FLEETING DREAMS: A SECOND CHANCE

CHAPTER II

By ... Divine Selenity

2000, July 27

[REVISED 2001, February 10]

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Author’s Notes:

Thanks for all the enthusiastic responses that I received from all you readers. Waiiiiiiii!!!!!! You guys are soooooooooooo sweet which is why this chapter is out so soon. I've also reformatted the other two chapters. Sorry if it was making you guys dizzy. it should look more attractive now. Anyway, thanks for the responses. If I haven’t given you a personal response yet please wait up until next weekend coz I do answer. It’ll just take me awhile more.

As I said before, this is mainly about Heero and Relena, though other main characters from Gundam Wing – especially the Gundam pilots – make an appearance. Anyway, on with the story and enjoy.

Disclaimer: <sniff><sniff> Gundam Wing isn’t mine. <sniff some more> This story is mine though, so if I see anybody taking this without permission. <grrrrrrrr . . . Divine Selenity with the famous Heero Yuy death glare> . . . Anyway, enjoy !!!!!!

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‘Oh my God. It’s him. Natsushi Mizaki’s grandson . . . Heero Yuy.’

That was the only coherent thought that Relena could produce as she stared straight into the eyes of her past. Her lost dream. Heero Yuy.

God, he was still heart-stoppingly gorgeous.

He had always been gorgeous. Now, he appeared harder, older, tougher . . . emphasizing his virile masculinity. He topped six feet by several inches. His shoulders had broadened up to emphasize just how strong he was. And yes, he still had those piercing Prussian blue eyes that you can stare at forever and drown the depths of. His hair style was still the same – his untamed dark brown hair that her hands itched to smooth back.

Relena had already plastered a smile in her face, hoping to mask the nervousness and the fluttery feeling that she had always felt whenever she was around him. ‘For years I’ve struggled trying to forget him and that painful part of my past.’ She glanced at Trowa, ‘Now that I’ve finally got some semblance of success, he suddenly shows up out of the blue . . . Ooooppppssss . . . Correction,’ she thought. ‘I appeared out of no where and he conveniently happened to be there.’ A mental groan, ‘Oh God, I should’ve known that I’d never get away from his shadow, especially since he’s affected such a big part of my life.’ That thought brought along other memories to the surface of her mind, and she steeled herself against the barrage of memories both painful and sweet. She hated what he could still make her feel. She hated the fact that she could never forget him, try as hard as she might. ‘Well, now is not the time for memories, I have to prove that I’ve gotten over him.’

Unconsciously, she gripped Trowa’s hand tighter and tighter, probably cutting of his circulation, until he squeezed her hand right back, nudging her to the present.

‘What the hell just happened?’ was Trowa’s only thought as he looked at Relena from the corner of his eyes. ‘She just can’t be that nervous could she?’ Trowa glanced at her once more, her eyes showing fear . . . and hurt . . . unconceivable pain marring her normally joyful blue eyes. ‘No,’ he corrected. ‘There’s something more. She’s hiding something from me.’ At that thought he unconsciously drew her closer to the warmth of his body, trying to alleviate her fears.

Heero Yuy just stood there looking at each silent action they executed. The other man, he noticed, was very protective of her. They seemed very comfortable with each other, almost cozy. That stirred something in him, though he just ignored it. He continued studying her, re-familiarizing himself with the soft contours of her face.

Yes, she had changed.

For one thing, her strawberry blond hair was wrapped in a coil, not loose and wild as he had remembered it. Her eyes’ azure blue depths gleamed with fear, and something akin to hurt. ‘At what?’ he questioned. ‘At me? I should be the one who’s hurt – after all, she left, without one glance, without one word.’ Her slim body was accented by the slim-fitting dove-gray suit, the harsh business cut softened by the ivory chiffon blouse she wore. Though it was a very modest outfit, it did put emphasis on her womanly curves. And even though she had grown taller, she was still to put it bluntly, ‘short,’ he admitted.

But, that was only her physical appearance. She had grown up to something that he had always known she would. Even better than his expectations. To put it simply she was a goddess – and he held no doubt as to whom she had chosen as her god. ‘What I need to know though,’ he thought, ‘is whether or not she’s the same person deep inside?’ How, was the question. Before he could do or think about anything else though, Duo piped in.

"Hey, I brought in coffee and some of Mrs. C’s famous mouth-watering cookies. You haven’t lived yet until you’ve tasted them." Duo carried in both his hands a tray containing a pot of coffee and a basket full of freshly baked cookies, and set it on the mahogany table in front of Heero’s desk.

