Edge of the Chase [Ch5. PG13]

[RelenaFanel]

Title: Edge of the Chase
Author: RelenaFanel
Rating: PG13
Pairing: 1xR
Chapter: 5
Previous Chapters: Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4.
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Edge of the Chase
Chapter 5

Relena screeched her fright as she flew off the overpass on the highway. Uselessly, she flailed her arms, wishing she would miraculously start to fly. She was barely aware that with each movement of her limbs she hit Heero or how his arms were a protective force field around her. She couldn?t see any possible way she could survive this accident, and in her last living moments all she felt was fear. There was none of the clich?d regret people who walked away from the edge of death speak about, nor did her life flash before her eyes.

They landed quickly, Heero?s body thumping harshly against the surface first, then Relena landing on top of him a quarter of a second later. She felt him exhale from the blow with the oomph of someone who just got the wind knocked out of him, but she didn?t feel anything else. There was relatively no pain except from where her head had smacked against his chin, no wetness of his blood oozing beneath her, and if it weren?t for the fact that the starlit sky above her was still moving, Relena may have thought they passed right through the painful dying phase and were just dead.

?Eugh,? Heero grunted, rolling them over so that his body was on top of hers. Slowly, Relena became aware of the wind snapping at her dress, pulling her hair into his face, and the extreme pressure it was exerting on the top of her head.

?We landed on a truck?? She asked incredulously, knowing that the words were taken out of her mouth and left behind on the highway. What were the odds? She wasn?t sure how it was possible, but if they had gone over that railing a second earlier or later they would have been creamed by the oncoming traffic. They stayed in the same position for a while, Heero protecting her from the bite of the forceful wind current. Finally, after waiting what she assumed to be what Heero judged as a safe amount of time, he leaned his head closer to hers and yelled in her ear.

?Don?t move.?

Despite the volume of his voice, she could barely discern the words emerging from his mouth. She could see his hands braced on the white roof, level with her head, and his forearms strained as he pushed himself into a crouching position. The airstream flowed between their bodies, pulling him up and away from her, and Heero rolled off her, disappearing over the side of the truck. ?Heero!? Relena screamed, inching her way over to the corner where he had disappeared, even though he had told her not to move. She knew he had probably done that on purpose. There was no way he would just tumble off a truck like that, but it didn?t stop her from worrying needlessly about him. The wind pushing against her reminded her of some of the rollercoasters her father used to allow her on once her mother?s back was turned, and the feeling of the G-force pushing against her in some of the older spacecraft as they took off.

Relena could see the dark form of Heero?s tuxedo-clad body clinging to the side of the white vehicle. Every movement he made, inch by inch, seemed to be taking far more effort than she realized it would. Heero was pulling himself along the truck by sheer strength. Relena might not have an engineering degree from a reputable university like he did, but she was aware that if the wind pressure was so great on his body, there was no way she should be able to just lie there with a minimal amount of discomfort and drag, and taking into consideration Heero?s plight, there was no way she shouldn?t be physically hauled off the roof. She looked up, saw where the cab of the truck was elevated from her level, and realized what was happening. Though it had taken her a minute to notice that the air was going over her more than it was through her, she knew Heero had tabulated it into his original calculations before moving without her.

Sighing as he edged out of view, Relena didn?t bother leaning further over to watch him. She made sure to keep her head tucked in, not relishing the idea of snapping her neck like a cheetos if she leaned too far over. She could just make him out now as he moved closer to the cab, fingers clawing to anything he could grasp. Relena couldn?t help but wonder which of his tricks he was going to pull. From Heero it could go anywhere from breaking the window with his feet and taking over the truck like he did that ambulance eons ago to plastering himself on the windshield to ? knocking politely on the glass and gesturing the driver to pull over?

Knocking politely? Heero? Now she?d seen it all, Relena thought as the truck acquiesced to his demand, slowing so that with every second, she was able to move a bit more freely. From her vantage point, she could see Heero open the passenger side door, leaning in to converse with the truck driver. Relena couldn?t hear what was being said, but she imagined it had something to do with procuring the vehicle in the matter of National Security or something like that. Since she couldn?t actually hear what was going on, she stood, her unsteady legs threatening to give out on her for all the abuse she had put them through this evening. She wasn?t sure if they were out of the woods yet, so to speak, but things were looking up. Relena glanced around her, trying to find the ladder she usually saw on the back of trucks like this while she was driving behind them.

