Starmant chapter 19

[wsprs]

A sliver of light penetrated her eye lids, raising her from sleep. Lifting herself from the hard floor, she squinted until her eyes adjusted, and smiled brilliantly when they came to rest on a familiar figure. He was dressed in jeans once more, but she marveled at his chiseled physique as it glowed in the soft light of the stars. He was sitting by the open door, jacket cuddled in his lap, and watching the scenery fly placidly by. He watched the distant sky in awe as it the clouds parted to allow a slice of moon to filter through and blanket the earth in its ethereal glow. The ghost of a smile touched the corner of his lips, and he blinked in wonder. Slowly, he turned to meet her gaze, and cocked his head and appraised her with twinkling eyes. They were still glossy, and his skin was still flushed. She smiled, giddiness still pulling at her brain, and went to join him so that she could share the blanket.
?Where are we??
She leaned her head out of the door to feel the wind in her hair, and reveled in the goose bumps as they pricked her skin. Opening her eyes, she looked at the glorious landscape, but was pulled back in and held against a warm chest. She smiled and looked up into his smoldering eyes.
?Why didn?t you wake me??
He cocked his head the other way and blinked.
?I??
Suddenly, he raised his chin and smiled.
?I am watch-ing you sleep. I like to do this.?
He turned his head and looked back out the door.
?I do not know why.?
After a few moments of silence, he beaming at her as a child would with an ice-cream cone.
?I think I am be-coming a planet Earth per-son.?
She laughed and snuggled against his warmth, and looked to the stars outside.

She opened her eyes, aware that she had been drifting for a few minutes. She smiled to herself and was about to let herself float again, but his smooth voice caressed her ear.
?I must tell you some-thing.?
She shifted her weight.
?Mmmmm??
?I gave you a baby tonight.?
She felt herself jolt, and her face twisted in pained confusion. Shaking her head, she mouthed the words until she could force them from her suddenly dry throat.
?No.. no. That?s.. that?s not possible. I can?t have a? a baby.?
He tightened his embrace and kissed her hair.
?Be-lieve what I tell you.?
She was stiff in his arms, and was trembling, but she had stopped shaking her head. He breathed in her scent and spoke to her in a low, soothing voice.
?A boy baby. He will be hu-man ? a baby of Hee-ro, but also he will be my baby. He will know all I know, and when he grows to man-hood, he will be a pilot.?
She shook, and her breathing came in short gasps. Her nails dug into his arms, but she was listening with every fiber in her body. When he stopped speaking, she turned her head ever so slightly so that she could look at him from the corner of her eye. He smoothed her hair from her face, and leaned over to whisper in her ear.
?If you do not want this baby, tell me now.. and I will stop it.?
She broke free of his hold, and slowly turned so that she faced him. Tears swam in her eyes, but none fell. Her body heaved with every breath, and she stared. She stared at the chocolate mess of hair that fell into his eyes, she stared at the swirl of compassion and caring dancing in those eyes, she stared at his perfect mouth, at his straight nose, and his angular jaw. She closed her eyes and a strangled sob burst from her constricted throat. Slowly, she brought her hands to his naked chest and leaned on him. She opened her eyes and stared straight into his soul.
?Tell me??
She indicated towards the sky when she tossed her head and let the breeze take her hair.
?which star is yours so I can tell him where his father came from.?
He enclosed her in an exuberated embrace, and buried his face in her blowing hair. Turning his face to the sky, he scanned the horizon before pointing.
?It is there.?
She followed his point, and saw the glinting sun. Hopping in excitement, she let her mouth open in a wide smile.
?I see it!?
They sat holding each other for unending minutes, reveling at the star, thinking their own thoughts. Slowly, her eyes drifted down and her face scrunched in confusion. A city, lights amassed enough to reflect the dots of light in the sky, stared back at her. He followed her gaze, and then looked at her. She answered him without needed to see the question in his eyes.
?That looks too big for Winslow. I hope we?re still on the right train??
Wordlessly, they turned to dress.

The train came to a stop, and they hopped out of the car and with hasty stealth, put distance between themselves and the tracks. Looking around her, she groaned in dismay.
?We went 300 miles too far! We?re in Las Vegas!!?
She began to walk briskly down the sidewalk, muttering to herself, and began to search of a car lot. His eyebrows bunched in bafflement at the sound of her voice even as his eyes were filled with the glitz and pizzazz of the city of lights. The sound of thousands of slot machines droned in his ears, and he became distracted with a window display that had a ?GIANT JACKPOT? machine meant to entice passer bys. He frowned as he walked passed, but his eyes remained fixed on the colorful piece of equipment.
?Define? giant jackpot.?
She looked over her shoulder and saw what had caught his attention. Her lips rose in a curl.
?It?s a lot of money.?
Automatically, he recited the proper terms for money.
?Cash. Green. Dough. Bread. An arm and a leg..?
She raised her eyebrows and barked a laugh.
?Where did you hear that??
Her jaw dropped, and her eyes widened for a moment.
?Nevermind. I think I already know.?
Turning to continue walking down the sidewalk, she stopped abruptly as she patted her pockets frantically. He ran into her from behind. She shuffled, but he caught her and prevented her from falling. Panicked, she looked up at him.
?My wallet. I must have left it on the train..?
Tears filled her eyes and she began to shake. She lifted her fist to her mouth and bit a finger to prevent herself from bursting into sobs. He looked down at her and cocked his head. Blinking at her, he patted her lightly on the shoulders and smirked.
?Is ok.?
She raised her eyebrows and frowned at him.
?No! I lost my wallet! No wallet, no money. No money, no car! No car, no Winslow!?
Her voice faded as his smile grew, and he bent to pick up a coin from the ground. Grimacing, she threw out her arms, exasperated.
?What are you doing??
He looked up and smiled at her, and proceeded to walk in to the building with the giant jackpot posted in the window. She shrugged and followed him in.

