Note: As always I own nothing but the plot and I appreciate all those who
have been reading and reviewing my story. As always any suggestions are
appreciated and I hope you enjoy reading this latest crazy chapter.
Nervous Breakdown at Twenty
If someone had come at him with a Gundam at that instant Milliardo probably wouldn't have even noticed as Noin slugged her arm over Heero's shoulder as the two made there way back to the table where Heero had been before. Of all the things that had run through his mind as possible reasons for Noin leaving this had never been one of them. Yuy Milliardo thought, feeling as though he'd been repeatedly shot without mercy. It had to be Yuy.
"So what's new with you?" Rome asked as she moved out of a waitress's way as she hurried by with a tray full of drinks and supper. "Blow anything big up lately?"
"Not lately." Paris said with the sad look that most children get when they've been denied candy or a present that he or she really wanted. "Nothing but paperwork and more paperwork. Oh and paperwork."
"Sounds like you should retire, you're too young to be a paper pusher already." Rome said squeezing his shoulder affectionately. "I'm sure even someone of your limited intelligence could find something to do with your time."
"Gee thanks." Paris said with a smirk to show that he knew she was just playing. "So what's with the top, last time I checked you did have some shirts in your closet."
"Well I figured I've been stuck in a uniform for nearly half my life, so I decided to make up for lost time." Rome said with a mischievous grin. "Like?"
"Hell no, all the guys in this place are staring at your chest like they're starving and you're a six course meal. They keep it up and I'm going to have to start pumping lead." Paris said as he took the time to send one of his famous death glares at a guy who'd been about to approach them, eyes fastened on his sister, or at least a part of her autonomy. "Starting with you." Paris added in case the guy didn't get the hint. Getting it the other guy took off like the fires of hell were after him. Metaphorically they were.
"Oh you're such a people person." Rome said as she leaned over to plant a kiss on her brother's cheek, she loved it when he did the over protective brother thing, it was so cute. He got all ruffled and acted all mean and bad, like Heero.
"Milliardo?" Quatre said carefully as he and the other pilots watched Milliardo closely for signs of cracking. Sally had a hand on his shoulder and Relena was clutching his hand like a lifeline but he didn't seem to be aware of either. All his attention was centered on the two people they were watching and Quatre felt a chill roll down his spine at the look on Milliardo's face. This was going to end badly Quatre thought as he lowered his head to look at his hands, real bad.
"Well it took you two long enough to get back here." Julian said as he got out of his chair having just been royally been shot down by a redhead. He was just having really bad luck tonight. "Got a hug for you're favorite guy?"
Smiling at him Rome let go of Paris to give her cousin a big hug before sitting down in the seat he pulled out for her. "How ya doing Julian?" She said as Paris sat down beside her on her left with Julian on her right.
"Pretty good, I ordered our usuals and I made a three billion dollar deal with Wica Corps that'll come in handy later." Julian said with a shrug as though it were no big deal, which to him it really wasn't. He was rich and as long as Rome and Paris had anything to say about it he'd stay that way.
"Not bad." Rome admitted already thinking of how they were going to convince Julian not to do something really stupid with the money they'd get from the deal. She loved Julian a great deal and the guy was a genius with computers but when it came to money he was an absolute moron. Knowing him he'd think nothing of giving a beggar on the street a thousand of the money.
"Yup, I was thinking that with that money maybe I could build an arcade in the office building, you know with pinball machines and the shoot the duck and everything. What do you think?" Julian asked looking like a little kid asking for approval.
Sharing a long-suffering look Rome and Paris smiled gently at their scatter brained cousin. "Exactly how much do you think you want to spend on it Julian, you know you don't have your trust fund to fall back on anymore." Paris reminded him carefully. Julian had joined himself and Rome on their grandfather's disowned list three years ago and the guy was still convinced that their grandfather would take it back. Christope McMaster didn't change his mind after he'd made it, ever.
"Oh grandfather will give it back to me when he's done pouting." Julian said, sure that his Grandfather wouldn't leave him in the dark, they were family and to Julian there was no stronger bond, even if his own parents didn't particularly like him. They just didn't understand him was all. "He's only a little bit mad at me now."
