Two Princes (1 or 2 xR), 11/15
Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2004 1:46 pm
Coming down to the home stretch! Within the next chapter or so, it should be a bit easier to tell who might win...or maybe it won't! *evil grin*
I will be posting the lemon chapter tomorrow night, most likely. The rest of the fic will be posting on my normal Thursday/Sunday schedule.
This chapter is a bit longer. We've got a lot of ground to cover.
Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing thus far! ^__^
Two Princes
A pseudo-songfic, loosely based upon the song "Two Princes" by the Spin Doctors
by Sara
Pairings: 1 or 2 xR...maybe he should've brought Hilde to the conference, after all. ^_~
Chapter 11
At the sound of Heero's voice, both Duo and Relena started. They whirled to face him. Relena looked embarrassed. Duo looked angry.
Heero looked shocked. He had known those two were slightly serious, despite the fact that he had allowed himself to believe otherwise. Heck, he had seen them kissing already. But to walk in on them in such a situation...that was almost more than his poor mind could handle. It was certainly difficult to continue to ascertain that they weren't serious when they were doing...that. It had certainly shell-shocked him enough to lose more than a little of his normal, stoic composure.
"Uh...what are you two doing?" Heero mentally cursed himself for such a stupid question. But it was too late to take it back.
Duo scowled at him. "Getting interrupted," he snapped. "How did you get in here, anyway?"
Heero lamely held up a keycard. Relena cleared her throat. "I gave him the key, Duo. It's an old habit of mine. I'm used to only having one bodyguard, and I usually gave Heero my key, in case he needed to get into my room quickly, for any reason." She stared at her hands. "I guess old habits die hard."
An irrational wave of jealousy rose up in Duo's throat. "How come he gets a key and I don't?"
"Because I'm not used to having you around as my bodyguard!" she snapped back. "I told you, Duo. It's an old habit of mine. I wasn't doing it to be mean. If it's such a big issue, I'll go get another keycard from the front desk for you to carry around."
Shocked by her rebuff, Duo quickly backed down. He opened his mouth to say something, but Relena stopped him, with a look that clearly read 'we'll discuss it later.' She looked at Heero.
"What's wrong? I'm sure you came in here for a reason."
Heero regained his composure, and some of his attitude. "Well, while you two were in here playing Twitterpation, I was actually out doing my job." Duo glared at the insinuation, but remained silent.
"And?" Relena encouraged.
Heero shrugged. "There's some talk about some 'event' being planned for the conference, but nothing to indicate it's a security threat. We'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, keep your guard up. It could be nothing, but it's best not to take these situations too lightly."
Duo raised his eyebrows. "An event? What makes you think it's a security threat? For all we know, it could be a celebration at the end of the conference."
Heero fixed Duo with a calculating stare. "I didn't say that it was a genuine threat," he said, his voice strained. "I just said that it was something to keep an eye on, and don't let your guard down."
Duo glared right back, fists clenched at his sides, but Relena intervened. "Stop it, you two. Let's say it is a bona-fide threat. How will you be able to protect me if you're too busy snapping at each other? Don't you think it would be better if you worked together?"
The two young men turned to regard her, their eyes suspicious.
"Besides," Relena continued, "it would make me very happy if you at least tried to get along. I'd feel much safer if you were cooperating on my safety, rather than fighting over me all weekend." She gave them her best beseeching look.
It worked. Duo, who didn't have as much experience dealing with her pouting expressions, was the first to cave. He looked at Relena, his expression soft, then turned back to face Heero.
"If it'll make you happy, 'Lena," he paused for a moment. "If it'll make you happy, then I'll cooperate with Heero. Besides, I want to make sure you stay safe."
Heero grumbled something incoherent. It would've been much easier for him to maintain his anger, had Duo been willing to continue the spat. But he obviously wasn't, and that presented a problem.
He looked back and forth between Duo and Relena's faces. Duo had fixed him with an almost challenging glare, though he seemed to find something about Heero's predicament vaguely amusing, judging from the shadow of a smirk hovering on his face. Relena was watching him with a mixed expression of pleading and utter disgust.
It was the disgust that decided for Heero. He hadn't realized that Relena might not see things the same way he did, when it came to having Duo as a secondary bodyguard. He thought back to Hilde's words. He really didn't want to alienate Relena.
He sighed in defeat. "Fine," he almost growled. "If it means that much to you...and your safety...then I'll cooperate with Duo."
The tension in the air snapped. Relena sighed with relief, and Duo relaxed. Heero turned on his heel, and headed toward the door. "I'm going to...continue to research this threat," he said lamely, and made his escape.
As the door slammed behind Heero, Duo released a pent-up breath that he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. "Whoa...now I know not to fear death, because I just looked death in the eye and basically flipped him the bird!"
Relena looked troubled. "Poor Heero...I had wanted to make this easier for him...I never meant for him to figure it out this way..."
Duo pulled her into a soothing hug. "Much as I hate to admit it, Princess, you're right. Heero's an idiot, but I know he cares about you."
Relena stiffened suddenly. "What do you mean, he cares about me?"
Duo shrugged. No sense in hiding it now... "Oh, you can see it in his actions. The little things he does or doesn't do. The way he's always looking out for you, moreso than one would expect a bodyguard to do. Sure, you could say he doesn't like you, cause he's a complete bonehead and has never made a move to tell you how he feels. But you can't deny he cares for you."
"But...caring for someone...and liking someone...aren't the same..." Relena's voice was pensive.
Duo rested his chin on the top of her head. "Nope," he confirmed succinctly. "They're not even close to being the same." He released another gusty sigh, stirring the hairs on the top of her head. "Just so you know that I care about you, too...and I'm not about to let you go, either." He kissed the crown of her head affectionately, and Relena giggled, in spite of herself, the comment about Duo's almost possessive remark dying unsaid on her lips.
