Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ For Eternity ❯ Give It All Away ( Chapter 10 )

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply here. I do not own Gundam Wing; however, I DO own Alexandria, Adjani, Joshua, Frank, Eve and anyone else who is unfamiliar to the show. If you should wish to borrow them, PLEASE let me know!

Series: Gundam Wing

For Eternity

Chapter Ten: Give It All Away

Written by: Tiasha

~

Just wish that I didn't feel like there was something I missed
Give it all away
Just wish that I didn't feel like there was something I missed
Give it all away

[…]

And I, give it all away
Just to have somewhere to go to
Give it all away
To have someone to come home to

This is my December,

These are my snow covered dreams
This is me pretending, this is all I need

Linkin Park, "My December"

~

Midii smiled slightly as she held up a sleeveless, low-cut blouse for Relena to look at. Her friend and leader merely raked her eyes over the garment before shaking her head negatively. A pout washed over Midii's features as she placed the garment and hanger back in the closet, before pulling out a different top, and again getting a negative answer. However, instead of moving onto the next top, Midii narrowed her eyes at her friend and placed one hand fisted on her hip with the garment, while holding onto the door-jam for support.

"All right," she began somewhat heatedly, her French accent evident. "I've had just about enough of this attitude. What is your problem?"

Relena merely raised a brow at the young woman's tone and question, before giving her a look that said it should be obvious. Midii had suspected that it was the prospect of having to 'flaunt her looks' for the mission while having Yuy present. Yuy would be most unhappy at the prospect of watching another man handle Relena, the same with Maxwell and Hilde… But there was nothing that could be done about it, so the leader of their group would just have to suck it down.

"Why not think of it this way," Midii began, turning to rummage through the closet once more. "You're dressing up to see just how much Yuy loves you."

Relena snorted derisively at the suggestion; "That's called lust, Midii…not love. Lust is all that I ever seem to get when I try to look nice. Not that lust is a bad thing, but-" the young woman paused and Midii looked at her to see her hands clenched in her lap, eyes downcast and lips curved into a sad frown.

"You want him to love you," Midii answered in a knowing manner. Relena growled in frustration as she pushed herself off the bed and began to pace the length of the room. Midii had known that Relena was struggling with her feelings towards the ex-gundam pilot, but she had always seemed to push those feelings aside and leave them untouched because she would become occupied with other things. It was unhealthy, Midii knew that, but what could she do? What could any of them do for their friend? This was one of those situations where all they could do was guide her for a little ways and then sit back to watch the results… And they were at the 'sit back and watch' phase…or so she had thought…

"I'm not supposed to Midii!"

"Why?"

"I gave up everything when I escaped! My career, my beliefs, my family, my life! If I start wishing that I could go back to that, then I'm no better than a spoiled, ungrateful bitch! I don't want to be like that! I have a beautiful and intelligent daughter, a great family, a wonderful house, a good-paying job… I shouldn't be complaining!"

Midii shook her head and moved to sit on the bed, throwing a tank top and hanger at the foot of the mattress. She slowly sank down to sit on the mattress, a relieved smile on her face as she allowed her exhausted body to rest and replenish its strength. After a moment, she looked up at the young woman who was still pacing back and forth.

"Ma petit chou [1]," Midii began gently, patting the spot on the bed next to her. She watched as the young woman paused and gave her a sad, pleading look before sitting down on the bed next to her. "Mon amie [2], I'll let you in on a little secret. Everyone secretly wants someone to love."

Silence stretched between them as Midii allowed Relena to think about that little tid-bit of information. Finally, Relena heaved an un-lady like sigh, heading hanging down as she whispered that she knew that.

"It's just…I don't know-I don't know, Midii! I thought I knew myself…I thought that what I had done was right… I'm so scared now…after all that we've been through, I'm scared of what they think…… I'm afraid that they'll reject me…"

"Mon Dieu! Pourquoi feraient-ils cela? [3]" Midii asked, reverting to her native tongue by accident. "They are not stupid, mon amie. They know that a single action can change everything. Were you not able to keep Yuy from killing you? Did you not say that he had been unable to kill you?" At Relena's hesitant nod, she smiled. "He knows what it is like to have a life-altering experience. They all do…"

"But, they all think of me as I was four years ago…and I'm not…I changed……"

"You grew up, ma petit chou. You merely grew up-are still growing up. I mean, Joshua is how old and he still acts like a ten year old."

