Dark World, chapter 12

[Lady Saffir]

Here's the next chapter, a few days ahead of schedule. Which means the next chapter will probably be early next week, depending on the muse. And it's going to be a doozy, so it may be late next week, possibly even early the following week. Not sure yet. Enjoy!

LS


Dark world
Chapter 12
by: Lady Saffir

DISCLAIMER:I do not own any characters associated with Gundam Wing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Six hours later I was heading back down the stairs, a satisfied smile on my face. I had

been awakened to warm hands trailing down my sides and feather light kisses being rained all

over my body.

It was a very nice way to wake up.

I walked into the kitchen, expecting to find Duo manning the stove again, but I pulled up

short as I realized it was the woman Heero had called Catherine. She turned around,

catching sight of me, and smiled, walking forward with her arm extended.

"Hello! I'm so glad to finally meet you!" She exclaimed, gripping my hand tightly in her

own. "Trowa's told me so much about you. Oh - I'm sorry! I haven't properly introduced

myself. My name is Catherine Bloom, but everyone calls me Cathy. I'm Trowa's Companion,"

she smiled, turning back to stir something on the stove. "Relena - may I call you Relena? -

do you like stirfry? It's one of Duo's favorites, but I forgot to ask if you liked it as

well."

The chatterbox at the stove continued to talk, and I felt like my head was spinning. Well,

at least there was another woman in the house.

"Oh, I'm so glad there's finally another woman in the house. All that testosterone can make

you feel like you're drowning," Cathy lamented, moving a large wok off the stove and onto a

trivet.

I mentally groaned. What was it with these people and reading other people's minds? "You

know, it's really rude to read someone else's mind without their permission," I stated,

watching in consternation as Cathy's mouth fell open.

"Read your mind? Relena, I can't read your mind."

It was my turn to stare.

"Then how did you know I was thinking that exact thing?" I questioned.

Cathy narrowed her eyes, tilting her head sideways to regard me.

"Relena," she began slowly, "why haven't you started reading your book?"

I wasn't even able to begin to ask what book she was talking about, when Cathy grabbed my

arm and started pulling me down the hall. In short order I found myself in Cathy's room,

sitting on the bed while she rooted around in a box full of books.

"Cathy, what - " I was interupted by the woman before me standing up, flourishing a small,

nondescript book.

"Here it is - 'A Companion's Guide'. It's the third edition, so it's about two hundred

years out of date, but it's the most recent one," Cathy explained, handing the book to me.

"I can't believe Heero didn't give you a copy to read. For that matter," she frowned, "any

of them should have remembered to give you a copy."

I opened the book to find myself confronted with archaic spelling. Cathy correctly guessed

the reason for my frown, flopping down on the bed next to me and tapping the page with a

fingernail.

"I keep telling Heero he needs to update the book for today, but getting vampires to

consider two hundred years as 'outdated' takes a lot of work," she winked, standing up and

stretching. "But I'm sure if you said something to him, that book would be updated in a

week. Well, let's get back downstairs and have some dinner!"

I found myself being once more pulled along, feeling my temper begin to rise.


~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heero walked into the kitchen and a book being flung in his face. He unfortunately caught

the tome an inch from his nose, so I didn't have the satisfaction of watching it smack into

his face.

"A book, Heero? A book about being a Companion? Did it not occur to you that this might be

something I'd like to know about?!" I pushed back from the table, walking over to where

Heero stood. He looked down at the book in question, then shrugged and pitched it into the

trash.

"Hey!" I heard Cathy in the background exclaim, getting up to retrieve her book. My eyes

were totally for Heero though, as he stood there with a smirk on his face.

"That one is outdated," he explained, pulling a slim book from his back pocket. "I thought

you might like the more recent version."

"Ha!" Cathy popped up by my elbow, yanking the book out of my hands. "Told you, Relena."

Her smirk and my blush had Heero arching an eyebrow.

"What did Catherine tell you, Relena?"