Relena grinned. "Does that mean you don't like me?" she giggled. Duo made a strangled growling noise, and flipped her over onto her back, pinning her arms at her sides.
"If I didn't like you...would I do this?" he whispered, and claimed her lips in a searing kiss. Relena pivoted her arms slightly to brace herself against his arms, and returned the kiss.
After moments that seemed like an eternity, they parted. Relena looked at Duo, here eyes filled with wonderment and--dare he hope?--love. "You are too good to me, Duo," she said, cupping one hand against his cheek.
Duo shrugged slightly. "You make it easy to be good to you," he said simply, then pulled her into a sitting position, hugging her tightly for a moment before moving to sit behind her, resting his back against the back of the bed, pulling her to rest her back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head.
They sat that way for a time, simply enjoying the silence of the room. Duo was the one to speak first.
"Hey, 'Lena...what do you think of that threat? The one Heero told us about. Do you think it's real?"
Relena sighed slightly, shifting in his arms. "Heero isn't one to exaggerate," she said finally. "If he honestly thinks it may be a threat, then I'm inclined to agree."
Duo nodded. He, too, knew that Heero wouldn't just make this stuff up. "Well," he said hesitantly, "maybe we could do this..." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "You know, maybe the people behind the--event, don't know that you have two bodyguards here. I mean, you're usually only seen with one."
Relena nodded, encouraging him to continue.
"Anyway, I was thinking. Maybe if I pretended to just be another dignitary, or your personal companion, and not a bodyguard, that'll offer a little bit of extra protection. I mean, I know Heero'll probably shoot bricks out his nose, knowing I suggested this. But they all know Heero as your bodyguard. They're not used to seeing me in his place. That would leave Heero to fade into the background, as he does so well, and listen in for information he'd miss if he was assuming a more public image as your bodyguard."
Relena swiveled slightly, eyeing Duo incredulously. "Is it a bad idea?" he said anxiously. "Maybe I should've discussed it with Heero first..."
"No, no, Duo!" Relena quickly interrupted him. "I think that's an ingenious idea. I'm sure Heero will agree." She suddenly smirked. "Of course, you do realize what this means..."
Duo was suddenly nervous. "What?"
"It means that if you're going to be acting like a companion, and not a bodyguard, that you're going to have to learn to act like one. And you're going to have to learn to dress like one. And you know what that means..."
Duo groaned. "Oh, no, not again!"
Relena leaped off the bed, grabbing Duo's hand and pulling her with him. "That's right! We're going shopping!"
. . . .
Duo shifted ever-so-slightly in his chair, fixing his eyes on the speaker's cravat, and tried to keep from fidgeting.
Knowing that somewhere in the shadows, Heero was watching them, did not make things any easier.
When he and Relena had returned from their impromptu shopping trip, arms laden with clothing that would effectively disguise Duo as just another dignitary, they had tracked down Heero, intent on sharing their plan with him. Heero, much to Duo's amazement, had agreed that the idea had merit. Besides, he had confirmed, Heero worked much better from the shadows. He could operate in the public eye if he had to, but he didn't like doing it. This way, he would be free to do whatever was necessary to ferret out the weasels at this conference.
Day 1 of the sessions had passed uneventfully, and Duo had strained his stamina almost to the breaking point, trying to keep himself from telegraphing his boredom to everyone else in the room. It hadn't been easy, but just knowing that this role he was playing was important to Relena's safety had helped him quash most of his restlessness.
That night after the conferences, Heero had met up with them, and informed them that he had found nothing suspicious. There may have been unrest at other conferences in the past, but this one seemed surprisingly peaceful.
Duo switched his gaze to another person seated at the table. If his memory served him, this was Prime Minister Harna, from one of the L3 colonies. He idly wondered if it was the same person who had given Relena all of the gift certificates to Le Chanson Bleu.
Relena had told him that no one really paid that close attention to the speakers at the conventions. The trick was to fool people into thinking you were paying rapt attention, and that if you were bored, to make it as inconspicuous as possible.
The first thing Duo had done upon entering the conference room was to find a seat that faced the clock. That way, he would be able to monitor the time surreptitiously, and no one would be the wiser.
Currently, they had 40 minutes to go before their first break of the day. Duo suppressed a sigh. The time would hopefully go by quickly.
He looked down. Each dignitary had been supplied with a pad of paper and a pen, in case they wanted to take notes. He allowed a slight smirk to cross his features. No one would think it odd, were he to start writing. He highly doubted that anyone would pay attention to what he was writing, either.
He carefully scrawled a note on the paper. Rather than slide it across the table to Relena, which would attract attention, he carefully made a show of adjusting his tie, just enough for her to notice. Once he had her attention, he rested his hand on the notebook, deliberately pointing out the note.
/how much longer? my stomach is startin to growl/
Relena wrote something down on her own notebook. Since Duo had watched her write it, she didn't need to get his attention.
/Be patient. Everyone is getting restless. We'll most likely pause for a break soon, and lunch is scheduled soon, regardless./
Duo surreptitiously studied this for a moment, then replied.
/yer hand writin is very neet neat. neater than mine chicken-scratch. bok bok!/ He also drew a crude little chicken next to the sentence, to emphasize his point.
Relena placed a hand to her mouth as if to stifle a cough. She took a sip from her water glass. Those members of the meeting who showed concern only saw someone intent on not disrupting the speaker by coughing out loud. Only Duo saw the lines of suppressed laughter forming at the corners of her eyes.
When she finally regained her composure, Relena carefully scribbled something on her own notepad.