While Heero only calmly nodded at the other man, and mumbled what vaguely sounded like a ‘thank you,’ Relena just shakingly offered a smile. She had been startled by his sudden outburst. ‘I didn’t even realize that he’d left the room.’ She frowned. ‘God, I was so startled by seeing him again that I was oblivious to everything else.’ She looked at Duo Maxwell who had once again started talking.

"Heero," Duo stated looking at Heero, "I’d like you to meet Trowa Barton, Barton Corporation’s junior vice-president and Relena Darlian, Barton’s junior executive." With a gesture, he pointed to Heero, "Ms. Darlian, Mr. Barton, I’d like you to meet Mizaki Industries’ chief executive officer, Mr. Heero Yuy."

"What happened to Ms. Nicole de La Houge?" Heero questioned, pointedly looking at Relena.

Trowa nudged Relena. She took a deep breath. ‘Relena get yourself together.’ But, unfortunately, ‘I can’t . . . not right now. I need more time before seeing him again.’ Trowa discreetly nudged her once more, and she in turn looked at his concerned face. His eyes spoke volumes, ‘Hey, what’s wrong?’ was what they seemed to ask.

‘Poor Trowa. I bet he’s really confused with the way I’ve been acting. He knows something’s going on.’ She smiled at him. ‘Okay I can do this, if not for me, then for Trowa . . . after all Heero Yuy means nothing more to me.’

"Sorry to say, Mr. Yuy, but Nicole de La Houge will not be joining us today, after all. As of this moment, Mr. Barton and I will be taking care of your case." Relena mentally breathed out a sigh of relief. ‘At least I’m not stuttering like some blundering idiot.’ Leaning more closely to Trowa, she drew confidence from his unwavering form. Once more she drew in a deep breath and steadily met Heero Yuy’s piercing gaze . . . then she smiled, widely. "Mr. Jan Breydel Barton, Trowa’s father, has already explained everything to Mr. Natsushi Mizaki, therefore we assumed that you already knew what we were facing." It was an integral part of Relena’s job as a junior executive to initiate discussions and venture opinions.

Heero cut in before she could continue any further, "Before we settle down to business," he gestured to the seats in front of his desk, "why don’t the both of you take a seat?" He sat down himself. "And please, call me Heero. After all this could take awhile; All the Mr. and Ms. business will only take up precious time that could be used for discussing something more productive." Pointedly looking at the refreshments, "Why don’t you help yourselves to some coffee and cookies?"

As Trowa led Relena off to her seat, he answered, "Thank you." Relena just smiled as she went about preparing both hers and Trowa’s coffee. Once Trowa took his seat, Relena placed his coffee right in front of him. "Thanks Lena," he replied, as he began drinking it.

This touching scene did not go unnoticed. Sure it may have looked like a normal scene. However, it conveyed more than that to Heero’s observing eyes. They’d obviously been around each other for a long time, which was why Relena knew exactly how much sugar and cream to put in Trowa’s drink. Something this petty shouldn’t have annoyed Heero, but it did. ‘God, help me,’ he thought, ‘I need you to survive this whole ordeal.’

"Shall we begin?" Heero asked once Duo had come to stand behind him. The Barton Corporation representatives just nodded, as they awaited further instructions. Behind him, Duo’s happy face had reverted back to its business mode. "What’s the whole scenario?"

"First of all," Trowa started, "I must apologize for our late arrival. We were held up by other engagements." Heero just dismissed it with a shrug. "Second of all, to be blunt, we had a leak."

At this, neither Duo nor Heero even blinked, Heero just replied, "We’ve assumed as much. The only people with enough knowledge about this merger, in Mizaki Industries, are Duo, my grandfather Natsushi Mizaki, and myself. On the Barton Corporation side, only Jan Breydel Barton your father," he acknowledged Trowa, "and your operative, Nicole de La Houge." He sat back, his hands clasping each other, in contemplation. "I highly doubt that Duo, my grandfather, or I will try to sabotage this project. And I’m definitely sure," he pointedly looked at Trowa again, "that your father would not become a sell-out. He’s already successful and wealthy as it is. With all other major players left out, that leaves Nicole de La Houge. Unless there’s another player we’ve neglected to factor in?"

