The morning was cool and quietly. It had rained the previous night and raindrops still dripped from building walls and trees under the grey sky. No bird songs floated through the air to greet the morning. Instead they huddled together in their warm shelters sharing their misery. The streets lay quiet and empty, the humans preferring to stay inside in their warm houses. Only one solitary figure ventured out into the mornful grey morning. He walked along a walkway, his head hung down and his shoulders stooped forward as if burdened with some invisible weight. His damp brown hair hung listlessly obscurring his face. His hands were tucked into his pockets, perphaps the only part of him that was truly dry. Occasionally, the quiet would be punctuated by the sound of splashing as his slow deliberate steps would trudge through the lingering puddles not even not even bothering to avoid them. Small trees lined the stone walkway, their limbs hanging wearily in mornful arcs weighed down by the rainwater. Small torrents would occasionally fall down on the man as one by one the weight overcame each tree and the water would further soak his hair and clothes. Dripping in a new misery he traveled on, never pausing in his steps.
It wasn't until he came to the site of a tall slick black monument, that he finally stopped. Then raising his head up for the first time, he stood gazing at it a moment a dull unreadable in his eyes. Then with a sigh that seemed to contain all the sorrow of the world, he lowered his gaze to look at the man on the ground huddled before it.
The man wore a raincoat with its hood pushed back revealing light brown locks hanging over a bowed head. From his position, the watcher could see that the man's lips moved in soft whispers, possibly a prayer. Laying beside the man was a fresh bouquet of bright yellow flowers. The vibrant colors were so out of place in the surrounding greyness. The watcher shuddered slightly unable to stop the sharp flash of pain that ripped through his heart at the small reminder.
Noticing the movement beside him for the first time, the kneeling man abruptly stiffened, the words dying on his lips. He looked up then, dull red eyes met cool sad blue. For a moment the two gazes stayed locked together, thoughts of guilt and pain and sorrow tormenting both minds. Then the moment passed, Daniel recovering first.
Heero fully expecting for Daniel to run or rage at him, was when the man only sat back on his heels gazing at him a smile beginning to form on his lips. Then to his further surprise, he began laughing. The sharp bitter sound echoed loudly in the too quiet morning. Heero winced resisting the urge to block out the horrible sound. Finally, the sound did abate ending more as a harsh sob. Daniel then seeminly struggled to get his emotions once again under control, before he spoke. "I suppose you've come for me then?"
Watching him closely, Heero nodded once. "I've come to release you from your pain."
Daniel forced down another almost hysterical giggle. "Only one thing can do that." His right arm moved to the bouquet of flowers laying beside him.
"I know." Heero said sadly as he reached behind his back . At the same time
It was another moment before the whispering stopped and the man noticed the watcher's prescence. Startled the man looked up. Dull red eyes met cool sad blue. Daniel reflexisively drew back as his eyes widened in recognition. Heero reguarded him as without moving his gaze Daniel's hand searched for some thing beside him. Daniel stared at him defiantly. "I suppose that you've come for me then?"
Heero nodded once. "I've come to release you from your pain."
Daniel laughed, the sound harsh and grating. "Only one thing can do that." His hand landed on the bouquet. He grasped it and the object hidden underneath.
"I know." Heero had noticed Daniel's movements and he reached behind his own back.
With a quick move Daniel swiveled to his feet, dropping the bouquet yellow flowers spilling all over the ground. At the same time Heero pulled his hand from behind his back. The two men stood amid facing each other knowing in the next few moments one way or another all would end.
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Relena blinked rapidly in an effort to hold back her tears. I would not cry. I won't, she told herself forecfully. There was still time. Sixteen hours before morning, I will find him before then. She took a steading breath, before determinately wiping her eyes of the pooling tears before they could fall. She turned her face toward the window as she did noy want the others on the shuttle to see her in this state.