Relena laughed at that comment, which caused Midii's smile to grow even more. "I think, you need to let Yuy know that you still care for him…" she continued, saddened when Relena's happy laughter died suddenly only to be replaced with a firm negative shake of the head. "He regrets not having been able to save you. He said so, in his own way…"

"He wants me to be the way I was before…"

"You're guessing now."

"Onee-chan [4]," Relena whispered so softly, that Midii had almost missed it all together, but she smiled tenderly as the young woman continued in a louder voice. "I thought I'd gotten over him but…deep down I know I still love him…… I-I-he's done so much for this world and now that he knows what I've become…I feel like I've let him down-that I've let them all down somehow…"

"You needed time to grow up, Relena; that's all. Besides, you couldn't coddle the Earth and Space colonies forever. They needed to stand on their own two feet too…just like you," Midii explained, wrapping an arm around the other young woman's shoulder and gave a comforting squeeze. "You concentrate on living this new life of yours. If Yuy really wants to become a part of it, then he'll try. Although encouragement on your part wouldn't hurt, you know."

At Relena's alarmed expression, Midii chuckled and wearily pushed herself off the bed and picked up the garment that had been discarded earlier. "Now, we have to get you fitted up for tonight. Did you want to wear a skirt or pants-oh what am I saying, you prefer pants."

Relena gave her a watery smile as the young woman stood and moved to stand by Midii, looking at the garments hanging in the closet. Midii began to shift through the clothing, pausing once in a while to ponder about the article of fabric before continuing on. After a moment, she heard Relena speak, breaking the silence between the two of them.

"Midii…merci beaucoup… [5]"

Midii gave the young woman a genuine smile, "Naturellement [6]."

---

Relena gave a small smile to the bouncer as she flashed him her Identification card before sauntering into the nightclub. She paused a few feet inside the club, taking in her new surroundings as she waited for the others to join her inside. She caught movement from the corner of her eye and glanced to her left to see Hilde also looking around the nightclub in an approving manner.

"Not bad..." the petite woman commented as Alex appeared on Hilde's other side. Relena glanced behind them to see two of the three ex-gundam pilots that had joinedthem (the other was waiting with the cars), barely giving them recognition as she turned her attention back to the crowded nightclub.

"He redecorated, I see," Hilde continued, her eyes still roaming around the club and dance floor. Alex merely grunted and crossed her arms, a distasteful look on her face as she eyed people here and there. Relena merely smiled in amusement. This was going to be an interesting night.

"Mou, Alex-chan..." Relena began, catching the redhead's attention. "Circle around and check the exits. I want us to be able to get out of here fast if need be."

The young red-haired woman nodded, easily slipping into the crowded dance floor and disappearing without any signs of suspicious activity. Relena watched the crowd for a few more seconds, before turning her attention to one side of the nightclub. There was one of Rick's men...

"All right, I see about two or so of Kristophe's boys," Hilde said at her side and Relena glanced in the direction the petite woman was looking in, noting the men off by the bar. Nodding, Relena placed a hand on Hilde's shoulder, smiling as the young woman smiled back with a wink. "Do we have time to mingle?"

Relena shook her head and began to move towards the back of the club where she knew the stairwell was that would lead her to the office of Kristophe Cheikovski. The man was Russian for all she knew, aside from he was young, handsome and very influential in many fields of intelligence. Including illegal firearms, illegal weaponary and tanks, illegal mobile suit blueprints and models, and illegal DNA enhancement blueprints. It all just spelled trouble; better to just get him out of the way as soon as possible.

"So what exactly are we going to be doing while we're in there?" Duo asked, his jovial attitude in place as always, and Relena noticed his eyes stray to the curves of more than one female as they moved around and through the crowd of dancing bodies. Heero was indifferent, as she expected him to be, and she hardly spared him a second glance; while he on the other hand, seemed to spare her plenty, yet inconspicously doing so.

"Um…just be wall-flowers really…" Hilde answered somewhat heatedly, albeit hesitantly. She knew as well as any one that Duo was not partial to that particular role, and was justly concerned about his reaction as to being shoved into such a position.

Heero merely rose a brow at that and gave one of his traditional grunts of acknowledgements, while Duo froze and gave the two of them an incredulous look, asking for her to repeat that. Hilde paused and groaned, dropping her head into one hand while she crossed the other across her somewhat exposed midriff. Relena just rolled her eyes, paused and turned around to wait for her three-no, make that two comrades, she amended as Heero came to a standstill next to her.

"Duo," Hilde began, massaging her temples. "It's best if we play it safe at this point and the best tatic we have is if Lena plays the 'big muchos boss,' I her second-hand woman, and you two as bodyguards."

