Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Seasons ❯ Summer Separations ( Chapter 1 )

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

Seasons

By: Lady Winner

October 24, 2001

Chapter 1 - Summer Separations

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**Author's notes: Hey minna-san, Lady Winner here! Just wanted to
mention a few things before the story. First of all THANX for all the
people who read and reviewed "Final Mission into Forever". *cheers* I
promise I will post part 2 in the near future, I've just had writer's
block, so I'm a bit stumped, but I will continue the story...:)
Secondly, this fic is not part of that story. This one stands entirely
on its own. I just got totally inspired one day, and on a whim, I
decided to write it. By the way, this is WCxSP fic. So I hope you all
enjoy this story :)

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AC 202

The early afternoon sun burned brightly against the vast blue
backdrop, allowing glimmering rays to pierce its way through the
cloudless sky. A gentle summer breeze flew through the city,
mindlessly weaving its way to-and-fro, enclosing everything in its
delicate coolness. It appeared to make an invisible path, twisting and
turning through the streets delineated with lights. While flying
across the city, the wind spiraled up a building, inching its way
closer and closer to the top, searching for an opening of some kind.
Finally, an outlet appeared and it took it as an opportunity to enter
the tall structure.

A young woman sat with her elbows resting on her desk, while her chin
fell upon her clasped hands. Her face showed nothing, yet it betrayed
all the emotion that could be seen in her salient ice blue eyes. A
strong breeze sailed into the room, fluttering the papers on her desk
and softly brushing her light brown hair, tousling it. But she made no
move to fix it or to touch it even. It seemed that nothing could deter
this woman from her thoughts.

A pair of violet blue eyes watched the young woman stare off into
space, immersed in deep thought. Through the window between their
adjoining offices, the young spectator kept a watchful eye over her
friend with a slight smile on her face, but with concern eminent in
her eyes as well. She couldn't help but worry for her.

`Sally...' she thought. `why are you doing this to yourself?' She
wanted to help her friend cope with what she was dealing with, but
found herself failing each time she tried to approach the subject.
Sighing defeatedly, the young woman glanced down at her desk, piled
high with papers, files, and disks, all awaiting her undivided
attention. But in truth, right now she lacked the mind capacity to
concentrate on anything, especially her work.

"Heero is so going to get on my case about not getting these files
updated on time," she chastised herself. "But it's not like I can
concentrate anyway." Instead of reoccupying herself with her work, she
opted to sit there and watch the other woman. She casually leaned her
elbow against the smooth surface of her desktop while idly rubbing her
fingers against her forehead, trying to ward off the feeling of
apprehension and helplessness that had been troubling her lately. "I
just wish I could do something to help her..."

"Well, I'm sure sitting there and staring at her all day isn't going
to help much."

She gasped, startled by the intrusion of the new voice that her elbow
slipped off the edge of the table, nearly causing her to fall over.

"Hilde, I'm sad to say that I thought you had more grace and elegance
than that."

Instantly recognizing that unwonted voice, she felt her anger begin to
mount. Even though her eyes were still on her desk, she could hear the
definite smile in his voice. There was only one individual she knew
that had the capabilities of being that intrusive. Setting aside her
thoughts momentarily, she regained her composure and turned to glare
vehemently at the figure indolently lounging in the doorway,
concentrating all her anger on that pair of laughing cobalt blue eyes.

"Duo Maxwell," she hissed. "You scared the hell out of me!" Her face
was flushed with anger and hinted with embarrassment as well. Duo
couldn't help but chuckle at the indignant expression on her face.
"And what may I ask is so funny?"

"Oh, nothing," he replied, a wry smile touching his lips. He pushed
himself off the doorway and sauntered over to where she was sitting.
He leaned in close to her, so close that she could feel his breath
mingle with her own. "I was just thinking about how cute you look when
you're seething with anger at me."

"Oh really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him skeptically.

"Uh-huh, yes really." He leaned in closer to give her a kiss, but
before he could plant one on her lips, Hilde turned her head so that
he received a mouthful of her hair instead. "Aw... come on Hilde...
don't be like that. I'm sorry."

She ignored him and began going through the endless amount of
paperwork that remained littered on her desk.

"Hilde..." He tried to grab her hand, but she quickly jerked it away
from his grasp. "Hilde, please... I'm sorry. Really, I am... honest."
She sighed and felt her anger at him slowly diminish; she always found
it hard to stay mad at him for very long. He tried again and this
time, succeeded in placing his hand on her shoulder without
resistance. She turned and looked at him and saw that he was pouting
like a child in need of affection; his lower lip protruding in an
exaggerated manner.

"You're really sorry?"

"Yes I am," he replied. "Scouts honor." He held up two fingers, with a
lopsided grin plastered on his face, ridiculously looking like a young
schoolboy reciting a childtime vow. She sighed exasperatedly and shook
her head, all the while, a slight smile gracing her lips. Relieved at
the fact she was smiling at him again, he slowly brought his hand back
down to his side. "So... you forgive me?"

"How could I refuse an apology like that?" she asked closing the
distance between them, the two sharing a chaste by tender kiss. "Just
don't ever. do. that. again." She punctuated each word with a firm
poke in his chest.

"How can I refuse a demand like that?" His buoyant smile returned as
he claimed her lips again in a sweet kiss. "So," he asked, after they
broke apart. "What were you doing?"

"As you saw before," she replied, gesturing at the massive amount of
work on her desk, "nothing. I mean, I was trying to get some work
done, but I couldn't focus. My concentrations been totally off today."

"I see." He crossed his arms, leaning all his body weight against her
desk. "You're worried about her," he said turning to look through the
window, "aren't you?"

"Yes. Yes I am," she responded, imitating his movements. "But who
wouldn't be? I mean, just look at her Duo." A frown found its way onto
his face, marring his usually jovial features as he looked on the
young woman.

"I understand," he said slowly. "But don't you think that maybe
you're... thinking too much of this?" He turned his head to look down
at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you could be worrying for nothing, you know. It could just be
some female thing. I mean, this could all just blow over..."

"Duo!"

"Okay, okay! Forget I said that," he replied, placing his hands up in
defense. "Geez, I was just giving my opinion. You know, throwing in my
two cents worth."

"Well, you can just keep your two cents to yourself," she remarked
dryly. "Duo, I'm serious about this. I'm really worried about her."
She turned to face the window again, watching how motionless and
undisturbed the other woman appeared. It was as if she was staring at
a painting, capturing at that instant a stilled moment in the woman's
life.

"I know Hilde, I know..." he sighed, draping his arms around her,
enveloping her tightly in his embrace. "But I think, for right now,
the best thing for Sally to do is to cope with this on her own. This
is something she needs to deal with by herself. None of us can tell
her how she's supposed to feel or what she's supposed to do." He
paused for a second and loosened his hold around her slightly, his
voice softening as well. "But we'll be there for her when she needs us
because that's what we're supposed to do. She knows that we'll always
be there to support her and to be by her side. And when the time comes
when she really needs us, she knows where to go." A moment of silence
passed between the two as Hilde regarded what Duo said with much
thought. In a loving gesture, she reached up, covering his hands with
her own, and in return, he lowered his chin on her shoulder and held
her close.

"I just..." she said finally. "I just hope she knows that."

