Hi everyone!!! Disclaimers: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of its characters.
Pegasus
~*~
William's hold on her arms was even getting tighter. "You're not going anywhere, not right now until we settle this."
Her voice rang out loud, piercing the quiet darkness, "What's there to settle...you were with her. Who is she?" Fire was still blazing her in eyes.
"She's a friend of mine." He tried to reason with her.
"Well it doesn't look like that to me. It looks like you were smitten with her."
"Please, Relena, give me another chance."
"No...let me go right now," she demanded. She kicked him in the left knee and she felt his hold loosen somewhat. "I can't believe I nearly trusted you with my heart. There's nothing left for us. All of my friends warned me about you, but I didn't really see the truth until tonight." Her voice echoed around the area.
She walked away from William, who sat on the ground since he was still stunned by her attack. She called back to him, "I don't want to ever see your face again." She continued to walk down the darken dirt path under the moonlighted night. Tears were glistening on her cheeks as it captured the soft light from the evening.
William watched her as her figure disappeared behind a grove of trees. He slowly got up from the ground, while his left knee was badly bruised. His gait was somewhat unsteady as he made his way back to his residence. He looked towards his front porch and saw Celeste standing there in the glow of the screen door. Her dress and hair were fixed. He saw the disapproval in her eyes.
"I heard the whole thing," her voice was as a cold as ice. Her foot tapped lightly on the wooden boards below her. "You've been hiding this from my back...haven't you?" William didn't reply. The color on his face drained completely as his whole life was caving in on him. "I'm leaving now, this is goodbye for good. I truly see your true self now." She quickly walked off from the front porch and passed William.
"Wait, let me explain." William ran after her and grabbed her right arm. She just pushed him aside like a pesky mosquito.
"Like she said 'there's nothing left for us,'" she started to walk off into the twilight with her luggage in her arms. And never did once did she look back to her former lover, who stood in the middle of his field. She quietly made her way back to the town square and waited for a carriage to take her back to Boston. A few of the townspeople looked her way, but she hid her profile under a cloak that she had carried with her. Their gazes made her uneasy, but she ignored them. For the hour that she waited, she pondered on her relationship with William. The two had met at a family picnic that the Bennets' were hosting. A friend that was a cousin to William had invited her to come over seeing that Celeste didn't get out as much and with that, Celeste gladly obliged to join her. It was there that she met him under the gazebo. He was trying to avoid the other prospective ladies that had him in their sights. As for her, she wanted to find a quiet place to herself since she didn't know anyone at the picnic. She stood at one of the marble posts and looked out at the guests, not knowing that William on the other side. The two then accidentally bumped into each other and from that moment, her heart had skipped a beat. His hazel eyes looked upon her face. The sound of hoofs pounding the pavement brought her out of her daydreaming. She waited for the carriage to come to a complete stop.
"Wait!!" A man's voice boomed down the street. William was making his way to her location.
Celeste kept her gaze in front of her and with that she took one step in front of her and entered the carriage. The coachmen closed the door behind her as she found a seat in the dimly lighted carriage. "Can we please talk about this, Celeste?" He was breathing rapidly after his labored walk.
"There's nothing to say. You heard what Relena said." Not once did she look into his eyes. "I need to go back home, and resume my life from there. What we had long ago, you threw it out the window in an instant." Her voice was beginning to waver, "I can't go on like this, not anymore." The carriage started to move. "Farewell, Bennet."
William began to run alongside the carriage as long as he could before his endurance failed him. He nearly collapsed to the ground as he caught the last sight of the carriage before it disappeared into the evening's fog. The tone of Celeste's last statement wasn't too pleasing to his ears and he knew it was over for sure. Some of the townspeople made quick glances towards him and quickly went back to their own business. He was ruined for sure after tonight's revelation. William stared down the open road in disbelief that she was gone and before long, he started to hear short rumors spreading about him and his affair.
A woman's voice was heard, "There's that Bennet boy. I can't believe him, hurting Relena like that."
"I know, her mother will be in the center of scrutiny soon," replied another voice.
"Ssh, he might hear us."
William looked their way, but the two quickly disappeared into the fog. He slowly got up and stealthily walked back to his home. It was the only place where he could find some comfort from his troubles and away from the social networks of the town's gossips. He lethargically sat a wooden chair that was situated in his living room. The only light that was left came from a lamplight that was fueled by kerosene. He slowly stared into the flames that danced within the clear vessel, emotions of resentment and bitterness were starting to take hold of him. He continued to stare into the single flame and an obsession was starting to manifest itself slowly in his conscience.
