Part 20
AC 198, August 18th, 7:30 AM, L3 Colony Cluster, Hilton Hotel
Heero was the first to wake up. He was feeling so relaxed that it was almost weird. He lowered his gaze to the blond burden he had in his arms and smiled. Apparently, everything that had happened last night was true, and not a vision from his imagination.
Quatre shifted in his sleep, his light blond hair tickling Heero's chest. The Arabian was sprawled on his lover, one arm possessively hooked around his waist, his head on Heero's heart. He had fallen asleep listening to its steady rhythm, and although Heero was definitely starting to get a cramp, he didn't want to move. Watching Quatre sleep was something he knew he would never get tired of. A wave of protectiveness surged through Heero, and he held Quatre a bit tighter. There was no way anyone would take that away from him now.
The green-blue eyes fluttered open all of a sudden. Quatre snuggled a bit closer in the warm embrace, sighed happily, and looked up to meet Prussian blue eyes ablaze with an unusual tenderness.
"Good morning", Quatre whispered sleepily.
Heero just smiled back. That little half-smile that lighted a strange thing in his eyes, and that Quatre was starting to find damn sexy. He moved just enough to kiss Heero lightly on the lips before crawling out of the embrace and stretching.
"What time is it ?", he asked.
"7:31. You have anything to do today ?"
Quatre made a face.
"There is this conference at the L3 Parliament. I'm supposed to be there for the introductory speech, but I can skip the rest. It's scheduled at 11:00, but I have to be there a bit earlier for the press conference. Father and Iria will be there too, but they'll stay for the whole thing. Iria said she would tell me if there was anything interesting. Why don't we just go see if the others are up ? Then we can all go have breakfast and plan for the day. I'd like to spend the day out with all of you. You know, just having fun."
Heero opened his mouth to argue that it was dangerous, that killers were after them, that … he didn't even utter the first words. Quatre's face was radiating with so much expectation and happiness that Heero knew he would not be able to deny him anything. And anyway, he was not in danger as long as Heero, Duo and Wufei were with him.
So, Heero heard himself mutter "Okay."
There was a sudden beep from Quatre's laptop. Heero looked at the thing, still flashing its "You are not alone" screensaver, with a mix of disgust and exasperation. He still didn't believe he could have let something as basic as a screensaver put him off-balance, but for some strange reason, Quatre seemed to think that it had been one of the things that had brought them together and had refused to remove it. Adding with malice that there was some truth in the statement and that Heero would do well to remember it.
/You've got a message, an electronic voice buzzed.
Not bothering with clothes, Quatre got out of the bed. The first lights of the artificial day made his skin glow almost golden and set red flames into the light blond hair. The view took Heero's breath away, which explains why he didn't hear it when Quatre called him. At least, not the first time.
"Heero ! I'm talking to you !"
Heero shot him a Do-you-imagine-I-can-listen-to-what-you-say-when-you're-standing-there-naked Glare, but got up and came closer to the desk too.
"It's from Agent Wind", Quatre said. "You might need the information more than I."
He clicked on the little envelope icon that was happily bouncing in the corner of the screen.
From : Wind-at-secure. Quatre.r.
Sent : AC 198, August 17th, 23:47
Subject : Ace of Spades
message begins
Lady Une reported to the Doctors last night. They are not happy with her, but she threatened them enough to make them stop doubting her. She didn't reveal her further course of actions, but she's been asking some weapons to Dermail : sniper rifles and corresponding ammos.
Heard of the elimination of the yakuzas. The card was not well received either. Lady Une is still recruiting in the L3 underground. She might act soon, since she failed once and takes this as a personal challenge. No indication as to where and when she will strike.
