**Somewhere Out There** CHAPTER ONE!!
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2003 3:21 pm
Author's Note: I know I may get some comments about Heero... I know he seems out of character, and he is, really.... but I am a firm believer that marriage: a wife and a child are bound to change ANY man. Okay, that's all I wanted to say. Thank you, enjoy!!!
There is humor in this part. Lots of it. But I will maintain the rating as it is because the story IS angsty. AND if you haven't read the prologue yet, GO DO IT THEN, before reading this.
I'm so sorry for the delay, <ducks vegetable, rocks, and suspicious sharp items>. But here it is, do not fear. Chapter two is on the way, and I hope you enjoy.
ALSO, I would like to dedicate this chapter to my excellent beta-reader, Caliborn. Cali, BTW, try to ignore a certain PM I sent you last night... got a little carried away... Duo's fault, I swear to God.
Somewhere Out There
By Andrea Sinisterra
Angst/Tragedy
Rated R
Part 1
* * *
Before...
Somehow, despite the shades being drawn closed, the sunlight peeked through the edges, bringing the unwelcome day barging into the elaborate bedroom and to its tired and exhausted occupants. Relena threw her arm over her eyes, trying unsuccessfully to block out the light. She made a mental note to buy a new set of curtains, heavier and darker curtains. She turned her head to the side, and groaned softly at the face of her husband sleeping peacefully on top of the heavy mattress, his relaxed face unknowingly drawing her attention, for it was very rare to see him without a frown wrinkling his handsomely dark features.
She was freezing! How on Earth can he sleep on top of the covers, when she herself had the bedspread up to her ears? This confirmed her initial suspicions about her husband: he was not human. Maybe Dr. J had built himself a robot that could do all the things a human soldier would be incapable of or would have difficulties doing. That would explain a lot of things about him; for instance, how could he survive all those blasts and shots he received during the war? Let alone survive the explosion when he self-detonated Wing Zero? Hello!?! Another thing: how, on all those occasions when they were gathered with their friends, Duo and Hilde, Quatre and Dorothy, Sally, Trowa, Wufei, when they were all chatting and laughing at Duo's often hilarious anecdotes and jokes, or when they used to make fun of Quatre's naivet? whenever Dorothy turned on to flirting mode, and he would go spluttering his coffee, his cheeks ablaze, trying to dislodge her from his lap, or even the frequent Sally/Wufei fights that were never ending, with him ordering her around and calling her 'woman' and she complaining telling him to go take a dump and then proceeding to ignore the already pissed-off Wufei... God, how could he not at LEAST smile after all those stomach clenching moments!? Didn't he have a merry bone in his entire body!?
Certainly, the man wasn't human.
She shivered under the covers. How can it be so cold in this room when that hellish sunbeam won't let me sleep!?! What time was it anyway? It had been very late last night when she had finally decided to turn in. She had been feeling kind of tipsy after the three glasses of wine she had drunk. Three? Maybe that was five... but who was keeping count? Hence the reason her head throbbed the moment she lowered her feet to the floor.
Oh, but last night had been heaven. She had felt like a fairy in a world of glitter and stars, with her 'fairy husband' twirling her around in an endless tune that spoke of magic. Of course, Heero would just kill her and throw her body into the ocean if he ever discovered she had called him 'fairy husband'. Yes, surely her husband's undying love and loyalty wouldn't go THAT far.
Her mind wandered to the party events of the previous night while she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and her hair. She really had floated last night, because after all the dancing she and Heero did, her feet should have fallen off in mid-step. But they had never bothered her, even though her heels were three inches high. She smiled, applying a generous amount of toothpaste to her brush, the perks of having a strong, ex-Gundam pilot husband. Yes.
The freshness of her toothpaste made her close her eyes in simple delight.
They had been the sensation of the evening; the Yuy family. Heero in an immaculate black tuxedo, tight and loose in the right places, tailored just for him; and Relena and Victoria, in almost matching dresses of the purest white, Victoria with small rosebuds threaded through her hair, and Relena with a necklace of deep rubies and small sparkling diamonds set in platinum gold. Certainly, they had rocked a few worlds around.
Relena smiled around her toothbrush, pleased with herself.
