An Understanding Love
Okay, a new story of mine.
Warning; OCs, they're there to keep the story moving and to cause conflicts, nothing more.
It had been one of the longest hours of Relena's life, other than the hour she waited when she was 12 waiting for her father to come home after a terrorists attack. She stood by the terrorist man, Dwain Richards, as he had eventually informed Relena while they made very small talk and waited.
Relena could see that Dwain was worn out, emotionally, as he would sometimes slump against her back for a second before recalling himself to his whereabouts. Half the time Dwain would just talk to Relena about miscellaneous subjects that the common person would know about, such as actors, music, or even home life.
"Why haven't you married?" Dwain inquired softly, he was once again slumped against Relena's back.
"I don't know. Not enough time to actually have a serious relationship, or a relationship at all," she shrugged, maintaining a composed expression. She didn't wish anyone to play the hero and come at Dwain while he was resting a bit only to spook him and be shot.
"There's always time if you use the time in the day given to you, and as long as you make an effort," Dwain mumbled, straightening again for a moment to look at the conference room door to see if the representatives and David had come out.
"I would first need to like someone enough to want to try to have a relationship with him," Relena pointed out.
Resting his chin on Relena's shoulder, Dwain whispered, "I was under the impression that you already liked someone in such a way."
Smiling a bit, Relena shook her head. "I do but I haven't seen him in years and I have no idea if he even returns any of my feelings," she explained, shutting up quickly at the same time Dwain stood up, alert.
David came out of the conference room, rolling in a television that was on, broadcasting footage from the five o'clock news.
There, on the screen, Relena watched as Representative Dimmesgale made a speech of the colony's decision to not support the labor suites proposal. It shocked Relena that they, especially David and Dorothy, had yielded to Dwain's demands so willingly.
Immediately after the speech was made, David clicked off the television, not even waiting to hear the voice of the news broadcaster.
"There, we gave into your demands, now release Ms. Darlian," David stated in a business-like manner.
Stunned that his plan had actually worked in his favor, Dwain released Relena and gave her a little shove toward David, a smile of utter shock and relief slowly spreading across his features.
Quickly, David grabbed Relena's elbow and led her away, whispering, "No matter what, don't look back. Just keep going forward, we don't need you getting held hostage ag…"
The sound of a gun shoot rang through the air, interrupting David, causing him and Relena to whirl around. There, on the ground, with his gun three feet from his body was the limb form of Dwain Richards, soaked in crimson. Standing over him was another Preventer with his weapon dangling on his finger tips.
"H-he tried to kill me," the Preventer reasoned as the nearby Preventers moved to push away the shooter and examine Dwain's body. The building's medical doctor came rushing onto the scene, pushing her way through the Preventers to her patient.
Relena stood staring at where she had seen the body of Dwain Richards-negotiator, father of two, grandfather of four, husband, and son-lie. She just couldn't believe that he was now dead in a pool of his own blood when just seconds before he had been holding onto her loosely and before that speaking with her as he rested against her.
"Ms. Darlian?" David spoke up, noticing how pale his charge had gotten. "Are you alright? Would you like me to get a doctor?"
"It shouldn't have ended like this," was all she said before going over to sit on the stairs. Police questioning was going to take a while, as well as Preventer interrogation.
"Relena," Dorothy began as she sat next to her friend and rival, "I guess he realized our trick."
Burying her head in her hands for a moment, Relena composed herself. She refused to break down there, her tears and emotions would have to wait for another time. "What trick?"
Leaning in, Dorothy whispered, "The broadcast was only a tape, Miss Relena. One that we had recorded in the hour he gave us."
With surprised eyes, Relena lifted her eyes to Dorothy's. She couldn't believe that representatives had thought to deceive Dwain, and even more so, that it had worked.
As though reading Relena's thoughts, Dorothy quickly told her, "It was David's suggestion and the representatives went along with it, as it was the only plan of action that was suggested that wouldn't endanger you."
"Unless Dwain had realized he was begin tricked while I was still his hostage." Relena shook her head saying, "This should never have happened."
"He was mad with grief, Miss Relena, he could have killed you," persisted Dorothy calmly. "But you're right, this shouldn't have happened."
It was well after midnight when Relena and David got to the hotel. David escorted his charge to her room where Duo Maxwell with his trademark grin stood in the hall ready to take up the responsibility of watching Relena for the rest of the night.
"Room checked?" David asked.
Duo nodded, a bit stiffly, and his grin faltered for a moment.
Relena didn't know the whole ordeal but after Heero had quit as her Head of Security, Duo was appointed the position temporarily. That was until three years ago, when David was assigned Relena as his charge, Lady Une handed Duo's position to David, much to Duo's displeasure. It wasn't a subject spoken of but it had left a lot of tension between the two men.
"Good night, Ms. Darlian, and try to get some sleep," David instructed before taking his leave.
"Are you really going to be okay, princess?" Duo inquired when David had entered the 'Preventers' Hotel Headquarters', which was adjoined to Relena's room. "I saw what happened on the news and I'm sorry I wasn't there."
"It's okay Duo, I just wish that it could have turned out differently for Dwain," nodded Relena, massaging her eyes. "It's been a long day Duo, and I still have a lot of paperwork to go through. I would like to get some rest tonight."
Duo nodded in agreement, opening the door for Relena. "Undoubtedly, more than those three hours you normally get."
She smiled at his observation while moving into the room, past her bodyguard. "Good night Duo."
"Good morning, princess," corrected Duo with a charming smile.