Wind
PS : She asked me to stay on stand-by to maybe come and help her in her plan. I might be asked to try and kill you.
message ends
Heero frowned at the poor computer as if he could make the text on the screen change by the force of his will. It didn't work. Apparently, Lady Une didn't trust Wind enough to let him in on the plan, but she planned on using him as a last resort, it seemed. Which could prove to be both an advantage and an inconvenient. Wind would be able to disable the killer, but his fake identity would be blasted at the same time. And Heero doubted that Agent Wind would blow his cover just to save Quatre's life, when his own inquiry was not finished.
"What do we do ?", Quatre asked. "You're not going to tell me we can't go out, today, are you ?"
"No. If we lose ourselves in the crowd, we will be naturally protected from snipers attacks. Those kinds of things have to be planned and you need a precise location of your target to do that. The only dangerous parts will be when we get at the Parliament and when we get out. Then, the fact that we will be wandering is probably the best protection we have."
"So, we go to the conference, stay half an hour for show, then we go get your stuff, and we have a nice day."
"Hn."
"Something is bothering you."
Heero shook his head. Having someone voicing his own emotions before he was aware of them was still something he had to get used to.
"I just don't know how much we can trust Agent Wind. Your security is a subsidiary matter in his inquiry, not his primary goal. He could sacrifice you if he felt that was necessary."
"That implies that I would let myself being killed or you would not be able to protect me, and I don't even want to consider any of those options, so can we declare the subject closed ? I really would like to have a good time today, and I … I would like you to have a good time too, okay ?"
O.O.O.O.O
Half an hour later, Heero and Quatre went to knock on Wufei's door. The Chinese young man opened almost immediately. He had been up for quite some time now, and was getting dressed. He agreed to come down for breakfast. He was about to turn around to grab his white shirt and his hair tie, but something in Quatre's eyes made him stop. His friend was looking at him with a little smile.
"You're feeling better", Quatre said.
It was not a question. The young Arabian could still feel Wufei's pain as he had felt it a bit last night. But last night it had been raw, as if something had reawakened it. This morning, it was … dulled, blurred, as if a thin veil had been put on it, burying it deeper. The Chinese young man nodded at the statement.
"Yes, I … I think that too."
He was certainly not going to admit that he had cried himself to sleep, and even less that crying had made him feel a lot better. Last night, he had shed all the tears that had been bottled up for more than six months, the tears his own family had denied him. Everything had come out, hurting and burning, but now the fire was cooled, and what remained was slight melancholy and regret, and the underlying sadness of having lost a loved one that Wufei knew would never really leave.
"I hope Duo didn't bother you too much, did he ?"
Wufei smiled, remembering the strange moment he had shared with the American.
"No, he … actually we talked and … it helped. He was kind enough not to tease me for about twenty minutes."
"Good. That's good", Quatre said. "If you ever need …"
"It's okay, Quatre", Wufei interrupted. "You did a lot for me already, and what you did was more than enough. It's time I deal with this on my own now. I needed to get it all out, now that it's done, I have to face it and make my own choices. But I have to thank you for starting all this."
"I understand. Let's get Duo out of bed, now, shall we ?"
Wufei swiftly tied his hair, and they began to make their way to Duo's door, when Quatre almost stumbled and blushed. Heero frowned, feeling a wave of confusion and sudden understanding go through Quatre.
"What's wrong ?"
"Uh, nothing", Quatre said a bit too quickly. "Maybe we should just go down and come back later."
"Why ?", Wufei asked.
Quatre looked desperate for something to say. Since no answer came, Wufei went to the door and knocked.
"Maxwell, you awake ?"
There was a loud thump and the sound of colorful swearing could be heard as Duo apparently fell off the bed and tried to find something to put on. The door suddenly swung open to reveal a naked Duo holding a sheet around his waist, his hair unbound, … and Trowa, sitting on the bed. The young clown greeted the newcomers with a tiny smile and a nod, apparently not noticing the weirdness of the situation. Wufei and Heero just stared at the scene. Quatre blushed some more.
"I'm sorry, Duo, I … I didn't want to disturb you, but …"
"S'okay, Cat, we weren't sleeping."
"Oh."
