Upper Class 14/15

[Gundam Girl]

Welcome to chapter 14 of ?Upper Class!? This chapter begins a little differently, mainly because it takes off directly from where chapter 13 ended. So you may want to reread the last scene of 13 just to keep yourself up-to-date.

Thanks for reading and enjoy!

WARNING: Okay, so do you all remember that warning of attempted rape from chapter one? Well, this is the chapter where it finally kicks in, so brace yourself. It?s the last scene of this chapter, so if you want to skip it because of comfort reasons, feel free to do so. I won?t be offended.

Disclaimer: I do not own ?Gundam Wing? or ?Full Metal Panic!?

Upper Class ? Chapter 14

By Gundam Girl

Quatre held up his glass. ?But you brought me this.?

For a moment, Dorothy?s eyes seemed to lose their sharpness and instead of exuding guardedness, they were soft. ?I did, yes. And you are quite welcome.? She drew away from the balcony rail and from him, taking her glass and draining the rest in one small drink. She was acting more ladylike than she had in years. ?I shall turn in now. Do you feel better yet??

?I do,? Quatre answered and realized that he wasn?t lying. ?I feel?very much better. Thank you.?

?And your confusion over Miss Relena has eased, I assume??

?It?s not that I was uneasy. Well, I was,? he admitted. ?I am simply more curious than anything else. I never imagined anyone of Relena?s status would prefer a commoner over someone of upper class. I always thought??

Dorothy?s eyes sharpened again in a heartbeat. ?Careful your words and whom you say them to, Governor,? she said, reverting back to propriety. ?You seem to forget that I have lived in both common and noble worlds. If there is one thing I learned in my ventures of piracy, where I spent more time with peasants than you have in your entire life?seeing the differences?? Her hand had tightened on her glass. It was fortunate that it was now empty because in her anger she had turned it upside-down and seemed on the verge of tossing it to the floor and letting it shatter. ?It is that there is no difference. In fact, you will often find peasants far nobler than aristocrats. As far as I am concerned, we are all upper class. ?

With a hateful glare straight into his eyes, she turned on her heel and left. Her skirts made a harsh swishing noise as she departed.

Quatre felt stunned. He and Dorothy had shared what he would dare to call a pleasant moment, a peaceful moment even, and he had somehow ruined it by insulting her.

?Governor,? he told himself. ?You are no man, but a fool.?

He truly felt like one.

o0o

The morning came, and Kurz Webber was almost deliriously happy. After his report had been given to his superiors, they had been quite impressed with his help in catching the Belladonna on its return trip to England and seizing Relena Peacecraft. He?d been told that they would have added the capture of Dorothy Catalonia to his list of accomplishments, and that would have been a very positive turn for him, but the Baron Peacecraft had commanded that the female pirate captain?s presence in England be kept a secret. Kurz did not know it, but Milliardo had given this order at the vigorous request of his wife.

In payment for his deeds, Kurz was given the special privilege of helping to escort a group of pirates to another prison building where they would wait a night before their appointment at the gallows. He had been informed that these pirates were none other than the crew of the Ivory Damsel, whom had kidnapped the Baron?s sister Relena.

So now things had come full circle. It must be the way of true justice, mused Kurz as he strode up to the cell holding the Damsel?s captain, Heero Yuy.

He was unable to hold back his shout of surprise when he saw Relena Peacecraft lying beside him beneath a coarse blanket wearing no visible stitch of clothing.

The noise woke Yuy instantly, along with the other males of the crew in adjacent cells. The women stirred and rose more slowly. When Relena?s eyes finally opened, they widened to the size of saucers, and she clenched the blanket to her firmly.

?What,? growled Yuy, his sapphire eyes flashing, ?do you think you?re doing??

Kurz turned away from the sight, his cheeks flaming. He could hear both the captain and the lady hurry to dress, and he couldn?t suppress the indecent thoughts that scurried across his brain. If his girl, Melissa, knew what he was thinking of, she would surely box his ears and render him incapable of producing children.

?Excuse me!? Kurz?s voice cracked embarrassingly, and he coughed to clear it. ?I am to escort the men of your crew to hangman?s row.? His superiors had left out that there were women in the group as well. Being female, they were spared from the noose, but often women of crime were sentenced to a lifetime of service as maids. He would have to return to the offices to get orders for their placement. And of course, he hadn?t at all counted on Relena Peacecraft being with them!

The first one to respond to Kurz?s mostly-mumbled declaration was a braided man, looking insulted. ?Hangman?s row? What, you have these people in bloody lines?? The petite woman sharing his cell hushed him with a fierce look.

?Don?t think so highly of the British police, Maxwell,? said an Asian man in another cell, one of his arms around the pigtailed woman beside him. ?They?re not organized enough for lines. They?re probably packed in somewhere.?

?Actually,? answered another of the pirates, his green eye watching Kurz coolly, ?they give the men numbers in order of their execution times.? He too had a woman with him, but he comforted her in a less intimate way than the previous two. He was also much calmer, but his caution was apparent nonetheless.