Looking around, she made sure the coast was clear. Turning to him, she whispered.
?Ok. Now.?
He plunked the coin in the slot and she lowered the lever. Chewing her lip in anxious anticipation, she nearly snarled in frustration when the images portrayed a losing game. Pouting, she did a double take when he tapped the machine and forced the wheels to roll over. Suddenly, an overwhelmingly loud alarm went off, indicating to the entire establishment that the huge jackpot had been won. Her eyes flew open and she jumped into his arms, shouting in glee. She flung herself to the counter and grabbed as many paper cups as she could hold, and together they collected the coins.

Twenty minutes and three machines later, she looked up and around, searching for suspicious, uniformed people. She humfed to herself.
?You better spread the winning around a bit. We would look to auspicious if we were the only ones winning anything.?
Immediately, every machine in the building went off, clanging as hundreds of coins were liberated. Alarms and absurd music filled the room, coupled with shouts and screams of joyful people. Relena rolled her eyes and smiled as she grabbed the clueless man and drug him to the counter so they could cash in.

________________________________________________________

?Are you certain??
Zechs looked as skeptical as Une.
?When is the last time you won $340,000 in Las Vegas??
She amended with a soft ?ah,? and shrugged.
?So, they were spotted in Vegas, driving east in a classic 1943 white and gold Cadillac. What were they doing there? You were supposed to restrain them in the road block on I-70.?
Zechs scowled.
?They were able to get by the road block due to an explosion caused by a gasoline can that was lit with fire. They probably slipped through in the confusion.?
He looked uncomfortable, and more than a little agitated with his next statement.
?We were? unable? to determine the identity of the individual who caused the explosion. As for how Relena ended up in Las Vegas, I am unsure. Duo insists he knew nothing of it. The man is a scheming imbecile, but he is no liar. I can only assume that they will find another way to Winslow. With your permission, I?d like to meet them there.?
Une raised an eyebrow, and crossed her arms.
?This has nothing to do with Wufei?s message, does it??
Zechs pinched his eyebrows in a frown. He took in a deep breath, and slowly let it escape.
?I do not deny that his words have been influential. I am curious about the man with Relena. But my desire to speak with him does not alleviate my desire to destroy him if he?s a threat. However, that has yet to be determined.?
The Lady?s face remained impassive, but it was obvious that she was tense.
?Our objective was to discover the identity of that man. We have done so, and he is not Heero Yuy. Therefore, we must treat him as a threat. Obviously an entity with passive intentions would not have gone into the home of Relena Peacecraft and abducted her. Why and how he was able to convince her of his innocence is our main concern at this point, but I highly believe it was a means to an end. I do not wish to see that end. I will see my ending. I don?t care if we did invite him. That golden record attached to Voyager didn?t take the Peace Minister into account. If you see him, Zechs, your orders are to take him down. Am I understood??
Zechs?s beady gaze burned. He clenched his jaw and squared his shoulders. He knew his sister. He believed that Relena would not attempt to help someone dangerous go free; she had sacrificed too much to ensure peace. He also believed she was too strong to allow someone without dire and meaningful needs influence her thoughts. Wufei?s testimony indicated that, even if Wufei himself questioned it, albeit silently. But he resigned to answer.
?I will do as is necessary.?
Satisfied, Une nodded once and terminated the call.
Zechs stared at the blank screen.
?But what is necessary has yet to be determined.?

