Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Stolen Memories ❯ Chapter 19 ( Chapter 19 )

Chapter Nineteen

Heero guided the others through the woods with an unerring sense of direction. Relena tried to ascertain how he navigated - was it by the stars, or was he so familiar with the region that he needed no aid even in darkness. However he did it, they were soon out of the forest and after walking in open country for another hour or so came to a village. At it's boundaries the group paused hidden from the road by a small grove of trees.

"Duo, you come with me." Heero decided "Sally and Wufei, stay here with Relena."

Sally nodded, and she and Wufei took off their backpacks. Relena looked at Heero, questioning.

"You can't be seen in public." Heero said, "We will be back as soon as we have a vehicle." He nodded at Duo and they both started jogging down the road into the town.

Relena watched them go, hugging herself. Now they had stopped walking she was beginning to feel the chill of the night air.

"Sit down Relena" Sally advised "They will probably be some time." Sally was sitting with her back to the tree, her eyes half closed. "Wufei will keep watch while we get some sleep." Wufei grunted but didn't object.

Relena sat down on the damp grass and drew her knees up to her chin, wrapping her arms around her legs. She peered up at the stars that were so familiar to her. Many times she had studied the stars in this kingdom trying to make sense of the issues she had encountered during the day. Never before had she gazed at them with such a desperate situation hanging over her.

"Worried about Millardo?" Sally asked quietly, not really wanting to disturb the other woman's musings.

"Yes, I suppose so." Relena sighed "It is my fault that he is in this mess, because he is my brother I mean. I see him so rarely and every time I do see him it is because of some crisis; the war, the Mariemaia affair, this. Perhaps once this is over he will stay here for a while."

"Perhaps." Sally agreed sociably.

"I think I am more worried about Noin." Relena frowned. "I know her better than Millardo. She was with me for such a long time before going with him to Mars. I think I really considered her a big sister, always there with good advice when I needed it. It sounds awful, but I missed her a lot more that I missed Millardo when they went away."

"I think that's only natural." Sally said "Millardo may be your brother, but you spent more time with Noin." Sally put a hand on Relena's shoulder. "Noin will be fine, she has always been able to take care of herself. We will get Millardo. Once we have got him back to his usual loving-brother self he will be able to help us locate Noin."

Relena nodded, her gaze returning to the stars.

A little later Wufei suddenly appeared crouching before the two women, his attention on the road. In the distance travelling fast towards them came twin headlights of a vehicle. Sally grabbed her backpack, swung it on her back and crouched beside Wufei. In her hand was her gun, and Wufei was equally prepared. Relena remained by the tree watching the headlights wind their way up the road.

The vehicle slowed as it approached the trees and then stopped. The window rolled down and Duo waved out the window.

"Need a lift?" He asked grinning.

Heero got out of the passenger door and walked quickly around to Relena. He helped her to her feet and then guided her into the back of a station wagon making her sit in the middle whilst he sat by the window. Sally and Wufei slung their bags in the back of the car, then Wufei got in the front seat whilst Sally sat by Relena.

Relena noticed before the interior light was turned off by the doors shutting that there were sweet wrappers on the floor by her feet. She looked at Heero.

"I am guessing you didn't rent this car." She said. Heero looked puzzled by her statement.

"There are no car hire firms, it was a small town." He said.

"So you stole a car from a family." Relena frowned. She twisted slightly to look in the boot. Half hidden by the backpacks were two booster seats and a baby seat. "Oh Heero, you took a car from a family with three children!"

"We needed a large vehicle. This was the only one that we could get without difficulty." Heero said.

"But they will report it stolen." Relena argued "Then so much for secrecy."

"The family was not at home. The lawn was overgrown. They had obviously been away for some time. They will not miss the car." Heero said calmly.

"Princess, we know what we are doing." Duo said laughing as he started driving down the road. "Leave it to the professionals. And anyway, what family wouldn't be honoured to have helped the Queen of the Sanq Kingdom."

