Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ For Eternity ❯ I'm Stuck on You ( Chapter 11 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

By: Tiasha

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 Eleven: I'm Stuck On You

Written by: Tiasha

Author's Note: I am NOT, I repeat NOT promoting underage drinking!!! You got that?! The girls are twenty-one and of legal age!!! Got it?! And while Miguel is underage, I wrote that in because that is how my parents taught me about underage drinking being illegal. They showed me that there was no big thing about drinking and ever since I've obeyed the laws concerning alcohol. So, while I do have an underage kid taking a sip, I am NOT promoting underage drinking!!! Okay, I just wanted to make that clear… Thank you.

I can't get out of bed today
Or get you off my mind
I just can't seem to find a way
To leave this love behind

[…]

I can't take it
What am I waiting for?
I'm still breaking
I miss you even more
And I can't fake it
The way I could be for
I hate you but I love you
I can't stop thinking of you
It's true
I'm stuck on you

Stacie Orrico - "Stuck"

"Hey…hey…you know what time it is?"

Relena moaned as the voice pulled her from her pleasant slumber, rudely making a point that it was time to face reality. She mumbled that she was still tired and rolled away from the voice, pulling the flannel sheets and comforter tighter over her head. She was still quite exhausted from the club infiltration the night before, if not physically then emotionally.

Yuy's sudden interest in Eve's 'father-figure,' or lack there of, had…numbed her for a lack of a better description. It was impossible to tell if Yuy was interested (if at all) in her because he was truly willing to accept her, or merely because he thought that she would be able to return to normal if she had someone to fight and/or protect her. Nevertheless, the little spat that she and Yuy had had on the way to the car had only served to remind the Japanese man that she was not the same girl she had once been and would never be the same girl. So any hopes she had had about him even remotely being interested in the job of 'father-figure' were pretty much shot in her mind.

"Are you even listening to me? Hey! Girl! Don't make me crawl under those covers to get you out!" The voice was now accompanied by prodding jabs that were quickly turning to annoying and somewhat painful.

"Hey…hey…wake up…dude…are you dead?"

Growling in annoyance, Relena found herself wide awake and ready to kill the owner of the voice. "No I'm not! But you will be! I've had it!" she shouted, throwing the covers off and leaping out of her bed. The red-haired Irish woman who had been poking her only moments before had now made a mad dash out of the room, giggling evilly as she leapt onto the banister of the stairs right outside of Relena's door and slid down to the first floor.

"Alex!" Relena shrieked, racing after the red-haired woman. "Get your ass back here now! I'm gonna hurt you so badly that you won't be able to walk for a week!"

At the top of the stairs, she watched Alex slide off the end of the banister and throw open the front door. The front door hit the wall behind it so hard that it reverberated throughout the framework of the house and roused some of the more cautious guests of the household. She heard a few doors open behind her just as she hopped over the banister at the top landing of the stairs and heard Duo mumble "What the fu…" his curse trailing off into a large yawn.

She landed, crouching at the appropriate moment to keep her muscles from being jarred rudely, and pushed out of the crouch into a dead sprint as she caught sight of the redhead outside. She called quite a few threats as she chased the Irish woman around the front yard and finally towards the back of the mansion/ranch. Alex was rushing towards the corral and had just barely climbed over the fence when Relena ran headlong at the white, wooded enclosure, leaping over it sideways and using her arm to pivot her over like a pole-vault.

Alex shrieked as Relena landed, her bare feet splattering mud and muck everywhere; apparently, it had rained sometime last night. And Alex had an odd deterrence towards mud, though in truth it was getting mud in her red locks and on her face. Anywhere else and the Irish woman held no complaints.

"Now you're going to get it!" Relena shouted, tackling the redhead to the muddy earth.

"No!" shrieked Alex as the side of her body slid on the soft, slippery mud. "I just washed these pajamas!"

"So?! You asked for it by bugging me this morning!"

"You wouldn't get up!" Alex protested, wrestling the brown-haired/blonde-rooted young woman who was succeeding in pinning one arm to the muddy ground.

"What the Hell?! You didn't have to poke me so hard!" Relena grabbed a handful of mud with her free hand and held it over the redhead in a threatening manner.

"Adjani was going to let the dogs wake you!" Alex protested, struggling against the former Vice Foreign Minister as that handful of mud continued to grow dangerously closer to her red locks.

"I almost wish she had!"

Alex had narrowed her eyes at Relena now, and the brown-haired/blonde-rooted young woman began to wonder if she was underestimating the redhead this morning. "Well sorry!" Alex snapped, her control obviously slipping as the mud grew even closer to her red hair. "Next time I'll let her! Or maybe we'll just send Yuy in to wake you!"

Relena's hand froze, inches above Alex's head and her eyes widened in shock at the Irish woman's words. "He already suspects that something is going on between you and Josh, despite what you say! Just imagine…he'll be trying to outdo that Spanish idiot! Even though Josh has probably had MUCH more experience than Yuy, I'm sure the 'Perfect Soldier' will be fully capable, don't you think?" Alex snarled and Relena felt the blood drain from her face.