"And before you imagine stuff, we were only talking, unlike some people I know. Man, but the soundproofing in this hotel really sucks, if you want my opinion !", he added with a grin.
Quatre blushed harder. Heero glared murderously at Duo, who just winked back.
"Sorry to have disturbed you", Quatre said.
"I'll survive", Duo joked. "And then, that's what drove me outta this place and made me come back to the circus to see Trowa, so maybe I owe you a thanks, actually."
Quatre's head shot up and he looked at Trowa. The young man was half hiding behind his bangs, but his only visible eye glinted with amusement and soft tenderness. Quatre had to summon all his control not to jump on Duo and congratulate him. It certainly looked like his friend was getting over the disappointment quite nicely, and quickly. Which only proved his point : Duo had known all along that he would have to get away at one point, only holding back because he wanted to be sure Quatre was happy. The words spoken last day had apparently had some kind of liberating effect. And whatever was coming from Duo and Trowa, Quatre could feel that it was serious and here to stay. Shaking his head to come out of his thoughts, Quatre exposed their plans for the day.
"Hey, good idea, but I'll tell ya what", Duo said, "once we get out of that conference, we go back to the circus for Trowa to fetch his stuff."
Wufei looked interrogatively at Trowa.
"I'm on holiday", Trowa said. "Duo invited me to stay with him for a while."
"He knows what I know", Duo said before either of his friends could protest. "He knows it could be dangerous, and he wants to come."
"Are you sure ?", Quatre asked Trowa.
"I'm sure. It's not like me to desert friends in danger anyway", Trowa answered.
Quatre felt a warm glow in his chest. Trowa had called him a friend. And it was obvious Duo would not back away or try to dissuade Trowa. Heero did not look too happy about all this, but at least he didn't voice it and just watched Duo with disapproval. A thing that had absolutely no effect whatsoever on the young American.
"Give us five minutes to get dressed and then we'll go down, Cat !", Duo said.
O.O.O.O.O
Iria Winner shot a sideways look at her father, who hadn't uttered a word since they had climbed in the limousine, and let out an exasperated sigh.
"What's wrong, Father ?"
Mr Winner jumped in his seat, and looked at his daughter. The blond young woman rolled her eyes at the expression on his face. Did he really expect her not to notice that something was wrong ? 'Like father like son', she thought with an inner smile.
"What makes you think something is wrong ?", Mr Winner finally asked.
"That little frown you have on your face. Quatre does exactly the same thing when he's preoccupied by something."
Mr Winner shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"I … Quatre and I had a rather heated discussion after the reception."
"I told you you shouldn't have talked to Mrs Peacecraft before making sure Quatre was okay with it."
"You knew he wouldn't agree", Mr Winner stated.
"I knew", Iria admitted.
"And did you know why ?"
"Of course, Father. I raised Quatre in my house, for Allah's sake ! I'm not blind, and to be honest he didn't even think of hiding it from me !"
"Why didn't you …"
"Why didn't I what ?", Iria snapped, losing her patience. "Tell him it was wrong ? Try to make him change ? You can't seriously mean that, Father. I don't think it is wrong, and I would certainly not have told him even if I thought it was. Quatre is free to make his own choices."
"That's exactly what he told me", Mr Winner said bitterly.
"Then maybe you should believe it", Iria said. "He is not Mother. He is not you. He is an individual with his own personality, and he has a right to decide what he wants to do with his life. If you had spent more time with him when he was younger, maybe you would not have begun to imagine he would do your will."
"Are you going to blame me again for this, Iria ?"
"No", Iria sighed. "I just … he loves you, Father. But that does not mean he is going to comply to your every wish. Honestly, Father, have you ever thought of him in other terms than just your heir ? Did you even bother to ask him if he wanted to inherit WEI ?"
Mr Winner seemed struck by what he heard.
