Relena sat impatiently while the medics put her shoulder back into place. It didn't hurt nearly as much as she'd anticipated, but then she wondered absentmindedly if her brain was, at that point, numb to the pain.
Her mind was fixed on the searing image of midnight blue eyes staring her down, primal and desperate. She had thought foolishly, for a moment, that she could call out to his soul. Of course, there was no reasoning with the wild man that used to be Heero Yuy.
Once she was given a sling and a bottle of painkillers, Relena was shooed out of the infirmary. It was at Wufei's insistence that she, Trowa and the rest of their injured teammates get treatment right then and there. There would be no hospitals, no traces of tonight's incident.
She was worried at first when Trowa was loaded onto a stretcher and carried inside the facility. Relena hadn't known how hurt he was, couldn't get close enough to him in the aftermath to inspect his injuries up close. She was surprised the taller and stronger acrobat had sustained more damage than she had; for all that could have gone wrong, she had emerged from her first true battle relatively unscathed. A fact of which she knew Faye would be proud. But Relena was anxious, hoping Trowa wasn't badly hurt.
And he's probably still angry with me, she thought. She couldn't even remember what they had fought about earlier, only knew that they had. She had a feeling Trowa wasn't one to hold onto grudges, though, and wanted to make sure he was all right.
And so she was taken aback when she stepped out into the hallway and found him upright, standing as if he'd been waiting for her. His face was scuffed with dirt or bruises, or both; she wasn't sure. And he was sporting a neck brace, which he was scratching the inside of. It reminded Relena that her Faye wig was itching her, but she didn't dare take it off as long as she was in the facility.
She strode over to Trowa, her mouth agape. "Shouldn't you be in a wheelchair?" Relena couldn't even tell from looking up, into his eyes, whether he was even in pain. As usual, his face gave nothing away, although she had seen a spectrum of emotions from him over the past few days. Now, though, he was back to his typical mask.
"It's not that bad," he said simply, adding a careless shrug for good measure. Relena continued to gape up at him for a beat before shaking her head in disbelief.
"He flicked you," she said in a hushed tone, "like you were an insect."
"Yeah, well." Trowa gave another shrug. "In case you haven't noticed, I tend to do all right when I'm airborne." Then he frowned. "Of course, if I'd been able to take him down earlier…"
Relena winced. It was her fault Heero had managed to attack Trowa in the first place. She'd let her emotions get the best of her, something she had promised herself - and Faye - that she wouldn't do. "I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me," she sighed.
Trowa's head was cocked to the side as he studied her closely. "It's all right. I understand."
Relena still felt like she had to justify her actions, though. "We did agree to try to take him in alive," she said, somewhat sheepishly. Hadn't they? Wasn't that the whole point of all of this - to try to recover Heero?
"Right," Trowa said flatly. "Although if it comes down to saving his life versus yours…" His brow furrowed, but his gaze remained steady. "I'm going to have to choose the latter."
Relena held his gaze, realizing too late that she had gotten in far too deep with Trowa. She had dragged him into this, and now both of their lives were at risk. She was willing to risk it all for Heero, but it wasn't fair to expect the same of Trowa… and now, even worse, he was willing to put his life on the line for her.
She couldn't have that.
"Next time," she muttered darkly, "don't bother trying to save me."
Trowa frowned at that. "You're reminding me of someone I used to know," he said. Before Relena could stop him, Trowa reached over and pulled off her wig. She gasped and covered her head with her hands, needing to maintain her disguise.
"Trowa!" she hissed, whirling around to ensure no one had seen. "Give that back!"
He glared at her for what felt like far too long before handing it back to her with a labored sigh. "Forgive me if I've had enough of Faye for one night."
Relena fixed him with a glare of her own as she readjusted the wig. "We can't afford to be sloppy," she said coolly. "We must be more discreet. Our mission… our lives depend on it."
Trowa's emerald eyes stayed with hers. "I understand what's at stake," he said slowly. "Do you?"
Relena opened her mouth to answer, but the sound of another voice halted her. Someone calling a woman's name. She realized a beat too late it was her name - or rather her alias.
"Faye?"
Wufei, now dressed in the white lab coat and spectacles of Dr. Feng Zan, stopped in front of her, frowning.
"Sorry," she said automatically, straightening her posture and forcing her attention on him. "What's the status update?"
"We gave the specimen another sedative," Wufei answered in a clipped tone. "We hope to keep him unconscious for at least a few more hours while we monitor his brain activity…"
Relena frowned at him. "Isn't there anything else you can do?" Wufei shook his head.
"It's the best we can do, for now. You should go home," he added, his dark eyes scanning hers.
"But, Wu- Dr. Zan," Relena quickly corrected herself. "Shouldn't we stay and try to help? Surely there's much more work to be done…"
Starting with trying to reform Heero, once he was awake again, and recover his memories. He had been much more lucid than Relena had expected, out there in the woods, despite his menacing fighting abilities and brute strength. He was able to talk to them… surely, if they had some more time, they could find a way to reason with him?
