Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Duo's Dilemma ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer- It's not mine. It never was. The only thing I own are the characters in this story that have never appeared in the Gundam Wing universe.

A/N - Hey everyone. How's it going? I just wanted to tell everyone that I'm glad the majority that are reviewing seem to be enjoying this story.

And special thanks to:

Ryla - Oh, I'm not stopping it anytime soon. I just hope you get some sleep soon. Sounds like you could use it. ;) And don't worry. There is going to be plenty of action in this thing, at least that's the way I have it planned.

Miss Crazy - I like your name, by the way. ;) Anyhow, thanks for the review, and I'm glad you liked the food fight. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

StaplersBreak- I know what you mean about the het fics. They are hard to find sometimes. And I'm glad you like this story. Hope you enjoy this chappy. Later.

So here is an extra-long chapter, just for all you guys who took the time to review. ;)

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Duo's Dilemma

Chapter 6

The next morning, Bella woke up earlier than normal. She'd had a rough night trying to go to sleep, and had just wound up drifting off two hours ago when the dogs started barking and acting up. Since Duo was on patrol, she really did not think anything about it.

It was a little before 5:00 A.M., early for ever her, when she finally decided to get up out of bed. She threw on some baggy, gray jogging pants and an oversized t-shirt she had gotten from her father before going downstairs. Everything was quiet in the house. There was none of the normal noise to be heard.

No cell phones ringing.

No computers beeping.

No radios or televisions going.

No voices at all.

Nothing.

But the lack of sound soothed her soul as she opened the door in the kitchen and looked out, seeing the last few twinkling stars in the sky above her as a slightly chilly breeze blew around her. Bella had always been a morning person, easy to get up, even at the crack of dawn. The silence was peaceful, and she took it for granted. She loved being up early, watching as the sun rose over the tops of the bald cypress and magnolia trees that lined the swamps around her father's home. She loved listening as the nocturnal sounds gave way and disappeared with the morning's birthing rays of light. It was simplistic…nature's way of showing that another day was coming.

And she reveled in it.

It would only be a few more hours before everyone was awake and getting ready for their days work, so she savored the peacefulness while she could. She looked over towards the stables when she heard her dad's horses neigh and stomp their hooves on the ground. She'd have to remember to feed them after breakfast. She turned around and was about to enter back into the kitchen when she heard footsteps coming from around the corner of the house.

"Duo?" she called out. "That you?"

"Yeah, it's me." he said, looking up at her as he walked over. "What are you doing up so darn early?"

"Couldn't sleep." she said, shrugging in indifference. "How's everything around the house? No intruders trying to get in?" Duo smiled and stretched his arms to work the kinks out.

"Nope. All clean and clear." he said with a grin. "No bad guys to be found."

"Well, that's reassuring, at least." Bella said. She looked at him and frowned, noticing that he kept fidgeting around. "You alright, Duo?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." he said, pulling his jacket around him. "It's just cold out here right before dawn. The wind cuts through clothes like a knife!"

"It's the dampness in the air." she said, shrugging. "Makes it feel like it's colder than it really is. Besides, we're in the beginning of February, and that's one of our coldest months down here. Why don't you come inside and warm up a little."

"You volunteering to help me warm up?" he asked with a smirk, referring to their conversation the evening before. Bella regarded him carefully, a small grin on her face.

"I'm volunteering to make some coffee to warm you up." she said. Duo just smiled and shook his head, walking in front of her to enter into the house. She waited until he had passed right by her to whisper, just loud enough for him to hear. "Besides, we can't be doing things like that while you're supposed to be on patrols. What would Yuy think if he caught us? And you don't want to give China-man a heart attack, do you?" Duo stopped dead in his tracks when she said that, and whirled around to stare at her in disbelief.

"What?!" he asked, not sure he had heard her correctly. She only tipped her head in his direction and walked past him, into the house.

"Pick your jaw up off the ground, honey." she called back teasingly. "You're going to be catching flies in that thing." Duo just watched her disappear into the still dark rooms of the house before he finally came to his senses and followed her inside. He was going to get warmed up alright. And how he did it was going to be up to her.

-----------------------------About two hours later…--------------------------

Everyone in the house was congregated around the breakfast table, talking animatedly about what they were going to do that day.

"How long are the meetings going to last today, Relena?" Bella asked her friend as she put a plate of toast down in the center of the table.

"They said something about the meetings being short today." Relena answered. "I didn't find out why, though."

"Daddy?" Bella asked, turning to her father.

"Don't look at me, pumpkin." he said. "I don't know either."

"Well, that's good enough." Bella said. "No point in staying with those stuffy old codgers longer than you have to."

"Bella!" Rita admonished, trying to stop a grin from coming to her face. "Really! You shouldn't talk about them like that."

"I shouldn't, but I do anyways." Bella grinned. Duo snickered and went to reach for another pancake off of the top of the stack.

"Well, you really shouldn't say that." Rita said firmly, although her voice lacked any type of conviction. "It's not right, nor is it polite."

"If I only said polite things to people like them," she said, her hands on her hip. "I'd speak to Marguerite less than what I already do."

"Speaking of her, did she come home last night?" Kenneth Covington asked, peering over at Duo for his answer.

"No sir, she didn't." Duo said, after he swallowed his mouthful of pancakes. "No one came here last night. Everything was quiet." The older man only nodded, but there was a small frown on his face.

