Intrigue

by Kagura

Chapter Two: Playdate

Relena sat on a stool in the kitchen munching on a bowl of cereal. Apple Cinnamon Cheerios to be exact. She had nearly started a temper tantrum in the grocery store just to get them. Heero was sitting on a stool oposite Relena to make sure she didn't start throwing the cereal around the room. Then the buzzer rang. Heero got off the stool.

"Who is it?" Heero asked into the buzzer.

"Hey, Heero! It's Noin, Quatre, and Mr. Annoying."

"I am not annoying!" Heero heard Zechs yell.

"You're acting like a five year old! Any way, will you let us in?"

"Sure," Heero responded.

"I don wanna see my brofer. He's a meany!"

"Come on, just this once. You can say hi, and then go play with Quatre."

"I wanna stay wif you."

"I have to talk with your brother and Noin."

"Can you hiwde me?"

"No, are you going to play with Quatre or stay and talk to your brother."

"I'wl play wif Quatwa."

"Okay."

"Hey, Heero, long time no see," said Noin, walking in the door.

"Hi Noin. Hi Quatwa. Hi annowing," said Relena. She grinned evilly at her brother.

"Hi Welena, Hi Heewo," said Quatra.

"My sister just insulted me!"

"Deal with it Milliardo," said Noin.

"You only call me Milliardo when your annoyed or angry with me."

"And so I am. Apologise to Relena about yesterday morning."

"But she just called me annoying."

"It doesn't matter. If you can't act like an adult, go away."

"Fine." Heero watched the two fight, a slight smirk beginning to creep it's way onto his face. Zechs stalked out of the apartment, and down to the car.

"So, was there anything else you wanted?" asked Heero.

"Um, I was wondering if it were possible to get Quatre and Relena together for a playdate at some point. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Sure, how about 1700 hours tomorrow, right after work."

"Sounds good to me," replied Noin. "Oh, and why don't you bring some sort of dinner item. We can have dinner at the park, picnic dinner, since that is close to dinner time."

"Okay."

As Noin walked out the door with Quatre, she refleted on that conversation. 'He's never said so many words in a row before now. I wonder if Relena's making him talk more just by being there?' Then she shook her head. 'Man, I think I think too much.'

The next day at 1700 hours, Noin and Quatre met Heero and Relena at Heero's apartment. (A/N: For those of you who don't understand military time, 1700 hours is the equvalent of 5:00 pm.) Relena practically dragged Heero out the door. When they finally reached the park, Noin set up the picnic dinner while Heero watched the two kids zoom around the playground.

"Dinner!" she called suddenly. The two kids acted as if they didn't hear her, so Heero had to grab them and stop their game of Tag. Noin laughed inwardly at the sight. 'The Perfect Soldier is reduced to running after three year olds. He would probably make a really good father.' When Noin thought that, she caught her self. 'What the hell am I thinking, Heero would make a good father. I don't even like the guy more than a friend.' At that moment, Heero walked over, expressionless as ever, with a three year old under each arm. Noin began to laugh. Heero cocked an eyebrow at Noin. She pulled out a digital camera that had been in her pocket and snapped a picture. Then Heero set the two kids down. Noin, Heero, chibi Relena, and chibi Quatre then sat down to eat a meal of corn bread, pasta, and salad.
Sally had put Wufei to bed when she called Heero. She wanted details on what exactly happened to the other four gundam pilots and the Vice Foreign Minister.

"Hewo?" a voice asked on the other end.

"Hey Relena, what are you still doing up?" asked Sally.

"I'm tawking to Quatwa. He and Noin came ovew hewe aftew we ate pawsta and sawad at the pawk. Heewo's tawking to Noin."

"Can you ask Heero if he can spare a moment to talk to Sally Po. Tell him it's a secure line."

"Suwe!" came the response. Then Sally heard, "Heewo, can you spawe a moment to tawk to Sawy Po. She saiwd it was a secuwe wine." Then she heard, "Excuse me, Noin. Yeah, I'm coming. Go back to playing with Quatre." "I'll get them ready for bed, Heero. They shouldn't be up any longer."

"Hello Sally."

"Hey, I was wondering about what happened."