An image came unbidden to her mind and Relena felt longing and desire rush through her quickly before she shoved the image away, shaking her head and glaring down at the redhead she was straddling. It was bad enough that Yuy's presence had reminded her why she had never returned to her old life, but worse was that his close proximity was awakening feelings she had thought were long-since buried.

"Now you've gone too far!" Relena yelled, shoving the mud and muck into Alex's hair and face with such force that the Irish's woman's head was laying in an impression of about two or so inches. Relena's breathing was somewhat labored due to her earlier running around and as she continued to sit astride the Irish woman's stomach, she saw Alex's hands move out of the corner of her eyes. Relena soon found two handfuls of mud slapped onto either side of her face, causing her to lose her grip.

Alex took quick advantage of Relena's lack of focus and easily flipped their positions so that it was now the Irish woman who sat astride the other's stomach. Relena frowned, glaring up at her comrade as the woman effectively pinned her thrashing legs in a matter of seconds.

"Now," Alex grounded out, not allowing Relena to even flex her leg muscles before she found her arms pinned to the mud and muck below her. "Are you going to settle things with Yuy and get laid…or am I gonna have ta beat ya around some more?"

"Beat me around?! You were the one running away just a moment ago!"

"Yeah, and look where that got you. You underestimated your opponent. And now I'm on top and in control of this little battle."

"You do realize that that so did not sound right."

"Does it look like I give a fuck right now?!"

Relena's frown deepened at the emotion in her friend's voice. Why was Alex getting so worked up over this? Wasn't she the one who always told Relena not to worry about still being single and that that title held great advantages? Relena heaved a tired sigh as she looked up at Alex's eyes.

"Alex-san…I've already spoken about this subject with Midii-san," Relena explained in as calm of a manner as she could manage.

"Good. And now you get to discuss it with me."

"Damn it! Why can't you all just let it be?!"

"Because you deserve better than a broken heart! Trust me! It hurts worse than the Seven Circles of Hell!"

Relena stared up at the young woman above her incredulously. There was no way that Alex had fallen in love with some or been attracted to someone! With her attitude?! Hell no!!! But…if she had…it would explain a few things…… "When…?" Relena asked softly, watching as Alex's eyes took on a far-off look. The redhead's grip eased up enough to where it was no longer painful, but Alex had always been able to best Relena when it came to wrestling and such.

"Before the wars…before my family died…we-we actually got married…"

Relena blinked, her mouth agape as she stared at her friend in shock. She had been married?! Relena's eyes flew to her left, her gaze fixating on the simple gold band that was always on Alex's right ring-finger. "That's what that is," Relena whispered to herself. She had never really took notice of the simple gold band because Alex had always made a point to wear jewelry in large amounts, ornamenting her persona in simplistic, yet classy Pagan-ish silver and gold baubles. That ring however… Alex must have moved it from her left hand to her right, not wanting to lose the memory but still dull it enough to be bearable. That simple gold band…

Alex finally released Relena and slid sideways off her stomach to sit in the muck, staring at nothing in particular as she spoke. Relena watched her friend's face as emotions played so obviously across her features, anger and sarcasm being replaced with adoration and longing. "We knew that with the wars…he most likely wouldn't make it. So he up and asks me to marry him like five days before he's supposed to be deployed and rushes around to get a little ceremony set up and for all the paperwork to be completed before he leaves. We had been dating for nearly four years previous…he passed away before our four month wedding anniversary…"

Relena remained silent, watching as her friend struggled with her feelings and her pride. "It was hard, ne? Having to get that letter? And then lose your family?" Relena cautiously asked. Alex merely nodded her head.

"Yes, it was horrid…And that is why I don't want you to waste your chance with Yuy…"

Relena sighed, staring at the mud in front of her. "I understand, really I do but…"

"You're afraid."

"Wouldn't you be?"

"Perhaps…"

"I just-I don't know anymore! I thought I had everything sorted out! And now…"

"You still love him, so that should be enough."

Relena gave a dry, humorless laugh, "You'd think so, ne?"

Alex slowly nodded her head, standing and flinging muck off her arms as she did so. "Come on, bitch. We gotta go take showers now because you just had to throw me in the mud."

Relena grinned; "But mud fights are fun!"

"The Hell you say?!" Alex roared, pushing Relena back into the mud and dirt. Relena laughed, wrestling with the Irishwoman for another good ten minutes before finally agreeing to go inside.

---

Hilde watched amused as the leader and brawn of their group came trotting in, mud and muck still caked on some parts of their bodies. She suppressed a giggle when Alex began to shuck off her pajama pants, heedless of the men in the kitchen. It would not have been the first time that Frank had seen any of their bodies, considering he was usually the one who patched up their injuries when they returned from missions. Alex, Relena and Midii held no hesitation in stripping down in front of the Aborigine man while Hilde and Adjani did.

In the beginning, Hilde had been extremely hesitant in allowing Frank to treat her when she would need to expose herself, but as time had wore on, she had begun to see the older man as an older brother or father. She still hesitated now and then, but that had more to do with her than with Frank. She still felt…inadequate when compared to Midii or Alex or even Adjani but she was getting over those insecurities little by little.

