[AU] There's No Place Like Home

[Midge-14]

<b>Title:</b> There's No Place Like Home
<b>Author:</b> Midge-14
<b>Warnings:</b> None
<b>Disclaimer:</b> I don?t own Gundam Wing or the 1939 Wizard of OZ film.

<b>Summary:</b> Faced with Brainless, Heartless, Cowardly farmhands and a sinister lady who wants to snatch her dog away, Relena is thrown into a world full of mystery, danger and witches. Now, she must protect her friends...and find a way to get home.

<b>Notes:</b> This is my first attempt at an AU fic like this. I've been greatly inspired by my favourite authors here at BI. The chapters are long so I've split them into two parts. This is also posted on fanfiction.net so I decided to post here. Give this a chance and I'd appreciate any thoughts.

<p align="center"><b>CHAPTER I ? Moving to Kansas</b></p>

<i>Part 1</i>

Golden fields stretched to the horizon and glittered in the sun. It looked mesmerising to Relena as she stared silently from her seat on the rickety cart. It bumped and bounced along the uneven road and Relena?s hands clutched tightly at whatever she could hold in fear that she might fall off. She felt unreal; there was so much space out here and no one could be seen for miles. It was so different to the city and yet so enchanting? <i>Maybe I will like living here</i>, she thought to herself

?It looks even more beautiful at sunset,? The low tone of the driver made her turn her head towards him. He was concentrating on the road ahead and navigating the horse that pulled the cart to avoid the particularly bad dips in the road. Relena looked over his jeans and shirt and once again felt out of place in her black town dress which covered all the way to her ankles and made her feel hot and bothered in the sun. She noted how his pale blond hair and blue eyes, the same as hers, seemed to fit with the yellow tones and clear blue sky of the landscape and she could only wish that she would fit in quite as well.

Relena had lived in the city with her mother and father. Her father, Mr Darlian, was a respectable man who had loved and cherished her like any man would his only daughter. She had known she had a brother too, even though she couldn?t remember him. When she had asked her parents, they simply said that he had left home when she was very little to make his own life in the big world. The last they heard of him, he had married and was moving to Kansas to start a farm with his wife.

Then her parents had died suddenly in an accident and she had been left all alone. To her surprise, her brother, whom she had never heard from before, sent her a letter telling her he would look after her. Being the only one she could turn to now, she left her beloved home with trepidation and boarded the train that would take her to Kansas. He had met her on the platform and had been kind, giving her a quick hug and delivering a comment about her having grown so much. Now she was sitting beside him on a cart heading to what, Relena hoped, would be her new home.

The ride had mostly been silent and Relena observed that her brother was a very quiet man. He had requested her to call him Zechs and not Milliardo as he had changed his name to leave behind the ties of his old life. When Relena had queried why he wanted to do that he quietly stated that the city life wasn?t for him and he wanted to leave it behind. Relena had wondered whether she would like the countryside as much as he.

Shortly, the cart pulled down a dirt track, away from the road, towards an old farm. There was a sturdy wooden farmhouse with a large barn nearby and white fences dotted around that housed the animals. As the cart drew up, the door of the house opened and a woman with black short hair that spiked low over her eye came running out to greet them. She wore a long dark blue dress with a white apron that billowed around her ankles in the breeze and gave her a perfect ?homely? image.

Zechs brought the cart to a halt and got off, helping Relena clamber down after him. The woman threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly, ?Welcome home!? Zechs gave her an affectionate pat and smiled faintly. The woman then turned abruptly to Relena and surveyed her closely, making the young girl nervous, before breaking into a warm smile and hugging her tightly too.

?Aren?t you a pretty thing,? She said in a gentle voice. ?My name is Noin and I?m glad to welcome you to our home. Now first things first,? She fussed, ?We must get you inside and cleaned up. You must be so hot in those clothes.? She eyed Relena?s dress with amusement.