Unfortunately, her view wasn't quite as uplifting as she had hoped. All she could see was miles and miles of the black emptiness of space. For the first time she found herself hating it. It reminded her too much of the distance between her and Heero. How no matter how far she reached she could never seem to touch him. He was like a star, always teasing her to reach out, but always beyond her grasp. But now she felt that he was farther away that he had ever been and she knew that part of it was her own doing. She sighed , the sound heavy as she struggled to replace her doubts with hopes.
Her hopes ironically lay with the wife of the very man who had tried to kill both Heero and herself. Infact, that was where she was headed now along with Noin and Duo. She already knew even as she had ran out into the street after him, that he would not be found. Heero was too good at disappearing, he wouldn't be found unless he wanted to. Knowing this the preventers had concentrated on finding Heero's target Daniel and had split off into groups, Quatre and Trowa were using there extensive contacts, Wufie was using his own method, and they were sent to see what they could find out from Angela Lockheart. She briefly wondered what the woman was like. Was she ignorant of her husband's activities or was she going along with it? If the latter it maybe hard to get anything from her, then again if she knew nothing they would have wasted valuable time. Time that she was afraid was all too quickly running out.
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Angela looked up sharply at the sudden knock at the door. Her eyes flashed briefly with undisguised hope. Only in the next instant to die down in disappointment as she realized that one outside the door was not her husband. He would not have knocked. She blinked her eyes trying to see through the near dark of the room. Dark? When had it gotten dark? Just how long had she been sitting there lost in her thoughts. She looked down again at the wrinkled paper that she held in her clenched hands. The person outside knocked again. If not her husband then who, she asked herself. But truly she already knew and she had to push down the panic that threatened to overwhelm her.
"Mrs. Lockheart?" Angela found herself surprised that the voice belonged to a woman.
Thoughts raced through Angela's head. She could run. They probably hadn't bothered to surround the house. But where could she go? She could find Daniel, but she wasn't quite so sure that she wanted to find him just yet. She wasn't so sure she wanted to hear the truth.
"Mrs. Lockheart, if you don't open the door. We'll be forced to break it down."
She realized then that it didn't matter if she ran or not. They would come in and find what they wanted. She wasn't even sure if there was anything to find. She looked down at the paper in her hands. On the paper was a scematic of a building with a diagram for a bomb with notes on the side written in Daniel's neat hand writing. She had found it quite by accident no more than an hour ago. An hour that turned her life upside down. She hadn't looked to see if there was anymore. It wouldn't make any difference of a few minutes or hours. She needed to know things and if possible she might even find away to help her husband. With a smoothness that belied her inner turmoil she rose to her feet. "I'm coming." She carefully folded the paper and looked around for a place to hide it. Finally deciding to put it in her pocket. Taking a breath she switched on a lamp and walked to the door.
Angela slowly opened the door, so slowly as if the door were made of thick heavy iron. With resignation, she swung it open. Four people stood just outside. Foremost in the front was a tall woman with short hair her posture very much like a soldier, beside her was a young man in street clothes with long brown hair pulled into a tight braid. Behind the too was a man in what she recognized as a preventer's uniform. But the one one who caught her attention was the young honey colored blonde that stood beside him. The young woman looked back a strange light in her eyes, there was something familar there that called out to her. As if noticing the same, the girl's eyes took on a kinder expression.
"Mrs. Lockheart? "With a start, Angela blinked her attention once more brought back to the tall woman before her. "I'm Lucrecia Noin of the preventers."
"Yes?"
"We have a warrant to search your house. You're husband has been identified for several crimes." Noin said watching her carefully. "He has made several attempts of murder."
Attempts... Angela seized on the word like it was a lifeline. So he hasn't killed anyone. Maybe there was time.Time to save him... Angela's look of intense relief and renewed hope was hidden by the swish of her hair as she turned and lead them in. The two men fanned out over the house, while the women followed her to the couch. "Who are these people who have mistaken my husband for there crimes?" She asked casually trying to keep her voice steady as they sat on the couch facing each other. She watched as Noin glanced at the other woman.
"I am." The woman said looking her in the eye. "And I can already tell that you know as well as I that there is no mistake."
