Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and Cosmic Love are property of their respective owners. I do not own anything.

Get in the mood: "Cosmic Love" by Florence and the Machine


The Tower

Chapter 7

"So I stayed in the darkness with you."


"Good morning, Agent Saber. Official orders directly from Agent Rose."

"And you are?"

"Just a messenger. Agent Light is currently on special assignment, so he could not deliver this update personally."

"... Continue."

"Before leaving, Agent Light had arranged a meeting with an executive within the company, I'm sending the encrypted message now. Your orders are to meet with the target and plant the seeds of suspicion in his mind. Gain his sympathy and his trust. You are then to report as you normally would."

"I understand."

"Good luck, Agent Saber."

"..."

"She hesitated briefly but seems she's taken the bait."

"Excellent work Hierophant. We should prepare for our guest."


Quatre's eyes lit up as he quickly spied Dorothy chatting with Lady Une from across the crowded ballroom floor. She was radiant. The pilot couldn't help but be captivated by her as if there were some unseen force between them. Surrendering to their magnetism, he approached the two in a trance.

"Good evening ladies. If you'll please forgive me Lady Une, Miss Dorothy would you allow me a dance?"

His head was hazy and his heart beat wildly in his chest. Despite himself, he was unable to hide his mirth. With a predatory gleam in her eye, she consented and excused herself from Lady Une's presence. Once they claimed a spot on the dance floor, they fell into a graceful, natural rhythm. Everything around them seemed to fade into the background, as if the room belonged only to them. Dorothy was the first to break the silence.

"My, Mr. Winner this is certainly a delightful surprise. How has colony life been treating you since we last met?"

She teased him, making pleasant small talk. The pilot made himself an easy target; honest and open and hers.

He was only too happy to have her undivided attention as her melodious voice lulled him further into a state of rapture.

"I've been busy with work as of late. Unfortunately, it's prevented me from making the trips down here to Earth I'm so fond of..." he trailed off, hinting with a longing look in his eyes.

Dorothy raised one of her distinct eyebrows, "Oh is that so? Well you must relax and enjoy your stay while you're here."

The noblewoman politely smiled, feigning ignorance. She was treating him as if he were a mere stranger. Quatre unconsciously tightened his grip on the small of her back, drawing her warmth to closer to his body. Their eyes locked and she could feel his breath on her lips, a tantalizingly soft caress.

"Uh, uh Mr. Winner," the duchess chided him playfully. "Need I remind you that we're in the public arena?"

They separated slightly but still remained close enough that prying ears would not overhear their conversation.

He relented, "You know that doesn't matter to me."

"Oh, but it does to me. Have you forgotten our little agreement?"

She batted her eyelashes innocently, toying with him. Maybe he was just a plaything of hers. All he longed for was to share his love with her. Her intentions were yet unknown and Dorothy liked to keep the mystery alive.

His hushed reply came with urgency, "Dorothy, I've missed you."

"Or," she frowned, continuing, "could it be that you've lost faith in me already?"

He shook his head without breaking his hold on her purple orbs. "No, of course not. It's just that I never know where I stand with you."

His spaceheart felt a twinge of hurt from his partner that never registered on her face. He regretted his words briefly but he'd never make apologies for his honesty. They had a silent understanding of each other.

"The future is never certain Mr. Winner."

Her tone and expression had turned serious, "You can plan and manipulate all you want, in the end, fate will decide the proper course of action."

Dorothy stopped dancing just as the final note faded.

"And now the song has ended."

The Arab said nothing but begrudgingly, he released her. She glanced around the room casually, ignoring her companion.

"This bores me. I think I'll take my leave early and enjoy the remainder of the night at home."

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the despondent look that flashed across Quatre's face.

"You're welcome to join me. I should be able to show you some of the hospitalities of earth, humble as they may be at this hour," she smirked at him as she tossed an unruly lock of hair over her shoulder.

"Miss Dorothy," he sighed, relieved before regaining his bearings. "How scandalous, inviting a man into your home in the middle of the night. Are you sure that's wise?" he smiled mischievously.

It was a look that warmed her heart.

"Oh? Are you complaining Mr. Winner? Does that mean I shouldn't expect company tonight?" she mocked him as she made a move to pass him to say good night to Miss Relena and Lady Une.

As she came beside him she coyly whispered in his ear, "Give yourself a little credit Quatre. You're not just any man."

Reading between the lines, he reveled in the sentiment and the words she left unsaid.


