Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Duo's Dilemma ❯ Chapter 2
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Avonnalay-Ariemay 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Police / Drama / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 08.24.2004 | Updated On: 08.24.2004 | Pages: 6 | Words: 7.7K | Visits: 298 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Police / Drama / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 08.24.2004 | Updated On: 08.24.2004 | Pages: 6 | Words: 7.7K | Visits: 298 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer - It's not mine. Never was. The only thing I own are the new characters that are about to be introduced into the story this chapter.
A/N - I'm so glad that this story seems to appeal to at least a few people. Lots of thanks to everyone who reviewed. The comments have helped a great deal.
Special thanks to:
Ally127 - I'm glad you like it. And thanks for the review. It's much appreciated.
Ryla- Looking forward to hearing from you later. Hope you enjoy.
Anime Gal4- Well, long time no see! J I'm glad to see that you're reading another of my stories. It is really refreshing knowing that you are taking a chance on another of my attempts at a story. Anyhow, I plan on a few more fluff moments for Heero and Relena. I still don't think my attempts at fluff are very good…but I'll try my best. As for your idea on Heero taking him out for a while, I'm actually going to use that in the story. I've already got it worked into the plot! I'm glad you mentioned it. Hope you like the new chapter. Thanks again. J
IMPORTANT! A WEEK HAS PASSED SINCE THE LAST CHAPTER!!
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Duo's Dilemma
Chapter 2
The flight to the States was quite peaceful and relaxing for all the occupants of the plane. Heero had relented to Relena's pleading and allowed Duo to accompany the Vice Foreign Minister of Affairs to the Peace Summit meetings, which seemed to pull the young man out of the slump he had been in, at least temporarily. Une had threatened him to within an inch of his life if anything happened to Relena, and Duo seemed to take it to heart. Heero, ever the precautious one when Relena was concerned, also assigned Wufei Chang to the security detail. Wufei, who had recently been at ends with his own better half -also known as Sally Po- was ready to leave headquarters for a while, and held no argument with Heero about the appointment.
After the plane had leveled in the sky after take-off, Relena immersed herself in a large amount of paperwork she had brought with her. Meanwhile, her bodyguards for the trip had pulled the files on the host family they would be staying with for the duration of the meeting. Heero had just gotten the files before taking off, and had not had a chance to go over them and find out more about the Senator and his family. He pulled out the four folders from his laptop case and handed one to each of the other men present.
"What have we got?" Duo asked, stretching out in a chair as he took the folders proffered from his partner's hands. The name across the top read
Belladonna Saucier.
"Read and find out." Heero said simply. "I just got the files before we left." The other two men nodded and began flipping through the information present in the folders. After a few minutes, they finished and looked back at one another.
"So," Duo asked again. "What have we got?"
"Covington's got two kids and a wife." Heero said, passing the folder he had to Wufei and Duo to look at. "He's a staunch supporter of the colonies' right to self govern, and has been working with colony delegates since the end of the war to improve relations. Seems clean enough. "
"His youngest kid is Marguerite Covington." Duo said, handing his partner the folder he had read over. "Age: 21. She's a public speaker, and the Public Rally Organizer for her pops. She's got a house not far away from her pop's plantation home."
"How clean is her record?" Heero asked.
"Kind of sketchy." Duo muttered. "She was recently subpoenaed by the State Court of Louisiana to appear on trial for possibility that she knew about on embezzlement scandal going on in the city's higher official positions. Apparently, she was cleared of any and all charges and set free. She's been suspected of having some underground dealings with some other shady political figures before that, but nothing has ever come to it. She's always managed to keep a relatively clean rep, though." Heero nodded and looked towards Wufei for his input.
"His wife is a political adviser to the Senate chairman." Wufei said. "Nothing out of the ordinary concerning her. She stays at home most of the time while the Senate is not in session and runs a small plant nursery on the side."
"And his other daughter?" Heero asked. "The oldest one."
"Belladonna Saucier." Duo said, opening the folder and handing it to his superior. "Seems like a busy little lady. She's the owner and CEO of Saucier Corporation, the company responsible for most of the space mining done around the colonies and in deep space. The company is also responsible for the shipping and refining of the materials mined from asteroids and natural resource satellites. It recently got a grant from the U.S. government to start researching the properties and uses of the metalloids minded from the X1-324 sector.
Apparently, she's the illegitimate child of Covington and a woman by the name of Cynthia Saucier that worked for the Alliance right before the war broke out. She stayed with her mom up until about six years ago, when the woman was killed. Covington took her in after that and raised her.
She eventually moved out and has a residence on the outskirts of New Orleans, as well as one on the main colony of L-2. She changed her name back to her mother's maiden name during the war. Her rep's clean."
Heero looked at the folder and frowned. He knew that name from somewhere. He flipped through the pages and pages of information that detailed the goings and comings of the woman's thriving company. Seemed like she was a supporter of the colonies' rights to self govern, just like her father. But he also immediately noticed that the eldest Covington daughter had more ties to space and the colonies than the rest of her family.
One of the papers in the folder was a list of the charity foundations the company donated to. Most of them were listed as orphanages on the colonies that had taken in children orphaned during the war. It seemed like she had a particular attachment to the Benelli orphanage on the main colony of L-2. He stopped on the page and read the contents, finally finding out why her name sounded somewhat familiar.
"She went to St. Gabriel's before the war." he said, seeing a picture of a smirking, short haired fifteen year old girl in front of the St. Gabriel's school. "Maybe Relena knows her."
"Worth a shot to ask." Duo said lazily, looking over his shoulder to where Relena was immersed in her work. "Hey, Princess! Come here for a sec!" Relena looked back at the Preventors and nodded, putting her paperwork down and going to the back of the plane.
"Yes, Duo?" she asked.
"One of Covington's daughters went to St. Gabriel's. A chick named Belladonna Saucier. Ring any bells?"
"There was a girl named Bella Covington, come to think of it." Relena answered. "But her last name wasn't Saucier."
"This woman look familiar?" Heero asked, passing Relena the folder containing the pictures and information on the young CEO. Relena took one look at the picture and smiled, recognizing her old friend immediately.
"That's her alright." the Vice Foreign Minister said. "I'd know her anywhere. We were friends when I went to St. Gabriel's. But, I didn't know Senator Covington was her father. She told me that her mother worked with the Alliance, but she very seldom had contact with her father, or so I thought. I lost contact with her when the war started and I was pulled out of St. Gabriel's."
"She changed her name during the war." Wufei said stoically. "While she was in school, she took her father's name. But she apparently reverted to her mother's maiden name when her mother was killed during the war."
"Is she going to be at the Peace Summit?" Relena asked. "It will be good to see her again."
"She's supposed to be speaking on the trade and harbor agreements." Heero said, checking the official schedule he had been sent by the U.S. Preventors branch that was ensuring the safety of the dignitaries on their way to the discussions. "You are likely to run into her at some point in time." Relena only nodded and smiled.
"That's good. Bella was always the one who kept things lively at school." she said. "I know she stayed in trouble with the teachers more than any of the rest of us girls. She was a good student though, especially in the science and math areas. Although her smart mouth did wind up landing her in detention often enough." Relena chuckled at the memory of the antics of the young girl. "Anything else you need?"
"No. That's it." Heero said. "You can go back to your work now."
"It's alright." Relena said. "Bother me anytime you need to." The young woman stood from her position and walked back to her seat in the front of the plane.
"It seems like the family members have a relatively clean background." Wufei commented. "What about security measures once we get there?"
"The house Covington lives in is extensive." Heero said, pulling up a set of floor plans for the large house. "It is an old two story plantation house, built long before the colonies were ever thought about. There is a cellar and an attic, which totals four different levels all together. There is a number of smaller buildings near the main house. All of them have been refurbished and refinished, but they still cover a large area."
"The surrounding area is varied." Wufei muttered, looking at the house plans and the surrounding terrain. "There is a swamp to the west of the house, a river to the north, and a forest to the east."
"The only road is the highway, which runs in front of it." Duo said. "What a place to have a house."
"Covington and his family won't have Preventors at their house because Relena brought us along." Heero said, going into leader mode. "There are four different entrances into the house………."
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By the time Relena's plane landed in the New Orleans airport the next morning, the occupants were suffering from a bad case of jetlag. The private landing strip was not very busy in the Saturday morning sunlight, and the Preventors immediately noticed that there was a limo waiting at the end of the airstrip for them. When they were all out of the plane, a young man came forward and shook hands with Relena.
