"Relena." You're being unreasonable – insufferable - and you know it.
"... Heero, things are different now, and I think it would be better if –"
"If you took our son." Relena flinched and couldn't meet Heero's eyes anymore.
She only had one more card to play.
"We could always go back to court..." the words trailed from her lips, as she watched Heero's fingers twitch and curl into a fist.
Seconds ticked by.
Finally, Heero took a step back, turned away, and Relena took that as a sign that it was safe to breathe again.
xxxx
"You just let her go?!"
"Duo." Yes.
"You're going to let her raise your son with a fucking pool boy?"
"Tennis coach." Yes.
Duo sighed. "You always let her -" then he stopped and rested a hand on Heero's shoulder. The Japanese man looked up from his dwindling glass of double-malt whisky. Duo shook his head and yanked some bills out of his wallet. The bar tender was signaling last call and this conversation wouldn't go anywhere tonight.
xxxx
"You're back late. I guess that means he didn't take it well, huh?"
Relena pulled her purse down from her shoulder, wrapping the strap around the bag, and folding it to the kitchen counter. She leaned forward and pressed her head against the cool glass of the overhead cabinets that her brother had built as a second anniversary gift.
"He didn't –"he trailed, but the concern was clear in his voice, but he didn't know what he was talking about. He just knew what he'd read in the papers. Relena closed her eyes and tried to focus on the cool glass against her forehead. "If he even –"
"Can we talk about this tomorrow?" I don't want to talk about it with you.
"Baby, you know I'm here for you and –"
"Please?"
"I'm just trying to –"
"I know, just... can it wait until morning?" She reached back and pulled down her smart executive ponytail. Hands rested on her shoulders, but they were the wrong hands, at the wrong time.
"But I just want to help. I can pick him up tomorrow – how about that? I'll drive, we can take the Benz – he can watch videos in the back, and –"
"Can we talk about this tomorrow?" I need to be alone.
"I know, I know, but I just want to let you know that it'll be okay. We'll be okay."
She was never less convinced.