Release Chapter 2, a gundam wing/ac fanfic

Disclaimer - It's not mine. Never was. I'm not making any money off of this, just enjoyment. The songs are the property of whomever they belong to. I'm not stealing them, just borrowing.

Release

Chapter 2

Along Comes the Cavalry

Heero glared mutinously at the rather large bouncer that was standing at the entrance into the night club. The ex-pilot flashed his Preventor's badge with the other three men who had accompanied him on his impromptu search to find Relena. The burly guard quickly stepped down and let them inside.

Before the door ever closed behind them, Heero was assaulted with the flashing lights and overwhelming heat that was being generated from inside the building.

"We're going to have a hell of a time finding her in this mess." Duo commented loudly over the blaring Latin music that was pumping through the speakers. "There's got to be three hundred people in here!"

"I don't care what you have to do. Just find her!" Zechs Merquise growled, gearing up to give his younger sister the lecture of a lifetime for ditching her guard detail and sneaking out of the house to a place like this. "Now split up!"

"Looks like someone's on the prowl tonight." Marco said.

"What do you mean?" Relena asked, taking a mouthful of water from the bottle in front of her. She'd been at the club for a couple hours now, and was working up quite a thirst. She'd spent more time on the dance floor, alternating between various partners, than anywhere….and was loving every minute of her contrived freedom.

"Who're those jokers looking for?" he asked, nodding to a man with very familiar looking blonde hair who was wearing a Preventor's jacket. Relena frowned and inconspicuously turned her back towards her brother, looking back out to the dance floor, only to meet a set of green eyes that were set into a very familiar face halfway across the room.

"No clue." she shrugged. "Come on, let's dance."

"Yes, ma'am." he said, leading her back out there. Relena scanned the club, fervently trying to see if there were any other Preventors in the building. Through the dim light, she could make out Duo milling through the crowded dance floor. On the other wall, she saw a very calm looking Trowa. The only one that was missing was..

"Oh, sorry about that, buddy." Marco said, nodding to someone he had bumped into.

"Hn." came the deep voice that Relena was dreading to hear. She turned her head away from Heero, who had brushed off the incident and seemed so intent on finding her that he totally missed that she was standing in front of him. Of course, given the dim lights, mass of bodies, loud music, and the disguise she had on, it would have been a miracle if he had noticed it was her. Heero continued on his way, and Relena let out a huge sigh of relief as she and Marco found themselves in the middle of the throng of bodies beginning to dance to the soulful music oozing from the speakers.

She was safe out there, among so many people, at least for a while.

Trowa circled the dance floor of the club, his eyeswatching asZechs and Heero weeding through the throng of people, both searching for the same person he had already found.

They wouldn't find her that easily, and he knew it. He had barely noticed Relena's changed appearance sitting at the bar where Heero was not questioning the bartender. He hadn't been sure at first, but the expression of surprise that had quickly melded into one of careless uninterest was telling.

Their ruse was working fine, and he wouldn't admit it, but the Heavyarms pilot was enjoying seeing Heero and Zechs so angry at being duped yet again by the evasive Relena Peacecraft. Of course, he'd had a large part in the events of the evening, slipping her the untraceable cell phone she'd called the taxi service that had taken her away from her house while the fire alarm was blaring in the background.

Trowa knew where she was going, had known since she had first approached him with the idea. He had agreed with her plan simply because he knew she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown from her job and the continued stress of dealing with that bastard Yuy.

Not to say that Trowa didn't respect the other pilot, but the way he was handling the situation with Relena was out of hand. It was a common fact that Heero loved her more than his own life, would do anything for her if she'd ask him to. But the fact of the matter remained that he wouldn't tell her, wouldn't show her the slightest bit of interest.

Trowa had watched silently as Heero's cold demeanor had slowly sucked the life out of her the past few months, turning her into a workaholic that focused on the greater good of everyone around her as opposed to her own happiness. She rarely ever smiled, never laughed anymore either. He had never seen her like this, never seen her so depressed. She hadn't been this bad after the fight with Mariemaia and Yuy had disappeared….again.