"Is there something you needed done, daddy?" Bella asked as she walked back in with more food. "I'll do it today while I'm here."

"I wanted to tell her to call the PR people today and ask about the campaign budget for May." he said. "I meant to do it myself, but I forgot about it."

"Don't worry about it." Bella said. "I'll call them right after breakfast. What do you want to know, just the budget you've been allotted?"

"Yes." he said. "And tell Hien I'm going to be in touch with her soon to plan out the rest of the campaign trips." Bella nodded and was about to walk back into the kitchen to get a pitcher of apple juice, when it seemed suddenly seemed like the world was ending.

There was a sudden sound of breaking glass as the window panes in the kitchen shattered, and bullets embedded themselves into the walls not too far from where she was standing. Out of reflex, she ducked down to get away from the sounds and the flying shards of glass, only to be knocked down and shielded by someone else. She heard her step-mother's screams, as she hit the ground and covered her own head. Her mind faintly processed Heero's curses mixed in with her father's swears, and Duo's quick prayer to God for everyone to be okay.

Her mind quickly resettled itself into another time when bullets and flying glass was around her, and she panicked, remembering all to plainly who had been lying on top of her that fateful day. As well as what had happened to that person. She shook her head as her survival instinct kicked in and she tried to push whoever it was on top of her off, in order to get to her father.

"GET OFF!" she screamed, pushing at the body. "GET OFF OF ME! DADDY! DADDY!!"

"Shut up and be still, Bella!" Duo growled out, hearing another round of shots go off and another half a dozen bullets break window panes and the ornate ceramic plates Rita had decorated her kitchen walls with. "Don't move!"

"DADDY!" she screamed, pounding on Duo's chest. "WHERE'S MY DAD?? OH, GOD, PLEASE! NOT THIS AGAIN!" Duo lifted his head a little and looked down at her, grabbing her face to stop her from pushing at him. Overhead, the crystal vase of calla lilies Rita had cut for a table centerpiece two days before shattered into a million pieces as another bullet hit it. The water spilt over the edge of the counter, pouring onto Duo's back.

"Listen to me, Bella!" he said fiercely, ignoring the water and everything else around him. "Your dad is fine! He's over behind the counter!" Bella twisted her head and saw in fact that her dad was behind the counter, lying on top of Rita in order to shield her away from the breaking glass, while Heero and Relena had ducked into the pantry to get away from the stray bullets. Wufei was crouched down behind the island in the kitchen, his gun up and ready to fire. She watched as the Chinese man quickly ducked over to where Heero was crouched, his own gun out and a trembling Relena behind him. They exchanged a few words and Heero turned around and pushed Relena farther into the pantry before standing and making for the doorway.

The bullets had stopped raining down on them, and Bella could hear the sound of gravel being kicked up and hitting the house before a vehicle's tires caught on the rough driveway material. Duo looked down at her and frowned, using one hand to hold himself above her and another to reach for the gun tucked into the back of his pants.

"Get over into that pantry with Relena!" he said fiercely. "Stay in there and don't come out until one of us come and get you! Got it?!" He could feel her heart beating hard from where he was pressed down on her, and the stark fear in her eyes told him she would not argue with him. He jumped up and ran when he heard Heero's and Wufei's guns shoot off round after round towards the escaping vehicle that carried the attackers.

By the time he got out there a few seconds later, the only thing they could see was a trail of dust where they would be attackers flew out of there running the devil himself was on their tails. Heero just frowned and turned to Duo, his face grim and angry.

"What the in the hell happened, Maxwell?" he barked, picking the shorter man up by his collar. "You said everything was clear! How the hell do you explain this!?"

"It was!" Duo said, his hands going to his partners automatically. "It was! There was no one here when I came in! I swear to God! Ask Wufei!"

"He's telling the truth, Yuy." Wufei said slowly. "I was with him during the last rounds before we went in to eat." Heero slowly let Duo back down to his feet, the glare never leaving his eyes. "Is everyone inside okay?"

"Yes." Wufei answered. "As far as I can tell, Covington and his wife were not hit?"

"And the girl?"

"She's fine." Duo said. "Scared shitless right now, but fine." Heero tucked the gun into his shoulder holster and turned back to the house.

"Get the New Orleans Preventor's Headquarters on the phone, Maxwell." he said firmly.

"Gotcha, buddy." Duo said, dusting off his jacket and pulling his cell phone out of a pocket.

"Wufei, find out how in the hell those bastards got in here without any of us knowing it." Heero growled. "There are cameras set up all over the place, and two damned guard dogs in this yard that bark at anything that moves. Not to mention an electric gate that has code confirmation on it. Find out how that get in here without us knowing it."

"I'm on it." Wufei said, leaving immediately.

"And I'm going to have a talk with Senator Covington." Heero muttered.

"Uh, Preventor Yuy?" Bella's voice called out from the house. "There's something here you might want to take a look at." Heero walked back into the house, stepping around the piles of broken glass and porcelain to take the paper in Belladonna's hand. He scanned over it and frowned.

It was a note, addressed to Kenneth and Rita Covington. And it basically said that unless they quit trying to pass the new proposals the Peace Summit committee had suggested into law, they were going to be killed. There was no name, only the warning, written in blood red ink. He looked up at Bella, who had become ghostly white and shook his head.