Relena answered this. "You’re absolutely right. Nicole de La Houge was the leak. Jan told Mr. Mizaki all about it last night, though I guess, Mr. Mizaki failed to tell you."

So far, Duo had been quiet. Not anymore, for from his place he murmured. "Yeah. I guess he’s having too much fun in the Caribbean, while we’re here rotting our brains out." And this, as can be very well expected, earned him one of Heero’s world-renowned death glares.

She couldn’t help it, she smiled. ‘I bet he’s one of Heero’s best friends,’ she thought. ‘It’s so like him to surround himself with,’ Relena mulled over finding a word to describe Duo Maxwell, ‘. . . unique, yet trustworthy people.’ She frowned when she realized the direction her thoughts were heading. ‘Heero again,’ she frustratingly thought. ‘I really am having a bad day.’

Relena must have been dwelling in her thoughts for far too long because when she finally returned to reality, there was only silence, with all the occupants of the room looking expectantly straight at her. And, for all the education she had received during the years she had spent attaining her Bachelor’s Degree for Business Administration and International Business, the only thing she could think of to say was " . . . err . . . . " Needless to say, she was clueless about what was going on around her. So, she did the only thing she could think of . . . she looked at Trowa . . . pleadingly, to be exact.

‘You are so lucky you’re my friend,’ was what Trowa was thinking of as his amused eyes encountered hers. ‘She has a Bachelor’s Degree for Business Administration and International Business, she finished suma cumlaude in her class, and she’s reached the junior executive status within five years in the Barton Corporation. All in all she’s a very accomplished woman,’ Trowa’s eyes twinkled laughingly, ‘yet she’s still prone to daydreaming. Only Relena.’ Then, he resumed what they had been discussing.

"We’ve only known about this situation for basically a day and a half. And from what we can see, you’ve got two options." Trowa looked at Heero and Duo. Heero merely quirked his eyebrow up questioningly.

With a glance, Trowa gave the spotlight to Relena. After all she did come up with the idea. so she continued on. "We could grab CHIPS as it is right now. As it stands right now, all the competition has gone to Forscue Incorporated since they think you want to buy it, which happens to be your original intent. However, we could make it seem that from the start CHIPS had always been your original goal. You’re going to buy it. Once you do, competition will leave Forscue Incorporated well enough alone. Stocks will be down to the barest minimum, and you’ll be able to buy it for a cinch. Two companies for a really low price."

From behind Heero, Duo commented, "Real nice." Then he asked, "What’s our other option?"

Relena was more than happy to answer. ‘At least I won’t be dealing with thinking about Heero every single minute. This is my turf and this is my only chance to prove that I’ve grown up,’ were the thoughts she used as her motivation. "Our other option will require us to engineer another fake-out, but . . . "

"It would be too risky," Duo finished for her.

She looked at him. "My sentiments exactly." She breathed in and continued on, "Competitors are more wary now. They’ve been alerted to a merger, and they’d want to prevent it if possible. After all, it threatens their business. Big business eats up little business is common knowledge. If we try to engineer another fake-out, they’ll be one step ahead of us in figuring out which company is really your target. Never use the same trick twice in a row."

All was quiet for the time-being. Relena just sipped her coffee, which, unfortunately for her, was now cold. "Yech," she grimaced, her face showing her extreme distaste for what she was drinking. Trowa filled up another cup. "Here you go," he said as he handed it to her.

"Thanks Trowa." She beamed up at him gratefully.

"Anytime," was his only answer as he watched Heero cautiously. ‘I’ve met my match,’ Trowa thought to himself. ‘I’ve always thought that I’ve had an excellent business mask – showing no emotions at all for fear of the rival reading your moves.’ He shook his head in contemplation, ‘Well . . . well . . . well, I guess I was wrong because this guy has clearly perfected the act of having a poker face. I absolutely cannot read what he plans to do next.’ Something akin to admiration made its way to Trowa’s face only to vanish within a mere second. Suddenly, he raised his head in complete attention as Heero rose from his chair.

"Well, based on what I’ve heard, if we want to make the best of the situation, our only option is to go ahead and make a bid for CHIPS." Relena smiled at this, and then just as suddenly her smile faded as he proceeded to talk, "However, we’ve already made a preliminary agreement with the owner of Forscue Incorporated. To do anything else but buy their company would be a breech in contract." Heero heaved a sigh. "So as much as I hate to say this, we’ll have to engineer another fake-out." Then, "Not unless there’s another option available." He looked at their black faces, "I didn’t think so," he said.

