[4xD] 7/7 "The most noble of weaknesses" Epilogue
Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 7:32 am
Standard disclaimers: See first chapter
Author note: I apologize for the long time gap between this and the previous post. I didn't mean to let you hang there, but if something could happen in my life?well?it happened! Eheheheh?
But now I'm here, with the final chapter of this ficlet that obtained an unexpected support which filled me with real joy and satisfaction.
I want to thank all those that sent me their reviews, that had always been welcome and appreciated and in particular my gratefulness goes to Takisha, ethereale, GundamVixen, and others that I surely forgot and that touched me with their enthusiasm and kindness.
But now, please, enjoy with me this last trip with our favourite characters.
?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?
The most noble of weaknesses
By Darkwing
Epilogue
Quatre was almost to give up the call, when the camera of the vid-com finally framed the blurred image of a dark room. A deep voice rose from the darkness. ?Whoever you are, I hope for you that you have a goddamned good reason.?
Quatre bit his lip. ?I?m sorry, Duo. I hadn?t a clue about your current time zone.?
?Q-man!? A jumble of noises followed the exclamation, together with a loud crash and a thud, obviously coupled with a series of curses that would have made a drunken sailor blush. The light finally turned on and Duo appeared on the screen.
Quatre couldn?t help but feel guilty. Duo?s job was tiring and thus he was having the sleep of the just, before his call dragged him out of his bed. Or at least that was what it seemed, judging by the disheveled state of his friend?s hair. ?I'm afraid that my reason isn?t good enough to steal your sleep. I know how precious it is for you.? He apologized.
?Ah! Stop it, Q! I hope you didn?t call me at?? Duo turned his disconsolate gaze, searching for a clock. ??At two a.m. to tell me that I must sleep. I knew that even before, thank you.? He rubbed his sleepy eyes and stared back to the camera. ?Jeez! For Hell?s sake! But what the f?ehm?happened to you?? He blinked in surprise, pointing to the plastered shoulder.
Despite his reduced possibility of movements, Quatre mimed a shrug. ?Compound fracture of the shoulder blade and corresponding humerus-scapular luxation.? He stated, vaguely embarrassed.
Duo blew a whistle. ?Will you be long??
Quatre sadly nodded. ?The doctors said that I?ll heal perfectly, but before I can play my violin again, I?ll have to wait for some months.?
Duo grimaced. ?Man, I?m sorry. I guess you won?t come here onto Earth, then.?
Quatre nodded again. ?Actually this is why I called you. I had already arrived on Earth when this happened, but for obvious reasons I immediately came back here to L4 since I didn?t feel like??
Duo rose a hand to stop him. ?Wait, wait, wait?you were on Earth, you said?? He scratched his head, mistreating a ruffled lock until a wide grin, sly and mischievous, lit his gaze. He slapped a hand on his forehead. ?Dorothy! Of course! How couldn?t I think of it! Hey, don?t tell me that she is the one that crumbled you up like tat! Jeez! What did she get up this time? Did she push you down from a train? Or she tried to smash your head with an anvil, letting it fall from the fourth floor, and her aim was poor??
Quatre sighed in resignation. After all those years he still couldn?t always understand when Duo was playing a joke or talking seriously. What he was sure about was that after naming Dorothy Duo didn?t seem worried anymore. Quatre tried to explain. ?That wasn?t an attack. On the contrary??
?Ah! Gotcha!? Duo interrupted him again. ?Wait! Don?t tell it! Hell! I knew that some day it would come out! Yeah! The golden-boy is a sadomasochist stud! C?mon! I?m all ears! Now if you want to get rid of me, you?ll have to blurt out all the details in a row??
?Duo! That was an accident!? Quatre's face was purple. He counted unto three. ?And please, if by chance you felt in the mood to tell me what you were dreaming about before my call, don?t do it, okay??
?Hey, but who do you take me for, Q? I?m a good fellow!? Duo showed off a scandalized look for a cool second fraction. Then his natural insolence gained control over him again. ?I still have my sense of modesty, you know?? He impudently winked. ?But now tell me?How is she like??
?She?Who??
Duo threw up his hands exasperated. ?She?Who? Dorothy, of course!? When his friend answered with a blank stare, Duo watched him back as his friend just claimed that he saw an elephant tap dancing. ?Okay, you didn?t make a move. Fine. After all we all knew that you?re more of a gentlemen than me, but you kissed her, right??
Silence.
?Look, buddy. I?m really happy that this time you came back home standing on your feet, and it was nice to talk to you. Really. But now, if you don?t need to tell me anything else, I?d come back to that dream that you have been so nice to interrupt. Good night! Or whatever it is for you there.? He turned off the lights, grumbling something about being surrounded by Gundam pilots that needed a medical report to understand the difference between men and women.