~*~
Relena walked quietly back to her favorite spot. The lake was still for this time of night, its waters reflected the jeweled sky on its surface. She found a seat on a fallen tree and sat there, just focusing her sight in front of her. Her cheeks still felt wet from the tears that she shed. "Why am I such a fool?" she continued to cry under the stars for some time. "I should have seen it coming." She then felt a hand on her back, thinking it was William that followed her, "Go away, William. Don't you dare touch me!" She quickly got up and pushed the hand away from her. "I don't want to see your face ever again." She quickly ran away from him, but she felt like she was being pulled back to him.
"I'm not William."
Relena stopped struggling for a minute and with that, she knew who it was. "Let me go, Heero. You knew all along. Just let me go!!" She tried pushing him away from her, but his hold around her waist didn't falter.
"I can't."
She yelled back to him, trying to fight her tears, "Are you just trying to ruin my reputation, because after tonight, you finally accomplished your goal then. The gossip will be like a wild fire for the following days." She continued to struggle against his hold. "I can never figure you out or even with your mind games that you always seem to play." Then she heard the unthinkable.
"I'm sorry...I should have been more direct in the first place. None of this would have happened or ended like this. I tried to warn you but I kept freezing up."
She finally stopped struggling against him after hearing his first sentence that finally made some sense to her. She turned around to face him, she finalized the true meaning of his message that he gave her earlier in the afternoon. She felt that he was hiding something from her and now she knew. Feelings of guilt washed across her and for once she knew that Heero was trying to protect her from the truth...was it a sign of his own feelings for her? She then apologized to him, "No...it's my fault for not listening carefully."
"But..."
She placed her fingers up to his lips and silenced him, "The signs were there, but I blocked them from my mind." She looked away from him and tears trickled down her cheek again.
He lifted her chin back towards him and wiped away one tear from her right side with his index finger. "We played our parts." He looked down towards her and she acknowledged his statement. He tried to start a conversation with her and unknowingly a sentenced emerged from his lips, "I saw you staring at the stars this evening."
"Do you often spy on me?"
Heero didn't respond to that question, but looked up at the night-sky.
"I'll take that as a yes then." She stopped her crying and a smile was slowly returned to her face, but she shielded her heart more carefully than ever. The two continued to stand there for a while, just admiring the serene settings. Relena noticed that Pegasus, Andromeda, and Perseus, were now in a different location in the darken sky. The threesome were now hovering deeper in the abyss.
"What are you looking at?"
"Pegasus."
"The winged horse from Greek mythology."
She nodded. "It's the constellation that looks like a boxed square." She pointed it out to him. "You see it?"
"I see it."
The two were close to each other that they could kiss, but they didn't. Heero knew that Relena needed some space for the time being. He looked towards her and noticed that sadness was still present in her eyes, but he didn't say anything. Relena then broke the silence, "I better be heading back home. Trudy would wonder where I've been all this time, even though I left her a note."
"Let me walk with you home."
"That won't be necessary, Heero. I can manage. Thank you."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure, good night."
"Good night." He watched her disappear into the darkness like she did the first time when he saw her by the lake. And for the first time in many nights, he felt somewhat relieved that the truth was finally out, but the same dream kept plaguing him...the dream of Relena dying in his arms.
~*~
Relena slowly made her way back to her home, the moonlight did little good as she made her way through the dense brush. But after fifteen minutes, she finally made it home. The front door was slightly jarred open and she knew that there would be one unhappy maid in the house for the time being. She walked quietly as she could through the front door without being noticed hopefully.
"Where on earth have you been Ms. Relena?" Trudy was standing in a gray cotton dress. "I've been scared out of my wits."
"Well, I'm home now." She gave a meek smile to reassure her maid that everything was fine.
But, Trudy knew better, after working with her for these past five years, Trudy knew when Relena was lying about something, "I think your hiding something young lady. You can never get by with that smile of yours. There's something on your mind."
She shut the door behind her. "It's true." She looked defeated and she started to walk over to the staircase and sat on one of the lower steps. "Where should I begin?" she let out a sigh of agitation.
Trudy then sat next to her. "Did something happen?"
"I found William cheating on me and I broke up with him."
"You poor thing. I'm sorry to hear that." She noticed that Relena's eyes were welling up with tears again. She took Relena into her arms and rocked her, "It's alright, go ahead and cry." And so she did. "You'll get through this, I know you can." For the rest of the night, Relena knew that there would be turbulent days coming in Winfield with the news of her breakup with William.