"Mr. Covington and his daughter are waiting on you, Vice Foreign Minister Dorlian." he said. "We'll bring your bags and belongings to the limo as soon as we get them unloaded." Relena thanked the young man and walked next to the Preventors. The limo, which had apparently been waiting for their arrival, started up and drove towards them.
When the black car stopped, a man in his early forties stepped out, followed by a young woman in her early twenties. The three Preventors immediately recognized them as Senator Kenneth Covington and his youngest daughter, Marguerite. The man smiled at Relena and walked around the car towards them, his graying-black hair being tossed by the wind on the airstrip. He was dressed in black slacks and a gray button down shirt. Even though it was early in the morning, he seemed to be full of energy and life.
The young woman was at his side, and followed him. She seemed a little more reserved, and formal. Dressed in a pair of white pants and a blue blouse, she seemed to exude class and manners. Her black hair was gathered up in a bun at the nape of her neck, and her brown eyes looked over the newcomers warily. She pasted a smile on her face and waited to be introduced to the newcomers as her father welcomed them.
"Vice Foreign Minister Dorlian," he said warmly. "It is good to see you again. I hope your flight was well."
"It is good to see you as well, Senator Covington. But please, just call me Relena." Relena said, shaking hands with the man. "I trust your family is well?"
"Please, call me Kenneth, then." he chuckled. "And yes, the family is well. In fact, this is my daughter Marguerite. She decided to come with me to get you all this morning."
"How do you do?" Marguerite said, shaking hands with Relena. "I've heard a great deal about you, Ms. Dorlian."
"And I of you." Relena said politely. "Kenneth, Ms. Covington, these are the Preventors who will be staying with me the duration of the Summit meetings." Relena gestured to each of them in turn and smiled. "Duo Maxwell, Wufei Chang, and Heero Yuy. Three of the headquarters' best men."
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you." Marguerite said, smiling at the three green clad men. "I hope you like it here."
"Likewise, Ms. Covington." Heero said monotonously.
"Well, let's get going." Senator Covington said. "I'm sure you guys would like to get some sleep. Jetlag is the one part of traveling I hate the most."
"Have all of Ms. Dorlian's and the Preventor's belongings been transferred to the limo?" Marguerite asked one of the attendants coming out of the plane.
"Yes, Ms. Covington." he said. "They're ready to go."
"Thank you." she said, turning back to them. "We're ready to go when you are."
"Let's go then." the older man said. "No point in waiting around. Rita's supposed to have breakfast ready for us when we get back. Then, you guys can get some sleep if you need to." He opened the door and allowed Relena and his daughter to enter before climbing in as well. Heero, Duo, and Wufei climbed in the other side and situated themselves on each side of Relena.
"Mother has set up some guestrooms for you." Marguerite said as they shut the doors. "I'll show them to you when we get there."
"That is very kind of you." Relena said. "Thank you."
"Don't worry about it, Relena." Senator Covington said. "We love having company. It's the least we could do for you and the Preventors. Everyone needs a good place to sleep and relax."
"And I'm afraid with the way the meetings are headed, we're all going to need a place to relax." Marguerite said. "We've got most of the delegates going against the ideas you and father, as well as some of the others, are proposing. These meetings are going to be harsh."
"I know we are going to be going against some opposition." Relena said. "But we have a number of influential people on our side."
"Yes, I know." the older man replied. "Michael Cole, the Head of Cloverleaf Industries is going along with us concerning the increase in the mining of the natural resource satellites, as well as the harbor and trade agreements. He is also the acting Harbor Coordinator for the majority of the colony ports. His backing is crucial for most of our proposals to go through."
"Another strong supporter is Keith Flanagan." Marguerite pointed out. "He is the Head of the Colony Business Council. With him and Cole backing up our proposals, as well as you, there is not much that the rest of the Senate committees can do."
"Quatre Winner is another strong supporter." Senator Covington said. "He doesn't want the government to regulate the amount of resources being mined from deep space. He's afraid if the government officials start bickering about it, then chaos is going to break out. Can't say that I disagree with him that much. Most of the government officials proposing the changes to the actions of the space colonies have never even set foot on one of the colonies."
"I didn't know Q-man was coming." Duo said, a grin on his face. "Now, all we'll need is Trowa and we can have a little reunion!"
"Pardon?" Marguerite asked. "Q-man? Who is that?"
"Forgive Maxwell, Ms. Covington." Wufei said. "He tends to open his mouth and stick his foot in it." Duo glowered and Marguerite stifled a small chuckle at the two men.
"You know Mr. Winner?" Senator Covington asked, turning to the other two Preventors.
"Yeah!" Duo said. "We know him. He's a good buddy of ours. Helped us out during the war."
"Yes, I had heard that the Winner heir had disinherited himself in order to fight against OZ." Senator Covington said. "I had heard that he was a pilot, but I did not expect to run into friends of his. What division of the Alliance were you in?"
"Um…." Duo said, not wanting to say too much and give away their status as ex-Gundam pilots. All of the Gundam pilots had tried to keep a low profile since the Mariemaa incident a couple of years ago, and there were not that many people who actually knew that they had piloted the feared machines during the fight for independence from OZ and the Romefeller Foundation.
"We were members of a special unit assigned to infiltrate OZ and send information back." Heero covered up easily for his partner. "Most of our work was done on Earth."
"I understand." the man answered. "I'm just glad we are able to live in peace. War is a horrible thing. And I am so glad that it is over with." Relena nodded in agreement and tried to steer the conversation back towards the Summit meetings.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, Kenneth." Relena said, "But isn't your daughter the CEO of one of the companies arguing against government regulations of space colonies?" A small smile crept to the old man's face and he nodded. But, Marguerite suddenly became quiet with the mention of her half sibling.
"Yes. Belladonna will being coming to a number of the meetings to discuss what some of the area's business affiliates want done." he said. "When I told her that you were coming to the States, she was overjoyed. It seems like you two were classmates at St. Gabriel's, or so she told me. I had no idea you two knew each other."
"Bella and I were friends for a while before the war broke out." Relena said, smiling faintly. "I remember her last name as Covington, though. When did she change it? Did she get married?"
"No. Bella took her mother's maiden name after she was killed five or six years ago." he said. "She's kept it ever since." Relena, sensing that the old man did not want to talk too much about Belladonna's mother, moved onto a more neutral topic.
"Will she be stopping by before the meetings commence?" Relena asked.
"She said she would be coming by later on today, after she finished up some work in the city." he said. "So she should be at the house by noon at the latest."
"Not to change the subject, but are there any safety precautions we need to have in place with Relena being in our home?" Marguerite asked, turning to the Preventors in the car. "There has not been any trouble with protestors yet, but there will be some problems. There always is any time the meetings are held. Anything we can do to help ensure Relena's safety? Mr. Yuy?"
"We will need to know the names of all the people that come in and out of your home on a daily basis." he said. "I need to know what type of security system you have in place, and the codes to the system. One of us will be with the Vice Foreign Minister at all times."
"I understand." Senator Covington said. "I will give you all the information you need upon arrival at the house. I do not want to risk Relena's safety at any point in time."
"Understood." Heero said. The rest of the drive to the plantation house was spent in conversation. Relena and the two politicians spoke of their ideas and who they had for supporters while the three Preventors watched. Of course, Duo would interject with a sarcastic comment here and there, usually causing Heero and Wufei to glare at him, and the rest of the occupants to laugh at him.
When they finally got to the house, Relena was on the verge of falling asleep. Rita Covington, a virile woman in her late thirties, welcomed them into her home like a loving neighbor. When Relena said that she wasn't hungry, just sleepy, Mrs. Covington showed her to the guestrooms where she and the Preventors would be staying, telling them to get some rest and come downstairs when they were ready to eat.
"I'll have your bags brought up and put in your room." Mrs. Covington had said, leaving Relena to get some sleep. "You children can get some sleep and then eat. That'll make you feel a little better after such a long flight." She turned to the three Preventors standing outside the door and smiled warmly. "Are you three gentlemen hungry? There's plenty of food in the kitchen."
"We need to secure the perimeter first, Mrs. Covington." Wufei said. "We can eat later."
"I'll have some food sent up to your rooms." the woman said kindly. "It looks like all of you could use some rest. Do what you need to and all get you something to eat. No need in you walking around on an empty stomach, now is there?" Mrs. Covington left them to their devices and disappeared down the stairs to the first floor of the house.
"I like that lady." Duo commented easily. "She's got food for us." Heero just looked at his partner and shook his head while Wufei frowned.
"You're hopeless, Maxwell." the Chinese man said.