"That's exactly my point", Iria kept on. "You expect too much of him, Father. I know Quatre will make you proud, but you have to let him do it his own way. And you have to stop being so narrow-minded about such petty subjects like his sexual orientation. Once this conference is over, you will have a serious talk with him without shouting. I will talk to him too. You two will figure this out, or I'll make you."
"I suppose you're right", Mr Winner whispered. "I said a lot of things I didn't mean, I think I was too shocked to react appropriately."
He paused for a moment, then added :
"Was I really that bad, Iria ? Did I really mess everything up ? Allah, I didn't think it would be so difficult !"
"You are not a bad father. You are the best father I could ever have dreamt to have, considering the strange family we have. We all love you, and Quatre is not different."
O.O.O.O.O
Quatre got out of his own limousine, followed by the strange group of his friends. It was really curious, but Quatre felt a strange feeling of peace and calm in the middle of that little group. As if the five of them being together was natural. And it certainly looked like it, since each of them had fallen into their places. Quatre was gently leading the small group, Heero was on watch, but also a reassuring presence, his strength almost radiating, Duo was loud as usual, but his enthusiasm was just a bit tempered by Trowa's calm presence at his side, and Wufei was watching their back, efficient and dedicated. And Quatre could feel that each of the young men around him perceived the strange cohesion that had been born into their group, and were accepting it.
Of course, Duo was still teasing Wufei, but there was a slight tenderness in his voice as he did it, and Wufei's glares and snaps were only half-hearted. Trowa seemed to be a soothing presence for all of them, his quietness overwhelming them. And, Quatre noticed with a smile, he could make Duo stop bouncing around by just putting a hand on his shoulder. There was still a slight tension between Duo and Heero, but it was gradually fading, both because Duo had found another center of interests and because Heero had received kind of a tangible proof that Quatre was loving him.
Quatre's smile disappeared when he saw his father, but he kept his face completely blank, ignoring Iria's scowl. If his father wanted to talk to him, he would have to wait. Today was about his friends and his friends first. Mr Winner shot an almost timid look to his son, and quickly turned away when all he met was a not too gentle stare. Heero frowned and looked at Quatre. The blond young man smiled apologetically. He should remember that every time he felt something, Heero could feel it too, and his problems with his father were none of Heero's business. He needed to work on his barriers, and he needed to teach Heero how to raise some.
Quatre was about to make his way into the Parliament when a journalist escaped the crowd and barred the way, starting to ask a flow of questions.
"Mr Winner, do you think that the fact that WEI severed all links with KI and Romefeller Ltd. could have any consequences on the colonial economy ? Could you tell us what the reasons behind it were ? Is there …"
Quatre felt Heero tense. The Japanese man glared at the journalist. The man gulped and stopped talking. The look on his face told that he was currently trying to find out if a human being could liquefy on the floor. Quatre had to bite back a snort of laughter. He put an appeasing hand on Heero's arm.
"I am not the right person to answer those questions", he said. "I am not the CEO of WEI, but my father is just there if you want to ask any questions regarding the way the business is managed. Now if you will excuse me, I have a speech to go listen to."
O.O.O.O.O
Iria watched after her brother when the little group disappeared inside the building. Two more people she didn't know. She had no idea who the high lanky man with the green eyes was, except that he certainly was gifted to calm Duo down. As for the other one … something was nagging Iria about him. She was certain she didn't know him, she would have remembered him if that was the case. But … it came back suddenly. She had seen him at the L4 embassy, but he had been wearing a security guard uniform at that time. And now, he was hovering over her brother and making journalists cower with a simple look. Something was happening, and she had no idea what it was. Probably linked with the fact that her brother had disappeared almost for an hour at that reception.
Chewing on her lower lip, Iria Winner followed her father into the L3 Parliament to listen to the conference.
O.O.O.O.O
"Well, that was boring !", Duo exclaimed as they got out of the Parliament.
Heero and Wufei were watching around, looking for signs of hidden snipers on the roofs, but the inspection revealed nothing.