~*~
A week had passed, but the town's rumors were still spreading.
Relena slowly opened her eyes and found herself in her room, she tried to avoid the public at any expense, which meant she stayed mainly indoors for the past week. She knew that she had to get up sometime soon or Trudy would have to drag her out of bed like she has been doing. She slowly rose and sat at the edge of her bed. She felt like her heart had been smashed into a thousand pieces. With time slipping by, she finally decided to prepare for another day in Winfield, hoping to stay out of the limelight of the rampant gossip that was going about. She dressed herself in a modest pink summer dress and walked down to the dining area. As usual, Trudy had prepared her breakfast and left her alone for the morning, but she knew that Trudy was around in the kitchen if she needed anything. She heard her footsteps in the area.
"You can go home, Trudy, I'll be fine."
"I'm not leaving you alone today, Ms. Relena. But, I'll stay out of your way. How about that?" she called from the kitchen hallway.
"Deal." With that, Relena began her breakfast and started her usual routine of reading after breakfast. For the most part, the day was fairly quiet with occasional phone calls coming from her mother's gossip network about the breakup and the incident with William and Celeste that seemed to never die down.
Right then, a knock was heard from the front door. Relena dreaded at the possibility of who stood on the other side of the door. She didn't want to meet any of her mother's friends including Martha, she didn't want to answer any of their nosy and prodding questions. She reluctantly left her seat on the couch and cautiously walked up to the barrier that separated her from the outside world of Winfield. She took a breath in and turned the brass knob.
"Hi, Relena."
"Hi, Hilde, please come in."
She stepped into the foyer and was led to the living room, "How are you holding up? I heard the news this morning when I walked into the town square for some shopping at the market. My family and I just got back from Western Springs. I can't believe the nerve of that idiot."
"I'm fine, thanks for asking. Enough about me, how was the dinner at Duo's the other week?"
"It was great, he nearly made a fool out of himself in serving the hot chicken legs. He used a tong to pick one up, but in the process of doing so, he nearly tripped over a stool he had in the kitchen. He quickly regained his balance, though."
"I should have been there."
"Maybe next time."
"Maybe." She then became distracted, "I almost forgot my mother baked these for you." She handed her a silver tin filled with small chocolate chip cookies. "She figured that you needed some cheering up."
"Thank your mom for me."
"I will. You need any help around here?"
"I'm fine, Trudy's here with me."
"You know where you can find me." With that, Hilde walked over to Duo's on the summer afternoon.
Relena gingerly held the tin in her hands and she walked over to her seat on the couch. She nibbled on two small cookies before she finally made up her mind. She went over to where Trudy sat in the expanse kitchen, she saw her taking the tips off the pea pods, "I'm going out for a horseback ride."
"Well it's about time you got some fresh air," she smiled towards Relena, "Just remember dinner will be at the usual time." She resumed back to her task.
With the approval from Trudy, Relena quickly walked back to her room and changed into her riding dress and headed out the front door to the stables. She noticed that Wufei wasn't there today, but she didn't mind. She enjoyed the sounds of the stable when no one was around. Right then, a familiar pair of black eyes peered towards her and she gave her the usual routine of sugar cubes in her hands. She took her horse out of the stall and tied the reins to a small post. She then got a large brush and started to groom her horse. "There you go, I think that looks much better now." She then fitted her horse with her saddle and then they were off. This was the first time that Relena ventured out into the opening, but she still wanted to avoid any nosy neighbors that wanted to gossip still.
The two headed off towards the back roads that lead to her brother's home. On her way there, she passed William's home and noticed that it looked vacant. "It figures for him to leave town. Come on girl, let's do a full canter now." The two trotted off, leaving a trail of white behind them. She eventually arrived at her destination and steered her horse in the direction of her home. As she was trotting along the back road, she heard a carriage come from behind her.
"Good afternoon, Relena." A woman's voice boomed cheerfully.
Relena knew who it was and forced a fake smile onto her face. She was hoping to avoid the notorious gossiper in Winfield. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Grant."
"I'm glad that you're finally coming out and getting some fresh air. I'm sorry to hear about your breakup with William. He seemed to be the perfect match for you."
She continued to follow the older woman's train of thought. "I guess it wasn't meant to be." Her mare started to yank at the reins, urging her to leave Martha. Relena ignored her horse's yearnings and ordered the mare to walk at the speed of the carriage.