"We've got work to do, you two." Heero said, throwing his bad into the guestroom next to Relena's. "Wufei, secure a perimeter and check all the entrances into this house. I want to know everyone who comes in and out of this place."
"Understood." he said.
"Maxwell, find Covington and get the security override codes and any other information he has about security settings in this house."
"Sure thing, buddy." the braided young man said.
"Meet me back here in an hour with whatever you find." Heero said, watching as the two men walked off. It was going to be a long three weeks, and he could tell it already.
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Later on that evening, after Relena had gotten a few hours of rest, and the boys had staked out the majority of the land surrounding the house, Marguerite suggested that they go into town for a little while after lunch. Relena had agreed, and gotten Heero and Duo to agree to go with her, leaving Wufei to his devices around the vast plantation home. Unfortunately, their plans were immediately derailed by the coming of Senator Covington's eldest daughter, Belladonna Saucier.
Duo and Heero were walking around outside the plantation house when a black SUV pulled through the gates and up the driveway. The windows were tinted, so the two Preventors could not tell who it was.
"Were we expecting visitors?" Duo asked, eyeing the vehicle warily.
"It's Covington's other daughter." Heero said monotonously. "He said she was coming by to see Relena after lunch." Duo grimaced and sighed.
"I hope she's not as annoying as her sister." he said. Ever since they had arrived at the plantation, it seemed as though Marguerite was right under their feet. It had gotten so bad that Wufei had told her off, in a not so subtle way. After that, she had seemingly set her eyes on Duo as her next victim.
"Having problems with the locals?" Heero asked, eyeing his partner for some type of reaction. He had noticed Marguerite's interest in his partner, and found it quite amusing to see the normally cheerful man get broody and evasive around the American woman. "Figured you'd like the attention."
"The woman is a leech!" Duo said exasperatingly. "She just won't take a hint and go away! The only reason she's not here now is because Princess got her off of my back. I don't need another clingy woman attached to me right now." Heero hid his grin and turned to the SUV that had parked not too far from them. The door opened up and the boys immediately heard a slightly angry female voice coming from the vehicle as she stepped out. Duo grinned when he got a good look at the young woman. The picture they had gotten with the file on Belladonna Saucier did the young woman no justice. She was not drop dead gorgeous, but was not too bad on the eyes, at least in Duo's humble opinion.
"I don't give a damn what he said!" the young woman said forcefully into the cell-phone she held, reaching for her briefcase across the seat. "That idiot isn't the one who has to answer to the Board of Directors! I do!"
………
"He authorized WHAT?!" she asked, frowning. "And you listened to him? You know he doesn't have the authority to do that."
……….
"And I'm the one that signs your paycheck every week! Mitchell is a paper pusher with an over inflated ego. You don't listen to him unless it has been cleared through me, and me alone!"
……….
"Acting on my orders, was he?" she asked, completely outraged now. "That bastard! Tell him I want him in my office first thing in the morning! I'm about to put an end to his selective hearing problem…"
Duo and Heero continued to watch the woman as she walked up the sidewalk and towards them.
'Seems like we have a little hellcat on our hands.' Duo thought. 'This should be fun.' Although she was currently yelling at some unfortunate soul on the other end of the line, both Preventors recognized her immediately from the folder of information that they had read over.
She was a somewhat short woman, only reaching five foot, four inches at the most. Quite small, considering both Duo and Heero stood at a little under six foot or better. She had shoulder length brown, wavy hair and dark blue eyes that were currently sparking in aggravation. Even though she was short, she seemed looked healthy, unlike her half sister who was in danger of blowing away should a strong enough gust of wind come by. She was curvy and her clothing showed it. Dressed in a coal black blazer, white shirt and black, above the knee skirt, and black high heels, she looked every bit the formidable business woman her reputation told of.
"Stupid people," she muttered, walking up to them and shutting the phone off and slipping it into her pocket. "Bunch of ass kissing imbeciles who can't think with the brain the good Lord gave them."
"Ms. Saucier, I presume?" Heero asked, looking at her.
"Yes, I'm Belladonna Saucier." the woman answered, her mood doing a one hundred and eighty degree flip, and smiling kindly at the two Preventors. "Forgive me for my yelling. It seems I have an idiot at work who wouldn't know his brain from a whole in the wall. Who might you be, sir?"
"Preventor Heero Yuy." he said, extending his hand. "Vice Foreign Minister Dorlian's head bodyguard for the duration of her stay here."
"I understand." she said, shaking hands with him. She turned to Duo and nodded. "And you are also part of the guard detail, I assume?" Duo nodded and grinned, taking her proffered hand and kissing the back of it.
"Duo Maxwell." he said. "I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie. Pleasure to meet such a lovely lady as yourself, Ms. Saucier." Belladonna smiled as Duo's more charming nature kicked in.
"Lord help us, we have quite the charmer in our midst I see. It's a pleasure to meet you both. Please, call me Bella." she said smiling at the braided pilot. "I was told there would be three Preventors accompanying Relena. Are you the only two that came?"
"No." Wufei said, slipping up behind her silently. Bella turned and blinked a few times before she nodded.
"Quiet one, aren't you?" she asked, grinning. She held out her hand in a friendly gesture. "Bella Saucier. Pleased to meet you, sir."
"I know who you are, woman." Wufei said stoically, assessing the woman in front of him, but not shaking her hand.
"Well, you seem to be a step ahead of me, sir." the woman said, withdrawing her hand and holding back a frown. "I haven't been given your name yet."
"That's Wufei." Duo said. "He's a jerk, but we keep him around anyways. He's the comic relief."
"Keep your mouth shut, Maxwell." Wufei said, glaring at the other Preventor. "Unless you have something intelligent to say." Before an argument could break out, Heero turned back to the woman and addressed her.
"We need to search you before you go into the house, Ms. Saucier." he said. "Precautionary measure to ensure the Vice Foreign Minister's safety."
"Search away." Bella said, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm used to it."
"Check the briefcase, Maxwell." Heero said, patting the woman down carefully, searching for any hidden weapons or other items. Duo took the briefcase and opened it, only to find a large amount of files and other paperwork.
"Clear." Duo said. "Nothing but paperwork and junk." Heero nodded and stepped away from her.
"She's clean." he said.
"I see." Bella said, assessing the three men in front of her. "Well, now that I know who you are, you know who I am, and that I don't plan on assassinating Relena, I'd like to see her."
"Of course." Heero said. "She was with your sister the last time I checked." Bella shook her head and frowned, taking her briefcase back from Duo.
"If she's with Marguerite, then I need to go save the poor woman from a slow death from insanity." Bella said. "Excuse me, gentlemen." The woman continued walking up the steps until she was at the door to the house. She opened the door and went in, depositing her briefcase on the small table near the door, then shutting it.
"Well, that was interesting." Duo said. "She doesn't seem as bad as her sister though. What do you think, Heero?"
"Hn." was all the ex-Wing Zero pilot said before going off towards the back of the house once again. "Keep a lookout, Maxwell."
"Yeah, yeah. I know." Duo mumbled, going back to his patrols, Wufei heading the other way.
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When Bella got into the house, she put her briefcase down and began looking for her school time friend. She was not planning on staying long at her father's house, since she had some paperwork to finish before her vacation time started on Monday.
"Dad!" she called. "Rita! I'm home!" Footsteps could be heard from the general area of the kitchen, and Rita Covington stepped out, only to give her stepdaughter a warm smile.
"Have a good day, Bella?" she asked. "I'm glad you stopped by. It's been a few days since you came to see us."
"Yeah. It was okay. Sorry I haven't been by in a while. Work has been hectic." the woman asked. "Where's Relena?"
"In the kitchen with Marguerite." Rita said. "She's been waiting on you for a while." Bella grinned and followed her step mom into the kitchen. Upon seeing Relena at the table, Bella grinned like a schoolgirl.
"Well, if it isn't the Queen of the World." she teased, walking over to give Relena a hug. "How's things been going, Relena. It's been a while since I saw you last."
"Belladonna." Relena said, smiling. "It's good to finally get to see you again. It's been a long time."
"Almost six years since you disappeared on us." Bella said, taking a seat at the table. "I see you finally managed to keep Heero around you. Congrats." Relena blushed profusely and Bella grinned. Even when they had been at St. Gabriel's, it was well known that Relena had taken a liking to the young man. The only problem was he kept running away from her. Bella had teased her relentlessly about it for days. Saying that if she was going to keep him around, then she would need to nail his feet to the floor.
"Haven't forgotten that, have you?" Relena asked, smiling.