"She does."

The couple turned around in mild curiosity to see who the new addition
to their conversation was. There, standing in the doorway with one
hand gripped lightly to the frame, was a young girl of average height
with flaming crimson red hair and captivating sky blue eyes. Aware
that she had given her presence away, she cautiously but with ease,
left the entryway and walked inside. She stopped right next to them,
yet her eyes never wavered from the woman in the other room.

"She knows," she continued. "She understands, but it's just hard for
her to accept some things right now. She just needs... time..."

Duo observed the girl carefully and with much reverence. It always
amazed him at how eloquently and articulately she spoke. She was
always so poised and proper that it was hard to believe that she was
still so young. But what astounded him the most about her was that
even at the mere age of twelve, it seemed that she already had the
knowledge and sagacity of someone much older. And yet, despite all
that, she was still a child.

`Still a child...' he thought, listening to her words advertently, as
she continued her thoughts.

"...time to think things over and to realize that she shouldn't be
wasting it on pondering over such frivolous things. But she'll be
fine. She can brave it out. And even if she can't, she knows she has
us to give her that extra amount of support to get through it." Even
though she had finished speaking, her gaze remained fixed on the other
woman. She hadn't yet turned to look at the couple.

"Do you really think so Mariemaia?" Hilde asked.

"Yes." She finally turned to look at them, meeting Hilde's
straightforward gaze. Slowly, the sides of her mouth curved upward,
casting a smile that was neither fake nor faulty, but genuine and
reassuring. "Yes, I do." Hilde returned the smile, the two sharing a
secret understanding. "Oh, by the way, I'm sorry," she added coyly. "I
didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation. That was very rude of
me."

"That's all right Mariemaia," Hilde said, reaching over to grasp the
girl's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You're such a passionate
person. It's good to know that you care so much about others."

"Yeah," Duo added with a crooked smile. "You're quite the gal."

"Thanks."

"And everything you said was quite true," he continued. "I totally
agree with you, *even though* I said the exact same thing to Hilde
right before you came in... I suppose it takes a little more time for
her to be able to process something like that."

"And just what are you trying to imply, Duo?" She turned to look at
him, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Oh nothing, nothing at all."

"Really? Well if you'd *process* some coherent thoughts once in a
while, I'd be able to understand you better," she refuted icily. At
this remark his eyes narrowed as well, locking themselves with hers in
a muted conflict.

"What are you getting at Hilde?" he asked with more than a hint of
sharpness in his voice.

"You and your smart ass remarks, that's what I'm getting at!" she
yelled. "Oh, but wait, it could just be some female thing!!"

"What?!"

"You heard me! You can be so inept to these things sometimes, Duo, and
you don't even realize it!"

"Oh, is that so??!"

The two continued to throw insults back and forth while Mariemaia
stood by and watched, a chafing expression on her face.

"Why am I not surprised this is happening?" She shook her head sadly
and turned to look at the door, where a growing number of people had
begun to converge. Because of their frequent fighting, some of their
coworkers were now placing wages on who would win the verbal sparring
matches.

"Ten bucks says Hilde'll eventually beat the shit out of him," a young
man said, whipping out a ten dollar bill.

"Twenty bucks says she will right now!"

As this was going on, Trowa happened to be walking through that part
of HQ. Noticing the growing number of preventers flocking toward and
barricading Hilde's office door, he had no doubts about what was going
on.

"Not again," he mumbled, shaking his head. "And I thought we'd get at
least a week's worth of peace and quiet around here." At Preventer HQ,
their fights were considered a cataclysm, literally a catastrophe,
that ended up disastrous at times. "Who needs pro-wrestling when we
got those two?"

When he arrived at the scene, he discreetly stood in the back of the
audience, but was still able to hear the sounds of shouting clearly
through the open door. The young preventers were oblivious to the fact
that their commanding officer was standing right behind them, also
observing this incident. But when they heard the sound of someone
clearing their throat, they all turned in curiosity. They froze and
stood rooted to the ground at the sight of the stoic pilot, fear
emanating all around them. He gave them all a hard look and as quickly
as they came, they filed away from the door, scattering back to their
respective places.

"Still got it," he said to himself, a faint smile creasing his lips.
But the smile soon vanished and he winced visibly as the shouting
became more deafening. He then walked through the door and closed it
softly. Still going undetected by all three occupants, he made his way
toward Mariemaia. "At it again?" he asked as he came up beside her and
placed a hand on her shoulder. He moved so silently that she jumped at
his touch.

"Uh... yeah," she replied, steadying her voice. "When aren't they at
it."

"That's a rhetorical question, right?" She turned to look at him, a
wry smile on her face.

"You know," she began, "one minute they're a lovestruck couple,
like... Romeo and Juliet, and the next they're at each other's
throats, just like-"

"Sally and Wufei?"

"Very funny Trowa," she drolled. "You know, you have quite a
compelling sense of humor." He offered her a smile in return. Time
seemed to stand still as they watched the couple continue their
bantering. "Don't you think... we should do something?"

"Have you ever tried to break up a fight between those two?"

"Nevermind," she sighed. Suddenly, the door on the other side of the
room opened and in stepped the woman from the adjoining office. The
two spectators turned, and to their surprise, saw Sally enter the
room.

"Sally?"

"What's going on in here?" She then saw the source of the noise and
sighed heavily. "Forget I even asked." The trio looked on at the
embittered battle, hoping and praying that the end was drawing near.
"Oh my god," she said gesturing at the two. "They're even worse than
me and Wufei."

"Got that right," Mariemaia muttered under her breath.

Finally, after five heated minutes of non-stop squabbling, Hilde ended
it by storming out her own office.

"You're impossible, do you know that Duo Maxwell??!!" she hollered.
She piled all her work and her laptop into her briefcase and shut it.
She then stomped to the door and jerked it open. "I'm going to look
for Quatre. I'm sure he's a more reasonable person to work with!! At
least I can understand what the hell he tries to tell me!!" And with
that she stormed out, but not without slamming the door shut in the
process.

"Fine! Go find Quatre! See if I care!!!" he yelled, long after she had
gone. He then turned and noticed the three of them staring at him
awkwardly. "What??!!"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down god of death," Sally stated firmly, holding out
her hands. "Just relax... breathe..." She walked over to him and began
stroking his back in calming circles, lulling him in a motherly
manner. She could feel his muscles begin to relax and his anger slowly
dissipate. "Better?"

"Yeah," he replied calmly. "Thanks Sally."

"No problem."

"I guess I was kinda crazy there for a minute," he asked,
absentmindedly scratching the back of this head, "wasn't I?"

"No, of course not," Trowa said offhandedly. "Crazy? You? Never."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Trowa," he bit out.

"Ouch, such biting sarcasm Maxwell."

"Watch it Trowa, I'm not in the mood," he growled.

"Then I guess you should have thought about that before you opened
your big mouth," he countered lightly, crossing his arms. "But I see
you didn't, and now you've dug yourself a wonderful hole and have
graciously thrown yourself into it." Duo clenched his fists, trying to
fight the impulse to knock out his emerald-eyed friend. His eyes
narrowed into mere slits and his breathing became heavier. He could
feel his anger boiling again, threatening to spill over at any given
moment.