/Stop that! Don't make me laugh in the middle of the conference. And thank you, but my handwriting is not really all that neat./
Duo found he had a very hard time sitting still while composing his reply.
/is to. bok bok!/ He also drew a giant smiley-face.
Before Relena could formulate a reply, the dignitary that had been speaking cleared his throat rather loudly, and glanced at his watch.
"Ah, forgive this old rambling fool. I've talked too long. Shall we break for lunch, then?"
Relena blanched slightly. Had their fidgeting been enough so that it was noticed? Duo carefully scrutinized the old man. The man made no indication that his decision had been prompted by anything they had done. In fact, he immediately turned and started up an animated discussion with the person sitting to his left; the other conference attendees all but forgotten.
"That was a little too close for comfort, huh?" commented Duo, carefully tucking the accusatory paper into the back of the writing tablet.
Relena nodded, then risked a gentle peck on Duo's cheek. "Thank you, though. You've been very patient throughout this whole thing. I do appreciate that." Her smile was so bright that Duo knew he would never be cold again. Just the memory of that smile would bring him warmth on the coldest of days.
He chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "Aw, it's nothing," he demurred. "I told you I'd be willing to clean up my act, if it would make you happy."
Relena gave him another warm smile, then glanced at her watch. "We'd better go meet up with Heero and see if he's found out anything," she said quietly.
Duo nodded, and they filed out of the conference room.
. . . .
Duo found himself eating carefully, so as not to spill on his clothing, for only the second time in his entire life. The first had been at yesterday's luncheon. Not an easy thing to do, when faced with a chicken-salad sandwich.
"Everything seems very quiet in the conference, Heero. In fact, I'd say this is the most harmonious conference I've ever seen. I almost wonder what on earth is going on," Relena commented in between delicate bites of her own sandwich.
Heero grunted, and swallowed the mouthful of food he'd been chewing. "It's not so quiet on the outside," he muttered. "I haven't heard anything definite, but I think there's going to be something happening, and soon. I just don't know what it is. Everyone is being very quiet about the whole thing."
"Maybe it's a surprise celebration to mark the end of the conference?"
Both Relena and Heero turned to stare at Duo. "Too obvious," scoffed Heero. "Besides, conferences this small don't usually warrant such an event.
"Mm, you never know, Heero," said Relena thoughtfully. "Remember that conference in Athens? It was pretty tiny, yet they threw quite the celebration at its conclusion."
"Mn," nodded Heero grudgingly. "I still think it would be good to keep our guard up, though."
"Of course," said Relena soothingly. She brushed invisible crumbs off of her skirt, and stood up. "Speaking of, we'd best get back inside, Duo."
"Sure thing, Princess." He stood up, and offered her his arm. "Shall we?" Relena giggled, and slipped her hand into the crook of Duo's elbow. Together, they walked leisurely back toward the conference hall.
Heero watched them depart, his face a mixture of emotions. What was happening here? He had thought that Relena would always be by his side. But suddenly, before he even realized what had happened, she was spending all of her time with Duo, and they were practically inseparable. When had he lost favor with her?
Be honest with yourself. You did not lose favor. She just grew impatient with waiting for you. He shook his head slightly. Perhaps...perhaps this had been his fault, in a way. He certainly could have said something sooner.
He shook himself out of his reverie. This was not the time to be spent contemplating his relationship with Relena. Right now, he was to look out for her well-being. He strode away from the conference room, toward his own assumed position in Relena's entourage.
. . . .
Duo had to admit, it had been hard to maintain his concentration earlier. He had tried his hardest though, and had persevered. But if he had thought that had been difficult, he obviously didn't know what he was in store for.
The second half of the conference day dragged on. Even Relena looked bored. Duo took half-coherent notes, intent on doing anything to keep himself from falling asleep.
He dared not say anything. He didn't write any more notes to Relena. He didn't even dare to move, lest he give away that he was not used to this sort of activity. He was determined to prove to everyone--and himself--that he had what it took to be a refined individual. He had definitely gained a new level of respect for Relena! Did she have to endure this in every meeting she attended? He had no idea how she did it.
So intent was he on presenting that facade that he almost missed the commotion outside, until it was almost an unbearable din.
Several of the other dignitaries had noticed it, too, and were beginning to stand up from their seats, craning their necks to peer out of the window in the conference room door. Relena latched on to Duo's arm, her concern palpable. Was this what Heero had been talking about?
There was a knock at the conference room door, and one of the event security guards stepped in. "There is a small protest demonstration being held outside of this facility," she said evenly. "Security has it under control. They're noisy, but don't seem particularly violent. No one should be in danger."
Duo felt Relena relax slightly, though she still remained alert. She moved to murmur in his ear. "Do you think this is the event Heero overheard being discussed?"
Duo nodded almost imperceptively. "Perhaps."
The guard continued. "We don't believe these protesters to be a serious physical threat, but we ask that all of the dignitaries stay in the conference room until we have everything under control." With that, the guard spun on her heel and marched out of the room.
But the seeds of unrest had been planted, and all of the dignitaries wanted to know what was being protested.
"What do you suppose they are protesting for?"
"Do you think they're protesting this conference?"
"Nonsense. Who would protest a thing like world peace? The mere notion is preposterous."
Duo and Relena exchanged glances with each other as the speculations fluttered around them. "We should go find Heero. Maybe he knows what's going on now," said Duo. Relena nodded, and the two of them made their way toward the door.
Their escape did not go unnoticed. "Minister Dorlian!" called out one dignitary. "It's not safe. You should stay here!"
"I'll be quite all right on my own, Minister LeFavre," Relena replied smoothly. "I am in good hands." The other man backed down.
But her escape was the catalyst for the others. All of the dignitaries in the room stood up as one, and began milling about the room. Soon Relena and Duo were caught up in the press of people, and instead of searching for Heero, they found themselves being hustled toward the entrance of the building.