Relena nodded, ?Thank you,? She said and followed Noin into the house tugging her small suitcase after her and refusing politely to let Noin carry it. Zechs stood with his hands in his pockets and gave Relena one last reassuring smile before she entered the house. It was brief, but it comforted Relena a whole lot.

Noin led her up to the loft and opened the door. The room was small but the perfect size for her. It had a bed, dresser and a wardrobe. There was a large window overlooking the farm and the fields beyond. Noin opened the wardrobe and gestured at the dresses inside. ?I know you brought your own clothes Relena but I think they might not suit out here so I got you some dresses made.? She brushed her fingers along them, ?It?s okay if you don?t like them or don?t want to wear them, I?ll understand.? Her violet eyes widened as Relena suddenly hugged her. ?Thank you,? the girl said breathlessly, ?I was really scared but you?re nice and are already doing so much for me.?

Noin patted Relena on the back, ?You?ll settle in all right Relena. Now get yourself ready and come down to dinner. We?ve still got to introduce you to the boys.?

<i>The boys?</i> Relena wondered as the door closed behind her. <i>There were more people to meet? </i>She cleaned up and dressed in a pretty light green dress with a matching ribbon for her honey coloured hair before venturing slowly downstairs. In the kitchen, Zechs was sitting at the table while Noin was still setting the plates down. Their faces lit up when they saw her in the doorway.

?Aren?t you a pretty picture?? Noin exclaimed and fussed over her, primping her dress and straightening her hair. ?Zechs go and call the boys in would you, dinner?s ready.? Zechs nodded, rose from the chair and opened the door.

?GET YOUR LAZY BEHINDS IN HERE, DINNER?S READY!? He yelled making Relena flinch. Noin laughed at her, ?Zechs works his farmhands really hard and he doesn?t let up on them one bit,? She explained.

Three young men, dressed in a similar manner to Zechs, bustled into the kitchen nearly falling over each other. As soon as they saw their boss standing with his hands on his hips they stood to attention in a line with their hands by their sides. Zechs paced forwards and backwards, inspecting them.

?Zechs will you stop treating them like disobedient children and introduce them to Relena!? Noin called with a frown and the three men turned their attention to Relena, making her embarrassed. She unconsciously straightened her dress.

?Boys, this is my sister Relena. She?s staying with us from now on so you?d better treat her right.? His blue eyes roved over them in a threatening manner that said they?d <i>really</i> better treat her right. Relena walked forward and curtsied. Zechs harrumphed in a way that indicated the men weren?t worthy of such a gesture.

?Relena, I?d like you to meet our farmhands, Wufei, Duo and Heero.?

Wufei had black hair tied back and dark eyes that avoided looking at her. He seemed uneasy and didn?t even respond when she smiled lightly and said hello. Duo was a different story; he was full of laughter and said he was pleased to meet her. Upon seeing her smile in response he exclaimed that she looked like a princess and asked if he could call her as much. Relena blushed and said it was okay before turning to the man next to him.

Heero was tall and lean with a finely sculpted and muscled body. Relena felt her heart fall into her stomach as he levelled his Prussian blue eyes into her own sky blue ones. He was blank and expressionless and she couldn?t sense anything from him. He gave her a nod before brushing past her and sitting down at the table. The other two followed his example.

Relena stood there uncertainly, ?Pleased to meet you all,? She said quietly to herself though she couldn?t help feeling a little let down and rejected. Noin?s voice calling her to the table brought her out of her thoughts and she joined them for dinner.

That night, in her room, Relena stared out of the window and was lost in the calm and quiet. The sound of crickets chirping and the hum of the night was soothing compared to the buzz and bustle of cars and crowds that she had become used to in the city. She felt a pang in her heart as she remembered staring out of the window in her bedroom back there and she bit back her tears. She missed her home even more now she was in a strange new place. But she would be strong and she would make this her new home by integrating herself with life here. She promised to make herself useful around the farm so she would feel like she belonged. With that thought, she curled up in bed and went to sleep.