"He's only been a little bit mad at you for three years." Rome pointed out with a shake of her head at the twist of fate that had given her Julian for a cousin. "I don't think he intends to reinstate you any time soon which means you can't be blowing your money away on stuff you don't need."
"Even without our trusts we're still rich, Paris too." Julian said looking thoroughly confused at his cousins. "Why would something as little as an arcade hurt us?"
"Because so much of our money is tied into the corporation Julian." Paris said patiently having tried to explain this to Julian several times. "Its true that even if our company did go bust we wouldn't be poor but it doesn't hurt to be careful about it. Even the rich shouldn't waste their money unless they need to"
"You sound like your dad Paris." Julian said with a smirk. He'd always liked Uncle Niles and it was nice to see him in Paris and Rome, almost like having him back. "Okay, maybe a little arcade?" Julian asked with a hopeful look that was so like a little puppy it wasn't even funny. As if on cue the food arrived which was a guaranteed distraction.
"Maybe a little one." Rome agreed with an affectionate smile as she took her plate of spaghetti and felt her mouth water at the smell. That was another thing she didn't miss about living in the army, the bad food. "Now what do you say we eat?"
"We're missing something here, something important." Trowa said more to himself then to anyone else. He could obviously see that Heero and Noin were a hell of a lot closer to each other then they'd ever let on but something about the way they were behaving just didn't click. There was obvious affection and even love in the way they joked and talked and yet they weren't acting like lovers, more like very close friends or relatives. Plus if Heero did care for Noin romantically then why was Milliardo still alive? Heero had never struck Trowa as the sharing kind.
"What's going on Trowa?" Relena asked looking to him for support. Of anyone in the room he would be the one most likely to be able to explain what was going on in front of her eyes. She refused to believe that Noin and Heero were a couple, something wasn't right here and she knew it.
"I don't know, Relena." Trowa said with a barely visible shrug. "But I think we're jumping to conclusions here."
"Hey Julian, I think that girl over there was checking you out." Rome said as she set her glass down to smile encouragingly at her cousin. Her cousin was completely clueless when it came to women and Rome was counting on that little fact to get him to leave for a couple of minutes so that she could talk to Paris alone. "The one in the blue dress at the wet bar."
"Really?" Julian said twisting his head to get a better view. "Wow she's really pretty."
"Why don't you go over and get her a drink Julian and be sure to let her see how much money you have in your wallet, you'll get her attention faster." Paris said with a knowing smirk.
"Oh shut up Paris." Julian said taking a half-hearted swing at Paris's head. "Now if you'll excuse me I've got a girl to pick up." With what dignity he had Julian got up and made his way towards the girl, trying to remember all the advice Rome had given him the last time. Unfortunately he was drawing a blank.
"So how long do you think it'll take him to send her running in the other direction?" Paris asked his sister as he watched their bumbling cousin make his way through the crowd. It was a longstanding joke in the family that if it weren't for the physical resemblance everyone would have assumed he'd been switched at birth. They came from a family of sharks and no one could figure out how those genes had produced a cuddly puppy like Julian. Cecil probably dropped him on his head as a child Paris thought with a smirk as he thought of his other cousin Cecil. He and Rome actually had a lot of cousins but Julian was the only one they'd admit to being related to. That said a lot about their messed up family.
"Since she's deaf I figure give him ten minutes before she clues in that she needs to worry." Rome said with a knowing smirk. "Poor guy, he just never makes the break."
"I'm thinking you sent him away on purpose." Paris said as he turns his attention back to his sister who was calmly sipping her drink as innocent as she pleased. 'What's up?"
"You mentioned something about Zechs?" Rome said carefully, keeping her voice neutral and her face clear of any emotion she didn't want to show.
"There's a way to kill my appetite." Paris said with a frown as he looked down at his half-eaten spaghetti and meatballs. "Couldn't you have waited until I was done before you brought him up?"
"Quit complaining and spill." Rome said giving him a frown as she tried to ignore the feeling in her stomach that said she wasn't going to like this one bit. "So what's going on Paris?"
"You know I'm not such a bad guy." Paris said absently winding pasta on his fork as he tried to put his feelings into words that weren't all four lettered. "I generally respect my elders, I go to church when I can and I follow most of the commandments except for one. I'd say that all in all I'm a pretty nice guy who deserves to live a normal life after what I've been through the last five years. Your former boyfriend is making that very difficult and I'm not kidding when I say that I dearly wish I'd killed him years ago."
