Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Mistaken Words ❯ Too Close to Call ( Chapter 25 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Mistaken Words

I'd like to thank my editors neekabe and Pious Knight! I wouldn't be here without the both of you!!

Disclaimer: I still have no writes of ownership to Gundam Wing…or the character there within, as for my own characters neekabe's stolen them!

Too Close To Call

Wufei sat back in his chair; ears no longer listening to the circular conversation that was going on around him, eyes focused idly on the door through which Luc had disappeared a while before. His mind had been reliving the few brief moments the doctor had stood among them, and something stuck out in his mind as odd, but he was having a hard time putting his finger on what that thing was. At first he had tried to shake the feeling and focus once more on the task at hand but as his mind continued to toss itself back to that moment, Wufei began to suspect that he was not simply imagining things, there had been something there.

What had they been discussing the moment Luc entered? Wufei rubbed at one temple trying to think back to their earlier conversation. So much had been said, and he felt like they had all been here for forever, without making even a sliver of progress. It was frustrating but what else could the do? Everyone was throwing out ideas; some of them more than a little shocking, but for each there was a legitimate reason why there had to be something else. Duo's mind was the fastest to turn out ideas, as he was clearly determined to find a solution to this problem. The Chinese man had found it interesting that Duo was the one to call the drug into question. Wufei had known that the drug had bad interactions with Tylenol but he couldn't recall a time when he might have mentioned something like that to Duo.

At the thought of the drug something flashed in Wufei's mind; that was what they had been discussing when Luc walked in. That was what he had seen; a spark of interest in the doctors eyes and the barest hint of a smile. Wufei's mind was spinning now, trying to decide what it all meant. Would Luc go so far as to kill Heero using Tylenol? The sinking feeling in the pit of Wufei's stomach told him the doctor just might. Without a word of warning the former pilot came to his feet and strode towards the door, drawing the debate to a screeching halt.

"Wufei, where are you going?!" Une called out from behind him, her voice alone commanding a response.

He glanced back over his shoulder one hand already drawing the door opened before him, "There's something I just thought of…" he trailed off not wanting to waste anymore time than it had taken him to realise the problem. "I need to take care of it," Wufei didn't wait for further question, but stepped out of the room, and make his way hurriedly to the elevator. He looked to his watch trying to remember about the time that Luc had come in there, he just hoped he wasn't too late.

Wufei passed through the numerous halls at a brisk pace, not halting for anyone, nor even bothering to nod in the direction of those who acknowledged him. This was not really uncommon for Wufei, when he had a destination very little could cause him to take his time in getting there. Most of the people in the agency were accustomed to his personality, but still felt the need to wave a useless hello as he passed. Coming to a stop outside the locked door Wufei briefly scoured his memory for the code that would open it. He was amazed for a moment at all the combinations of numbers that he had been forced to remember over the course of his life, and how he could still put number to door.

The door slid away before him, and Wufei's onyx eyes instantly fell on Luc. Through his peripherals he could see Heero laying there, appearing dead to the world. Wufei didn't allow himself to dwell upon the Japanese man, he had to get Luc out of the room first. The doctor was on his feet the moment the door opened and Wufei stepped in, the self-satisfied look disappearing from his face.

"Wufei…what brings you down here?" Luc inquired, his face and voice giving off nothing about what he had been up to.

"I want a few moments alone with Yuy," he made his voice purposefully harsh, his eyes narrowing at the mention of the traitor's name.

Luc's eyes darted over to Heero's body before settling once more on Wufei, "I'm not really supposed to leave him unattended…" he seemed to be trying to search for a way out.

"That didn't stop you from coming up to ask Sally about the IV," the Chinese man pointed out calmly.

That didn't leave the doctor much room to argue, finally he just nodded his head, "I'll give you ten minutes with him." Wufei smiled his thanks—it was a dry menacing smile—as Luc made his way out of the room.

