I'VE CHANGED, I'M A MUM.
BY PHOENIX FURY
CHAPTER 2: LEAVING AND ARRIVING.
"Have you got everything?" Milardo asked for the twentieth time.
"Yes."
"Are you su-?"
Relena slapped a hand over his mouth. "Milardo I have everything I need, don't ask again. Pegan helped me pack so I'm very sure." She growled at him.
Milardo nodded and she let go.
"You look great." Hilde smiled at her.
She smiled. "I feel great." She wore simple black trousers and a thick blue sweater.
"Your stuff has been sent to your Grampa he will get it to you when you arrive at your destination. Here's some snacks I made for you plane food won't be enough for you and the little one." Pegan said as he handed her a small bag of food.
"Ok the report will be released tomorrow morning. We have you on shuttle flights to the colonies so it will take a while to track you. You're going to have to move fast." Une said as she hugged Relena.
"Thank you so much for helping me." Relena said as she hugged her friends, her family.
"Flight to New York please go to the gate 206."
"That's me." She smiled and hugged them all, Milardo held on longer then the others.
"Love you big brother." She whispered in his ear as she hugged him." She backed away her eyes going watery. "I'm going to get on that plane before I cry."
She waved just before she disappeared down the tunnel, which would take her to gate for her plane.
"She's all grown up," Milardo said softly.
"Has been for quite some time darling," Noin looped an arm around his and they slowly walked away.
Heero turned on the TV as he made his morning coffee.
"In the news today a startling announcement from Relena Darlin Peacecraft. The Vice Foreign Minster has resigned. Here's her last public announcement, which was delivered this morning."
Heero dropped his cup his mouth hanging open in surprise as the TV reporter read out the news report.
"I Relena Darlin Peacecraft resign my position. I'm sure this comes as a surprise. Peace is not just one person, for peace to be reality it takes everyone. We all have our dreams not just about peace but what we want out of life and now it's time I lived mine. Thank you."
Heero stood still for several minutes before grabbing the phone and dialling.
"Duo."
"It's six o'clock, are you nuts Heero?"
"Relena resigned."
"She what?!"
"Resigned." Heero repeated. (Well he obviously didn't know.) He thought as his head thought over what was going on.
"Bloody hell." Duo whispered as it sunk in. "What now? Do we still protect her? What is she going to do?"
"How would I know, I heard it off the news." Heero snapped.
"Didn't she tell you?" Duo asked.
"No."
"Is that why she's done it, because of you?" Duo asked and then wished he hadn't when he heard the silence. (Smart move Duo.)
"See you at work." Heero said and hung up.
He looked down at the smashed cup and sighed as he cleaned up the mess. He remembered Duo and him talking well mostly Duo, about him and Relena.
/ Flashback /
"Ok what happened between the two of you?"
"Nothing."
"Oh Nothing. Because that's the first time she didn't smile at you. What did you do to her?"
"I didn't do anything."
/ End Flashback /
(Oh I didn't do anything at all; I just made love to her.) Heero thought as he poured himself another cup. (And then left her in bed and then told her she meant nothing to me.)
Heero got the Preventers office and sat at his desk with an armful of different newspapers and read the first the front page and the other pages about her resignation.
He read through the articles of each newspaper and then leaned back to look at the ceiling. He wasn't concerned with who would take her position even though that was important issue. He was worried about her. A lot of people were angry about her decision.
(What is she going to do now?) He wondered as he decided he needed to speak with her but first he had reports to write up.
Before stepping on the plane to New York Relena had gone into the toilet where a bag waited for her. She opened it up to see a change of clothes and a wig and quickly changed into the casual comfortable clothes and put on a different coloured wig. She slipped the folder of fake identities into her bag which her Gramps had set up for her to use, then she got on the plane.