"I thought you said he was leaving you alone about Relena?" Rome said in surprise and a hint of relief. Her brother and Zechs had never gotten along but she could handle a disagreement, she'd thought it had been something serious. "And as for the commandments last time I checked thou shall not kill was a big one to break."
"Yea but nine out of ten on a regular bases isn't bad." Paris said with a pout. "And he's not picking on me because of Relena, he's getting Relena to pick on me about you!"
"Don't tell me you can't take it?" Rome said crossing her arms as she gave her brother a shocked look that was rewarded with a death glare from Paris. "The great 01 pilot of the Gundam Wing taken down by a little blonde pacifist?"
"Oh shut up will ya I'm serious." Paris said as he leaned back in his chair, trying to find the words that were escaping him just when he needed them. "Relena's got everyone she can get looking for you and she's driving me crazy with the puppy dog eyes for help. Plus Milliardo's also taken over my most feared position at Preventers so I don't even have that anymore."
"Milliardo's never been what you'd call an easy person Paris."
"Yea but know he's ten times worse not to mention the fact that just looking at the guy is enough to kill a starved man's appetite. Now I hate the guy and I've made no pretense about it in all the years I've known him. He's a stuck up assehole who has been a plague upon my existence since day one and I would gladly kill the son of a bitch. However right know he is as close to dead as I've ever seen him and the hell of it is I can't even enjoy it because I've got to worry about Relena and protecting you. I mean Jesus Rome, what did you say to him in that letter?"
"Did he say Rome?" Wufei said as his eyes went wider then saucers as a new possibility came into play. After all how many women could there be out there with a name like Rome, both involved with Heero?
"They're siblings." Quatre said as a huge smile lit his features as the wonderful news hit him. Heero wasn't going to die; he hadn't done anything wrong, really.
"Siblings?" Milliardo and Relena said at the same time as they looked at each other and then back at the screen again. Could it be?
"You're exaggerating." Rome said as she reached for her water glass with a slightly less steady hand then before.
"I wish." Paris said taking a quick swallow of his own water before continuing. "Look I always figured that the guy just wanted you in his bed and I made no secret of the fact that I really wanted you to dump the jackass because you deserve a hell of a lot better then him but I think that maybe I was wrong. I think he might actually love you Rome."
"He doesn't know Rome, Paris." Rome said with a rather sad smile. "And he didn't love Noin as anything more then a friend. Trust me on this one."
"Well normally I would but I think your wrong and you've got to know that because you know how much I hate him and you have no idea what its like to actually have to be arguing his case here." Paris said looking rather ill just thinking about it. "Thanks to your boy and Relena I'm well on my way to having a nervous breakdown and I'm only twenty for God's sakes."
"Who's going to make you have a nervous breakdown?" Julian asked as he took back his seat with a sigh of defeat. The girl hadn't seemed to hear a word he'd said and he'd final given up trying to get her attention.
"Long story and if you have a nervous breakdown because of Zechs its your own fault for not killing him when you had the chance. As I recall I practically gift wrapped him for you that one time."
"Well if people had just quit getting in the way I would have." Paris said, his inability to kill the senior Peacecraft a rather sore spot and black mark on his career. "Besides you didn't kill him either and you've had ten times the amount of chances to kill him then I've had."
"Yea but the difference is it didn't suit my interests to kill him, Paris." Rome pointed out with a touch of ice.
"Oh ya and what about that time when psycho boy was bent and determined to destroy earth and just about killed you too huh? I think it would have suited your interests to kill him then but you didn't. I think that you love him and are just too stubborn to see it." Paris pointed out, on a roll now. "I'd rather eat cod liver for the rest of by life then have Peacecraft for a brother in law but if he's what you need to be happy then what the hell are you doing here?"
"Paris." Rome said carefully as she struggled to get herself under control. "You're my little brother and I love you dearly. I've practically raised you since we were kids and under normal circumstances I'd never harm a hair on your head for anything but if you don't get off this line of topic I won't be held responsible for my actions."
"Gotcha." Paris said knowing when to shut up. "But if it helps I think that the guys are starting to back off on the search and I plan to find plenty for them to do."
