I'm trying to work up to finishing off chapter 8 and the epilogue of Human Nature. I've been out of the fan fic world for so long!!!
Of course, Gundam Wing nor any of its characters belong to me, gosh darn it.
Okay, here goes!
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Title: Red
Author: GM1
Section: Prologue
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Relena leaned back in the maroon wing chair and sighed, averting her eyes from her companion. She stared into the flames of the fire, buring steadily in the hearth at the far side of her study, transfixed by the flickers of yellow in red.
Four hours; it had been four hours since Pagan interrupted her usual affair with the never ending pile of paperwork she alwasy managed to bring home. The tone of his voice was insistant - that alone was enough to cause her to break out into a run and clabber down the stairs as she hadn't done since her teens. It was all she could do not to trip and land in a heap in the bottom. She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight that awaited her.
Duo, aided by Trowa stood in the foyer, an unconcious, Heero balanced between them - all three soaked to the bone. Goodness gracious! Certainly he couldn't be drunk! It was unlike Heero to have any alcohol, let alone enough for him to pass out. Though, it had happened once before, but still... Relena opened her mouth to ask what this was all about when she noted the red tint of the puddle accumulating on the porcelain floor. Her eyes widened and she gasped. Not hesitating for a moment, she went into crisis mode, barking orders for the house staff to prepare the usual room and to bring plenty of bandages along with other first aid supplies and deposit them on the nightstand.
The whole house went abuzz and her usual security emerged from the dark corners and recesses of the house. Thankfully, WuFei had arrived and taken charge of the situation. Her guards were given outside detail; Wufei ignored the sour looks, completely without simpathy, despite the cold November rain that awaited them.
Thankfully, Sally arrived, just as Duo and Trowa eased Heero onto the bed in one of the many guest rooms. Relena paced frantically as Sally tended to his wounds. Finally, after what seemed like hours, he was stitched and bandaged. Sally turned to give her a reassuring smile. She let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding and immediately turned to Duo and Trowa, ready to do battle for some answers. She didn't care how covert or classified the operation, she was going to get some answers this time! Her voice was solid and unrelenting, "What happened?"
Duo shook his head slightly and ran a hand through his bangs. He was about to speak, when Sally interveined. "Perhaps, we can have a few moments alone. I'm sure Duo and Trowa would like to get into some dry clothes."
Duo narrowed his eyes. Relena started, noticing that they were filled with a barely constrained rage that was oddly directed at the doctor standing next to her. Duo had his moments, but it was rarely directed to those whom he called friends. It took her a moment to find her voice. "Of course! Pagan will see to your needs. Please..." She gestured toward the door. Duo stomped out into the hallway and Trowa followed silently behind, stopping briefly to glance at Sally before exiting completly.
Just what was going on here? Had the world gone insane and she just didn't know about it? She turned to look at Heero, who seemed in a deep sleep, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Satisfied that he was alive and somewhat stable for the moment, she turned back to the other woman. "Sally, what..."
The woman, held up a hand. "It might be best if we go to another room. I don't want to disturb him and I'd like to talk to you without the possibility of Heero hearing us. You never know with that man."
Relena, frowned. It was unlikely that Heero would wake for several hours. Granted, Heero was Heero, and would most likely be out and back to business well before he should, but he was still human and his body was not impervious despite what some may have thought. But in the end, she consented, leading Sally down the hall to her study.
And there she was, sitting across from Sally. Both wing chairs were placed in a cozy, conversational grouping before the fireplace. How many times had she sat here with Heero, watching him do the very same thing she was now doing? He would stare at the flames for hours, almost never blinking and rarely speaking. His brows were always furrowed and his face drawn, as if reliving some horrible terror.
It had been ten years since she first encountered his washed up form on the beach. For years, they'd danced around one another. Heero paid her visits every now and then, when he wasn't busy with some operation or another for the Preventors. Ever so slowly, conversation began to develop between them on those occasions - mostly causual informal speech. The time they spent together was always well spent, even if he wouldn't allow her to take a vacation day or two when he came to visit. A secretive smile would always grace her face when she thought about the fact that she could finally read his expressions, slight and meager as they were. She'd also been privy to those extremely rare smiles, or even rarer still, a laugh that would light up his face, making him simply...beautiful in her eyes. She treasured those moments, locked away in the deepest part of heart, to be recalled when she needed his strength and comfort. It warmed her heart to know that he trusted her enough to begin to confide certain aspects of his life to her...his viewpoint, thoughts, and on very rare occasions how he felt about certain things. Of course, the topic of them was always strictly avoided. It was the unspoken rule.
With Heero, patience was needed and a great deal at that! While her patience certainly wasn't going to last forever, she was content with the slow progression they'd been making. When it came to emotions, Heero never acted until he was asbolutely certain about it. From what she'd learned, compassion and loving care were not a very big portion of his upbrining if at all. And logically, coming to grips, understanding, and dealing with all these new feelings would take time. Logic was instinctual for him and didn't take much effort...decifering the matters of the heart was an entirely different story.
A hand on her shoulder broke her from her silent revelry. Expectant sky-blue eyes watched her carefully, waiting for an answer. Relena sighed and then spoke to the woman that was more than her personal physician - she was a friend. Shaking her head slightly, she murmered, "Hallucinogens?! I still don't understand what you hope to gain by this. I welcome him in my home as I always have, but what you're asking..."
Sally placed a hand over hers and spoke imploringly, "Please believe that I truly want to help him. I wouldn't ask you if I knew of another way, but I've only got three months to produce some results. After that, the only choice General Une may have is to..."
"All right." Relena turned her head as she forced the words out, startled by the harshness of her own voice, laced with thick emotion. Oh, why did she just agree to this?! It went against everything she knew was right. How could she have just agreed, for all intents and purposes, to let Sally drug him?
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TBC...