"Now why would I go and do a thing like that?" she asked. "There's no fun if I can't tease you about it."
"You're horrid woman, Bella." Relena said, grinning.
"I'll agree to that." came a muttered comment from Marguerite. Bella's smile faltered when she turned to her half sister.
"Hello, Marguerite." she said evenly. "How's things been?"
"Fine." she said, smiling venomously. "Up until recently."
"Do tell." Bella said, acting completely ignorant of the fact that Marguerite was referring to her coming into the house. "Well, I hope whatever's went wrong straightens itself out soon."
"I'm sure it will." Marguerite said, giving her a half smile. "I have a feeling the problem will be gone in a few hours. It just tends to come and go at times. Annoying really. We just can't seem to get rid of it."
"You might want to watch out, though." Bella said, matching her younger half-sibling's sarcastic and cold tone. "Sometimes problems like that tend to are permanent. Sometimes you just can't get rid of them."
Needless to say, Relena was quick to reason that her old schoolmate and Marguerite did not get along very well. The feeling of confrontation was almost palpable. Relena had no idea that there was so much tension between the two girls, and quickly decided to intervene.
"Bella, Marguerite told me that you have a couple of horses on the property. Are they broken, or wild?" Relena asked.
"They're completely broken." she said. "Dad keeps them around just for the hell of it. In fact it's been a few days since they've had a good run. I was planning on taking them out later, if you wanted to ride that would be great."
"Relena and I were planning on going into town and doing some shopping before the meetings started." Marguerite cut in suddenly. "I believe Heero and Duo were coming as well, correct Relena?"
"Yes." Relena said, noticing Bella's cool demeanor towards her half sister. "We had planned on it. Would you like to come as well, Bella?"
"No, that's alright, Relena." Bella said. "I'm not much of a shopper. Besides, I've got some work to finish before Monday. My vacation time starts then and I need to get my Board members the information they requested."
"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Relena asked again.
"Nah, go ahead." she said. "I'll catch up with you when you guys get back later on. There are some things I'd like to talk to you about after dinner, Relena. Unless you have something planned."
"No. I have nothing planned." Relena said. "I'd be glad to."
"You heard her, Relena." Marguerite said, standing from the table and pushing the chair in. "She doesn't want to come with us. Let's get your bodyguards and go. We don't want to waste time. There is a simply adorable little boutique I know that you'll just love right inside the French Quarter….."
Relena was pulled out of the room by the younger girl, and only spared a glance back at Bella, who was shaking her head.
"Bella…"
"Don't worry about her, Relena." Marguerite said. "She is not exactly a very social person. Never has been as long as I've known her."
"But…"
"Come on." the other girl said. "Let's get your guards and go." Relena only nodded and followed the girl outside, going to look for Heero and the other Preventors. 'Something is going on here.' she thought, watching as Heero appeared at her side, along with Wufei and Duo. 'Bella used to love shopping with me. Things can't have changed that much since the last time that I saw her.'
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By the time Relena and the Preventors had returned with Marguerite, it was close to dinner time. Bella long ago ditched the business suit and was currently wearing a pair of jeans and an oversized white t-shirt that read 'LOUISIANNA YARD DOG', and showed a picture of an alligator below the writing.
"Have fun shopping?" she asked Relena as they walked into the house.
"Yeah." Relena answered. "There are some interesting shops in the city. The boutiques are beautiful. I never knew there was such a selection in New Orleans."
"This place has anything you could possibly want." Bella said, shrugging and wiping her hands on a towel she had hanging from her pocket. "Dinner should be ready in a few minutes. So, I hope you guys are hungry."
"Food?!" came Duo's voice. "Where? Where's the food?" Bella turned in time to see the braided Preventor come into the house, laden with numerous bags from different stores in town.
'Looks like he got stuck as Marge's bag boy.' she thought, hiding a grin. 'Poor guy.' Heero and Wufei followed him in, neither of them carrying any sort of bags.
"Hello, gentleman." she said, nodding. "Have a pleasant evening?" Heero gave no type of reaction, but Wufei mumbled something. All Bella caught was 'women', 'shopping', and 'injustice'.
"Where's the food?" Duo whined, looking over at Bella with big puppy dog eyes. "I'm hungry."
"Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes." Bella said. "Rita's pulling the last dish out of the oven as we speak, and I'm finishing up dessert. That should give you guys enough time to put your bags up and wash up."
"Thank you, Bella." Relena said. "We'll be down momentarily." The girl only nodded and walked back into the kitchen.
A few minutes later, everyone was situated in the dining room, ready to eat, everyone except Duo, Heero, and Wufei.
"Where are your body guards, Relena?" Marguerite asked, eyeing the three empty places at the large oak table. "Aren't they going to eat dinner with us? I thought Mr. Maxwell said that he was hungry."
"Heero said that they would eat later." Relena said. "They're doing patrols right now."
"That's no point in them missing dinner." Rita Covington said, frowning at the thought of the boys missing a meal. "Go get them, Belladonna."
"Yes, ma'am." Bella said, exiting the kitchen. "All of them outside, Relena?"
"Yes." she answered, getting up from her chair to go help find them.
"Sit down, Relena." Bella said. "I'll find them."
A few minutes later, a loud round of barking was heard from the back of the house, and Bella came back into the kitchen, followed by all three of the Preventors. Heero looked none to pleased to be pulled from his post, neither did Wufei. But Duo was practically salivating by the time he got into the kitchen.
"What's for dinner?" he asked. "I'm starving." Mr. Covington and his wife smiled and allowed the men to get seated before passing out the dishes of food.
"Enjoy everyone." Rita Covington said, "I usually don't get to cook for a large amount of people."
"Looks delicious to me." Duo muttered, passing a bowl of mashed potatoes to Marguerite, who was sitting beside him. "Thanks, Mrs. Covington."
"Not a problem dear." she said. "Eat up." Dinner was actually quite a pleasant experience. The chatter at the table finally enveloped everyone, even Wufei and Heero, although they said the least out of everyone. The conversation between Bella and her half sister was still clipped and cold, though, Relena noticed. She resolved to find out exactly what was going on between the two after dinner when she talked to Belladonna.
By the time dinner was finished, there was no one at the table who had not had second, or in Duo's case third, helpings of the delicious food. Mrs. Covington shooed them out of the kitchen after that, and the Preventors resumed their positions outside. Luckily for Relena, Marguerite was called into her father's study, leaving Bella and Relena to walk out to the stables and talk while they saddled up the horses for an evening run.
"Bella, can I ask you something?" Relena asked as she put a blanket on the horse's back in preparation for the saddle.
"Sure." she said. "What is it?"
"Maybe it is just me, but why does Marguerite seem so cold towards you?" Relena asked. Bella sighed and stopped her movements. Relena, catching onto the change in mood, stopped and waited for an answer.
"Marge and I have never really gotten along, Relena." she answered. "Ever since my mom died and I moved in with my dad and this family, she's always saw me as an outsider or sorts. She considers me a taint to the family name because of how I was conceived…….the result of a drunken one night stand between dad and my mother."
"It's not your fault, how you came about." Relena said, shaking her head. "Has she always been this bad, though?"
"Well, there's more to the friction between us than I'm willing to tell you about, Relena." Bella said. "Suffice to say there was a time when Marge and I got along, or I should say, tolerated each other much better than we do now. Unfortunately, some things happened that she was responsible for, and I can't forgive her for it. Not even my dad or Rita know exactly why we can't see eye to eye, although my dad suspects the answer."
"What was so bad that you can't forgive your own half sister?" Relena asked, not completely understanding what the other girl was saying.
"I'm not going to tell you, Relena. I can't." Bella said, picking up a saddle and putting it on the horse in front of her. "But trust me, by the time you leave the States, you'll see exactly what kind of person my sister is. It's not pretty."
"But…"
"You'll see, Relena." Bella said. "Don't worry. Just give it a few more days." The young woman pulled the last strap on the saddle and pulled herself up. "Ready to go, Relena?"
"Yes." Relena answered, pulling herself up onto the large brown horse and dropping the subject. "Let's give these guys a good run." Bella smiled and reigned her stead out of the stable, Relena right beside her. On the opposite side of the stable, Heero watched as they ran the horses towards the back of the property. He and the other Preventors had already scoured the grounds and checked everything, but there were a few questions he had for the eldest child of Senator Covington.
She seemed harmless enough to him, in fact, she probably was. But something just did not set right with her, or her sister for that matter. Both of them acted like they knew more about some things than they let on. Oh yeah, Heero had questions, and he wanted answers.