"You should stop by my home one of these days. We do need to catch up a little. Your mother would always stop by, but now she's in Newberry."
"Thank you for the offer, Mrs. Grant, but that won't be necessary." She knew that whatever she disclosed to Martha, it would all be twisted into a fib of some sort. "I best be on my way now, I don't want to bother you any further."
"Alright, Relena, take care." Martha ordered her horses to move faster and before she left, "Oh Relena, dear, I'll be hosting a cotillion later this weekend and I would be honored if you could join me."
She knew that she couldn't refuse one of the most respected socialites in Winfield, otherwise it would just dishonor her family's name, "I will be obliged to attend."
"Great then, I'll see you on Saturday at seven o'clock. Now don't be late."
"Bye Mrs. Grant." She watched Martha ride her carriage into town and she then muttered under breath, "Here we go again." She continued her slow walk back to her home. She should have listened to her horse's urges to leave Martha right at the very moment she hinted it. Now she knew that she had a dilemma on her hand, it would be her first public appearance since her breakup with William and with that, all the town's eyes will be on her at the cotillion. She led her horse back down a familiar trail that leads to the lake. The path was wide enough for her mare to pass through and the ground wasn't too steep for them to traverse on. Before long, the two arrived at the foot of the lake with its slightly rocky shoreline. She dismounted from her mare and allowed her to take a sip of water.
Relena walked over to a cluster of trees and sat in the shade. She laid on her back and looked up towards the canopy of green leaves. The sun's rays glinted through the foliage as the breeze began to pick up. Her mare decided to join her. "Hey girl." Relena then got up to a standing position and patted her horse's neck and side. "I think you should become my Pegasus for now. What do you think?"
The chestnut mare nayed in response to thought of the question. She then left Relena's side and headed towards the lake again. Walking in and out of the shallow area, splashing water as she trotted around. The summer heat was finally getting to her.
"I guess a swim doesn't sound like a bad idea right now...too bad that I didn't bring my swim suit with me today." She doubted that anyone was around and in moments, she stripped down to her white undergarments and hid her clothes in a bush. She then quickly immersed herself in the cool lake water. At first she shivered slightly in the cold water, but eventually she adjusted to it and swam just a couple of yards away from the shore. She then bobbed a couple of times and then finally submerged herself in the clear blue water. Below her, she looked towards the surface and saw the sun's rays at a different perspective, as her long hair floated about her. She then resurfaced and treaded the water. She noticed that her horse was still grazing at a small bush, but something else had caught her eye, it was a black horse. She then dove back down, thinking that she was just dreaming and that it wasn't there at all. She then surfaced again and noticed that it was still there. She looked around her surroundings but couldn't find the owner of that horse anywhere. She swam over to where her clothes were and was about to emerge from the water.
"Surprise."
Relena then looked up in shock, "Heero." She started to tread water, since she didn't want him to see her in her undergarments.
"I see you are taking an afternoon swim."
"Yes and I was about to leave. Could you please move out of my way so I could get my clothes?"
He stood there defying her wish and before long, he removed his shirt and jumped into the water himself.
"What on earth do you think you're doing?" she called out to him.
He responded, "I'm taking a swim. What else does it look like?"
"I'm leaving then." She paddled her way to the shore, but Heero swam alongside her. She quickly walked off onto the shore and Heero followed in pursuit.
"Just wait a minute, there something..." He ran in front of her and pulled her into his arms and his wet body. Relena was somewhat alarmed at first, but surrendered to him. Then it happened, she felt his warm lips upon hers and before long she felt his hands across her back. Her heart thumped rapidly as he continued to kiss her and before she knew it, she had kissed him back. She felt her breasts brush against his chest. The two stood in their position for a few more minutes, before they both ran out of air. Heero released her from his grasp and controlled his breathing again. He didn't know what to say, but he remembered something that Relena had said to her horse just fifteen minutes before, "Will you let me be your Pegasus now?" He saw her smile back towards him.
~*~
Somewhere off in the dense brush, a pair of hazel eyes was looking at the young couple. "So she chose him...interesting. I will win you back, Relena." He then abruptly disappeared and rode off on a dirt path with his Appaloosa.
TBC
So, how was this chapter? The joys of cliffhangers (hehe). Thank you for reading this chapter and please let me know what you think. And a big thanks goes out to all of the reviewers so far: Jem Star, Dark Dragon, RVD, sdfdsd, Juniper, and Dragon of Death2. I really appreciate all of your comments and THANK YOU!!! ^_^
Pegasus
~*~
William's hold on her arms was even getting tighter. "You're not going anywhere, not right now until we settle this."