If only she didn't have this headache! Oh, well. Her birthday. Heero had really done it this time. Roses, candy, dances, dinner, more roses, little notes, calls, more candies... There must be a vase with flowers in every surface of the house, Relena thought suddenly, with all the ones he showered her with she could easily start her own flower shop. Yes, most likely.
She walked into the room, throwing open the curtains, and cheerfully humming a medley while she went from corner to corner, even once kneeling on the floor to look under the bed, searching for her silk robe.
She had used it yesterday, hadn't she? Last night. Where could it be? The soft knock caught her attention; Victoria pushed the door open and left it ajar, going directly to her mother.
"Hey, Honey. Good morning." Relena smiled, lifting the girl into her arms. "God, Tory, you get heavier everyday. One of these days I won't be able to carry you anymore."
Victoria kissed her mother's cheek in greeting, and then she was deposited on the floor again. "Dad's still asleep?" she exclaimed.
Relena shushed the girl, amused by the horror displayed on her daughter's face. "He's tired. He danced with both of us, remember?"
"And with Miss Catherine."
"And Sally."
"And with Aunt Lu."
"Okay, stop it, I'm starting to get jealous." Relena laughed.
They left the room, Relena dressed in her long-searched-for robe, closing the door behind them as quietly as possible as to not disturb the man in the room behind it.
They spoke in low tones as they made their way to the kitchen, both with growling stomachs that hungered for Pagan's breakfast. They entered the kitchen, their noses picking up the distinctive smell of bacon, eggs, bread, and coffee.
"Good morning." Lucrezia's happy cheerful greeting was a deep contrast to her husband's growled through clenched teeth, "Morning."
"Why, Milliardo, I thought you were having so much fun last night!" The mockery in Relena's voice made Lucrezia laugh, and caused Milliardo's scowl to deepen.
"I think he had *way* too much fun last night."
Milliardo doused his toasts in marmalade, "I just had a drink too many." He winced. "My head hurts."
"You're such a baby."
"I had a lot of fun last night," Victoria said flippantly, openly mocking her uncle, "a lot of fun."
Milliardo's eyes narrowed, "Pagan, is it just me, or are all the women in this house suddenly against me?"
Pagan, who had remained quiet, but was deeply amused by all the bickering so early on a Sunday, brought a plate full of bacon to the table. "It is not just you, Master Milliardo, I see it, too."
Relena laughed, "Oh, Pagan, you're enjoying yourself, aren't you?"
Pagan smiled, sitting with the family to eat breakfast. "Oh, I wouldn't miss a Sunday breakfast for the world... and I would never ever miss a situation were Master Milliardo is alone with the three of you." Pagan laughed softly, "There are things that are just priceless."
It was this picture of his whole family that greeted him, the moment Heero entered the kitchen, a scowl on his face, and then plopped himself on the empty seat between Milliardo and Relena.
"I have a hangover from hell." He muttered.
Milliardo snorted. "Join the club." While the rest laughed.
* * *
They say that 'Christmas Shopping Panic' starts the tenth day of December, when all the stores in every single mall ever created by mankind is on sale. And Relena just proved the veracity of that notion. The day had started half wrong, anyway, with the lingering hangover of the drinks from the night before, but then, breakfast definitely made up for it.
The question was: did she feel up to it?
Relena smiled to herself, as she and Victoria joined the throng of people making their way in and out the stores. But of course she was up to it! She was a loyal, compulsive shopper, after all, and she was determined to make her daughter one too before she reached puberty. Relena swore to herself.
Heero walked behind the two girls, hands in pocket, pulled by an invisible string. He really shouldn't be here. He could be playing darts with Trowa, or pool with Quatre, or kicking Duo's ass, or even freakin' meditating with Wufei, for all he cared... but no! He was stuck following crazy women bound to buy an entire mall. He breathed out heavily.
Yes, this was going to be a long evening.
Still, he marveled at the change in Relena's attitude. She had changed so much since the day he met her for the first time. Then, during the first years of their marriage, she had been such a busy woman; living on a stressed wire of plans and meetings a Minister of Foreign Affairs is committed to. They had been really crazy for each other during those years, with her in her meetings and he as her personal bodyguard, and on top of that, Chief of Security on her administration, their time together was reduced to the minimum, when at night they finally retired for the day, too exhausted to do anything else but sleep.