"Not tonight," Wufei said sharply, cutting into Relena's thoughts. "Not for you. It's just me and the techs from here on out."
For the first time Relena noticed how drained he looked, and she found herself focusing on the crow's feet behind his glasses. Wufei had always looked young for his age, but the creases around his eyes betrayed him.
"Go home," he repeated, but the authority had left his voice, his strain showing. "Get some rest."
"What about you?" Relena asked softly, breaking protocol to grasp his arm. Wufei's eyes widened and he pulled back slightly before recovering with a curt nod.
"Thank you, Miss Oaks, for your concern, but I'll be just fine." His words were forced and stilted but, for a moment, the two exchanged looks that reminded them of who they really were, not the actors in the pantomime they were playing out for the security cameras.
Relena nodded, too, and broke away. "All right. Well, thank you, Dr. Zan."
"Thank you for all you did to help recapture the specimen," Wufei said flatly, resuming character. He nodded over to Trowa, who nodded his response, and Relena wondered what else the two former Gundam pilots had communicated between their eyes.
When Trowa and Relena arrived back at her townhouse, the sky was tinged pink with the rising sun. Relena looked dazed as she wandered into her house. Trowa accompanied her up to her bedroom, helping her undress around her injury. Not long after she laid down on her bed, she appeared to fall into a deep slumber. Trowa could only imagine how conflicted and heartbroken she must have felt after seeing Heero in his dangerous state.
Trowa left Relena to her sleep and tried to do the same on her couch, but found his mind was too restless. He got up and rummaged through Relena's kitchen in search of something to make them for breakfast, but couldn't come up with enough ingredients to cook anything substantial. Relena appeared to keep her liquor cabinet better stocked than her refrigerator and pantry. Grabbing his wallet and phone, and Relena's keys, Trowa headed out into the bright, late spring morning.
Summer was still a few weeks away, but the day was already warming up nicely. Birds chirped and a gentle breeze stirred the air, mingling with the floral scent of wisteria bushes that lined the houses along the street with the smell of food and coffee wafting from nearby cafes. Trowa's stomach grumbled to remind him he hadn't eaten much the night before, and spending the night running for his life through the woods had done little to improve his stamina.
Trowa came across a market and ended up with a grocery bag stuffed with a fresh baguette, fruit, eggs, cheese and a few vegetables. In his other hand, he carried a tray of espressos with a dollop of cream in each. And then, spontaneously, he set his items down to buy a spring bouquet. The purple hyacinth blossoms, larkspur and white calla lilies peeked out of the top of Trowa's grocery bag, making his walk back to Relena's house even more fragrant. He hoped the flowers would help cheer Relena up, even a little. Although after what they'd experienced last night, he wondered if that was even possible.
He also wondered where he stood with her, although if he were to hazard a guess, he would have to assume her thoughts were all wrapped up in Heero. And anyway, he was too much of a gentleman to ask. Trowa decided he would just continue to be there for Relena, and show her he cared, in his own way.
As he walked, his phone sang out from his pocket, but Trowa's hands were full. He waited until after he'd gotten back to Relena's and unpacked the groceries to return the call. He was expecting Catherine, but then he had told her before he left the circus where he would be spending the night, and was assured she wouldn't be bothering him.
But the missed call was from Une.
Trowa figured the commander would have news, or some update on Heero. But when she answered, her voice was livid.
"Agent Seed," she barked. "Where are you?"
"At Relena's." Trowa frowned into the phone. "What's wrong?"
"Nice try," Une seethed. "How about telling the truth?"
"I am here," Trowa said firmly. "I stepped out momentarily, but-"
"Long enough for her to escape."
"What?" Trowa left the kitchen and headed up the stairs. "What do you mean, escape? She lives here," he said testily. "And anyway, she's right-"
Trowa opened the door to Relena's bedroom, but found her bed was empty, the duvet crumpled up at the end of the mattress. Undeterred, he strode into her bathroom, but she wasn't there, either. He continued throughout the house, checking her spare bedrooms, a second bathroom and, finally, her office. But Relena was nowhere to be found. Trowa cursed into the phone.
"You had orders, Seed," Une said sternly.
"I know," Trowa started, "but she was asleep-"
"I warned you about her," Une cut in. "I told you she can be unpredictable."
Trowa's heart raced, wondering where Relena could have gone. Although, instinctively, he knew. "So what now?" he asked Une.
"Come by HQ first," she said. "You'll need a disguise."
Hanging up, Trowa bounded outside. He noticed now that Relena's car was gone, something that had slipped his attention when he first got back to the house, his vision slightly obscured by his purchases. He chided himself for the misstep. Now, he would have to retrieve his motorcycle from where he'd parked the night before, up the street from The 27 Club. Trowa ran back to where he left the bike, praying he hadn't already wasted too much time.
-RGS