Quatre Winner breathed a sigh of relief as he arrived in the Earth spaceport. The place was fairly empty and he was glad for it, he was in no mood to deal with the questions of the media or the prying eyes of the paparazzi. All the CEO wanted to do was relax and try to put the past week of stressful business meetings behind him. He glanced at his phone to see a dull screen and no new calls, no new messages. Maybe he should just make a surprise visit...

Feeling the prickling sense of someone watching him, the Arab glanced up from his phone. His eyes met a set of Prussian blue ones. Instantly, Quatre's mood shifted and he smiled brightly as he approached his friend.

"Heero! I didn't expect to see you!"

"Welcome home, Quatre."

Heero was his usual stoic self but allowed himself a slight smile along with his customary nod. Suddenly, his fellow Gundam pilot's out of place presence dawned on Quatre. Rashid was supposed to have been the one to greet him today. Uneasiness crept into the Arab's heart as his mind raced with possible reasons for Heero's appearance.

"Is something wrong? It's Dorothy isn't it?"

"Yes, but we shouldn't talk about it here. I've asked Rashid to take care of your baggage. I'll debrief you in the car."

Heero wasted no time in leading the way to the waiting car. As soon as the engine was started, the Japanese Gundam pilot began to explain the situation.

"Dorothy never reported in today and I've been unable to locate or contact her. Our last communication was a little over a week ago, when the threat against Relena was made. No one can attest to her whereabouts after that."

Quatre shook his head and sighed, "I can't say I know much more. That was about the last time I saw her too. We spent that night together and the next afternoon she saw me off at the spaceport. I haven't heard from her all week either, communications on the resource satellite are too unreliable to reach Earth. Has she ever failed to report before?"

"Never."

Quatre processed the information stifling the urge to panic. He knew that now more than ever he'd need to stay calm if he wanted to find Dorothy.

"I see. Where are we headed first?"

"Dorothy's home. It would reassure her staff to see a familiar friendly face. They may even be more cooperative with you there."

The rest of the drive was spent in silence with both men lost in their own thoughts.

As they entered the Catalonia manor, Dorothy's kindly housekeeper, Mrs. Jozette, welcomed them. She was an elderly woman with many years of service to the Catalonia family who, as Quatre had quickly learned, knew everything about Dorothy and everything that went on in the house. The duchess considered the woman her mother and had made sure that she alone was properly introduced to Quatre. He in turn had been relieved when the elderly woman approved, commenting it was nice that Dorothy had "found such a sweet, responsible gentleman to love".

"Mister Winner! We were just about to call you! I'm afraid Miss Dorothy might be in trouble," the older woman worriedly looked to him for any information.

Quatre nodded in acknowledgement, "It's alright Mrs. Jozette we're here to help. Do you mind if my friend looks around for any clues?"

"If it returns Miss Dorothy safely, please."

Mrs. Jozette beckoned another maid who approached Heero. After exchanging a few words, the two started down a hallway that Quatre was sure led to Dorothy's office and private library. The Winner heir turned his attention back to the worried housekeeper.

"How do you know Dorothy's in trouble?"

"A girl arrived some time ago, tired and hungry. It looks like she's walked a long way. She had this."

She handed him a small scrap of paper on which was a hastily written note.

Jozy,

The young lady bearing this knows information that will be helpful to an active Preventer investigation. Please contact Quatre as soon as she is comfortable enough to undergo an interrogation. She will be safe in his custody. Please take care until I return.

Dorothy

There was no use denying the authenticity of the message. It was written in Dorothy's precise but beautifully flowing script. It appeared that time had only affected the length of the note and not its the quality.

Focusing on the contents, Quatre's next question sprang from his lips, "Where is the girl now?"

"She should still be in the dining hall. I'll show you the way."

The Arab followed obediently, despite knowing the way by heart. He supposed the young girl may not be as willing to meet a stranger as he was. In that case, he would be glad for Mrs. Jozette's help with introductions.

Sitting in a chair was a girl of maybe sixteen with shoulder length black hair and a pair of wire glasses perched on her nose. She stood as Mrs. Jozette and Quatre approached but remained silent for the most part, only giving her name, Vera, when prompted. The elderly housekeeper explained to the girl the details of Dorothy's message. Vera nodded her understanding without making eye contact with the Gundam pilot, instead preferring to keep her eyes downcast, as if in shame. Before Quatre could open his mouth to give any reassurance, his thoughts were interrupted when Heero walked into the room.

"We need to head back to headquarters. Now," Heero didn't betray any panic but his commanding tone was unnerving to the blonde. Looking at Vera, the Japanese pilot quickly understood the situation, amending, "We'll take her with us. Maybe she can answer some questions later."

After depositing Vera in the care of Lady Une, the two Gundam pilots hurried to the meeting room where a distraught God of Death was restlessly pacing.