<p align="center">~~+~~</p>

The next morning, Noin was bustling around in the kitchen when Relena walked in looking fresh and excited. Noin raised her eyebrows with her hands and arms still buried in the sink. ?Relena, what?s wrong??

?I woke up early so I could help out,? Relena said enthusiastically and Noin?s eyebrows rose even higher. Relena looked around, ?Where?s my brother??

?Relena I don?t?? Noin started but something in the girl?s expression had her stopping. She shook her head and smiled, ?He?s out in the barn dear.? Relena thanked her and went rushing out the door to find him. Noin shook her head and smiled, wondering whether Relena knew how much her brother loved her. Zechs had always told her stories about when they were children and how, when he made the decision to leave the city, Relena had been the only thing he missed. He considered her an angel and wanted to look after her like the fragile doll he almost believed she was. Now Noin could see that she was in fact a strong and determined girl, but would Zechs see it too?

Relena entered the barn and found Zechs preparing the food for the horse. He looked surprised to see her and immediately came over in concern. ?Relena, what is it??

She shook her head to indicate nothing was wrong, ?Are there any chores for me to do brother??

Zechs looked at her in shock. ?Relena,? He said gently, ?You shouldn?t be thinking about doing chores. Why don?t you go for a walk among the fields or maybe Noin can take you into town.?

Relena was disappointed; she didn?t want to be treated like some sort of guest. ?But I want to help,? She said sadly, ?I feel like helping.? Zechs took hold of her shoulders and gently pushed her towards the door, ?Don?t be silly, you don?t need to help out at all. Be a good girl and enjoy yourself.? Relena found herself outside the barn and when she turned back, Zechs was back to tending the horse. She sighed and stalked off muttering, ?I?m not a child.?

With her brother being so adamant, Relena decided to find the farmhands and see whether they needed any help. After scouting around for a bit, she found Wufei feeding the pigs. She smiled at him but he didn?t respond, concentrating on his task with more fervour. <i>Maybe he?s annoyed at having to do this</i>, she thought and went over to help him. The buckets of food Wufei was pouring into the troughs were heavy but she managed to pick one up and made her way over to the trough when Wufei appeared beside her suddenly and grabbed it from her. Startled, she stared at him as he poured it in effortlessly and walked off. ?Wait!? She called and raced after him. ?Did I do something wrong? I only wanted to help? Maybe there?s something I could do??

Wufei turned and glared at her. ?I don?t need help from a woman,? He said shortly and stalked off leaving her standing.

She stood there confused at his reaction when out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Duo come into view as he scattered seeds in the chicken pen. All thoughts of Wufei forgotten, she went over and said hello.

?Hiya princess! You?re up bright and early this mornin?? Duo tipped his straw hat at her.

This time she asked politely if she could help. Duo looked completely lost at her request and stared at her like he didn?t know what she was.

?You wanna help? That?s a new one. If I were you I?d be running around and playing till sunset.?

?I don?t want to run around and play, I want to help,? She said stubbornly. Duo chuckled.

?You?re a strange one aren?t you? Well?I don?t really know?I shouldn?t??

?Please??

Duo looked like he was about to give in when Zechs came stalking up to them. ?Maxwell!? He roared and Duo jumped up and tried to hide behind Relena. Zechs pulled him out from behind her without hesitation and shook him. ?How many times have I told you Maxwell to shut the gate!? The sheep are all running amok in the fields now!?

?Sorr..sorry!? Duo stammered but Zechs just slapped his head in frustration. ?You are a complete dimwit! Kindly remove yourself and go gather them all. I?ll finish here with the chickens.? Duo was let down and he rushed off faster than Relena could blink. She turned to see Zechs staring at her as he picked up the bag of feed and began scattering the seeds. ?What are you doing here Relena? I thought I told you to go with Noin or something.?

Relena looked at him hurt and he regretted his words. Before he could apologise, her expression hardened and she turned away from him angrily and stalked out of sight. Zechs looked after her for a moment before shaking his head and turning his thoughts to the chickens.

