speech so much that we decided to let her take a break."

Relena gave a rather undignified snort, and earned more laughter. Finally, a hundred more hasty comments were made to more reporters and newspapermen, and then at long last their limousine pulled up, and they were in peace in the back seat.

Relena blew out her breath and leaned back against the padded seat. "Well, let's go get that ice cream of yours."

Case grinned. "All right!"

Relena smiled and closed her eyes, relaxing her exhausted limbs. Case waited a moment, then said apologetically, "Sorry I didn't listen to your whole speech, Mom."

Re opened one eye and came very close to laughing at the repentant expression on his face. "Oh, it's fine, honey. It was all very boring anyway. I'm sure your Legos were much more exciting."

"Not really. I lost my car, and it rolled next to a man in the back, so I talked to him."

She didn't move. This was not unusual, and it wasn't as if the elderly Council members were likely to be axe murderers.

"Really? What'd he have to say?"

"Not much. Oh – but Mom, guess what!"

"What?" she murmured drowsily.

"He had the exact same eyes as me!"

Relena went perfectly still.

"And he picked up my car, and we talked about your speech and things like that, and he was really nice, except he stayed in the shadows so I couldn't really – " he stopped, realizing that his mother had turned ghostly white. "Mom?"

She leaned forward, ever so slowly, and whispered, "You said he…" Her voice failed her, and then, with a breath of air, "He – he had your eyes?"

Alerted to the fact that something was very wrong with his mother, Case replied hesitantly, "Yeah…yeah, he did, Mom. I know it was weird – "

Relena jerked forward and put her hands on his shoulders, locking gazes with her son. "Case, honey, you have to tell me exactly what the man looked like. Can you do that?"

Case paused for an agonizing moment, during which Relena could hardly contain herself. Finally, he slowly said, "Well…he was in the shadows, Mom, but – but he was really tall, and he had dark hair – "

"How long?" Relena cut him off, sitting back but still staring at her son.

"What?" Case, bewildered, inquired.

Relena explained, "His hair." She paused, then murmured, "Long enough to…fall into his eyes?"

Case thought about it, then nodded eagerly in confirmation. "Yup, it did. And his eyes were just like mine, lots of little pieces of gold and light blue, like the sky, and they were – "

"A deep, dark Prussian blue." Relena finished the sentence for him. Her eyes came open, and Case saw, to his astonishment, tears shining in her gaze.

"Mom?" the little boy said hesitantly.

It was as if she didn't hear him. Relena turned to stare out the window at the threatening thunderclouds overhead, and whispered in the silence, "Thank you, whoever did this for me." She gave a shaky sigh, barely able to repress the smile that tugged on her mouth. "He was there…"