"Well, now that is not wall-flowering," he corrected her, crossing his arms, his tone obviously taunting as his lips tipped upward in one of his trademark grins at her growl of frustrastion. Relena heaved a sigh and crossed her arms, shifting her weight to one foot as she watched the two begin to argue about what the meaning of 'wall-flower' was. After a moment, she sighed again and slanted a look at the quiet (handsome) young man standing vigilantly next to her. He did not look like he was enjoying himself, but then again, when did he ever?

'"Although encouragement on your part wouldn't hurt, you know,"' Midii's voice echoed in her mind suddenly. Amazing how of she could suddenly remember that bit of advice at a time like this, ne?

"You know Heero, you could act like you're having fun," she said in a tone low enough for just his ears. She watched him move his gaze to settle on her briefly before flitting across the club once again. Well, so much for getting his attention in that manner. 'Again, lust. That's all men ever see…' she thought sadly to herself, again sighing but this time out of remorse, as the previous ones had been of amused surrender.

"Fun? While on a mission?" she heard him question. She slowly nodded, looking at him critcally before shrugging her shoulders. He was watching her carefully now, she could tell that much but how much he would actually take to heart was beyond her knowledge.

"Yeah, fun. You know, it's what Eve does when she comes home and after she's finished her homework."

"You mean her chores?"

She blinked up at him a few times in surprise, dimly noting the amusement in his Prussian blue gaze. Was that supposed to have been a joke? Had Heero Yuy tried to be humorous just now? 'Maybe there's hope for him yet…then again, I'm reaching and he'll have to leave in the end anyway. No attachments, remember!' she chastised herself silently, shaking her head, but smiling to cover her thoughts when she saw that amusement die out from his eyes.

"No, I mean when she playing with the cats or dogs, or riding her pony, or having a tickle fest with Josh-kun [7] or-" she paused upon seeing his jaw stiffen at the somewhat intimate/familiar suffix/nickname she had given Joshua Anaya. Her smile turned to a concerned frown as she asked, "Is there something wrong?" His glare did nothing to settle her nerves either.

He seemed to be considering how to ask the question he had wanted to ask. He finally seemed to decide on, "Why do you call him that?"

She blinked again, her frown deepening. "I don't understand…"

"You let him get away with making too many comments that bring your moral character into question."

"Yes, well, I do believe that is my decision."

"You really want him to be a father figure for Eve?"

Relena stood frozen, her whole body in shock at his question. Why the fuck had he asked that when they were on a mission?! Especially one that she was not comfortable with in the first place! Was he trying to get her to screw up?! She found herself at a loss for words as she struggled for an answer.

It was Duo who finally broke the tension between the two of them and Relena realized belatedly that he and Hilde had stopped arguing a while ago, opting to listen to her and Heero. And she could have strangled the braided baka for the comment that came out his mouth too. "What's up Heero? You interested in the job or something?"

"Duo!" Hilde hissed, immediately ramming an elbow into his side to let him know that he should keep his mouth shut. Relena mentally smirked; she wouldn't have to strangle the braided young man after all, if Hilde got to him first that is…

Heero did not answer Duo's comment, not that she expected him to anyway. It was not in his character to answer a question that had been asked in such a manner. The question was not vital to the mission, or even his mission (be whatever that was). With a sigh, she pushed all those thoughts aside and attempted to gain her cool once more. She needed to gain it desperately or else they would fail miserably.

"Okay, we'll discuss all of this later, all right? We need to focus on what we're about to face." She received various nods of agreement and she turned to continue her trek to Kristophe Cheikovski's office. His eyes followed her every movement, she could feel them.

'Dear Gods…was he really interested in that role???'

---

He watched her slowly climb the stairs in front of them, her gait precise and graceful, nearly flawless. And he could not help watching the way her hips swayed gracefully as she climbed the stairs, nor that flash of thigh he was getting either. It had taken him years to come to terms with himself that he cared for the young woman, and not as 'just a friend' either. No, his love for her had grown and bloomed slowly over those few years, and it had been a car accident a year or so back when he had realized that he had come to love her far more than he had ever thought possible. No, her near death (in his mind, at least) experience had only shown him how deeply he cared and loved this woman. Her exit on him only a week or so ago, had been a slap in the face for him, as if Fate was saying 'Sorry, you don't get to be happy! Not like that anyway!' And it had scared him as well as pissed the Hell out of him.