Yuy was the last to speak, and his voice held the most contempt. ?And so you plan to drop each man here to their deaths? Just when will this be, exactly??

Something in the accusing way Yuy spoke had Kurz feeling terribly guilty. ?I believe?Captain?tomorrow morning.? He could scarcely believe he?d just addressed the pirate in so respectful a way, but he couldn?t stop talking. ?But it won?t be me! I?m not the one??

?So that makes it all right!? This time it was Relena that raised her voice, and of everyone in the room, she sounded the most terror-ridden. Her tones held utter panic and Kurz was caught off guard by the raw emotion. He couldn?t help the wince that betrayed him. ?Because you?re not the one killing these men, it makes it perfectly fine for them to die! That?s what you think, isn?t it! That?s what you?re telling yourself right this instant!? Relena?s eyes, filled with tears and grief, flashed straight into his soul. ?Well, know this. Simple because you do not turn the blade doesn?t mean the blood doesn?t touch your hands!?

?Relena,? Heero murmured. He hadn?t been able to take his eyes from her since she had begun preaching to the pale, shuddery youth pretending to be a policeman. ?Enough.?

Relena turned to him, her lips trembling, and the tears spilled down her cheeks like drops of pain themselves. In the next few seconds, her eyes hardened along with her resolve. ?I won?t let it end like this,? she swore determinedly. ?You?ll see.?

Kurz had unlocked the cell door and now held it open. ?Follow me, Heero Yuy.? He wished to God his voice didn?t sound so apologetic.

Relena rushed out of the cell in front of Heero and gave Kurz a final, scathing glare. ?My anger does not go to you alone,? she confessed, her voice no less harsh for the fact. ?But though you will put these men into your ?hangman?s row,? I vow that they will not truly be part of that wretched group.? Without another syllable or even a goodbye to her companions, she hastened from the prison and fetched a cab, eager to be quickly back to her brother?s house.

o0o

When she stormed into the dining room of the Peacecraft mansion, interrupting the end of breakfast and fixing her eyes on her brother, she at first didn?t register the complete shock in Luchrezia?s eyes.

?Relena!? her sister-in-law exclaimed. ?Dear God, darling, but you do look a sight!? Indeed, there was dust all over her dress and bits of straw stuck in her hair.

?Nevermind,? Relena waved it away. ?Milliardo, I must speak with you.? It was then she suddenly realized Treize?s presence, along with Quatre and Dorothy, though they were no surprise. ?You?re still here, Duke? Perhaps you could be useful as well.? She spoke more to herself than Treize, however.

?I, milady?? Treize?s smile appeared like that of a cat catching the canary. ?Give the word, Miss Relena, and I will hurry to fulfill it.?

Relena?s gaze returned to her sibling. Though Treize was more influencial, she felt more comfortable speaking to Milliardo. ?I beg you, brother. The pirates of the Ivory Damsel ? you must save them! They are to be hanged with the morrow!?

Milliardo looked mildly surprised. ?You say this like you did not expect it, Relena. They are pirates. The price of piracy is death by noose. Surely you know that.?

Apparently her finishing school had left out that detail of the law. ?I did not know it, brother. And now they will die unless you do something!?

?What the devil are you saying, my sister?? demanded Milliardo, rising from his chair to stand above the outspoken woman. ?Are you expressing a wish for these ruffians? lives to actually continue? The notion is mad! First of all, it is impossible. Secondly, why would you ever feel such mercy toward those?rats?? The baron?s words were crueler than anything Relena had ever heard him say, and she had the idea that he had never shown her his entire personality before.

All at once, she felt like she didn?t know her brother at all.

Her eyes welling for the second time this morning, she cast them downward. Letting out one desperate sob, she turned away. ?I could not bear to see any of them perish. They were good to me when I was with them, brother. They were not such monsters as you think.? She turned her gaze upward again and forced it to be confident. ?They are good people, not the rats you think of them as. I found more kindness in their small lot than I have ever known at a party with London?s wealthiest!?

The passion of her words shook Milliardo but he only grew angrier when he realized his weakness. ?You speak words of sin. Dare you cast your good judment to pirates rather than the words of your own brother!?

?I dare it.? Relena?s words were cool. ?If I do not, then I will see them all die, whether by hanging or by misery.?

Furious, Milliardo swept past her, stopping in the doorway of the room. ?You shall see them die anyway.? Saying so, he stomped out and up the stairs.

Shocked into silence, Luchrezia could do nothing but give Relena a sympathetic expression. In her lap, Agatha wailed, frightened by all of the yelling. Luchrezia gathered her into her arms and hurried after her husband, seeking to comfort.

Relena stood for a moment, shaking in her sorrow and rage. ?I will be in my room,? she told the others, her steps heavy and tense. She didn?t object when Treize followed her out of the room. She didn?t even notice him.

Quatre and Dorothy sat across from one another, the only ones remaining at the table. Dorothy was the one to say something first.