"Wait a minute. What exactly does the contract say?" All eyes turned to Relena.

"Hmmm?" was Heero’s reply as he indulgently looked at her, frowning in confusion at her outburst. He looked back at Duo, who seemed just as lost he was, but Duo answered nonetheless.

"There was a lot of mumbo-jumbo like all legal documents have, but there was less in here since it was just a preliminary agreement. If I remember it correctly, we had a time constraint. Forscue Industries' owner is giving us the deal, but it'll only be laid out on the table for six months. After that time period, we can't guarantee that we'll be able to buy Forscue Industries. The owner will sell to the highest bidder."

Heero nodded, and he jumped in, "The deal's been laid out for about four and a half months now. That only leaves us with a month and a half to work with. It's going to take too long to engineer another deal to best suit our interests."

Relena listened raptly as she took all these information in. "May we see this contract?"

Bewildered, Heero nonetheless went behind his desk to withdraw a folder from one of its drawers. He meticulously extracted a bunch of documents from within it and handed them to Relena. "Here you go. I would say that looking over it wouldn't do us any good. However, I'm relying on your company to guarantee us ownership of this Forscue Incorporated. So, look your fill."

Relena, so absorbed over the document only vaguely heard him. Trowa was looking over her shoulder. That is, before she jumped up in excitement and exclaimed, "That's it!" Then she looked around at the occupants staring at her weird outburst. "Ehh . . ." And once again, words failed to come to her mouth to justify her actions. She just offered a wobbly smile in turn before she looked to Trowa for help.

Trowa, who had allowed himself a small smile, replied, "She gets like this at times, especially when she comes across something very useful to her case."

"She found something that fast?" Duo incredulously asked. "But, it’s only been a minute!" he sputtered out, unable to keep his jaw from falling to the floor.

"Well, she is one of the best. I wager that she's better than my dad . . . that's saying a lot since you know my dad's excellent reputation," Trowa proudly answered.

"Wow," was the only articulate thing that came out from Duo's mouth as he looked at Relena's blushing face. ‘This is why I didn’t try to specialize in mergers,’ Duo groaned mentally. ‘Too damn competitive.’ Then he backtracked, ‘Well, so is business, especially from my top spot.’

Heero, somewhat angered by this touchy scene, calmly asked, "Well, what caught your interest?"

After being relieved of her embarrassment, Relena answered, "Well, everybody knows that contracts don't cover all loopholes."

"Right. They can't anticipate all problems that might arise. One can only hope that they have," Trowa put in.

"Well, it says here that your time constraint is six months. After that, there are no guarantees that you’ll be able to acquire the company without dishing out more money than you would originally." Relena had started pacing back and forth in front of the trio, her face buried within the document she was intently looking at. "However," she stopped directly in front of Heero, "nowhere does it say you can’t buy another company within that time constraint. As long as you buy their company within that time, you’re set."

"Are you sure?" Heero skeptically asked.

"I’m positive," she confidently replied. "They have the main contents buried in all these, as you said," and she looked at Duo at this, "legal mumbo-jumbo that one can get so confused that after reading these documents they wouldn’t even know what the original intent was." She paused for a deep breath as she addressed both Heero and Duo. "I will need a copy of these so that either Trowa or I can draw up another agreement for the purchase of CHIPS. So, shall we go ahead with this plan?" Trowa and Duo turned their inquiring heads to Heero, who after a long pause, during which he was probably deep in thought, nodded.

"Why not? It seems that every angle has already been considered." Turning to Duo, "Why don’t you make a copy of these documents for Trowa and Relena? Also, bring Trowa with you to Mrs. C and show him the rest of the papers relating to the Forscue Incorporated merger and if he says so, make copies of those. He might find something that will pertain to the CHIPS’ merger." Duo nodded as he started to lead the way. Trowa, after a moment’s hesitation, followed him out of the office. Relena, at first, wasn’t sure if she should go or not since she didn’t see anything else left to talk about. After a few seconds, she attempted to follow Trowa . . . attempted, being the key word, for before she could take a step Heero said, "Relena, there are some things I’d like to clear up with this proposition of yours."

That spelled her doom. Internally, she winced. ‘God, I hope he doesn’t talk about anything to do with the past.’ She nearly smacked herself. ‘Who am I kidding? This is Heero Yuy, nothing gets past his eyes.’ She inwardly prepared her mind for this emotional encounter, and just about gave it up immediately because she knew that no matter what, there would be some emotional repercussions later.