Her voice rang out loud, piercing the quiet darkness, "What's there to settle...you were with her. Who is she?" Fire was still blazing her in eyes.
"She's a friend of mine." He tried to reason with her.
"Well it doesn't look like that to me. It looks like you were smitten with her."
"Please, Relena, give me another chance."
"No...let me go right now," she demanded. She kicked him in the left knee and she felt his hold loosen somewhat. "I can't believe I nearly trusted you with my heart. There's nothing left for us. All of my friends warned me about you, but I didn't really see the truth until tonight." Her voice echoed around the area.
She walked away from William, who sat on the ground since he was still stunned by her attack. She called back to him, "I don't want to ever see your face again." She continued to walk down the darken dirt path under the moonlighted night. Tears were glistening on her cheeks as it captured the soft light from the evening.
William watched her as her figure disappeared behind a grove of trees. He slowly got up from the ground, while his left knee was badly bruised. His gait was somewhat unsteady as he made his way back to his residence. He looked towards his front porch and saw Celeste standing there in the glow of the screen door. Her dress and hair were fixed. He saw the disapproval in her eyes.
"I heard the whole thing," her voice was as a cold as ice. Her foot tapped lightly on the wooden boards below her. "You've been hiding this from my back...haven't you?" William didn't reply. The color on his face drained completely as his whole life was caving in on him. "I'm leaving now, this is goodbye for good. I truly see your true self now." She quickly walked off from the front porch and passed William.
"Wait, let me explain." William ran after her and grabbed her right arm. She just pushed him aside like a pesky mosquito.
"Like she said 'there's nothing left for us,'" she started to walk off into the twilight with her luggage in her arms. And never did once did she look back to her former lover, who stood in the middle of his field. She quietly made her way back to the town square and waited for a carriage to take her back to Boston. A few of the townspeople looked her way, but she hid her profile under a cloak that she had carried with her. Their gazes made her uneasy, but she ignored them. For the hour that she waited, she pondered on her relationship with William. The two had met at a family picnic that the Bennets' were hosting. A friend that was a cousin to William had invited her to come over seeing that Celeste didn't get out as much and with that, Celeste gladly obliged to join her. It was there that she met him under the gazebo. He was trying to avoid the other prospective ladies that had him in their sights. As for her, she wanted to find a quiet place to herself since she didn't know anyone at the picnic. She stood at one of the marble posts and looked out at the guests, not knowing that William on the other side. The two then accidentally bumped into each other and from that moment, her heart had skipped a beat. His hazel eyes looked upon her face. The sound of hoofs pounding the pavement brought her out of her daydreaming. She waited for the carriage to come to a complete stop.
"Wait!!" A man's voice boomed down the street. William was making his way to her location.
Celeste kept her gaze in front of her and with that she took one step in front of her and entered the carriage. The coachmen closed the door behind her as she found a seat in the dimly lighted carriage. "Can we please talk about this, Celeste?" He was breathing rapidly after his labored walk.
"There's nothing to say. You heard what Relena said." Not once did she look into his eyes. "I need to go back home, and resume my life from there. What we had long ago, you threw it out the window in an instant." Her voice was beginning to waver, "I can't go on like this, not anymore." The carriage started to move. "Farewell, Bennet."
William began to run alongside the carriage as long as he could before his endurance failed him. He nearly collapsed to the ground as he caught the last sight of the carriage before it disappeared into the evening's fog. The tone of Celeste's last statement wasn't too pleasing to his ears and he knew it was over for sure. Some of the townspeople made quick glances towards him and quickly went back to their own business. He was ruined for sure after tonight's revelation. William stared down the open road in disbelief that she was gone and before long, he started to hear short rumors spreading about him and his affair.
A woman's voice was heard, "There's that Bennet boy. I can't believe him, hurting Relena like that."
"I know, her mother will be in the center of scrutiny soon," replied another voice.
"Ssh, he might hear us."
William looked their way, but the two quickly disappeared into the fog. He slowly got up and stealthily walked back to his home. It was the only place where he could find some comfort from his troubles and away from the social networks of the town's gossips. He lethargically sat a wooden chair that was situated in his living room. The only light that was left came from a lamplight that was fueled by kerosene. He slowly stared into the flames that danced within the clear vessel, emotions of resentment and bitterness were starting to take hold of him. He continued to stare into the single flame and an obsession was starting to manifest itself slowly in his conscience.