?I find it quite odd that she didn?t even bother to ask you for help.? Her eyes were sincere as she said this.

Quatre shook his head. ?I no longer do. I think things are becoming clearer each moment.? He lifted his gaze to Dorothy?s. ?She pleads quite vigorously for the life of those pirates ? those people,? he corrected himself at Dorothy?s raised eyebrow.

?Yes,? murmured the blond woman. ?For would it not make more sense to??

?Perhaps. However, people in love don?t necessarily have a lot of sense.? There was silence for a moment, as Dorothy was stunned by this observation, and Quatre hurriedly took his eyes from hers. ?At least, it doesn?t appear that way.?

Standing, Quatre bowed to her, and promptly left the dining room, his gait stiff and formal.

Dorothy watched the place where he had just been with curiosity. ?No,? she responded to his words in a whisper. ?It certainly doesn?t.?

o0o

Relena burst into her chamber, hair flying behind her. Her furiousness was practically tangible, and Treize did not bother to hide his smile of admiration as he followed her, a cup of tea in his hand.

?You spoke quite forcefully to Milliardo,? remarked the duke. He was thankful she was so angry; she didn?t at all notice when he shut the door behind them. ?I was worried for a moment that he would strike you.?

?He has never raised his hand to me, and I feared that not.? Relena cast her burning blue eyes upon him, and Treize felt his blood warm. ?Will you soften your heart for these pirates, Duke? I can?t imagine you would and still I must ask.?

Instead of responding, Treize offered her the tea. Relena drank it out of courtesy and it scalded her throat, but she welcomed the pain as a small reprieve from her feeling of rage.

Treize then spoke. ?Miss Relena, you are young. And,? he added with some amusement, ?just a bit na?ve. If you understood the true nature of pirates??

?I spent two weeks on their ship!? she exclaimed passionately. ?I slept in their hull and ate of their food. They were generous and even protective.? She paused, remembering when Heero had taken the cut of the knife she had nearly used on herself. Her heart pounded at the memory. ?Please believe me when I tell you they are worthy of living, Duke.?

?Relena,? he said slowly. As he spook, he took small, even steps nearer to her. ?They are evil. Evil often disguises itself as good, I?m sure you realize.? Saying so, he had backed her nearly to the wall, and Relena?s fingertips were touching the plaster to brace her. Her eyes had grown wide at the indecency of his proximity. ?The only thing I want to believe right now is that I finally get to do this.?

He lowered his lips to hers.

Relena?s eyes grew impossibly larger. The move had shocked the young woman into completely lack of mobility, and Treize took advantage of her stunned state to grip her hips and press her to him.

Relena made a protesting sound into his mouth. Her hands flew to his shoulders and she did her best to push him away, but the duke was strong and he held fast. When he finally took his mouth from hers, Relena gritted her teeth.

?Release me before I scream,? she demanded.

?Your brother will only think your cry is because of sorrow for those sea wretches,? Treize chided, speaking like a parent to a child. ?Tell me, Relena, have you even realized how strikingly beautiful you are?? He lowered one of his hands to her skirt and started to pull it up.

?You?re the wretch!? she shrieked, fighting the movement. Treize succeeded in penetrating the cloth?s weak barrier and Relena let out a loud scream before he could cover her mouth. As soon as the sound was out, her knees buckled and she now was forced to grip his shoulder to keep from falling.

?The tea,? she murmured. Her eyebrows lowered in outrage. ?What in God?s name have you done to me!?

?It?s only something to relax you,? Treize assured her, carrying her to her four-poster bed. ?When you are relaxed, this experience is much more enjoyable.? So pleased was he to finally be getting his way, the lecherous aristocrat did not hear the panicked footsteps on the stairs.

?I don?t want?? But Relena?s words were soft and slurred, and she felt herself getting drowsy. Tears of fear and sorrow leaked over her temples. She could no longer hear any sound, and so she didn?t realized that ruckus that suddenly occurred in her bedroom. She was barely able to register that Treize was wrenched away from her, and she felt a cool hand on her head. She thought she saw a mass of unruly brown hair and deep blue eyes over her.

?Heero,? she murmured. ?I?love you??

As she fell into unconsciousness, she couldn?t realize that the brown hair was truly blond and the blue eyes were lighter than she?d thought.

Quatre Raberba Winner?s frown was deep as Milliardo restrained Treize. The baron had begun a tangent, threatening the duke all sorts of hideous punishments in both this world and the next.

Dorothy drew her hand from Relena?s head and gave Quatre a calculating look. ?Well, Quatre??

The governor flicked his eyes to the female pirate for a moment longer than necessary, then looked at Relena again. ?Well,? he replied. ?I suppose this arises at some time for everyone.?

?What would that be?? inquired Dorothy.

Quatre turned to her, his expression weary. ?The swallowing of pride.?

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Sorry for the slight shortness of this chapter, but guess what? There?s only one more chapter left. Surprise!

Please review!