"We were ambushed! She tricked us! Kidnapped Miss Relena and her partner in crime beat Wufei badly."

Duo began to ramble as soon as his fellow pilots walked through the door, adding wild gestures with his hands to emphasize his words.

"Calm down Duo," Heero glared at the braided pilot in an attempt to pacify him.

Duo took no notice continuing with his rant, "I should have never trusted her!"

"Start from the beginning," the Japanese pilot commanded in a louder voice, causing his fellow pilots to take seats at the large table.

The self proclaimed God of Death gave a deep sigh before beginning his monologue, "Dorothy surprised us. Trowa was out in the field while Wufei and I were doing some research looking for her. She burst in here and told us that someone would be trying to kidnap Relena. So I took her to Relena's room and Wu went after the guy. She said something about it not being safe here and wanting to transport Relena to a safer location. It sounded like a good idea at the time. Anyways, as we were running out I saw Wufei getting beatdown by this young kid. I couldn't believe it, he was strong. Just by pure strength alone he was able to overwhelm Wufei. I ran to help him but the kid retreated and by the time I realized it, Dorothy was gone with Relena too."

Heero spared a quick glance around to his fellow pilots. At some point during Duo's briefing, Trowa had entered and taken a seat. His expression was unreadable but on further inspection, slight body language revealed his discomfort with the situation. Quatre's gaze remained fixated on the blank space in front of him. He had stayed quiet, absorbing the information but his fists clenched on the armrests of his chair told a different story. Duo was now sitting with his head in his hands, no doubt berating himself for the events that had transpired.

Controlling his own thoughts, Heero directed his question to the Deathscythe pilot, "And the other agents?"

"There were explosives detonated around the perimeter. Just distractions, but enough to throw our ranks into chaos," Duo shook his head. "Dorothy knows exactly how we're trained to respond."

"That's enough Duo," Heero could understand his friend's guilt but this was getting out of hand. He needed to keep a cool head and, maybe more importantly, he needed to not provoke Quatre. With Wufei injured, the four of them would need to work together efficiently.

"She had to have planned it and I fell for it! It was a mistake to trust her!"

"Duo," the Wing pilot glared at his compatriot.

"She's probably been planning to betray us from the beginning! People like that don't change!"

Quatre slammed his hands on the table as he stood in the same swift motion, a move that startled the rest of his colleagues.

"That's my fiancée you're talking about," he gritted out. His anger and hurt burning in his ever expressive eyes. He was breathing heavily, as if it took all the strength he had to hold himself together.

The other three pilots just watched him, stunned at his outburst. Duo, more so than the other two, having been oblivious to the relationship between Quatre and Dorothy.

"Quatre, I'm sorry man," escaped the mouth of the braided pilot in a small voice, sobered by the realization that someone else were suffering more than him.

The blonde took his seat again, despair evident on his face. He ran a shaky hand through his hair and sighed.

"No, I'm sorry. This is probably exactly what they want. They want us divided. But I have faith in Dorothy. She wouldn't betray us like this," he closed his eyes. "Something is forcing her to cooperate with them. Dorothy was concerned her cover may have been exposed. With the threat against Miss Relena, I should have been more vigilant." He clenched his fists again, "If I hadn't gone to space maybe we could have avoided this."

Trowa laid a comforting hand on his close friend's shoulder.

"You can't think like that Quatre," the Heavyarms pilot offered him a sympathetic smile. "Don't blame yourself. We have to start with what we can do."

"Yes, that's right," the blonde returned the smile weakly, reflecting on his thoughts.

Dorothy wouldn't want him to let his feelings get in the way. 'I didn't want your judgment to be clouded.' That's what she had said. 'We'll protect each other.' He remembered he told her. They trusted each other, didn't they? He just needed to have faith in that trust, that she would stay safe, that she would keep Relena safe.

Standing up, Quatre's mind was focused and his priorities clear, "If we want to find Dorothy and Miss Relena, maybe we can ask Vera for some information?"

The pilots created a plan of action and tasks were delegated among them. Soon Quatre was alone in the room. He closed his eyes, thinking back on that day.

'If something happens, don't forget me... I just want you to remember me like this, not the girl from the war.'

Yes, she had said that too.


So, I hope you enjoyed Chapter 7. Please leave a review if you see fit, I would greatly appreciate it. As a side note, this is the longest chapter I've written so far, I'm rather proud. Also, I've taken the liberty of cleaning up the previous chapters with the intention of making them more readable. Lastly, I must apologize that my writing is like a bad RPG in that it takes several hours to get to the action, although as usual hopefully it was worth it ^^;;

~Tiramille