Heero just looked at Relena. ‘She looks like a deer caught in the headlights.’ Then he smiled grimly, ‘Good . . . because there are things that need to be settled, questions that need to be answered. And I’ll be damned if she tries to get away from me again.’ With that renewed determination, Heero stood up from his seat and made his way to the front of his desk, then just leaned against it, facing her with his arms folded . . . his gaze intent . . . and unwaveringly focused . . . on her.

For an endless moment, Relena stood frozen as her breath caught and time seemed to stand still. His very maleness seemed to linger about him, never far from the surface. Even now, as he gazed at her, there was something in his eyes that wouldn’t let her forget that he was a man, and she was a woman. And when his mouth was set in his default expression – wherein it was set in a tense and slightly grim line – well, then he positively smoldered with sexuality and intensity.

Wide set Prussian blue eyes, were far too knowledgeable for a woman’s peace of mind. As to his mouth . . its curve held a sensuality that hinted at great passion that could perhaps become almost cruel if he was so inclined.

As Relena slowly perched on the edge of one of the leather arm chairs positioned in the front of Heero’s rather lovely wooden desk, he continued lounging on the edge of his desk in that casual way of an American male, completely comfortable within his well-developed body. His strong back seemed better suited to a T-shirt and a pair of dusty blue jeans, although she did have to admit that his suit fit him exceedingly well. Exceptionally well.

He looked at her, which made her terribly uncomfortable, so she let her gaze wander through the whole office. She studied every corner, every crack and every floorboard. "This is all very comfortable," she commented, quickly scanning the room with its deep sofas and large armchairs, whose pale cream upholstery matched the off-white raw silk curtains surrounding the tall windows.

"Cut all the pleasantries Relena . . . what was it again? Oh yeah, Relena Darlian," Heero cut in sarcastically. Relena could only look at him dismayed. "So, why don’t we talk? I think we are seven years overdue for that. So, let’s talk." Heero continued to stare at her, "Why don’t we start with that name factor? When did you become a Darlian, especially since I clearly remembered you being a Peacecraft? And, as far as I remember the Darlians, who happen to be your godparents, don’t have any kids at all." Relena couldn’t do anything else but just avert her eyes from his knowing gaze. "Do they know you took on their name? Does your maman [in my story that’s Relena’s fond calling for her godmother] know?"

For some reason, Relena found her shoes, that were once just another part of her collection, fascinating . . . truly wonderful indeed. There was that nice, sleek, black look to them. The curves were very neatly carved out . . . and their –

‘Guilty. That’s what she looks like, guilty,’ Heero thought. "Relena! I know you love shoes and all, but do you think you could postpone the bonding moment until later?" Heero was obviously exasperated. "I want answers . . . and I want them now."

Still, Relena looked down, no longer at her shoes, but at the floor, which actually had a nice pattern on its carpeting. Upset beyond words, Heero strode in front of her, squatted down on his knees, and tilted her chin up, gently yet firmly. He looked at her eyes. "Look, we’ve all been searching for you for over six years. We’ve suspected that your maman knew your whereabouts since your rare letters always went to her first. All this time she knew where you where yet she didn’t tell me, nor any of us. Do you know how much your disappearance has affected your family and friends? Do you know how worried they were?" Softly, he continued, "Do you know how worried I was?" His eyes glimmered with something akin to concern and sincerity.

‘God,’ Relena thought. ‘Those beautiful eyes can still catch me in their trance.’ She felt unnerved and naked . . . emotionally. ‘But, I have to break the silence soon. Knowing him, he’s still as stubborn as a mule. He won’t stop until he gets answers . . . even if I don’t want to give them to him.’ When she was fairly certain that she got a hold of her emotions, she finally broke the silence. "I –"

"Hey Heero," Duo’s voice cheerfully rang out.

‘Dammit Duo, you have bad timing,’ Heero thought as he bolted upright and walked back behind his desk. ‘And when I actually got through to her.’ He looked at Relena once more. Gone was the glistening pools of azure blue eyes about to reveal the truth. Instead, in their place was a cold mask of secretiveness, more emphasized than before. Ruefully, Heero shook his head, and turned his attention back to the two who had just returned.

"So what’s the news?" Heero was feeling anything but calm at that moment, but he did have a business to run.