Wufei wasted no time in seating himself behind the monitoring console so he could hack into the system and shut off the cameras, he didn't want Luc to see what he was about to do. With everything taken care of Wufei left the computers behind and walked over to the wounded man's side. Heero's breaths were ragged and dry, sounding very painful to Wufei's ears, and his face—what of it he could see around the blindfold—was coated in a thin layer of sweat. The traitor twisted weakly his body convulsing with the effects of the drug in his system. There was no doubt in Wufei's mind now that that was exactly what Luc had done, the doctor obviously thought himself very smart to end all their problems.

Taking hold of the IV line Wufei removed it from the needle leading into Heero's elbow. Gathering the contaminated IV the Chinese man walked over to the far side of the room, where he began his search for a new bag. He was not entirely lost in his hunt, he had watched Sally carefully many times, to see where she kept her supplies, and this set up was not much different from her offices. Locating the new IV bag, Wufei quickly made his way back over to Heero's side, the traitor's struggles had ceased, the effect of the drug having taken his body to its limits. However he was still breathing, and it sounded a little less laboured now that he was unconscious. Quickly Wufei reattached the new bag and line, ever aware of how little time he had.

He glanced at his watch, checking to see how much time he had left before Luc would be returning. It wasn't much but he hoped it might be enough to see a positive change with the new IV feeding fluids into Heero's body. Leaning his hands on the cold metal table Wufei's eyes watched the Japanese man's face, wishing he were awake and coherent. There was so much he wanted to ask him, but would Heero even bother to give answers? The others were all convinced Heero would take all that he knew to his grave, yet, thinking back to his encounter with Yuy, Wufei was more inclined to believe Heero was willing to share the truth about events. The only difficulty was in finding a time were he was coherent enough to speak, and hopefully at that time the other pilots wouldn't be present. Wufei doubted even now—that if Heero wanted to volunteer everything that happened over the last three years—that the others would be interested in listening.

It would have been nice to see an obvious change in Heero's condition before he had to leave, but he supposed just having it remain the same was good enough. At least this way Luc might not suspect his plan had been discovered and averted. Giving Heero one last look Wufei turned his back on his and walked back over to the monitoring station so that he could turn the cameras back on. Luc re-entered just as Wufei was finishing up, and his green eyes instantly focusing on Heero's prone form. Wufei spun the chair away after striking the last key, and fixed the malicious doctor with another evil grin. Without a word he got up and walked from the room, though a large part of him wanted to slam Luc against the wall, telling him to never try and go behind their backs again.

Restraining himself Wufei simply walked past the smug looking man and left the room behind. He wondered if the debate was still going on upstairs. He supposed it probably was, but was there any real point in his returning to it? Une was not about to let something happen that could cause a media nightmare, and that covered just about everything they had already discussed. Besides, he didn't feel like answering to further questions as to where he had gone and what he had done. If he told them, it would only be inviting more tension into their already strained discussion. So having come to a decision Wufei went in a new direction all together one that would lead him out of the agency and to his car. He had a feeling Relena might want someone to talk to, seeing as she was being kept in the dark over this matter.

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Relena sat back in the oak inlaid armchair, trying to appear as relaxed and comfortable as she would usually be when sitting in her favourite chair. But that simply wasn't the case today, she wanted to be on the edge of her seat, hell she didn't want to be sitting at all. She wanted to pace in frustration, to shout at the top of her lungs at the injustice of her situation. However she knew none of that would make any difference, and she wasn't about to lose her dignity over something that could change nothing. Her pale blue eyes were focused out the sunroom windows, yet today she was unable to marvel at the beauty of her extensive gardens, today all she could really focus on was the man standing at the door behind her.

Agent Thomas Ryan stood casually just inside the room, his stance at ease but there was still an air of readiness about him. It had been just about four days since Wufei and Zechs returned with Heero, and since that moment Relena had basically been a prisoner in her home. Zechs instantly forbade Relena from seeing the traitor, an act that nearly made her see red on its own. Had the pilots not been completely on his side for this Relena might have been able to make it in there. But as matters stood now, the pilots did fully agree with Zechs, and they had the complete attention of her regular guards. So it had been four days, and Relena had been left in the dark as to Heero's condition, and the manner in which the others were planning on handling this situation.