"It'd be in your best interest to shut it Trowa because I'm fighting
the urge right now to reintroduce you to my fist." The taller man just
smirked.

"Is that so? I'd like to see you try."

"Why I outta-" Duo advanced toward him, but was abruptly stopped by a
hand to his chest, pushing him back firmly. Sally had finally
intervened and stepped in-between the two men, stopping them before
their anger reached its peak.

"That's enough you two." She stood as a barrier between them, not
yielding to either man. She knew it was much harder to kindle Trowa's
anger, but Duo was a whole other story. He was like a firecracker; if
you set him off in any way there was no turning back. All you could do
was sit back and watch the chaos unfold, waiting till it's all over
and the smokes cleared to clean up the mess.

Duo snorted and looked away. "Well, he started it."

Trowa had seen the flicker of rage, spark in his blue eyes, and
smiled. This was the exact response he had predicted. He knew pushing
Duo over the edge wasn't a wise thing to do, but it was better than
watching him bottle it up and then letting it explode all at once on
someone or something else. Sally caught the smile and immediately
frowned.

"And you should know better than to get him all riled up after he's
gotten into a fight with Hilde," she admonished gently. Trowa moved
his gaze onto the woman.

"You're right," he replied evenly. "I'm sorry Duo."

He raised his chin up, asserting his pride. "Apology accepted."

"All right, that's better," she sighed, feeling the tension finally
lift. Duo sighed deeply, running his hand through his bangs.

"I'm sorry too Trowa. I guess my anger got the best of me again." The
other man nodded in assent. "Man, what's gotten into me today," he
mumbled, rubbing his hand down his face and holding it at the base of
his neck. "I gotta get outta here," he decided finally and turned to
leave. "I'll see you guys later."

"Hold it mister." Duo stopped and turned to see Sally standing with
her hands propped on her hips, giving him a menacing look. "You're not
going anywhere."

"And why not?" he asked sharply.

"Because I know exactly where you're going and I'm not going to let
you go off and drown your frustrations and self-pity at some bar
again."

Duo's eyes widened slightly. "How did you-"

"Because that's where we found you last time, drunk off your ass, and
in the process of beating the shit out of someone," Trowa interjected.
"Or have you forgotten that?"

Duo sighed dramatically. "Can't you just let a guy drown his sorrows
in his own way?"

"Of course, but you have to find something else to drown in. NO
ALCOHOL. Got that?" Duo knew that Sally was not one to be dealt with
lightly, so he shoved his hands in his pockets and gave in.

"Fine..." he muttered. "But now what am I gonna do?"

Mariemaia had been silent throughout the entire episode, but thought
that now would be the perfect time to speak up.

"Why not indulge yourself in some rocky road and hot fudge with
sprinkles." Duo's ears instantly perked up at her suggestion.

"What, you mean ice cream?" he asked, his mood already lightening.

"Sure, why not? It's obviously the better substitute for alcohol. And
it'll probably cool you down and put you in the right frame of mind
when apologizing to Hilde."

"I suppose you're right... and it's not a bad idea either... the whole
apologizing to Hilde part," he added sheepishly.

"No it isn't Duo."

"All right then," he said, rubbing his hands together. "Ice cream it
is. What d'ya say Trowa?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Nope." He turned toward the other preventer. "How about you Sally?"

"No, it's okay. I have some work to catch up on anyway," she replied,
heading toward the door. "Maybe next time."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." She opened her office door. "Have fun you guys, oh
and Duo, don't forget to apologize to Hilde."

"Don't worry, that's at the very top of my `things to do after I get
ice cream' list." She smiled at him and entered her office, closing
the door gently behind her. "All right then," he announced. "Are we
all ready to go?"

"Yeah," Mariemaia replied, reaching out to grab his hand. "Let's go."

"Can I ask what all that was about?" Trowa asked as they were leaving.

"What? You mean with Hilde?"

"Yeah." Duo let out a deep sigh before responding.

"Honestly Trowa, I don't even know. Hilde and I always end up arguing
about something or another. Maybe I should just give in all together.
That'll at least make her happy."

"Giving up already? Duo, you're a disgrace to the entire male
population."

"Well, how about we have the entire male race get their asses kicked
by Hilde, then we'll see who's a disgrace."

"I see your point." The three stopped to wait for the elevator to take
them down to the parking garage.

"Well I agree that it's better for Duo to be more compliant toward
what Hilde wants," Mariemaia stated matter-of-factly. "The both of you
are way too hot-headed. One of you has to give in one way or another."

"Is that so?" A wicked smile crossed his features.

"Ye-" But before Mariemaia could reply, Duo launched a full out tickle
attack on the unsuspecting girl. Laughter quickly filled the entire
floor as all the occupants turned to see who was making all that
noise. Trowa looked on with mild amusement etched on his face as he
watched the little redhead desperately try to wrench free of the other
man's grasp. Finally, she reached over and latched on to his braid and
gave it a solid yank.

"Ow! Hey, no fair!"

"Keep this up and I'm yanking again... braid boy," the little girl
smirked. The two stared at each other for a second, neither one giving
in to the other.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you you're supposed to listen to people
bigger than you?"

"Hasn't anyone ever told you never to underestimate someone smaller
than you?"

"She's got you there Duo," Trowa quipped.

Eventually, Duo relented, allowing the girl to get the upperhand this
time.

"Victory is mine," she said, smiling triumphantly.

"You may have won the battle kid, but you have yet to win the war."

Finally, the elevator reached their floor, and the doors slid open,
allowing them to enter the enclosed space.

"Ice cream, here we come!" Duo exclaimed loud enough for anyone in a
10 mile radius to hear. Trowa reached up and pinched the bridge of his
nose, as if he felt a headache coming on. Mariemaia used her free hand
to cover her eyes as she shook her head, the other remained clutched
in Duo's tender grip as the elevator doors closed on them.

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As the doors to the elevator closed on the trio, the one next to it
opened, allowing another set of occupants to emerge. A young man with
unruly dark brown hair and deep prussian blue eyes walked alongside
two young women, all three clad in their respective preventer
uniforms.

"Admit it Heero, we did a good job," the woman on his right stated as
they stepped off the elevator.

"Hn..."

"Was that a `yes of course I agree with you' grunt or was it a `maybe,
we'll talk about it later' grunt? I can never seem to tell the
difference." She hoped to provoke some reaction from him, but all he
did was glance down at her momentarily and then turned back to look
straight ahead again. The young woman on his left, however, giggled
softly. The other woman frowned slightly at the lack of response she
was getting. "Midii," she sighed. "Can you please tell him that I'm
right?"

"I'll have to agree with Dorothy, Heero. It was a job well done," she
remarked as they followed him into the break room.

"The two of you did get the job done," he finally answered. He reached
over to grab a few mugs and then headed over to the coffee pot with
the two of them following closely behind. "But getting it done
well..." He paused for a second, a disappointed look crossing his
features when he realized the pot was completely empty. "...I'll have
to disagree on that."

"And why's that Heero?" Dorothy asked, crossing her arms, watching as
he proceeded to make more coffee. "We got the information that was
needed, detained the undesirables, and were able to keep our
identities hidden. We did everything we were asked to do, so what's
all the fuss about?"