Duo was the one who answered. "Well, I’ve just shown Trowa here," he said while gesturing to the now sitting Trowa, "all the files involved with the Forscue merger. He didn’t seem to see anything that might affect our stand in this whole situation, but we made copies of them anyway."

Trowa who had been quiet even since they entered the room now spoke up. "I want Relena to take a look at these files. She has a keen eye about these stuff, as I said earlier. We’ll contact your office as soon as we get everything set-up. Expect the new contract in less than a week. That should be enough time for you to get everything organized for the CHIPS merger." Trowa stood up, "I think that’s all for today." He offered his hand to Relena and helped her up. "I guess we should be going," he continued, still holding her hand. Though she covered it well, Trowa had noticed how shaken up she looked. ‘Something happened,’ he thought worriedly. ‘Something that has her near a nervous breakdown.’ Then squeezing her hand, ‘I’ve got to get her out of here.’

He turned his attention back to Heero. "Thank you for a very pleasurable meeting. It was nice meeting such a famed man as yourself." Leaning over the desk, he offered his hand to Heero, shaking it once before saying, "My office should be in contact with you soon enough." Then, Trowa made a move to leave.

"Wait," was what stopped him. Trowa turned back to Heero who had walked up beside them.

"Why don’t I treat you out to dinner?" Heero generously offered. "I assume you haven’t had much to eat besides the awful plane food and Mrs. C’s snacks. And I hate to admit this, wonderful as Mrs. C’s snacks may be, it’s still just a temporary relief for your stomach. So shall we dine together?" Heero offered with, not a smile, but a pleasant face nonetheless.

Trowa was about to answer when an impertinent ringing caught his ears. His cell-phone. With a mumbled "Excuse me but I have to take this," he turned to Relena and said, "I’ll wait for you outside."

‘I swear Trowa, you keep leaving me at the most inappropriate times,’ Relena cursed in her head. ‘Well, might as well say my good-byes.’ She walked over to Duo, who had propped himself behind Heero’s desk, absorbed in what she assumed to be another case. "Mr. Duo Maxwell, it was a pleasure meeting you." She extended her hand in good will, as he took it . . . but instead of shaking her hand he took it and kissed it.

"Madam you wound me," he uttered in a dramatically exaggerated voice. Grinning he stood up and said, "Haven’t we established ourselves on a first-name basis already?" With that parting shot, he left the room, whistling all the way out of the door. That is, until he came back and winked at her good-naturedly which caused her to blush intensively.

Once Duo was outside, Heero asked, turning to her, "So, how about dinner? I can drive you home afterwards."

Relena was at loss for words. On one hand she wanted to say yes, just as a reminder of old times. On the other she wanted to say no, for fear of stirring up more painful memories. ‘I guess there’s only one thing to do.’ With that thought, she spoke, "Heero. It was a pleasant surprise seeing you again after all these years, but Trowa and I have a previous engagement to attend to. Plus, we still have a flight to catch. If we joined you for dinner we would be terribly late." Sincerely she added, "I’m really sorry."

"Hn," was the only thing that came out of Heero’s mouth. He was about to say something else, but he was interrupted by Duo, who had once again poked his head into Heero’s office.

"Hey Heero buddy, Hilde called." At the mention of that name, Relena visibly stiffened, which didn’t go unnoticed by Heero. His only response was to quirk up an eyebrow, confused.

"What did she want?"

Duo cheerfully replied, "Oh she just wanted me to keep an eye out for you, make sure that you didn’t tire yourself out and so on. She’s already fixed up dinner, and she wants you to call before you go there so that she can warm it up." With that said, Duo was about to leave, but he stopped himself before he did. "Oh yeah, she wanted me to tell you. In her own exact words, ‘You better be there tonight or else.’ Then she finished off with the usual mushy stuff. Do you want me to call her back for you?" he generously offered.

"No Duo," Heero sighed. "I think you’ve done enough." ‘More than enough,’ Heero thought as he forgot all about Duo’s retreating figure and looked back at the stiff posture of the woman next to him. ‘Relena . . . what are you thinking about?’ He didn’t have to wonder long after all.

With a grim, forced smile, Relena said, "Well, it looks like you also have a previous engagement to keep. It seems dinner just really wasn’t meant to be," she finished gratingly. ‘Just like anything romantically inclined between us was never meant to be,’ she sadly mourned.

"Relena . . . I - "

"Relena let’s go," came Trowa’s hurried call from behind Heero’s office. "We’re going to miss the plane."