But they won time during little escapades between meetings, seminars, and dinners. They always managed time. It was all they could do. Until one day, she just retired. Dropped everything the moment she found out she was pregnant.
It was a wonder, really, to see her go through the pregnancy. He always knew she would be a great mother. And she was, still is. Totally devoted to Victoria... and him. Heero smiled, almost with satisfaction.
God, but how had he changed living with her... the change that knowing her had caused. It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He hadn't known a human was capable of such feelings... no, he hadn't known that HE could be capable of having such feelings... as if your life depended solely on the existence of two other people. He now knew what people meant when they said that 'someone means the world to them.' Relena and Victoria were his everything. His purpose in life was not to live his own life, or to maintain peace, or to fight wars, or anything like that... no, his purpose was to see a smile on their faces every moment of every day for the rest of their lives.
Except when they went shopping... Really, when they go shopping, they turn into evil, head-eating, acid-saliva spitting monsters, whose sole purposes in the universe were to wipe his pocket clean. Yep, shopping was the hobby of the devil. Sadly, he was always dragged to their sprees. Why? Because they needed his unique help, the help only he could offer, his unequaled services: he had to carry their shopping bags. He wouldn't mind carrying a few heavy bags for his girls, really, he was a true gentleman, but the bags overflowed his arms, dozens, hundreds, thousands of bags from every major shop in the city.
That's why he learned something useful, something he would always resort to: the limousine. AND the chauffer, of course. The chauffer would follow them wherever they went, so all he had to do was dump the bags into the trunk, and follow the crazy monsters on to the next lair... simple as that.
He was a genius.
It was truly amusing, the similarities between mother and daughter... and not only physically. Granted, they were identical, same hair in texture and color; same skin tone; same bone structure; same small feet; same small hands with long fingers, even if Victoria was just eight. The only claim Heero had on the girl were half her genes and the eyes, Victoria had the same deep blue as he. Although he would have preferred if she had inherited his hair color rather than the eyes, because the intensity in those blues was unnerving... he often found himself challenged whenever he told his daughter something, even though Victoria loved and respected him.
It was just that he would have preferred being confronted to light blue eyes, ones he was already used to, and not *his* eyes... Heero shook his head at his foolish thoughts.
He started roaming around the lavish tables of clothes, men underwear, and ties, as he waited for them. Now and then, one or the other would come out of the dressing room, twirling around in her new pants or shirt or shoes and flashing jewelry, accepting his nod or shake of the head to scramble inside... and then come out again with one thing or another. Then, with a salesclerk in tow, they would go to the cash register, pay with his credit card, and plop the bags in his arms...
He hated Christmas. He really did.
Heero sighed, depositing more bags into the trunk of the limousine.
"Okay, I'm almost finished," Relena said, scratching names and items on a list, "I still need to buy Pagan's gift. And Lady Une's, that one's easy..."
Victoria latched herself onto her father's pants. "Dad," she said, her voice stating a command.
Heero smiled, scooping the girl up in his arms. "Daughter."
Relena gave them a strange look, shrugged, and went back to her list.
"Daddy of mine. You know how much I love you, and that there's no other dad in the world that could match you." Victoria smiled charmingly, "You're handsome, you're strong, you're a good dad, and I'm hungry."
Heero snorted, something that in all their time together, Relena had started to interpret as a hearty laugh. "Victoria, you really are something." She snuggled to her husband. "But now that you've mentioned it, I'm famished. Really and truly hungry."
"Really and truly?" Heero grabbed her around her waist. "Yeah, me too."
"Wait," Relena stopped in mid-stride, grabbing his shirt.
"Momma!" Victoria whined, "I'm hungry!"
Heero rolled his eyes, "I swear, Relena, if you have to buy one more thing, next Christmas we'll need a truck because the limousine won't do it anymore."
"Oh, don't be silly." Relena laughed, dragging him once again into the crowd, "I just need to buy some curtains."
"Momma!"
TBC...