They drove for an hour, maybe a little more, before arriving at the capital of the Sanq Kingdom. Duo drove carefully so as not to draw attention to themselves. Finally he pulled up the driveway of a small house and turned off the ignition. The house was dark, no lights were on either inside or out. Heero undid his seatbelt and turned to Relena.

"I know, I know. Stay here. Keep inconspicuous." she said crossly.

"This is our destination." Heero said. "Stay here until Wufei checks it is still secure." As he spoke Wufei got out of the vehicle and moved quickly to the house.

"So whose house is this?" Relena asked, "Are we borrowing it as well?"

Heero looked a little embarrassed.

"It is your house." He said. Relena looked startled and looked at it again.

"My house." Relena repeated. "My house? Heero, I think that I would remember buying a house. Wouldn't I?" she looked nervous "Please don't tell me I had instructions from the bot to buy up Sanq real estate."

"You didn't buy it. As such" Duo explained "After the war with Oz, we decided to make sure we had safe places to lay low in if we needed to. You just funded one in your kingdom so we could be close at hand if you needed us. Never stayed in this one before, I think we have only had it six months." He laughed "We change houses more often than most people change cars. That way people don't become suspicious of a house that is empty for a long time."

"Hold it right there Mr Maxwell!" Relena frowned. "My funds. You mean you embezzled money from my accounts."

"Princess, you have healthy bank accounts. You didn't even notice the purchase price of a house gradually disappear from them." He winked at her "You ought to think of it as financing private security, rather than relying on ESUN funded security. Which, it turns out, is crap. And anyway, I for one don't care who owns it so long as it has a comfy bed to sleep on." Duo yawned, then looked over his shoulder "It is furnished, isn't it Heero?"

Relena looked from Duo to Heero, and then to Sally. Sally shrugged as it to say it was nothing to do with her. "Gentlemen, once this is over we are going to have a very long discussion the wrongs of stealing." Relena said firmly. "And I am having my accounts thoroughly audited."

"You should get Heero to do that." suggested Duo grinning broadly, ignoring Heero's warning glare "He is a whiz at accounting."

Wufei tapped on Duos window with his gun making Duo jump.

"All clear" Wufei reported. He looked over his shoulder then took off his jacket and handed it to Relena. "Put that over you hair and keep your self covered. The neighbours are nosy."

Relena looked past him and saw some curtains pulled back slightly and curious faces peering out at their car. She sighed and put the coat over her head so that just her face was peaking out then slid out of the car into the frosty air. Wufei took her arm and lead her swiftly up the front steps to the house. He had already opened the front door and the hall light was on.

Inside, the decor was simple yet comfortable. The door opened to a "L" shaped hall. The immediate doors off the hall led to a living area and a dining area. Directly ahead was the kitchen. Around the corner were more doors, which were closed. Wufei led her into the living area and retrieved his coat from her. Duo had gone straight to the kitchen and started looking through cupboards.

"Any food here?" He asked, "I'm starving." Upon opening the fridge he let out a gasp "….empty…." he moaned.

"You will have to wait until the morning." Heero said calmly "There are dried rations in the cupboards if you are really hungry."

"Man, no one is EVER that hungry." Duo replied exiting the kitchen.

"Well, I suggest we sleep." said Sally "Are there beds in the rooms?" she asked Heero, who nodded affirmation.

"There is an airing cupboard in the hall, sleeping bags are in there. I am going take first watch. Wufei your second, Duo your third, Sally fourth." Heero intercepted Relena's expectant look. "You're not on watch Relena. Just get some sleep."

"Is there nothing I can do?" Relena asked irritated at being unable to help again. When she got no reply she shrugged. "Very well then. But I intend on having a shower first, unless you have any objections."

"Towels are in the same cupboard as the sleeping bags."

Heero had plugged in his laptop and didn't look up at her. She nodded anyway and went to the airing cupboard to get a sleeping bag and towel. She picked a room at random and on entering found it was a large room with a double bed draped with an empty duvet cover. There was a large built in wardrobe to one side, the doors of which were made from mirrors. There was no other furniture in the room. She looked at her self in the mirror, frowning at her crumpled clothes, tatty hair and dirty face. Relena retraced her steps to the bathroom and started running the shower.