"First off, the two of you stayed in there much longer than
necessary..." He poured the grounded coffee beans into the coffee
maker and shut the lid. "...you were lucky you came out of there only
with a few scratches and bruises. The two of you could have gotten
seriously injured or worse."

"Aw... we didn't know that you cared so much about us, Heero," Midii
drawled.

"Don't push it."

"Come on Heero, we're not made of lace you know," Dorothy replied,
leaning against the counter. "We are perfectly capable of taking care
of ourselves."

"Well, maybe you should keep that in mind the next time you two decide
to blow up an entire storage facility." He turned the coffee maker on,
his voice remained unchanged.

"Oh... so that's what this is all about..."

"But it wasn't an entire facility Heero," Midii retorted. "It was
about... half."

"And, no one was killed," Dorothy quickly added.

"There were a significant amount of people injured," he pointed out.

"Treatable. Not life threatening."

"And they were all workers. No civilians were harmed in the explosion.
We made sure of that." As he listened, he stood and calmly watched the
consecutive drops of darkened liquid drip into the pot. The rich aroma
quickly filled the room, touching every corner and crevice, the sweet,
dulcet scent rejuvenating the three preventers.

"But I'm sure Trowa and Quatre would think differently..." He turned
to face the two women, a dangerous smirk formed on his lips.
"...wouldn't you agree?" Dorothy's eyes went wide.

"You wouldn't?"

"Would I?"

"I can't believe it, blackmailed." She threw her arms up in
frustration. "Can you believe this Midii?"

"Well, what do you expect from someone who spends most of his free
time with Duo Maxwell?"

"I do not," he replied defensively. The two laughed at the sudden
defiant expression on his face. He shook his head lightly and
muttered, "women..."

"What was that Heero?"

"Nothing," he sighed, grabbing the pot and pouring each of them a full
cup of coffee.

"Thanks," they both replied.

"Hm... it smells so good," Midii said just before she took a sip of
the steaming liquid. "French vanilla Heero?" She eyed him curiously,
but he merely shrugged.

"Sally got me hooked on the stuff." He took a sip as well as the two
women secretly smiled at each other over the brim of their mugs.
"Speaking of which," he continued, placing his cup down. "How is she?"

"She's... fine," Midii answered first. "Well at least that's what she
says."

"Hn..." He picked up his cup and stared at it for a second before
taking another sip. "And you believe her?"

"No, I don't. But then it does give me cause to worry about her."

"So you are worried about her." They both nodded in response.

"Of course we are," Dorothy added. "I mean, with the way she's been
acting lately, it's almost as if she thinks Wufei's-"

"Don't say it Dorothy," Midii warned.

"...dead."

"You just had to go and say it," she sighed. "Couldn't keep your mouth
shut, could you?"

"Well, it's the truth, isn't it?"

"I suppose... but still, you shouldn't say things like that."

"And why not?" she asked pointedly while pouring more sugar into her
cup. "It is the reason why she's been so miserable these past couple
of months, right? I say we haul his ass back here ASAP. That way,
she's happy, he's happy, therefore we're all happy."

"Did anyone ever mention how tactless you are in bringing up these
kinds of situations?" Midii asked caustically. Dorothy raised the cup
to her lips and took a sip, while her free hand offered her an
upturned finger in response. The crude gesture did nothing to faze the
other woman. She simply smiled. As the three resumed their
conversation, another individual stepped into the room. They turned at
the sound of approaching footsteps heading their way.

"Quatre..." Dorothy's face softened as he came up to them.

"Hi guys." He leaned in to give Dorothy a kiss and then reached over
to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"Why so beat Quatre?" Midii asked, noting the weary look on his face.

"You guys didn't hear about the fight?"

"What fight?" Quatre sighed heavily.

"The one between Duo and Hilde."

"Not again..." she replied, shaking her head.

"What was it about this time?" Dorothy asked.

"You know, I've been trying to calm Hilde down for the past twenty
minutes and I still haven't figured that out yet," he answered, taking
a sip out of his cup. "This is delicious. Who made it?"

"Heero did." Midii gestured her head toward the young man.

"French vanilla?"

"Don't ask," he responded crisply, exciting laughter between the women
again. "I don't see what the big deal is."

"It's all right Heero," Quatre replied, barely able to suppress a
smile himself. "All that matters is that it's good."

"So anyway Quatre," Midii began, turning her attention back toward
him. "How is our hot-headed vixen doing?"

"Better. She's actually sitting still now, instead of pacing around.
But she's still angry and I'm sure that if she sees Duo anytime soon,
nothing will stop her from killing him."

"Hm..." Heero said, placing his empty cup down. "Why don't the two of
you go with Quatre then. I'm sure he'll need all the help he can get."
He grabbed another cup and filled it, adding in memorized amounts of
sugar and cream. "I'll go get Sally myself." He then made his way
toward the door.

"Sure, get the easy job," Midii mumbled.

"Smart Yuy, real smart..." Dorothy called out to his retreating form.
Just as he reached the door, he stopped, but didn't make a move to
turn around.

"Oh, by the way... good job," he tossed over his shoulder and then
left the room. The two blondes stared at the spot where he once was,
looks of disbelief engraved on their faces, but soon melted into
smiles as they turned to regard one another.

*******************************

With a cup of French vanilla in his left hand, he made his way toward
Sally's office; the air around him, redolent of the rich coffee in his
possession. Upon arriving at her door he knocked on it lightly, but
loud enough for her to hear. "Come in" was the soft reply. He opened
the door, his eyes wandering to the young woman engrossed in her work,
not even noticing who had entered the room. He closed the door quietly
behind him and approached her desk, setting the cup down in front of
her.

"Two sugars and a spoonful of cream Sally?" She looked up at the sound
of his voice, and was nonetheless shocked to see him in her office,
and right in front of her for that matter. Their blue eyes met,
lightness and darkness interlocked, but the intensity of his caused
her to look down at the cup.

"I didn't... I mean... y-yes... I...," she stuttered. "... thank you
Heero."

"You're welcome." She picked up the cup and brought it to her lips,
savoring the sweet taste. "It's delicious, thank you." He nodded in
return. "So, what brings you here today?"

"Can't a person come over to say `hello'?"

"Of course, you know you always can Heero." He didn't reply, but she
watched as he moved from his position at the front of her desk, to the
windows behind it. He leaned against the large window, shifting his
weight to a more adequate position, while his eyes trained themselves
on the city's landscape. Sally sat there, immersed in her delicious
beverage and enjoying this moment of consoling, surreal silence. She
always felt flooded with a sense of pleasurable comfort when she was
around him, even when words weren't exchanged. But when they did talk,
they shared their peeves and passions, listening to the other's
thoughts and reveling in each other's company. She respected the calm,
stability of his emotions that everyone always mistook for
indifference, and saw it as his greatest attribute.

"Relena said that she wanted to be a spring bride," he confided
suddenly, jolting her out of her thoughts. "She said the weather here
is perfect during that time of the year." He turned and looked at her,
waiting patiently for her response; his countenance matching the
sedated sound of his voice. But she didn't know what to say. She was
taken aback by his words and for once, was rendered speechless.

