Title: The Devil Has Blue Eyes

By: Aina Song

Fandom(s): Gundam Wing

Genre: Yaoi (with some Het thrown in)

Rating: PG-15

Warning(s): Contraband; Fusion; Language; Death; Murder.

Pairing(s): Heero/Quatre (constant mentionings of Het pairings)

Reviews: Yes, please.

Author's Note: (I'm afraid my usual Disclaimer will not be enough this time, so bear with me.) I, Aina Song, hereby acknowledge the illegality of the following fusion fiction, which is based very thickly upon Clara Wimberly's The Jeweled Heart of Rosemont Castle. I do not claim any rights or privileges her book may have earned her, nor do I claim credit for the book itself. This fanfiction follows her plot almost to the letter, with few changes tossed in here and there, but I must again press that it does so without the explicit permission of Ms. Wimberly, her editor(s), or her publisher(s). This fiction was not written for money; I do not profit from this in any way, shape, or form. Please excuse the illegality of it all, and I do hope my own readers will try to look past my unlawfulness and enjoy the fiction nonetheless. Thank you.

Teaser: He did not care that he was the lost heir to a winery fortune - especially since he couldn't remember that earliest piece of his childhood. He only wanted to reclaim the family that had been kept from him. But there was another who was determined to unmask him as an imposter. And, at the same time, a strange cold presence stirred again at his return, anxious to finish what it had started so long ago…

Chapter Twenty-One

Quatre spent the remainder of the afternoon in his room. When Cathy came in with a steaming pot of tea and some of Sally aromatic spiced teacakes, he was only too glad for the distraction and urged her to stay a while.

The weather had grown quite cool - dogwood winter, the mountain people of Sanc had called it. Together Cathy and he built a fire in the small, ornate fireplace. The sound and smells of the fire lit the room cheerily, making even the rain and wind sound pleasant.

"Have tea with me, Cathy," he invited as he pulled a table before the fireplace.

"Oh, Mister Quatre, I mustn't. If the Lady Khushrenada should find out…"

"Hiromi? I'm sure she wouldn't mind. Besides, I feel closer to you than any of them."

She smiled brightly then, her eyes glittering in the firelight. She sat in a chair opposite him and poured the tea with a flourish. "Well, you probably shouldn't be saying such a thing. But I'm glad you feel that way. I like you, too." For once, Cathy's exuberance turned to shyness, and Quatre found it very sweet and charming.

"Tell me," he grinned. "How are things with your beau? Trowa, isn't it?"

"Did I tell you that?" She gasped.

"No, I guessed," he chuckled. "That look you get in your eyes when you speak about him looks good on you, by the way."

She dipped her head at his teasing, a faint rose coloring her cheeks. "He's asked me to marry him."

"That's great! What have you told him?"

"Well, I'm letting him sit awhile," she admitted mischievously. "But to tell you the truth I can hardly wait."

"I'm sure he can't, either."

Just then, the little clock on the mantel chimed four. Cathy looked at it, then virtually jumped from her chair. "Oh, I've got to get back downstairs! Lady Khushrenada wants me to help in the dining room tonight. I guess I'll see you then."

Quatre stood and walked with her to the door. "Actually, Cathy, I planned on having my dinner here in my room. I'll be taking an outing tomorrow with Hiromi, and I need to be up early." He couldn't tell her the real reason he didn't want to join the family for dinner, couldn't express how vulnerable and exposed Heero made him feel.

"An outing?" She asked with a glint in her eye. "Into town?"

"Yes, into town," he smiled. "And yes, I'll be looking to buy new clothes for myself."

She clapped her hands with a soft giggle. "I can't wait. I just know you'll be one of the handsomest men in the county! Well, listen, I'll bring you a supper tray later, before I begin in the dining room."

When she did bring the tray later, she was much too busy to talk. Quatre ate quietly before the fireplace and then read awhile before going to bed. It was a perfect night. The rain splattered pleasantly upon the windows and a strong wind sighed and whispered around the castle. Sometimes it almost sounded like voices crying and moaning eerily through the halls.

Before long his eyes grew heavy, and he reached out sleepily and turned out the bedside lamp. He fell immediately into a deep sleep, hardly moving at all. And he began to have strange, disturbing dreams.

He thought he was in the tower, surrounded by his mother's things. It was dark and oddly unreal, as though he floated above the floor. He didn't know how it had happened, but suddenly he was afraid. He wanted to run, to get away, but his feet felt leaden and would not move. He knew in his mind that it was a dream, but could not seem to wake himself.

That was when he heard it, a quiet, rasping whisper of a voice from out of the darkness.

"Quatre Raberba," the voice sighed. "We need to talk."

He spun about in the darkness, but could see nothing. "Get away from me!"

"Quatre. Quatre Raberba…"

He woke then and sat straight up in bed. His heart was racing, pummeling so loudly within his chest that he seemed to hear its echo in the room. A shadow stood at his bed, dark and shapeless, with what appeared to be long cinnamon hair cascading over its shoulder as it loomed over him.