"I'll go get my things", Heero finally said. "I'll join you at the circus."
"You're not going alone", Quatre started to protest.
"And you're not going with me", Heero interrupted firmly. "I'll go swifter if I am alone, and I may encounter some people who will need to answer a few questions. You go ahead. You are safe with them. I … trust them."
"Hey, he said it !", Duo joked.
Quatre was pouting like an unhappy child, but Heero refused to bend.
"I'll be careful, I promise", he whispered in Quatre's hear. "I'll be back in less than an hour."
Quatre nodded, but kept on pouting. Heero shot a long glance to Wufei, Duo and Trowa. The Chinese inclined his head to show his acceptance of the mission, Trowa nodded slightly, and Duo began to drag Quatre away.
"Come on, Cat ! You can ask Cathy to show you how to throw knives ! We'll practice with Tro, he's used to have knives thrown at him after all …."
Heero shook his head and disappeared in a nearby alley.
O.O.O.O.O
Checking out of the lame hotel he had chosen took less time than he had expected. Most of his stuff consisted of his weapons and ammunitions. The laptop was soon packed in its usual case, and the few clothes Heero had taken with him neatly folded into a duffel bag. Going downstairs, Heero went to the counter to give his key to the man behind.
"Leaving today ?", the man asked.
"Hn."
"Oh, just a minute, someone left somethin' for you."
Heero raised an eyebrow. He had checked in under his real name. He had hoped that maybe some of the killers after him would try to follow him, which would have made it easier for him to eliminate them without putting Quatre into danger, but it hadn't worked. Until today. The man began to look for something in his drawers, still talking.
"The lady freaked me out, honest. She was really furious to see you weren't there. Ah, got it!"
He straightened, holding a red rose in his hand.
"She said to give this to you, and to say that she would come soon. What did ya do to her, two-timing or somethin' ?"
"Sort of."
Heero looked into his own bag and extracted a card from it. An ace of spades.
"If she comes back looking for me, give her that and tell her I'm looking forward to it."
"Hey, who do you think I am, the freakin' postal service !"
"You're someone lucky enough to still be alive after you talked to me that way, I think that's saying something", Heero replied icily. "Just do as you're told and shut up."
Whatever the man had wanted to say, it just blocked in his throat. Heero put a twenty dollar bill on the counter and left without a look back.
O.O.O.O.O
As soon as they reached the circus, Duo almost jumped on Cathy to ask her to demonstrate her talents, and to compare them with his own. Trowa wisely refused to act as living target, leaving his sister and his boyfriend to compare the respective merits of their knives. Catherine was impressed by the two black curved blades.
"What are they made of ?"
"Gundanium alloy. I saved some from a open crate at the junkyard. That can almost cut through anything, I cut through a gun with them two days ago."
"You're kidding me, right ?"
"No, go on, try them !"
Wufei smiled at the two of them.
"Did we really need to introduce Duo to someone as hyperactive as he is ?", he asked.
"Well, Trowa can be a good balance to that", Quatre said.
"Agreed", Wufei said. "Barton, you've officially entered my list of favorite people."
"Why that ?", Trowa asked, raising his visible eyebrow.
"Because you can make Maxwell shut up."
"That's a good reason", Trowa admitted, deadpan. "Maybe we should sit a bit further before they start throwing the knives."
Wufei sat down and closed his eyes, adopting a meditating posture. Trowa and Quatre left him space and sit down on the grass, watching Duo and Cathy playfully bickering.
"You did it on purpose", Trowa said very quietly.
"I did what ?", Quatre asked, trying to look perfectly innocent and quite succeeding.
"Duo. You sent him back, didn't you ?"
"Actually, no, but I was hoping he would come back to see you. And before you ask, no, I didn't plot anything with Cathy, she seems evil enough to do this on her own. Our plans just … happened to meet in the middle."
"Why ?"
Quatre sighed.