"Heero... did you just say... `bride'?" she asked hesitantly, finally
regaining her voice. He nodded back. Then it hit her. She finally
registered what he was trying to tell her. "Does that mean you... and
she said..." He nodded again. `Oh my god,' she thought to herself.
`That means... they're...' She couldn't contain her emotions any
longer. She sprung off her seat and rushed toward Heero, wrapping her
arms around him in a tender embrace. He stiffened at the suddenness of
her touch, but soon relaxed, slowly bringing his arms around the young
woman who now stood just a little above his shoulder. "Heero, I'm so
happy for you! Congratulations!" She released the young man and
noticed the contented look on his face.

"I wanted you to be the first to know," he said. "Because I never got
the chance to thank you." He paused for a moment and this time he was
the one that hugged her. "Thank you Sally... for everything."

Surprised for the third time that day, she stood in his arms,
stupefied at what was going on. She never thought he would display his
emotions so openly to her, or to anyone else.

"Um... you're welcome Heero," she said after he pulled away. "But I
didn't do anything. I mean, I wasn't the one that proposed... it was
all you..."

"You've done more than you realize," was his answer. He turned again
to gaze out the window, his own reflection staring back into his eyes.
"It's a... nice day today... wouldn't you say?"

"I wouldn't know." She moved back toward her desk and collapsed in her
seat. "All I've been doing up until now, is work, so I haven't had
much time to enjoy today." She piled her papers together neatly and
slipped them into a manila folder. She then placed her attention on
her computer and began working again. For a while, all that could be
heard was the click-clicking sounds of her fingers hitting the
keyboard in perfect sync. Heero took this as an opportunity to move
again toward her desk, until he was standing next to her. Her fingers
froze when she felt his body close in on hers. She turned to see him
hovering over her a bit, like a protective shield. "Heero, what's the
matter?" He didn't answer but stared at her with an unusual intensity
that agitated her slightly.

"You know... he's probably just as miserable as you are."

"What? Heero, what are you talking about?" Her eyes widened in
confusion. She didn't know where this was coming from. "And who said I
was miserable?? I'm f-" She stopped, cutting herself short at the
knowing look in his eyes that told her otherwise. She sighed, slumping
heavily into her chair. "Heero, I know what you're thinking, but I'm
fine, really... I am."

"Are you really?"

She felt a lump settle in her throat that prevented her from answering
his question, but was that the real reason why she was hesitating? She
was sure... wasn't she? She fought back the sharp sting of loneliness
that she suddenly felt and couldn't help but question herself first
before responding to his inquiry. `Am I... fine?' she thought.

"Yes..." she said softly. "Yes I am." Their gazes locked again and he
searched her eyes for something more, but found nothing. He sensed
that maybe her words were finally true, and not just a cover-up for
pain.

"All right, I believe you Sally." He didn't want to push the issue any
further; he wanted to leave it as it was for the time being, so as not
to make her feel any worse than she already did.

"Thank you Heero." He graced her with a small smile.

"Sally, there was actually another reason why I came to see you." He
straightened himself up. "Lady Une wants to see us about a job she
needs us to do. She's expecting us for a quick briefing."

"Right now?" He nodded in affirmation. "Okay, just let me get my
coat." She saved her work and then shut off her computer. Getting up,
she walked to the other side of the room, hastily grabbing her coat,
and briefly checking herself in the mirror.

"You look fine." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes.

"Gotta make sure I look presentable." After one last quick check, she
headed toward the door, mildly satisfied with her appearance. "All
right, let's go." He opened the door for her while she slipped her
coat on. "Oh yeah, by the way. Did you here about the fight today?"

"Don't tell me. I don't even want to know." She laughed lightly at his
response. The two left her office, the door closing behind them with a
soft click. The room held traces of their presence; her sweet perfume
and the smell of the rich coffee hung in the air, blending with it,
the quiet beauty of that summer afternoon breeze.

*******************************

Her office still contained the lingering trace of the people that had
previously occupied it, but now the scent was slowly fading away.
Twenty minutes had past and the room continued to lay undisturbed and
untouched. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door that broke through
the perpetual stillness. The sound echoed through the vacant room,
bouncing off the walls, and then finally settled down. The knock came
again. Still receiving no answer, the door finally creaked open slowly
and a pair of cerulean blue eyes peered into it, giving the room a
thorough lookover.

"Sally?" She pushed open the door further until she was able to walk
into the room. "Hm... guess she's not here." Just then, a gust of air
blew in from the open window, pulling at the loose strands of her
honey blonde hair. She reached up and smoothed them back, tucking away
the stray locks behind her ear. She made her way toward the desk, the
sound of her heels hitting the tiled floor, shattering the now
forgotten silence. "Well, I guess I'll just leave these here for her
then." She placed the folder down and searched around the desktop for
a pen and some paper. She quickly scribbled a note and clicked the pen
shut, but just as she was about to leave, a beeping sound went off
that stopped her in her tracks. She turned back, knowing it was the
vidphone on Sally's desk that was making the noise. She sat herself in
the chair and swiveled it to face the screen. "Might as well answer
it." Pressing a button to connect the call, she saw as the screen
flashed momentarily, then the image of a young man with jet black hair
and equally dark eyes came into her view.

"Wufei??" He stared back at her, the expression on his face
illustrating surprise as well.

"You're not Sally," he replied flatly.

"Really?" She leaned back in the chair and grinned at the young man.
"I could've told you that."

"I suppose so, Ms. Darlian," he replied, allowing himself a small
smile.

"Actually," she admitted slowly, bringing her left hand up to face the
screen. "It's going to be Mrs. Yuy pretty soon."

Another look of surprise flashed across his face, as he regarded the
tiny rock on her finger. "How soon?"

"I'd say about April, maybe May."

The young man nodded in understanding. "Well... I'm happy for the two
of you," he added softly, his words laced with something she couldn't
quite make out.

"Thank you Wufei. That means a lot to the both of us." As if sensing
the slight discomfort in his voice, she continued the conversation,
the words flowing from her with ease. "So how's L3 treating you? I
hope you're enjoying your stay there."

"It's decent."

"Really Wufei, is it that bad?"

"It isn't," he sighed. "I guess it's just too quiet here, even for me.
And don't tell Maxwell this, but I actually miss his incessant
chatter." Relena laughed wholeheartedly at his words, while he graced
her with one of his rare smiles.

"Well, if it is any consolation to you, I'm sure he misses you too,"
she replied. "Just as the rest of us do. It hasn't been the same here
without you..." She paused for a second, deciding whether or not to go
on. "...and I know one person in particular who has missed you dearly
Wufei." He cast his eyes downward.

"How is she?" he asked quietly.

"She's good, but she misses you." They stayed quiet for a while, both
of them lost in their own thoughts. "Look, Wufei I-" Relena began, but
interrupted herself when she heard the sounds of talking near the
doorway. He looked toward the screen when he heard the break in her
voice, and noticed she was looking away, focused on something else.
Relena turned to face the screen again, a pensive smile on her face.
"Sally's outside. She'll be in here any second so I'll leave you two
to talk." She touched the screen lightly. "Take care Wufei." He nodded
in reply.

Just as Sally walked into the room, Relena rose from her seat,
flattening her cream colored skirt against her thighs, and was met
with a startling gasp.

"Relena??"

