Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Counting the Seconds ❯ Chapter Three ( Chapter 3 )

From The Desk Of Scilja

Whoo! <fans herself> What's with the steam? I didn't order fake smoke! Now that you have insight of what SORT OF happened between the famed couple, I hope that filled in some gaps for ya. I know, extreme past, huh? That was the part I practically slaved over for quite a while. I may be a pathetic psychic, but I know that to some, it left many blanks yet to be solved. I will tell ya now, FEAR NOT! I stress that, all will be revealed in due time! I promise! <holds lucky sign> Gradually, the story will spew out missing facts here and there. Your job? To be there to catch it when it does! All in all, hang in there! You won't be disappointed. <wink>

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DISCLAIMER: <rings bell> Hear ye! Hear ye! I have no claim on Gundam Wing whatsoever! I am pocket less! Hear ye! Hear ye!

Counting the Seconds

By Scilja

Chapter 3

The shuffling of feet echoing through the carpeted hallways and the chatter amongst coworkers were always common noises to be heard in Dreask. Relena walked down the spacious corridor leading to her office while shifting through some documents before her. She greeted and returned respects for her fellow staff as she passed by them.

"So, how's our sunshine today?"

"Morning, Arlene," she addressed her secretary and smiled. "We'll see if this sun is able to shine without any clouds bothering it. So, make my day. What's the agenda?" She leaned her hip against the side of the woman's desk, indicating she was listening even if her view was focused at the papers in her hands.

The middle-aged woman held up a notepad with several scribbles across the lines and started, "You've got to call Lynra, they want to ask you about the finalizations for their commercial."

Relena looked up at her questioningly for a brief moment, "I thought they had it clear straight through to Alaska." She adored Arlene because she was sweet to the core, and always happy-go-lucky. Arlene was a good listener and a fast worker for her age. Not only that, she could make the best homemade cookies.

"Looks like you're gonna have to get through their heads again. There are also some files for you to look through and sign which I placed on your desk. They're just the usual forms, nothing big."

"Isn't it always?" Relena sighed and laughed.

Arlene lifted her head from the computer screen and tapped against the keyboard significantly, "You know sweetheart, no-one is going to stop you from having a vacation. Heaven knows that you really deserve one." She swiveled around her chair to grab a folder, never taking her eyes off Relena. "You've been working your butt off like a 50 year old driven lunatic. Live your age, honey. It's not a sin to unwind."

A sound of near objection resounded from the blonde's throat, "I know, Lene. You don't know how much I know. I'll do it eventually. Don't worry; I'll give myself a break, just not now." Relena shifted away from the desk and started walking towards the doors of her cubicle, "That all?" Her hand rested against the doorknob, turning slowly, awaiting continuation from her escritoire.

"Oh, and Ms. Schbei―"

"REL!"

A scream escaped from Relena's throat as papers flew in array when she was taken by surprise from Hilde's sudden outburst. Arlene peered into Relena's office and saw her supervisor sway from being startled before sending malevolent looks at the other woman who was presently on the floor, curled up in hilarity. She kept her hand close to the phone in case of emergency, fearing that the lady was close to being short out of breath from the doubled laughter.

"HILDE! What is the deal with scaring my whole life out of me?" Relena managed to say above the noise level of her amused friend.

Hilde clutched against the doorpost in near painful mirth and slowly climbed up against it to stand. "It was too tempting! I would be utterly dense to pass up a chance like that. My god! The look on your face..." She dissolved into laughter once again.

After collecting the fallen papers, Relena lightheartedly prodded her friend in the side before sauntering over to her desk and negligently added them to the rest of the pile. She turned around, supported her weight on both of her hands against the writing table's surface, and emitted a worn out breath past her lips which tickled some fallen bangs.

"Aww," teased Hilde after shutting the door. "Somebody's getting pooped out," she said in a sing-song voice as she ambled next to the vice president and sat into a nearby divan.

Relena's office was where the two would usually meet to converse. It was cozy, and chic furniture bejeweled the area. A stylish coffee table complete with comfortable couches and settees made their place in the centre for talk. A wide window was located at the end of the room for a scene of the city's square garden. 'Relena was always a sucker for nature', Hilde noted looking out the glass. Then to the side wall, was her work area. 'Sanctuary to hell,' as Hilde pointed out. 'Girl spends too many eras there.'

"You know, Lene's right," the dark-haired woman added as she made herself into a snug position on the couch. "Now I'm not the only one who thinks so. I have back-up, which makes it more official. You need a holiday." Her voice stressed the last few words.