?Duo!?
This time the voice of the former Deathscythe pilot emerged muffled. Quatre guessed that he probably hid his head under the pillow. ?Yeah??
?Before saying goodbye, I wanted to thank you.?
The light lit again the room. ?You?re welcome. But why?? This time Duo was really perplexed.
Quatre smiled in amusement. ?Well, for the apples, of course. They were delicious! And Rashid says hi.?
When Quatre disconnected the communication, Duo was still there, his jaw hanging as he gasped in disbelief. Quatre leaned against his chair and giggled. Poor Duo. He truly shocked him. And who knows what he would say if he told him the rest!
He opened a drawer of his desk and pulled out a small velvet box. He opened it for the hundredth time that day and the crystal light of the solitaire that it held smiled back to him. Only a perfect diamond like that could make Dorothy look brighter.
The inter-com on his desk crackled and the voice of his secretary announced the arrival of the new trustworthy member of his staff. ?Mister Winner, Miss Catalonia is here for that contract with the Iron Trans.?
?I?m coming, Mrs. Bates.?
?Yes, sir.?
Quatre hurried to close the small box and made it slip into his trench coat. Then he opened the doors of his office and personally invited Dorothy in.
?I hope I didn?t disturb you too much, asking to come here after hours.? He began, after a chivalrous kiss on her hand. ?But since it?s a delicate question, I didn?t want interruptions.? He took her overcoat and hung it near his one.
?Not at all. On the contrary, if you didn?t ask, I would.? Dorothy sat down on an armchair, crossing her elegant legs, perfectly at ease. ?The only problem is that I?ve nothing to report. Their agent called me because he couldn't finish to check all our notes to his?? She smiled with malice, ??clauses at the bottom of the page?, so I can?t do anything more than wait.?
Quatre smiled in return. ?Well. So, since they generously exonerated us from our daily overtime, we could have dinner together. I?d be glad to discuss with you about some relevant questions. A dinner could be the proper moment.?
Dorothy studied his expression for a moment. ?What?s this? Another ingenious compromise, mister Winner??
Remembering their old game, he decided to play along her rules. ?This time I?d offer a different definition, miss Catalonia. If I told you that this is a date, what would you say??
The woman couldn?t hide her amusement. ?I?d say that it?s an interesting definition, mister Winner.?
Quatre shrugged, as imposed his script. ?Is it a yes??
?It is.?
The young man nodded, smiled and stepped to the clothes' stand. He took Dorothy?s overcoat and, only using one arm, he helped her to wear it. The woman returned the favour, since his movements were made awkward by the plaster.
?Can we go?? He asked, offering her his arm. She nodded and let him lead her out of the room. Before leaving the building, Quatre approached his secretary's desk.
?We?re going, Mrs. Bates. Please, you go too. Tomorrow we?ll do what we couldn?t complete today.?
The woman raised her gaze from her screen. ?I?ll finish this mail that we must send before tomorrow and I'll leave too.?
Quatre nodded. ?Have a nice evening, Mrs. Bates.?
?You too, mister Winner. Miss Catalonia.? She said her goodbye with a nod and kept on typing on her keyboard with her typical serious stare. Then the note that she had near her computer remembered her of the message that she still had to deliver. ?Ah! Mister Winner!?
Quatre, that already was down the hallway, turned back.
?A mister from Earth called you a few minutes ago. He was a certain Tomislav Rastova?. He thanks you for the wonderful present and says that he?d be honoured if you launched the Jezera II on the fifteen of the current month.? Mrs. Bates shifted the glasses on her nose, looking at her boss up and down. ?I don?t know what?s he talking about, but he said you already knew everything and let me have his number.?
Quatre shared a look with Dorothy, searching for her approval, then he nodded back to his secretary. ?Please, call him back for me, Mrs. Bates, and tell him we will be happy to attend to the ceremony.?
?Consider it done, mister Winner.? The woman took note of her order and kept on typing her document.
As soon as the young couple left the office, she raised her gaze from the screen and pulled up the receiver of the inter-com. ?Mister Rashid? They just left?Yes, they?re alone?No that?s not a place of ill-fame of course?? She sighed. ?Look, I made the reservation in person and it?s one of the best restaurants of the colony, nobody will poison them?and all right, I?ll give you the address, but please, if you follow them, be tactful?this could be the good one!? She raised a thumb up and winked to Rashid. Through the screen, his stern look softened with a satisfied, happy smile.
THE END
?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?