~*~
Relena walked quietly back to her favorite spot. The lake was still for this time of night, its waters reflected the jeweled sky on its surface. She found a seat on a fallen tree and sat there, just focusing her sight in front of her. Her cheeks still felt wet from the tears that she shed. "Why am I such a fool?" she continued to cry under the stars for some time. "I should have seen it coming." She then felt a hand on her back, thinking it was William that followed her, "Go away, William. Don't you dare touch me!" She quickly got up and pushed the hand away from her. "I don't want to see your face ever again." She quickly ran away from him, but she felt like she was being pulled back to him.
"I'm not William."
Relena stopped struggling for a minute and with that, she knew who it was. "Let me go, Heero. You knew all along. Just let me go!!" She tried pushing him away from her, but his hold around her waist didn't falter.
"I can't."
She yelled back to him, trying to fight her tears, "Are you just trying to ruin my reputation, because after tonight, you finally accomplished your goal then. The gossip will be like a wild fire for the following days." She continued to struggle against his hold. "I can never figure you out or even with your mind games that you always seem to play." Then she heard the unthinkable.
"I'm sorry...I should have been more direct in the first place. None of this would have happened or ended like this. I tried to warn you but I kept freezing up."
She finally stopped struggling against him after hearing his first sentence that finally made some sense to her. She turned around to face him, she finalized the true meaning of his message that he gave her earlier in the afternoon. She felt that he was hiding something from her and now she knew. Feelings of guilt washed across her and for once she knew that Heero was trying to protect her from the truth...was it a sign of his own feelings for her? She then apologized to him, "No...it's my fault for not listening carefully."
"But..."
She placed her fingers up to his lips and silenced him, "The signs were there, but I blocked them from my mind." She looked away from him and tears trickled down her cheek again.
He lifted her chin back towards him and wiped away one tear from her right side with his index finger. "We played our parts." He looked down towards her and she acknowledged his statement. He tried to start a conversation with her and unknowingly a sentenced emerged from his lips, "I saw you staring at the stars this evening."
"Do you often spy on me?"
Heero didn't respond to that question, but looked up at the night-sky.
"I'll take that as a yes then." She stopped her crying and a smile was slowly returned to her face, but she shielded her heart more carefully than ever. The two continued to stand there for a while, just admiring the serene settings. Relena noticed that Pegasus, Andromeda, and Perseus, were now in a different location in the darken sky. The threesome were now hovering deeper in the abyss.
"What are you looking at?"
"Pegasus."
"The winged horse from Greek mythology."
She nodded. "It's the constellation that looks like a boxed square." She pointed it out to him. "You see it?"
"I see it."
The two were close to each other that they could kiss, but they didn't. Heero knew that Relena needed some space for the time being. He looked towards her and noticed that sadness was still present in her eyes, but he didn't say anything. Relena then broke the silence, "I better be heading back home. Trudy would wonder where I've been all this time, even though I left her a note."
"Let me walk with you home."
"That won't be necessary, Heero. I can manage. Thank you."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure, good night."
"Good night." He watched her disappear into the darkness like she did the first time when he saw her by the lake. And for the first time in many nights, he felt somewhat relieved that the truth was finally out, but the same dream kept plaguing him...the dream of Relena dying in his arms.
~*~
Relena slowly made her way back to her home, the moonlight did little good as she made her way through the dense brush. But after fifteen minutes, she finally made it home. The front door was slightly jarred open and she knew that there would be one unhappy maid in the house for the time being. She walked quietly as she could through the front door without being noticed hopefully.
"Where on earth have you been Ms. Relena?" Trudy was standing in a gray cotton dress. "I've been scared out of my wits."
"Well, I'm home now." She gave a meek smile to reassure her maid that everything was fine.
But, Trudy knew better, after working with her for these past five years, Trudy knew when Relena was lying about something, "I think your hiding something young lady. You can never get by with that smile of yours. There's something on your mind."
She shut the door behind her. "It's true." She looked defeated and she started to walk over to the staircase and sat on one of the lower steps. "Where should I begin?" she let out a sigh of agitation.
Trudy then sat next to her. "Did something happen?"
"I found William cheating on me and I broke up with him."
"You poor thing. I'm sorry to hear that." She noticed that Relena's eyes were welling up with tears again. She took Relena into her arms and rocked her, "It's alright, go ahead and cry." And so she did. "You'll get through this, I know you can." For the rest of the night, Relena knew that there would be turbulent days coming in Winfield with the news of her breakup with William.