She found in the vanity cupboard a bottle of cheap shampoo and conditioner. She opened the bottle and sniffed, grimaced at the nondescript smell. But she was so desperate to be clean she would have washed her hair with washing up liquid if she had to. After waiting a few minutes, Relena decided there was no hot water. She shrugged to herself, removed her dirty clothes and stood under the cold jet of water. By the time she had finished washing, she was convinced her lips would be blue. Her legs felt cold and shaking, and she thought that she would never get warm again.

Relena frowned at the pile of clothes on the floor. There was nothing for it but to put on her blouse and underwear again, that or sleep naked. She smiled at the thought as she dressed, imagining if they had to make a quick getaway how she would have to jump in the sleeping bag to the car like some strange caterpillar, or run naked. Now that would get Heero's attention. Relena finally finished dressing, wrapped the now damp towel around her waist. As she walked back to her room she ran her fingers through her hair trying to neaten it without the use of a comb.

Relena unrolled her sleeping bag on the bed and got into it still wearing her blouse and underwear. The bed smelt faintly of mustiness and damp. Her hair was wet and cold and she knew it would look a fright in the morning. Relena wriggled her nose as she tried to get comfortable thinking that she would never be able to sleep.

When Heero peered into the room five minutes later she was deeply asleep. He watched her gently breathe from the doorway, before closing the door and leaving her to her dreams.

The next morning was clear and bright. Relena woke up to sounds of Duo humming. She quickly put her skirt on, wrinkling her nose at its crumpled and dirty state. She drew the curtains to let the sunshine in, rolled up the sleeping bag and put it in the wardrobe then walked down the hall to locate the others.

Duo was in the kitchen making a pot of coffee.

"Morning Princess" he greeted her with a large smile "Sleep well?"

"Surprisingly yes" Relena replied smiling back. "Where is everyone?"

"Wufei and Sally have gone shopping for some fresh provisions. Heero is in the shower." He nodded down the hall. "Want some coffee?"

"Do you have tea?" Relena asked.

"Yuck, foul stuff." Duo shuddered. "Haven't seen any, but-" he stopped interrupted by the doorbell. Instantly he went into bodyguard mode. Duo grabbed Relena's arm and walked swiftly down the hall to the bathroom. "It is probably fine, but to be on the save side get in there." He ordered opening the door "Lock the door. Tell Heero to keep the shower going and don't come out until I say." Not waiting for a response he pushed Relena into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

The room was misty, sounds of water running indicated that the shower was on and in use. Relena locked the door and pressed her ear close to the wood trying to listen what was going on. Behind her the shower door opened and Relena looked over her shoulder at the noise. Gasping, she looked back at the door and closed her eyes.

"Don't look, don't look, don't look" she recited to herself, eyes closed tightly.

"What's happening?" Heero suddenly asked, his voice indicating that he was very close to her.

"Someone has come to the door. Duo said stay in here with the shower on." Relena explained, head still down, eyes closed.

"Come away from the door." Heero ordered and took her arm pulling her further into the steam, closer to the shower. He was now between her and the door. Relena cautiously opened her eyes and found herself looking at Heero's bare feet. Almost inexorably her gaze slowly rose travelling up his well-formed calves, to his muscular thighs to the brightly coloured towel that was wrapped around his waist. Relena almost felt herself sighing in relief and disappointment. Her gaze still slowly travelled up to his toned stomach, then his smooth tanned chest. Her heart did a little jump seeing his bare chest beaded with water droplets. She looked higher, past his shoulders square and strong, up to his face where she locked eyes with him.

Heero didn't seem uncomfortable with her scrutiny. His expression was serious, even though his wet hair was partially obscuring his intense blue eyes. Relena couldn't help herself. She reached up and smoothed the hair away from his face. He took hold of her hand and then bent his head down, his lips lightly grazing hers. Relena's own lips tingled at the light touch and she arched her head back unconsciously trying to make the contact between their mouths firmer. Her heart began to beat faster as she surrendered herself to the delights of being intimate with Heero.

******

Duo had opened the front door cautiously. A large woman stood there holding a plate balanced onto which appeared to be a large chocolate cake.