"What's with the necklace?" Rome asked looking desperately for something to take her mind off of things. "I thought you didn't like wearing jewelry other then your earring."
"It's a chain and I happen to like it." Paris said allowing her to draw the attention away from what had happened seconds before. He'd planted the seed in her mind, now it was up to fate to see whether or not it took root.
"Borrow it from Duo?" Rome said with a smirk, "Bet that shocked the hell out of him."
"Naw its mine." Paris said with a quick shake of his head. "What made you think it was Duo's? He doesn't normally wear much jewelry either."
"That's strange." Rome said, her instincts telling her that something was up, but what? "I saw Duo ogling that chain or something really similar in the mall a few days before I left. He was practically drooling all over the case. Did he buy it for you?"
"No Relena did." Paris said thoughtfully as he fingered the chain. "Come to think of it I remember Maxwell yapping about some chain he was obsessed with. She just saw it and thought I'd like it but I never wear any jewelry but a watch around her. Why would she think I'd want it?" he wondered aloud, more to himself then to anyone.
"How far would you say Relena would go to get me back?" Rome asked as she tried to shake the feeling that something wasn't right. She felt as though she was being watched and yet she saw no one in the room that looked out of place or rubbed her the wrong way. And why did she keep coming back to the chain?
"There's nothing she wouldn't do for the idiot so I guess there isn't a lot she wouldn't do to get you back for him. Why?" Paris said reading his sister correctly. Scanning the room he saw nothing out of place or suspicious but he too was beginning to get a bad feeling. "You think I was followed?"
"You're too good for that, they would know better then to try to track you anywhere. Unless they had some way of doing it without being seen." Rome said softly as an idea formed in her head. She had thought that Relena's crush on her brother had bloomed into a lot more but that didn't mean she wouldn't throw it away for Milliardo. A sibling's love was a sibling's love.
"The chain." Paris said simply and to the shock of his two relatives a look of true and deep pain flew across his features before disappearing under a mask, Heero Yuy's mask. "There's some sort of tracking device in it."
Well that's where I'm leaving it off for know and I hope that you like what I've got so far and that you'll review and let me know what you think. Thanks again for reading and I hope you'll stay tuned for the next chapter.
Nervous Breakdown at Twenty
If someone had come at him with a Gundam at that instant Milliardo probably wouldn't have even noticed as Noin slugged her arm over Heero's shoulder as the two made there way back to the table where Heero had been before. Of all the things that had run through his mind as possible reasons for Noin leaving this had never been one of them. Yuy Milliardo thought, feeling as though he'd been repeatedly shot without mercy. It had to be Yuy.
"So what's new with you?" Rome asked as she moved out of a waitress's way as she hurried by with a tray full of drinks and supper. "Blow anything big up lately?"
"Not lately." Paris said with the sad look that most children get when they've been denied candy or a present that he or she really wanted. "Nothing but paperwork and more paperwork. Oh and paperwork."
"Sounds like you should retire, you're too young to be a paper pusher already." Rome said squeezing his shoulder affectionately. "I'm sure even someone of your limited intelligence could find something to do with your time."
"Gee thanks." Paris said with a smirk to show that he knew she was just playing. "So what's with the top, last time I checked you did have some shirts in your closet."
"Well I figured I've been stuck in a uniform for nearly half my life, so I decided to make up for lost time." Rome said with a mischievous grin. "Like?"
"Hell no, all the guys in this place are staring at your chest like they're starving and you're a six course meal. They keep it up and I'm going to have to start pumping lead." Paris said as he took the time to send one of his famous death glares at a guy who'd been about to approach them, eyes fastened on his sister, or at least a part of her autonomy. "Starting with you." Paris added in case the guy didn't get the hint. Getting it the other guy took off like the fires of hell were after him. Metaphorically they were.
"Oh you're such a people person." Rome said as she leaned over to plant a kiss on her brother's cheek, she loved it when he did the over protective brother thing, it was so cute. He got all ruffled and acted all mean and bad, like Heero.
"Milliardo?" Quatre said carefully as he and the other pilots watched Milliardo closely for signs of cracking. Sally had a hand on his shoulder and Relena was clutching his hand like a lifeline but he didn't seem to be aware of either. All his attention was centered on the two people they were watching and Quatre felt a chill roll down his spine at the look on Milliardo's face. This was going to end badly Quatre thought as he lowered his head to look at his hands, real bad.
