Hi. I'm back. On to the next chapter of "Serenity." In this chapter, you
will find out why Relena has become a stripper.
"..." Speaking '...' Thoughts ... Author's notes
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters and I do not own New York City (obviously). Heero followed Relena to an apartment building about fifteen minutes away from the Black Swan. He parked around a corner and crept over to the building. He caught the gate as it was closing and walked into a courtyard. He quickly and quietly climbed a tree in the center of the courtyard so that he could see what apartment Relena was going into. He watched her walk up a set of stairs to apartment 2B. She unlocked the door and walked in, shutting the door softly behind her.
Heero jumped out of the tree and stood staring at the door, trying to decide what to do. He knew that she would be angry with him for trying to take her back to the Sanc Kingdom, but he couldn't just walk away and let her continue to take her clothes off for money.
He sighed and walked the path to her door, ready to face the one who had haunted his dreams since he was fifteen.
Relena reached for a bottle of water as someone knocked on her door. She set the bottle down and walked over to the door. She unlocked the three bolts, but kept the chain in place. She opened the door and gasped as she face to face with a pair of cold, Prussian blue eyes. Her startled expression quickly vanished though, and was replaced with a sad smile.
"Come in Heero," she said as she unhooked the chain and opened the door for him.
He walked in, slightly confused, and said, "Were you expecting me?"
"I have been for the past year," she replied. He nodded. "So how did you know it was me?" she asked.
Heero walked up to her and softly touched her hip where the tattoo was underneath her t-shirt. "Do you think I would forget about that?" he asked her softly. She blushed and walked past him toward her living room window.
She had her back to him as she stared out the window, but he could tell that she was tense and uncomfortable. "So, you saw the show?" she whispered.
Heero nodded. "Why are you doing this Relena?" he asked coldly. "Why are you degrading yourself when you have an image to live up to?"
"Don't you think I fucking know that?" She yelled, whirling around to face him. "Do you honestly think I wanted my time of freedom to be filled with drunken men sticking dollar bills down my g-string? No! This isn't what I had planned. I was going to go to college and be a teacher. Exotic dancer was the farthest thing from my mind!"
"Then what changed your mind?" Heero said calmly.
The former queen of the world sighed and sunk down to the ground. "I've put too much emphasis on education over the years. I kept going on and on about how it was the most important thing, so now you practically have to have a degree to flip burgers! Dancing was the only job that I could find besides prostitution!"
"But you practically have a doctorate in politics," Heero pointed out.
"Yes, but I have no certification. I started working in politics when I was fifteen, so I didn't technically finish high school. I knew everything I needed to know, plus much more, but I didn't have anything to prove it. I never needed anything; I was queen on the whole god-damn world! But because of that, everyone who knows me as Amber Trent thinks that I'm a high school dropout. Over the past year, I've gotten my GED, and now I'm trying to save up for college."
"Why didn't you just take some money with you when you ran away?"
Relena smirked, "First of all, I didn't run away. I stayed where I was and you assumed that I hopped a plane to some far off land." Heero glared at her. "Secondly," she continued, "the whole point of me leaving was to start a new life away from being Foreign Minister she was promoted, just to let you know. I felt that using any money from my old life would be relying on a life that I don't want. That isn't right."
Heero closed his eyes and shook his head. Her words stung him. She didn't want her life. Did that mean that she didn't want him either? He couldn't let on how her words hurt, so instead he said, "I still can't believe you would allow yourself to do something as demeaning as stripping."
"It isn't that bad," she replied, slightly irritated. "I've met some of the nicest people working there. Most of the girls are in my situation and just can't afford an education yet. Sure, I have to deal with some dirt bags, and I feel disgusted with myself after every show, but as long as I don't think too hard about what I'm doing, it's actually a pretty good job."
Heero stared at her, a thoughtful expression in his eyes. Relena blushed, but held his gaze.
"So," she said, breaking the staring contest. "Are you going to tell Milliardo and the other pilots that I'm here?"
"I have to Relena," he replied softly as he got up and walked towards the door. "It's my job."
With that, he walked out the door before Relena could say another word.
Okay, so now you know why Relena has taken up exotic dancing. In the next chapter, Heero tries to make Relena come back to her old life, but she's not going back that easily. And you will finally find out what is up with those tattoos. I was going to write about them this chapter, but it's late and I'm tired. Please review.