"It's not that simple Hil, there are loads of things I have to get done here and they are counting on me to. You don't expect me to simply hop on a plane and flee to the ends of the earth." She argued whilst she headed over to the small fridge to get hold of refreshments.

Hilde caught the soda thrown her way, "If it comes to that, why not?" She grinned through her drink.

There was a sound of an opening can as Relena took the seat next to her. "I'll keep that in mind," she replied sardonically.

She was about to take a sip when her intercom beeped, indicating a call either from her secretary or other staff members. Pressing the button on the machine, Relena bent to speak, "Darlian here."

"Relena, how is your heart? Is it still stable from Ms. Hilde's attack?" She could sense the smile behind those words.

"Barely, Arlene, but it will do for now. Is there something you need?"

"More like from Chaucer. He wants you at his office as soon as possible, and he says to bring Ms. Hilde with you." At the corner of her eye, the golden-haired lady saw an inquiring expression emerge from Hilde.

"Tell him we'll be right there," she answered back. "Thanks, Lene."

With that, she shut off the intercom and took a swig from her beverage before turning to Hilde, "Let's go."

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"…so you see gentlemen, I assure you we can offer the best there is to it!" The volume of Chaucer Dreask's voice increased as both Relena and Hilde approached the entrance to his bureau. They took note that a transaction was taking place and prepared themselves for occupational tones and postures.

"The Vice-president as well as the Executive Coordinator should be here any minute now…" were the preceding words that came out of Chaucer's mouth before they had entered the office. "…and here they are!"

"Good afternoon," Relena flashed a smile to whomever she was being introduced to, but the corners of her lips lifted even more when she finally got a clear glimpse of who it really was.

"Duo!" She turned to watch Hilde's face brighten upon the sight of the braided man and ran up to him, placing a peck on his cheek.

After returning the most welcomed greeting, Duo looked over Hilde's shoulder, "Rel! Hey princess! Good to see ya again!" Relena engulfed him in a friendly embrace and laughed, "You and me both, pal."

Their acquaintances were interrupted when Chaucer exclaimed to the scene, "Well, well! What a surprise, you all know each other already!" He scratched his head in bewilderment. "They weren't kidding when they said it was a small world."

"Man," Duo looked back and forth between Relena and Hilde, "this is gonna be one sweet deal."

"I believe it makes it a great advantage that you are all acquainted, Mr. Maxwell," Chaucer nodded his head in agreement. "Ladies," he directed to Duo, "Meet Mr. Duo Maxwell, Executive Marketing Producer of ZW Enterprises..."

A sly grin shaped against Hilde's lips, "We already knew that, Chaucer." She glanced at Duo, who was still looking as cunning as before.

He then stretched out an arm, aiming behind the marketing producer and continued, "…And this is Mr. Heero Yuy, CEO of ZW Enterprises."

At the sound of his name, Relena whipped her head towards the figure that had suddenly appeared next to Duo's side. 'Oh. My. God. Did he just say Heero Yuy? CEO?'

Sure enough, there he was, right in front of her, looking as confident as ever in a green shirt, with the sleeves rolled up and black pants completing the ensemble. Heero was looking straight at her with those ever mystifying eyes of his, "We meet again, Ms. Darlian."

Her supervisor was once again flabbergasted, "You've met before as well?" He ran a hand behind his head in sheer bewilderment and incredulity. "Will wonders ever cease?"

He looked over the whole group and crossed his arms, "Enlighten me, how are you all familiar with one another?"

Hilde stifled a laugh, "I met Duo when I was on the road and my car broke down. He saved me big bucks from sending it to an auto shop. Then we just started seeing each other from then on." Chaucer saw a sheepish grin appear on the mentioned male's face.

Relena browsed through her head on how she would put to words her and Heero's first meeting. Her mouth was ready to form the words until he stepped forward, "I am familiar with Ms. Darlian when we spent dinner with Hilde and Duo a few nights ago." Once again, she was rendered speechless at his actions. 'If he keeps screwing with my head like that, it would be no surprise if I went mentally insane.'

"It is a pleasure to have met your staff, Mr. Dreask," Heero said as he gathered his jacket from a near-by chair. "We will be looking forward to our next encounter. Thank you for having us here."

The men shook hands and bid farewell to the women before they departed from the building. Shivers tickled down Relena's spine as Heero took one last glimpse at her before turning to leave. 'Would anybody come forth and tell me what that was all about?'

With only three of them in the room, Chaucer held up his hands, demanding for attention towards him, "Now, now, this is more of an advantage for all of us. The business atmosphere would most definitely be more lighthearted, and I think that's what we all need right now, don't you?" Receiving faint concurrences from three, he then continued, "Before I get any further, why don't we all take a seat?" He motioned towards the several settees in the room.