___________________________________________________

She watched as the first streaks of sunlight as they peeked sleepily from behind the mountains. The deep azures and purples fades as the light cascaded through the clouds, bathing the sky in pastel pinks and oranges. Her heart swelled. She couldn?t imagine something more beautiful. Looking to her companion behind the wheel, she wondered. Was his world this beautiful?
?Do you want to go home??
He nodded, but slowly looked at her from the corner of his eye. As he contemplated her, his features became smooth and vacant, and his eyes became liquid pools of dark blue, a soft sadness reflecting deep within them. Something burst within her mind. She didn?t know anything about him, about his world. She was desperate to keep as much of him as she could, and only had a few precious hours. Thousands of questions burned in her mind, but her throat constricted and her mouth became dry. Try as she might, she could only croak.
?What?s it like??
He looked around him, taking in the sky, as if trying to find a way to compare it to one that was vastly different. He wanted to tell her, but had no metaphor. He wanted her to feel as he had felt, to have her understand as he had come to understand, but how could he invoke his feelings and put them into words so she could understand? Simple. He could not. Giving up with a shake of his head, he drew his thoughts inward, and tried to explain as she might. His voice came hushed and low, but it was thick with emotion.
?Beauti-ful... but not like this.. We have one law, one people. There is no war, no hunger. The strong do not victim-ize the help-less. We are? civil-ized, but we lost some-thing, I think??
He closed his eyes, and tried to put his feelings into pictures he could describe. He smiled in nostalgia, and his eyes became hooded with melancholy reflection.
?I will miss the noisy cooks, the sing-ing, the laugh-ing??
His eyes became wide as he turned to her with insightful severity.
?And the eat-ing.?
She smiled as he turned back to the road. After a moment, he lowered his head and flicked his eyes in her direction.
?And the? other things??
She leaned her head on his shoulder and put her hand on his thigh. Closing her eyes, she breathed in his scent, and tried to withhold her tears. In silence, they drove on each thinking their own thoughts.

Relena looked at her watch. It was only eleven. They still had an hour, and the crater was within a few miles. She scanned the horizon, and there was no sign of an alien ship. Sighing with relief, she tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to a small caf?, the only building within sight. He nodded once, and pulled the car into the dirt parkway in front of the store.

Stepping in the caf?, Relena went to the counter to see if anyone was working. The place had an open sign in the window, but otherwise, there was no sign that anyone was there. She rang the bell and waited. Glancing behind her, she saw her companion swagger to a stop in the middle of the reception and look at her. His eyes flitted up, and Relena turned to greet the person who had caught his attention. She started.
?Cathy??
The flame-haired woman returned a slight smile, and dry washed her hands on an apron.
?Hello, Miss Relena. Can I get you two something to eat before you head down to the crater??
Relena shook her head in amazement. She regained her composure almost immediately, and smiled warmly.
?Yes, thank you. Oh. Can you tell me how far it is to the crater from here??
Cathy turned back towards Relena after grabbing two sets of silverware.
?Yeah. It?s about a five minute drive. What would you like to eat??
The alien perked up behind Relena as they sat at a small table. He looked into Cathy?s eyes with a boyish plea.
?Dutch-apple pie??
She chuckled, but shook her head. His face fell and she couldn?t help but feel warmth spread in her chest as he pouted. Eager to find a remedy, she quickly blurted out a compromise.
?We do have cherry cobbler??
Relena nodded, and the alien seemed to relent reluctantly. He looked down, but his head shot up just before she could turn to fetch the pie.
?With whipped cream??
She laughed and nodded her ascent. He seemed pleased with himself, and she winked at Relena before turning.

A minute later, she placed the pie in front of him, and couldn?t help but watch his face. His face shown with delighted anticipation as he stabbed his fork into the crust and brought up a chunk half the size of his fist. Shoveling it into his mouth, she couldn?t wait any longer.
?How is it? I made it myself.?
Relena answered before the alien could embarrass himself. He was having trouble chewing, and if he opened his mouth, he would lose everything in it.
?It?s wonderful.?
Cathy nodded, but her eyes were glued to the terrestrial. He implored to Relena, who shrugged, and forced himself to shove the pie to one side of his cheek.
?Iz.. berry.. good.?
Cathy smiled, and skipped back to the kitchen. He merely looked at Relena as though he were in pain as he tried to breath around the food, and forced himself to swallow. His discomfort evaporated as the hunk made its way down his throat, and he hastily shoved the other half of the pie into his waiting mouth. Relena looked at his now empty plate, down at her plate which was still full, and simply pushed her plate in front of him. He looked up at her in appreciation, and attacked the new treat.

Content, she watched him.
?Do you have someone up there? A wife-like??
He stopped chewing and looked at her for a minute, but turned his interest back to the pie.
?No.?
She smiled at him, longing in her eyes.
?I wish? I wish..?
Shaking her head, she closed her eyes. When she opened them, his attention on her was overwhelming. He studied her, eyes unreadable.
?What you wish??
She opened her mouth to answer, but a movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She looked up, and felt her heart drop like a stone when she saw Zechs step out of a Preventor vehicle, leaving the agent driving in the car. Cathy?s voice came from behind her.
?Don?t worry. He came to listen. Wufei gave him quite a talking to after your telephone call. Zechs might be a hellion when it comes to protecting you and avenging the wrongs he believes are done you, but he?s also quite fair. Give him a chance.?
She put a comforting hand on Relena?s shoulder before she disappeared back in the kitchen just as Zechs entered.

[kawaiiemogirl]

Ah...it's getting good..