Now.
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A/N - Okay, I finished that chapter. Took bloody well long enough, if I do say so myself. But I needed to introduce the main original characters. Hope you guys enjoyed it.
Remember to leave a review, telling me what you think.
Later,
A.A.
A/N - I'm so glad that this story seems to appeal to at least a few people. Lots of thanks to everyone who reviewed. The comments have helped a great deal.
Special thanks to:
Ally127 - I'm glad you like it. And thanks for the review. It's much appreciated.
Ryla- Looking forward to hearing from you later. Hope you enjoy.
Anime Gal4- Well, long time no see! J I'm glad to see that you're reading another of my stories. It is really refreshing knowing that you are taking a chance on another of my attempts at a story. Anyhow, I plan on a few more fluff moments for Heero and Relena. I still don't think my attempts at fluff are very good…but I'll try my best. As for your idea on Heero taking him out for a while, I'm actually going to use that in the story. I've already got it worked into the plot! I'm glad you mentioned it. Hope you like the new chapter. Thanks again. J
IMPORTANT! A WEEK HAS PASSED SINCE THE LAST CHAPTER!!
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Duo's Dilemma
Chapter 2
The flight to the States was quite peaceful and relaxing for all the occupants of the plane. Heero had relented to Relena's pleading and allowed Duo to accompany the Vice Foreign Minister of Affairs to the Peace Summit meetings, which seemed to pull the young man out of the slump he had been in, at least temporarily. Une had threatened him to within an inch of his life if anything happened to Relena, and Duo seemed to take it to heart. Heero, ever the precautious one when Relena was concerned, also assigned Wufei Chang to the security detail. Wufei, who had recently been at ends with his own better half -also known as Sally Po- was ready to leave headquarters for a while, and held no argument with Heero about the appointment.
After the plane had leveled in the sky after take-off, Relena immersed herself in a large amount of paperwork she had brought with her. Meanwhile, her bodyguards for the trip had pulled the files on the host family they would be staying with for the duration of the meeting. Heero had just gotten the files before taking off, and had not had a chance to go over them and find out more about the Senator and his family. He pulled out the four folders from his laptop case and handed one to each of the other men present.
"What have we got?" Duo asked, stretching out in a chair as he took the folders proffered from his partner's hands. The name across the top read
Belladonna Saucier.
"Read and find out." Heero said simply. "I just got the files before we left." The other two men nodded and began flipping through the information present in the folders. After a few minutes, they finished and looked back at one another.
"So," Duo asked again. "What have we got?"
"Covington's got two kids and a wife." Heero said, passing the folder he had to Wufei and Duo to look at. "He's a staunch supporter of the colonies' right to self govern, and has been working with colony delegates since the end of the war to improve relations. Seems clean enough. "
"His youngest kid is Marguerite Covington." Duo said, handing his partner the folder he had read over. "Age: 21. She's a public speaker, and the Public Rally Organizer for her pops. She's got a house not far away from her pop's plantation home."
"How clean is her record?" Heero asked.
"Kind of sketchy." Duo muttered. "She was recently subpoenaed by the State Court of Louisiana to appear on trial for possibility that she knew about on embezzlement scandal going on in the city's higher official positions. Apparently, she was cleared of any and all charges and set free. She's been suspected of having some underground dealings with some other shady political figures before that, but nothing has ever come to it. She's always managed to keep a relatively clean rep, though." Heero nodded and looked towards Wufei for his input.
"His wife is a political adviser to the Senate chairman." Wufei said. "Nothing out of the ordinary concerning her. She stays at home most of the time while the Senate is not in session and runs a small plant nursery on the side."
"And his other daughter?" Heero asked. "The oldest one."
"Belladonna Saucier." Duo said, opening the folder and handing it to his superior. "Seems like a busy little lady. She's the owner and CEO of Saucier Corporation, the company responsible for most of the space mining done around the colonies and in deep space. The company is also responsible for the shipping and refining of the materials mined from asteroids and natural resource satellites. It recently got a grant from the U.S. government to start researching the properties and uses of the metalloids minded from the X1-324 sector.
Apparently, she's the illegitimate child of Covington and a woman by the name of Cynthia Saucier that worked for the Alliance right before the war broke out. She stayed with her mom up until about six years ago, when the woman was killed. Covington took her in after that and raised her.
She eventually moved out and has a residence on the outskirts of New Orleans, as well as one on the main colony of L-2. She changed her name back to her mother's maiden name during the war. Her rep's clean."
Heero looked at the folder and frowned. He knew that name from somewhere. He flipped through the pages and pages of information that detailed the goings and comings of the woman's thriving company. Seemed like she was a supporter of the colonies' rights to self govern, just like her father. But he also immediately noticed that the eldest Covington daughter had more ties to space and the colonies than the rest of her family.
One of the papers in the folder was a list of the charity foundations the company donated to. Most of them were listed as orphanages on the colonies that had taken in children orphaned during the war. It seemed like she had a particular attachment to the Benelli orphanage on the main colony of L-2. He stopped on the page and read the contents, finally finding out why her name sounded somewhat familiar.
"She went to St. Gabriel's before the war." he said, seeing a picture of a smirking, short haired fifteen year old girl in front of the St. Gabriel's school. "Maybe Relena knows her."
"Worth a shot to ask." Duo said lazily, looking over his shoulder to where Relena was immersed in her work. "Hey, Princess! Come here for a sec!" Relena looked back at the Preventors and nodded, putting her paperwork down and going to the back of the plane.
"Yes, Duo?" she asked.
"One of Covington's daughters went to St. Gabriel's. A chick named Belladonna Saucier. Ring any bells?"
"There was a girl named Bella Covington, come to think of it." Relena answered. "But her last name wasn't Saucier."
"This woman look familiar?" Heero asked, passing Relena the folder containing the pictures and information on the young CEO. Relena took one look at the picture and smiled, recognizing her old friend immediately.
"That's her alright." the Vice Foreign Minister said. "I'd know her anywhere. We were friends when I went to St. Gabriel's. But, I didn't know Senator Covington was her father. She told me that her mother worked with the Alliance, but she very seldom had contact with her father, or so I thought. I lost contact with her when the war started and I was pulled out of St. Gabriel's."
"She changed her name during the war." Wufei said stoically. "While she was in school, she took her father's name. But she apparently reverted to her mother's maiden name when her mother was killed during the war."
"Is she going to be at the Peace Summit?" Relena asked. "It will be good to see her again."
"She's supposed to be speaking on the trade and harbor agreements." Heero said, checking the official schedule he had been sent by the U.S. Preventors branch that was ensuring the safety of the dignitaries on their way to the discussions. "You are likely to run into her at some point in time." Relena only nodded and smiled.
"That's good. Bella was always the one who kept things lively at school." she said. "I know she stayed in trouble with the teachers more than any of the rest of us girls. She was a good student though, especially in the science and math areas. Although her smart mouth did wind up landing her in detention often enough." Relena chuckled at the memory of the antics of the young girl. "Anything else you need?"
"No. That's it." Heero said. "You can go back to your work now."
"It's alright." Relena said. "Bother me anytime you need to." The young woman stood from her position and walked back to her seat in the front of the plane.
"It seems like the family members have a relatively clean background." Wufei commented. "What about security measures once we get there?"
"The house Covington lives in is extensive." Heero said, pulling up a set of floor plans for the large house. "It is an old two story plantation house, built long before the colonies were ever thought about. There is a cellar and an attic, which totals four different levels all together. There is a number of smaller buildings near the main house. All of them have been refurbished and refinished, but they still cover a large area."
"The surrounding area is varied." Wufei muttered, looking at the house plans and the surrounding terrain. "There is a swamp to the west of the house, a river to the north, and a forest to the east."
"The only road is the highway, which runs in front of it." Duo said. "What a place to have a house."
"Covington and his family won't have Preventors at their house because Relena brought us along." Heero said, going into leader mode. "There are four different entrances into the house………."
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By the time Relena's plane landed in the New Orleans airport the next morning, the occupants were suffering from a bad case of jetlag. The private landing strip was not very busy in the Saturday morning sunlight, and the Preventors immediately noticed that there was a limo waiting at the end of the airstrip for them. When they were all out of the plane, a young man came forward and shook hands with Relena.
"Mr. Covington and his daughter are waiting on you, Vice Foreign Minister Dorlian." he said. "We'll bring your bags and belongings to the limo as soon as we get them unloaded." Relena thanked the young man and walked next to the Preventors. The limo, which had apparently been waiting for their arrival, started up and drove towards them.