Once she found it, she stuck her leg over the side and groped for one of the rungs with her toes. The high-heels on her feet had next to no grips on them, so the hard plastic against the metal was slippery enough that she was starting to think her self-reliance might just get her killed, or at least put her life in jeopardy again. Her next hope was that no one driving by saw the fancy-dressed girl scaling down the back of a truck and decided to take a picture. Once Relena?s feet were secure on the ground, or at least as secure as they were going to get in the shoes she was wearing combined with the loose gravel incline underfoot, she flexed her fingers to try to get rid of the stiffness caused by death-gripping the sides of the ladder and inched her way along the side of the truck towards Heero.

His eyes didn?t even flicker towards her as she approached, but she was making enough noise that the truck driver probably heard the way her feet were scrambling and sliding on the loose rocks below her feet. Once she was close enough to Heero that she could hear what he was saying, he held his hand up, signaling her to stop. Relena shifted on her feet, worried that Heero might decide that this guy was more of a danger to her life and then they?d have to walk. Moreover, she had no idea what kind of cover story Heero had told him. What could possibly be believable to explain how he had just happened to be hanging on to the side of a moving truck? The truth wasn?t even all that realistic.

Slightly impatiently, Relena waited for Heero to procure the truck. Usually, it didn?t take this long. Heero just said something like ?I need to use your truck? and either showed them his Preventor badge or his gun, but usually the latter. It worked like a charm every time. No one said no to Heero?s gun. Heero?s gun was huuuge and dangerous looking.

Relena smirked at the direction her musings had taken her, raising an eyebrow as she looked at him, very likely leering. He broke his cover for a moment to glance at her, which was Heero?s equivalent to an alarmed look. Relena just smiled.

?So lemme get this straight,? the truck driver said from within the cab, startling them both and bringing attention back to the task at hand. ?You expect me to believe that you?re part of the Foreign Minister?s security and that the two of you are on the run from someone trying to kill her? And you need my help? Yuh Right.?

?You would be doing a great service and will probably be rewarded greatly.?

Relena?s eyebrows winged up and she stared at Heero. This was? wrong. Off. Heero didn?t ask. Heero demanded.

?I got that part already,? the truck driver responded, voice surly. ?I don?t see the girl.?

Heero gestured for her to reveal herself with a jerk of his head.

Relena shook her head no, the loose tendrils of her hair fluttering around her delicate face.

?Relena..? Heero warned, nodding for her to join him.

She just stared at him, her eyes weary. This was not the Heero she knew. There wasn?t really anything specific she could put her finger on, but like the rest of her evening, he seemed off. Stubbornly, she refused to move, causing him to glare at her. Unwittingly, her lips quirked when she imagined what the truck driver was seeing. Basically, there was just Heero standing there, twitching and insisting he was with the Foreign Minister. She wanted to taunt him, but couldn?t see any way to do so without giving away her position.

?If you?ll step away from my truck, sir, I?ll just be moseying alon??

Relena stuck her tongue out.

?Relena!? Heero growled, his strong fingers encircling her wrist as he yanked her into view. Relena scowled at him, ripping her arm out of his grasp and rubbing the skin, offended. Likely he hadn?t left a bruise, but she wasn?t going to let him get away with manhandling her without making sure he at least felt guilty for it. Then she looked up and smiled at the truck driver.

?Holy?? He murmured, gawking at her like a love-striken teenager. ?I can?t believe its really you. I mean, I love? I mean, my son loves the heck out of you. He really idolizes the ground you walk on.?

?Thank you,? Relena demurred. ?Please, I implore you, will you help my guard and I escape? I know it sounds like something out of a bad action movie, but I?m afraid we really do need your help.? Before the man could answer, Heero was already picking her up and placing her in the cab. Relena would have kicked him for presuming she couldn?t climb up on her own, but in truth, with her heel and dress, it was rather unlikely that she could. Even if she tried, she risked bending over too far and giving the nice redneck truck driver a glimpse of her cleavage.

?You can sit beside me,? the driver said eagerly, picking up a mesh cap and tossing it into the back.

?Sure,? Relena responded, waiting for Heero to insist on buffering her from the stranger. When he didn?t say any, she gave the seat a cursory glance for stray chips, ketchup smears, and unidentifiable stains which could either be old food or bodily fluid. Not really finding anything which offended her princess sensibilities, she really had no choice but to sit beside him on the hump.

And they were off. At least the interior of the cab was warm and she stopped feeling as though she were going to cut through the material of her dress ? or what was left of it, in any case ? any time soon.

The truck driver slanted a glance at her from the corner of his eye. ?My son?s got a picture of you on his wall. You weren?t wearing that much clothing there neither.?