"Hello!" The woman beamed "My name is Margaret!"

Duo blinked and gazed at the cake.

"I'm your neighbour!" Margaret continued "I thought that I would pop over and introduce myself to you and welcome you to our neighbourhood. My goodness, this house has been empty for such a long time - we didn't think anyone was ever going to move in." Margaret paused smiling up at Duo, who seemed to stunned to reply. "….And you are?" Margaret prompted when she got no response.

"Duo" Duo said automatically. He looked over Margaret's shoulder in search of any enemy activity. Nothing. Just Margaret. And a cake. He looked at the cake. Margaret looked past Duo into the front hall of the house.

"Are you alone?" she asked, taking in the decor of the hall. "I saw you all arrive last night and got up early this morning to bake you a special welcome cake. I hope you like chocolate!"

Duo smiled. "I love chocolate" he reached for the cake, but somehow Margaret managed to shift position keeping it out of his reach.

"Is your wife here? You are married?" Margaret asked, "There seemed to be a number of you here last night, were they helping you move in?" She looked again around Duo. "Such a nice house, I always wanted to see what it was like inside." She hinted.

Duo grinned, a battle plan formed in his mind. "I would love to invite you in." he beamed and Margaret smiled back moving forward. The cake came within reach and Duo relieved her of it. "But I'm afraid my wife is in the shower at the moment. Perhaps later? Which house are you from?" Margaret looked automatically to the left, her hands still raised as if she hadn't realised the cake had been taken from her. "I'll pop over later and let you know when you can come." Duo said while moving back inside. "Thanks for the cake, bye now!" He closed the door.

Margaret looked down at her empty hands, then up at the door. "Bye!" she called weakly at the closed door and looking cross she made her way back to her house. "Bloody hippies. There goes the neighbourhood!" she murmured under her breath.

Inside Duo chuckled and he dipped his finger into the chocolate icing and licked it clean. As he walked past the bathroom towards the kitchen he called "All clear!"

Duo put the cake on the kitchen bench, and opened a drawer to find a knife. He cut into the cake and then repositioned the knife to cut a section out to eat. Pausing, he considered and then repositioned the knife to make the section larger. He hesitated, counted how many slices could be obtained from the remainder of the cake, then made the section larger still before cutting it away. Duo grinned as he pulled the piece away from the rest of the cake. "Yummy, raspberry jam centre." He thought, then licked the knife clean before throwing it into the sink.

Duo slowly ate the piece of cake, thinking that he would have to go over and tell Mrs Margaret what fantastic cakes she made, and could he have the recipe. Once he had finished he licked his lips, then turned towards the hall, listening to the noise of the shower still running. Relena had not yet emerged. Duo considered the situation for a moment, then walked back to the bathroom door. He knocked, then frowned as he heard a groan. Could "Margaret" have been a decoy, had the enemy gained access to the house whilst he was preoccupied with chocolate cake. He heard another moan of what sounded like pain from Relena. Quickly he pulled out his gun from his shoulder holster and flicked the safety off. He tried turning the doorknob, but the door was locked. Relena had followed his instructions. Duo shifted his weight onto his back leg, bringing his front leg up to kick the door in. As he was about to deal the blow to the door he heard distinctly:

"Uh…..Heero! ….. Please, I need…..I want you in me."

Duo froze. He blinked. He swallowed. He slowly bought his leg down, made his gun safe and reholstered it. He moved shakily back to the kitchen all the while thanking God that he hadn't broken the door down. If he had, he would have been one very dead Duo.

******

In the bathroom, Relena was limp and relaxed cradled against Heero's chest. He stroked her hair and kissed her temple.

"…Relena…." He looked into her eyes as she tipped her face up to look at him. "Are you ok?"

Relena smiled in a sleepy glow and nodded cuddling close to him. "I love you Heero" she murmured, needing to verbalise how she felt. She felt his arms tighten around her in response, but he didn't say anything. And Relena really didn't expect him to. One of the reasons why she loved him was because he was so reticent. The embrace she received and the kiss to her temple told her that he loved her. It was enough.