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-Three

When Quatre entered the dining room that evening, the chandeliers were lit and the candles flickered with a pale lustre on the people gathered there. Everyone turned at his entrance, and the sound of their conversations stopped.

His eyes immediately sought Heero's. The darker man's gaze narrowed as they swept over Quatre's dark brown dress pants and gleaming bronze silk shirt. Even the distance between them could not disguise the look in those eyes. There was a veiled hunger that made a quiver run down Quatre's spine.

Slowly the darker man parted from the rest and came toward him. His eyes smoldered as he gazed at Quatre with that steady look of amusement Heero seemed to reserve for him alone. "You leave me speechless, kawaii."

"Are you laughing at me?"

The other paused in the face of Quatre's accusation, but then reached forward to briefly cradle the blond's jaw in his hand. The smoldering gleam in his eyes gentled, and his mouth quirked in a slow smirk.

"Never," he whispered.

He dropped his hand away, and they moved to the table. Hiromi smiled broadly at Quatre, nodding her approval of the way he looked. The blond sat across from her, with Treize at the end of the table, between them. Treize seemed very proud of Quatre.

The blond seemed to be the center of attention for the rest of the evening. Zechs had brought another wine from the wine cellar, a rosé this time, which Quatre only liked a little better. He knew then that he had been right - he loved the vines, but wine was just something for which he would never acquire a taste.

After dinner, Relena came and hugged him, making a big fuss about his appearance and his new clothes. Her mother nodded approvingly but did not approach him. The blond hoped he had not offended her the last time he'd seen her by riding off with Zechs.

Dorothy had said nothing to him all evening. When she approached him, Quatre threw his hands into his pockets, adjusting his stance to appear casual so as not to alarm the other guests. He was still angry about the ugly way the woman had spoken of his mother, but this was not the time or place to give in to his short temper.

"Well," she said beneath her breath, smiling pretentiously. "You seem to have enchanted all of Rosemont Castle."

"I doubt it," Quatre replied pleasantly, hiding the fact that his hands were itching to leave his pockets. "There aren't so many here to impress, anyway."

"Oh, you're wrong. There are many - Heero's loyal manservant Wufei; Sally, Wufei's wife; Trowa in the stables and the maid Cathy… not to mention several of the household who think you are an angel come from heaven." Her voice was soft but harsh and sarcastic. "But your father is the one who has been charmed the most. Can't you see that? You've captured his attention and his heart just as firmly as the traitorous Leia ever did." She continued to smile. But if it fooled those around them, it didn't fool Quatre.

"I told you before, I will listen to nothing else you have to say about her." The blond turned to walk away, but felt her hand catch his arm. When he turned back, her eyes were flinty and cold.

"Don't think you will ever become the master of this estate, my high-and-mighty little orphan. Hiromi has devoted herself to your father and to the running of this household. I will not have you come here now to take it from her." Her voice, though low and quiet, was trembling with rage.

"Whoever said I wanted to?" The blond hissed, jerking his arm free and leaving her there.

Heero caught up with him quickly, and Quatre knew the darker man had seen Dorothy's angry confrontation but had not heard her caustic remarks. "What was that about?"

He shook his head, glancing about to see if anyone else had noticed. "To be honest… she seems to hate me. She thinks I want to replace your mother somehow, to push her out of Treize's life."

"She's always been protective of Mother. I suppose it's because of the hard life they'd lived before."

"I know," Quatre said, sighing as his hands finally began to calm inside his pockets. "But Heero, I like your mother. I would never…"

"I believe you, warabe," the darker man murmured, his look quiet and serious. After a moment, his mouth tugged in a small smile. "I told Treize that the investigation did not prove anything conclusive. And as I expected, he chose to take it as a positive sign that you really are Quatre Raberba."

"I know you don't want to hear this. But I believe I am."

"I know you do," Heero said. But then his smile turned suddenly wicked, "Have I told you how engaging you look tonight?" He glanced down, taking in the sight of Quatre's new shoes. "I wonder what you've done with your muddy boots?"

"Why?" Quatre asked, feigning suspicion.

"No real reason, I suppose. I only hope you won't throw them away. It would be quite boring if you started living predictably by the expectations of society."

"And what makes you think I'd ever follow anyone's standards but my own?"

"Of course, how could I have forgotten?" Heero shook his head, rubbing pointedly at his jaw with a teasing frown. "Ware the wrath of a gypsy!" He moaned, coaxing a surprised laugh from the blond.

Despite the pleasant evening, Quatre grew tired. When he finally went upstairs to his room, he felt very pleased with himself. He had managed to get through the evening with no major mistakes.

The evening had completely erased any thoughts of the man who had come to his room the night before. And he trusted Heero when the darker man said the Demon meant him no harm. So he did not think to lock his bedroom door.

Sometime in the middle of the night a sound penetrated his dreams. His eyes flew open and he felt immediately awake. He lay for a moment, wondering at the sound he had heard. Had it come from outside? Or had he only imagined it? He sat up in bed and looked about the room. It was very dark, as he had left no lamp burning; but then he heard it again, a quiet shuffling sound. And it was here… in his room.

"Who is it?"

Suddenly from the dark came a laugh, coarse and sexless. The sound of it sent a chill crawling up toward the back of his neck. The laugh came again, and he heard footsteps coming toward him. The door opened, throwing the light from the hallway across the figure who stood gazing back at him. It was the looming shadow again, tall and shapeless.

It moved, lifting an arm, pointing its finger at him.

"Leave this castle," it rasped. "Leave now, before it is too late."