"..." Speaking '...' Thoughts ... Author's notes
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters and I do not own New York City (obviously). Heero followed Relena to an apartment building about fifteen minutes away from the Black Swan. He parked around a corner and crept over to the building. He caught the gate as it was closing and walked into a courtyard. He quickly and quietly climbed a tree in the center of the courtyard so that he could see what apartment Relena was going into. He watched her walk up a set of stairs to apartment 2B. She unlocked the door and walked in, shutting the door softly behind her.
Heero jumped out of the tree and stood staring at the door, trying to decide what to do. He knew that she would be angry with him for trying to take her back to the Sanc Kingdom, but he couldn't just walk away and let her continue to take her clothes off for money.
He sighed and walked the path to her door, ready to face the one who had haunted his dreams since he was fifteen.
Relena reached for a bottle of water as someone knocked on her door. She set the bottle down and walked over to the door. She unlocked the three bolts, but kept the chain in place. She opened the door and gasped as she face to face with a pair of cold, Prussian blue eyes. Her startled expression quickly vanished though, and was replaced with a sad smile.
"Come in Heero," she said as she unhooked the chain and opened the door for him.
He walked in, slightly confused, and said, "Were you expecting me?"
"I have been for the past year," she replied. He nodded. "So how did you know it was me?" she asked.
Heero walked up to her and softly touched her hip where the tattoo was underneath her t-shirt. "Do you think I would forget about that?" he asked her softly. She blushed and walked past him toward her living room window.
She had her back to him as she stared out the window, but he could tell that she was tense and uncomfortable. "So, you saw the show?" she whispered.
Heero nodded. "Why are you doing this Relena?" he asked coldly. "Why are you degrading yourself when you have an image to live up to?"
"Don't you think I fucking know that?" She yelled, whirling around to face him. "Do you honestly think I wanted my time of freedom to be filled with drunken men sticking dollar bills down my g-string? No! This isn't what I had planned. I was going to go to college and be a teacher. Exotic dancer was the farthest thing from my mind!"
"Then what changed your mind?" Heero said calmly.
The former queen of the world sighed and sunk down to the ground. "I've put too much emphasis on education over the years. I kept going on and on about how it was the most important thing, so now you practically have to have a degree to flip burgers! Dancing was the only job that I could find besides prostitution!"
"But you practically have a doctorate in politics," Heero pointed out.
"Yes, but I have no certification. I started working in politics when I was fifteen, so I didn't technically finish high school. I knew everything I needed to know, plus much more, but I didn't have anything to prove it. I never needed anything; I was queen on the whole god-damn world! But because of that, everyone who knows me as Amber Trent thinks that I'm a high school dropout. Over the past year, I've gotten my GED, and now I'm trying to save up for college."
"Why didn't you just take some money with you when you ran away?"
Relena smirked, "First of all, I didn't run away. I stayed where I was and you assumed that I hopped a plane to some far off land." Heero glared at her. "Secondly," she continued, "the whole point of me leaving was to start a new life away from being Foreign Minister she was promoted, just to let you know. I felt that using any money from my old life would be relying on a life that I don't want. That isn't right."
Heero closed his eyes and shook his head. Her words stung him. She didn't want her life. Did that mean that she didn't want him either? He couldn't let on how her words hurt, so instead he said, "I still can't believe you would allow yourself to do something as demeaning as stripping."
"It isn't that bad," she replied, slightly irritated. "I've met some of the nicest people working there. Most of the girls are in my situation and just can't afford an education yet. Sure, I have to deal with some dirt bags, and I feel disgusted with myself after every show, but as long as I don't think too hard about what I'm doing, it's actually a pretty good job."
Heero stared at her, a thoughtful expression in his eyes. Relena blushed, but held his gaze.
"So," she said, breaking the staring contest. "Are you going to tell Milliardo and the other pilots that I'm here?"
"I have to Relena," he replied softly as he got up and walked towards the door. "It's my job."
With that, he walked out the door before Relena could say another word.
Okay, so now you know why Relena has taken up exotic dancing. In the next chapter, Heero tries to make Relena come back to her old life, but she's not going back that easily. And you will finally find out what is up with those tattoos. I was going to write about them this chapter, but it's late and I'm tired. Please review.