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Journey of a Thousand Miles

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"

-Confucius-

Part 20

After that evening, when they had their last and final fight, Zechs didn't come to visit my cousin anymore. If there were any deliveries to be made, he would just send one of the servants. And since I still spent every afternoon at his house with Trowa, he sometimes asked me to deliver a message to the duke. I felt somewhat awkward, but I was glad that at least I wasn't expected to choose sides. I could have never done that because I cared too much for both of them.
Life at Rosehill had changed as well. Treize was spending a lot of time by himself in his study. Sometimes he even had Xander bring his meals up to him and I wouldn't see him for days. I also noticed that he was drinking a lot more than he used to, and I really started to worry about him.

*****

It was Friday afternoon, and it was also my cousin's birthday. I had told Trowa that I wouldn't come over today, because I wanted to spend some time with Treize.
After I wrapped the gift that I had bought for him the week before, while Trowa and I were in Chesterfield, I went and knocked at the door to his study.

"Please, come in."

Treize was sitting at his desk, reading, when I entered.

"Quatre, what can I do for you?" he asked.

"I just came to give you this." I handed him the small package. "Happy Birthday, Cousin Treize."

"Thank you, Quatre. That's very thoughtful of you." He looked at the gift in his hand. "Should I open it?"

"Please do."

Treize carefully removed the blue ribbon, before he unwrapped the present. He opened the box and pulled out a pair of small cufflinks made from mother of pearl and gold. "They are beautiful, thank you."

"Trowa helped me to pick them out for you," I told him.
"Is that so? I must say, the two of you have excellent taste."

"Thank you." I smiled at him. "And speaking of taste… Cecilia made the most delicious crumpets I have ever tasted. You will have tea with me, won't you?"

My cousin nodded. "Of course."

***

Xander had already set the table in the drawing room, and was only waiting for us to come downstairs before he started serving the tea and crumpets. We sat, sipping tea and making small talk, for a good twenty minutes and then Xander entered the room.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you, your Excellency," he apologized. "You have a visitor."
"A visitor?" Treize echoed. "Who is it?"

"Baron Kinley, Sir."

I was surprised, to say the least, that the baron had the nerve to come here, after what had happened during his last visit. But it surprised me even more that my cousin didn't tell him to go to hell, but instead said: "Please show him in."

Xander nodded. "As you wish, Sir."
He left to return a few moments later with Kinley.

"William, I didn't expect to see you. What are you doing here?" Treize asked.
The baron, being his usual smug self, smiled. "I just came by to wish you a happy birthday. I thought that perhaps you could use some company."

The duke gestured at one of the chairs. "Come in. Please, take a seat. Quatre and I are just having tea. Can I offer you a cup?"
"I'm not much of a tea drinker. But if you have something a little stronger I wouldn't say no."

Treize nodded as he rose, and headed for the liquor cabinet. "Whiskey, cognac or gin?" he asked.
"Whiskey will do just fine." Kinley pulled of his white gloves and put them on his lap, then he turned toward me. "What a pleasure to see you again, Mister Winner. It's been a while, hasn't it? How have you been?"

"Thank you, I've been fine," I replied stiffly.

I had no desire to sit down and have tea, or anything else for that matter, with the baron, so I excused myself under the pretense that I had to finish my studies. I had just reached the stairs when somebody knocked at the front entrance, so I turned around and opened the door.

"Zechs." I exclaimed in pleasant surprise.

The blond aristocrat was all dressed up and had a small wrapped package in his hand. "Is your cousin home?" he asked.

Before I could answer, the sound of Baron Kinley's laughter reached us. "This feels almost like old times, Treize. I think we should have done this a long time ago."

Zechs' jaws closed tightly and his eyes darkened. "I should have known that this was bad idea," he murmured.
I felt terrible. "Would you like to come in?" I asked.

"No." Zechs shook his head. "Please, don't tell him that I was here, Quatre."

"Who is it, Quatre?" Treize asked from inside the drawing room.

"Nobody," I answered unhappily, as I watched Zechs walk away.

*****

Trowa was in the stable, feeding the horses, when I arrived. One look at his face told me that something wasn't right.

"Trowa, what is wrong?" I asked, concerned.

He emptied out the last bucket of oats, and settled down on a bale of hay before he answered. "Master Zechs bought a house. He…we will be moving to London."

I stared at Trowa, stunned. "But…"I stammered. "Why?"

"This house," Towa gestured through the open door toward the manor, "belongs to your cousin. Master Zechs said that he feels like he has overstayed his welcome already, and he is not going to wait until he is asked to leave."

"Treize would never do that," I exclaimed. "He still cares for Zechs. I know he does. They will work things out between them eventually."
"We don't know that," Trowa replied quietly and very seriously. "I know that's what you would like to happen. And so would I. But unfortunately people sometimes grow apart, and nothing can change that. Sometimes if you are angry with somebody for a long time it just seems easier to stay angry than to talk to each other and apologize."

He was right, of course. But I couldn't believe that Treize and Zechs would end their relationship just like that. The two of them were so right for each other. But if they really did, it brought up an important question.