~*~
A week had passed, but the town's rumors were still spreading.
Relena slowly opened her eyes and found herself in her room, she tried to avoid the public at any expense, which meant she stayed mainly indoors for the past week. She knew that she had to get up sometime soon or Trudy would have to drag her out of bed like she has been doing. She slowly rose and sat at the edge of her bed. She felt like her heart had been smashed into a thousand pieces. With time slipping by, she finally decided to prepare for another day in Winfield, hoping to stay out of the limelight of the rampant gossip that was going about. She dressed herself in a modest pink summer dress and walked down to the dining area. As usual, Trudy had prepared her breakfast and left her alone for the morning, but she knew that Trudy was around in the kitchen if she needed anything. She heard her footsteps in the area.
"You can go home, Trudy, I'll be fine."
"I'm not leaving you alone today, Ms. Relena. But, I'll stay out of your way. How about that?" she called from the kitchen hallway.
"Deal." With that, Relena began her breakfast and started her usual routine of reading after breakfast. For the most part, the day was fairly quiet with occasional phone calls coming from her mother's gossip network about the breakup and the incident with William and Celeste that seemed to never die down.
Right then, a knock was heard from the front door. Relena dreaded at the possibility of who stood on the other side of the door. She didn't want to meet any of her mother's friends including Martha, she didn't want to answer any of their nosy and prodding questions. She reluctantly left her seat on the couch and cautiously walked up to the barrier that separated her from the outside world of Winfield. She took a breath in and turned the brass knob.
"Hi, Relena."
"Hi, Hilde, please come in."
She stepped into the foyer and was led to the living room, "How are you holding up? I heard the news this morning when I walked into the town square for some shopping at the market. My family and I just got back from Western Springs. I can't believe the nerve of that idiot."
"I'm fine, thanks for asking. Enough about me, how was the dinner at Duo's the other week?"
"It was great, he nearly made a fool out of himself in serving the hot chicken legs. He used a tong to pick one up, but in the process of doing so, he nearly tripped over a stool he had in the kitchen. He quickly regained his balance, though."
"I should have been there."
"Maybe next time."
"Maybe." She then became distracted, "I almost forgot my mother baked these for you." She handed her a silver tin filled with small chocolate chip cookies. "She figured that you needed some cheering up."
"Thank your mom for me."
"I will. You need any help around here?"
"I'm fine, Trudy's here with me."
"You know where you can find me." With that, Hilde walked over to Duo's on the summer afternoon.
Relena gingerly held the tin in her hands and she walked over to her seat on the couch. She nibbled on two small cookies before she finally made up her mind. She went over to where Trudy sat in the expanse kitchen, she saw her taking the tips off the pea pods, "I'm going out for a horseback ride."
"Well it's about time you got some fresh air," she smiled towards Relena, "Just remember dinner will be at the usual time." She resumed back to her task.
With the approval from Trudy, Relena quickly walked back to her room and changed into her riding dress and headed out the front door to the stables. She noticed that Wufei wasn't there today, but she didn't mind. She enjoyed the sounds of the stable when no one was around. Right then, a familiar pair of black eyes peered towards her and she gave her the usual routine of sugar cubes in her hands. She took her horse out of the stall and tied the reins to a small post. She then got a large brush and started to groom her horse. "There you go, I think that looks much better now." She then fitted her horse with her saddle and then they were off. This was the first time that Relena ventured out into the opening, but she still wanted to avoid any nosy neighbors that wanted to gossip still.
The two headed off towards the back roads that lead to her brother's home. On her way there, she passed William's home and noticed that it looked vacant. "It figures for him to leave town. Come on girl, let's do a full canter now." The two trotted off, leaving a trail of white behind them. She eventually arrived at her destination and steered her horse in the direction of her home. As she was trotting along the back road, she heard a carriage come from behind her.
"Good afternoon, Relena." A woman's voice boomed cheerfully.
Relena knew who it was and forced a fake smile onto her face. She was hoping to avoid the notorious gossiper in Winfield. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Grant."
"I'm glad that you're finally coming out and getting some fresh air. I'm sorry to hear about your breakup with William. He seemed to be the perfect match for you."
She continued to follow the older woman's train of thought. "I guess it wasn't meant to be." Her mare started to yank at the reins, urging her to leave Martha. Relena ignored her horse's yearnings and ordered the mare to walk at the speed of the carriage.
