Chapter Two: To Whom It May Concern
Why are you so far from me?
In my arms is where you ought to be
How long will you make we wait?
I don't know how much more I can take
– The Civil Wars, "To Whom It May Concern"
"Thank you, everyone, for coming here today…" Relena started, her eyes darting about the room desperately. Thankfully, they landed on a banner hanging at the back of the room, above a table displaying poster boards and various literature. Even better, there was a giant monitor with images flashing across the screen, mostly of malnourished children, and a nicely-dressed group of adults caring for them. One of them appeared to be a doctor wearing a white lab coat, stethoscope and tortoiseshell eyeglasses.
Relena's smile widened, her confidence building.
"Healing Hearts is a wonderful organization that we at ESUN are so delighted to support," Relena continued smoothly. "As you can see from the literature displayed throughout the room, they do truly wonderful, miraculous work aiding those that are far less fortunate than us." She paused and placed a hand over her heart.
"As a mother, it means so much to me to know how dedicated they are to making a better world for children everywhere, here on Earth and in the colonies. In fact, this is the only non-profit medical organization that travels throughout all of the colonies and Earth sphere."
Relena recalled that fact just in time. Then she remembered she was supposed to be introducing someone– the actual speaker for the evening. Thankfully, his name kept popping up on the video.
"We are so appreciative of this organization's truly stellar work, and to each one of you who has decided to lend your support at tonight's benefit. Please remember, no gift is too small… or too large." Relena paused to smile broadly, and the room rippled in pleasant laughter.
"Now, I would like to turn the microphone over to someone who is much more qualified to talk all about Healing Hearts and the important work they've been doing for decades now."
Relena hoped the man was ready to take the stage; otherwise she was going to have to stand there and continue to improvise… and the only thing she felt she could confidently babble on about – even, no, especially when she was tipsy– was the Mars terraformation project. But this was neither the time nor place for such a speech…
Thankfully, the man from the video appeared at the side of the stage, wearing a well-cut tuxedo instead of a lab coat. He still wore his tortoiseshell glasses, though, and sported a rumpled mop of sandy blond hair, which Relena found oddly endearing. He nodded at her encouragingly, and she swept a hand in his direction.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Dr. Paul Montgomery."
The doctor flashed a grin and bounded up the stage, coming to stand beside Relena. He offered a hand to her and she pressed his in a light handshake. His was firm and sure.
"It's a pleasure to meet you at long last, Foreign Minister Darlian." Relena was not surprised to hear a perfectly clipped British accent. She decided that she didn't mind hearing her title in that voice; hearing anything else might have seemed strange.
"You as well, Dr. Montgomery." She tipped her head at him before stepping to the side, allowing him to take the podium. He gave her another smile and nod before turning his full attention to the audience. Relena smiled gratefully, ready to bound off the stage. But she remembered her long, gauzy gown and held up the skirt, making a somewhat graceful exit.
Realizing she'd left her champagne on the podium, Relena accepted another one from a waiter and did her best to melt into the back of the room. She stayed for Dr. Montgomery's entire presentation, knowing there would be a toast at the end, so she refrained from sipping her bubbly until everyone else in the room had their glasses raised.
The presentation ended and the room shifted back into gala mode. The air around Relena filled with the sounds of voices chattering away amid the pleasant harmonies from the string quartet plucking away at their instruments.
Suddenly noticing that she was starving, Relena took advantage of the din to slip into the kitchen. Luckily, she happened to know the chef catering tonight's event...
They'd all gone soft after the war. Heero knew it, and feared the rest of the world knew it, too. Which was a terrifying thought. He had a hard enough time keeping his team of former soldiers in line, even those he had relied on since he was fifteen years old.
"Where is Mother Dove?" he grumbled into his walkie. If Relena ever caught wind of this particular Preventer codename for her, Heero knew she would blow a gasket. She used to be referred to as "Little Dove," but that name had been reassigned to their daughter…
Heero didn't like the answer that came in his earpiece, in the form of a rather sarcastic quip. "You mean you don't know?"
He gritted his teeth and waited a beat before answering. "She is no longer my responsibility. But you should have eyes on her at all times. So. Where. Is. She."
The answering chuckle only set him more on edge. "I know where she is. Relax."
Heero was going to throttle his colleague later, friends or no. "Then go there. Stop dicking around."
There was no verbal response after that, but Heero could see his fellow Preventer making a beeline for the back of the ballroom. Heero should have allowed himself to relax then, but couldn't. He realized, as he watched the black-clad agent disappear into the throng, that it wasn't his friend he was annoyed with so much as himself. Once again, Relena had managed to give him the slip, and Heero had managed to let her.
Heero jammed a hand through his unruly dark hair, coming closer to sighing out loud than he had in a long time. He was uncharacteristically distracted. Distracted by her, by the status of their relationship, by her goddamned see-through dress… But he couldn't let his frayed nerves get the best of him. He needed to find her and speak with her. Even if she was avoiding him, which was painfully apparent, enough was enough.
She was his wife. And he wasn't going to let her go without a fight. Even if tonight could turn out to be his very last stand… so be it. He owed it to himself, to her and their daughter, to try one last time.
He let out a breath he'd been holding for far too long, keeping his eyes trained to a set of swinging doors in a far corner of the ballroom. He had a sneaking suspicion where his wife had gone, but would wait for his colleague to confirm her location before making his move.
And after that, he was determined to never lose sight of her again.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed and reviewed this story so far; I really appreciate your feedback and enthusiasm. It's wonderful to be back! Every time you respond to something I've written, I do my best to soak in all the good vibes and warm, fuzzy feelings. Now I'd like to promise to give you the same, but this story may be short on the warm fuzzies for a little while... If you've read the original Civil Wars, then you'll know what I mean. But I hope you'll stick with me on this one. Fingers crossed I can keep up the momentum for the immediate future...
Thank you again for all your support!
Love love love,
- RFP