"Well it took you two long enough to get back here." Julian said as he got out of his chair having just been royally been shot down by a redhead. He was just having really bad luck tonight. "Got a hug for you're favorite guy?"
Smiling at him Rome let go of Paris to give her cousin a big hug before sitting down in the seat he pulled out for her. "How ya doing Julian?" She said as Paris sat down beside her on her left with Julian on her right.
"Pretty good, I ordered our usuals and I made a three billion dollar deal with Wica Corps that'll come in handy later." Julian said with a shrug as though it were no big deal, which to him it really wasn't. He was rich and as long as Rome and Paris had anything to say about it he'd stay that way.
"Not bad." Rome admitted already thinking of how they were going to convince Julian not to do something really stupid with the money they'd get from the deal. She loved Julian a great deal and the guy was a genius with computers but when it came to money he was an absolute moron. Knowing him he'd think nothing of giving a beggar on the street a thousand of the money.
"Yup, I was thinking that with that money maybe I could build an arcade in the office building, you know with pinball machines and the shoot the duck and everything. What do you think?" Julian asked looking like a little kid asking for approval.
Sharing a long-suffering look Rome and Paris smiled gently at their scatter brained cousin. "Exactly how much do you think you want to spend on it Julian, you know you don't have your trust fund to fall back on anymore." Paris reminded him carefully. Julian had joined himself and Rome on their grandfather's disowned list three years ago and the guy was still convinced that their grandfather would take it back. Christope McMaster didn't change his mind after he'd made it, ever.
"Oh grandfather will give it back to me when he's done pouting." Julian said, sure that his Grandfather wouldn't leave him in the dark, they were family and to Julian there was no stronger bond, even if his own parents didn't particularly like him. They just didn't understand him was all. "He's only a little bit mad at me now."
"He's only been a little bit mad at you for three years." Rome pointed out with a shake of her head at the twist of fate that had given her Julian for a cousin. "I don't think he intends to reinstate you any time soon which means you can't be blowing your money away on stuff you don't need."
"Even without our trusts we're still rich, Paris too." Julian said looking thoroughly confused at his cousins. "Why would something as little as an arcade hurt us?"
"Because so much of our money is tied into the corporation Julian." Paris said patiently having tried to explain this to Julian several times. "Its true that even if our company did go bust we wouldn't be poor but it doesn't hurt to be careful about it. Even the rich shouldn't waste their money unless they need to"
"You sound like your dad Paris." Julian said with a smirk. He'd always liked Uncle Niles and it was nice to see him in Paris and Rome, almost like having him back. "Okay, maybe a little arcade?" Julian asked with a hopeful look that was so like a little puppy it wasn't even funny. As if on cue the food arrived which was a guaranteed distraction.
"Maybe a little one." Rome agreed with an affectionate smile as she took her plate of spaghetti and felt her mouth water at the smell. That was another thing she didn't miss about living in the army, the bad food. "Now what do you say we eat?"
"We're missing something here, something important." Trowa said more to himself then to anyone else. He could obviously see that Heero and Noin were a hell of a lot closer to each other then they'd ever let on but something about the way they were behaving just didn't click. There was obvious affection and even love in the way they joked and talked and yet they weren't acting like lovers, more like very close friends or relatives. Plus if Heero did care for Noin romantically then why was Milliardo still alive? Heero had never struck Trowa as the sharing kind.
"What's going on Trowa?" Relena asked looking to him for support. Of anyone in the room he would be the one most likely to be able to explain what was going on in front of her eyes. She refused to believe that Noin and Heero were a couple, something wasn't right here and she knew it.
"I don't know, Relena." Trowa said with a barely visible shrug. "But I think we're jumping to conclusions here."
"Hey Julian, I think that girl over there was checking you out." Rome said as she set her glass down to smile encouragingly at her cousin. Her cousin was completely clueless when it came to women and Rome was counting on that little fact to get him to leave for a couple of minutes so that she could talk to Paris alone. "The one in the blue dress at the wet bar."
"Really?" Julian said twisting his head to get a better view. "Wow she's really pretty."