Returning the smile briefly, Relena closed the door and sighed. It had been such a long, emotionally exhausting night for her and everyone else.
"What a day," she groaned, shuffling to her dresser, setting down a stack of files on her bed as she went. Opening up her pajama draw, Relena pulled out a pair of black sweat pants and an old, plain white shirt. Relena didn't believe in wearing any "sexy" pajamas as she rarely got to sleep, so everything was simple and comfortable.
Closing the room's curtains, Relena changed quickly then set up her work area on the coffee table and couch. Plopping herself onto the couch, crossing her legs so that her feet were squashed between the cushions and her thighs.
Picking up her reading glasses from the night stand between the bed and couch, Relena slid them on and braced herself to review the many proposals, negotiations, and suggestions from Earth and the Colonies. It was a tiring job but it had to be done.
Opening the first file, Relena was not greeted by the formal proposal she expected; it was something worse. Slamming the file closed and jumping off the couch, Relena ran for the door.
Throwing the door open, Relena startled the unsuspecting Duo who had been amusing himself playing cat's cradle.
"Duo, there's a new one," Relena simply stated, as calmly as she could, but her slight trembling and slightly fear-stricken tone gave her true disposition away.
"Shit," Duo muttered, unhooking his walkie-talkie and holding down the buttons. "Preventers, the stalker has been in Ms. Darlian's room and left another note!"
There was a period of silence before someone replied. "This is David, I have sight of someone and I'm going to engage pursuit."
"David, don't be stupid this is the second floor. Send Reynolds out or Johnson!" Duo ordered him but there was another moment of silence. "Reynolds, Johnson, can you confirm sight of suspect?"
"Visible is poor due to this blasted fog," Reynolds reported.
"He's must be out of the hotel area because I haven't seen anyone, including Willington," Johnson reported.
"David, report!" Duo commanded.
There was some static as David's panting voice came in. "I'm in pursuit of suspect down K.K.G. The bastard is trying to lose me!"
"Stay with him," Duo ordered, putting his walkie-talkie away. "Damn David, he just had to jump off the balcony to pursue the guy." Turning his attention back to Relena and entered the room, asking, "Where's the note this time? I know I had checked everywhere imaginable this time, I was certain. I even checked your underwear draw and inside your shoes!"
Ignoring the part about her underwear draw, Relena answered, "It wasn't necessarily in the room as it was in one of my files."
Duo went over to the couch and picked up the one file lying on it. Opening it up, Duo found the said note.
"Another letter, I'll go report this. Blast it all, I could've sworn that we had caught this creep," Duo growled, looking at the note. "Did you read this at all?"
"No. Why?" Relena questioned, hugging herself.
"He was at the conference."
Taking the letter, Relena read it aloud, "'Such a display today minister, it was so dramatic and yet beautiful. Fear can bring out so much in a person, for you, it made you more beautiful as you were held against your will. So vulnerable; so helpless; with no Heero to save you from that barrel at your temple. I shiver at the memory.' Oh God…"
Duo grabbed Relena by the shoulders and shook her a bit. "Relena this is serious, this is the-what?-twentieth letter you've received since announcing that this was your last year before retiring!"
"I know, but so far this person hasn't done anything directly to me, yet," Relena protested, she didn't wish to spend her last four months hiding in fear of some unknown person who left letters that would constantly point out the fact that Heero was no longer in her life and how this stalker was.
"No, only stalk you; leave notes for you and one time threaten you. Of course, this guy's not a threat to you," Duo spat, his sarcasm excessively noticeable.
Relena sighed, handing Duo the letter. "Go report this, but I'm going not going to put my life on hold or hide in fear because of this. My term is almost over and I plan on continuing to give as much help as I can before I'm gone. This guy's letters are not going to stop me from doing my job."
Duo sighed, "As you say…I'm just worried about you princess, we all are. Even her ladyship has suggested putting you under a witness protection program of some form for a while until we have found this creep."
"She knows that I would refuse," Relena stated.
"That's exactly why Une hasn't suggested that option to you yet. However, if this keeps up Relena, we may just have to put you under witness protection, or have you resign earlier than expected," Duo explained seriously.
In contemplation, Relena gnawed at her lower lip until Duo patted her shoulder.
"I better go report this," he said, going over to the door that adjoined the two rooms.
"Duo," Relena called out, "do you honestly think that if I resigned these notes would go away? This guy isn't after anything that I do politically; he has been targeting me as a person and my emotions since day one. If I left politics whose to say that he won't still stalk me as I try to live a normal life outside the political arena?"
Not knowing what to say, Duo opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before a sound was heard from the walkie talkie.
"This is David, I've lost him. I lost him somewhere between Drexel Drive and McGrath Street. Damn it!"
Keeping his eyes on Relena, Duo brought the walkie talkie to his mouth and ordered, "Return to HQ David, we'll get him next time, let's just keep Ms. Darlian safe for the rest of the night and during the day tomorrow."
"Ten-four."
"We're going to catch this bastard, Relena, even if we have to use unethical means of doing so," promised Duo, opening the door and going into the Preventers' room.
Thank you to: Duck3, Lil Dev G, wantinlife, Hououza, Ulitheal, WolfCry17, EquineAngel, k, WindCloud, Morrighan of Crimson and Sable, Lynn-Minmay, and DR.M.
Wow…I'm in shock right now. I didn't expect to get 12 reviews for the first chapter alone. Pardon me while I faint now. Whoa… Oh, sorry about the cliffhanger in the last chapter but I needed a place to start for this chapter. Catch you guys next time!