<hides behind rock> You like? No? Yes? No? YES? Okay, shutting up now. Please review... tell me what you think. Chapter two is total angst, so be prepared. Coming soon! -Andrea Sinisterra.
There is humor in this part. Lots of it. But I will maintain the rating as it is because the story IS angsty. AND if you haven't read the prologue yet, GO DO IT THEN, before reading this.
I'm so sorry for the delay, <ducks vegetable, rocks, and suspicious sharp items>. But here it is, do not fear. Chapter two is on the way, and I hope you enjoy.
ALSO, I would like to dedicate this chapter to my excellent beta-reader, Caliborn. Cali, BTW, try to ignore a certain PM I sent you last night... got a little carried away... Duo's fault, I swear to God.
Somewhere Out There
By Andrea Sinisterra
Angst/Tragedy
Rated R
Part 1
* * *
Before...
Somehow, despite the shades being drawn closed, the sunlight peeked through the edges, bringing the unwelcome day barging into the elaborate bedroom and to its tired and exhausted occupants. Relena threw her arm over her eyes, trying unsuccessfully to block out the light. She made a mental note to buy a new set of curtains, heavier and darker curtains. She turned her head to the side, and groaned softly at the face of her husband sleeping peacefully on top of the heavy mattress, his relaxed face unknowingly drawing her attention, for it was very rare to see him without a frown wrinkling his handsomely dark features.
She was freezing! How on Earth can he sleep on top of the covers, when she herself had the bedspread up to her ears? This confirmed her initial suspicions about her husband: he was not human. Maybe Dr. J had built himself a robot that could do all the things a human soldier would be incapable of or would have difficulties doing. That would explain a lot of things about him; for instance, how could he survive all those blasts and shots he received during the war? Let alone survive the explosion when he self-detonated Wing Zero? Hello!?! Another thing: how, on all those occasions when they were gathered with their friends, Duo and Hilde, Quatre and Dorothy, Sally, Trowa, Wufei, when they were all chatting and laughing at Duo's often hilarious anecdotes and jokes, or when they used to make fun of Quatre's naivet? whenever Dorothy turned on to flirting mode, and he would go spluttering his coffee, his cheeks ablaze, trying to dislodge her from his lap, or even the frequent Sally/Wufei fights that were never ending, with him ordering her around and calling her 'woman' and she complaining telling him to go take a dump and then proceeding to ignore the already pissed-off Wufei... God, how could he not at LEAST smile after all those stomach clenching moments!? Didn't he have a merry bone in his entire body!?
Certainly, the man wasn't human.
She shivered under the covers. How can it be so cold in this room when that hellish sunbeam won't let me sleep!?! What time was it anyway? It had been very late last night when she had finally decided to turn in. She had been feeling kind of tipsy after the three glasses of wine she had drunk. Three? Maybe that was five... but who was keeping count? Hence the reason her head throbbed the moment she lowered her feet to the floor.
Oh, but last night had been heaven. She had felt like a fairy in a world of glitter and stars, with her 'fairy husband' twirling her around in an endless tune that spoke of magic. Of course, Heero would just kill her and throw her body into the ocean if he ever discovered she had called him 'fairy husband'. Yes, surely her husband's undying love and loyalty wouldn't go THAT far.
Her mind wandered to the party events of the previous night while she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and her hair. She really had floated last night, because after all the dancing she and Heero did, her feet should have fallen off in mid-step. But they had never bothered her, even though her heels were three inches high. She smiled, applying a generous amount of toothpaste to her brush, the perks of having a strong, ex-Gundam pilot husband. Yes.
The freshness of her toothpaste made her close her eyes in simple delight.
They had been the sensation of the evening; the Yuy family. Heero in an immaculate black tuxedo, tight and loose in the right places, tailored just for him; and Relena and Victoria, in almost matching dresses of the purest white, Victoria with small rosebuds threaded through her hair, and Relena with a necklace of deep rubies and small sparkling diamonds set in platinum gold. Certainly, they had rocked a few worlds around.
Relena smiled around her toothbrush, pleased with herself.
If only she didn't have this headache! Oh, well. Her birthday. Heero had really done it this time. Roses, candy, dances, dinner, more roses, little notes, calls, more candies... There must be a vase with flowers in every surface of the house, Relena thought suddenly, with all the ones he showered her with she could easily start her own flower shop. Yes, most likely.