Preventors had called him not long after that, asking if he would head Relena's security team full time. He had agreed without much persuasion although he hadn't known her all that well, despite her dealings with the pilots during the war.

He had taken over the night shift supervision, and slowly gotten to know her over the four years she had been in his care. She was his confidante, and he was hers. She'd told him of her love for Heero, and how she had felt it was unrequited. Told him everything. And it was because of her friendship that he had allowed her this small respite from her torturous schedule. He knew of her love of dancing, so he let her indulge in it.

What if I was good to you, what if you were good to me
What if I could hold you till I feel you move inside of me
What if it was paradise, what if we were symphonies
What if I gave all my life to find some way to stand beside you

She was happy now, dancing with whoever that guy was. There was a smile on her face again, and a healthy glow in her cheeks that had been absent for many weeks. Trowa smirked as he watched her. Relena was something when she wanted to be. The prim and proper Vice-Foreign Minister that everyone else in the world saw was currently dirty dancing in the middle of an overcrowded club with someone who would probably have a heart attack if they knew who she really was.

I don't wanna be lonely no more
I don't wanna have to pay for this
I don't want to know the lover at my door
Is just another heartache on my list

I don't wanna be angry no more
You know I could never stand for this
So when you tell me that you love me know for sure
I don't want to be lonely anymore

She deserved this little respite from reality. Relena loved her job, she really did, and he knew that. She loved being able to help people, but he could also see where someone with her personality would quickly become fed up with the people she worked with.

He found the words to the fading song somewhat poignant. Relena didn't want to be all alone, either. But no matter what he had tried, she kept trying to shut everyone else out, enforcing her self isolation away from those she considered friends. Maybe after tonight, that little problem with rectify itself.

He chanced a look over at Heero, who was watching the milling crowd.

Yep, it would take care of itself just as soon as Gundam pilot 01 found his desired target.

I don't wanna be lonely anymore
I don't wanna be lonely anymore
I don't wanna be lonely anymore

Duo didn't know whether to laugh his ass off or be worried that Relena had managed to skip out on her guard again. Heero had called him a few hours ago, saying that Relena had come up gone from her house and to get his ass there pronto.

By the time the ex-Deathscythe pilot had gotten to the modest house, Trowa was there as well, along with a pissed off Zechs and a scowling Heero Yuy. The Preventor that had been on duty was currently getting a stern reprimand from the lightning count. After he finished yelling, the Preventor was sent away with strict instructions to report to Une's office the next morning.

"Where did she go?" Heero asked point blank when he had come in.

"How the hell would I know?" Duo answered, shrugging. He really had no idea where his princess had gotten off to this time, there was no telling. "Any ideas, Trowa?"

"If we were to assume she has not been kidnapped, I would suppose she has went into the city." he said quietly. "Was that not where she went last time she snuck away from her security? To a movie theater on the outskirts of the city?"

"She's not going to go to the same theater twice in a row." Zechs hissed, pulling out his phone and dialing Une. After a curt conversation, he was off and heading out the door. "Let's go."

"What's the plan?" Duo asked, following behind the taller man.

"We're going to track her down. She can't have gone far." he muttered. "Span out and find her!"

The four men had each left in their cars to search for the missing young woman.

They had finally managed to track her down through the cab company she had used to get away from the house. The guy hadn't recognized the description he'd been given from Zechs, but had told them he'd picked up a girl in a red dress a block or so away from Relena's address a couple hours before and then dropped her off at Club Avalon in town. That had been the lead they needed. Duo recognized the description of the dress as the one he and Hilde had given Relena for her birthday a few weeks ago, so at least they knew what she was wearing now.

Now, they were searching around for a needle in a haystack. Duo didn't mind going to clubs; in fact, he and Hilde went to them all the time. But he had never actually realized how hard it was to find one person in middle of three hundred.

The heat being put off by the gyrating dancers was enough to make him sweat as he pushed his way through. He trained his eyes around the floor, searching for a flash of red somewhere.

He caught sight of one girl who was dancing, but couldn't see her face so he moved around a little more to get a better look. From the back, she looked to be about Relena's size and shape, but the head of black ringlets was throwing him off.