"Oh, I woke up this yesterday morning, and there were five kids sleeping in my living room in various articles of children's clothing and a note from Doctor J. He said he had been expiramenting with something when the five of them appeared wanting to talk about some peace treaty or another, and they accidentally got in the way of the expirament."

"Oh."

"He also said the effect should only last about a month."

"Oh, okay. I was concerned about Wufei staying this way."

"Don't worry about it."

"Gotcha. You should get back to your guests."

"Yeah, talk to you later."

"See ya."

After the phone converstation, Sally got ready for bed. When she had been laying in bed for about five minutes, a head poked into her bedroom.

"Sawy?"

"Yes, Wufei?"

"I'm scawd."

"Of what?"

"The scawy man in my dweam."

"Did you try turning onto your other side?"

"Uh huh. Can I sweep in hewe?"

"Sure, Wufei." The three year old walked over to the bed and climbed in next to Sally. It seemed weird to Sally that Wufei was admitting to being scared, but then again, he had been reduced to the mind of a three year old.
When Heero got off the phone with Sally, he walked into Relena's temporary room to find Relena and Quatre sound asleep in Relena's bed. Meanwhile, Noin was sound asleep in his living room. Feeling like leaving her there would be the improper thing to do, he went over and picked Noin up, carried her into his bedroom, and put her in his bed, then he grabbed a blinket out of the closet and went to sleep on the couch.
"Heewo, why awe you sweeping on the couwch?" asked Relena when she found her gaurdian sleeping there. She had found Quatre had still been in her bed when she woke up. She had gone to ask Heero why Quatre was still here when she found Noin in Heero's bed. "And why is Noin in youw bed?"

"Go back to sleep, Relena."

"But I'm hungwy! I wan appwle cinnamon cheweios!"

"Okay! I'm up! I'm up!" exclaimed Heero, getting up from the couch. He went to the cupboard and got out the cheerios, made Relena a bowl, then got out a poptart and started eating it.

"Can I hawve some of those too?" asked Quatre.

"Suwe! Heewo, get a bowl for Quatre."

"Okay, here." He got a bowl for Quatre too.

"Ain't this the little party," said Noin as she entered the room.

"Yeah, really." Heero was eating the poptart and glaring at the cealing.

"You know it's really weird to fall asleep on the couch and wake up in a foreign bedroom."

"Hn."

"Oh, so now we've gone back to being unresponsive. I was enjoying to version of you that actually conversed." No response.

"Can I have a poptart?"

"Here."

"Yay! I got a response."

"And you were complaining about Zechs acting like a five year old?"

"Jeeze, well at least I don't act like it all the time."

"Awe you guyws fiwing?" asked Relena.

"No," said Noin.

"She's just being annoying," said Heero.

"Noin's bewing annowing?" asked Quatre.

"I didwn't fink Noin was annowing," said Relena.

"They teamed up against you! Isn't that sweet!" Then out came the digital camera, and Noin snapped another picture.

"That camera is getting on my nerves."

"Ha! Oh well, deal!"

"Oh, really?" Noin didn't miss the evil glint in Heero's eyes.

"Oh no. No!" Heero lunged, tackling Noin to the ground and successfully getting the camera. "Not my camera!" Heero kept Noin pinned to the ground, then he took a picture of Noin.

"Ha." Then he ejected the memory card and pocketed it. "Oh fun. Blackmail," Heero said sarcastically.

"No! Not blackmail." Noin was giggling now because Heero had tickled her to get the camera. Relena and Quatre sat on top of the stools eating breakfast, slowly from shock, but perfectly in sync with each other. It was funny, but neither Noin not Heero noticed. They were to busy bugging each other. Then Relena said, "What awe you dowing Heewo?"

"Getting the camera away from Noin."

"I wike camewas!" said Quatre.

"Well, I think me a Quatre should go after breakfast is finished. We can have another playdate on Saturday. 0900 hours?"

"Sounds good," said Heero, finally composed.

When Quatre finished his cheerios, Noin picked him up and brought him out to the car, and then they drove off. Heero was suddenly left with a place of emptiness, but wasn't given long to ponder it because, Relena was soon asking for hot chocolate.