Author note: I apologize for the long time gap between this and the previous post. I didn't mean to let you hang there, but if something could happen in my life?well?it happened! Eheheheh?
But now I'm here, with the final chapter of this ficlet that obtained an unexpected support which filled me with real joy and satisfaction.
I want to thank all those that sent me their reviews, that had always been welcome and appreciated and in particular my gratefulness goes to Takisha, ethereale, GundamVixen, and others that I surely forgot and that touched me with their enthusiasm and kindness.
But now, please, enjoy with me this last trip with our favourite characters.
?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?
The most noble of weaknesses
By Darkwing
Epilogue
Quatre was almost to give up the call, when the camera of the vid-com finally framed the blurred image of a dark room. A deep voice rose from the darkness. ?Whoever you are, I hope for you that you have a goddamned good reason.?
Quatre bit his lip. ?I?m sorry, Duo. I hadn?t a clue about your current time zone.?
?Q-man!? A jumble of noises followed the exclamation, together with a loud crash and a thud, obviously coupled with a series of curses that would have made a drunken sailor blush. The light finally turned on and Duo appeared on the screen.
Quatre couldn?t help but feel guilty. Duo?s job was tiring and thus he was having the sleep of the just, before his call dragged him out of his bed. Or at least that was what it seemed, judging by the disheveled state of his friend?s hair. ?I'm afraid that my reason isn?t good enough to steal your sleep. I know how precious it is for you.? He apologized.
?Ah! Stop it, Q! I hope you didn?t call me at?? Duo turned his disconsolate gaze, searching for a clock. ??At two a.m. to tell me that I must sleep. I knew that even before, thank you.? He rubbed his sleepy eyes and stared back to the camera. ?Jeez! For Hell?s sake! But what the f?ehm?happened to you?? He blinked in surprise, pointing to the plastered shoulder.
Despite his reduced possibility of movements, Quatre mimed a shrug. ?Compound fracture of the shoulder blade and corresponding humerus-scapular luxation.? He stated, vaguely embarrassed.
Duo blew a whistle. ?Will you be long??
Quatre sadly nodded. ?The doctors said that I?ll heal perfectly, but before I can play my violin again, I?ll have to wait for some months.?
Duo grimaced. ?Man, I?m sorry. I guess you won?t come here onto Earth, then.?
Quatre nodded again. ?Actually this is why I called you. I had already arrived on Earth when this happened, but for obvious reasons I immediately came back here to L4 since I didn?t feel like??
Duo rose a hand to stop him. ?Wait, wait, wait?you were on Earth, you said?? He scratched his head, mistreating a ruffled lock until a wide grin, sly and mischievous, lit his gaze. He slapped a hand on his forehead. ?Dorothy! Of course! How couldn?t I think of it! Hey, don?t tell me that she is the one that crumbled you up like tat! Jeez! What did she get up this time? Did she push you down from a train? Or she tried to smash your head with an anvil, letting it fall from the fourth floor, and her aim was poor??
Quatre sighed in resignation. After all those years he still couldn?t always understand when Duo was playing a joke or talking seriously. What he was sure about was that after naming Dorothy Duo didn?t seem worried anymore. Quatre tried to explain. ?That wasn?t an attack. On the contrary??
?Ah! Gotcha!? Duo interrupted him again. ?Wait! Don?t tell it! Hell! I knew that some day it would come out! Yeah! The golden-boy is a sadomasochist stud! C?mon! I?m all ears! Now if you want to get rid of me, you?ll have to blurt out all the details in a row??
?Duo! That was an accident!? Quatre's face was purple. He counted unto three. ?And please, if by chance you felt in the mood to tell me what you were dreaming about before my call, don?t do it, okay??
?Hey, but who do you take me for, Q? I?m a good fellow!? Duo showed off a scandalized look for a cool second fraction. Then his natural insolence gained control over him again. ?I still have my sense of modesty, you know?? He impudently winked. ?But now tell me?How is she like??
?She?Who??
Duo threw up his hands exasperated. ?She?Who? Dorothy, of course!? When his friend answered with a blank stare, Duo watched him back as his friend just claimed that he saw an elephant tap dancing. ?Okay, you didn?t make a move. Fine. After all we all knew that you?re more of a gentlemen than me, but you kissed her, right??
Silence.
?Look, buddy. I?m really happy that this time you came back home standing on your feet, and it was nice to talk to you. Really. But now, if you don?t need to tell me anything else, I?d come back to that dream that you have been so nice to interrupt. Good night! Or whatever it is for you there.? He turned off the lights, grumbling something about being surrounded by Gundam pilots that needed a medical report to understand the difference between men and women.
?Duo!?
