Healing: Chapter 13/?

[Angeldreams]

Chapter 13: Healing

A/N: Okay, okay... I'm really behind now. I've actually been sitting on this chapter and the next *ducks Rose's noodle of death* for a couple of months. Anyway, I decided I didn't want to be next on the ML's list of people needing to post. *sticks tongue out* ha ha ha ha! Rose can't get me!!! Anyway, thanks to Mel for reading this. Standard warnings: 1xR, OCxR, 2xH.

***

Relena stood transfixed where Heero had left her, still wondering the significance of his last words.

When she had left Hugh's quarters early that morning she had decided to never tell anyone about his proposal. It seemed like the right thing to do after hurting him by calling him the wrong name. Hugh's eyes in that instant were so full of hurt yet mixed with understanding. It still saddened her as much as it had in that moment - to have hurt someone she held so dear and so precious just because she met someone else first. Would it have been different if she had met Hugh first? Relena had found herself wishing she had on several occasions, especially after she found out that Heero had shifted his guard responsibilities to his fellow pilots. It was embarrassing, really. He turned her down, yet she turned someone else down she cared for just because it wasn't him. She closed her eyes and clasped one of her hands to her heart. It just wasn't right.

But how could he know about the proposal? Trowa didn't know. Or did he? He kept to himself so much that she couldn't be sure. He wouldn't have said a word to her. Shaking her head, in confusion, she realized that he wouldn't have said anything to Heero either. Her eyes flew open - it meant only one thing....

Heero was on that boat...He was...watching her.

But how? She had looked for him for days. The realization and wonder turned to embarrassment and pain as she wondered how much Heero had seen. Then her embarrassment multiplied when she realized that if Heero knew about Hugh's proposal he probably knew she went into Hugh's cabin that night - which meant he thought they had... Oh no!

The color drained from her face as Relena looked up to the sky and shook her head in disbelief.

He was under her nose the whole time and she hadn't seen him. Placing one hand over her mouth, Relena began to pace her room, trying to figure out how he could have hidden from her. In her mind there was only one possibility...

Meanwhile...

Duo sat in his office in Preventer Headquarters. They had furnished it nicely for him. It was still strange for him, he thought, looking around him. Before the war he was a nobody and now men both older and younger than him looked up to him and the other pilots for what they did. It was annoying sometimes. They didn't do it for recognition or for nice offices like this one. But still, he thought, yawning and leaning back in his chair, it was nice. Duo lifted his heels and rested them on his desk; a content smile resting on his face. A few minutes later in the quiet Preventer office, Duo fell asleep.

**Ring**

Huh? Duo thought somewhere in his sleep.

*Ring?..ring*

One eye opened lazily and saw the vid screen opening.

"Duo?" a feminine voice asked.

Forgetting his feet were still resting on the desk, Duo scrambled, lost his balance, and soon found the smack of the hard floor against his butt. Looking up, dazed at the ceiling, he heard the voice again, this time with an air of urgency.

Duo!?"

?Damn it!,? he thought, afraid that Une had caught him napping?again. He quickly jumped up in an 'attention' position. Instead, as he stood, he was greeted by the sounds of laughter - it had to be Hilde. ?Please let it be Hilde.? he quickly pleaded.

He was lucky that day.

"Hilde!" he exclaimed in relief, both hands on his desk as he tried to get his heart to stop racing.

"What were you doing when I called?" Hilde?s silly, knowing smirk lightly mocked him, but Duo did not notice as he wiped the back of his hand along his forehead and collapsed in the chair again.

"Nothing, I was just resting my eyes." His face looked angelic, but the mischievous easy come, easy go attitude was twinkling back in his eyes. Hilde wasn?t fooled.

"Oh right, whatever Duo. You really think I'm going to fall for that?"

"Yeah, I mean no, I mean... I was looking over this," he said looking down to his desk to pick up a large booklet with a brown cover. It wasn?t there. Frantically he began searching for his allabye that was there just minutes ago.

"Over what?" Hilde questioned sweetly, her eyes big, round, and twinkling. Again, Duo never noticed as he was frantically looking under the desk for the book.

Realizing that his allabye was wearing thin, he decided a better approach was to play it off and put on his innocent face. "Over a rather large document about new procedures for the office. You know, the one you have to look at then initialize that you read it and pass it on?"

"Oh, yeah..."

"So, Hilde," he said with renewed confidence, her face and shrugging shoulders indicating she bit his bluff hook, line, and sinker, "just when are you going to get busy and start reading it." He rose his right pointer finger and shook it, scolding Hilde, "Its about time you committed to your job." He stretched lazily and put both hands behind his head, waiting for her response.

"Your right, Duo." Hilde nodded and smiled at him, forgivingly. "I should really take my job more seriously."

'Home free,' was all he could think of now. A victory smirk had no sooner appeared when he noticed Hilde was now lifting up a rather large booklet - a booklet that looked rather familiar.

"I should take my job more seriously. I mean what would Lady Une think if she," Hilde shrugged, lips pursed, and eyes looking away briefly at something in her office, "walked into my office during the middle of my shift and found me asleep instead of reading this procedures manual."

His eyes flew open, recognizing the manual as the very one he had just been searching for.

"How did you get that?"

"Oh Duo," she sighed, "You sleep sounder than anyone I know. I just walked in and took it about an hour ago."

"An hour! I've been asleep for an hour!" Then realizing his statement, he sheepishly grinned back at Hilde, realizing he had once again been defeated by her.

"Listen Duo, now that you've had your little nap," she teased, one eyebrow raised at him, "I want to discuss something with you that has been bothering me."

"Sure babe, what?"

"Well," Hilde started, suddenly fidgeting in her seat. She then turned and looked straight into his eyes on the vid screen, "I just don't think it is right." All humor was gone from her voice.

Duo sighed, they had been over this before.

"What do you want me to do about it? Look Hilde, as much as I agree, it isn't either of our places to say anything."

"But she thinks he didn't care. That he wasn't there... And he was..."

"I know, I know. But he hasn't told us what happened. We both know but we can't give away one friend's confidence for another. Especially when it probably will only wind up hurting both of them."

"I just feel something in my gut. Something that just will not go away no matter how I try to ignore it. Something is about to happen, Duo. Something bad."

"I know," he shook his head and starred down at the desk. "I've been feeling it too. "Hopefully we'll get to them before they get to her."

"Hopefully," she agreed, nodding her head and then turned off the comm system.

"Hopefully," the both said again, to no one other than themselves.

Little did they know that hope was standing outside Preventer Headquarters.

[blackrose]

Yeah, right. I can't get you, huh?

Mwahahahahahahahaha! That's what you think.

Rose: *calls Angel* Hey Angel, how are ya?
Angel: Oh, good. Busy, what are you up to?
Rose: Ahhh, nothing much. Was going to watch some Fruits Baskets this weekend. It's REALLY cute. Oh, and the last few eps of Full Metal Panic! It's great. You should come over.
Angel: Oh! And play? Yay! Sure thing. Be right there. *hangs up phone*
Rose: Mwahahahahahahahahahaha! *hides Noodle of Death behind back* We'll see who can't get whom.

Angel: oh, right, like I'd be that gullible. Especially now that I know your diabolical plan.
Rose: Did I mention....Weiss? With Ran, Ken, and Yoji? And don't forget Trigun.... We LOVE Vash....
Angel: *eyes glaze over* Anime....
Rose: AND pizza. From Campisi's. *holds out a piece of pizza* Mmmmmm, smells yummy, doesn't it?
Angel: Be right there!!!!



Love,
Rose