"Why don't you go over and get her a drink Julian and be sure to let her see how much money you have in your wallet, you'll get her attention faster." Paris said with a knowing smirk.
"Oh shut up Paris." Julian said taking a half-hearted swing at Paris's head. "Now if you'll excuse me I've got a girl to pick up." With what dignity he had Julian got up and made his way towards the girl, trying to remember all the advice Rome had given him the last time. Unfortunately he was drawing a blank.
"So how long do you think it'll take him to send her running in the other direction?" Paris asked his sister as he watched their bumbling cousin make his way through the crowd. It was a longstanding joke in the family that if it weren't for the physical resemblance everyone would have assumed he'd been switched at birth. They came from a family of sharks and no one could figure out how those genes had produced a cuddly puppy like Julian. Cecil probably dropped him on his head as a child Paris thought with a smirk as he thought of his other cousin Cecil. He and Rome actually had a lot of cousins but Julian was the only one they'd admit to being related to. That said a lot about their messed up family.
"Since she's deaf I figure give him ten minutes before she clues in that she needs to worry." Rome said with a knowing smirk. "Poor guy, he just never makes the break."
"I'm thinking you sent him away on purpose." Paris said as he turns his attention back to his sister who was calmly sipping her drink as innocent as she pleased. 'What's up?"
"You mentioned something about Zechs?" Rome said carefully, keeping her voice neutral and her face clear of any emotion she didn't want to show.
"There's a way to kill my appetite." Paris said with a frown as he looked down at his half-eaten spaghetti and meatballs. "Couldn't you have waited until I was done before you brought him up?"
"Quit complaining and spill." Rome said giving him a frown as she tried to ignore the feeling in her stomach that said she wasn't going to like this one bit. "So what's going on Paris?"
"You know I'm not such a bad guy." Paris said absently winding pasta on his fork as he tried to put his feelings into words that weren't all four lettered. "I generally respect my elders, I go to church when I can and I follow most of the commandments except for one. I'd say that all in all I'm a pretty nice guy who deserves to live a normal life after what I've been through the last five years. Your former boyfriend is making that very difficult and I'm not kidding when I say that I dearly wish I'd killed him years ago."
"I thought you said he was leaving you alone about Relena?" Rome said in surprise and a hint of relief. Her brother and Zechs had never gotten along but she could handle a disagreement, she'd thought it had been something serious. "And as for the commandments last time I checked thou shall not kill was a big one to break."
"Yea but nine out of ten on a regular bases isn't bad." Paris said with a pout. "And he's not picking on me because of Relena, he's getting Relena to pick on me about you!"
"Don't tell me you can't take it?" Rome said crossing her arms as she gave her brother a shocked look that was rewarded with a death glare from Paris. "The great 01 pilot of the Gundam Wing taken down by a little blonde pacifist?"
"Oh shut up will ya I'm serious." Paris said as he leaned back in his chair, trying to find the words that were escaping him just when he needed them. "Relena's got everyone she can get looking for you and she's driving me crazy with the puppy dog eyes for help. Plus Milliardo's also taken over my most feared position at Preventers so I don't even have that anymore."
"Milliardo's never been what you'd call an easy person Paris."
"Yea but know he's ten times worse not to mention the fact that just looking at the guy is enough to kill a starved man's appetite. Now I hate the guy and I've made no pretense about it in all the years I've known him. He's a stuck up assehole who has been a plague upon my existence since day one and I would gladly kill the son of a bitch. However right know he is as close to dead as I've ever seen him and the hell of it is I can't even enjoy it because I've got to worry about Relena and protecting you. I mean Jesus Rome, what did you say to him in that letter?"
"Did he say Rome?" Wufei said as his eyes went wider then saucers as a new possibility came into play. After all how many women could there be out there with a name like Rome, both involved with Heero?
"They're siblings." Quatre said as a huge smile lit his features as the wonderful news hit him. Heero wasn't going to die; he hadn't done anything wrong, really.
"Siblings?" Milliardo and Relena said at the same time as they looked at each other and then back at the screen again. Could it be?
"You're exaggerating." Rome said as she reached for her water glass with a slightly less steady hand then before.