Relena walked long and hard away from the farm and into the vast fields. She took shelter in the shade of a nearby tree. She leaned against the gnarled trunk and sighed. A short little bark alerted her and she stood and looked around her. There was nothing that she could see but another little bark brought her up short. On instinct, she looked up and sure enough, there was a little dark brown dog sitting high up on a branch looking at her.

?How did you get up there?? She wondered aloud and, as if answering her question, the dog gave a series of short sharp barks. Relena laughed, ?How cute! Are you stuck? I?ll get you down? She announced grandly and started to climb up. The boughs were sturdy but far apart and yet somehow Relena found herself pulling up to the branch where the little dog waited and took him into her arms. He barked and looked up at her with solemn eyes that almost seemed green in the sunlight. He was a Cairn terrier with straggly fur and a large brown tuft of it hung low over one of his eyes. He seemed to be analysing her as much as she was analysing him and after a short silence, he barked and licked her tenderly.

Relena giggled and her heart felt lighter and happier holding him in her arms. She stroked his fur and he gave a whine of contentment and settled down against her. ?What shall we call you then?? She asked and the dog lifted his head and perked its ears up. It rubbed its paw against her and Relena had the weird feeling that he was trying to tell her something.

?Are you trying to tell me your name?? She guessed and the dog seemed excited by her reply so she took that to mean she was right. ?All right, what is it??

?Ruff ruff!? The dog barked

Relena frowned, ?Nope you?ll have to do better than that.?

?Rawaruff? The dog tried again but Relena shook her head.

?Rowafff? The dog said desperately but Relena just laughed and tickled him behind the ear causing him to whine in pleasure. ?You?re such a cute little thing. I?m going to call you Toto. Do you think Mil?I mean Zechs will let me keep you??

The dog just looked at her with its big eyes and said nothing. Relena sighed and hugged him close. He seemed to sense her sadness and licked her all over her face till she laughed again. She didn?t realise that her laughter had carried and someone had paused what they were doing to come over and investigate. A figure stood at the base of the tree, staring up at her with a strange look in his eyes.

?What are you doing?? Said a voice gruffly and Relena was so startled that she lost her balance and tumbled. She clutched Toto to her protectively as the air rushed past her and the ground raced to meet her.

?Oof!? Came a deep sound as she landed against something firm and knocked it to the ground with her. Her breath flew out of her lungs and she hit her head hard in the fall. She felt out of sorts and disoriented but when Toto wriggled under her, she was worried that she had hurt him and sat up in concern. Thankfully, he seemed fine as he jumped out of her arms onto the grass but when Relena looked to see what had broken her fall, her cheeks flushed red.

<p align="center"><b>TBC</b></p>

I always post the character equivalents after just in case:

Relena = Dorothy

Heero, Duo, Wufei = farmhands

Zechs and Noin = Uncle Henry and Aunt Em

There's another one but I like to leave it and see if anybody spots it for themselves.

What do you think?

[lilac310]

haha..this is interesting....I'd definitely like to see your own take on this classic story...

..but let me get this straight..So, Heero would obviously be the Tin Man 'cz he's "heartless" ...Duo seems to fit the bill for "brainless" and Wufei as the "coward"? ...it doesn't seem to fit in as well as the other two but I guess it should work...there's really no other Gundam pilots to put in the slot...although, Quatre's meekness might be twisted a bit and be used as an equivalent for cowardice...

AnyHOO, I love the intro..keep going! I wonder how you'll sneak in the romance...

[Midge-14]

...and Wufei as the "coward"? ...it doesn't seem to fit in as well as the other two but I guess it should work...there's really no other Gundam pilots to put in the slot...although, Quatre's meekness might be twisted a bit and be used as an equivalent for cowardice...

Ah yes but there are other plans for Quatre

I know using Wufei in that role will be hard but I love a challenge and it's more different this way.

Thanks so much!