Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing.

AN: I know, I know. It has been a longer wait this time. What can I say? I experience some major writers block with this one. This one isn't really the best of chapters (and not the longest either), but it served it's purpose (more of a filler chapter.). Important Author's Note at the end. Must Read.

Chapter 8: At the Park

"How about this one?" Hilde asked her blonde friend who was hastily searching through the rack of homecoming dress.

Relena looked over at the peach halter dress that her friend was holding up and shook her head. "I can't do peach. I'm too pale."

Hilde looked her over and nodded. She put the dress back on the rack and continued looking for the perfect homecoming dress for her and her friend.

"I can't believe everything worked out," Relena commented.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. So how did your mom react?"

"She said I cheated."

"Cheated?"

"Yeah, she said I wasn't suppose to tell my friends that I had a deal going on with my mom. The point of the deal was that I was suppose to asked out a guy."

"I thought you just had to go to homecoming with a straight guy as a date."

"That's what I said. I told her that all she specified was the straight business."

"Is she backing out of the deal then?"

"Nope, she's going on the date the same night I'm going to homecoming."

"So mother and daughter going on a date the same night. How cute!"

"Shut up! I'm not the one going on to homecoming with my long time crush."

"He's not my long time crush," Hilde defended.

"Oh, okay," Relena said sarcastically. "I mean the guy you've been crushing on for about two years."

"Ha, ha. You're so funny."

"How did that happen anyway?" Relena asked curiously. Hilde hadn't mentioned how Duo asked her to go to homecoming. She had just told her and Catherine that she was going to homecoming with Duo during one of their hallway rendezvous.

"Oh, it was nothing special. He just asked me." Hilde hoped that Relena would be satisfied with that answer. She couldn't exactly tell Relena how Duo and her had end up becoming dates for homecoming.

Flashback

"So , I heard this rumor during lunch today," Duo teased. He wasn't about to let her get out of this one.

"Shut up, Duo!" Hilde said sternly as she twirled the phone cord with her index finger. "It just came out, Okay."

"I'm not exactly getting this whole thing." Duo was going to be difficult. She had said that he had a date for homecoming and he was going to come out of this phone call with a real date. However, he wasn't going to do any asking. She had brought this upon herself. "How does 'Duo already has a date' come out of someone's mouth."

"Duo," she whined. She really didn't want to get into this. She didn't exactly know why she had blurted that out. Duo going with Relena was actually a logical solution to her problem. All of what Catherine suggested was correct. However, she didn't want to see Duo go to homecoming with Relena . . . Or anyone else for that matter.

"No, why does every girl think that they can get out of everything with whining. I called you for an explanation and I'm not going to leave you alone 'till I get one. Don't even think about hanging up; unless your parents won't mind a late-night visitor."

"Fine, fine," Hilde conceded. Hilde was in a bind. She didn't have a clear explanation on her outburst. The only reason she could think of her outburst right now was her little crush on Duo, but she didn't want to admit that to him.

"Hello, hello," Duo shouted at the phone. Hilde had been quiet for sometime now.

"I'm here, I'm here." Her mind was working overtime trying to make up some believable explanation for her outburst. Lying was never one of her strong points.

"You still haven't answered my question," Duo reminded. He was very interested in the reasons behind her outburst.

"Well isn't it obvious," Hilde exclaimed. A wide grin adorned her face since she had just figured out a plausible answer for her outburst. "I was trying to help out Relena."

"What?" Duo blurted out. He did not expect to hear that answer. He was expecting some sort of confession on how Hilde had some kind of feelings for him, but not Relena. Due to all the time that they had been spending together, Duo had developed an affinity towards Hilde. He didn't know when it started, but when he saw how concerned she was over the whole Trowa/Relena thing; he knew that he could have something with this girl.

From her outburst at lunch, he had thought that Hilde had similar feelings for him and the whole reason behind the outburst was slight jealousy.

"Yeah, I mean if I hadn't said anything then Relena would be going with you to homecoming instead of Heero." Hilde was still grinning from her excuse. She should get a pat on the back for this lie.

"Yeah," Duo agreed, although he was still slightly disappointed from her explanation.

"So everything turned out okay, right. I mean Relena and Heero are going to homecoming together. Wasn't that the mission all along."

"Yeah, but you're forgetting one problem."

"What?"

"My date."

"Oh." Hilde didn't know what to do on that one. She didn't want him to go with anyone else. However, she couldn't very well and ask him. Beside he'd most likely say no. So she gulped and said, "Come on there's like more than a dozen girls that would gladly go to homecoming with you. Why don't you go get one of them."