The protesters turned out to be a throng of people of mixed ages and social backgrounds. Not too terribly uncommon, thought Duo to himself. But the subject of their protest caused him to stop short, as did Relena.
They stared at the banners for a moment in stunned silence. Relena was the first to speak.
"World Citizens in Support of Paper Products?" she asked, her voice filled with unspoken questions. "What on earth..."
Before she could continue, one of the protesters strode forward. "I know you!" he shouted in recognition. "The perfect person to hear our cause!" He struck an intimidating pose. "Did you know that more and more records are kept on computer, with no paper copies made? We fear that paper is losing favor in the ESUN! What will become of paper? Is it doomed to be replaced by electronic media permanently?"
"But sir," stated Relena calmly, "the papermaking process is known to be detrimental to the environment. The papermilling process is quite polluting, to both air and water, as well as noise. The trees needed for paper lead to mass logging and deforestation, which in turn depletes habitat for indigenous wildlife and contributes to land erosion. If anything, a shift to more electronic media-based archived items would be a boon for the environment."
"But you're wrong! Paper is..." Duo's mind started drifting. The man was obviously a complete lunatic.
He glanced around the square, where other members of the protest party had snared various leaders, hawking their manifesto to anyone who would listen.
He caught sight of Heero across the square. Duo chuckled inwardly, noting that the protesters gave Heero ample berth to pass through the crowd, not bothering to stop him to tell him of their cause. Guess the ol' Glare o' Death is alive and well, ol' buddy, he thought inwardly.
Heero approached Duo's side. "Keep alert," he said gruffly. "I don't like this. It looks to me to be a huge distraction of some sort."
Duo nodded absently, glancing around for Relena. He found her still talking to her initial assailant, who was obviously making no sign of letting up any time soon. Duo snorted. Paper preservation. Of all the ridiculous....
His attention suddenly snapped into focus. He thought he had seen something odd--there. A glint of dull metal from within the hedge surrounding the square.
Heero had seen it as well, and was skirting the edge of the crowd as quickly as possible without attracting too much attention to himself. Duo glanced back at the hedge, and made out the form of a crouched figure. The glint of metal had been the barrel of a gun. Duo tensed as he watched the figure lift gun to shoulder, and take aim.
Directly at Relena.
Duo glanced frantically toward Heero. The youth would never make it in time. Duo bolted through the crowd toward Relena. "Get down!" he shouted, crashing into her and pushing her down to the pavement, just as a bullet whizzed over their prone forms and impacted harmlessly with the brick of the building behind them.
The square erupted into chaos. The preservation of paper was forgotten, and the preservation of lives became much more important. Duo pulled Relena to her feet before they were trampled. He glanced across the square, and saw that Heero had reached their assailant. He turned away. He didn't particularly want to see how Heero chose to deal with the attempted assassin.
Duo turned to face Relena. She looked shaken, but otherwise unhurt. It then struck him what had almost happened, and it took all of his willpower to keep from shaking. "'Lena," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, "'Lena...are you all right?"
Relena looked up at him, her own features etched with shock. "I...I think I am, Duo." She patted down her front and sides, then turned her hands palms-up in front of her. "No blood," she said succinctly. "I didn't get shot."
Duo could've cried in relief, but Heero chose that moment to make his appearance. "Situation under control. There was only one assassin. He knew that the square would be filled with people, and thought in the confusion, he would be able to get a clean shot." He nodded in Duo's direction. "You were right. He didn't count on Relena having two bodyguards. The authorities have him now." He looked at Relena, his stoic expression giving way to one of genuine concern. "Are you all right, Relena." He held out his hand to her.
Relena looked from Duo to Heero, and back to Duo. "I..." she faltered, then let a choked sob past her lips, and flung herself into Duo's arms. Duo immediately wrapped his arms around her, crushing her form to his chest. "Shhh," he soothed, "it's all right, it's over. We're done now. The conference is over." He kissed the top of her head. "Do you want to go back to the hotel?"
Relena nodded against the fabric of his shirt, sniffling. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice muffled. "This isn't very...mature and dignified of me. I'm just...I'm just rather shaken up, that's all."
"Screw that 'dignified behavior' bullshit," said Duo. "You just got shot at." He looked up, and caught Heero's eye.
Before the other youth could look away, Duo caught the truly stricken look on Heero's face. For the first time since he had started dating Relena, Duo found himself almost feeling sorry for Heero. But it passed. Heero had had his chance, had been given the opportunity for quite a while, and had decided that he would just pass it by. Still, the situation called for diplomacy. "Heero, are you going to come with us?"
Duo's voice seemed to snap Heero out of his daze. "N-no," he faltered slightly, catching himself. "I have a few more loose ends to tie up around here, and I'd like to do a little investigating, to see why this happened, if there is a larger organization behind this. But it looks to be just an isolated incident." He managed a wan smile, which shocked Duo. Heero never smiled, at all. "I'll catch up with you later."
Duo nodded mutely, and turned, steering Relena gently toward the valet. His mind wandered as they waited for the chauffeur to bring their car around. He had seen that expression in others' faces before. That was the look of defeat, when an opponent realizes that nothing they do will assure victory. So perhaps Heero had finally realized that continuing to pursue a relationship with Relena, when it was obvious she was with Duo, was ridiculous. In a sense, he had won. It would all hinge on Relena herself, of course, but Duo somehow knew that Heero wouldn't be getting in the way very much any more, if at all. He, Duo, had won.
But he certainly didn't feel much satisfaction over the victory. If anything, he felt rather hollow. He kissed the top of Relena's head, and hoped the feeling would pass.