"Hey Sally," she replied smoothly. "Sorry about coming in here without
your asking, but I wanted to give you some papers to look over." She
picked up the folder that she had brought in with her earlier and
walked toward the other woman. "This file contains the listings of the
exact dates, times and locations of the next several meetings of the
ESUN, including the ones with the colonial ambassadors..." She opened
the folder and pulled out a minidisk. "...and this disk contains
detailed descriptions and photos of the buildings and surrounding
areas. And there are some useful architectural sketches in there too."
She slipped the disk back in and handed the materials over to her. "I
hope they'll be beneficial and of some use to you." Sally stared at
the contents in her hands for a second before responding.

"Heero asked you to do this," she asked. "didn't he?"

"More like demanded," she replied, slightly annoyed. "He said, and I
quote, `we have to be sure we detect all factors of possible security
breaches'..." Sally laughed softly as she continued. "...and then when
I tried to argue with him he said, `it's for your own good, Relena'."

"Well he only does it because he loves you so much."

"Yes, I know, but sometimes he's obsessed to the point of killing all
spontaneity!" She sighed, but smiled nonetheless whenever her thoughts
came to him. "He wanted me to come hand it to you in person, but you
weren't here. I was going to leave it on your desk, but then your
phone rang, so I answered it."

Sally looked past her and glanced at the screen.

"Who was it?"

"Well, he's still on the line, if you want to talk to him."

"Him? Who is it Relena?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oh, he's a nice young gentleman, who's quite handsome if I do say so
myself," she answered loud enough so Wufei could here. "So don't keep
him waiting." She turned to grasp the doorknob. "I'll see you later."
She gave her a wink and then left the room, leaving Sally alone with
her thoughts.

`That girl is up to something,' she thought as she looked toward the
vidphone again. She eyed the device carefully, wondering who could
possibly be on the other end of the connection. `Might as well see who
this guy is.' She made her way toward her desk, tossing the folder
lightly on top of a growing pile. She sat down and turned to face the
screen, unprepared for what she was about to see.

"Wufei..." she breathed. She felt her heart stop instantly at the
sight of his face, his eyes. That dark, intense gaze of his that
always made her mind race and filled her body with so much thought and
longing. It had only been a week and a half since they last talked,
but it seemed so much longer to her now. She wanted desperately for
him to be near her, to touch and caress her in ways he only knew how.

Wufei closed his eyes briefly at the sound of her voice, feeling the
tenderness and ardent affection it harbored. He never grew tired of
the way she said his name when he touched her, held her, and made love
to her. And even though he could see her right now and hear her voice,
it wasn't the same. Because at that moment, he wanted nothing more
than to hold her with all the adoration and fervor he had.

"Wufei..." she repeated, as if trying to convince herself that it
really was him.

"Took you long enough woman."

She smiled roguishly at him. "Did I make you wait long?"

"I'm used to it by now," he replied casually, smiling as well. "And I
suppose it was worth the wait."

Her smile grew at his words. Wufei wasn't one to always give out
compliments, or express his inner most thoughts and feelings to just
anyone, but when he did, he did so with the utmost sincerity. He
cleared his throat though, aware at how open he was toward her just
now. He always felt it difficult to restrain himself from exposing his
fondness of her. She had a way of throwing him off balance, and it
caught him off guard most of the time. But he had to admit that he did
enjoy it.

"So," he continued. "How've you been?"

"I've been good, and you?"

"Same... you look a little tired though," he pointed out, noting the
restless look in her eyes. "Have you been busier lately?"

"I guess I've just been working a little more than usual, that's all."

He frowned slightly, taking in her exhausted form. "You shouldn't push
yourself so hard."

"Do I look that bad?" she asked, embarrassment washing over her
features.

"No, not at all. I just don't want you to overwork yourself."

"Oh... I see."

They both sat buried in a moment of gratifying quiescence until Sally
spoke up first.

"Wufei, I miss you," she stated simply and to the point. He looked up
at her suddenly, but wasn't the least bit surprised at the candidness
and honesty of her words. But even so, he didn't have the slightest
idea of how to respond. The things that he had planned on telling her,
were now a distant memory. The only thing he could manage was a stiff
nod in reply. And yet, there was so much more that he wanted to tell
her, so many more feelings to convey; how he felt about her, how me
missed her, and more importantly... how he... loved her. He knew that
he didn't tell her how much he cared for her often enough, more or
less say those three ineffable words. He never repeated them to her
after he had said them for the first time, but he knew it wouldn't
suffice for the many times she had said it to him. But he always had
relied on his actions to speak for themselves, and they tended to work
on most occasions. But he realized, as that braided fool had put it,
"sometimes a woman's just got to hear you say it."

`Then why can't I say it to her?' he thought angrily. Sally frowned
slightly at his response, but it was something she had expected. Wufei
had only told her that `he loved her' once, but even so, everytime she
felt the way that he looked at her, made the words seemingly
meaningless.

`But still,' she thought half-heartedly. `it wouldn't hurt a girl to
hear them a little more often.' Sometimes, she envied the way the
others, especially Duo, would reiterate those words constantly to the
ones they loved, and it did make her almost jealous of them. Almost.
But she knew that if Wufei ever decided to say it again, it would mean
so much more than just a simple `I love you'. It would encompass all
his love, integrity, ardor and pride into it, signifying all his
promises and undying devotion.

"Wufei," she sighed. "I meant what I said." She looked up at him and
their eyes met, but he still didn't make a move to say anything. She
sighed despondently and decided it was best to change the subject.
"So... how's L3? I hope you were able to help the Preventers there..."

"They're still some minor details to work out," he replied quickly.
"But they're coming along fairly adequately, being as they are a new
branch."

"Does... that mean... you'll be coming back to Earth soon?" she asked
hopefully.

Wufei's demeanor changed visibly upon hearing the question. His jaw
tightened and he found himself gripping the armrest on his chair
harder than he should have, turning his knuckles an unhealthy shade of
white.

"Actually, I was thinking about staying here a little longer," he
managed to grit out.

Her eyebrow's furrowed into a deep frown. "Why? I thought you just had
to help establish the foundation for them. I'm sure they're capable of
doing the rest themselves..."

"Sally," he interrupted quietly. "They offered me a job."

"What kind of job?"

He hesitated slightly before responding. "They... offered me to be in
command of all Preventer activity on this colony." She froze, and felt
her heart squeeze painfully in her chest. "They think that my presence
there will give the officers a sense of security because of my past
`experiences'. And they want someone who was there since the
beginning, someone they can trust..." He stopped at that point,
noticing the shadowed look of her eyes, which had lost it's natural
gleam and luster. "Sally..."

"What did you say?" she cut in, her voice strained.

"I, I haven't decided yet."

"But you're considering it," she added curtly.

He paused for a second, before answering. "Yes, I am."

She nodded slowly. "I see," she replied, swallowing hard, her lips
compressed into a thin line. "Well Wufei, you can't pass up an offer
like that, can you? You should... take advantage of their offer. Take
the job."

A look of confusion passed his eyes. "What, what are you talking
about?"

"I said take the damn job Wufei!!" she snapped.

"What the hell's wrong with you woman! I told you I haven't decided
anything yet!!"

"Well it's obvious that when you left here, you had no intention of
coming back, isn't that right Wufei?!" she yelled at him accusingly.