"Get yourselves cleaned up and calmed down." he said seriously. "Take Relena into the house and stay away from the kitchen, or any room that has windows in it that lead directly outside." The girl nodded and quickly turned to usher a ridiculously calm looking Relena and her nearly hysterical stepmother into another room, away from the massive mess in the kitchen.

Kenneth Covington walked over to Heero and shook his head.

"Did you see who it was?" he asked, taking the note from Heero's hands and scanning over it.

"They had masks on." Heero said emotionlessly. "But it was two males and one female by the looks of them. They took off in a green SUV, heading towards the East."

"Why didn't you go after them?" he asked angrily.

"And leave all of you here, unprotected to another attack?" Heero asked, looking at the man. "That wouldn't be smart. My men and I are here to keep the Vice Foreign Minister safe. Besides, whoever it was that shot at us slit the tires on all the vehicles out here." Kenneth looked over at the two SUV's and the car sitting off to the side. Sure enough, at least two of the tires on each one was flatter than a pancake.

"I just got off the phone with the Head man at Headquarters." Duo's oddly serious voice was heard. The two men turned their heads and looked at him, expecting more news.

"And?" Heero prompted.

"And it seems like we're not the only ones who got a visit this morning." the braided ex-pilot said. "There were three other reported attacks on other members of the Peace Summit, and another one was being called in while I was on the phone. They're sending in more men, and an investigation squad to find out what happened. The guy said they should be here within the next twenty minutes or so."

"Who else was attacked?" Heero asked. Duo shrugged and shook his head.

"Don't know. They wouldn't tell me." he answered truthfully. "Where is Relena and Bella?"

"They're in the house." Kenneth Covington said. "Along with Rita."

"Maxwell, get in there and watch over them." Heero said, his eyes narrowing into two blue slits. "I'm going to help Chang figure out how in the hell they got through security."

"I'm on it." Duo said.

"DADDY!" came Bella's terrified voice, making the men turn their attention to the porch. "DADDY! THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH DESMADONNA AND EVANGELINE!! I THINK THEY'VE BEEN SHOT!!" Senator Covington took off as soon as he heard his daughter's voice, with Duo and Heero not far behind him. When they rounded the corner of the house, they saw Bella kneeling on the porch between the two still bodies of the German Sheppard's the Covington family kept as guard dogs. Duo knelt down and took a quick look at the dogs while the Senator gathered Bella into a tight hug.

"They're not dead." Duo said, the confusion evident in his voice. "They're asleep." Heero stooped down and began checking the canines over himself.

"Asleep?" the older man asked. "They slept through the attack? Impossible!"

"They've been drugged." Heero said finally, checking them over for himself one more time. "That's why they didn't react to who ever it was in that SUV."

"Drugged?" Bella asked, shaking her head. "But how?"

"When was the last time you fed them?" Heero asked.

"Early this morning, before everyone got up." Bella said. "Just like I do every morning."

"Where's the food?" he asked.

"Over there by the swing." Bella said, jerking her head to the left. Heero got up and walked over to the two containers of food, eyeing them carefully. They looked normal enough, but years of training under Dr. J had taught him to look beyond what was visible.

And it looked like he was going to be doing that a lot today.

-------------------------A few hours later…….-------------------------

By the time the last Preventor jeep had pulled out of the Covington driveway, Bella was ready to pull her hair out, and apparently, so was her father. When the Summit Council had found out about the synchronized attacks, they had cancelled the meetings until further along in the week when everything would be calmed down. That in itself was fine with her, but all the questions and inquiries had started to get on her nerves after the first four hours of it.

Then, to make her nerves even worse, Marguerite had shown up about an hour after the New Orleans Preventors had arrived that morning, and boy did the drama queen in her come out then. She had started crying and saying how worried she was for them. And how she should not have left in such a huff the night before. Bella finally just drowned her out after a while since she couldn't readily tell her off in front of all the officers.

Now, almost twelve hours after the attacks, Bella was collecting her laptop and a few other necessities she needed to go to her own home. The Chief of Police and Head Preventor had suggested that the family split up and go elsewhere for the next few nights until everything settled down. Since both Bella and Marguerite had their own homes, they were going there, while Kenneth and Rita got a hotel room in town somewhere. Bella just wondered where Relena was going to be sent, but that question was answered just as soon as she stepped of the staircase and ran into her dad.

"Belladonna?" he asked. "Do you have what you need?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, daddy." she said. "I'm going to go put it in my truck, then leave. Are you sure you and Rita are going to be okay tonight?"

"We're going to stay at a hotel in town." he said, running his hands through his graying hair. "The Chief of Police will have us surrounded with cops and Preventors all night. So, you don't have to worry."

"I'd still feel better if I was with you." she mumbled, shifting her laptop case to her other shoulder.

"I know, pumpkin." he said, smiling at her gently. "But there is something else I need for you to do for me."

"What?"

"I want Relena and her guards to go with you to your house." he said.

"What?! Why?!" Bella asked, blinking in confusion.

"I'd feel better if Relena went with you." he said. "The Vice Foreign Minister refuses to get on a plane and go home, because she's determined to see these meetings out. I've already spoken to Preventor Yuy, and he agrees with me. Since the letter only named me and Rita, it would make more sense to send her with you instead of keeping her near me. Besides, there are going to be half a dozen Preventors stationed at your house for the next few nights now, anyway." Bella nodded, seeing the logic in her father's reasoning.