~*~
TBC
As always, C&C is greatly loved and appreciated. ^_^
--Sara
I will be posting the lemon chapter tomorrow night, most likely. The rest of the fic will be posting on my normal Thursday/Sunday schedule.
This chapter is a bit longer. We've got a lot of ground to cover.
Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing thus far! ^__^
Two Princes
A pseudo-songfic, loosely based upon the song "Two Princes" by the Spin Doctors
by Sara
Pairings: 1 or 2 xR...maybe he should've brought Hilde to the conference, after all. ^_~
Chapter 11
At the sound of Heero's voice, both Duo and Relena started. They whirled to face him. Relena looked embarrassed. Duo looked angry.
Heero looked shocked. He had known those two were slightly serious, despite the fact that he had allowed himself to believe otherwise. Heck, he had seen them kissing already. But to walk in on them in such a situation...that was almost more than his poor mind could handle. It was certainly difficult to continue to ascertain that they weren't serious when they were doing...that. It had certainly shell-shocked him enough to lose more than a little of his normal, stoic composure.
"Uh...what are you two doing?" Heero mentally cursed himself for such a stupid question. But it was too late to take it back.
Duo scowled at him. "Getting interrupted," he snapped. "How did you get in here, anyway?"
Heero lamely held up a keycard. Relena cleared her throat. "I gave him the key, Duo. It's an old habit of mine. I'm used to only having one bodyguard, and I usually gave Heero my key, in case he needed to get into my room quickly, for any reason." She stared at her hands. "I guess old habits die hard."
An irrational wave of jealousy rose up in Duo's throat. "How come he gets a key and I don't?"
"Because I'm not used to having you around as my bodyguard!" she snapped back. "I told you, Duo. It's an old habit of mine. I wasn't doing it to be mean. If it's such a big issue, I'll go get another keycard from the front desk for you to carry around."
Shocked by her rebuff, Duo quickly backed down. He opened his mouth to say something, but Relena stopped him, with a look that clearly read 'we'll discuss it later.' She looked at Heero.
"What's wrong? I'm sure you came in here for a reason."
Heero regained his composure, and some of his attitude. "Well, while you two were in here playing Twitterpation, I was actually out doing my job." Duo glared at the insinuation, but remained silent.
"And?" Relena encouraged.
Heero shrugged. "There's some talk about some 'event' being planned for the conference, but nothing to indicate it's a security threat. We'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, keep your guard up. It could be nothing, but it's best not to take these situations too lightly."
Duo raised his eyebrows. "An event? What makes you think it's a security threat? For all we know, it could be a celebration at the end of the conference."
Heero fixed Duo with a calculating stare. "I didn't say that it was a genuine threat," he said, his voice strained. "I just said that it was something to keep an eye on, and don't let your guard down."
Duo glared right back, fists clenched at his sides, but Relena intervened. "Stop it, you two. Let's say it is a bona-fide threat. How will you be able to protect me if you're too busy snapping at each other? Don't you think it would be better if you worked together?"
The two young men turned to regard her, their eyes suspicious.
"Besides," Relena continued, "it would make me very happy if you at least tried to get along. I'd feel much safer if you were cooperating on my safety, rather than fighting over me all weekend." She gave them her best beseeching look.
It worked. Duo, who didn't have as much experience dealing with her pouting expressions, was the first to cave. He looked at Relena, his expression soft, then turned back to face Heero.
"If it'll make you happy, 'Lena," he paused for a moment. "If it'll make you happy, then I'll cooperate with Heero. Besides, I want to make sure you stay safe."
Heero grumbled something incoherent. It would've been much easier for him to maintain his anger, had Duo been willing to continue the spat. But he obviously wasn't, and that presented a problem.
He looked back and forth between Duo and Relena's faces. Duo had fixed him with an almost challenging glare, though he seemed to find something about Heero's predicament vaguely amusing, judging from the shadow of a smirk hovering on his face. Relena was watching him with a mixed expression of pleading and utter disgust.
It was the disgust that decided for Heero. He hadn't realized that Relena might not see things the same way he did, when it came to having Duo as a secondary bodyguard. He thought back to Hilde's words. He really didn't want to alienate Relena.
He sighed in defeat. "Fine," he almost growled. "If it means that much to you...and your safety...then I'll cooperate with Duo."
The tension in the air snapped. Relena sighed with relief, and Duo relaxed. Heero turned on his heel, and headed toward the door. "I'm going to...continue to research this threat," he said lamely, and made his escape.
As the door slammed behind Heero, Duo released a pent-up breath that he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. "Whoa...now I know not to fear death, because I just looked death in the eye and basically flipped him the bird!"
Relena looked troubled. "Poor Heero...I had wanted to make this easier for him...I never meant for him to figure it out this way..."
Duo pulled her into a soothing hug. "Much as I hate to admit it, Princess, you're right. Heero's an idiot, but I know he cares about you."
Relena stiffened suddenly. "What do you mean, he cares about me?"
Duo shrugged. No sense in hiding it now... "Oh, you can see it in his actions. The little things he does or doesn't do. The way he's always looking out for you, moreso than one would expect a bodyguard to do. Sure, you could say he doesn't like you, cause he's a complete bonehead and has never made a move to tell you how he feels. But you can't deny he cares for you."
"But...caring for someone...and liking someone...aren't the same..." Relena's voice was pensive.
Duo rested his chin on the top of her head. "Nope," he confirmed succinctly. "They're not even close to being the same." He released another gusty sigh, stirring the hairs on the top of her head. "Just so you know that I care about you, too...and I'm not about to let you go, either." He kissed the crown of her head affectionately, and Relena giggled, in spite of herself, the comment about Duo's almost possessive remark dying unsaid on her lips.