And to then find out that she was in some secret organization of Preventer-with the pronounced dead Vice Foreign Minister Relena Dorlain-was the shock of his life. And the second shock of his life had been when they all found out the Relena was actually alive, albeit now somewhat of a soldier. That was probably the most disturbing part about her being alive still. Relena Dorlain was now a trained soldier-a fighter-a killer… Or so she claimed to be. They had yet to see her kill anyone, despite when she had run off in that mobile suit when they had all gone to rescue that French friend of hers.

"Okay, remember, you do not speak unless I give permission to," Relena's whisper brought Duo out of his thoughts immediately. Duo nodded as did Heero, and he noticed that Hilde was biting her lip nervously. He lightly touched her arm in a gesture of reassurance, while at the same time fingering one of the 22S with .22 LR caliber firearms in the hip holster with his other hand. She glanced back at him, calming slightly when she realized what he was trying to convey and calmed herself when she turned back around.

As they approached two heavy oak doors, Duo noticed two men standing on either side, each holding an automatic and small firearm. One of the men moved to open the doors, stating that 'Mr. Cheikovski' would see them now. As they stepped in and through the doorway, Duo glanced back to watch the henchman close the door, head bowed.

"Ah, Miss RavenCroft," a male voice said pleasantly, causing Duo to spin back around and focus his gaze on the man sitting behind a well furnished desk. Relena inclined her head, correcting him with a "It is Lady, sir."

"Ah, yes, my mistake. Do forgive me?"

"It was an honest mistake, Lord Cheikovski." Duo reisted the urge to smirk. It seemed that all those years dancng around with politicians was being paid off. She was pulling off the rich, old upitty Lady of the Manor role quite easily and believably.

"I hold no such titles, my Lady."

"I see. My apologies."

"None needed. Shall we get down to business?"

"Please." Duo watched as the man motioned for Relena and Hilde to be sitted in two aristocratic, over-stuffed armchairs. Duo came to stand behind Hilde's chair as Heero did the same to Relena's, and the braided young man took the opportunity to study the man who seemed to be very well-mannered.

He was somewhat young, perhaps in his mid to late thirties with a meduim build. His dark black hair was in a crew-cut and his suit seemed to be specially tailored. His eyes were cold and calculative, and the oddest shade of blue he had ever seen.

"Now, I have been informed that you are interested in buying some hard-to-come-by firearms. The price will be quite heafty, I'm afraid. But seeing as you come from a wealthy estate, I'm sure that will not be much of a problem for you, my dear Lady RavenCroft," the man stated pleasantly, smiling even. That smiled unnerved Duo, causing a slight shiver to run through his body.

"My estate affairs are in order, thank you very much. I do not need you to inform me of what my estate can and cannot afford, sir," Relena sniffed, raising her head higher. Duo mentally appluaded her on her acting for it seemed that the man was indeed buying the charade. The man inclined his head in an apology before clearing his throat and pushing a button on an intercom on his desk.

"Soren," he called into the intercom. "Please prepare an array of goods so that Lady RavenCroft may decide what pleases her."

Duo heard the implication in the way he stressed the word 'pleases' and had no doubt that Heero had heard it to. Duo only prayed that his friend would not react to it, and thankfully, Heero did not. The young Japanese man had been so tense about anyone making any kind of sexual remark towards Relena once he had found out that she was alive; however, it had seemed that Relena had wanted to keep Heero out of her new life and was not planning on letting him into it any time soon either. And that was definitely causimg friction between the two.

"Mr. Cheikovski, I do hope that you are not implying something improper," Relena said in an even tone. Duo watched as the man across from them stilled in uncertainity. Relena's next comment however, surprised Duo greatly. "If so, then you and I need to committ our business in private so that you may learn of my personal preferences, as I hope I will of yours." Oh that comment was sure to get a reaction out of Heero for sure! Duo glanced over at Heero once more, taking note of the clenched fists and tight frown. This was not good…

His fists clenched tightly together the moment those words had left her mouth. The fact that she was offering herself to this man did not sit well with him. 'But it's for the mission,' he reminded himself, keeping his face impassive. The man was actually taking her offer into consideration and for once in his life, Heero Yuy was tempted to say 'to Hell with it being for the mission.' Her offer greatly bothered him and began to raise questions in his mind that he had left aside when they all had been assigned to this 'last request mission.'

The only knowledge he had, was that Eve was not her natural child, depsite common appearances. He also knew that rape had occurred in the compound, but it had never been clarified as to whether or not Relena had been a victim or not. If she had, then any idea of sex should have made her shrink away, not this lack of concern for her body, though it was a possible outcome for her mental stability.