"Marguerite is going to her house too, then?" she asked. Covington nodded and walked beside her as she left out of the house to put her stuff in the back of her SUV.

"Yes." he said.

"Not that I'm complaining, or anything, daddy," she said. "But why send Relena with me? Marguerite was not named as a target. Why not send them with her?" Covington took a deep breath and looked carefully at his eldest daughter.

"I know Marguerite wasn't name as a target." he said. "But she's in these meetings just as much as Relena, Rita, and I. It makes more sense to send them with someone who is not a major political figure in these meetings. Besides….something just doesn't sit right when I think about Relena going with Marguerite. It's a gut feeling…"

"I understand, daddy." she said, nodding. "Where's Relena now?"

"Packing up her clothes and belongings." he said. "She should be down in a minute. In fact, I need to go hurry Rita up. I want to be out of here soon." Belladonna nodded and watched as her father went back into the house.

It was times like this when she could see the age in her dad's face. Sure, he was a vivacious person, always laughing and joking with people, but his age was starting to show, despite his excellent health. The gray hairs were few in number, and gave his black hair a dash of color, but they were there none the less. And the laugh lines around his mouth, and the wrinkles around his eyes were starting to become more pronounced as the years passed. He was aging quickly, and she had no doubts that his job played a large factor in that.

She just shook her head and headed back into the house to see if she could help Relena with anything, only to come face to face with her very red faced, very angry younger half sister.

"What the hell is going on, Belladonna?" Marguerite practically screamed, blocking her pathway down the hall. "Who do you think you are?"

"What are you talking about?" Bella asked, her temper with her half sibling going out the window immediately. "You aren't making any sense."

"You know what I'm talking about!" she screeched. "Relena is going with you, when she needs to be focused on the Summit Meetings! You are distracting her from her job!"

"Distracting her from…." Bella repeated, the anger showing in her face. "I'm distracting her from her job? Don't you think her life is a little more important than those damned meetings?! She can't go to the fucking meetings if she's dead, you idiot."

"I know that!" Marguerite yelled. "But….."

"Get off of your damned high-horse, dear little sister." Bella sneered. "You need to get your priorities straightened out, and not get side tracked by your own paranoia!" Marguerite drew back from the venom in her sister's voice, and Bella suddenly recognized the look in Marguerite's eyes, and realized why Marguerite was so angry about Relena going with her. It wasn't because of Relena leaving….it was because of Duo would be going with Relena, and therefore out of Marguerite's sight.

They heard the crack of the stairs and looked upwards, only to see that Relena, Heero, and Duo had came out of their rooms when they heard the sounds of yelling, and were now standing at the top of the banister railing, watching them. Bella's eyes caught Marguerite's horrified face when she saw Duo, and her suspicions were immediately confirmed.

"Ceci n'est pas de Relena, c'est, Marguerite? Ceci est du Duo. Fou parce que s'il part avec Relena, vous ne pourrez pas obtenir a lui, n'est-ce pas?" (This isn't about Relena, is it, Marguerite? This is about Duo. You're mad because if he leaves with Relena, you won't be able to get to him, will you?) Bella asked, slipping into the French she and Marguerite used to lapse into when they argued so their parents would not understand the insults. She saw her sister pale instantly at the accusation, and her own suspicions were once again confirmed.

"Cela n'est pas vrai!" (That's not true!) Marguerite said, shaking her head in denial at her sister's words. "Vous l'egarez, et tirer son attention oin de quel est important maintenant!" (You're distracting her, and pulling her attention away from what is important right now!)

"Vous agissez comme un enfant gate! Vous ne vous rappelez pas ce qu'est arrive la derniere fois voux avez obtenu ce paranoia par-desus un gars vous avez jure j'essayais de voler de vous? Le blessure de Phillip augmente mort, Marguerite. Ou avez-vous oublie cela daga?" ( You're acting like a spoilt child! Don't you remember what happened the last time you got this paranoid over a guy you swore I was trying to steal from you? Phillip wound up dead, Marguerite. Or have you forgotten that already?) Marguerite visibly took a step back as though she had been physically slapped, tears forming in her hardening eyes.

"How dare you?" she growled out.

"How dare you?" Bella asked, cutting her eyes at her. "I don't have any intentions of taking anyone from you, Marguerite. I don't now, and I sure as hell didn't then. But you wouldn't listen to reason and see that, would you?" Bella walked up to Marguerite and glared at her even harder, holding back the impulse to slap the younger woman. "Don't presume to know me, or what I do. Just make sure that when you start threatening and flying off the handle at me, because you think I'm stealing something that rightfully belongs to you, make sure that thing or person is actually yours first. Human beings can't be owned, no matter what you may think in that twisted head of yours. So back the hell off of me."

"Belladonna! Marguerite!" came Senator Covington's voice. "That's enough, both of you." The young women whirled around, only to come face to face with their frowning father. "I don't know what you two are going on about, but now is not the time, nor the place to be arguing, although I have a vague idea of what it's about."

"Daddy…" Marguerite said, trying to placate her father. "We…"

"I don't want to hear it from either of you." he said firmly, looking at them both like they were erring children once again. "This subject is closed." Bella said nothing, and Marguerite held her comments to herself. The tension in the air between the two sisters and their sire was thick, and on the verge of spilling over into physical violence if something did not detract the warring half-siblings.