"Because Duo needs a life of his own, because you two feel right for each other … I don't know why, I just know it's right. You are someone exceptional, that much is true. And Duo is too. He needs someone like you. He needs the balance, something steady to hold on to. I am not that. I was never that, and there is not a chance I can ever be that for him. He … told you, right ? About us ?"
"He did. Actually, you were almost all he could talk about. That is, until I understood he only did it so that he wouldn't be talking about himself."
"Sorry about that, but we are important to each other. Heero had trouble adjusting. Is it okay with you ?"
"He told me you cleared things with him. I am okay with it if he is okay with it. I think he will be, eventually. But, no, it's not a problem for me to know you were together. He is not my first boyfriend either, even if I would like him to."
"It's strange isn't it ? How you always wish you are the first for someone ?"
Trowa shrugged.
"It's only human, I suppose. And it can be true."
"Are you sure you want to come with us ? It's really dangerous, you know."
"I was raised in a mercenary camp until I was fourteen, I think I can take it."
"Thank you, anyway."
"In case you're wondering, no, I would not do that for anyone", Trowa said low. "You … I don't know if I should say that, but there is something about you …I don't know what it is, I don't know how to explain, but …"
"I think I know what you mean", Quatre interrupted. "It's okay. It's just … I seem to develop special bonds with a lot of people lately, I wonder if my empathy is not evolving a bit out of control and …"
Quatre suddenly stopped talking, realizing what he had said. Trowa didn't seem surprised, or at least not too much.
"That's why ?", he asked.
"Did Duo forget to mention this ?"
"Kind of, but I must say it explains some things. I … I thought you looked like our lions, that's really what drove me to you first. And then, you were so kind, so polite, but always giving that impression of being trapped, and I wanted to open the cage, and I knew I couldn't. I think … I think I heard you asking for help, but I didn't know where that came from."
Quatre just remained silent. He had to admit that Trowa's presence soothed his mind, cleared his thoughts. It had been a relief to find that on that night, after all the emotional turmoil. And yet Trowa had perceived something too.
"I think I need to break the cage myself", he eventually said.
"Yes", Trowa answered in a whisper. "But you are not alone to do it now."
"Thank you."
Quatre and Trowa exchanged a little smile, that spoke of trust and friendship. Trowa didn't really understand what was going on, but he knew that Quatre was someone good, that he was Duo's friend, little brother even, and that he was in trouble. That was enough for Trowa to want to protect him, but there was something more personal about it too. The thing he could not really explain and call the 'lion thing'. Quatre was fascinating him because he looked like a trapped wild animal. And Trowa wanted to set him free, or at least to see him setting himself free.
Heero suddenly appeared at the edge of the great field, and Trowa went into his trailer to get his bag. Quatre ran to his lover and took him in his arms.
"Is everything okay ?"
"Une left a message", Heero said. "I think she is pissed."
"Good", Duo said, coming closer. "A pissed psycho makes mistakes."
"You speak from personal experience, Maxwell ?", Wufei asked.
"Yep, I know a Chinese one who loses all self-control if you call him cute names !"
"MAXWELL !"
"Enough, children !", Catherine exclaimed, trying hard not to laugh.
"Children ?", Trowa asked, coming out of the trailer. "Where ?"
Catherine pointed at Wufei and Duo.
"Oh, I see", Trowa said evenly, sending Quatre and Duo into fits of hysteric laughter and even making Heero smile a bit.
The mood was broken as Quatre's cell phone rang. Still laughing, the blond young man took the communication.
"Hello ? … Yes, Rashid, it's me … Speak slowly, I don't understand, what is going on … I can't hear you very well …"
There was a long pause as Quatre listened to Rashid and suddenly, all color was drained from his face, his eyes widening in shock.
"I'm coming right now", he said in a weak voice before hanging up.
He turned to his friend. Heero fought back a twinge of nausea when he felt the fear and panic emanating from Quatre.
"It's my father", the Arabian said. "He's been shot at."