Once upon a time there was a fan
girl called Mel…she didn’t own Gundam Wing and didn’t make any financial gain
from the meagre little ficcy’s that she wrote.
She hoped that the people, who did own Gundam Wing, wouldn’t sue
her. The End.
I was bewildered. I was
aware that the situation definitely required some form of reaction on my
part. But I was drawing up blanks. I had predicted that a proposal was
inevitable, but what can I say, there’s always room for hope…isn’t there?
“Umm,” Okay, I was grasping at straws, “Congratulations?”
Relena’s mouth dropped open, and a flush began to spread across
her cheeks.
“What? That’s it? A
wooden ‘Congratulations’ is all you have to say?”
Her eyebrows drew together in an indignant frown, and I
practically cringed at the sparks that were flashing in her eyes.
“I thought you were my friend! You’re supposed to be happy for
me! Justin is perfect for me! He loves
me. He’ll look after me. He understands my career, and what my needs
are. It’s what everyone is expecting,
and I’ll be secure, with someone I can grow old with. You’re supposed to be happy for me!”
Her tirade of words had become increasingly louder as she
progressed, and her last declaration seemed to be wrenched out with a sob. She raised shaking hands to her face,
pressing her fingertips to her forehead.
It was then that I noticed the bare digits, unadorned of any trinkets,
and I understood.
“You said no,” I almost breathed the words, but not so softly
that she did not hear me.
My heart ached as I watched her face crumple, as she nodded her
affirmative. The action seemed to
remove every last vestige of strength from her, and I rushed forward to catch
her, as she slumped down onto the carpet.
I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close, feeling her body tremor
as she gave great, gasping sobs.
We sat for a little while, as I waited for Relena to shed the
tears that I suspected had not been shed for some time. I could feel the front of my shirt becoming
progressively damper, and I stroked her hair softly, hoping it might have the
same calming influence it always had on my lionesses.
“I’m such a fool.” The words rose from my chest, soft and
forlorn, and she sniffled before straightening up. Her face was pale, cheek stained with tears. She winced in apology as she uncurled her
fingers from the tight grip she had had on my shirt, and moved to sit
back. I could see that she was
struggling to regain some composure, and I wished desperately to place her at
ease.
Reaching across, I cupped her cheek in my hand, wiping at her
still damp skin with my thumb.
“You’re not a fool, Relena.
Others are fools… but not you.
Do you want to talk about it?”
Relena blinked back at me, considering my question and perhaps
trying to decide where to start.
“Well,” she gave a slightly nervous laugh, “It wasn’t the
greatest proposal for a start. He made
it sound more like a business merger.
‘Relena, you know I love you, and the next few months are promising to
be a little less hectic than in the past, so don’t you think it would be a good
time for us to get married?’”
I couldn’t help but grin slightly at the way Relena mimicked the
diplomats’ deep voice and pompous tone.
Good God! The guy really didn’t have a clue. Relena leant towards me with a conspiratorial air and whispered,
“And I know this will sound terribly shallow, but the ring was
SO ugly! I guess not everyone can have Heero’s taste.” Relena’s hand drifted
unconsciously to the pendant that still hung around her neck. I privately thought that the ring had very
little influence on her decision.
Relena cleared her throat.
“Anyway, I said no… and Justin wanted to know why.”
“And what did you say?” I was intrigued. Relena simply shrugged, her head down as she
plucked at the carpet.
“I told him I didn’t love him.
That I loved someone else. I
said that I couldn’t commit my life to someone when I couldn’t commit my
heart. He asked me why I wasn’t with
this ‘other’ person, if I loved him so much and I said that it wasn’t as simple
as that. He got very angry. He told me I was a fool… that I would regret
turning him down. He hollered and
carried on for a while and then he left.
Thankfully.”
Looking up from the floor, she looked steadily into my
eyes.
“Why does he play these games with me Trowa? I love him; I’d do
anything to be with him. He does all
these little things, to get my attention or to torment me, I don’t know, but I
have yet to see him. He hides from me,
ducking in and out of the shadows like a thief. Is it because he doesn’t want me but doesn’t want anyone else to
have me?”
I jumped with shock, as suddenly Relena pulled off her shoe,
throwing it with vehemence at the opposite wall. It bounced across the floor, closely followed by the other. I looked on in open-mouthed shock, as the
Foreign Minister leapt to her feet, and began pacing the room, her posture
rigid and aggressive.
“Damn him Trowa, damn him to hell. I hope his life is as miserable as he’s making mine right
now. If there’s a fool in this
scenario, it’s him! The big Jerk! Who
does he think he is anyway! Why can’t he just leave me alone? I asked him to leave me alone. That I didn’t
want his stupid protection…but could he? Huh? Could he just bugger off and let
me get on with my life? Nooooo, he has to keep up with the silent vigil
BULLSHIT!”
My eyes widened in shock at Relena’s sudden ranting and bad
language, before I impulsively ducked as she picked up a vase and watched in
satisfaction as it whizzed across the room and exploded against the wall. Jumping to my feet, I grabbed Relena by the
shoulders, thinking to calm her down.
So it took me by surprise when I found her arms suddenly flung around my
neck in a firm embrace.
“Lena, I wish I knew what was going on in Heero’s head, I really
do. I wish I could tell you that
everything was going to work out, but I can’t. You did make the right decision tonight, though, I do know that
much. You should always do what your
heart tells you, and you did. This
cannot end in sorrow.”
Relena smiled softly up at me, and I could see the anger drain
from her. Loosening her arms she stepped
back and glanced at the remains of the vase, which were now scattered around
the floor in a fascinating pattern of debris.
“Pagan is going to KILL me,” she groaned.
******
At breakfast the next morning, Relena told me with some
excitement that both Quatre and Wufei would be arriving in town the following
day. Quatre was in the area on business
(what else) and Wufei for work. It took
little convincing, to get me to stay on for a few more days.
Walking Relena to the door, I thought ahead with some enthusiasm
to the impending visit from my friends.
Relena stopped on the front step and turned to give me another of her
affectionate embraces, before kissing me on the cheek.
“I always seem to be thanking you for something Trowa. So thank you again.”
I smiled down at her.
“Any time Lena, any time.”
I crossed my arms and leant against the doorframe, as I watched
her skip down the steps and climb into the waiting limo.
As the vehicle moved off down the drive and out the gate, I
failed to see the cameraman that sat concealed in the bushes, frantically
taking photos.
******