Joshua Anaya was another matter entirely, however. Alex threw deadly glares, while Relena rolled her eyes and Midii wore an expression of annoyance whenever the Hispanic young man was in the room when they stripped down to nothing. However, Hilde and Adjani were of the same mind when it came to Joshua. Hell no! They'd take Frank over Joshua any day! Not because the Hispanic young man attempted anything, but more because of age. Frank was much older and was professional in nearly everything he did, which in this case, gave Hilde and Adjani the comfort they needed. Joshua…was too much like an annoying younger brother…

"You do know that you have an audience," Midii commented from her seat at the kitchen table. Hilde watched Relena freeze in the process of moving to grip the hem of her shirt, glancing about the kitchen at the pilots who were awake and watching the two of them in curiosity, disbelief or embarrassment.

'Poor Quatre,' Hilde thought as the blond Arab quickly averted his eyes when Alex showed no signs of stopping her removal of muddy clothes. Wufei was already downstairs in the basement, finding its silence welcoming and was using the opportunity to meditate. Relena was chewing on her bottom lip before shooting a glare at the Irishwoman as Alex waltzed out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"Where's Eve?" Relena asked, opting to keep her muddy clothes on but continued to stand by the door to the back porch.

Midii snorted in an unlady-like manner, "She decided to crawl in bed with me last night. She stayed there the whole night, too, but I imagine she has moved into Joshua's bed by now."

Relena chuckled at that and Hilde smiled, not surprised that the child had gone to seek reassurance from the French woman. With Midii having been gone for so long, it had greatly bothered the child, added to that the tension between Midii and Trowa. No, none of the girls were really surprised.

Hilde looked towards the stairs when she heard someone come down, assuming that it was Eve since the child rarely slept in. To her slight surprise, Alex came trotting in, wrapped in a bathrobe and carrying Relena's own pale blue robe in her hand.

"Sweet!" cried a feminine voice from the other room, causing both Alex and Relena to raise eyebrows in question.

"Adjani," Hilde stated, moving to make herself a cup of coffee. Hearing Alex's grunt of acknowledgement, she rolled her eyes and finished stirring the now caramel-colored hot liquid. She blew at it to cool it slightly before taking a hesitant sip, smiling as she found it to be just right.

"What is she-?" Relena began to ask but cut herself short when the blonde Greek came scampering into the kitchen, a large grin on her face. She immediately went to the liquor cabinet and to Hilde's surprised, pulled out a bottle of whiskey, scotch and vodka. She then pulled out a bunch of the shot glasses that Joshua tended to collect. That done, she turned to them, spreading her arms wide and bowed, saying "I will never ever doubt your skill in acting in the tiniest sense again, Lena."

Relena suddenly snorted from the effort of trying to contain her laughter; "That's what you were so excited about?!" their leader asked, laughing as Alex moved to open the vodka bottle. The Irishwoman then poured herself a shot, smiling as Adjani poured two shots of scotch and one of whiskey.

"Yup! Just got the notice that Preventer raided the warehouses early this morning," Adjani answered, taking the whiskey for herself and giving Hilde a look that clearly said that the German woman was going to participate in this toast. Rolling her eyes, Hilde set down her coffee and moved to take one of the scotches.

"Okay, none of you look," Relena ordered to the men in the room, indicating that she was going to change into her robe. Surprisingly, Duo made no comment about it, but considering what he'd been privy to see last night, it was not surprising. They were all going to be wary around Heero this morning, especially after his little performance at the nightclub last night.

"Thanks," Relena said a few moments later, now wrapped in her pale blue bathrobe. "You can look now."

"Hurry up! We're supposed to be toasting!" Adjani lightly chastised with a smile on her face. Midii 'harumphed' from her place at the kitchen table, crossing her arms in mock anger.

"Where's mine?" she asked indignantly.

"You don't get one Frenchie! You weren't out workin' it last night," Alex teased, grinning as the French woman scrunched her face into an expression of annoyance. "Besides, you refuse to drink this kind of stuff."

"It's so…unrefined…"

"Bullshit! You just like taking your time when you get wasted!"

"I beg your pardon!"

"Hey! Cut it out, you two. Midii, it's tradition," Relena said, breaking up the bickering between the two women.

"But-" Midii began to protest.

"Midii…shove it."

The French woman narrowed her eyes in displeasure but said nothing, opting to pout instead. It was rare for the woman to miss out on the 'Toasting' tradition but Hilde also knew what tradition came afterwards. Midii would forget this soon enough.

"You ready?" Adjani asked, picking up her shot glass as Relena came to get hers. They all picked up their shots and clinked them together before downing them in one gulp. Alex was the least affected, licking her lips and looking at her shot glass in a thoughtful manner. Adjani coughed once, smacking her chest a few times as her eyebrows rose in slight surprise at how strong the liquor was. Relena inhaled sharply, her eyebrows raised in a similar fashion as she twirled her shot glass in her hand.

Hilde, on the other hand, squinted her eyes shut, eyebrows raised in surprise as well, and waited for the burning sensation to fade. When it finally did, she looked back up at Alex, Adjani and Relena, mouthing a 'wow' to them as they gazed on at her in concern. It was then that Adjani moved to turn on the stereo system, music blaring and announced that it was time to 'party.'