"Do you have your stuff together, Relena?" Mrs. Covington asked, watching as the Vice Foreign Minister descended the steps with her three guards.

"Yes. I'm ready." she said, nodding.

"Then let's get you loaded up and on your way." Senator Covington said kindly. "The sooner we all get away from here, the better I'll feel." Bella said nothing, only nodded and walked out to her SUV, popping the trunk to allow Relena to put her stuff in. She got in and waited for the Preventors to get in and secure Relena. She watched as her father spoke to Marguerite for a number of minutes before giving her a hug and sending her to her own home.

When her father walked over to the SUV, and tapped on the window, Bella rolled it down, but did not look at him.

"Bella…" he started gently.

"I know, dad." she said firmly. "We've been over this before about him and her. You don't tell me again." The old man just nodded and shook his head. He placed his hand on hers and squeezed gently.

"Be careful, pumpkin." he said quietly. "And call me when you get home."

"I will, dad." she said, buckling her seatbelt and cranking the engine. "Don't worry." She checked the rearview mirror to make sure Relena and the other Preventors were situated before backing up and pulling out of the driveway.

--------------------------------------------------------------

The trip to her house was silent, which was all good and fine for her. It seemed like her little outburst with Marguerite had put not only Relena, but her bodyguards on edge as well.

Belladonna turned down the final road that led to her own home and shivered as a chill went down her spine. Marguerite was up to something, and she knew it. Her younger sister was a manipulative witch when she wanted to be. 'I'll think about it later.' she thought wearily, spotting the lights of her house behind the fence she had just pulled up to. 'I need to get Relena and the others situated right now.'

"We're here ya'll." she said grimly, pulling her key chain up and hitting the button that opened the electric, eight foot gate. She drove through, with the gates shutting behind her. When she got far enough up the driveway, she spotted three U.S. Preventor's jeeps parked in front of her house. "Damn! That was quick." she muttered.

"Who is that, onna?" Wufei asked, his hand going to the gun in his holster.

"That, China-man, is a group of Preventors that were chosen to look after me in case something like this happened. The Senators organizing the Peace Summit figured problems would occur once they got all the colony and Earth delegates together in one place. So, the Preventor headquarters here in the state assigned to each immediate member of the Senator's family, a handful of guards incase something happened. A couple of the ones from the precinct here volunteered to watch my back if something did happen." Bella parked her SUV in front of the two story house and cut the engine off.

Six men in green Preventor uniforms exited from the parked Jeeps while Heero, Duo, Relena, and Wufei got out of Bella's vehicle. The apparent leader of the group, a man in his late thirties with thinning red hair and concerned green eyes stepped forward, enveloping Bella in a tight hug, a relieved smile on his face.

"Bella, are you okay? How's the rest of your family?" he asked. "Ken wasn't hurt was he?" Bella smiled faintly and pulled away from the man, shaking her head.

"No. Dad and Rita are fine. Marguerite wasn't home when it happened." she said. "How long have you been waiting here?"

"Half an hour." he said, dismissing the question. "Everything's been cleared around the property. Nothing suspicious looking, but we need to get into the house and check everything out."

"That's fine." she said, gesturing for Relena to come forward. "I have the Vice Foreign Minister with me, John. Dad thought she would be safer with me." Relena stepped forward and extended her hand in greeting to the red-headed man.

"Ms. Dorlian. It's a pleasure." he said politely, shaking her hand. "I'm Captain John Asher, Preventor for the New Orleans branch."

"Relena Dorlian. Nice to meet you, sir." Relena answered. She gestured to the three men beside her. "These are my personal guards, Heero Yuy, Wufei Chang, and Duo Maxwell, Preventors from the international headquarters."

"Who's in charge?" the man asked briskly, looking at the group of ex-Gundam pilots.

"I am." Heero said firmly, stepping forward.

"Mr. Yuy, would you come with me, please? I need to speak with you concerning the safety of the Vice Foreign Minister." the red head asked.

"Whoa, now wait just a damned minute." Bella said, shaking her head. "Whatever you've got up your sleeve, I want to know about it. This is my house after all, and I want to know what the hell's going on! I've had enough surprises for one day to last me a couple of years!"

"Fine." the Preventor agreed. "We need to search and secure the house, Bella."

"Here's the keys." Bella said, handing her key chain to him. "The key to the cellar and storm shelter are the same. There's no key to the attic, and nothing else should be locked. What else you need?"

"Permission to plant sentries around the house." Captain Asher said. "I assume you and your men will want to be with Ms. Dorlian, Mr. Yuy?"

"Yes." Heero answered.

"That's fine." he said. "I'll keep my men stationed outside then."

"Agreed." Heero said.

"One more thing, Bella." the man said, grimacing slightly. "Where are your dogs?"

"The backyard." she answered. "Why?"

"You're going to need to chain them while we're here. Those hell hounds are already trying to get over the fence and at us."

"I'll take care of it." she said, watching as three of the other Preventors walked into her house to search. "Can we at least go onto the porch? The mosquitoes are having a field day out here." The man nodded and they walked through the screen door and onto the porch.

"Wufei?" Heero said, looking at the Chinese man.

"Yeah?"

"Watch Relena." he said stiffly. "Maxwell, come with me."

"Right behind ya', buddy." Duo said, following his partner into the house.

"Where are they going?" Relena asked, turning to Wufei with a frown.

"To help with the search." he answered simply. "The quicker we get this place secured, the better." Relena nodded in understanding and turned to the American man again.