Of course when he did see her face, he had never been so surprised in all his life.

It was Relena all right, black hair, little red dress, and green eyes.

Duo's next thought was whether her dance partner had paid up his life insurance policy. Because Heero was headed his way.

Tonight we dance
I leave my life in your hands
We take the floor
Nothing is forbidden anymore

"Any luck?" Heero asked, practically yelling over the loud music.

"Uh, I think I found her, buddy." Duo said nervously. "She's on the floor."

"Where?" Heero demanded, scanning the crowd for his charge's light colored hair.

"The one in the red dress." he said slowly, pointing to where Relena was dancing with the man.

"That's not Relena."

"Oh, yeah, it is." he said. "Hilde gave her that dress for her birthday, remember? The wig is from her Halloween costume last year." Heero looked, coming to the same conclusion as Duo. It was Relena.

And she was currently wrapped around some unknown male, dancing to the music that was slowly beginning to give him a headache.

Tonight I'm yours
We can make it happen I'm so sure
I won't let it go
There is something I think you should know

Zechs was about to snap. Relena had been missing for nearly four hours, and the only lead they had was a cabby who said he'd picked up a girl a block from Relena's house hours ago. It was hardly a concrete guide, but it was the only thing they'd managed to find. Still, he found it doubtful that Relena would be in a place like this.

Too many people, for one thing.

And she didn't like to dance, as far as he knew.

I won't be leaving your side
We're going to dance through the night
I want to reach for the stars.

He was making another round when he found Duo and Heero staring shocked face at someone on the dance floor. He also noticed that Trowa was weaving his way through the crowd to his comrade's sides. 'Did they find her?' he wondered, going over to investigate.

"What's going on, you two?" he demanded. "You're supposed to be looking for Relena, not gaping at these people."

"We found the princess." Duo muttered, pointing out into the crowd.

"Out there?" Zechs asked, eyeing the crowd scrupulously. He didn't see her.

"She's with a guy in a black shirt and pants." Duo muttered. "Right there!"

Zechs searched the crowd, finding the couple in question as the surrounding people milled about. There was a lump in his throat when he took in four very important things.

One. It was in fact his younger sister out on the dance floor with this guy, dancing her heart out as they watched.

Two. The dress she had on was way to short, and showed too much skin for her partner to be touching.

Three. Yuy looked ready to murder said partner.

Four. This was about to get ugly, quick.

Bailamos - let the rhythm take you over Bailamos
Te quiero amor mio - Bailamos
Wanna live this night forever - Bailamos
Te quiero amor mio Bailamos
Como te quiero
Como te quiero
Como te quiero

Relena could feel the heat of her brother and Heero's combined gazes as the song ended and another one came on. She knew if she turned around to face them, her will would crumble and they would capitalize off her falter, pushing their way to come and get her.

"Problems?" her partner queried when she turned to face him and buried her face in his shoulder, her body going tense.

"My brother's here to get me." she whispered. "He's standing over by the bar."

"Blonde hair, and a Preventor's jacket?" he asked flippantly.

"That's the one."

"And am I to assume the one glaring holes at my head is the one you're mad at, Lena." he chuckled.

"That would be a correct assumption, yes."

"Should I be concerned about bullets in this vicinity." he asked lightly.

"Not while I'm here." she muttered. "I think I've put them into a catatonic shock. You're fine until they get their brains functioning again."

"How long is that?"

"Five minutes, give or take?"

"Time for one last dance before they sweep you out of here then, yes." he asked. Relena smiled gave him a peck on the cheek. "Let's make it a good one, shall we?"

"Let's." she agreed, reaching up and putting her arms around his neck, bringing their bodies as close as she possibly could as he led her into the steps of a very familiar dance that she knew all too well.

I feel so unsure
As I take your hand and lead you to the dance floor
As the music dies, something in your eyes
Calls to mind a silver screen
And all its sad good-byes

She closed her eyes and laid her head back on his shoulder when he pulled her up close to him. His arms were wrapped around her waist, keeping her in place while they moved back and forth to the slow beat. She felt him take her wrist and pull her arm up to drape over his neck. Relena just smiled, relishing in the physical contact of another human being, the warmth being radiated from another living soul.