Quatre couldn't breathe. Then, as though suddenly recalling his own faculties, he drew in a great gasping breath. "Get out!" He shouted. "Get out, get away from me!"

The spectre backed away quickly, and Quatre did not stop shouting until it turned and fled from his room, leaving the door wide open.

The blond was shivering quite badly when he heard footsteps running toward his room. Heero came in first. He looked around the room and then stepped toward Quatre. He was dressed in a dark robe and his hair was messier than usual, as if he had just jumped out of bed.

"What's wrong?" He asked, "Was it you shouting?"

Treize and Hiromi were close behind him. Hiromi lit one of the lamps and turned up the wick until the light brightened the room.

"There was someone here!" Quatre cried, trying even as he spoke to quiet the hammering of his heart.

"What do you mean, son?" Treize came closer, even as Hiromi sat beside Quatre on the bed. "Did you see someone?"

"I-I thought I was dreaming… I heard someone call my name. But it was r-real; when I woke he was here, s-standing over me."

"He?"

"I don't imagine a woman could have cast such a shadow," Quatre whispered.

"But what you say is impossible, dear," Hiromi said, reaching forth to pat his hand comfortingly. "All the doors are bolted at night. How could someone possibly have gotten into the castle? And how could they know your name?"

He frowned. That was something he had not considered. He glanced at Heero, who was watching Quatre with a guarded expression. The bruise he had given Heero earlier that day already seemed to have faded to a light red mark on the side of his jaw, and Heero appeared to have forgotten it was even there. The darker man ran his fingers through tousled burgundy strands and walked to the window.

Treize laughed softly and set a hand to Quatre's shoulder. "It was only a dream, my boy. You must have been dreaming; some dreams can seem quite real."

"No," he said firmly. "I know what I saw. I'm almost certain I've seen his shadow before."

Heero turned from the window, his look serious. "I'll check the castle downstairs, and the grounds."

"Come now, Heero," Treize protested. "There's no reason for you to go out in this miserable weather. I'm certain Quatre Raberba will realize it was only a dream. Things seem worse in the darkness of midnight. Tomorrow he'll see…"

"It won't hurt to look," Heero said rather brusquely. "I don't mind indulging him this once." His eyes flickered briefly over to Quatre and the blond thought he saw a hint of sympathy there.

Treize and Hiromi stayed with Quatre, making small talk and trying to reassure him that he was safe. Heero was not gone long. When he stepped quietly back into the room, Quatre could see the glisten of rain in his dark hair. The darker man lifted one shoulder in a shrug: "Nothing."

"See?" Treize said. "I told you there was nothing to be anxious about. But if you would like us to stay a bit longer…"

"No," Quatre shook his head, embarrassed. "There's no reason to disturb the rest of your night. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure, dear?" Hiromi asked softly, squeezing his hand.

"Yes."

"Then goodnight, son," Treize said. "Coming, Heero?"

"In a minute," he answered distractedly.

After they had gone, he pulled a chair close beside the bed and sat down. His blue eyes, dark in the shadowy room, looked up to meet the blond's gaze. "He might have known you were at his house today," he said softly.

Quatre stared. Duo? Had he truly been visited upon by the Demon?

"There's nothing to be afraid of, even if it was he. I told you before, he's just a man living in isolation. I'm sure he meant you no harm."

"Then… y-you believe me?"

Heero smiled then. "Don't let it go to your head, but yes… I believe you."

The blond sighed, not realizing how tense he had been until he felt his shoulders relax. "It's a damned relief to hear that. I feel out of place with everyone else in this castle. I have to be careful all the time not to misstep myself; everything I say has been questioned-" He cut himself off, glancing up at the man before him. Heero's eyes had grown dark as he listened to Quatre's words.

"I'm sorry," the blond muttered. "I didn't mean to say all that…"

"No, it's all right," Heero said, lifting a hand to tuck Quatre's wild golden hair behind his ear. "I suppose I've only looked at one side of this issue. I've assumed all along that you were not Quatre Raberba. But if you are… and I'm not saying I believe it yet… if you are, then I guess I haven't realized what a hard experience it has been for you."

Their eyes met for a long moment, and then Heero stood with a sigh. "I should go."

"Do you have to?"

"You know as well as I that I should." His smile was kind; there was no condemnation in his voice, no anger. "Will you be all right?"

"Yes."

Heero looked at him and for a moment Quatre thought he might not go. Then he turned on his heel and went to the doorway, stopping to look back at the blond. "I'll lock the door."

Quatre sank against his pillow with a quiet groan after he was gone, lost now in the touch of Heero's hand and the way the darker man had looked at him, remembering the way the open collar of Heero's shirt looked beneath the dark lapels of his robe, how it emphasized the coffee-toned skin of his throat and chest. The blond found himself shivering again. And this time it was not from fear or cold, but some unexpected longing he could not explain.