"Were there any other attacks on other delegates besides myself and Senator Covington?" she asked.

"There were six attacks total." he answered with a frown. "All at, or around, the exact same time."

"Who else?" Bella asked.

"Michael Cole, the colony's Harbor Coordinator and Keith Flannigan, Head of the Colony Council, were injured when they were shot at."

"Were they hurt?" Relena asked.

"No ma'am. But they were pretty cut up from the shattered glass." he answered.

"Who else?" Bella asked.

"Quatre Winner was threatened with a note in his hotel room." he said.

"Who else?"

Senator Marie Evans and Senator David Lee." he answered with a sigh. "They weren't hurt, but Ms. Evans was quite shook up."

"I don't doubt it." Relena said.

"Any idea who is causing these disturbances?" Wufei asked.

"Probably protestors who are going against some policies being proposed."

"Were any of the perpetrators apprehended?" Wufei asked again.

"Two were caught." he said. "Mr. Winner's two body guards, I believe there names were Barton and Rashid, caught the two men who planted the note in his room." Wufei nodded and fell silent again.

Suddenly, loud barks and snarls could be heard from the back of the house. Bella cursed and took off towards the back of her house, running through the still dark rooms as quickly as possible, Preventor Asher on her heels. Relena and Wufei followed quickly behind. When they found her, she was pulling two full grown rottweilers away from a tree where one of the other men had jumped into to escape the vicious dogs.

"Mordred! Damian!" she scolded, finally pulling them away from the tree. "Knock it off, you big brutes!! No one's gonna hurt anything!!" The dogs immediately stopped snarling and biting at their mistress' scolding command, sitting at her feet, but still watching the human they had sent up the tree. Bella grabbed two chains and hooked them to the collars of the dogs, leading them towards the back of the yard where two large plastic doghouses stood.

"What's all the commotion?" came Duo's questioning voice.

"The onna's dogs got at one of the men." Wufei commented. "Sent him up a tree. Is the house secure?"

"Yeah." Heero said. "What…." His voice cut off when he heard a loud growl and more barks from the edge of the yard along with Bella's not so nice voice telling the dogs to calm down. A jingle of chains was heard and she came back into sight, a huge dog on each side of her.

"Jesus, Joseph and Mary!" Duo muttered. "I forgot how big those mutts were." The two dogs eyed the newcomers warily, but did not growl or bite. Each dog was easily a hundred or more pounds, and stood almost to Bella's waist. And to Duo, they seemed bigger now than they were the first time he had met them. But that was probably due to the fact that the black/brown coloring made it hard to distinguish them from the shadows that were starting to fall.

"Alright, you two," she said authoritatively, as though scolding two errant children. "Apologize to Mr. Poydras for scaring him into the tree."

"Apologize?" Wufei scoffed. "They're dogs, onna. Not humans." Bella just glared at him, not saying anything, then pointed to the man that had climbed out of the tree. The officer named Poydras looked like he would rather jump off a cliff than be around the dogs again. But when Mordred and Damian walked over to him, ears lowered and tail between their legs, he seemed to calm down a shade. When the two giant dogs laid down in front of him on the ground and put their head on their paws, big brown eyes careened up to look at the still slightly nervous man, even Wufei seemed genuinely surprised.

"Hold your hand out." Bella said.

"What?" Poydras asked.

"Go ahead." she said. "They won't bite, and it's their way of apologizing when they know they've done something wrong." Poydras stuck his hand out slowly and the dogs licked it, almost apologetically.

"Well, I'll be dammed." Preventor Asher muttered, watching as Mordred and Damian went back to Bella.

"Come on, babies." Bella said, pulling the chains and leading them back to the fenced off area. "Bed time for you both."

"Why do I get the distinct feeling those dogs are just waiting for her to turn her back before they use one of us as a midnight snack?" Duo asked.

"Sorry about that." Bella said, coming back. "They're not used to having so many people around. It won't happen again. Did everything check out in the house?"

"Everything checked out fine." Heero said, putting his hand on Relena's back to lead her towards the interior of the house.

"Well let's get inside, then." Bella said, following them in. "I need to get some sheets and towels for the guestrooms so you guys will have a place to sleep."

"What about patrols?" Wufei asked, not particularly wanting to stay inside all night after what had just occurred that day.

"My men are going to be stationed around the house tonight." Preventor Asher stated. "Another group will arrive in the morning, and we'll switch."

"Understood." Heero said. Bella walked into the living room and threw her jacket on the couch, everyone else following her.

"Just make yourselves at home." she said. "There's some food in the refrigerator, so just grab what you want for now, and I'll cook after I finish getting the guest rooms ready."

"I'll help." Relena offered, walking up the stairs with her after getting way from Heero. "It's the least I can do." The two women disappeared up the stairs and Preventor Asher nodded at the remaining three men.

"If you need anything, just holler." he said, walking back outside.

"Well, Duo muttered. "might as well get comfy and see what's on television…"

--------------------Upstairs…------------------ ---------------------

Bella pulled another sheet out of the hall closet and turned to enter the first guest room and make up the bed. Relena was on the other side of the twin bed and caught the cotton material as Bella spread it out.

"I'm really sorry about this, Relena." Bella said, smoothing out some wrinkles on the sheet. "We had no idea it would be this bad. Had we known, I'm sure daddy would have had the meetings canceled. I hate putting everyone in danger like this."