When the black car stopped, a man in his early forties stepped out, followed by a young woman in her early twenties. The three Preventors immediately recognized them as Senator Kenneth Covington and his youngest daughter, Marguerite. The man smiled at Relena and walked around the car towards them, his graying-black hair being tossed by the wind on the airstrip. He was dressed in black slacks and a gray button down shirt. Even though it was early in the morning, he seemed to be full of energy and life.
The young woman was at his side, and followed him. She seemed a little more reserved, and formal. Dressed in a pair of white pants and a blue blouse, she seemed to exude class and manners. Her black hair was gathered up in a bun at the nape of her neck, and her brown eyes looked over the newcomers warily. She pasted a smile on her face and waited to be introduced to the newcomers as her father welcomed them.
"Vice Foreign Minister Dorlian," he said warmly. "It is good to see you again. I hope your flight was well."
"It is good to see you as well, Senator Covington. But please, just call me Relena." Relena said, shaking hands with the man. "I trust your family is well?"
"Please, call me Kenneth, then." he chuckled. "And yes, the family is well. In fact, this is my daughter Marguerite. She decided to come with me to get you all this morning."
"How do you do?" Marguerite said, shaking hands with Relena. "I've heard a great deal about you, Ms. Dorlian."
"And I of you." Relena said politely. "Kenneth, Ms. Covington, these are the Preventors who will be staying with me the duration of the Summit meetings." Relena gestured to each of them in turn and smiled. "Duo Maxwell, Wufei Chang, and Heero Yuy. Three of the headquarters' best men."
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you." Marguerite said, smiling at the three green clad men. "I hope you like it here."
"Likewise, Ms. Covington." Heero said monotonously.
"Well, let's get going." Senator Covington said. "I'm sure you guys would like to get some sleep. Jetlag is the one part of traveling I hate the most."
"Have all of Ms. Dorlian's and the Preventor's belongings been transferred to the limo?" Marguerite asked one of the attendants coming out of the plane.
"Yes, Ms. Covington." he said. "They're ready to go."
"Thank you." she said, turning back to them. "We're ready to go when you are."
"Let's go then." the older man said. "No point in waiting around. Rita's supposed to have breakfast ready for us when we get back. Then, you guys can get some sleep if you need to." He opened the door and allowed Relena and his daughter to enter before climbing in as well. Heero, Duo, and Wufei climbed in the other side and situated themselves on each side of Relena.
"Mother has set up some guestrooms for you." Marguerite said as they shut the doors. "I'll show them to you when we get there."
"That is very kind of you." Relena said. "Thank you."
"Don't worry about it, Relena." Senator Covington said. "We love having company. It's the least we could do for you and the Preventors. Everyone needs a good place to sleep and relax."
"And I'm afraid with the way the meetings are headed, we're all going to need a place to relax." Marguerite said. "We've got most of the delegates going against the ideas you and father, as well as some of the others, are proposing. These meetings are going to be harsh."
"I know we are going to be going against some opposition." Relena said. "But we have a number of influential people on our side."
"Yes, I know." the older man replied. "Michael Cole, the Head of Cloverleaf Industries is going along with us concerning the increase in the mining of the natural resource satellites, as well as the harbor and trade agreements. He is also the acting Harbor Coordinator for the majority of the colony ports. His backing is crucial for most of our proposals to go through."
"Another strong supporter is Keith Flanagan." Marguerite pointed out. "He is the Head of the Colony Business Council. With him and Cole backing up our proposals, as well as you, there is not much that the rest of the Senate committees can do."
"Quatre Winner is another strong supporter." Senator Covington said. "He doesn't want the government to regulate the amount of resources being mined from deep space. He's afraid if the government officials start bickering about it, then chaos is going to break out. Can't say that I disagree with him that much. Most of the government officials proposing the changes to the actions of the space colonies have never even set foot on one of the colonies."
"I didn't know Q-man was coming." Duo said, a grin on his face. "Now, all we'll need is Trowa and we can have a little reunion!"
"Pardon?" Marguerite asked. "Q-man? Who is that?"
"Forgive Maxwell, Ms. Covington." Wufei said. "He tends to open his mouth and stick his foot in it." Duo glowered and Marguerite stifled a small chuckle at the two men.
"You know Mr. Winner?" Senator Covington asked, turning to the other two Preventors.
"Yeah!" Duo said. "We know him. He's a good buddy of ours. Helped us out during the war."
"Yes, I had heard that the Winner heir had disinherited himself in order to fight against OZ." Senator Covington said. "I had heard that he was a pilot, but I did not expect to run into friends of his. What division of the Alliance were you in?"
"Um…." Duo said, not wanting to say too much and give away their status as ex-Gundam pilots. All of the Gundam pilots had tried to keep a low profile since the Mariemaa incident a couple of years ago, and there were not that many people who actually knew that they had piloted the feared machines during the fight for independence from OZ and the Romefeller Foundation.
"We were members of a special unit assigned to infiltrate OZ and send information back." Heero covered up easily for his partner. "Most of our work was done on Earth."
"I understand." the man answered. "I'm just glad we are able to live in peace. War is a horrible thing. And I am so glad that it is over with." Relena nodded in agreement and tried to steer the conversation back towards the Summit meetings.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, Kenneth." Relena said, "But isn't your daughter the CEO of one of the companies arguing against government regulations of space colonies?" A small smile crept to the old man's face and he nodded. But, Marguerite suddenly became quiet with the mention of her half sibling.
"Yes. Belladonna will being coming to a number of the meetings to discuss what some of the area's business affiliates want done." he said. "When I told her that you were coming to the States, she was overjoyed. It seems like you two were classmates at St. Gabriel's, or so she told me. I had no idea you two knew each other."
"Bella and I were friends for a while before the war broke out." Relena said, smiling faintly. "I remember her last name as Covington, though. When did she change it? Did she get married?"
"No. Bella took her mother's maiden name after she was killed five or six years ago." he said. "She's kept it ever since." Relena, sensing that the old man did not want to talk too much about Belladonna's mother, moved onto a more neutral topic.
"Will she be stopping by before the meetings commence?" Relena asked.
"She said she would be coming by later on today, after she finished up some work in the city." he said. "So she should be at the house by noon at the latest."
"Not to change the subject, but are there any safety precautions we need to have in place with Relena being in our home?" Marguerite asked, turning to the Preventors in the car. "There has not been any trouble with protestors yet, but there will be some problems. There always is any time the meetings are held. Anything we can do to help ensure Relena's safety? Mr. Yuy?"
"We will need to know the names of all the people that come in and out of your home on a daily basis." he said. "I need to know what type of security system you have in place, and the codes to the system. One of us will be with the Vice Foreign Minister at all times."
"I understand." Senator Covington said. "I will give you all the information you need upon arrival at the house. I do not want to risk Relena's safety at any point in time."
"Understood." Heero said. The rest of the drive to the plantation house was spent in conversation. Relena and the two politicians spoke of their ideas and who they had for supporters while the three Preventors watched. Of course, Duo would interject with a sarcastic comment here and there, usually causing Heero and Wufei to glare at him, and the rest of the occupants to laugh at him.
When they finally got to the house, Relena was on the verge of falling asleep. Rita Covington, a virile woman in her late thirties, welcomed them into her home like a loving neighbor. When Relena said that she wasn't hungry, just sleepy, Mrs. Covington showed her to the guestrooms where she and the Preventors would be staying, telling them to get some rest and come downstairs when they were ready to eat.
"I'll have your bags brought up and put in your room." Mrs. Covington had said, leaving Relena to get some sleep. "You children can get some sleep and then eat. That'll make you feel a little better after such a long flight." She turned to the three Preventors standing outside the door and smiled warmly. "Are you three gentlemen hungry? There's plenty of food in the kitchen."
"We need to secure the perimeter first, Mrs. Covington." Wufei said. "We can eat later."
"I'll have some food sent up to your rooms." the woman said kindly. "It looks like all of you could use some rest. Do what you need to and all get you something to eat. No need in you walking around on an empty stomach, now is there?" Mrs. Covington left them to their devices and disappeared down the stairs to the first floor of the house.
"I like that lady." Duo commented easily. "She's got food for us." Heero just looked at his partner and shook his head while Wufei frowned.
"You're hopeless, Maxwell." the Chinese man said.
"We've got work to do, you two." Heero said, throwing his bad into the guestroom next to Relena's. "Wufei, secure a perimeter and check all the entrances into this house. I want to know everyone who comes in and out of this place."
"Understood." he said.