Hilde waited for Relena to reprimand the Greek woman for turning the music on loud enough to wake everyone else who was still asleep, but the reprimand did not come. Curious, Hilde looked over at her friend only to find the former Vice Foreign Minister downing another shot of scotch and motioning for Alex to pour her vodka for the next one. Flabbergasted, all Hilde could do was watch as Relena downed this shot as well before the empty glass was taken away from her. It was Heero who had taken the glass away and tension filled the air as Relena glared at the Japanese young man.

Relena then turned her attention to the cold bottle of Bacardi Razz that had been placed down on the counter in front of her. Midii stood next to Relena, a bottle opener in her hand, another bottle of Bacardi Razz in the other and a knowing smile on her face. Relena grinned as Midii opened her bottle with the opener, holding it out to the other young woman. Relena merely popped the cap off against the edge of the counter.

"You know, that's why we have to replace the countertop in a couple of months," Midii said unappreciatively. Hilde watched as Relena took a deep swig of the clear, raspberry-flavored alcohol in answer to Midii's statement before moving to the refrigerator and pulling out two more cold bottles of Bacardi. Hilde blinked in surprise as Relena walked past her and shoved one of the bottles into her hands.

Shaking her head in amusement, Hilde motioned for Midii to throw her the bottle opener and caught the metal contraption in mid-air. After popping the top and taking small sip of the sweet alcohol, she moved to follow Relena's footsteps into the living area and found that Alex and Adjani had moved a few of the armchairs back to make a large clearing. Adjani and Alex were already swaying to the music that was blaring out of the speakers. It was somewhat hard rock and Hilde recognized the band as Garbage's "Push It," though the song was nearly over. Relena was quick to join the two other young women in dancing.

She watched them for a moment, wondering if Relena was serious about getting wasted this early in the morning and realizing that the young woman was as she took another large swig of the Bacardi from her bottle. Well, they did have the day off as well as tomorrow, Hilde rationalized. 'Thank god for Christmas holidays,' she thought somewhat derisively.

The song ending and entering into the next track brought Hilde out of her thoughts as the intro to Meredith Brooks's "Bitch" played. Hilde chuckled as the three women sang along with the song and looked at Midii as the French woman came to stand beside her. Midii smiled at her and held her bottle out towards her; Hilde clinked her bottle against Midii's in a small toast to a mission well done.

'I'm a bitch, I'm a lover
I'm a child, I'm a mother
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint
I do not feel ashamed
I'm your hell, I'm your dream
I'm nothing in between
You know you wouldn't want it any other way'

Hilde grinned, rocking her body softly to the beat and watched as Adjani and Alex head-banged to the beat while Relena did a somewhat softer rendition of it. They had just about lost themselves to the music, which was what this tradition was supposed to do. It was a way for them all to release any left over tension from the mission and rejoice in the fact that they had made it out alive.

'So take me as I am
This may mean
You'll have to be a stronger man
Rest assured that
When I start to make you nervous
And I'm going to extremes
Tomorrow I will change
And today won't mean a thing

'I'm a bitch, I'm a lover
I'm a child, I'm a mother
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint
I do not feel ashamed
I'm your hell, I'm your dream
I'm nothing in between
You know you wouldn't want it any other way'

Hilde sang along with music, closing her eyes and allowing the tension to slowly ease out of her shoulders. She leaned against one of the armchairs and took another swallow of her Bacardi Razz. Oh, she had definitely needed this 'tension-release session' all right. What with all the stress between her and Duo, working on the old Ford 4x4 that Relena owned had helped to reduce the strain by only a fraction. And in her mind, Duo had no real right to be upset with her. She had chosen to do this and at the very least, he should have supported her…

'Just when you think, you got me figured out
The season's already changing
I think it's cool, you do what you do
And don't try to save me

'I'm a bitch, I'm a lover
I'm a child, I'm a mother
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint
I do not feel ashamed
I'm your hell, I'm your dream
I'm nothing in between
You know you wouldn't want it any other way

Hilde caught movement out of the corner of her eye and looked over to see Miguel come into the living area, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He sleepily took in the three dancing women and bottles of alcohol before moving to stand between Hilde and Midii. He frowned somewhat curiously at the bottle of Bacardi Razz in their hands before reaching out and plucking Midii's bottle from her grasp. The French woman watched in amusement as the boy sniffed at the bottle opening cautiously before taking a tiny sip. He scrunched his face in thought as he considered the taste and nodded approvingly as he handed the bottle back to its rightful owner.

'I'm a bitch, I'm a tease
I'm a goddess on my knees
When you hurt, when you suffer
I'm your angel undercover
I've been numb, I'm revived
Can't say I'm not alive
You know I wouldn't want it any other way'

More movement caused her to look over and Hilde met Duo's surprised eyes, well, surprised face actually since his eyes were on the boy. She understood though. She had been as shocked as Hell when Miguel had pulled the same stunt not long after she had joined them. Midii, Alex and Adjani had then explained to her that one of the reasons that underage drinking got out of hand was because parents refused to address the issue of 'Alcohol Consumption.' It had made sense and when Hilde had asked Relena how she felt about Miguel trying little sips every now and then from their opened drinks, she had shrugged; however, she had quickly turned on Miguel, a severe expression on her face as she leveled a finger at the poor startled boy and said "But if I or any of the others catch you doing any other kind of drinking, you'll be flogged! Got it?"