She walked into the room, throwing open the curtains, and cheerfully humming a medley while she went from corner to corner, even once kneeling on the floor to look under the bed, searching for her silk robe.
She had used it yesterday, hadn't she? Last night. Where could it be? The soft knock caught her attention; Victoria pushed the door open and left it ajar, going directly to her mother.
"Hey, Honey. Good morning." Relena smiled, lifting the girl into her arms. "God, Tory, you get heavier everyday. One of these days I won't be able to carry you anymore."
Victoria kissed her mother's cheek in greeting, and then she was deposited on the floor again. "Dad's still asleep?" she exclaimed.
Relena shushed the girl, amused by the horror displayed on her daughter's face. "He's tired. He danced with both of us, remember?"
"And with Miss Catherine."
"And Sally."
"And with Aunt Lu."
"Okay, stop it, I'm starting to get jealous." Relena laughed.
They left the room, Relena dressed in her long-searched-for robe, closing the door behind them as quietly as possible as to not disturb the man in the room behind it.
They spoke in low tones as they made their way to the kitchen, both with growling stomachs that hungered for Pagan's breakfast. They entered the kitchen, their noses picking up the distinctive smell of bacon, eggs, bread, and coffee.
"Good morning." Lucrezia's happy cheerful greeting was a deep contrast to her husband's growled through clenched teeth, "Morning."
"Why, Milliardo, I thought you were having so much fun last night!" The mockery in Relena's voice made Lucrezia laugh, and caused Milliardo's scowl to deepen.
"I think he had *way* too much fun last night."
Milliardo doused his toasts in marmalade, "I just had a drink too many." He winced. "My head hurts."
"You're such a baby."
"I had a lot of fun last night," Victoria said flippantly, openly mocking her uncle, "a lot of fun."
Milliardo's eyes narrowed, "Pagan, is it just me, or are all the women in this house suddenly against me?"
Pagan, who had remained quiet, but was deeply amused by all the bickering so early on a Sunday, brought a plate full of bacon to the table. "It is not just you, Master Milliardo, I see it, too."
Relena laughed, "Oh, Pagan, you're enjoying yourself, aren't you?"
Pagan smiled, sitting with the family to eat breakfast. "Oh, I wouldn't miss a Sunday breakfast for the world... and I would never ever miss a situation were Master Milliardo is alone with the three of you." Pagan laughed softly, "There are things that are just priceless."
It was this picture of his whole family that greeted him, the moment Heero entered the kitchen, a scowl on his face, and then plopped himself on the empty seat between Milliardo and Relena.
"I have a hangover from hell." He muttered.
Milliardo snorted. "Join the club." While the rest laughed.
* * *
They say that 'Christmas Shopping Panic' starts the tenth day of December, when all the stores in every single mall ever created by mankind is on sale. And Relena just proved the veracity of that notion. The day had started half wrong, anyway, with the lingering hangover of the drinks from the night before, but then, breakfast definitely made up for it.
The question was: did she feel up to it?
Relena smiled to herself, as she and Victoria joined the throng of people making their way in and out the stores. But of course she was up to it! She was a loyal, compulsive shopper, after all, and she was determined to make her daughter one too before she reached puberty. Relena swore to herself.
Heero walked behind the two girls, hands in pocket, pulled by an invisible string. He really shouldn't be here. He could be playing darts with Trowa, or pool with Quatre, or kicking Duo's ass, or even freakin' meditating with Wufei, for all he cared... but no! He was stuck following crazy women bound to buy an entire mall. He breathed out heavily.
Yes, this was going to be a long evening.
Still, he marveled at the change in Relena's attitude. She had changed so much since the day he met her for the first time. Then, during the first years of their marriage, she had been such a busy woman; living on a stressed wire of plans and meetings a Minister of Foreign Affairs is committed to. They had been really crazy for each other during those years, with her in her meetings and he as her personal bodyguard, and on top of that, Chief of Security on her administration, their time together was reduced to the minimum, when at night they finally retired for the day, too exhausted to do anything else but sleep.