"I wish." Paris said taking a quick swallow of his own water before continuing. "Look I always figured that the guy just wanted you in his bed and I made no secret of the fact that I really wanted you to dump the jackass because you deserve a hell of a lot better then him but I think that maybe I was wrong. I think he might actually love you Rome."
"He doesn't know Rome, Paris." Rome said with a rather sad smile. "And he didn't love Noin as anything more then a friend. Trust me on this one."
"Well normally I would but I think your wrong and you've got to know that because you know how much I hate him and you have no idea what its like to actually have to be arguing his case here." Paris said looking rather ill just thinking about it. "Thanks to your boy and Relena I'm well on my way to having a nervous breakdown and I'm only twenty for God's sakes."
"Who's going to make you have a nervous breakdown?" Julian asked as he took back his seat with a sigh of defeat. The girl hadn't seemed to hear a word he'd said and he'd final given up trying to get her attention.
"Long story and if you have a nervous breakdown because of Zechs its your own fault for not killing him when you had the chance. As I recall I practically gift wrapped him for you that one time."
"Well if people had just quit getting in the way I would have." Paris said, his inability to kill the senior Peacecraft a rather sore spot and black mark on his career. "Besides you didn't kill him either and you've had ten times the amount of chances to kill him then I've had."
"Yea but the difference is it didn't suit my interests to kill him, Paris." Rome pointed out with a touch of ice.
"Oh ya and what about that time when psycho boy was bent and determined to destroy earth and just about killed you too huh? I think it would have suited your interests to kill him then but you didn't. I think that you love him and are just too stubborn to see it." Paris pointed out, on a roll now. "I'd rather eat cod liver for the rest of by life then have Peacecraft for a brother in law but if he's what you need to be happy then what the hell are you doing here?"
"Paris." Rome said carefully as she struggled to get herself under control. "You're my little brother and I love you dearly. I've practically raised you since we were kids and under normal circumstances I'd never harm a hair on your head for anything but if you don't get off this line of topic I won't be held responsible for my actions."
"Gotcha." Paris said knowing when to shut up. "But if it helps I think that the guys are starting to back off on the search and I plan to find plenty for them to do."
"What's with the necklace?" Rome asked looking desperately for something to take her mind off of things. "I thought you didn't like wearing jewelry other then your earring."
"It's a chain and I happen to like it." Paris said allowing her to draw the attention away from what had happened seconds before. He'd planted the seed in her mind, now it was up to fate to see whether or not it took root.
"Borrow it from Duo?" Rome said with a smirk, "Bet that shocked the hell out of him."
"Naw its mine." Paris said with a quick shake of his head. "What made you think it was Duo's? He doesn't normally wear much jewelry either."
"That's strange." Rome said, her instincts telling her that something was up, but what? "I saw Duo ogling that chain or something really similar in the mall a few days before I left. He was practically drooling all over the case. Did he buy it for you?"
"No Relena did." Paris said thoughtfully as he fingered the chain. "Come to think of it I remember Maxwell yapping about some chain he was obsessed with. She just saw it and thought I'd like it but I never wear any jewelry but a watch around her. Why would she think I'd want it?" he wondered aloud, more to himself then to anyone.
"How far would you say Relena would go to get me back?" Rome asked as she tried to shake the feeling that something wasn't right. She felt as though she was being watched and yet she saw no one in the room that looked out of place or rubbed her the wrong way. And why did she keep coming back to the chain?
"There's nothing she wouldn't do for the idiot so I guess there isn't a lot she wouldn't do to get you back for him. Why?" Paris said reading his sister correctly. Scanning the room he saw nothing out of place or suspicious but he too was beginning to get a bad feeling. "You think I was followed?"
"You're too good for that, they would know better then to try to track you anywhere. Unless they had some way of doing it without being seen." Rome said softly as an idea formed in her head. She had thought that Relena's crush on her brother had bloomed into a lot more but that didn't mean she wouldn't throw it away for Milliardo. A sibling's love was a sibling's love.
"The chain." Paris said simply and to the shock of his two relatives a look of true and deep pain flew across his features before disappearing under a mask, Heero Yuy's mask. "There's some sort of tracking device in it."
Well that's where I'm leaving it off for know and I hope that you like what I've got so far and that you'll review and let me know what you think. Thanks again for reading and I hope you'll stay tuned for the next chapter.