Relena?s eyes opened in alarm as she tried to inch closer to Heero without being obvious about it. Heero was going to KILL this redneck.

?The one where she?s wearing this little red number? I have that one too. Very popular among young men,? Heero replied with an incline of his head. Relena almost choked on the air she was breathing. What happened to being offended at the smear to her honour as she expected Heero to reacted? More importantly, what was up with him being FRIENDLY?

?I?m right here!?

?You sure are prettier in person,? the diver agreed. Out of the corner of her eye, Relena thought she saw Heero?s lip twitch in amusment.

?Thank you.?

?Can I have your autograph?? The driver asked, not taking his eyes off the road in front of them. He was a conscientious driver; she gave him that, at least. ?For my son, I mean. There?s paper and a pen in the glove compartment.?

Heero was already handing it to her. Suspiciously, Relena darted her eyes between the two of them. Strange.

?Who do I make it out to??

?Uh? Bobby.?

Dear Bobby, Relena wrote as they pulled off the highway and into the city. The passing lights illuminated the paper, but the jostling of the ride did not improve her usually impeccable calligraphy. Your father is truly a hero. You should be very proud of him for risking his life to save mine. With all my regards and gratefulness, Relena Peacecraft Dorlain.

?Do you pass any hotels on your route?? Heero asked as Relena was signing her full name with a flourish.

?No. It pretty much takes me into the warehouse district pretty. I?m gonna have to let you off soon if you want to stay in the safe part of town.?

Relena didn?t really think the unsafe part of town would bother Heero. Of course, with her along, he was more likely to sign in at the Wyatt using his own name than he was to bring her into the so-called slums.

?I?m going to have to procure your gun.? Heero pulled the weapon out from under the seat. Relena?s eyes widened. She had no idea that was even there. The gun was a nine mill, and Heero checked the cartridge for bullets before slamming it back into place. ?Glock. Decent gun. Do you have more ammo??

?Glove compartment. Am I gunna get that back?? The truckdriver put his blinker on to turn, but was stopped at the intersection, looking at Heero with interest. Relena expected him to refuse Heero, but instead he just looked resigned to the fact that everything was out of his hands now. Relena admired that. Sometimes she forgot that there were kind people in the world who were willing to help.

?Likely not,? Heero responded honestly, holding a card across her body so the driver could take it. On it, Relena could just make out Duo?s name and Preventor office information. ?Go see this guy, and he?ll reimburse you in any way you see fit. Tell him Heero sent you.?

What Heero meant was that if this guy wanted a new, better gun, it was his. If he wanted a money rewards, he?d probably be given a few thou. If he pushed the issue and threatened to go public with his story, he?d be given a few thousand more in hush money.

Relena could see this impromptu ?trip? costing a lot more than expected.

?Well, I dunno about that,? the driver hedged, scratching his chin.

?He?ll also set you up with a license. Retroactively.? For someone so obtuse about some things, Heero was one of the most observant people. Ever. It never would have even crossed Relena?s mind that the gun might be unregistered and illegal.

?A cop?? The driver didn?t look convinced, probably smelling a trap.

?Duo?s not really concerned with what he calls ?the trivial stuff?,? Relena explained. ?He?s part of a team which specializes in?? Here, Heero nudged her with his foot. The hard sole of his shoe crushed her open baby toe. Relena made a mental note to stomp on his foot in her heels at some point this evening, but also realized she had to keep some things in check - like the covert anti-terrorist section of the Preventors which was basically made up of former Gundam Pilots, an MI-6, and some woman Relena suspected Une had found off the streets. ?? finding the unfindables,? she finally finished, hoping it was vague enough to please Heero. Since he didn?t mangle her little toe again, she figured it was good enough.

Heero tucked the gun into the back of his pants and said, ?Pull over here.? Relena wondered what happened to the two guns he had. Probably, she reasoned, being creamed by big-wheelers. The truck pulled over to the side of the road. As far as Relena could tell, there was nothing outside but an empty parking-lot and some incredibly questionable buildings. There wasn?t another soul in sight.

?Here?? The truck driver asked, idling the engine as Heero opened the door. His questioned mirrored the thoughts going through Relena?s head. Apparently, Heero wasn?t above taking her into the slums. She couldn?t really see anything of benefit here. Were they going to try to blend in with the locals and hope whoever was chasing them wouldn?t notice them in the midst of their sleazy brethren. Relena didn?t really think she?d be able to pull that off in an evening gown. Heero swung down from the cab and the driver shrugged, ?suit yourself.?