Once all were seated, the CEO of Dreask cleared his throat, "ZW Enterprises has taken up with us to create a new commercial for the opening of their new hotels."

Realization struck the VP as she recalled the other night's discussion at the Rijoné,

//"The current arrangement is the process of opening the new franchises to the public," Heero explained as they ate. "Locations have been set in several countries around the world and everything is in its place."

"Now all we need is to start off with a big bang," Duo finished for him. //

Conclusion snapped in her mind, causing her heart to beat wildly. 'That means…'

"Relena, Hilde," Chaucer folded his hands on the desk's surface, "I have appointed both of you to be the official directors of this project. It is upon request that you both will be going to one of their inns along with them and perform any research necessary to aid you in your assignment." He stood up and placed his hands in his pockets before unconsciously leaning against the wall in a lecturing fashion, "I apologize for the abrupt news, but this came up out of the blue for me as well."

His expression became firm, "As you both know, ZW is known world-wide for its high reputation in many known areas, and it would most definitely bring benefits to us if we give our best efforts for them."

Hilde propped her elbows on the armrests of the couch, "We wouldn't let you down, Chaucer, and you know you can count on us. Besides, this isn't the first time something like this popped up; you could say we're pretty much used to it now."

She received both a laugh from her blonde friend and her boss for that statement, "I guess I have been a little demanding, haven't I?"

"Hey, it's our job Chaucer, so don't fret about it," stretching languidly in her place, Relena added, "It's not too much, it's fine with me."

"I'm pleased with your reactions," laugh wrinkles appeared along the face of the elder. Relena and Hilde did not think of it all as a business trip, but a favor for a good friend. That was all the more reason to love their work.

Relena sent a perplexed arch of her brow to the older man, "If you don't mind me asking, what ever happened to the former CEO of ZW Enterprises?"

"He filed for retirement a couple of months ago," Chaucer answered for her, "Heero was his great-grandson, not to mention the president of the company at that time as well. And so being his relative, he got bumped up and inherited the shares of the company just like that."

She was inwardly annoyed with herself for not updating with organizations and their recent holders.

He then plopped back into his seat and gleamed hope in those grey pools of his, "So, how about it, I'll be sending you to Hawaii then?"

The two women jumped in their seats, eyes wide with disbelief, "HAWAII?"

"Why, yes!" Chaucer winked. "Did I forget to mention that one of their hotels is located there, and it is where you will be staying for a while?"

Hilde froze with sheer delight from her seat, "Are you saying that we're getting an early vacation?"

He laughed, "If you want to put it that way."

Relena breathed calmly, absorbing the summarized information. She didn't know whether to be ecstatic that she would spend "Aloha Oe" with her best friend, or aggravated that the man whom she would ever come near of a millimeter to would be closer than ever.

This was going to be one hell of a trip.

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Heero walked out of the Dreask building with a scowl on his face. 'She worked there! All this time!' Passersby who noticed the irate figure inched away in fear, allowing him to pass through freely.

True, when they were together before, they rarely spoke about their careers. He sighed to himself as he recounted the night when they were at the restaurant; the night his heart had grew wings of hope and revived from its long dormant state. The dress she was in took his breath away and couldn't help but notice that she had matured in the right places. His jaw had unconsciously clenched several times that night, knowing that he wasn't the only one who noticed the golden beauty in front of him. When she had left during their dance, he thought the world had closed around him and his soul separated from his body. In desperation, he wanted to reach out for her and stop her from leaving, but he couldn't. What would he say? What could he do? It had been two years. 'Dammit, Relena.'

Heero ran his fingers through his hair, determination replaced the glint in his eyes. 'We have a lot to sort out Relena, and this time I won't let you get away.'

His comrade took note that Heero was not in a good mood, and kept his arm at bay, or in his case, his mouth. Duo had seen the flitting emotions that scurried on his friend's face, and knew Heero was not one to mess when he was in a state like that. He also knew that whatever it was, he prayed that it didn't involve the death of him.

"Duo!" he barked, "Why didn't you say that Relena worked with Hilde at Dreask?" Angry sparks shot out of his eyes, directed towards the nervous man.

"Hey!" Duo replied defensively, "I was pretty sure that you would have known and didn't need to be told." He enfolded his arms behind his head, and peered at the enraged man, "Besides, what's it to 'ya?"

At that question, Heero slowed down his pace and his features slackened. 'Yosh! Should I have not said that?,' Duo slanted his head to look at the ZW's CEO, it had always been hard to decipher Heero's expression.

"It's a lot to me, Duo, more than you'll ever know."

TBC…