'The poor boy…' Hilde chuckled as she remembered his expression of fear; she wrapped an arm around the Italian boy as he snuggled sleepily into her warmth. He was obviously still not awake enough to even think of making himself breakfast. "Did you get enough sleep?" she asked him, lips tipping upwards as he nodded, yawning despite his answer.

"Yeah…" he trailed off, not inclined to say anymore for a moment. "Oh…Josh is awake…said something about starting without him…"

Hilde rolled her eyes and groaned in mock dismay. Miguel laughed and pulled away from her and moved to hug Midii, the French woman kissing the top of his head as she said 'good morning' in Italian for his benefit. The boy mumbled something, most likely a 'good morning' back, and Hilde laughed as the song changed to one of the 'dirty' tracks.

Miguel gagged at the words, face red with embarrassment and retreated to the kitchen where he proceeded to make himself a bowl of cereal. He came back a few moments later, bowl in hand, and shouted over the music that he was watching cartoons upstairs. Relena spared him a sunny smile and nodded, letting him know that he could go to her room to watch television. Hilde found it interesting that Relena still refused to allow a television in the boy's room, but it was Relena's home…

'3, 6, 9, standing real fine

Move it to you, sing it to me one mo time
Get low, Get low

Get low, Get low

Get low, Get low
To the window, to the wall, (to dat wall)
To the sweat drop down my balls (my balls)
To all these bitches crawl (crawl)
To all skit skit motherfucker (motherfucker!) all skit skit god damn (God damn)
To all skit skit motherfucker (motherfucker!) all skit skit god damn (God damn)'

Hilde watched as the three women changed the nature of their dance, swaying their hips and bending down, shaking their rears. It was what Hilde liked to teasingly call 'sex with clothes.' She saw Midii began to sway with the music, taking a sip of her Bacardi as she did so. Hilde glanced at Duo and noted that Heero and Trowa stood behind him. Quatre was making a hasty retreat for the stairs and a pang of guilt came over her as she realized that the song was making him uncomfortable…or maybe it was their dancing…or maybe both…

'Shortiecrunk so fresh so clean can she fuck that
Question been harassing me in the mind this bitch is fine
I done came to the club about 50th 11 times now can I play with yo
Panty line club owner said I need to calm down security guard go to sweating
Me now nigga drunk then a motherfucker threaten me now

'She getting crunk in the club I mean she work it
Then I like to see the female twerking taking the clothes off BUCKEY naked
ATL. Hoe don't disrespect it
Pa pop yo pussy like this cause yin yang twins in this bitch
Lil Jon and the Eastside boys wit me and we all like to see Ass and titties
Now bring yo ass over here hoe

And let me see you get low if you want this thug
Now take it to the floor (to the floor) and if yo ass wanta act

You can keep yo ass where you at'

Joshua Anaya came down at this point and Hilde watched as the Hispanic young man came to stand behind Midii, tucking his body against hers and moving with the beat. He took a quick swallow of the Bacardi from Hilde's hand before returning it and watching the three dancing women. He was not the least bit surprised to find them all drinking and dancing and was, according to Miguel, slightly disappointed that they had not waited for him.

'3, 6, 9, standing real fine

Move it to you, sing it to me one mo time
Get low, Get low

Get low, Get low

"Why are you up and where's Eve?" Hilde asked, raising a brow at the young man as he and Midii moved in sync with the music, no space whatsoever between their bodies. He looked over at her in question and she frowned at him, knowing that he had heard what she'd asked. At her frown he sighed, pulling away from Midii to move to the kitchen. He came back a moment later with a bowl of cereal and headed upstairs.

Apparently, Eve was with Miguel in Relena's room, but whether the child was still asleep or not was still unknown. Oh well. As long the two children stayed upstairs everything would be fine.

'Let me see you get low, you scared you, scared you
Drop dat ass to the floor, you scared you, scared you
Let me see you get low, you scared you, scared you
Drop dat ass to the floor, you scared you, scared you
Drop dat ass yeah shake it fast yeah
Pop dat ass to the left and the right yeah
Drop dat ass yeah shake it fast yeah
Pop dat ass to the left and the right yeah
Now back, back, back it up
a back, back, back it up
a back, back, back it up
a back, back, back it up
Now stop ( O) then wiggle wit yeah
Now stop ( O) then wiggle wit yeah
Now stop ( O) then wiggle wit yeah
Now stop ( O) then wiggle wit yeah'

Hilde raised her brows at Midii as the French woman moved to stand in front of her, a mischievous smile on her face as she continued to sway with the music. "You're feeling better apparently," Hilde remarked. Midii nodded and gave her a 'come hither' look that caused Hilde to burst out laughing, nodding her head in agreement to Midii's unspoken request. Oh god, Duo's mouth was going to be hanging open after this; especially since she had never gone out clubbing or dancing when they had been living together!