"Relena wait I . . ." was the only thing Heero was able to say before she had smiled tightly at him and fled towards Trowa. ‘Why is it that every time I want to say something that can monumentally change my life, someone or something always has to interfere.’ Heero looked at the heavens accusingly and sighed. ‘Somebody up there is clearly not playing for my side.’ He sighed again, wistfully, as he walked to his one of immense windows and leaned his forehead against it and stared down waiting . . . for that familiar figure to emerge from the building onto the bustling streets of New York . . . and once more out of his life.

 

 

 

 

 

* * * * *

"Are you okay?" was the first thing that came out of Trowa’s mouth, once they left the confines of the elevator. Relena had been quiet throughout the whole ride down the building, silently clutching Trowa’s hand like a lifeline.

Nursing a fake – yet convincing enough – smile, she looked up at Trowa, as they continued to walk towards the building’s entrance. "Yeah, I’m just really tired. Coming from one part of the world to the other has really worn me out." She sighed tiredly, "I really can’t wait to jump into my sweat pants once I get home. Plain they might be compared to my office clothes, but they’re enough to make me happy for tonight." She smiled once more as she passed the lobby receptionist’s corner, where the receptionist was glaring daggers at her lithe form.

‘God,’ she thought, her shoulders unconsciously slumping down, ‘I don’t need this. I’m too tired to deal with that.’

"You sure you’re okay?" Trowa asked again, oblivious to the receptionist’s flirty smiles and seductive gestures, which only infuriated the receptionist more.

Relena shrugged off his concern as she walked through the door Trowa gallantly opened for her. "Yeah, sure I’m sure."

Though she made a good pretense of hiding it, Trowa knew her too well. But still, he said, "Okay if you say so." And he opened the door to their awaiting limousine, "So you want to wait till Monday to finish the contract up or do you want it done today?"

His chatter seemed to fall on deaf ears as Relena took one last look at the building behind her. More specifically, she took one last look at that window where she was sure he was standing, looking at her. ‘Good-bye,’ she uttered in her mind as she turned to Trowa and cheerily answered, "Whatever you want to do." With one last glance, she entered the limousine.

* * * * *

‘There she goes, Yuy," Heero thought to himself as he saw Relena walk out of the building. ‘She’s walking out of your life.’ He bowed his head as he touched the window’s glass. ‘Again, she’s walking out without answers.’

He had resisted every impulse he had of running down there and demanding some answers. It had never been his style to run after someone who clearly didn’t want to talk to him. He sighed once more as he gazed down at the pavement far below him and watched Relena about to enter the limousine. ‘She’s leaving and I won’t see her again,’ he solemnly thought.

‘Get real Yuy,’ he thought as he shook his head. ‘Her walking out again doesn’t bother you. It’s the fact that she’s leaving with the answers everyone’s been wanting to know. Why she left in the first place.’ He looked below again . . . and prepared to say good-bye. That is, until he saw her glance his way.

‘Well, no good-byes here yet.’ Determination overcame him as he clenched his fist. ‘I’m not ready to let you go without answers.’

* * * * *

As Heero gathered papers into his briefcase, preparing to leave the office early, his phone rang. It was through his private phone line. Heero thought, ‘It’s probably Hilde again reminding me to get my butt at her place in time. Well, no complaints here because I am starving.’ So answering the phone he said, "Hey Hilde."

Suffice to say he was startled when a masculine voice – that definitely did not belong Hilde – answered him. "Sorry Heero, but I’m not Hilde."

Heero smiled wryly. "I can see that Quatre."

"So how are things there in New York?" came his cheery voice.

"The usual. There in Brussels?" Heero inquired.

"Same as always. Your parents are very mad that you aren’t here for the wedding preparations. They say, and I quote, ‘His presence is very much needed here seeing as to the fact that it is his own wedding.’ Other than the mothers’ ranting, everything’s their normal selves."

"How have you been Quatre?" Heero was suspicious – very – of Quatre’s ramble. Sure he exchanged a few pleasantries, but when on the phone, Quatre was quick, precise, and very much to the point. ‘He’s been spending too much time with me,’ Heero thought in dismay.

"I’m doing good. Extremely well in fact," answered Quatre. Heero lifted his eyebrow at this. ‘Now, I’m very suspicious. He’s way too cheery even for himself.’

"Do tell," Heero asked.

Quatre took in a deep breath. "Well, for starters, business is doing great as usual. My sisters are their usual selves. I’m getting married and I want you to be one of my groomsmen. My parents are very happy with their retirement and they’re actually going to the Caribbean, planning to join your grandparents there."