Relena grinned. "Does that mean you don't like me?" she giggled. Duo made a strangled growling noise, and flipped her over onto her back, pinning her arms at her sides.
"If I didn't like you...would I do this?" he whispered, and claimed her lips in a searing kiss. Relena pivoted her arms slightly to brace herself against his arms, and returned the kiss.
After moments that seemed like an eternity, they parted. Relena looked at Duo, here eyes filled with wonderment and--dare he hope?--love. "You are too good to me, Duo," she said, cupping one hand against his cheek.
Duo shrugged slightly. "You make it easy to be good to you," he said simply, then pulled her into a sitting position, hugging her tightly for a moment before moving to sit behind her, resting his back against the back of the bed, pulling her to rest her back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head.
They sat that way for a time, simply enjoying the silence of the room. Duo was the one to speak first.
"Hey, 'Lena...what do you think of that threat? The one Heero told us about. Do you think it's real?"
Relena sighed slightly, shifting in his arms. "Heero isn't one to exaggerate," she said finally. "If he honestly thinks it may be a threat, then I'm inclined to agree."
Duo nodded. He, too, knew that Heero wouldn't just make this stuff up. "Well," he said hesitantly, "maybe we could do this..." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "You know, maybe the people behind the--event, don't know that you have two bodyguards here. I mean, you're usually only seen with one."
Relena nodded, encouraging him to continue.
"Anyway, I was thinking. Maybe if I pretended to just be another dignitary, or your personal companion, and not a bodyguard, that'll offer a little bit of extra protection. I mean, I know Heero'll probably shoot bricks out his nose, knowing I suggested this. But they all know Heero as your bodyguard. They're not used to seeing me in his place. That would leave Heero to fade into the background, as he does so well, and listen in for information he'd miss if he was assuming a more public image as your bodyguard."
Relena swiveled slightly, eyeing Duo incredulously. "Is it a bad idea?" he said anxiously. "Maybe I should've discussed it with Heero first..."
"No, no, Duo!" Relena quickly interrupted him. "I think that's an ingenious idea. I'm sure Heero will agree." She suddenly smirked. "Of course, you do realize what this means..."
Duo was suddenly nervous. "What?"
"It means that if you're going to be acting like a companion, and not a bodyguard, that you're going to have to learn to act like one. And you're going to have to learn to dress like one. And you know what that means..."
Duo groaned. "Oh, no, not again!"
Relena leaped off the bed, grabbing Duo's hand and pulling her with him. "That's right! We're going shopping!"
. . . .
Duo shifted ever-so-slightly in his chair, fixing his eyes on the speaker's cravat, and tried to keep from fidgeting.
Knowing that somewhere in the shadows, Heero was watching them, did not make things any easier.
When he and Relena had returned from their impromptu shopping trip, arms laden with clothing that would effectively disguise Duo as just another dignitary, they had tracked down Heero, intent on sharing their plan with him. Heero, much to Duo's amazement, had agreed that the idea had merit. Besides, he had confirmed, Heero worked much better from the shadows. He could operate in the public eye if he had to, but he didn't like doing it. This way, he would be free to do whatever was necessary to ferret out the weasels at this conference.
Day 1 of the sessions had passed uneventfully, and Duo had strained his stamina almost to the breaking point, trying to keep himself from telegraphing his boredom to everyone else in the room. It hadn't been easy, but just knowing that this role he was playing was important to Relena's safety had helped him quash most of his restlessness.
That night after the conferences, Heero had met up with them, and informed them that he had found nothing suspicious. There may have been unrest at other conferences in the past, but this one seemed surprisingly peaceful.
Duo switched his gaze to another person seated at the table. If his memory served him, this was Prime Minister Harna, from one of the L3 colonies. He idly wondered if it was the same person who had given Relena all of the gift certificates to Le Chanson Bleu.
Relena had told him that no one really paid that close attention to the speakers at the conventions. The trick was to fool people into thinking you were paying rapt attention, and that if you were bored, to make it as inconspicuous as possible.
The first thing Duo had done upon entering the conference room was to find a seat that faced the clock. That way, he would be able to monitor the time surreptitiously, and no one would be the wiser.
Currently, they had 40 minutes to go before their first break of the day. Duo suppressed a sigh. The time would hopefully go by quickly.
He looked down. Each dignitary had been supplied with a pad of paper and a pen, in case they wanted to take notes. He allowed a slight smirk to cross his features. No one would think it odd, were he to start writing. He highly doubted that anyone would pay attention to what he was writing, either.
He carefully scrawled a note on the paper. Rather than slide it across the table to Relena, which would attract attention, he carefully made a show of adjusting his tie, just enough for her to notice. Once he had her attention, he rested his hand on the notebook, deliberately pointing out the note.
/how much longer? my stomach is startin to growl/
Relena wrote something down on her own notebook. Since Duo had watched her write it, she didn't need to get his attention.
/Be patient. Everyone is getting restless. We'll most likely pause for a break soon, and lunch is scheduled soon, regardless./
Duo surreptitiously studied this for a moment, then replied.
/yer hand writin is very neet neat. neater than mine chicken-scratch. bok bok!/ He also drew a crude little chicken next to the sentence, to emphasize his point.
Relena placed a hand to her mouth as if to stifle a cough. She took a sip from her water glass. Those members of the meeting who showed concern only saw someone intent on not disrupting the speaker by coughing out loud. Only Duo saw the lines of suppressed laughter forming at the corners of her eyes.
When she finally regained her composure, Relena carefully scribbled something on her own notepad.
/Stop that! Don't make me laugh in the middle of the conference. And thank you, but my handwriting is not really all that neat./
Duo found he had a very hard time sitting still while composing his reply.
/is to. bok bok!/ He also drew a giant smiley-face.
