Baby of Mine Chapter 8
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Relena stared at the walls. They seemed to have her on heavy serveilance though their were no visible cameras. they seemed to have planned extensively for this. every time she'd find enough peace of mind to finally pass out into the welcomed oblivion of sleep, she would wake up only to find that her captors had already come and gone, leaving nothing but a plate of something resembling food and a botle of water. Having been the victim of drugged consumables once she was suspicious of anything put before that had not been prepared by trusted hands. As a result, she'd sit there and push the food around on the plate before finally pushing it away. she couldn't do this much longer though. How long had it been? one day? Two? A week perhaps? They had taken her watch and her windowless, aftificially lit cell gave her no means of telling time. Between her spaced out naps and random feedings she had lost all hope of telling night from day.
She couldn't starve. She had to eat; had to survive and make it back to her daughter. Her stomach gave a rather angry growl of protest. Picking up the plate, she reluctantly spooned some of the mush into her mouth, hardly bothering to chew before swollowing it quickly. She wouldn't eat much, just enough to sustain her. Sipping just enough of the water to satify her parched throat she pushed the plate and cup away. She would survive this. No matter what. Heero wouldn't give up. She had had Preventers teach her some survival techniques as part of relating to the everyday struggles of the people still feeling the harsh reprecussions of the war. That and, she wanted to have a basic idea of how to survive for just such a situation as her current status.
Walking over to the cot, she sat down and put her head in her hands, her thoughts beginning to wander to how and when her captors planned on dealing with her. She pictured Ammy's smile in her mind and steeled her resolve. She was down, but not broken. Relena Peacecraft was not one to give in when there was still another option on the table. Standing up once more, she walked to one of the walls and stared at it for a moment, suddenly feeling very frustrated.
"Enough is enough! I think it's time you show yourselves and tell me what it is you wish of me."
For a moment, nothing happened and her own the echo of her own voice was once more her only answer. Sudenly, part of the wall began to move, She found herself covering her eyes against the new addition of brighter light. A single man stepped into the room, a smirk on his surprisingly young face.
"I thought you'd never ask, princess." He snapped his fingers and two men walked in and stood behind her. "Escort Ms. Peacecraft to our discussion room." With that, the gaurds grabbed her arms roughly and guided her down the coridors......
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*He could feel the touch of her skin, the brush of her lips, hear her breathing as her heart seemed to beat in perfect time with his own. No one and nothing else mattered. Time seemed to stand still as they made thier feelings known. So many years of trust and pent up emotions accumulating in this one night, a night he wished would never end...His heart skipped a beat as she whispered those three littled words...*
The sudden sound of sobbing woke him from his light sleep. Apparently he' drifted off while sitting on the couch some time in the night, the glow of his laptop a sheer sign that he'd fallen asleep on the job. Her mentally shook himself, hoping to rid himself of the fading images from his reoccurring dream. Standing up cautiously, he walked to his room where he's last left the child. Drawing his gun, he inched the door open to find that no apparent intruder had caused the child's current state of distress. Having safely assessed the lack of danger, he put the gun way.
"What's wrong?" The words sounded a little harsher to him than he'd meant. He menatlly kicked himself for his lack of tact.
"I had a bad dream. I want my mommy!" The child began to cry again.
Heero stood there for a moment, staring at the little girl. He had very little experience with children and even less with crying ones. he shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other before slowly approaching the bed. Sitting down on the edge, he looked into her tearful eyes.
"It was a dream. It is impractical to be afraid of something imaginary." She stared at him, a soft sob still escaping every now and again.
"Have you ever been scared of a dream?" Her question surprised him as memories long forgotton came back in a wave. A vision of a girl and her dog flashed in his mind, followed by The smiling face of another important individual and he, the perfect soldier, felt himself fight back a shiver.
"Yes." He felt no need to lie to the child. She'd been through enough.
"How do you make it go away?" Once more her question was simple, but to the point, another good indicator of who her mother was.
"Tell yourself that you're stronger than that. Tell yourself that you're strong enough to conquer whatever things might come from the dream. You can't let your nightmares get in your way. You must face them head on. Does that help?" He reached out and brushed the child's bangs from her face. The words seemed to just flow naturally and he smiled inwardly as she nodded, seeming more relaxed.