He blinked hard, shoving those distracting thoughts from his mind and returning focus to the situation at hand. Cheikovski had just refused her offer, to which he was silently thankful for, and was about to comment on something when a door off to the side of him opened suddenly. Heero tensed the moment the door had opened and remained alert as a man-no boy-entered the office, pausing to bow towards Cheikovski before announcing that the preview was ready.

Cheikovski nodded and rose from his overstuffed business chair, motioning for them to follow before he moved towards the boy and open door. Heero waited for Relena to stand before following a few paces behind her with Hilde and Duo following a few paces behind him. He blinked as they were led through the doorway into a darkened hallway, a few large metal doors scattered about. He raked a critical eye over the doors, noting that they were thick and had darkened in color, meaning that they had mostly like been used as Blast Doors during the Eve Wars. Not only that but these doors had small openings cut into them, though the openings were barred, the piping being about as thick as his own forearm was round.

"If you would care to peek in any of these, please feel free," Cheikovski said amiably. "These are just test subjects at the very beginning stages. They are still quite harmless really."

He noticed that Relena's back had stiffened and she glanced suspiciously at one of the doors as they passed by. "No human subjects, I pray," she said with as much pleasantry as the Russian had used moments before; however, there was the distinct undertone of distate and iciness that had the Russian man pause to look at her curiously.

"Of course not. The DNA composition for humans is much more difficult and dangerous to extract and reconstruct than an animal's. Besides, people would notice someone missing before they did a stray dog or cat."

Relena nodded, slowly making her way towards one of the doors to peer in. Heero watched her carefully, noting the tightness of her lips as her eyes rested on the creature within the room. He saw her swallow deeply before moving away from the door and nodding for Cheikovski to continue onward. The moment the Russian's back was turned, Heero lightly grabbed her arm and pulled her back so that he could whisper into her ear.

"What did you see?" he questioned, his voice soft and monotone. She frowned at him, glancing at him sharply before yanking her arm free.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" she asked just as quietly. He frowned at her, unhappy with her reaction towards his simple question. And it was a simple question. Glancing at one of the doors, he paused to peer inside and felt his stomach turn just ever so slightly at the sight it held (he silently thanked Dr. J for all the hard training he had had to endure). The animal's fur was molted in some places and scabbed in others; its eyes stared at him with a ferocity he knew only the wildest of animals held and he heard a soft growl begin to rise from the creature. It was so brutally beaten and bloody that he was unable to decipher what type of animal it was. The treatment was just sickening. There was no other way to put it.

He heard Duo come to pause behind him, peering of his shoulder to catch a glimpse of what was inside. Heero moved out of the way, falling back into step behind Relena but not before he had heard Duo's startled gasp and muttered curse. It was a sickening sight. Period.

---

Midii glanced up anxiously from her spot on the couch towards the one armchair that was occupied. The young man had yet to notice her uneasy glances, or if he had, he had yet to comment on them. He was the same as she remembered last seeing him; his bangs falling into his face to obscure one of his eyes, though it did depend on which angle one looked at him, and his eyes were that beautiful shade of emerald green that would cause any woman to stare at in awe. His face had lengthened, however, losing its childish fat and his voice had obviously deepened. Eleven or so years could do that to a person…

"Is there something you wish to discuss?" she heard his voice question her and she blinked, coming out of her thoughts abruptly; he was still engrossed in his paperwork and from her knowledge, had yet to look up at her. Had it really been so noticeable that she was sneaking glances at him?

"It depends," she said calmly, despite the twisting of her stomach. She could not shake the feeling that he was going to keep his promise from so long ago and kill her. The question now, was when… Was he going to do it right away? Was he going to wait until the end of this mission? Would it be years after this mission was completed?

"On…?" he encouraged her to continue.

The young man still had yet to look up at her, still seemingly engrossed in his work to spare her any other thoughts… "Do you remember?" she cautiously questioned, watching for his reaction to her vague remarks.

He finally looked up at her and raised a brow in question, a sign that he was uncertain to what she spoke of. She shook her head, advising him to forget about it before returning to her own work, her cross-stitch only a fifth complete. With the recovery time she was being ordered to take, she should manage getting at least a third done.

"You're speaking of the fact that I told you years ago that I would kill you if I ever saw you again, correct?"

She was so startled by his voice and question, that she ended up pricking herself with the needle. She inhaled sharply at the sudden pain and popped the wounded digit into her mouth, sucking away the few drops of blood that accumulated on her finger. After a moment, she pulled her finger out and examined it to make sure that it had truly ceased bleeding. Satisfied that it had, she looked over towards the young man warily, slowly nodding her head.