Before Relena could formulate a reply, the dignitary that had been speaking cleared his throat rather loudly, and glanced at his watch.
"Ah, forgive this old rambling fool. I've talked too long. Shall we break for lunch, then?"
Relena blanched slightly. Had their fidgeting been enough so that it was noticed? Duo carefully scrutinized the old man. The man made no indication that his decision had been prompted by anything they had done. In fact, he immediately turned and started up an animated discussion with the person sitting to his left; the other conference attendees all but forgotten.
"That was a little too close for comfort, huh?" commented Duo, carefully tucking the accusatory paper into the back of the writing tablet.
Relena nodded, then risked a gentle peck on Duo's cheek. "Thank you, though. You've been very patient throughout this whole thing. I do appreciate that." Her smile was so bright that Duo knew he would never be cold again. Just the memory of that smile would bring him warmth on the coldest of days.
He chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "Aw, it's nothing," he demurred. "I told you I'd be willing to clean up my act, if it would make you happy."
Relena gave him another warm smile, then glanced at her watch. "We'd better go meet up with Heero and see if he's found out anything," she said quietly.
Duo nodded, and they filed out of the conference room.
. . . .
Duo found himself eating carefully, so as not to spill on his clothing, for only the second time in his entire life. The first had been at yesterday's luncheon. Not an easy thing to do, when faced with a chicken-salad sandwich.
"Everything seems very quiet in the conference, Heero. In fact, I'd say this is the most harmonious conference I've ever seen. I almost wonder what on earth is going on," Relena commented in between delicate bites of her own sandwich.
Heero grunted, and swallowed the mouthful of food he'd been chewing. "It's not so quiet on the outside," he muttered. "I haven't heard anything definite, but I think there's going to be something happening, and soon. I just don't know what it is. Everyone is being very quiet about the whole thing."
"Maybe it's a surprise celebration to mark the end of the conference?"
Both Relena and Heero turned to stare at Duo. "Too obvious," scoffed Heero. "Besides, conferences this small don't usually warrant such an event.
"Mm, you never know, Heero," said Relena thoughtfully. "Remember that conference in Athens? It was pretty tiny, yet they threw quite the celebration at its conclusion."
"Mn," nodded Heero grudgingly. "I still think it would be good to keep our guard up, though."
"Of course," said Relena soothingly. She brushed invisible crumbs off of her skirt, and stood up. "Speaking of, we'd best get back inside, Duo."
"Sure thing, Princess." He stood up, and offered her his arm. "Shall we?" Relena giggled, and slipped her hand into the crook of Duo's elbow. Together, they walked leisurely back toward the conference hall.
Heero watched them depart, his face a mixture of emotions. What was happening here? He had thought that Relena would always be by his side. But suddenly, before he even realized what had happened, she was spending all of her time with Duo, and they were practically inseparable. When had he lost favor with her?
Be honest with yourself. You did not lose favor. She just grew impatient with waiting for you. He shook his head slightly. Perhaps...perhaps this had been his fault, in a way. He certainly could have said something sooner.
He shook himself out of his reverie. This was not the time to be spent contemplating his relationship with Relena. Right now, he was to look out for her well-being. He strode away from the conference room, toward his own assumed position in Relena's entourage.
. . . .
Duo had to admit, it had been hard to maintain his concentration earlier. He had tried his hardest though, and had persevered. But if he had thought that had been difficult, he obviously didn't know what he was in store for.
The second half of the conference day dragged on. Even Relena looked bored. Duo took half-coherent notes, intent on doing anything to keep himself from falling asleep.
He dared not say anything. He didn't write any more notes to Relena. He didn't even dare to move, lest he give away that he was not used to this sort of activity. He was determined to prove to everyone--and himself--that he had what it took to be a refined individual. He had definitely gained a new level of respect for Relena! Did she have to endure this in every meeting she attended? He had no idea how she did it.
So intent was he on presenting that facade that he almost missed the commotion outside, until it was almost an unbearable din.
Several of the other dignitaries had noticed it, too, and were beginning to stand up from their seats, craning their necks to peer out of the window in the conference room door. Relena latched on to Duo's arm, her concern palpable. Was this what Heero had been talking about?
There was a knock at the conference room door, and one of the event security guards stepped in. "There is a small protest demonstration being held outside of this facility," she said evenly. "Security has it under control. They're noisy, but don't seem particularly violent. No one should be in danger."
Duo felt Relena relax slightly, though she still remained alert. She moved to murmur in his ear. "Do you think this is the event Heero overheard being discussed?"
Duo nodded almost imperceptively. "Perhaps."
The guard continued. "We don't believe these protesters to be a serious physical threat, but we ask that all of the dignitaries stay in the conference room until we have everything under control." With that, the guard spun on her heel and marched out of the room.
But the seeds of unrest had been planted, and all of the dignitaries wanted to know what was being protested.
"What do you suppose they are protesting for?"
"Do you think they're protesting this conference?"
"Nonsense. Who would protest a thing like world peace? The mere notion is preposterous."
Duo and Relena exchanged glances with each other as the speculations fluttered around them. "We should go find Heero. Maybe he knows what's going on now," said Duo. Relena nodded, and the two of them made their way toward the door.
Their escape did not go unnoticed. "Minister Dorlian!" called out one dignitary. "It's not safe. You should stay here!"
"I'll be quite all right on my own, Minister LeFavre," Relena replied smoothly. "I am in good hands." The other man backed down.
But her escape was the catalyst for the others. All of the dignitaries in the room stood up as one, and began milling about the room. Soon Relena and Duo were caught up in the press of people, and instead of searching for Heero, they found themselves being hustled toward the entrance of the building.