'3, 6, 9, standing real fine

Move it to you, sing it to me one mo time
Get low, Get low

Get low, Get low

Hilde took Midii's outstretched hand and allowed the French woman to pull her towards the other three dancers. Midii then turned to her and the two of them began to dance in very much the same fashion that Midii and Joshua had done only moments before. The two of them then followed the instructions in the song, bending low while shaking their hips and rears. Alex catcalled at them and motioned for Joshua to join them when the young man returned to the room.

'Now give me my doe back and go get ya friend
Stupid bitch standing there while I'm drinking my hen
Steady looking at me Still asking questions
Times up nigga pass me another contestant
Hoe move to the left if you ain't bout 50th
Done talk through 3 or 4 songs already
looking at a nigga with yo palm all out bitch I ain't even seen you dance
Twerk something baby work something baby
Pop yo pussy on the pole do yo thang baby
Slide down dat bitch
wit yo little bit then stop
Get back on the floor catch yo balance then drop
Now bring it back up clap yo ass like hands
I just wanna see yo ass drity dance yin yang we done again
And put it on the map like annnnn'

Joshua was quick to join them, taking Adjani as his partner and leaving Alex and Relena to dance together. Hilde hazarded a glance in the direction of the three pilots and found that Heero was not too pleased but had the faintest hint of curiosity and fascination in his gaze, while Trowa's expression was that of indifference but his gaze also held a touch of curiosity. Duo watched on in silence, awe and appreciation apparent in his expression and gaze. Midii suddenly pulled her closer and Hilde returned her attention to the French woman, sticking her tongue out in a taunting manner. Midii gave her an unappreciative look before motioning her head towards Relena.

'3, 6, 9, standing real fine

Move it to you, sing it to me one mo time
Get low, Get low

Get low, Get low

'God damn (God damn) ya ya'll twreking alittle bit ladies
But ya got to twrek alittle bit harder then dat
now right now I need all the ladies dat know they look good tonite
(where my sexy ladies) we want ya'll to do this shit like this
Bend over to the front touch your toes back dat ass up and down and get low (get
low)
Bend over to the front touch your toes back dat ass up and down and get low (get
low)
Bend over to the front touch your toes back dat ass up and down and get low (get
low)
Bend over to the front touch your toes back dat ass up and down and get low (get
low)'

Hilde looked in the direction of their leader and blinked in surprise as Relena took one last swallow of her drink, the bottle now empty. So much for the hopes that the brown-haired/blonde-rooted woman would nurse her bottle today… Relena then handed her second unopened bottle to Joshua and Hilde watched in amusement as the young man frowned. He asked her what number it was for her and when she answered 'second,' he gave her a skeptical look.

When he did not take it from her to open, Relena huffed and handed the bottle to Alex, who immediately opened it by gripping the cap with part of her robe and twisting. Relena smiled, thanking her and taking a rather large swallow from it. The alcohol was apparently getting to her rather fast if her dancing was any indication.

'3, 6, 9, standing real fine

Move it to you, sing it to me one mo time
Get low, Get low

Get low, Get low

"You think we should stop her?" Hilde asked Midii as the song changed and they separated to dance in choreographed moves. Midii's face clouded over into a thoughtful expression before shaking her head no. When Hilde opened her mouth to protest, Midii interrupted her.

"It's called 'Liquid Courage' for a reason, Hilde."

'That's right… Maybe this will work to our advantage…' she thought moving into the grooves of the dance they'd made up for Christina Milian's "Dip It Low" song.

---

Midii hummed as she strolled across the back lawn towards the corral and stalls. The morning had been quite interesting and she was curious to see what the rest of the day brought. Both Joshua and Yuy put their foots down when Relena had attempted to grab a third bottle of alcohol, only this time it was one of Joshua's Corona's… Alex was suffering from a minor headache while Adjani had a full-blown migraine. Hilde had a minor headache as well and took a couple of aspirin two hours after she finished her bottle of Bacardi Razz.

Midii on the other hand, felt only a tinge of lightheadedness. She had figured that they would be 'Toasting' this morning and had made sure to drink some Aloe Vera gel and ate a large stack of frozen French toast. Compared to the others, she was the more competent drinker for today. Joshua had only had a few sips and was now off working with Frank in the study, but not before giving her a sneaky look.

That was what unnerved her…and why she had made a hasty withdrawal to the corrals. If Joshua Anaya was inside, then the safest place to be was outside… But why had he given her that look?! She huffed, blowing a few strands out of her face before tucking the pale blonde tresses behind one ear.

One of the horses nickered at her from inside the barn as she approached the corral. With a soft smile, she made her way towards the stables, crooning softly to the mares, geldings and stallions that were padlocked in their stalls. She rubbed the nose of Relena's grey mare absently as the Akhal-Teke poked its head out of the stall it was in. She then moved on down the line, rubbing the nose of each horse as it inquired who was there. When she reached the sliding door to that led to the large corral, she was surprised to see Trowa Barton already pushing it open and locking the door in place.