She was about to get caught anyway, might as well have fun while it lasted, right?

I'm never gonna dance again
Guilty feet have got no rhythm
Though it's easy to pretend
I know you're not a fool
Should've known better than to cheat a friend
And waste the chance that I'd been given
So I'm never gonna dance again
The way I danced with you

She remembered this dance quite vividly in her lessons. The rumba, a slow dance that involved a lot of hip work and practically no space between the dancers. The 'bedroom dance' of the ballroom world was what her instructor had described it as. The woman was a temptress, seducing her partner with her moves and coy looks. And despite the fact that the man always led, this form settled around the woman being central, pulling her partner into an electric union before pushing him away, teasing him and making him work for her affections.

And she was currently doing her best to fulfill that portrayal, her brother and Yuy be damned!

Time can never mend
The careless whispers of a good friend
To the heart and mind
Ignorance is kind
There's no comfort in the truth
Pain is all you'll find

He spun her out slowly, then brought her back into the protective circle of his arms as they continued. Marco ran his hands down her sides, and she felt goose bumps rise on her arms as they swayed together, hips moving as one.

She was tired of it. Tired of having guards around her every minute of everyday, confined to her office or her small home outside of town. She was tired of the cameras, the security, all of it.

On the dance floor she was no different than the other young woman around her. Just as passionate and virile as the others, and she was intent on showing that to two of the four men who were currently standing at various points around her outside the dance floor.

She'd been found, and she knew it. But it didn't matter. Her brother looked like he was in utter shock and Heero didn't look any better. Relena smirked and met the cold gaze of the ex-pilot, almost like she was daring him to intervene, only to turn away when the spin ended.

"Don't think about him." Marco whispered quietly, apparently sensing her hesitation. "I'm not going to hurt you, Lena. Just dance with you."

It was enough for her. She took his hands, allowing him to pull her into a close embrace as the song played. Relena let the sensual sounds of the music pull her into a state of peace as she moved around her partner, matching him step for step and touch for touch.

To hell with what Heero Yuy thought. Let him see what he was missing out on. He'd get an eyeful by the time she was done.

I'm never gonna dance again
Guilty feet have got no rhythm
Though it's easy to pretend
I know your not a fool
Should've known better than to cheat a friend
And waste the chance that I'd been given
So I'm never gonna dance again
The way I danced with you

"What the hell is she doing?" Heero growled.

"Dancing?" Duo offered as helpfully as possible.

"You call that dancing?" Zechs demanded.

"Ballroom dancing, yes." Trowa answered simply, watching the couple as they twirled around the confined space.

Never without your love

Heero had never seen her like this. The Relena he knew was a polished, sophisticated young woman with a promising career in the political arena of their world. The beautiful creature he was watching on the dance floor shared her face and body, but her actions were…..off.

Never had he thought he see Relena like this, a sexy, sensual woman who was embroiling herself in the moves of a dance he hadn't realized she even know. He was slowly losing control of his emotions, watching as this guy all but manhandled her in front of him and the rest of the patrons of the club.

And Relena was grinning!

Her eyes were closed and her hands were holding her partners in place around her waist, but there was a pleasing grin on her face as they swayed back and forth before he spun her out and brought her back into the safety of his arms, her back and his chest meeting softly. Relena's head went back to his shoulder and he could see her whisper something to him that caused a small smile to form on the darker man's face.

Heero resisted the sudden, undeniable urge to kill this new intruder.

Tonight the music seems so loud
I wish that we could lose this crowd
Maybe it's better this way
We'd hurt each other with the things we'd want to say
We could have been so good together
We could have lived this dance forever
But now who's gonna dance with me
Please stay

Trowa watched the emotions play along Heero's face as he watched Relena move with her chosen partner. He suddenly wished he could read his fellow pilot's mind, wanting to know exactly what the great Yuy was thinking at seeing Relena like this.

Zechs didn't look much better.

Trowa suppressed a grin.