Once Relena had landed in New York she bought and sent postcards from the airport with little messages but only signed them with a little doodle of a dove. Then she went to an airport bathroom and changed quickly. She now wore sports bottoms and fleece jumper, with a New York cap over her head and she'd changed her contacts. And then did some shopping buying herself a small suitcase to put some of her new clothes in. She caught a train to Philadelphia and plane from there to Chicago. (Necessary evil if I don't want him to catch me.) Was her only thought on her travel arrangements.
The same happened when she reached LA. But she now wore a long skirt with gypsy shirt and poncho. She'd throw the wig away and put on a different one. She changed hotel every night and used varying disguises, which was fun for the first few days.
She got to go clubbing but couldn't drink which she didn't mind. Shopping which she enjoyed. She loved going around the cities being a tourist. Even though she'd been to a lot of places it was for work only no time to have fun and be normal.
She used coaches and trains to go Arizona and then a plane to San Diego and then on to another to go to Sacramento. She was zig zagging all over the place so Heero couldn't trace her.
When she touched down in Sacramento she got off wearing a different outfit and wig. She got a bus into the city, after changed clothes again, to the train station to catch a train to San Francisco where she stayed over at a motel. The next morning she got her hair washed and her nails done and a taxi back to the airport to catch the final plane. When she got of the plane she was wearing her final disguise; herself. She wore jeans, a white top and leather jacket with her dark shoulder-length hair loose over her shoulders.
"Here's the stuff the airports sent us." Duo said handing him the report, which he had checked and double checked.
"She can't be on the three shuttles at once." Heero snapped as he read the report.
"I know but I checked. Someone sat in her seat with her name on each flight. We even got descriptions. They were all sandy blonde and dressed expensively wearing glasses. Sat in first-class where they can't be bothered and since most keep to themselves…."
"She knew we were going to look." Trowa said from the shadows where he always sat.
Duo smiled; "You gotta be impressed with how…" He trailed off under Heero's dark glare.
"No I don't." Heero growled. (How on earth did she learn how to do this? From Zechs? No he wouldn't, he'd be afraid she'd use it to hide from him when he crowed her too much. Hilde, Dorothy, Catherine are good, but not this good. Sally, Lucrezia and Une maybe. But why would they help her leave? Their supposed to be friends they wouldn't want her to leave?) His thoughts were going in circles. But he had to admit she'd shown she wasn't a dumb schoolgirl that he'd accused her of being.
"No one has said anything useful. The girls seem to think she's on vacation and apparently had no idea about her resignation." Duo said looking very sceptical.
"You don't believe them?" Quatre asked.
"I think their lying through their pretty white teeth."
"What about Zechs?" Trowa asked quietly.
"I've seen him a few times over this. He acts all concerned about finding her but …" Wufei shrugged.
"But why would he do that? I mean he's really over-the-top protective of her." Duo frowned in thought.
"Unless he's not worried because he knows where she is? But then why act?" Quatre asked. "What is going on?"
"I don't know." Heero sighed as he sat down deflated. (What is going on, where are you? Why are you doing this, Relena?)
She was finally there. She looked up at the house as she stepped out of the taxi. After two weeks of going from here to here she was there.
The house that looked more like a manor, stuck out because it didn't quite seem to belong where it was, it looked out of place with the other well kept houses. It was too big, too ostentatious.
It was modern and would have looked newly built if the garden wasn't overgrown, or if the windows mucky or from what she could see through the full bay windows, dust. It had a small garden at the front and the pathway was paved. A double garage at the side with rooms over the top. She could see a loft window and a basement window so she began to realize how much space she would have.
The manor had a private air, an air of tranquillity that appealed to Relena. She loved it instantly.
With a sigh, Relena stood in front of the manor, and for a moment she stood and stared at the house, wondering if she was going to like what lay inside.
She opened the white door and stepped inside. "It needs a little cleaning." Relena muttered as she was engulfed in a cloud of dust. (Well Gramps did say no one had lived here in quite a while.)
As she walked from room to room she noticed the whole house had been painted magnolia underneath all the dust and grime. She made a mental note that the first thing she would have to do was to clean the place from top to bottom.