A sigh escaped her lips unbidden and she glanced through the corner of one eye at Thomas, he and Derrick had returned to active duty the minute they had been cleared by Sally to do so. It was clear the events that took place in November had left them with a burning desire to prove their worth. Relena had never wanted them to feel responsible for what had happened, but telling them to forget about it and actually expecting them to do so were two entirely different things. They both had personal grudges directed entirely at Heero, so it was no wonder they were her two most diligent guards right now. It was a wonder to her that either of them even slept with how much time they seemed to spend around her during the day. Yet their company was something she had always enjoyed, which made this confinement just a little more bearable.

She realised suddenly that she was drumming her fingers upon the arm of the chair, and she instantly pulled herself up. Relena did not want to show any form of impatience, she wanted to remain cool distant from all of this, no matter how difficult that might prove. She wanted to be able to look back on these days and throw them in her brother's face, to prove to him that she was able to contain herself better than any of them. She more than any of them had a right to be at the forefront of everything that had to do with Heero.

A soft knock on the door brought Relena from her thoughts and caused her to turn. A smile lit up her face at the sight of Wufei standing in the doorway, hair drawn back in its usual ponytail though a few strands had pulled free to frame his face, leading Relena to believe he had driven over with his window down. His face was neutral and his stance relaxed as he waited with his hands in pockets. It only took her a second to take him all in, and she was on her feet in a heartbeat walking over to properly greet him. "Wufei, what brings you here? Has the debate for today already ended?" silently Relena was amazed at the indifference, which coated her voice.

Wufei's olive features flickered with a small smile of his own, before he silently nodded Thomas from the room, and closed the door behind him. "No, they're still going at it, but I'm sick of the endlessly circling conversation."

It must be surreal to discuss how best to kill a man you once called friend Relena thought bitterly. She doubted she'd have much luck convincing them otherwise even if she could be a part of the debate; the pilots had all had too long of a time in which to cultivate their anger and resentment. Relena mental shook the thoughts away as she lead Wufei back to where she had been sitting, they studied each other in the silence. Wufei was a different case from the others, Relena had watched the slow changes progress over the years and had often wondered what had lead the Chinese man to his change of perspective.

"How long do you think they can keep this up?" she inquired watching Wufei's eyes fixedly; they were voids swallowing up everything and revealing nothing in return.

"At this point?" he leaned deeper into his chair folding his arms over his muscled chest, and casting his gaze towards the ceiling. "Forever. The question is how long Yuy will last…"

Relena's heart clenched within her chest at his words, this was not to say she was not feeling a certain amount of anger towards the former pilot. But despite all he had done, and all the questions he had left behind, Relena could not bring herself to deny her love for him, even if it was no longer returned. The thought of him dying without her ever being able to understand all that had happened to him, tore her apart inside, yet she would not let it show. "Is he really that bad off?" perhaps Wufei would be kind enough to tell her what actually had happened to him.

"The injuries themselves are nothing he hasn't lived through before," Wufei elaborated, "but the malnutrition and drug that he had been on could prove a problem. And if that wasn't bad enough, there's also the doctor who Sally has looking after him during the day." The former pilot shook his head at that, a gesture of disgust if ever Relena had seen one.

There were no doubts in Relena's mind just who it was Sally had chosen for that task, and the thought of it almost had her clenching her hand, but she was not going to give anything away not to anyone. "Has he said anything?" if Heero was innocent of all they believed, or at the very least if there was something he had kept to himself, Relena was hopeful that he would try his best to tell them.

"He hasn't been given a chance," Wufei replied studying her as though seeing her for the first time, his one eyebrow raised as though in question. It was obvious he was curious at her utter calm.