This time the voice of the former Deathscythe pilot emerged muffled. Quatre guessed that he probably hid his head under the pillow. ?Yeah??
?Before saying goodbye, I wanted to thank you.?
The light lit again the room. ?You?re welcome. But why?? This time Duo was really perplexed.
Quatre smiled in amusement. ?Well, for the apples, of course. They were delicious! And Rashid says hi.?
When Quatre disconnected the communication, Duo was still there, his jaw hanging as he gasped in disbelief. Quatre leaned against his chair and giggled. Poor Duo. He truly shocked him. And who knows what he would say if he told him the rest!
He opened a drawer of his desk and pulled out a small velvet box. He opened it for the hundredth time that day and the crystal light of the solitaire that it held smiled back to him. Only a perfect diamond like that could make Dorothy look brighter.
The inter-com on his desk crackled and the voice of his secretary announced the arrival of the new trustworthy member of his staff. ?Mister Winner, Miss Catalonia is here for that contract with the Iron Trans.?
?I?m coming, Mrs. Bates.?
?Yes, sir.?
Quatre hurried to close the small box and made it slip into his trench coat. Then he opened the doors of his office and personally invited Dorothy in.
?I hope I didn?t disturb you too much, asking to come here after hours.? He began, after a chivalrous kiss on her hand. ?But since it?s a delicate question, I didn?t want interruptions.? He took her overcoat and hung it near his one.
?Not at all. On the contrary, if you didn?t ask, I would.? Dorothy sat down on an armchair, crossing her elegant legs, perfectly at ease. ?The only problem is that I?ve nothing to report. Their agent called me because he couldn't finish to check all our notes to his?? She smiled with malice, ??clauses at the bottom of the page?, so I can?t do anything more than wait.?
Quatre smiled in return. ?Well. So, since they generously exonerated us from our daily overtime, we could have dinner together. I?d be glad to discuss with you about some relevant questions. A dinner could be the proper moment.?
Dorothy studied his expression for a moment. ?What?s this? Another ingenious compromise, mister Winner??
Remembering their old game, he decided to play along her rules. ?This time I?d offer a different definition, miss Catalonia. If I told you that this is a date, what would you say??
The woman couldn?t hide her amusement. ?I?d say that it?s an interesting definition, mister Winner.?
Quatre shrugged, as imposed his script. ?Is it a yes??
?It is.?
The young man nodded, smiled and stepped to the clothes' stand. He took Dorothy?s overcoat and, only using one arm, he helped her to wear it. The woman returned the favour, since his movements were made awkward by the plaster.
?Can we go?? He asked, offering her his arm. She nodded and let him lead her out of the room. Before leaving the building, Quatre approached his secretary's desk.
?We?re going, Mrs. Bates. Please, you go too. Tomorrow we?ll do what we couldn?t complete today.?
The woman raised her gaze from her screen. ?I?ll finish this mail that we must send before tomorrow and I'll leave too.?
Quatre nodded. ?Have a nice evening, Mrs. Bates.?
?You too, mister Winner. Miss Catalonia.? She said her goodbye with a nod and kept on typing on her keyboard with her typical serious stare. Then the note that she had near her computer remembered her of the message that she still had to deliver. ?Ah! Mister Winner!?
Quatre, that already was down the hallway, turned back.
?A mister from Earth called you a few minutes ago. He was a certain Tomislav Rastova?. He thanks you for the wonderful present and says that he?d be honoured if you launched the Jezera II on the fifteen of the current month.? Mrs. Bates shifted the glasses on her nose, looking at her boss up and down. ?I don?t know what?s he talking about, but he said you already knew everything and let me have his number.?
Quatre shared a look with Dorothy, searching for her approval, then he nodded back to his secretary. ?Please, call him back for me, Mrs. Bates, and tell him we will be happy to attend to the ceremony.?
?Consider it done, mister Winner.? The woman took note of her order and kept on typing her document.
As soon as the young couple left the office, she raised her gaze from the screen and pulled up the receiver of the inter-com. ?Mister Rashid? They just left?Yes, they?re alone?No that?s not a place of ill-fame of course?? She sighed. ?Look, I made the reservation in person and it?s one of the best restaurants of the colony, nobody will poison them?and all right, I?ll give you the address, but please, if you follow them, be tactful?this could be the good one!? She raised a thumb up and winked to Rashid. Through the screen, his stern look softened with a satisfied, happy smile.
THE END
?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?
that's just too funny 
I guess I would have believed a beat up Quatre
, I'd go mad with
I'm so happy that you had fun with it that I'm speechless! I'm just surprised that you guys liked this story that I don't know what to say except thank you!