"You should stop by my home one of these days. We do need to catch up a little. Your mother would always stop by, but now she's in Newberry."
"Thank you for the offer, Mrs. Grant, but that won't be necessary." She knew that whatever she disclosed to Martha, it would all be twisted into a fib of some sort. "I best be on my way now, I don't want to bother you any further."
"Alright, Relena, take care." Martha ordered her horses to move faster and before she left, "Oh Relena, dear, I'll be hosting a cotillion later this weekend and I would be honored if you could join me."
She knew that she couldn't refuse one of the most respected socialites in Winfield, otherwise it would just dishonor her family's name, "I will be obliged to attend."
"Great then, I'll see you on Saturday at seven o'clock. Now don't be late."
"Bye Mrs. Grant." She watched Martha ride her carriage into town and she then muttered under breath, "Here we go again." She continued her slow walk back to her home. She should have listened to her horse's urges to leave Martha right at the very moment she hinted it. Now she knew that she had a dilemma on her hand, it would be her first public appearance since her breakup with William and with that, all the town's eyes will be on her at the cotillion. She led her horse back down a familiar trail that leads to the lake. The path was wide enough for her mare to pass through and the ground wasn't too steep for them to traverse on. Before long, the two arrived at the foot of the lake with its slightly rocky shoreline. She dismounted from her mare and allowed her to take a sip of water.
Relena walked over to a cluster of trees and sat in the shade. She laid on her back and looked up towards the canopy of green leaves. The sun's rays glinted through the foliage as the breeze began to pick up. Her mare decided to join her. "Hey girl." Relena then got up to a standing position and patted her horse's neck and side. "I think you should become my Pegasus for now. What do you think?"
The chestnut mare nayed in response to thought of the question. She then left Relena's side and headed towards the lake again. Walking in and out of the shallow area, splashing water as she trotted around. The summer heat was finally getting to her.
"I guess a swim doesn't sound like a bad idea right now...too bad that I didn't bring my swim suit with me today." She doubted that anyone was around and in moments, she stripped down to her white undergarments and hid her clothes in a bush. She then quickly immersed herself in the cool lake water. At first she shivered slightly in the cold water, but eventually she adjusted to it and swam just a couple of yards away from the shore. She then bobbed a couple of times and then finally submerged herself in the clear blue water. Below her, she looked towards the surface and saw the sun's rays at a different perspective, as her long hair floated about her. She then resurfaced and treaded the water. She noticed that her horse was still grazing at a small bush, but something else had caught her eye, it was a black horse. She then dove back down, thinking that she was just dreaming and that it wasn't there at all. She then surfaced again and noticed that it was still there. She looked around her surroundings but couldn't find the owner of that horse anywhere. She swam over to where her clothes were and was about to emerge from the water.
"Surprise."
Relena then looked up in shock, "Heero." She started to tread water, since she didn't want him to see her in her undergarments.
"I see you are taking an afternoon swim."
"Yes and I was about to leave. Could you please move out of my way so I could get my clothes?"
He stood there defying her wish and before long, he removed his shirt and jumped into the water himself.
"What on earth do you think you're doing?" she called out to him.
He responded, "I'm taking a swim. What else does it look like?"
"I'm leaving then." She paddled her way to the shore, but Heero swam alongside her. She quickly walked off onto the shore and Heero followed in pursuit.
"Just wait a minute, there something..." He ran in front of her and pulled her into his arms and his wet body. Relena was somewhat alarmed at first, but surrendered to him. Then it happened, she felt his warm lips upon hers and before long she felt his hands across her back. Her heart thumped rapidly as he continued to kiss her and before she knew it, she had kissed him back. She felt her breasts brush against his chest. The two stood in their position for a few more minutes, before they both ran out of air. Heero released her from his grasp and controlled his breathing again. He didn't know what to say, but he remembered something that Relena had said to her horse just fifteen minutes before, "Will you let me be your Pegasus now?" He saw her smile back towards him.
~*~
Somewhere off in the dense brush, a pair of hazel eyes was looking at the young couple. "So she chose him...interesting. I will win you back, Relena." He then abruptly disappeared and rode off on a dirt path with his Appaloosa.
TBC
So, how was this chapter? The joys of cliffhangers (hehe). Thank you for reading this chapter and please let me know what you think. And a big thanks goes out to all of the reviewers so far: Jem Star, Dark Dragon, RVD, sdfdsd, Juniper, and Dragon of Death2. I really appreciate all of your comments and THANK YOU!!! ^_^