He continued to watch her for a moment, his eyes flicking over her facial features slowly, before going back to his paperwork. "I see no reason to uphold that promise any longer."

It took Midii a few moments to fully grasp what the young man had just said. Once she had though, she felt her heartbeat quicken in happiness. He was not going to kill her! She was not going to be leaving Relena and Eve alone! Though they would still have Joshua, Frank, Adjani, Alexandria and Miguel… But the point was that she would be able to stay with them! She would not be 'abandoning' them!

A smile dared to split her face in two as she watched the young man continue to glance over his paperwork. "Merci beaucoup! You have no idea how much it means to me to know that I will not be leaving them so soon. Especially Eve. When I realized that you were one of those assigned to join the Eriynnes on this mission, I feared waking up each day, unsure if you would even give me a chance to say good-bye to Eve and the others."

"There is no need for the melodrama," he said almost indifferently, and she raised her head in indignince as she detected a hint of disgust underlining that almost indifferent tone. He did not believe her… And why would he? she silently questioned herself. It was not like their past experiences with each other had proven to him that he could trust her.

With a silent sigh, she put her cross stitch material away and slowly stood up from the couch. She stiffly made her way to the hallway, scathingly saying to the young man before leaving him be, "Eleven years can do a great deal of change to a person, Trowa Barton. As does the company one keeps and the task of raising a child."

---

Joshua gave a long suffereing sigh as he and Eve backed quietly away from the top banister of the stairs. He was sitting on the top landing, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. His hands were lightly clasped around the small girl's waist so as to prevent her from taking a tumble down the large flight of stairs. He watched the shadow of Midii Une grow larger as the young woman approached the foyer and stairs.

He had known that the child was keenly aware of the tension between the newcomer, Trowa Barton and one of her beloved aunts, Midii Une; but the poor thing had no earthly idea how to go about easing the tension and had finally resorted to waiting for her 'Midii-ba-chan' to be away from the newcomer. It was almost heart-wrenching for him to watch the little girl wait for her aunt with such a forlorn look on her face. He loved the child as if she were a little sister, and he knew that for Relena at least, Eve was their humanity. It was the child for whom each strove to survive to come back to, knowing that the little girl would be heartbroken if she lost any of them.

Had it not been six months ago when the child cried every night for weeks, refusing to sleep anywhere but with her mother once Midii had gone missing? With a slight frown, he remembered those weeks very well, due to the lack of sleep he had gotten, what with the child waking him up with her crying. And it was not that he was bitter about it either, it had just bothered him to know that he could not do anything for Eve.

"Midii-ba-chan [7]?" Eve's childish voice called out hesitantly. The little girl's hesitancy had brought him out of his thoughts rather quickly and looked down at the base of the stairs to see the young French woman slowly making her way up the stairs.

"Oui, ma petite chou?" Midii asked, urging the child to continue with a loving smile. That smile seemed to be all the encouragement the child needed, for the little girl was now bouncing up and down, causing Joshua to strengthen his hold on her waist as she seemed to nearly fall off the stairs in her antics.

"Will you read me a story now? Mama said not to ask you for a few days and it's been a few days now, so will you read me a story now? Please? Please, Midii-ba-chan?" the child entreated, watching her 'aunt' hopefully.

"Oh? You've waited this long for me to tuck you in? Who has been doing it in my absence? Surely not Joshua," the French woman teased, winking at the little girl in a conspiritoral manner. The child just giggled and shook her head.

"Mama has, and Hilde-ba-chan [8] too! Josh-nii-kun [9] only did once while you were sick. But he can't do the voices right, ba-chan [10]!"

Joshua growled in a manner of annoyance as the woman on the stairs finally let out a soft belt of amused laughter. Of all the information to give that woman, Eve just had to give Midii more 'blackmail' material. Damn it, he was never going to hear the end of it now…

"Ah, but that is because he does not plan on having children of his own."

He sputtered at that before forgetting the rules and cursing the blonde French woman. How dare she even imply that he was not 'father' material…though she may have had a point…but that was not point right now! He, along with Frank, were Eve's only male role models! Midii should not even begin filling the child's head with doubts that could lead her to distrust him in the future! Damn that bitch!

A tense silence grew between them and Joshua cursed again, only this time inwardly. This was not helping the child's sense of security at all…

"Do forgive me, Joshua. I had not meant to harm your feelings," Midii apologized, fully chastised by the knowledge that she had indeed hurt his feelings. He nodded and stood, picking Eve up and throwing her over his shoulder as if she were a sack of potatos.