"That's not true Sally, I-"

"Is it?? Is it really Wufei?" she strained, her voice breaking. "You
were supposed to come back. If not for yourself, then at least for
me..." She could feel herself breaking down, her eyes brimming with
unshed tears, but the last thing she wanted was for Wufei to see her
cry, so she adverted her eyes away from his.

"What do you mean, I was `supposed' to woman. I have every right to do
as I please. This decision is mine and mine alone," he stated, his
voice resolute.

"Have you even considered what you'd be leaving behind. Everything
that you've worked so hard for, all the people that care about you,"
she replied, and then added more softly. "and especially the ones that
love you..."

"There is nothing there that is tying me down." Her eyes snapped back
toward his, and he saw the flash of pain and injury he had caused
emerge, and immediately regretted saying those words. "Wait, Sally-"

But she held up her hand, signaling for him to stop. "It's all right
Wufei. I understand now." She took in a shaky breath, willing herself
to keep control. "I always hoped that you'd give me some clue, some
indication that you cared for me more than you let on. I guess... I
was blind to see something that was so clear, something that was right
in front of me... And now, I've accepted it. I've accepted something
I've denied all along... you've never loved me Wufei, never have...
and never will."

"What!! What are you saying Sally??!"

"I'm telling you I'm finished, I've had enough... It's over Wufei...
it's over..." She didn't hold the tears back any longer; she let them
fall freely. She didn't care anymore.

"Sally... the job means nothing to me!"

She shook her head. "No, no, take it... it's a good opportunity. I
wouldn't want to hold you back on something like this."

"No wait! Sally-"

She smiled sadly at him. "Goodbye Wufei. I hope they treat you right
there... god knows you deserve it." And with that she pressed the
button and severed the connection between them, and everything else
they had once shared. She gently leaned her forehead against the cool
surface of the screen, where his face was just moments ago, and cried,
allowing the uncontrollable tears to trickle down; not caring how
`weak' or vulnerable she appeared, but just allowing herself to
finally release all her frustrations and anguish that she had kept
buried in her for so long.

******************************

"Damnit!" Wufei cursed loudly. He slammed his fist down on his desk,
causing the polished surface to shudder violently. He closed his eyes
and hung his head defeatedly, while bracing his hands against the desk
for support. He couldn't believe what just happened. And now, in the
aftermath, all he felt was unconditional pain. It hurt... bad. He
blinked. His vision blurred and he felt to two transparent drops of
fluid fall and moisten the top of his hand, causing him to clench his
fist even tighter.

"It... it wasn't supposed to be... this way..."

*******************************

Sally didn't know how long she remained like that, with her head
propped against the screen. She had long since finished crying, and
despite what had happened, she did feel a little better. Her eyes,
though, were puffy and red rimmed, and she knew that she looked as bad
as she felt. She fell back into her seat and buried her face into her
hands; flashbacks of their conversation were still fresh in her
memory, and it just made it hurt even more.

*...there is nothing... tying me down... tying me down...*

`I can't believe he said that,' she thought tiredly. `Well, what did
you expect from him?'

"Obviously nothing..." she murmured to herself.

A knock at the door jilted her out of her thoughts. She quickly sat
upright and began wiping her face, hoping to get rid of any sign that
she had been crying. She moved some papers around her desk, making it
seem as if she was busy working. In a second, she was composed;
pulling herself together and turning to face the door.

"Come in."

The door opened slightly, and in popped a pair of cobalt blue eyes,
and a smile that was grinning madly at her.

"Hey Sally."

"Duo..." she replied and then turned her attention to a open file in
her hands. "You're back early."

"Well, I didn't want to spoil my appetite for dinner, and I figured I
should get back here to you know... apologize to Hilde."

He noticed that she was avoiding his gaze and was curious to as of
why. He pushed the door open further and walked in. He made his way
toward her, with his right hand hidden conspicuously behind his back.

"Here," he said, and thrust a bouquet of irises in front of her. "I
know how you think roses are overrated, so I bought you these
instead." She was surprised, to say the least, but accepted the
flowers graciously.

"Duo..." she replied quietly. "But... why?"

"Well, the three of us figured you needed some cheering up. And there
was this nifty lookin' flower shop across the street from the ice
cream parlor so we decided to get you some." He paused for a second
before going on. "Um... do you... like them?"

"I don't know what to say..."

"How about, thank you?"

She turned to look at him and smiled gratefully, completely forgetting
her tear stained face at that moment. "Thank you Duo, I really
appreciate it."

Duo's smile immediately fell when he took in her appearance. He saw
her cheeks, that still held traces of the tears that had once been
there, and noted the pain that remained evident in her eyes. She had
been crying.

"Sally... what's wrong?" he asked, lowering himself until he was
crouching beside her. "Have you been crying?"

She looked away abruptly, berating herself mentally for giving it away
so quickly. "No, I'm fine Duo. Nothing's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong my ass," he replied sternly and turned her chair
around to face him. "Come on Sally, spill it. Or else, I'm gonna have
to toss you over my shoulder, drag you out of this room kicking and
screaming, and beat it out of you."

She chuckled softly, but there was no mirth behind it. "I'm fine,
really I am Duo. I was just... having a good cry."

"You're gonna make me work for this aren't you," he sighed. "I'm
warning you, don't tempt the god of death because I stand behind my
words. I'll get it out of you one way or another, even if I have to
pry it out."

"Is that a threat mister?"

"Nope, it's a sincere promise, so out with it. I know you don't cry
for no reason."

She frowned slightly. "Says who?"

"Says me," he replied, pointing at himself. "Now come on Sally, you
know you can tell me anything. I don't want you to hide anything from
me thinking that it's burdensome because it's not. Bottling up your
feelings and hiding it behind a smile isn't going to help you in any
way, but talking about it will. So tell me... I promise I won't tell
anyone, unless you want me to." He placed his hand gently over hers.
"Please..."

She looked into his imploring eyes that were silently pleading with
her, and sighed. She nodded her head in agreement; it was useless
arguing with someone as stubborn as him. She then began to recall to
him what had happened before. What she had said, what Wufei said, and
what she finally realized. And Duo listened, giving her his full,
unswerving attention. Not once did he interrupt or cut in. He just
listened and clasped her hands in his own, giving her support to go
on. When she finally finished, she leaned back in her seat and waited
for his response.

After listening to her story, Duo straightened himself and sat on the
edge of her desk. He propped his arms on it while letting everything
she told him sink in.

`Wufei, you sure outdid yourself this time,' he thought to himself.
`I'd like to see how you get outta this one.'

"Do you... think I did the right thing Duo?" Sally asked.

"You had every right to do what you did Sally. You deserve much more
than that, that's for sure." He ran his hand through his hair, pushing
away at his bangs. "I mean, just reflect on what you did. Would you
make the same decision as before, knowing the consequence? And
reflecting is not the same as regretting, mind you, because you should
never regret your actions; just live with them." She thought about
what he said for a moment with much consideration. If it were at all
possible, would she have done something different?