The two men had coddled Relena for too long. And it looked like this was exactly the alternative to shock therapy to make them realize she was no longer some naive little girl anymore. Whatever misconceptions they had placed on her being a perfect little prude were quickly thrown out the window. Relena was no harlot, and barely even recognized the flirting men done with her, but she was hardly a prude either. He had watched her dancing since they had entered into the club. She was not a blatant type of dancer. Her moves were subtle, as were her coy looks and smiles at her partner. The dances were tasteful, and much more toned down than most of the surrounding pairs.

It was true, graceful ballroom dancing techniques she practices, not the obvious carnal moves of her surroundings. It was hot enough to make him sweat, spicy enough to tempt any man, but it wasn't distasteful.

Nothing she did was ever distasteful.

Trowa was suddenly brought out of his musings when Heero's face went into it's familiar cold mask and he heard the audible 'click' of a gun safety being disengaged. Things were about to get ugly, and he had to stop it before the guy Relena was dancing with wound up dead in some alleyway somewhere.

"I'll get her." he said, walking out into the crowded area before Heero could get one step in closer. "There's no need for bloodshed."

"You're coming to be claimed." Marco whispered to her.

"I figured." Relena said grumpily.

"It's not over yet." he said. "Show'em what you can do, Lena."

"Okay." she whispered. Her moves turned erotic, and she blatantly grinded her lower body against her partner. The rush of sensations caused her to gasp, and she felt Marco's hands grip her waist tightly before carefully putting some space between them. Thinking she'd gone too far, she looked up to apologize, only to see him grin and wink at her. He pulled her close and gave her a peck on the cheek before bending her into a deep dip. Relena, who hadn't been expecting the move, clutched him instinctively, but he only grinned.

Now that you're gone
Now that you're gone
Now that you're gone
Was what I did so wrong, so wrong
That you had to leave me alone

Marco pulled her up and swung her out as the last note faded, but instead of the gentle tug to pull her back towards him, Marco let her go. Relena opened her eyes when she bumped into someone else, ready to apologize. She felt someone's arm wrap around her waist, and she turned to see who it was that had caught her.

"Trowa?" she asked, unwrapping herself out of his arms and looking up at him with a soft smile to see the familiar green eyes of her dear friend. She should have figured he'd be the one to come and get her. Duo was still in shock, and Zechs and Heero couldn't be trusted to get her out of there without killing the innocent Marco.

"Sorry, princess." he said, nodding to the entrance. "Time to go."

"Already?" she asked quietly, looking around to see a glaring Zechs Merquise standing off to the side, and a very pissed off Heero Yuy heading for the nearest exit. Duo looked like he was stuck between going to make sure Heero wasn't going to shoot someone, and coming to get her off the dance floor. "I guess so, huh?" Trowa just nodded. Relena turned to Marco, who didn't seemed so surprised at another man's intrusion on his dance.

"Leaving me already, Lena?" he grinned.

"I'm afraid so. Sorry." she said.

"Normally I would put up a fight, but I have a feeling these gentlemen wouldn't like it that much." he said.

"Thank you, Marco." she mumbled. "I had a good time this evening, the first one in a long time."

"Don't mention it. Just glad I could help." Marco said a smile on his face as kissed her hand. "Anything for a pretty lady such as yourself. Remember what I told ya'. He'll come around one day. And if he doesn't, well, it's his loss."

"Thank you." she said sweetly. He grinned and disappeared into the milling crowd, leaving her in the protective custody of Trowa.

"Firing squad at the ready?" she asked easily, looking up at his with a half grin.

"Ready and waiting. Don't say I didn't warn you, princess." he said calmly, taking her arm and gently leading her towards the entrance.

"Figures." she muttered. But even with the impending sermon she was about to receive, she couldn't get the giddy feeling out of the pit of her stomach. She'd had her couple hours of fun. It would be worth the hell she was going to get from her brother when she got home.

A/N - Oh dear, Relena's in trouble now. (cackles evilly) Let's see how our precious 'perfect soldier' acts around his pure little princess now…..

Oh, and please review, if only to tell me I've mutilated their characteristics.

(Points at an innocuous bottle of cough syrup labeled Nyquil.)

It's all the cough syrup's fault! It's messing with my head!