"Will any of you ever give him a chance?" despite her very best efforts Relena could not keep a hint of the venom she was feeling from her voice right then.

A knowing look entered Wufei's onyx eyes then, as though that one slip had let him see directly through her so he knew what she was planning. It drove her nuts just how observant these pilots could be, you couldn't make a single misstep around them. "I'd like to, but then I'm not really the one calling the shots here, there's also the fact that he hasn't really been in a condition to speak yet."

"Is this because of Luc?" Relena's voice had once more attained the indifference she had wanted to maintain.

"Yes, partly," the Chinese man confessed, the way in which he was speaking to her clearly told Relena that he was going to take her act for truth, and be a blunt as she wanted him to be.

"What has he been doing?"

"Torture…"

That single word nearly shattered Relena's carefully constructed barriers. Despite everything he had done, did Heero really deserve that? Were they all willing to sink that low? The sheer fact that it was happening seemed to answer Relena's second question. "I wouldn't have thought Luc capable of that…" she whispered more to herself than Wufei, as she tried to banish the mental pictures of all the possible things he could be doing to Heero at this very moment.

"He hid a lot I think," Wufei's eyes were once more piercing, he had seen her façade for what it truly was, but this didn't mean he could see what she was thinking.

"Are you the only one that knows this?" The look upon Wufei's face was almost an answer to her question.

Relena forced herself to loosen the grip her hands held upon her dress. Nothing, she wasn't going to give them anything, externally she was completely unaffected. Internally she was crying out, how could they do this? How could they loose their humanity? Their conversation lapsed into silence, what more could they say? They both knew the other cared, but both were powerless to do anything about it. They sat there together in a depressed silence one that clung to them heavily like an oily film. Was an end to this even coming?

"No," the word was ground out with a great deal of frustration, "But no one else cares."

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It was a wonder to Heero, as he slowly climbed from the pit of blackness, that he was able to leave it at all. He had thought for sure when last he was aware that that was the last of the world he'd ever see. But now to be back in the world again, Heero wasn't at all sure how he should feel; relief or dread. His face was still covered with the blindfold, and an unwanted tremor ran down his body in anticipation of Luc's attack. Yet nothing came in the seconds and minutes that followed, just an eerie silence, and Heero began to wonder if he was, in fact, alone once again.

A wave of nausea washed over Heero, an after effect of whatever Luc had put in his IV. He didn't feel nearly as bad now as he had before, but there was still that deep gnawing ache in the very core of his being that didn't seem to want to leave. Suppressing a groan, Heero attempted to focus his senses to the room around him, searching for a noise that might distinguish whether or not he was truly alone. He certainly wouldn't have put it past Luc to hide his presence by not moving, yet blindfolded or not Heero had always been able to sense the doctor's closeness. Nevertheless he was not going to let himself relax too much simply because he thought he was alone.

Across the room Heero heard the muffled sound of the door opening and every muscle tensed against whatever Luc was going to do next. He heard the long strides carry the doctor over to him, and his body began to tremble despite his best efforts to make it stop. "Heero, it's alright, it's only me…" a gentle voice spoke up finally, a voice filled with concern, and familiarity.

Relief filled Heero at the sound of John's voice, but after a day of tension and being unable to see he just couldn't let himself relax yet. "I'm going to remove the blindfold alright?" John informed the sound of his voice having a soothing effect on Heero's strung out nerves. Yet the minute he felt John's fingers brush against his head, Heero couldn't keep his body from jumping in response.

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John stared down at the boy trying to decide what he could do for him. It was clear whatever Luc had done to Heero during the day had left the boy's nerves completely strung out. He knew nothing would improve until he was able to remove the cloth that was covering Heero's eyes. Yet doing that was proving to be very difficult with how jumpy Heero was. As much as John wanted to reach out and touch Heero, he could understand why this boy needed as much personal space as he could be given. But at the very same time John couldn't just sit back and leave the boy blindfolded, that wasn't going to help matters in the least.