"I guess," he continued solemnly. "sometimes we concentrate too much
on the little things that we forget and miss out on what life's really
about. Sometimes we gotta make the exception, you know: live
exceptionally." He chuckled softly. "It's true when they say you
should `live life to the fullest and dance like no one's watching'.
Even as cliche as it sounds, it's all that we can really cling to in
life. It's how we should live..." He paused shortly, reflecting on his
own advice. "But anyway, if Wufei hasn't realized what he's losing,
then I'd say he's a complete idiot. If I had someone like you, then
the devil himself would personally have to drag me to hell in order to
separate us. That's all I gotta say."

She smiled lightly. "Flatterer."

"Hey, I only speak the truth, and that's not a lie," he replied,
grinning from ear to ear. "I'm just glad Wufei finally decided to tell
you. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to keep something like
that-"

"Wait a minute, you knew??" Duo sat stock still under her unwavering
stare. "Well?"

"Shit!" he replied, hitting the heel of his hand against his forehead.
He then did what he did best when caught in a situation like this one.
He rambled. "Look Sally, before you say anything, just listen okay?
Wufei called me two weeks ago and told me. Why he chose to call me out
of all people, I haven't the slightest idea. But anyway, I told him
off right then and there because I thought he was an idiot even
considering the job, and he got mad, saying `it was none of my
business'. Then I said `why the hell did you call me for then'. That
shut him up, but then he made me promise not to tell anyone,
especially you. So please don't be mad Sally, please?? I'm really,
really sorry for not telling you, but technically I didn't lie because
you never asked, right? So please don't be mad... please?"

Sally couldn't hold back the smile that threatened to show itself.
"Duo, you're such an idiot."

"Um... thanks?"

"It's all right. I'm not mad at you."

"Really?" he asked, slightly doubtful.

"Really, I'm not mad. It wouldn't have changed the outcome anyway."

"Whew, that's a relief," he stated, wiping his brow. "I mean, having
one woman mad at you is enough already. Having two is like...
suicide." She laughed at him again while he turned the subject back to
her. "So, you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. No sense in dwelling over it. What's done is
done." He saw the acknowledgement of truth pass like a ripple over her
face.

"That's true, but I'm sure Wufei'll come to his senses. He's a smart
man... most of the time," he replied with jest in his voice. "I just
don't want you to worry so much. It gives you wrinkles early in life."

"I'll be fine," she reassured him. "And thanks Duo, for listening to
me, and for just being there."

"Hey no problem sweetheart. I'm always here to lend an ear, shoulder,
leg, foot... whatever you need. Just know I'll always be there for
you; no matter what, till the end, and all the way. Got that? We'll
grow old, wrinkly, and saggy together, Ms. Po, and until the day comes
when our lives really do come to an end, that's when we'll say our
good-byes. Not a second before, or after. We'll get through life
together, through all the good times, and the shitty ones too."

Her smile broadened after his dramatic soliloquy. "Really?" she asked,
her voice searching his for reassurance.

"I pinkie swear," he answered and put out his fourth little finger for
her. She looked at it for a second before taking her own and
interlocking it with his, the two sharing an immortal promise. "All
right then, now that that's settle, we should get going." He hopped
off her desk and held out his hand for her. "Come on."

"Where are we going, if you don't mind my asking," she asked looking
at his hand uncertainly.

"Dinner. We're all going out to eat, and you're coming whether you
like it or not, and you're gonna enjoy it too damnit."

"Well, you twisted my arm. I guess I'm going then." She accepted his
hand and he pulled her up. She straightened herself up a bit and the
two walked out of her office and were promptly greeted by the others.

"There you guys are. I was wondering what was taking so long," Dorothy
stated impatiently.

"Hey, let's all be patient now. No sense in rushing things."

"Well I can see that you're taking your time. You haven't even
apologized to Hilde yet," Heero replied flatly.

"You haven't apologized yet Duo?" Sally asked.

Duo recoiled a bit in his defense. "Well, I was kinda... detained for
a while, and I was just giving Hilde some more time to cool off, but
I'm here now, so let's just get this over and done with." He was about
to walk off, but turned back when he realized he didn't have a clue to
where she was. "Um... anyone by chance, know where she is?"

Everyone sighed and rolled their eyes. "Second door on your right,"
Trowa supplied.

"Thanks man." He turned and tried to walk off again, but then another
realization hit him and he abruptly returned to the group and headed
for Mariemaia. He kneeled in front of the little redhead, meeting her
direct gaze.

"Mariemaia, please tell me that you have that bouquet that I handed to
you when we came back to HQ."

She smiled and produced the array from behind her back and handed it
to him. He took them from her possession gratefully and kissed her
forehead.

"You are the greatest." He stood up and looked at his friends. "Wish
me luck?"

"Good luck Duo," Quatre offered with a smile.

"Yeah, you'll need it. And don't go and get her more angry than she
already is," Midii warned.

"Maybe you should just keep your mouth shut, then you won't
accidentally slip up and piss her off again," Heero added. Relena hit
him lightly on the shoulder.

"Heero Yuy... you be nice," she scolded gently. He just smirked and
put his arm around her.

"Hurry up Duo, or else we'll never get to dinner," Sally prompted.

"All right, all right, I'm going." He once again headed for the room
and stopped at the door.

"May God be with you," Trowa called out to him. Midii jabbed him in
the ribs lightly.

"Trowa..." she warned. He reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it
a faint squeeze before letting go. A small gesture, but nonetheless
heartfelt.

Duo took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling. "If you can hear
me God, please let her forgive me just this once and I promise I'll be
good from now on." He inhaled deeply again and knocked on the door. He
heard a muffled `come in' and preceded to open the door. The others
watched as he walked in and listened carefully as they started to
talk.

"Well, at least they're not yelling..." Quatre commented. But then a
scream was heard that made him take back that last thought.

"Get out of here now!!!" was what they heard from outside. They all
shook their heads sadly and with much chagrin. This was going to be
another long night.

"Well, at least they didn't break anything," Trowa remarked.

*Crash*

*Bam*

The door flung open and a myriad of office supplies were being thrown
out rather harshly; each one hitting the wall across from the office
and leaving nice little dents.

"You know if he gets hit by one of those, that's gonna leave a nice
sizable mark," Dorothy stated rather amusingly.

"Maybe you guys should go help him," Relena suggested to her fiancee.

Heero turned toward her and saw the determined look she was giving
him. It was saying, `do it or else you're not getting any tonight'.
She wasn't asking him, she was telling him to do it. He sighed and
gestured for the other two men to follow him.

"Come on you two, let's go and help him before he gets himself
killed."

The group left behind watched as their `men', former gundam pilots,
who were once feared by so many, go and try to tackle against a
petite, purple-haired preventer. Sally let out a self-deprecating
sigh. This had turned out to be quite a day. But she wasn't thinking
about the situation at hand, but of what happened before. She still
had doubts about what she did and said to Wufei. It still hurt and
right now she was more confused than ever. She once that love was
supposed to be nothing but bliss, but now knew that it was also worry,
grief, hope, and trust.

*******************************

***A/N: Hopefully you've enjoyed the story so far. Sorry, I know it
was an extremely long chapter, but I had a lot to say. Just so you
know, this is going to be a deathfic, so for those of you who don't
like that kinda stuff, I'm sorry... my best friend thinks I'm cruel to
want to kill off one of the characters, but hey, it's just a story :)
So if you want to know what happens........keep reading and reviewing!
:)

****Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. plain and simple, so don't
sue me.