"No."

"What do you mean no."

"See, as far as I recall. I wasn't the one that said I had a date. That was all you. So I decided that it's up to you to get me a date."

"What!" It was now Hilde's turn to be surprise.

"Yeah, don't you think it's befitting."

"Why would you want me to get you a date. You have no problem doing that on your own."

" 'cuz."

"That's not a real answer," Hilde said exasperated.

" That doesn't matter. You have to get me a date, or you have to explain to your friends why you lied to them about my date."

"You're being cruel."

"No, I'm being logical."

"I thought you wanted to help Heero and Relena out."

"I know and we did help them out. Now you have to find me a date. That has nothing to do with Heero and Relena."

"Yes it does."

"No it doesn't."

"The only reason I blurted that was to get Heero and Relena together."

"Well, you should have thought of the consequences."

"I didn't think that you would be cruel about it."

"I'm not being cruel."

"Yes, you are."

"No am not."

Hilde was getting really frustrated and angered by this argument. It was going nowhere and it didn't look like the end was coming soon.

"Fine, I'll be your date," Hilde yelled at the phone.

Duo smiled at her outburst. It was just what he wanted to hear.

Flashback ends

"Oh, come on," Relena pressed. "There's got to be more to it than that."

"No it wasn't really anything especial. He just called and asked me." 'At least, the phone call thing wasn't a lie.'

"Well, at least he asked you," Relena said with a hint of bitterness in her voice. A part of her had wish that her whole predicament wasn't brought up during lunch, especially not in front of Heero.

"What are you talking about, Rel." Hilde eyed her friend closely. Relena hadn't showed any sign of bitterness before. She was always upbeat when it concerned homecoming.

"I don't know what I'm talking about," Relena said defeated. "Never mind."

"Oh, come on, Rel. You can't keep me hanging like that."

Relena stared at the embroidery from one of the dresses hanging from the rack. "It's just," she started, "he had to ask me."

"What are you talking about. He didn't need to ask you."

"Well okay, maybe he hadn't necessarily needed to ask me. But don't you see how this is a whole big favor."

Hilde didn't know what Relena was talking about. She had been the one openly talking about her predicament and Heero had given her a solution. He was doing her a favor, but that's what she wanted, wasn't it.

Then it hit her, "You wanted him to ask you."

Relena didn't answer, she just kept on looking at one of the dresses. Hilde took her silence as confirmation and continued with her newfound revelation. "You like Heero."

Hilde looked at her friend closely, but Relena still remained quiet and disregarding Hilde. "When?"

Relena looked up and was met with her friends curious eyes, she whispered, "At the park".

Authors Note

I will be going on Vacation to the Philippines on July and I won't be back till August. Therefore, there will be no updates until the end of August or the beginning of September. I am so sorry, but I am very excited to be going. I hope that you guys all review cuz' I'll be needing your encouragement when I come back to start writing again.

Thanks to those who reviewed last chapter. I'm sorry I took long to update. Thanks for your patients.

RayxJade: Trowa and Catherine aren't related. I don't know if I'm going to hook Trowa up with anyone because then I would have to go in-depth with his character and this story looks like it's going to be longer than I originally planned already. However, who know's I might change my mind.

CrimsonDragon010: I'm planning for the next chapter to be the actual dance, but that can change. Thanks for your loyal support, I really appreciate it.

Kai's the Best: I seem to be getting a lot of support for a Trowa/Quatre hook-up, but I don't know if that's going to happen. That would be a complete 180 for Trowa. I mean he's a playboy one day and gay the next. Plus, I wouldn't know how to go about writing it.

silvertwighlight: I'm sorry you don't like the way that I portrayed Trowa. But it was either him or Wufei and Trowa seems more fitting. Although, Duo does seem to be a more outgoing character, I always pictured him with Hilde. Therefore, I didn't want him to be the playboy character. I do agree that Trowa is a bit out of character.

Remiera: Thanks for reading!

Kingdom Dreams: It sounds like you guys have a blast together (). There aren't any Heero/Rel moments in this Chapter, but there are some Duo/Hil moments. I know one of you guys were asking for some.

FluffieGirlie: Sorry it took so long to update. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

animelo: Yeah, Heero jealous is always fun.

PureAngelEnchantress: Everything should turn out okay in the end. I mean their guys. Guys don't tend to hold grudges and they tend to just brush things off after some time.

Captain Stu: I'm sorry I made you wait so long. Don't worry, I won't let it die.

meyojojo: Wow the first gundam fic you've ever read. I feel so honored.

Thank's y'all for all your support and for reading my story. Please review.