"Hurry up and get this munchkin to bed, woman. We're supposed to be watching a couple of movies and making sure the other brat gets his homework done," he said, carrying Eve to her room. He heard Midii ask him, somewhat amused and somewhat incredulously, if he was serious about the plans he had laid out for them.

"Better believe it, senorita [11]," he called, plopping Eve on her bed and getting a giggle out of her for the effort. He tickled her until Midii came and ushered him out the room, saying that she could not put Eve to bed with him antagonizing the child so.

And so he left, hands in his pockets as he made his way down the large flight of stairs and into the common family room. He was intent to gain some answers and he wanted Trowa Barton to give them to him.

---

Relena heaved a heavy sigh before leaning against the bar, burying her face in her hands in a poor attempt to shut out the images she had seen in that laboratory. A shudder threatened to wrack through her body put she stubbornly pushed it aside. They had to capture this Cheikovski before the man began to sell even more of those things on the black market. And she wanted a distraction desperately.

She looked over at the young woman next to her and gave Hilde a half-hearted smile. The young woman had not been expecting to see the horrors they had in there, nor had Duo if his soft, startled gasps had been any indication. Hilde returned the smile with a grateful one but frowned a moment later, looking past Relena along the bar. Relena turned her head to look in the same direction, finding a young couple a few stools farther down the bar having a heated discussion.

The girl stood to leave, turning away towards the door but was stopped abruptly by her guy grabbing her upper arm; an angered look was on his face and as Relena looked closer, she saw that his eyes were glassy and he was leaning heavily on the bar counter. The girl was trying to pull her arm free and was saying something to the man but he only shook her arm roughly to silence her.

"You're not really considering stopping them are you?" she heard Hilde question her softly in her ear. Relena merely nodded, standing and making her way over to the arguing couple, whom was now drawing a crowd. She heard Hilde heave an exsapperated sigh while Alex chuckled.

As she approached them, she noticed that she was not the only one with the intention of ending the argument. Coming to stand next to the man, she gripped the wrist of the hand that held the girl captive and slowly began to apply pressure.

"I believe the lady would care for you to release her," she advised in a diplomatic tone. "You both are making quite a scene and drawing quite a crowd. Perhaps you should finish your discussion outside before you are thrown out?"

The man regarded her critically, or as critically as a drunken man could. His hand slowly released the girl and Relena released his wrist. The moment she had released his hand however, it quickly found its way to her hip, gripping the flesh tightly and pulling Relena close to his body. The girl gasped and Relena frowned, her hands placed against the man's chest and pushing against him in warning.

"Maybe you'd like to take her place then?" he questioned her, his speech not yet slurred to the point of it being indecipherable, though he was most certainly drunk. "She don't wanna join me for a tussle. Are you up for a tussle? I'm sure a woman as hot as you knows how to have a good tussle."

Relena frowned, glancing at the girl who was now looking at her in worry and sympathy. She winked at the girl, tipping her head to the door. "Don't worry, I can handle him," she said, more towards the girl than the man holding her body against his. The man however, took it as a sign of aquescience and chuckled, his voice husky when he spoke again. "I knew you were good for a tussle and a fuck."

"But it won't be with you."

Relena glanced at the handsome young Japanese man standing behind her captor and groaned inwardly. Naturally Heero Yuy would be protecting her, and if his glare was any indication, he was highly pissed off too.

The man who held her released his grip in order to turn around and glare at the ex-gundam pilot. Heero, for his part, seemed to be holding his restraint by a thread, his clenched fists shaking with fury. It was an odd sight for those who actually knew the young man; it was very out of character for him and Relena had to wonder if it was somewhat her fault.

"Who the fuck are you? Who are you to tell me that I can't fuck her?" the man asked, glaring at the pilot and lunging in a sloppy punch. Heero easily dodged it and waited for the man to regain his balance before swinging his own punch at the drunk.

Relena inhaled sharply as the drunken man nearly flew backwards upon the impact of Heero's fist. A few of the security guards had come over but were waiting for the first punch to be thrown; now that it had, they quickly gathered the drunken man and began to escort him out of the club. One, however, was now approaching Heero and the ex-gundam pilot looked ready to throw a punch at him as well.

She quickly moved to stand next to Heero, encircling one of his clenched fists with her hands in a delicate hold. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye before returning his gaze to the security guard as the man finally began to speak to him. While her touch seemed like that of intimacy, Relena had learned many years ago, that when Joshua was riled into protecting her or Eve, it took their physical touch to calm him. And it appeared that Joshua and Heero were the same way in that aspect. But again, she had to wonder if Heero losing his restraint and cool was entirely her faultand if not, then partially so.