"What is going to happen to us when you move away?" I asked.
Trowa reached for my hand and gently pulled me down next to him. "London isn't really that far," he told me. "I will come to see you as often as I can. And I don't think Master Zechs would mind if you came to visit us."

"That's true," I admitted. "But everything will change. I like the way things are now. I like that we are able to see each other whenever we want."

"The important things, like the way we feel about each other, won't change," Trowa said. "We might not be able to see each other every day anymore. But that will make the time that we are spending together even more precious. Wouldn't you agree?"

I gave him a tiny smile. "You always know the right things to say. No wonder I love you so much."

*****

I knew that I had to talk to Cousin Treize before it was too late. Perhaps he didn't even know that Zechs was planning to move away.

When I got home that afternoon I learned that the duke was out on a ride. I went to my room and curled up with a book in one of the armchairs by the window. About half an hour later I saw Treize riding through the gates. I finished the chapter that I was reading before I walked downstairs to talk to him.

I found my cousin in the drawing room, pouring himself a glass of brandy. One look into his eyes told me that it wasn't his first drink of the day either. And he looked like he hadn't even shaved this morning. I sighed inwardly.
"Cousin, may I talk to you?" I asked.

"Is it about Zechs?" he wanted to know.

I nodded. "Yes."

"I don't want to talk about it." Treize turned away, emptied his glass in one gulp and reached for the brandy bottle.
I frowned in irritation and blurred out. "Zechs is moving to London."

"So I have been told," my cousin answered calmly, as he refilled his glass.

"And, aren't you going to do anything about it? Do you really want to throw everything that the two of you had away?"

"What do you expect me to do?"

"You should go and talk to Zechs," I suggested. "Tell him that you still care for him and that…"
"With all due respect, Quatre, I think you shouldn't interfere in things you know nothing about. This issue is between Zechs and me, so please stay out of it."

I felt a flash of hot anger. "I know more about this than you might think. I'm not a naïve, little boy anymore. The only thing I really don't understand is how you can do this to yourself? Have you looked into a mirror lately? How long are you planning to go on like this?" I asked. "It's not even tea time and you are already drunk."

"First of all, I'm not drunk. And secondly I don't need you to tell me when and how much I'm allowed to drink. The last time I checked I was your guardian, and not the other way around," Treize remarked sarcastically.

"Right," I retorted angrily. "Why do I even care? It's quite obvious that you don't; not about yourself, and most certainly not about anybody else. Go ahead and drink all you want. Perhaps you should invite Baron Kinley to join you. The two of you seem to have more and more in common each day."

"That's quite enough," Treize snapped.

The brandy glass hit the table surface hard enough to spill some of the ember colored liquid. When he turned around I was almost sure he was going to slap me, but instead he just walked past me and out of the room. Moments later the entrance door slammed shut behind him as he left the house.
I just stood there for a few more moments before I turned and went upstairs. I walked into my room and flopped
onto the wide bed. Tears of anger and frustration tickled at the corner of my eyes.

Pigheaded fool! I thought. Why in the world can't he just admit that he is still in love with Zechs? Why does he have to be so unbelievable stubborn about it. Even if Zechs acted like a nitwit by being so jealous, Treize could at least make the first step toward reconciliation.

A quiet knock at the door ripped me from my thoughts.
"Master Quatre, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Xander." I assured him.

"Would you like for me to serve your tea now?"

"No, thank you. I think I'll just skip tea today."

"As you wish, Sir."

"Xander?"

"Yes, Master Quatre?" he asked.

"Did he leave?"

"Yes, his Excellency went for another ride." Xander confirmed.
"He was quite angry wasn't he?" I said quietly.

"You shouldn't worry about it too much. Master Treize hasn't been himself lately. I think it was time somebody told him that. "

"Thank you, Xander."

*****

At dinner time Treize still hadn't returned. I ate alone as I did more often than not lately, and then settled down in the library. It was getting dark now and it had started to rain. I expected my cousin to be back soon.

Somehow I fell asleep, curled up in a chair by the fireplace. A soft nudge on my shoulder woke me. I opened my eyes and looked into Xander's friendly face.

"I think you would be more comfortable in your bed, Master Quatre," he suggested.
I nodded as I rubbed my eyes. "I suppose you are right. Has my cousin come back?"

"Not yet."

"He hasn't?" I asked, somewhat alarmed. "What time is it anyway?"

"It's almost a quarter to eleven."

I looked at the window. It was too dark to see anything, of course, but I could hear the rain pounding against the glass. It sounded like it was raining quite heavily now. "Perhaps he found shelter somewhere and is waiting for the rain to stop."

Xander nodded. "That's what I'm thinking too. I'll stay up and wait for him. But you should go to bed, Sir."

"Good night, Xander," I said, as I picked up the book that had slipped from my hand when I fell asleep.

"Good night, Master Quatre."

I went upstairs to my bedroom and started to undress. I had not gotten any further than taking off my shoes and coat when I heard a horse come up the road in a slow but steady trot. I breathed a sigh of relief. But as I stepped to the window to look outside I gasped. It was my cousin's gelding alright, but there was no sign of Treize. The horse had returned without its rider.

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T.B.C.

Author's Note:

Feedback is greatly appreciated, constructive criticism is welcome :-)