The boy's breathing was becoming more laboured, as he was obviously trying to keep himself calm. John's hand flexed at his side and his anger rose, he couldn't believe Luc had done this, though considering what had happened the day before he didn't know why anything should surprise him now. His eyes glanced around the room in a useless attempt to think of something, anything that would solve this problem. But of course he was left exactly where he had started, standing besides the injured boy, wanting to reach out and touch him, but fearing that would do more harm than good. Looking the boy over yet again John began searching for a place upon Heero's body that might not be taken for quite so vulnerable. A spot where he could begin to adjust Heero to human contact, it would take time but it was the only idea his mind was turning out at the moment.

Even without the boy's numerous injuries John already knew there weren't many places on his body that wouldn't be considered a vulnerable area. Or at the very least, wouldn't be vital to the life that he led, and it hadn't taken much to tell John that it had been a soldier's life. Finally he came to the decision that little more than the shin and shoulder were open to him, anything else was just too sensitive. He was still hesitant to trying touching the boy's shoulder, it was, after all, close to his head and neck, both vital areas of the body. However it was the closest to his ultimate goal, which was the removal of the blindfold. So with a slow calming breath that was the one he chose.

"Heero, just relax I'm only going to put my hand on your shoulder, alright? I'm not going to hurt you. You can trust me," the words left his lips in a soothing stream, but he could still see Heero's body tense in anticipation of the contact. Gently John reached out with his right hand placing it upon the side of Heero's left shoulder; the boy flinched despite himself, and his body became ridged but John did not withdraw his hand. He kept it in place, not moving it, just keeping a steady contact, and slowly—much to John's relief—the boy began to relax. "That's better," he smiled down at Heero.

"Mind if I tried to take the blindfold off?" he asked the question, and waited patiently for the boy's almost non-existent nod, before he reached out with his left hand to take hold of the black cloth. All the while his right hand remained on Heero's shoulder, he wasn't about to break the contact for fear it would start him all the way back at the beginning. It was a little awkward working the blindfold from Heero's head with only one hand, but with no other option opened to him John somehow managed it.

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Heero's eyes opened for the first time that day, but he was quickly forced to close them against the harsh lights. He could still feel John's hand upon his shoulder a non-threatening contact, just there to remind Heero that he was not alone, and not everyone was going to be like Luc. Nothing however would be able to change how defenceless Heero felt in his present situation, or how weak, that he would allow Luc to affect him so much. And trying not to think on such matters was as easy as deciding to stop breathing, the warrior in him simply wouldn't allow him to forget what he would have been able to do had situations been a little different.

Slowly Heero was able to open his eyes even though the lights continued to stab into the back of his head like a knife, yet it was nothing in comparison to what the rest of his body was feeling, and so quickly faded into the background. The after effects of whatever Luc had put into the IV seemed to be fading, much to Heero's relief, and his breathing was slowly evening out. Glancing up at the kind old doctor, Heero could see his eyes watching concern was clear within them despite the fact that his face was mostly in shadows.

"Would you like another painkiller?" the doctor inquired gently.

"No…" Heero managed to rasp out though his throat was parched and sore.

John's hand gently squeezed Heero's shoulder, the former pilot was fairly sure it was an unconscious gesture. "Heero I can tell you're in pain, there's no reason for you to be like that while I'm here. Nothing will happen to you while you sleep, I promise."

Heero shook his head every so slightly, "I don't want…to be awake…tom…" his voice failed him before he could finish what he had wanted to say, but it seemed fairly clear that John understood what was to come next. The last thing Heero wanted was to be 'well rested' for the next day, and whatever Luc might have planned.

"You need as much rest as you can get Heero," John attempted to reason, but it didn't sound to Heero's ears like John was going to force this issue.

"…be alright…" he rasped, trying to suppress a dry cough the itch in the back of his throat had brought to life.