"Nothing," I replied hastily, taking the book back from Cathy. With a shrug she turned back

to the table and began clearing the remains of our meal, looking up briefly to smile when

Trowa entered the room. I watched the tall man lean over Cathy's shoulder, saying something

into her ear that had her blushing.

"Relena."

I couldn't help the shiver that went down my spine at the sound of Heero's voice. The way

he said my name...a second shiver went down my spine. I raised my eyes to meet his gaze,

and I fought to keep my voice steady.

"Yes, Heero?"

"What would you like to do tonight?" He reached out to brush a strand of hair from my

shoulder.

Unbidden, the memories of what had happened only hours ago rose to the fore, making me blush

once more and hope desperately that I wasn't unintentionally broadcasting these thoughts.

Heero's eyes darkened and he stepped closer to me, one finger trailing down my cheek. I

sighed, leaning in to the light caress.

/I would love to do nothing more than keep you in my bed/ he whispered, even his mental

voice making me tremble. /But it has occurred to me that I've kept you closed up in this

house for several days. So I'm asking - where would you like to go tonight?/

I took a deliberate step back, taking a breath before answering.

"I'm not sure what else I'd like to do, but I do need to stop by my apartment," I answered.

"I know I'll be staying here until everything is resolved, so I need to get more clothes, as

well as my textbooks. And my fish," I added, beginning to ramble as Heero stalked me across

the room. For every step I retreated, he was there, inches away, his eyes never leaving

mine.

/And what, exactly, needs resolved?/ Heero questioned. My back abruptly hit a wall,

eliciting a squeak from my throat. Heero leaned in, one hand pressed against the wall

inches from my right ear. His nearness and intensity was causing my brain to scramble.

"Why, whoever's out to kill you," I replied.

/And is that ALL that needs resolved?/ Heero brought his right hand up, cupping my chin in

his palm and angling my face towards his, his lips crashing down onto mine. When we broke

from the kiss I couldn't help the small sigh that escaped. I opened my eyes to meet his

amused gaze.

"No, that isn't the only thing that needs resolved, but if you're dead the question of me

becoming your Companion is a moot point, is it not?" I reasoned, slipping to my left and

turning to face Heero. He acknowledged my point with a curt nod, then abruptly turned and

headed for the doorway.

"Heero?"

"Let me know when you're ready to leave," his voice floated back as he walked out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ride to my apartment was uneventful, Heero driving the roads as if he'd done this

numerous times before. I had chosen to live further away from the downtown campus, wanting

the peace and quiet of a residential neighborhood. As a result, when we pulled up to my

apartment complex at eight o'clock, it was fairly quiet. Leading the way up two flights of

stairs, I was surprised when Heero suddenly my grabbed my shoulder. I turned to ask what

was the matter, but he was already past me, gun pulled (where had that come from?) and held

at the ready. He silently crept up the remaining three stairs to my doorway, and crouching,

quickly reached out and gave the door a quick shove. It opened silently, and that was my

clue that something was seriously wrong.

I held myself tense for long seconds, watching Heero and waiting to act on his cue. He

stood with a silent exhalation, the gun held loosely at his side. He disappeared into my

apartment, the livingroom light flicking on after several seconds.

"Heero?"

"Come in here, Relena," Heero ordered, and I took the remaining stairs with a sense of dread

growing ever stronger in my stomach. I crossed the threshold and couldn't stop the gasp

that escaped.

Everything was ruined. The couch had been gutted, the stuffing strewn about the room. The

coffee table and end tables were smashed, useless splinters of wood. Everything, every

material possession I had was destroyed. It was methodical, and it had been carried out in

every room. In the kitchen I found my Betta fish lying on the wood chopping block, filleted

as if he were about to be cooked.

/Relena/

Heero's voice pulled me into my bedroom, and it wasn't until I was at his side and looking

down at what he held that my mind was able to piece everything together. Photographs of my

parents had been shredded, some ripped in half and others completely destroyed, becoming a

confetti to litter the floor.

"No," I whispered, reaching out to take one of the pieces from Heero, staring down at my

mother's smiling face. My parents had been dead for five years, killed in a car wreck.