She could not hide the surprise on her face and when he turned to regard her with that indifferent gaze of his, she averted her eyes. Her eyes alighted on the various feed bags, buckets, brushes, blankets and lead-ropes a moment later and silently sighed with relief. Thanking the merciful God for having provided her with an escape-goat, she moved to grab one of the brushes and lead-ropes before moving to the stall that held her golden cast Budenny stallion.

She laid the brush and lead ropes on an over-turned bucket before moving to release the other horses out into the corral. If she tried to groom Mercutio while the other stallions were in their stalls all Hell would break loose. The other stallions were always vying for attention and if one was being groomed while in front of the other-temper-tantrums were to be expected. She had just finished unbolting the stall to a bay-colored Saddlebred when Barton spoke.

"Which is yours?"

She paused in pushing the stall doors open, looking over at the usually stoic young man in surprise. He was not looking at her but concentrating on the stall door to a rare black Andalusian, who also belonged to Relena. When she stood frozen for a good thirty seconds, the bay Saddlebred grew impatient and stomped its hoof a few times to regain her attention. She threw a daunting look at the gelding before opening the door, grabbing its blue halter off a hook on its stall door and slipping it on.

Gripping the halter, she led the bay gelding out of the stall and towards the corral. Once at the door, she gave its neck a pat and released the halter, watching for a moment as it trotted out. As she reentered the stables, she cautiously said, "I own the Budenny stallion."

"Ah…the one Frank calls Mercutio."

"Yes…"

They lapsed into silence as they continued to lead the horsed out to the corral. When Trowa Barton led the last horse out, Midii opened the stall to her Budenny and slipped his halter on, affectionately rubbing his muzzle. Kissing him on the nose, she clipped one of the lead ropes onto the halter and led him out. She then hooked the rope onto one of the rings right outside his stalls and moved to pick up the brush she had grabbed earlier.

She started with his mane, the pale-colored tresses tangled in an unruly mass. She clucked her tongue once at the stallion, saying in a soft voice while looking the Budenny in the eye, "Mon Dieu [1]…I'm not sure I even want to know how you got these tangled so…" The horse nickered in response, bobbing his head up and down a few times. She rolled her eyes and set to work on untangling the pale locks.

Silence stretched for a few minutes and Midii gave a slight yelp of surprise when Mercutio turned his head to mouth the sleeve of her lavender coat. The horse then made an array of noises and moving his head from side to side, almost as if he was singing… She laughed, patting the stallion's neck as she understood what was perturbing the four-legged animal. "Oui [2], oui…" she murmured to the animal, moving the brush to finish untangling the last of the masses of pale flaxen that was the stallion's mane.

"I can't get out of bed today, or get you off my mind… I just can't seem to find a way, to leave this love behind," she sang softly, matching her brush strokes to the rhythm of the song. She brushed the golden-cast-colored hide in languid strokes before brushing in circular motions, knowing that the ministrations were calming the stallion.

"I ain't trippin', I'm just missing you… You know what I'm saying, you know what I need… You can't be hanging on a string, while you make me cry… I try to give you everything, but you just gave me lies," she continued singing, her soft soprano voice also calming the animal. "Every now and then, when I'm all alone… I'll be wishing you will call me on the telephone… Say you want me back, but you never do… I feel like such a fool… There's nothing I can do… I'm such a fool, for you…"

"You're voice calms him," Trowa stated, coming to lean against one of the vertical support beams. His arms were crossed over his chest, head down and eyes closed. Midii spared him a glance before reverting attention to the Budenny stallion when he stomped his hoof in slight annoyance.

"Yes, well…according to Frank, you have a way with animals as well. It's rare for Relena's black Andalusian to let anyone near him who isn't Frank, Miguel or Relena," she answered pleasantly while moving around to Mercutio's other side. "I can't take it, what am I waiting for? I'm still breaking; I miss you even more… And I can't fake it, the way I could be for… I hate you but I love you… I can't stop thinking of you… It's true, I'm stuck on you…"

"I'm surprised that that type of music soothes him."

"Mmmm…I'm thinking he's gay," she laughed when the horse let out an agitated whicker and stomped his hoof a few times. "I'm just teasing, chérie," she soothed the animal, patting its neck while continuing to groom it golden hide. "Mon Dieu…you're getting so antsy. What's the matter, hmm?"

The horse bobbed his head up and down a few times, causing her to chuckle and place a chaste kiss on his neck. "There's gotta be more to life...than chasing down every temporary high to satisfy me… Cause the more that I'm...tripping out thinking there must be more to life… Well it's life, but I'm sure...there's gotta be more, than wanting more…" she sang softly, changing the song and once again brushing in long, languid strokes. The horse immediately calmed, his tail flicking every now and then.

"What made you change?"

Midii paused in mid-stroke, staring at the back of Mercutio and swallowing the sudden lump in her throat. She took up the strokes of the brush once again, not looking at him and not answering. She did not want to answer for fear of him changing his mind on letting her live.

She bit her lower lip, turning to look at him from the corner of her eye. He was now looking at her expectantly and she silently cursed. He was not going to let this subject slide. "It was…McCloud. I was still doing work as a spy after we…went our separate ways-and one of my jobs was to infiltrate and get information on McCloud… He caught me and placed me in the compound. I had to have been there for three, maybe four years prior to Relena being captured. She was even placed in the same cell as me…" she paused, taking a deep and steadying breath.