"It's not your fault, Belladonna." Relena said, smoothing the sheet and tucking it in. "You didn't know this would happen. I am curious though. Why are you being protected? You weren't threatened."

"Relena, there's a long story as to why I'm tied up in the middle of this mess." Bella said with a sigh.

"Well, I've got the time, if you've got the patience to fill me in." Relena said. Bella tucked in the corner of the sheet and nodded, trying to find were to start.

"There's more to business and politics around here than anybody realizes." she said, choosing her words carefully. "If you step on the wrong person's toes, you'll find yourself floating face down in the swamps as gator bait. In fact, I guess you could compare it to life as an animal in the swamp."

"On the surface, everything is smooth and peaceful, serene even. But it's just a façade, an illusion to cover up what's going on beneath the surface. If you're not careful, if you don't keep your guard up, and watch what you do, something…someone will take you down in the blink of an eye." Bella grabbed a comforter and spread it out on the bed.

"Like Darwin's concept of survival of the fittest." Relena said, nodding in understanding. "Go on."

"Well, let me really start off at the beginning." Bella said. "It'll make more sense if I just jump into what's right in now. Not long before the war, my mom pulled me out of St. Gabriel's. You had already gone by then. Anyway, my mom's job as personal assistant to the Alliance's Marshall Noventa kept us flying all over the colonies and Earth. I didn't really mind at all. But all good things must come to an end, right?"

"When the Gundams attacked the New Edwards base, my mom and I were there, and took shelter in one of the underground bunkers. Unfortunately, it started to cave in, and we had to leave. We got out, and started to run for an underground bomb shelter she'd been told about. But one of the Gundams that was attacking sliced into some mobile suits near us. When they exploded, mom and I fell down from the shockwaves. My mom tried to get me up, but I'd hurt myself when I fell."

"Metal flew all over the place, glass embedded itself in us, but my mom took the brunt of it. She had pulled herself on top of me, to protect me from the flying rubble and debris. Some of the shrapnel hit her…" Bella abruptly stood up from bed and walked over to the window, looking out as the sun.

It was beginning to set, and the clouds were turning pale pinks and purples. She felt her eyes tear up, but held the feelings of loss in check. Talking about her mom always upset her, even after all these years, but Relena needed to know how everything tied in. And that was part of it.

"Bella?" Relena asked carefully. "You don't have to tell me…"

"You need to know, hon." Bella said, taking a deep breath and turning back around to face her. "My mother died in my arms, Relena. She bled to death, in my arms and I couldn't do anything about it. The only thing I remember is the Gundam that caused the suit to explode. If I ever saw it again, I'd know it immediately." She didn't notice, but Relena's intake of breath was quick when she realized that she knew who Bella's mother's killer could be, considering she knew all the Gundam pilots, and three of them were sitting in her own house downstairs.

"Anyhow, after I found out that the attack was a ploy by Romefeller to kill of the pacifists, I wound up moving in with my dad, here in the States. Rita and I hit it off rather well, considering I was the result of a drunken one night stand between her husband and a woman she had never met."

"She doesn't seem like the type to judge harshly." Relena agreed.

"She didn't, thank the Lord." Bella answered. "Unfortunately, Marguerite was not as forgiving. Up until this day, she can't stand me. And I would be lying if I said the feeling was not mutual on my part. But you saw that right before we left."

"What happened?" Relena asked. "What did she do?"

"Anything and everything to make my life a living hell, at first." Bella answered, sliding a pillow case onto the pillow in her hand. "I cold live with the snide remarks and hateful attitude. In fact, I did. It finally got to the point where we ignored each other completely. She wound up getting into politics with dad, and I started my company with the money my mom had left me."

"Sounds like things were evening out." Relena pointed out.

"Yeah, they were, until Phillip Bienville came into the equation." Bella said with a sad smile. "He was a friend and business acquaintance of mine. He'd taught me a lot about managing my money and expanding the company under me. Well, to make a long story short, I wound up introducing him and Marguerite one day when she caught us having lunch together. I never would have guessed it, but they hit it off wonderfully, and wound up dating. He was twenty-three and she was eighteen."

"What happened?" Relena asked.

"They dated for a year and a half before Phillip worked up the guts to even think about asking her to marry him. Marguerite loved that man more than anything, and waited and waited for him to ask her to marry. Anyhow, when Phillip finally decide to pop the question, he asked me for help, advice, tips, whatever I was willing to give him. And considering how strained the relationship between the two of us, it wasn't much to go on."

"Marguerite had moved up in the political ranks by then, and he wanted everything to be absolutely perfect for her. So, Phillip and I would keep in touch, throwing ideas at each other, and trying to get him mentally prepared to ask her. Unfortunately, that was also about the time she started acting paranoid."

"Well, Marguerite got suspicious of us, and confronted Phillip and I about the time we spent together. She thought I was trying to break them apart. We tried to tell her that nothing was going on, but when that witch gets suspicious, she never lets it go. The day Phillip went to buy the engagement ring, I went with him to get it sized because my hand is about the same size as Marguerites."

"I later found out that Marguerite saw us together in the jewelry store. A few days later, Phillip was going to ask her to marry him while they were out on a date. That day, Phillip and I had a board meeting, and we went out to each lunch together so we could go over some proposals. While we were in the café, someone started firing a gun at us. Phillip was killed instantly, and I was injured. The gunman was caught, but all we ever found out was that a woman had paid him two grand to kill Phillip and I. He swore he didn't know who it was."