"And who are you?" Angela asked coldly feeling suddenly threatened. They know.
"I am Relena Peacecraft."
"Relena...Peacecraft?" Angela repeated dumbly unable to hide her startlement. She took another look at the woman, who sat before her wearing casual clothes and her hair pulled back. She looked tired and pale, scratches and bruises covered parts of her exposed face and hands. She never would have recognized her from for the elegant former prinecess and leader of peace. "But..." She tried to piece together a coherent sentence, but failed.
Relena's eyes softened in sympathy. She reached out and gently took the other woman's hand. "Look, I think I understand what you are going through...."
Angela suddenly felt a flash of anger and pulled her hand away. "How could you? You think my husband's a mad man don't you-a murder. You don't know..."
Relena smiled. "I know what its like. I too once knew a man, who everyone saw as uncaring and cold. To this day, I still don't really know how or why-I was able to see something that others couldn't. Perphaps because no one had ever bothered to look. To too many people, he was simply a tool, an enemy, a murderer. But to me, he was just Heero. The man who I grew to love. Though I do not know its true extent, I know that he cares for me as well. You see no matter how others see him, no matter the things that he has done. I know in here," she tapped her hand over her heart. "I know that he is a kind and loving man despite what pains may overshadow his dark past. He wants to do what is right, just as I believe that Daniel wants to do what is right. He just got a little lost on the way." Her eyes sparkled for a moment with watery tears. "I forgot that for a moment. My faith in him wavered for the briefest moment when he needed me most. Don't make the same mistake I did."she paused letting her words sink in. "Help me to him help. To save them both."
Angela found tears brimming in her own eyes. She did understand. Truly understood all thethings that shehad been going through then and the hour before when she had first stumbled upon Daniel's secret. In that moment, all her defenses dropped and she began to tell them all she knew...
"..so you haven't seen or spoken to him since, the previous day?" Angela had just finished her story and still in her own thoughts was startled by the question.
She shook her head. "I tried to call on his cell phone, but I got know answer."
Noin nodded. "We found it in the car he abandoned, smashed. Do you know where he would go if he needed help?"
"No," Angela shook her head. "I don't think that he would want to get others involved."
"Still, if you could." Noin pressed. "Make us a list of all his friends, family, and co-workers that you know of."
"I'm his only family. His parents are dead and his sister-you know that its the anniversary of her death tomorrow.?"
"Yes, we do. We were wondering if he would be likely to visit her grave,but we can find no record of where she was buried." Relena said.
"She wasn't." Angela said matter-o-factly. "There wasn't a body found at least as far as I know." She watched their faces fall, they had been hoping that they could find him there.
Duo and other preventer came in then. "Finished." All three women stood up and looked at the two ladden with papers and other items. "We'll need to take this stuff back to the office to further go through them." He explained to her.
Angela frowned slightly as she looked over the items in his hands. "No." She said walking toward him. Duo opened his mouth about to protest, but she stopped as she continued. She grabbed a box from him. "The contents of this box is very special to Daniel. He doesn't even let me open it. It contains Serena's things. " She turned looking Relena in the eye. "I want you to be the one to go through it." Relena looked up in surprise, before reverently taking the box cradling it with her left arm, with her right she again reached out for Angela's hand giving it a squeeze. " We will do everything in our power to bring him back to you." Angela gave her a tearful, but grateful smile as she squeezed the hand back.
"I know you will try you're best. " She watched as they left, hoping against hope that they somehow reached them in time.
TBC...
Okay, sorry about the crappy chapter. I know its bad. Sorry about the looong wait too so many things have been preventing me from writing lately not the least of which is a case of writers' block that I 'm slowly trying to push through. Only two more chapters and an epilogue to go. Hopefully I can try to get back to my 2 week posting schedule. If it starts to take longer check my author profile for news. I will NOT give up on this story, I'm way to close to the end for that just be patient. The next chapter is called Glimpses of the past...
Again apologies for the long wait and thanks to the people still sticking with me. I very much appreciate it.