"Maxwell, find Covington and get the security override codes and any other information he has about security settings in this house."
"Sure thing, buddy." the braided young man said.
"Meet me back here in an hour with whatever you find." Heero said, watching as the two men walked off. It was going to be a long three weeks, and he could tell it already.
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Later on that evening, after Relena had gotten a few hours of rest, and the boys had staked out the majority of the land surrounding the house, Marguerite suggested that they go into town for a little while after lunch. Relena had agreed, and gotten Heero and Duo to agree to go with her, leaving Wufei to his devices around the vast plantation home. Unfortunately, their plans were immediately derailed by the coming of Senator Covington's eldest daughter, Belladonna Saucier.
Duo and Heero were walking around outside the plantation house when a black SUV pulled through the gates and up the driveway. The windows were tinted, so the two Preventors could not tell who it was.
"Were we expecting visitors?" Duo asked, eyeing the vehicle warily.
"It's Covington's other daughter." Heero said monotonously. "He said she was coming by to see Relena after lunch." Duo grimaced and sighed.
"I hope she's not as annoying as her sister." he said. Ever since they had arrived at the plantation, it seemed as though Marguerite was right under their feet. It had gotten so bad that Wufei had told her off, in a not so subtle way. After that, she had seemingly set her eyes on Duo as her next victim.
"Having problems with the locals?" Heero asked, eyeing his partner for some type of reaction. He had noticed Marguerite's interest in his partner, and found it quite amusing to see the normally cheerful man get broody and evasive around the American woman. "Figured you'd like the attention."
"The woman is a leech!" Duo said exasperatingly. "She just won't take a hint and go away! The only reason she's not here now is because Princess got her off of my back. I don't need another clingy woman attached to me right now." Heero hid his grin and turned to the SUV that had parked not too far from them. The door opened up and the boys immediately heard a slightly angry female voice coming from the vehicle as she stepped out. Duo grinned when he got a good look at the young woman. The picture they had gotten with the file on Belladonna Saucier did the young woman no justice. She was not drop dead gorgeous, but was not too bad on the eyes, at least in Duo's humble opinion.
"I don't give a damn what he said!" the young woman said forcefully into the cell-phone she held, reaching for her briefcase across the seat. "That idiot isn't the one who has to answer to the Board of Directors! I do!"
………
"He authorized WHAT?!" she asked, frowning. "And you listened to him? You know he doesn't have the authority to do that."
……….
"And I'm the one that signs your paycheck every week! Mitchell is a paper pusher with an over inflated ego. You don't listen to him unless it has been cleared through me, and me alone!"
……….
"Acting on my orders, was he?" she asked, completely outraged now. "That bastard! Tell him I want him in my office first thing in the morning! I'm about to put an end to his selective hearing problem…"
Duo and Heero continued to watch the woman as she walked up the sidewalk and towards them.
'Seems like we have a little hellcat on our hands.' Duo thought. 'This should be fun.' Although she was currently yelling at some unfortunate soul on the other end of the line, both Preventors recognized her immediately from the folder of information that they had read over.
She was a somewhat short woman, only reaching five foot, four inches at the most. Quite small, considering both Duo and Heero stood at a little under six foot or better. She had shoulder length brown, wavy hair and dark blue eyes that were currently sparking in aggravation. Even though she was short, she seemed looked healthy, unlike her half sister who was in danger of blowing away should a strong enough gust of wind come by. She was curvy and her clothing showed it. Dressed in a coal black blazer, white shirt and black, above the knee skirt, and black high heels, she looked every bit the formidable business woman her reputation told of.
"Stupid people," she muttered, walking up to them and shutting the phone off and slipping it into her pocket. "Bunch of ass kissing imbeciles who can't think with the brain the good Lord gave them."
"Ms. Saucier, I presume?" Heero asked, looking at her.
"Yes, I'm Belladonna Saucier." the woman answered, her mood doing a one hundred and eighty degree flip, and smiling kindly at the two Preventors. "Forgive me for my yelling. It seems I have an idiot at work who wouldn't know his brain from a whole in the wall. Who might you be, sir?"
"Preventor Heero Yuy." he said, extending his hand. "Vice Foreign Minister Dorlian's head bodyguard for the duration of her stay here."
"I understand." she said, shaking hands with him. She turned to Duo and nodded. "And you are also part of the guard detail, I assume?" Duo nodded and grinned, taking her proffered hand and kissing the back of it.
"Duo Maxwell." he said. "I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie. Pleasure to meet such a lovely lady as yourself, Ms. Saucier." Belladonna smiled as Duo's more charming nature kicked in.
"Lord help us, we have quite the charmer in our midst I see. It's a pleasure to meet you both. Please, call me Bella." she said smiling at the braided pilot. "I was told there would be three Preventors accompanying Relena. Are you the only two that came?"
"No." Wufei said, slipping up behind her silently. Bella turned and blinked a few times before she nodded.
"Quiet one, aren't you?" she asked, grinning. She held out her hand in a friendly gesture. "Bella Saucier. Pleased to meet you, sir."
"I know who you are, woman." Wufei said stoically, assessing the woman in front of him, but not shaking her hand.
"Well, you seem to be a step ahead of me, sir." the woman said, withdrawing her hand and holding back a frown. "I haven't been given your name yet."
"That's Wufei." Duo said. "He's a jerk, but we keep him around anyways. He's the comic relief."
"Keep your mouth shut, Maxwell." Wufei said, glaring at the other Preventor. "Unless you have something intelligent to say." Before an argument could break out, Heero turned back to the woman and addressed her.
"We need to search you before you go into the house, Ms. Saucier." he said. "Precautionary measure to ensure the Vice Foreign Minister's safety."
"Search away." Bella said, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm used to it."
"Check the briefcase, Maxwell." Heero said, patting the woman down carefully, searching for any hidden weapons or other items. Duo took the briefcase and opened it, only to find a large amount of files and other paperwork.
"Clear." Duo said. "Nothing but paperwork and junk." Heero nodded and stepped away from her.
"She's clean." he said.
"I see." Bella said, assessing the three men in front of her. "Well, now that I know who you are, you know who I am, and that I don't plan on assassinating Relena, I'd like to see her."
"Of course." Heero said. "She was with your sister the last time I checked." Bella shook her head and frowned, taking her briefcase back from Duo.
"If she's with Marguerite, then I need to go save the poor woman from a slow death from insanity." Bella said. "Excuse me, gentlemen." The woman continued walking up the steps until she was at the door to the house. She opened the door and went in, depositing her briefcase on the small table near the door, then shutting it.
"Well, that was interesting." Duo said. "She doesn't seem as bad as her sister though. What do you think, Heero?"
"Hn." was all the ex-Wing Zero pilot said before going off towards the back of the house once again. "Keep a lookout, Maxwell."
"Yeah, yeah. I know." Duo mumbled, going back to his patrols, Wufei heading the other way.
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When Bella got into the house, she put her briefcase down and began looking for her school time friend. She was not planning on staying long at her father's house, since she had some paperwork to finish before her vacation time started on Monday.
"Dad!" she called. "Rita! I'm home!" Footsteps could be heard from the general area of the kitchen, and Rita Covington stepped out, only to give her stepdaughter a warm smile.
"Have a good day, Bella?" she asked. "I'm glad you stopped by. It's been a few days since you came to see us."
"Yeah. It was okay. Sorry I haven't been by in a while. Work has been hectic." the woman asked. "Where's Relena?"
"In the kitchen with Marguerite." Rita said. "She's been waiting on you for a while." Bella grinned and followed her step mom into the kitchen. Upon seeing Relena at the table, Bella grinned like a schoolgirl.
"Well, if it isn't the Queen of the World." she teased, walking over to give Relena a hug. "How's things been going, Relena. It's been a while since I saw you last."
"Belladonna." Relena said, smiling. "It's good to finally get to see you again. It's been a long time."
"Almost six years since you disappeared on us." Bella said, taking a seat at the table. "I see you finally managed to keep Heero around you. Congrats." Relena blushed profusely and Bella grinned. Even when they had been at St. Gabriel's, it was well known that Relena had taken a liking to the young man. The only problem was he kept running away from her. Bella had teased her relentlessly about it for days. Saying that if she was going to keep him around, then she would need to nail his feet to the floor.
"Haven't forgotten that, have you?" Relena asked, smiling.
"Now why would I go and do a thing like that?" she asked. "There's no fun if I can't tease you about it."
"You're horrid woman, Bella." Relena said, grinning.
"I'll agree to that." came a muttered comment from Marguerite. Bella's smile faltered when she turned to her half sister.