He felt John's hand withdraw as the doctor stepped away from the table, he wasn't gone for long as he quickly came back over with a bottle of water held in his hand. Heero's stomach threatened to turn on him at the sight of the life-giving liquid but he forced it from his mind, the vast majority of his body really wanted this. He didn't flinch this time as John came in range and his hand came in contact with Heero's shoulder. The feeling of the cool liquid trickling down the back of his throat was as close to Heaven as seeing Relena's smiling face would be. Lacking the one he simply had to make do with the other, in the hopes that the latter would be something he'd be able to see before the end at least.

John lowered Heero's head back to the table, and the Japanese man was surprised to find his head pillowed on something soft, he assumed it was the black cloth that had bound his eyes for the day. He found that tiny added comfort did a great deal for how he was feeling, it couldn't alleviate any of his physical pain, but more than nice not to be surrounded by people who hated him the whole day. "So you don't want to sleep…" John broke the silence between them eyes watching the water bottle he was fingering before focusing on Heero's face, "What does that leave us?"

Heero let his head fall to the side eyes focusing on what of John he could still see, the old doctor seemed to get an idea from this, as he moved off to the far side of the room and quickly returned with a wheeled chair. He seated himself where he'd be in Heero's line of vision, the water bottle still in hand, in case Heero needed it again. "If the pain becomes to much just let me know and I'll get you something for it," John offered it was clear that he wasn't comfortable with this, but would do what Heero wanted at least for now.

He didn't bother to respond to that, already knowing he wasn't going to accept anything until just before John was going to leave. An awkward silence stretched out between them, as John seemed at a loss for something to say. Had Heero been any other person he might have prompted the old man towards a conversation, but he merely watched John in his silent struggles. "You know I have a son about your age…" John began slowly eyes watching his hands, "His name's Jason…" Heero found himself relaxing further at the constant sound of John's comforting voice, as he spoke of his extensive family.

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It was in the early hours of the morning that John was beginning to wonder how much longer Heero would be able to hold out before his body finally began to give in. John had been amazed that he had lasted this long, all the while that he had spoken of his family, and anything else he could think up he had noted the light of interest in Heero's eyes. That was something he had not expected to see, he had just been rambling really hoping that a constant stream of words would have the affect that Heero was searching for. But it had appeared to John as though Heero actually wanted to know more.

Silence had settled over them as John had finally run out of things to say, Heero didn't appear to have a problem with this as he continued to lay there eyes half opened, as though it took too much effort to keep them fully opened. John slowly came to his feet, his joints stiff from having been sitting for so long, he smiled down at the boy, "I'm not as young as a used to be, I can't remain sitting for that long." Stretching, John stepped away from the table and made his way slowly towards the monitoring station. It felt good to be up and moving around, walking around the station John let his eyes sweep over the screens there, taking in at a glance all that they could tell him about Heero's condition.

For a moment he passed them all over without really looking, nothing seemed to have changed that he could see. But something stopped him, a slight rise in one of the readings that caught his attention, Heero's temperature was on the rise. Looking up over the station John gave Heero a visual once over noting that the boy's features were beginning to look flushed, and his breathing was becoming dry and laboured. John was back at Heero's side in an instant, his previous stiffness forgotten in light of this sudden change. "Heero?" he called the boy's gently, and in response Heero's head came up a little so he could look at John.

He touched Heero first on the shoulder, using that 'safe' spot as a way to initiate contact and gauge the boy's reaction to it. It didn't seem as though he cared all that much, and John tentatively reached out his hand to let his fingers brush against the boy's forehead. He did not let them linger long, there was no reason to, one touch was enough to confirm what the sensors had told him, and fear gripped him. There was two possibilities that could have lead to this, neither John liked the thought of, on the one hand infection could have been setting in, and on the other withdrawal. Both were just as likely to end the boy's life if he didn't start receiving better care from Sally.