These photos had been my only real reminder of the family I had lost. Wetness began to hit

my hand, spattering on the photo, and I realized I was crying.

Heero gathered me into a tight embrace, one hand reaching up to stroke my hair. "Go ahead

and cry, Relena, it's okay," he soothed, and it was with those words the floodgates opened.

I cried for my lost parents, the wound still fresh and tender after all these years. I

cried for my fish, whose only crime had been being owned by me. Mostly though I cried for

all the things that had happened in the past week, the stress and enormity of just what I

was caught up in hitting me, making me suck in air as if I had been holding my breath under

water for several minutes.

I cried for an untold time, sobbing helplessly while Heero simply held me. Finally,

exhausted, I tilted my head back, giving him a watery smile. "Thanks," I whispered.

Heero nodded, brushing stray tears off of my face. Stepping back, he pulled his cell phone

from his pocket and spent a moment searching for a number. Satisfied, he pushed the button

to dial. I could hear someone pick up, but was unable to tell if the person was male or

female.

"Treize, it's Heero. I need you and a team to come to this address." He rattled off my

address, spending a minute to answer questions in short 'yes' or 'no's'. He hung up,

turning back to me. "The police are on their way. We're to wait outside for them."

I nodded in agreement, picking my purse up from the floor as we headed back down the stairs.

We sat in Heero's car in silence, before a thought occurred to me and had me reaching for my

cell phone.

I could feel Heero's questioning gaze on me as I wanted for the phone to be answered.

"Quatre's also my lawyer, Heero. He'll need to know about this, so he can get the paperwork

started."

Quatre answered, the relief of seeing my number on the caller ID evident in his voice.

"Relena. I'm so glad - "

"Quatre," I cut him off mid-sentence. "Quatre," I began again, my breath hitching.

Unbidden, the thought of the destroyed photos came to mind, and I started to cry again.

Heero gently took the phone from my hand, speaking to Quatre in a quiet tone while I tried

to calm myself. It took several moments but I was finally able to control my breathing, the

tears once more slowing to a stop. Heero handed the phone back to me silently, and I nodded

in thanks. A police cruiser and an unmarked car pulled into the parking, causing me to sit

up straight and take a deep breath.

Heero and I exited his car, Heero immediately heading for a tall middle-aged man with sandy

brown hair and bushy eyebrows.

"Treize," Heero nodded, reaching forward to shake the other man's hand briefly.

"Heero. And you are?" The man identified as Treize turned towards me, his eyes seeming to

take in everything.

"Relena. Relena Peacecraft," I introduced myself.

"I'm sorry to meet you like this, Miss Peacecraft. I'm Treize Kushrenada, the Chief of

Police."

I turned to stare at Heero in astonishment. "The Chief of Police. You called the Chief of

Police for a break-in," I said slowly.

"Treize knows what I am," Heero stated. "He'll make sure no bothersome questions are

asked."

I threw my hands up in the air. "Was I the last person to know about you?" I asked in

disgust. It felt like I was surrounded by people who thought I was the crazy one for being

surprised by a secret world. "That's it, I want a list of every single person in this town

who either knows or is connected to...to all of this," I demanded.

Heero stepped forward, catching my hands within his own. "Done," he promised, kissing the

back of each hand. "You'll have that list tomorrow."

Treize coughed, stepping towards the open stairwell door. "Miss Peacecraft, Heero, if you'd

be so kind, we'll get this started," he motioned us to precede him up the stairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was emotionally grueling, to watch the police go over my apartment with a fine tooth

comb, their searches yielding new and unwelcome surprises every minute. All of my clothes

had been shredded, my textbooks ripped apart. My file folder containing some of the more

routine paperwork one always needs had been gleefully run through my shredder, and it looked

as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to my laptop.

After an hour of watching my apartment be turned upside down and answering questions, Heero

led me back to his car, opening the door so I could slide in, mentally exhausted. Heero

slid behind the wheel, starting the car before turning to look at me.

"Do we need to stop somewhere and pick anything up?"