The protesters turned out to be a throng of people of mixed ages and social backgrounds. Not too terribly uncommon, thought Duo to himself. But the subject of their protest caused him to stop short, as did Relena.
They stared at the banners for a moment in stunned silence. Relena was the first to speak.
"World Citizens in Support of Paper Products?" she asked, her voice filled with unspoken questions. "What on earth..."
Before she could continue, one of the protesters strode forward. "I know you!" he shouted in recognition. "The perfect person to hear our cause!" He struck an intimidating pose. "Did you know that more and more records are kept on computer, with no paper copies made? We fear that paper is losing favor in the ESUN! What will become of paper? Is it doomed to be replaced by electronic media permanently?"
"But sir," stated Relena calmly, "the papermaking process is known to be detrimental to the environment. The papermilling process is quite polluting, to both air and water, as well as noise. The trees needed for paper lead to mass logging and deforestation, which in turn depletes habitat for indigenous wildlife and contributes to land erosion. If anything, a shift to more electronic media-based archived items would be a boon for the environment."
"But you're wrong! Paper is..." Duo's mind started drifting. The man was obviously a complete lunatic.
He glanced around the square, where other members of the protest party had snared various leaders, hawking their manifesto to anyone who would listen.
He caught sight of Heero across the square. Duo chuckled inwardly, noting that the protesters gave Heero ample berth to pass through the crowd, not bothering to stop him to tell him of their cause. Guess the ol' Glare o' Death is alive and well, ol' buddy, he thought inwardly.
Heero approached Duo's side. "Keep alert," he said gruffly. "I don't like this. It looks to me to be a huge distraction of some sort."
Duo nodded absently, glancing around for Relena. He found her still talking to her initial assailant, who was obviously making no sign of letting up any time soon. Duo snorted. Paper preservation. Of all the ridiculous....
His attention suddenly snapped into focus. He thought he had seen something odd--there. A glint of dull metal from within the hedge surrounding the square.
Heero had seen it as well, and was skirting the edge of the crowd as quickly as possible without attracting too much attention to himself. Duo glanced back at the hedge, and made out the form of a crouched figure. The glint of metal had been the barrel of a gun. Duo tensed as he watched the figure lift gun to shoulder, and take aim.
Directly at Relena.
Duo glanced frantically toward Heero. The youth would never make it in time. Duo bolted through the crowd toward Relena. "Get down!" he shouted, crashing into her and pushing her down to the pavement, just as a bullet whizzed over their prone forms and impacted harmlessly with the brick of the building behind them.
The square erupted into chaos. The preservation of paper was forgotten, and the preservation of lives became much more important. Duo pulled Relena to her feet before they were trampled. He glanced across the square, and saw that Heero had reached their assailant. He turned away. He didn't particularly want to see how Heero chose to deal with the attempted assassin.
Duo turned to face Relena. She looked shaken, but otherwise unhurt. It then struck him what had almost happened, and it took all of his willpower to keep from shaking. "'Lena," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, "'Lena...are you all right?"
Relena looked up at him, her own features etched with shock. "I...I think I am, Duo." She patted down her front and sides, then turned her hands palms-up in front of her. "No blood," she said succinctly. "I didn't get shot."
Duo could've cried in relief, but Heero chose that moment to make his appearance. "Situation under control. There was only one assassin. He knew that the square would be filled with people, and thought in the confusion, he would be able to get a clean shot." He nodded in Duo's direction. "You were right. He didn't count on Relena having two bodyguards. The authorities have him now." He looked at Relena, his stoic expression giving way to one of genuine concern. "Are you all right, Relena." He held out his hand to her.
Relena looked from Duo to Heero, and back to Duo. "I..." she faltered, then let a choked sob past her lips, and flung herself into Duo's arms. Duo immediately wrapped his arms around her, crushing her form to his chest. "Shhh," he soothed, "it's all right, it's over. We're done now. The conference is over." He kissed the top of her head. "Do you want to go back to the hotel?"
Relena nodded against the fabric of his shirt, sniffling. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice muffled. "This isn't very...mature and dignified of me. I'm just...I'm just rather shaken up, that's all."
"Screw that 'dignified behavior' bullshit," said Duo. "You just got shot at." He looked up, and caught Heero's eye.
Before the other youth could look away, Duo caught the truly stricken look on Heero's face. For the first time since he had started dating Relena, Duo found himself almost feeling sorry for Heero. But it passed. Heero had had his chance, had been given the opportunity for quite a while, and had decided that he would just pass it by. Still, the situation called for diplomacy. "Heero, are you going to come with us?"
Duo's voice seemed to snap Heero out of his daze. "N-no," he faltered slightly, catching himself. "I have a few more loose ends to tie up around here, and I'd like to do a little investigating, to see why this happened, if there is a larger organization behind this. But it looks to be just an isolated incident." He managed a wan smile, which shocked Duo. Heero never smiled, at all. "I'll catch up with you later."
Duo nodded mutely, and turned, steering Relena gently toward the valet. His mind wandered as they waited for the chauffeur to bring their car around. He had seen that expression in others' faces before. That was the look of defeat, when an opponent realizes that nothing they do will assure victory. So perhaps Heero had finally realized that continuing to pursue a relationship with Relena, when it was obvious she was with Duo, was ridiculous. In a sense, he had won. It would all hinge on Relena herself, of course, but Duo somehow knew that Heero wouldn't be getting in the way very much any more, if at all. He, Duo, had won.
But he certainly didn't feel much satisfaction over the victory. If anything, he felt rather hollow. He kissed the top of Relena's head, and hoped the feeling would pass.
~*~
TBC
As always, C&C is greatly loved and appreciated. ^_^
--Sara
.....I can't wait!!!..Post it soonER!!!!.. 