"Hero!" Heero flinched slightly at the worried tone in the child's voice. "Where's Hero?" Her question perplexed him as he looked into her worried blue eyes.
"What?"
"My special teddy bear! I can't find him!" Heero looked around the bed, then under the covers. She had fallen asleep on the couch, perhaps that's where the stuffed animal had disappeared to.
"I'll check the living room. I'm sure he didn't go far." He stood up and exited the room, walking over to the sofa.
Sure enough, laying on its side by the leg of the couch was a familar, well worn, stuffed bear. He picked it up, running a finger over the chipped button nose and fraying fur. Relena had slept with this bear every night and taken it with her on every politcal journey. She'd called it steadfast, saying that it was her little soldier, her constant tiny gaurdian to stand in for him when he wasn't around. He walked into the room and deposited the bear into the little girl's waiting arms and watched as she clutched it to her tightly.
"Oh, Hero! I'm sorry!" The little girl laid back down, snuggling more into the fuzzy toy than the pillow.
"Why do you call it that?" The question seemed to pop out of nowhere. The effect this chld was having on his overall composure was unsettling at best. Curently he was unsure if that was good or bad.
"My mommy gave him to me when I was really little. She said her hero gave him to her and I couldn't say his other name so I named him 'Hero'. Uncle Duo thought it was funny."
As he heard the child call Duo her uncle, a small pang of what he recognised as jealousy flowed through him. This emotion confused him more than it should. This child was throwing his control for a loop.
"You need to go back to sleep." She stared at him as if about to protest. "Don't worry. I'll stay here until you do." She smiled at him and it warmed him clear through. This child was so much like Relena.
"Goodnight Mr. Heero." He leaned forward, tucking her in.
"Goodnight, Amethyst." For the second time that night, he felt that content, protective feeling sweel up within him. This time, he welcomed it. True to his word, he stayed, helping his namesake fight off her nightmares.
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Lady Une Picked up another manilla envelope and opened it scanning carefully through it's contents before placing into its proper place. The late shift was not one that she prefered, but the fact that one of the world's most beloved officials, not to mention one of her closest friends, was missing merited the extra hours. This folder had been the newest information in regaurds to Relena's disappearence, yet it had offered her little more than she already knew for herself. Statements from the guards on duty, as well as the Foreign minister's personal body guard were included with photos of the scene and posible terrorist threats that seemed to coincide with the abduction curently littered her desk. She reached up and massaged her temples in an attempt to fend off an oncomming headache. too many leads with deadends and too few positive results to launch any attempted rescues. She pcked up another folder just as a knock at the door broke her concentration.
"Come in." The door opened to reveal Leutenant Dartman. The Leutenant stopped infront of the desk and saluted respectfully. "At ease Leutenant. What brings you to my office at this hour?"
"Ma'am, if you please, i was hoping you might be able to give some sort of information as to the current whereabout of the foreign minister's child."
The question took her by surprise. Had it been any other soldier besides this one, Une might have been up in arms.
"You know such information is confidential Leutenant. I cannot give it out to anyone under any circumstances. I am sorry. I know what the child must mean to you having been in your care for so long." The Leautenant's eyes seemed to flash with several emotions at once before returning to normal.
"Yes Ma'am. You might say she is very important to me. I have been concerned about her well being."
"Well, don't be. Trust me whan I say this Leutenant. That child means the world to a lot of us. We have placed her in the very best of hands. Please feel content enough with that knowledge and return to your duties." The Leautenant's posture changed slightly, disappointment flashing in her intense eyes.
"Yes ma'am. By your leave." The girl turned and left, leaving Une once more in the silence of the office. Part of her wondered if the young woman felt guilty about that night's events or if she was asking for alterior reasons. Shurgging it off, she picked up another file, her thought returing to the task at hand.
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[AN] Sorry this took so long. my work schedule has been hectic and my inspiration has been low due to exhaustion. I hope you enjoyed it. Once more i ask for your questions, comments and suggestions. The more imput i recieve, the eaier it is to write. thankyou for your support and for your time! You guys rock!
Later![/i]