She carefully looked at both front yard and back garden, noting the gardens needed to be replanted, and the lawn needed to be cut. Nothing one of the local boys wouldn't do for the right price she guessed. The back had a deck running from the back door which led to a paved patio, the perfect place to sit and eat or read on a comfortable chair. She wondered what the towering tree about half way down the back garden would look like with a swing attached to it.
There was a reception room, lounge, kitchen, dinning room, two empty rooms next to them along (the one next to that could be used as a nursery and the other a study her Gramps had suggested to her) with solarium, and a small bathroom under the stairs. She also saw a huge room at the back off the house overlooking the gardens she agreed with using it as a study.
Relena smiled as she went into the Kitchen. The kitchen was bright and sunny, with hardwood floors and large bay windows. All the cabinets and the fridge and stove were off to one side, while a breakfast nook offered intimacy and privacy for the kitchen table. An island in the middle provided all the space one would need to cook while all the appliance were top of the line, and looked almost new. (Another reason to learn how to cook.)
Relena felt a little bit overwhelmed. This was a lot of house for one person.
Two.
Make that two people.
The solarium was wall to wall windows, giving a spectacular view of the back garden and playhouse while the office was dark and brooding, and proved to be the room Relena liked the least on the tour. It seemed a sad place, and she had a feeling that that room would stay locked most of the time if she had anything to say about it.
By the time they headed up stairs Relena was beginning to wonder what she'd gotten herself into. This house wasn't her normal style at all, it was way too big. She liked things smaller, simpler; her loft in LA was like that, cozy, intimate. She hadn't dared go there though, it would have been the first place Heero would have looked for her and she couldn't honestly say she wouldn't have gone back with him.
That was, if he was looking for her.
When Relena stepped into the first bedroom, she knew instantly she was staying.
It was huge, off to the side was a large window seating no doubt with storing underneath it and off to the left of that was a massive walk in closet. She could imagine it being dominated by a large four-poster bed. She saw another door, which led to en suite.
Eagerly Relena peeked in and saw the sunken in tub and skylight. She eyed the tiled floor and mirrored walls and knew instantly she loved this house and was staying.
No matter the cost.
"Well." She muttered to her stomach as she yawned. "At least we won't be homeless."
Or at least houseless.
She knew very well it took more then just a house to make a home, it took love, and happiness and that wasn't something she was sure she was going to find without a perfect solider in her life… not to mention her bed.
But the house was perfect for her.
Almost too perfect, really.
Everything had already been delivered. It just needed unpacking and organizing. She found some takeaway menus on the kitchen side and decided to order in dinner. There was no food anyway and she didn't feel like cooking not that she knew how anyway. So she unpacked come clothes and made a list of what she was going to do the next day.
Get a cookery books. Get food in. Buy a computer. Enrol in night school. Find furniture for each room. (Because all the furniture she had was a sofa bed and one chair.)
She ordered pizza and sat in the garden eating it as she thought over everything. (Heero would be proud if he knew after he got over being really pissed.) She couldn't help but laugh as she imagined what he was like at the moment. He was properly trying to find her. (I wonder if he's angry I quit? Properly knowing him.) She sighed as she cleaned up and dumped the rubbish.
(Weather boy or girl you'll have all the love I possess. You're going to be happy and safe. I promise that you won't have the lonely life I've led. I know you'll make mistakes because that's life but hopefully I can help you not repeat the ones I've made. Your father is a good man he just doesn't have a clue when it comes to emotions, others peoples or his own. I wonder if you'll be look him, cause if you do I'll have to beat your admires of with more then a stick?) She smiled as her imagination took over. (I hope you have his courage and strength. His patience and utter iron will, with my faith and hope.)
(I wonder what do I call you till then. Peanut, squirt, sprout, junior, little one? How about all of the above.) She smiled as she laid a hand over her stomach as she went to sleep that night.
END OF CHAPTER 2.
What do ya think? Is it good?
I might add some improvements at a later date.
Thanks for reading
PHOENIX FURY.