But they won time during little escapades between meetings, seminars, and dinners. They always managed time. It was all they could do. Until one day, she just retired. Dropped everything the moment she found out she was pregnant.
It was a wonder, really, to see her go through the pregnancy. He always knew she would be a great mother. And she was, still is. Totally devoted to Victoria... and him. Heero smiled, almost with satisfaction.
God, but how had he changed living with her... the change that knowing her had caused. It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He hadn't known a human was capable of such feelings... no, he hadn't known that HE could be capable of having such feelings... as if your life depended solely on the existence of two other people. He now knew what people meant when they said that 'someone means the world to them.' Relena and Victoria were his everything. His purpose in life was not to live his own life, or to maintain peace, or to fight wars, or anything like that... no, his purpose was to see a smile on their faces every moment of every day for the rest of their lives.
Except when they went shopping... Really, when they go shopping, they turn into evil, head-eating, acid-saliva spitting monsters, whose sole purposes in the universe were to wipe his pocket clean. Yep, shopping was the hobby of the devil. Sadly, he was always dragged to their sprees. Why? Because they needed his unique help, the help only he could offer, his unequaled services: he had to carry their shopping bags. He wouldn't mind carrying a few heavy bags for his girls, really, he was a true gentleman, but the bags overflowed his arms, dozens, hundreds, thousands of bags from every major shop in the city.
That's why he learned something useful, something he would always resort to: the limousine. AND the chauffer, of course. The chauffer would follow them wherever they went, so all he had to do was dump the bags into the trunk, and follow the crazy monsters on to the next lair... simple as that.
He was a genius.
It was truly amusing, the similarities between mother and daughter... and not only physically. Granted, they were identical, same hair in texture and color; same skin tone; same bone structure; same small feet; same small hands with long fingers, even if Victoria was just eight. The only claim Heero had on the girl were half her genes and the eyes, Victoria had the same deep blue as he. Although he would have preferred if she had inherited his hair color rather than the eyes, because the intensity in those blues was unnerving... he often found himself challenged whenever he told his daughter something, even though Victoria loved and respected him.
It was just that he would have preferred being confronted to light blue eyes, ones he was already used to, and not *his* eyes... Heero shook his head at his foolish thoughts.
He started roaming around the lavish tables of clothes, men underwear, and ties, as he waited for them. Now and then, one or the other would come out of the dressing room, twirling around in her new pants or shirt or shoes and flashing jewelry, accepting his nod or shake of the head to scramble inside... and then come out again with one thing or another. Then, with a salesclerk in tow, they would go to the cash register, pay with his credit card, and plop the bags in his arms...
He hated Christmas. He really did.
Heero sighed, depositing more bags into the trunk of the limousine.
"Okay, I'm almost finished," Relena said, scratching names and items on a list, "I still need to buy Pagan's gift. And Lady Une's, that one's easy..."
Victoria latched herself onto her father's pants. "Dad," she said, her voice stating a command.
Heero smiled, scooping the girl up in his arms. "Daughter."
Relena gave them a strange look, shrugged, and went back to her list.
"Daddy of mine. You know how much I love you, and that there's no other dad in the world that could match you." Victoria smiled charmingly, "You're handsome, you're strong, you're a good dad, and I'm hungry."
Heero snorted, something that in all their time together, Relena had started to interpret as a hearty laugh. "Victoria, you really are something." She snuggled to her husband. "But now that you've mentioned it, I'm famished. Really and truly hungry."
"Really and truly?" Heero grabbed her around her waist. "Yeah, me too."
"Wait," Relena stopped in mid-stride, grabbing his shirt.
"Momma!" Victoria whined, "I'm hungry!"
Heero rolled his eyes, "I swear, Relena, if you have to buy one more thing, next Christmas we'll need a truck because the limousine won't do it anymore."
"Oh, don't be silly." Relena laughed, dragging him once again into the crowd, "I just need to buy some curtains."
"Momma!"
TBC...
<hides behind rock> You like? No? Yes? No? YES? Okay, shutting up now. Please review... tell me what you think. Chapter two is total angst, so be prepared. Coming soon! -Andrea Sinisterra.
Elyn Yuy