"I'm afraid that I'm going to have to ask you to vacate the vacinity," the guard explained, somewhat unnerved by the glare Heero was giving him.

"But he didn't start the incident!" Relena protested, playing the role of distressed girlfriend/lover. The guard focused his gaze on her and Relena felt Heero's fist clench even tighter. 'Good God! He's being as territorial as a dog! This is ridiculous!' she thought to herself.

"I do realize that miss, but because he participated in it, we must ask him to leave. It's our policy and rules, miss. I'm sorry."

She gave a small pout, sighing as she said that she understood. "May we tell our friends that we're leaving?" she asked, giving the guard a shy smile and look. Now that she got a good look at the man, the guard was good-looking in that ruggad, bad-boy kind of way.

"Of course, miss. I'll accompany the two of you and escort you both out when you're ready."

She nodded, moving in the direction of where Hilde, Duo and Alex had waited for them. "C'mon, hurry up," she teased Heero, tugging at his hand from she had a hold on it. She watched the corner of his lips twitch upward in a small smirk before it disappeared again. Once they were with the others, she explained that they had to leave. No one protested the reason for their sudden departure, nor the escort, and waved them off with a smile from Hilde, a smirk from Alex, and a grin from Duo.

"I can't believe you were so stupid," Heero said harshly once they were outside the building and heading towards the parking lot.

"Stupid? Stupid?! I just saved that girl from getting raped!" she hissed back in anger, releasing his hand from hers.

"You don't know that."

"Bullshit! He was planning on fucking her whether she wanted it or not!"

"And he was going to do the same to you because you just had to draw attention to yourself."

"I could handle him."

"I'm sure."

She frowned at the tone he had used, patronizing her and doubting her capabilities. Why was he being like this? Why was he acting like a jealous boyfriend or lover? He was neither of those, so why had he gotten so upset so easily? Did he really care for her more than she thought he did? "Would you like a demonstration, then?" she asked, watching his reaction carefully.

His body tensed and his mouth became a grim line as he continued to keep his gaze straight ahead. "It is unnecessary."

"I wasn't serious about it in the first place," she said heatedly and crossed her arms, increasing her pace.

"You still get into trouble without a second thought," Wufei's voice chastised her as he joined them in their trek towards the cars. She threw a glare at the Chinese man before raising her head indignantly.

"What did you find?" Heero questioned the Chinese man.

"A few of the neighboring warehouses are storing some suspicious inventory. Some that might be used for what Athene had described."

"Well, with the footage we got while in the club, Preventer should have enough to get in there with a warrant," Relena explained, glancing back at the two of them. Their frowns told her that they had no idea what she was talking about. "Did you honestly think that I wore these pins and this brooch just for the hell of it?"

"There's a camera in there? Then where is the feed going to?" Wufei asked in a somewhat doubtful tone.

"The trunk of the Mustang and back at the house."

"You were more prepared than I thought."

"I'll take that as a compliment then, Wufei."

As Relena approached the silver Ford Mustang, she turned to look over her shoulder to see three bodies heading towards the parking lot. She casually leaned against the sports car, waiting for the three bodies to enter the parking lot. She smiled at them as Duo called out that she had put on 'a beautiful performance' back in the club. She dipped her head, laughing as Alex and Hilde ganged up on the braided young man for shouting it out to the world.

"Let's just go home," she said, gaining their attention. "I'm ready to fall asleep."

Terms:

[1] ma petit chou - my little cabbage (French)

[2] mon amie - my friend {feminine singular} (French)

[3] Mon Dieu! Pourquoi feraient-ils cela? - My God, why would they think that? (French)

[4] onee-chan - older/elder sister (Japanese)

[5] merci beaucoup - thank you very much (French)

[6] naturellement - naturally (French)

[7] Josh-kun - Mr.; Ms.: used in addressing younger people or colleagues in place of -san or -sama. In this case, -kun is used to replace -chan since -kun is mainly used for boys. A girl who is good friends with a boy will no doubt use the suffix -kun and drop the last few letters of his name to create something equivalent to a nickname.

[8] Midii-ba-chan - Aunt Midii (Japanese)

[9] Hilde-ba-chan - Aunt Hilde (Japanese)

[10] Josh-nii-kun - older/elder brother Josh (Japanese)

[11] ba-chan - Aunt (Japanese)

[12] senorita - Miss (Spanish)