I shook my head, turning my head to stare out the window. I felt numb, the shock that

someone could so utterly wreck my life like this a slap in the face. Beneath the numb

feeling, however, I could feel my anger slowly begining to rise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heero guided the car throughout the streets, barely paying attention to what he was doing.

He was more pre-occuppied with the woman seated next to him. Her silence hid the growing

anger he could feel, as he sat, a silent shadow, in her mind.

He reached out for Trowa, waiting until he was sure he had the other man's attention before

relaying his orders.

/I want everyone to make themselves scarce. We'll be home in fifteen minutes/

/What has happened?/

Heero gave his friend a concise report of what they had found at Relena's apartment.

/Hugh/

Heero nodded in agreement.

/I want to know where he is, who he's with at all times. I'm getting tired of dealing with

his little surprises/ Heero hissed, hands clenching the steering wheel tightly. /Relena is

still in shock over what we found, but when she's over that stage, the anger is going to hit

hard and fast. That's why I want everyone to keep a low profile./

/You'll protect the rest of us and make yourself the only target she has, is that it?/

/Yes/

/You should really tell her that you love her/ Trowa recommended, then he was gone.

Heero sighed. Trowa always gave excellent advice, but at the moment he had more pressing

matters to worry about. The gates blocking the drive loomed up in the darkness, and Heero

sighed once more, mentally squaring his shoulders and preparing for the fight he was sure to

come.

[Morrighan]

Awwwww..... Poor Relena! I would be SO pissed too, if I were in her position. Oh man.... At least Heero has the presence of mind to tell everyone else to make themselves scarce before all hell breaks loose when Relena unleashes all that anger.

Can't wait to see more!!

[samta22]

I can't wait to see how this Angry Relena is like, I mean, everybody just dissapear in the mist for a single 20 year old girl... what's a cliffhanger....

As always, great job!!!

[Kari]

Bombs away!!!

[takisha16]

OHHHH angry Relena!!!!
This is going to be sooo awesome!
I bet the next chappy is really going to be explosive!
I love it that Heero is definitely there for her!
She needs someone to be there for her.
I can't believe they gutted her fish?!
Those bastards!
I hope she doesn't go to hard on Heero!

[HiFreak]

Poor fish. I have a Beta fish too and I could imagine it the way Relena's fish ended up, a very depresing thought.

As for Relena I have a feeling her outburst is going to be wore than Hiroshima, poor Heero! But hey, he made her a brand new companion book just for her, she should feel honored. I think Heero should really follow Trowa's advice.

The people (vampires) who are after Heero are MEAN! :x

*looks around innocently* waiting for the masquerade. ::whistles::

[amulak]

I felt sorry for Relena and all of her stuff, but at the same time, I was twistedly amused by how Hugh assassinated her apartment, sledge-hammering her laptop and all. Still though- that stinks to the max for Relena!!!
Another sweet chapter, this next chapter sounds like it should be good!

[The Angry Angel]

So is Relena on a path to be just a Companion????? Or is she going to graduate to all-out Vampire ~ like the Queen? (ooooo! that sounds scary! think: alien; or Queen of the Damned!)

and will the lifespan of a Companion be explained? are they mortal, who expire their companion gig in...fifty years, do they live forever, or do they live a longer mortal life like the <.< Dunedain from LOTR?????

:o I'm glad there's at least one female in the Manor who likes Relena ~ it was a nice chapter!

[Lady Saffir]

So is Relena on a path to be just a Companion????? Or is she going to graduate to all-out Vampire ~ like the Queen? (ooooo! that sounds scary! think: alien; or Queen of the Damned!)

and will the lifespan of a Companion be explained? are they mortal, who expire their companion gig in...fifty years, do they live forever, or do they live a longer mortal life like the <.< Dunedain from LOTR?????

:o I'm glad there's at least one female in the Manor who likes Relena ~ it was a nice chapter!

That nifty little book is going to be quite handy to Relena...assuming people stop trying to kill her or ruin her life...or get her in to bed, for that matter. ^_~ Then maybe she would actually have time to read.

LS