Relena got up from her seat and started to make her way towards Heero, knowing that they only reason he was still standing at the open door was to see her out.

?Good luck, my dear,? the driver said to her, honest worry infused in his tone.

Relena threw a reassuring smile over her should. ?Don?t worry. I have Heero to protect me.? Basically, it was her motto.

?That guy?? he snorted.

Relena braced herself on the edge of the cab, looking down into the wonderful and indifferent eyes of ?that guy?. He grabbed her around the waist, pulling her down and keeping his arm around her as he slammed the door shut. With a loud vroom, the truck pulled away, continuing down the street and Heero let her go. It wasn?t until the taillights were turning out of view that Relena turned on him, hands on her hips and stubbornness set on her features. ?What was that all about?? she demanded.

Heero raised an eyebrow. Or, at least she thought she saw it move in the dim lighting of the parking lot they were standing in.

?You know what I?m talking about! All that ?please help us? bullshit. Since when do you ask??

?You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, Relena.? Heero turned and began walking across the wide expanse. Off to his left was the dark building of a closed mall, and for a second Relena let her girly side yearn for different clothing. Then she realized what he said.

?Since when?? She gawked, scurrying to catch up with him.

?Some situations call for tact rather than force.?

?Let me guess. Next you?re going to tell me that we need to learn to trust other people??

?No. People can?t be trusted.? His eyes flickered away from her.

Relena reached out and grabbed Heero?s wrist. ?Ok, that?s it. What?s going on? You aren?t acting like yourself. You didn?t immediately come to my rescue. You brought me into the ghetto??

?A mid-middle-class mall is not ?ghetto?.?

??you haven?t once showed concern for? anything. And,? Relena drilled her finger at his chest, ?this whole situation is messed up. Seriously, Heero, tell me. What?s HAPPENING?? Relena crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him. ?What did you get us caught up in??



?RelenaFanel.jan19.2007

[TanukiSaint]

yay first reviewer!!!!

?Ok, that?s it. What?s going on? You aren?t acting like yourself. You didn?t immediately come to my rescue."

Are we still talking bout THE HEERO YUY??? LOL

I Absolutely loveeeeeeeeee this story, it has been a very bad day but just about every word in this chapter has made it all better.

"Heero?s gun was huuuge and dangerous looking.

Relena smirked at the direction her musings had taken her, raising an eyebrow as she looked at him, very likely leering. "

I think my neighbors heard me either laughling loudly or falling off my seat.

Now I'm all impatient for the next chapter but since you updates are so fast maybe I can't hold myself down . Awesome Story

[Kari]

Heero you sneak!!! You have that picture too!!!! You sly dog!!!

[Morrighan]

XDXDXDXDXDXD Heero is in SO much trouble. Well, more than he was originally, that is. Hmm, I do wonder how he's going to make up for that.... *waggles eyebrows*

Can't wait to see more!!

[HiFreak]

Yay Update!!!!! Don't have much time to review, but I just have to say I love it and update soon, I can't wait to find out what is going on.

[Lady Saffir]

O.o Oh. dear. god. Heero asked nicely and said things like 'please'? I didn't know that could happen.

Can't wait to see what happens next.

LS

[takisha16]

LOVED IT!!!
I bet there's no bobby and the truck driver has the poster and wants
the autograph!
BTW...how did Heero know about it....hmmmmm...
I loved that part!
Heero is indeed acting very weird!
There must be more going on than Relena thinks!
I can't see a nice Heero, it's weird and I can't picture it! I agree with
Relena, I miss the hey 'heres a gun at your head' give me what I want!
jajaja
I loved the descriptions of the chase, I could just picture her clinging to
the truck's roof and Heero performing another matrix style stunt!
I loved the update, I really did not think you could save them from this
particular new situation, but you came out of nowhere with the solution
and it was very exciting!
I hope she really digs her heels in his toes next time!
HEERO...TELL US WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!!
update soon!

[Aeris_Eithne]

I've been reading this on fanfiction.net, so it's nice to see it here, too. I love this story! I can't wait to find out what the heck Heero is up to.

[PeaceWing]

Ah! Heero! Wh-wh-what on Earth is he thinking!

This was another great chapter. I love this story so much. Please continue.

[amulak]

It cracked me up when Heero said that he had the picture of Relena too!! ^^ Silly Heero!
This is fun for them... it was lucky that the truck was there and that the driver was willing to help them! I liked Heero's niceness too! XD
Great chappie- can't wait for the next!