"That's horrible!" Relena gasped, her hand covering her mouth in shock. "Horrible."

"Oh, I ain't even got to the best part, yet." Bella said with a wave of her hand.

"It gets worse?" she asked. Bella nodded and continued her story.

"At the funeral, Marguerite found out that Phillip had planned on asking her to marry him the day he was killed. She found out from his mother, who was more upset than anyone I'd ever seen. When she confronted me, and I told her I'd went with him to have the ring sized, Marguerite realized what had happened."

"The day after the funeral, I came home and found her punch-ass drunk in the bathroom, crying. She was so wasted, that she admitted to using some of her political pull to have someone kill me and Phillip because she though we were having an affair behind her back. When she found out the truth, she practically went crazy. Ever since then, I've washed my hands with her."

"She had her fiancée killed?" Relena asked.

"Yes, she did." Bella answered sorely. "And me too, almost."

"But, what about the police?" Relena questioned. "Why isn't she incarcerated?"

"Because money talks and bullshit walks around here, Relena." Bella said, shaking her head. "She managed to cover her tracks well enough to where the whole affair could not be tracked back to her. So, there is no evidence to prove anything. I also have a feeling that the Chief of Police got a hefty payoff to just drop the case altogether."

"But…she told you!" Relena said. "Why…"

"She was drunk, Relena." Bella said, grabbing some towels and putting them in the bathroom that was attached to the bedroom. "She doesn't remember telling me anything that night." They grew quiet for a moment, letting the tension hang in the air. Finally, Relena had to say something.

"Anything else need to be done in here?" Relena asked. Bella shook her head and gestured for the woman to precede her out of the room.

"No. Let's go get the other room fixed and I'll go make some dinner. I'm relatively sure Maxwell's ready to eat."

"Duo's always ready to eat." Relena said, walking into the room across the hall. "That's nothing new. He'll eat anything in sight as long as it isn't moving on its own legs and feet." Bella grabbed another set of bed clothes from the hall closet and walked into the room.

"You had better tell him to stay away from Marguerite's cooking then, if that's the case." she said. "She's likely to poison him."

"Is her cooking that bad?" Relena asked.

"No. But I'm telling you that she's liable to slip him something to make him fall asleep, then kidnap him, gag him, and tie him to a bed somewhere out of hearing range of screams."

"Kidnap? What?"

"Haven't you figured it out yet, Relena?" Bella asked, cocking any eyebrow at the girl as they smoothed out the sheets and tucked in the corners. "Marguerite's got a thing for your bodyguard with the long braid. That's why she was so pissed when we left earlier. Dad sent you guys with me, instead of her."

"Meaning Marguerite is not around Duo, and can't come here until things settle down." Relena said, understanding why the sisters were arguing before they left to come to Bella's house, and why Duo's name kept popping up. "This trip keeps getting better and better."

"She doesn't want me anywhere near him." Bella said, shrugging. "She thinks I'm going to convince him she's some type of horrible person. What she doesn't realize is that she's doing all the damage herself by acting like a little tart around him."

"Your sister is psycho." Relena murmured, tucking in the comforter.

"Tell me something I don't already know." Bella answered, grabbing the towels with one hand and putting them into the bathroom. "Well, we're done in here. What room to you want?"

"I'll take this one." Relena said.

"That's fine. I know Heero stays with you at night, so China-man and Maxwell can fight over who gets the other one and who gets the couch downstairs." Bella said, shutting the bathroom door. Relena only shrugged and headed towards the door, wondering exactly what was going on around her in this crazy town.

----------At the same time downstairs…---------

Heero, Duo, and Wufei pulled the earpieces out of their ears and looked at each other with worried expressions. Heero had had Duo bug the bedrooms earlier during their 'search' of the house, hoping to find out some information. And what they had just heard had shocked them all, even Heero.

"Guys, this is bad." duo said, looking slightly sick to his stomach. "Really bad."

"I would say so." Wufei commented. "You've got a psycho onna chasing you. And she's already had one lover killed. Congratulations, Maxwell." Duo groaned and put his head in he hands, cursing his luck with women. "You don't think she had something to do with today's attacks, do you? Heero?"

"I don't know." the ex-Wing Zero pilot said. "It's a possibility, a very strong possibility in fact, especially if what the girl just said was all true."

"Who ever it was, they knew where the security cameras were on the property." Wufei pointed out. "And they knew the password to get through the gates. So far, all the evidence is pointing to someone within the family, or someone who is close to them." Duo shook his head and sighed again.

Heero just watched as Belladonna and Relena descended the stairs. Bella told them to give her an hour and she'd have some dinner ready. He noticed that Relena seemed more worried than before, not that he blamed her. She came and sat down next to him, giving him a we-need-to-talk look that he had come to recognize. He just shook his head in understanding, not mentioning that they had heard every single bit of what had been said.

'This is not good.' he thought, taking a deep breath. 'Not good at all.'

-------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------

A/N - Hey everyone. How'd that chapter go? I know it was full of information towards the end, but I'm hoping the beginning made up for it. It was extra long to make up for me not updating in such a long time. So I hope you guys don't mind.

Hope you enjoyed.

And remember to review. I want to know what ya'll think.

Later,

A.A.