John's eyes left Heero's body only to focus upon the phone at the other side of the room, and he made his way towards it. Briefly he considered checking to see what time it was, but he already knew it wouldn't matter, he was going to put an end to this. Eyes watching Heero the whole time John dialled the number to Sally's room, and waiting the several minutes it took for her to finally answer the phone.

Sally's eyes were sleep filled and her hair dishevelled when she seated herself before the phone, and she looked none too pleased about who she was answering too. "What is it John? And it had better be good!"

"You can't leave Heero like this any longer," John couldn't keep the growl from his voice then, "Infection could be setting in."

Running a hand through her hair Sally sighed, "What makes you think that?"

"He started running a fever a little while ago. And I know it's not because of anything I've done to him," John said pointedly.

"I'm sure it's nothing he can't handle," she was quick to reply, but to John's ears it sounded forced, and he felt sure that if he pushed matters he might actually be able to get what he wanted. He was not going to back down, no matter what she threatened him with.

"That doesn't matter, I'm not going to sit by any longer, I won't watch him die!"

"Are you forgetting how easy it would be to replace you?"

John shook his head, "Stop with the threats Sally, you and I both know you don't want word of Heero's being here to get out, and I also know there's nothing you can do to silence me."

Her eyes widened at that, seeing the truth behind his words, and it was also clear that she was trying her best to think of a way around what he had just declared. However, his ultimatum didn't leave any room for further arguments. "I'll be in, in the morning," she shut off her end of line before he could argue with her decision, ideally he would have liked for her to have come down now, but that obviously wasn't going to happen.

With a sigh, John made his way back over Heero's side, the boy had been watching him the whole time, but how much of it he heard John couldn't be sure. "Sally's coming down in a few hours, to take proper care of your injuries," the old doctor informed wondering at the boy's reaction. Heero's eyes opened a little wider but that was the only real reaction he gave. John hoped that was more due to exhaustion than this sudden fever. Dropping down into the seat once more John glanced at his watch to see how much longer they'd have to wait, he had a sinking feeling the time would just crawl by.

Thanks for Reading!

The Only Man to Ever Break Heero Yuy:

AN: the preview that I wanted to use for this chapter had unfortunately not been written when I came to this part, so I've filled in the gap as best I could. So that I could write the scene in a way that it should actually appear in the next chapter. Here it is, I hope I don't have to make too many changes before then next chapter, and please forgive both grammar and type-os

Both men looked at one another, and neither seemed all that impressed with Heero's proposal. It was clear that they themselves couldn't make sense of what he had said, he just hoped they'd take it to Trowa. Josh finally shrugged his shoulders "Do we really have anything to lose?"

Garrison appeared to mull over it all, his stance shifting from threatening to relaxed seemingly without his notice. His eyes swept over Heero as he continued to consider the proposition, the former pilot found himself holding his breath, and not just because breathing hurt. "Alright, we'll take the message to Trowa, but that's all, if he doesn't come you'll answer to us!" Heero didn't acknowledge the threat, as he already knew if Trowa didn't come—as unlikely as that seemed—he wouldn't be speaking at all.

They turned to leave then, both men making their way towards the door, and Heero was silently glad one was not remaining behind to watch him. He wanted a few moments of peace, no matter how brief they were, just to be alone, and not threatened was enough. He lay there in the silence trying to gather his thoughts as best he could, but each time he thought about how the conversation might go, they'd scatter at the mere though this nightmare might come to an end. Heero didn't want to get his hopes up, not after so many crushing defeats, but it was difficult when faced with such a situation.

Heero was unsure as to how much time passed while he waited in the silence tremors coursing over his body which were caused by both pain and excitement. The click of the door's lock giving way rung out in the stillness alerting Heero to the arrival of either Trowa or his interrogator. The door seemed to take longer than normal to open, and Heero strained his vision to see just who was standing on the other side. A tall figure stepped over the threshold, and Heero's hope soared despite himself, as Trowa came a few steps closer.

Morganeth Taren'drel