"Hello, Marguerite." she said evenly. "How's things been?"
"Fine." she said, smiling venomously. "Up until recently."
"Do tell." Bella said, acting completely ignorant of the fact that Marguerite was referring to her coming into the house. "Well, I hope whatever's went wrong straightens itself out soon."
"I'm sure it will." Marguerite said, giving her a half smile. "I have a feeling the problem will be gone in a few hours. It just tends to come and go at times. Annoying really. We just can't seem to get rid of it."
"You might want to watch out, though." Bella said, matching her younger half-sibling's sarcastic and cold tone. "Sometimes problems like that tend to are permanent. Sometimes you just can't get rid of them."
Needless to say, Relena was quick to reason that her old schoolmate and Marguerite did not get along very well. The feeling of confrontation was almost palpable. Relena had no idea that there was so much tension between the two girls, and quickly decided to intervene.
"Bella, Marguerite told me that you have a couple of horses on the property. Are they broken, or wild?" Relena asked.
"They're completely broken." she said. "Dad keeps them around just for the hell of it. In fact it's been a few days since they've had a good run. I was planning on taking them out later, if you wanted to ride that would be great."
"Relena and I were planning on going into town and doing some shopping before the meetings started." Marguerite cut in suddenly. "I believe Heero and Duo were coming as well, correct Relena?"
"Yes." Relena said, noticing Bella's cool demeanor towards her half sister. "We had planned on it. Would you like to come as well, Bella?"
"No, that's alright, Relena." Bella said. "I'm not much of a shopper. Besides, I've got some work to finish before Monday. My vacation time starts then and I need to get my Board members the information they requested."
"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Relena asked again.
"Nah, go ahead." she said. "I'll catch up with you when you guys get back later on. There are some things I'd like to talk to you about after dinner, Relena. Unless you have something planned."
"No. I have nothing planned." Relena said. "I'd be glad to."
"You heard her, Relena." Marguerite said, standing from the table and pushing the chair in. "She doesn't want to come with us. Let's get your bodyguards and go. We don't want to waste time. There is a simply adorable little boutique I know that you'll just love right inside the French Quarter….."
Relena was pulled out of the room by the younger girl, and only spared a glance back at Bella, who was shaking her head.
"Bella…"
"Don't worry about her, Relena." Marguerite said. "She is not exactly a very social person. Never has been as long as I've known her."
"But…"
"Come on." the other girl said. "Let's get your guards and go." Relena only nodded and followed the girl outside, going to look for Heero and the other Preventors. 'Something is going on here.' she thought, watching as Heero appeared at her side, along with Wufei and Duo. 'Bella used to love shopping with me. Things can't have changed that much since the last time that I saw her.'
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By the time Relena and the Preventors had returned with Marguerite, it was close to dinner time. Bella long ago ditched the business suit and was currently wearing a pair of jeans and an oversized white t-shirt that read 'LOUISIANNA YARD DOG', and showed a picture of an alligator below the writing.
"Have fun shopping?" she asked Relena as they walked into the house.
"Yeah." Relena answered. "There are some interesting shops in the city. The boutiques are beautiful. I never knew there was such a selection in New Orleans."
"This place has anything you could possibly want." Bella said, shrugging and wiping her hands on a towel she had hanging from her pocket. "Dinner should be ready in a few minutes. So, I hope you guys are hungry."
"Food?!" came Duo's voice. "Where? Where's the food?" Bella turned in time to see the braided Preventor come into the house, laden with numerous bags from different stores in town.
'Looks like he got stuck as Marge's bag boy.' she thought, hiding a grin. 'Poor guy.' Heero and Wufei followed him in, neither of them carrying any sort of bags.
"Hello, gentleman." she said, nodding. "Have a pleasant evening?" Heero gave no type of reaction, but Wufei mumbled something. All Bella caught was 'women', 'shopping', and 'injustice'.
"Where's the food?" Duo whined, looking over at Bella with big puppy dog eyes. "I'm hungry."
"Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes." Bella said. "Rita's pulling the last dish out of the oven as we speak, and I'm finishing up dessert. That should give you guys enough time to put your bags up and wash up."
"Thank you, Bella." Relena said. "We'll be down momentarily." The girl only nodded and walked back into the kitchen.
A few minutes later, everyone was situated in the dining room, ready to eat, everyone except Duo, Heero, and Wufei.
"Where are your body guards, Relena?" Marguerite asked, eyeing the three empty places at the large oak table. "Aren't they going to eat dinner with us? I thought Mr. Maxwell said that he was hungry."
"Heero said that they would eat later." Relena said. "They're doing patrols right now."
"That's no point in them missing dinner." Rita Covington said, frowning at the thought of the boys missing a meal. "Go get them, Belladonna."
"Yes, ma'am." Bella said, exiting the kitchen. "All of them outside, Relena?"
"Yes." she answered, getting up from her chair to go help find them.
"Sit down, Relena." Bella said. "I'll find them."
A few minutes later, a loud round of barking was heard from the back of the house, and Bella came back into the kitchen, followed by all three of the Preventors. Heero looked none to pleased to be pulled from his post, neither did Wufei. But Duo was practically salivating by the time he got into the kitchen.
"What's for dinner?" he asked. "I'm starving." Mr. Covington and his wife smiled and allowed the men to get seated before passing out the dishes of food.
"Enjoy everyone." Rita Covington said, "I usually don't get to cook for a large amount of people."
"Looks delicious to me." Duo muttered, passing a bowl of mashed potatoes to Marguerite, who was sitting beside him. "Thanks, Mrs. Covington."
"Not a problem dear." she said. "Eat up." Dinner was actually quite a pleasant experience. The chatter at the table finally enveloped everyone, even Wufei and Heero, although they said the least out of everyone. The conversation between Bella and her half sister was still clipped and cold, though, Relena noticed. She resolved to find out exactly what was going on between the two after dinner when she talked to Belladonna.
By the time dinner was finished, there was no one at the table who had not had second, or in Duo's case third, helpings of the delicious food. Mrs. Covington shooed them out of the kitchen after that, and the Preventors resumed their positions outside. Luckily for Relena, Marguerite was called into her father's study, leaving Bella and Relena to walk out to the stables and talk while they saddled up the horses for an evening run.
"Bella, can I ask you something?" Relena asked as she put a blanket on the horse's back in preparation for the saddle.
"Sure." she said. "What is it?"
"Maybe it is just me, but why does Marguerite seem so cold towards you?" Relena asked. Bella sighed and stopped her movements. Relena, catching onto the change in mood, stopped and waited for an answer.
"Marge and I have never really gotten along, Relena." she answered. "Ever since my mom died and I moved in with my dad and this family, she's always saw me as an outsider or sorts. She considers me a taint to the family name because of how I was conceived…….the result of a drunken one night stand between dad and my mother."
"It's not your fault, how you came about." Relena said, shaking her head. "Has she always been this bad, though?"
"Well, there's more to the friction between us than I'm willing to tell you about, Relena." Bella said. "Suffice to say there was a time when Marge and I got along, or I should say, tolerated each other much better than we do now. Unfortunately, some things happened that she was responsible for, and I can't forgive her for it. Not even my dad or Rita know exactly why we can't see eye to eye, although my dad suspects the answer."
"What was so bad that you can't forgive your own half sister?" Relena asked, not completely understanding what the other girl was saying.
"I'm not going to tell you, Relena. I can't." Bella said, picking up a saddle and putting it on the horse in front of her. "But trust me, by the time you leave the States, you'll see exactly what kind of person my sister is. It's not pretty."
"But…"
"You'll see, Relena." Bella said. "Don't worry. Just give it a few more days." The young woman pulled the last strap on the saddle and pulled herself up. "Ready to go, Relena?"
"Yes." Relena answered, pulling herself up onto the large brown horse and dropping the subject. "Let's give these guys a good run." Bella smiled and reigned her stead out of the stable, Relena right beside her. On the opposite side of the stable, Heero watched as they ran the horses towards the back of the property. He and the other Preventors had already scoured the grounds and checked everything, but there were a few questions he had for the eldest child of Senator Covington.
She seemed harmless enough to him, in fact, she probably was. But something just did not set right with her, or her sister for that matter. Both of them acted like they knew more about some things than they let on. Oh yeah, Heero had questions, and he wanted answers.
Now.
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A/N - Okay, I finished that chapter. Took bloody well long enough, if I do say so myself. But I needed to introduce the main original characters. Hope you guys enjoyed it.
Remember to leave a review, telling me what you think.
Later,
A.A.