"By then I had already been broken in spirit…or for the most part had been. I couldn't stand the fact that Relena would be put through the same thing; after a few months, I offered to teach her…teach her how to survive in there... we grew close and-but-but it was because of me that she killed…she was saved me from being raped again by killing them…" She looked up at him and stared straight into his eyes, her tone serious and sincere. "So you see, I owe her everything…I owe her my friendship, my support, my skills, and my life. I owe her everything I have to offer, because she gave up everything to save me."

"Are you sure she sees it that way?" he asked calmly, his eyes steadily returning her gaze. "Relena is not the type of person to see it like that."

"No, I do know that. I know it, Joshua knows it, Frank knows, Hilde knows it, we all know it; but because of that, it makes our conscience that much heavier… We've all done what we can to repay her…but we've come to find that she happiest with us just being a part of her family. So, we all try to come back here…this is the center for all of us."

"I see…"

When he seemed disinclined to say anything further, Midii turned her attention back towards Mercutio, who was once again growing impatient. "I've got the time and I'm wasting it slowly… Here in this moment I'm half way out the door… Onto the next thing, I'm searching for something that's missing… There's gotta be more to life...than chasing down every temporary high to satisfy me… Cause the more that I'm...tripping out thinking there must be more to life… Well it's life, but I'm sure...there's gotta be more, than wanting more…" she sang, ignoring Barton when he pushed away from the support beam and moved to empty the water buckets in each stall.

"What's between you and Anaya?" he asked suddenly after a small span of silence. He dumped the water out of a bucket before returning it to the stall and moving to retrieve another one from the stall next to it.

Midii blinked a few times as she moved to lead Mercutio out to the corral. "Joshua?" she echoed in question, unhooking the lead rope and allowing the Budenny stallion to join the other horses as they grazed on what little grass was left. "Joshua and I are merely friends, as he is with Relena. He sees us all as family."

There was a slight frown on Barton's face and Midii raised a brow in encouragement. "Then that is why he is always dating the other women at the office…"

Midii laughed at that, understanding what he was getting at. "Oui…that is why he sleeps with them at their homes rather than his. Relena had made it quite clear when he first came to live with use that he was not allowed to have any girls spend the night."

"And you?"

Midii sucked in a breath, incensed at his implication. "I am not as loose as you believe me to be. I only sleep with men for missions, Barton. You'd do well to remember that and NOT mention that around Relena. She's quite defensive of me about that aspect of our lives. Now, if you'll excuse me," she said tartly, turning on her heel and moving to leave, throwing the lead rope in the direction of the others.

She had almost made it past Barton when he reached out and gripped her shoulder rather tightly. She paused, grounding out for him to release her and yet not looking at him. When he did not, she moved to wrench away…and found herself facing his sincerely apologetic face. Midii blinked in surprise, knowing that Barton hardly ever showed any emotion.

"I did not mean to imply-I was merely asking if Relena was singling him out, since she appears to do that every so often."

"O-o-oh…" Midii whispered, feeling her cheeks grow warm. What was it about this man that made her stomach do flips? Why was it that he haunted her dreams every night, ever since he and the other former pilots had come here? "I-I-I really need to be going…"

He nodded and released his grip on her shoulder and arm. She turned and walked quickly out of the stables, swearing under her breath for acting like a fool. She reasoned that the redness of her cheeks was due to the sudden gusts of chilly wind and she hugged her coat tighter around her middle. She had just reached the back porch when she realized why her stomach was in knots around him, why she felt like a silly little girl with a crush, and why he was in her dreams at night…

'I'm in love with him…still……' she thought to herself in slight shock. She quickly shook her head to dispel those thoughts and entered the house, slipping off her jacket as she did so. She then picked up a small, honey-blonde bundle of energy when Eve came within and arms length and placed a chaste kiss on the child's cheek.

"Midii-ba-san [3]!" Eve cried happily, giving the blonde French woman a big hug. Midii chuckled lightly, patting the child's back as Eve told her all about the pictures she had just finished coloring. "Come see! Come see!" the child cried, pushing against Midii in an attempt to be put down. Midii obliged and followed the happy child upstairs to see what creative masterpiece the four-year-old-no, she was actually nearing five wasn't she-had colored.

'After the New Year she'll be five…and Relena will be twenty-two…' she realized, with a sigh. 'Christmas should be interesting this year, what with the pilots joining us in the festivities…' Although Midii highly doubted that Eve was going to mind. She really had taken a liking towards the pilots… 'Lord…please don't let her little heart be broken when they leave…whenever that is…' she silently prayed.

Terms:

1. Mon Dieu = My Lord (French)

2. Oui = Yes (French)

3. Midii-ba-san = Aunt Midii (Japanese)

~~~

Songs used in this chapter:

Meredith Brooks - "Bitch"

Lil' Jon and Eastside Boyz - "Get Low"

Stacie Orrico - "Stuck"

Stacie Orrico - "There's Gotta Be More (To Life)"