Silence was all that greeted Quatre’s ears, forcing him to fumbled with his words as he continued. "Of course . . . you . . . and . . . Hilde. I meant that." Quatre drew in a steadying breath. "You will be partnered with Hilde of course."

Heero could only laugh . . . wholeheartedly. Of course, this astounded Quatre even more since it was rare for Heero to laugh like that, ever since . . . Anyway, it was rare for Heero to laugh like that. Sure he chuckled, smiled, and on those rare occasions, stressing ‘rare’ of course, made a joke himself. But, to laugh like this, especially at a time like this, was very spontaneous indeed. Quatre didn’t know whether he should be worried or not. And all he could utter was, "uhhhh . . . Heero?"

Heero laughed even more as he could just imagine Quatre loosening up his tie in nervousness. And again all Quatre could say was, "uhhhh . . . Heero?"

"Quatre," he said as his laughter came to a slow halt. "Did you even have to ask?" On a thought Heero asked, "So Dorothy finally relented huh?"

"Well . . ."

"Admit it Quatre, she’s got you wrapped around her little fingers."

"Well . . . yes. I must say, she sure is special." He allowed himself a chuckle. "For the past month I’ve been half out of my mind wondering whether or not I ask her and be rejected, or ask later and be rejected later."

"Quatre, you know that she’s crazy about you," Heero’s hushed reply came.

"Yeah, but being crazily in love with someone doesn’t mean that they’re ready to commit and settle down," Quatre retorted.

"Yeah . . . well," Heero was a little bit uneasy with all this talk of love and marriage. "So who’s your best man."

Quatre was only too happy to answer. "I doubt you know him, but he was one of my childhood friends. I rarely mention him with you and Wufei, but I know you’ll like him. His name is Trowa Barton. Actually, I still need to call him, but I bet that he’ll agree to be my best man." Quatre breathed a deep sigh. "Now all that’s left is to find Dorothy’s maid of honor. If Relena was here . . . ." he trailed off.

Stupefied. That’s what Heero was. ‘All this time she was under our noses. Seven years of searching and . . ." Stupefied he was no more, he was mad. No, he was beyond mad. Angry, enraged, frustrated, infuriated – name it. "Actually, I made Trowa Barton’s acquaintance today. And, wouldn’t you know it, he knows Relena." Heero could hear Quatre’s incredulous gasp, "To be exact, Relena works for him. They were rather intimate when I saw them today." Then following Quatre’s shocked ‘what?!’ Heero continued, "So if Dorothy’s still interested of Relena being her maid of honor, I’m sure Trowa would be able to arrange a meeting between them."

"Whoa wait!" was the only thing Quatre could think of saying. "You saw Relena?"

Heero smirked. "Actually, I had a long chat with her. Wouldn’t you now it, our little princess has moved up in the world. She is one of Barton Corporation’s prized employees. As I heard it, she’s their junior executive."

"No way, " he uttered unbelieving.

"Way." Heero suddenly turned serious for a moment. "Do me a favor. Tell Wufei to get an address for a Relena Darlian and have him call me as soon as he gets it."

"Wait, she goes under the name Relena Darlian? Whoa, her maman will have a fit once she finds out."

"Actually – she knows . . . and," Heero paused. "She’s probably been helping hide Relena from us all this time, at least from what I gathered earlier from Relena."

"She told you?" Quatre asked skeptically.

"Not in so many words, but Relena confirmed my suspicions."

"Heero . . . what’s going to happen between you and Hilde now?" he asked quietly.

"You know what’s going to happen," Heero answered gravely. Resolutely he said, "I’m still marrying Hilde." Continuing gravely he said, "Nothing’s going to change that. You know that."

"But –"

"Quatre, another favor. Don’t tell anyone else about Relena. It’s between you, me and Wufei." With that, Heero hung up the phone, ignoring Quatre’s protests of ‘Heero wait!’

He sighed and finished up packing all the documents he needed to bring to his New York apartment as he called Duo in.

"Hey Duo, Take care of things here. I’m on my way out," Heero ordered.

"To Hilde’s huh?" Duo’s eyes were twinkling.

Heero smirked. "Do I really need to answer that question?"

"Guess not." Duo smirked too. "Should I wish you good luck?" Now, Duo’s eyes were not only twinkling they were positively gleaming with mischief.

At this, Heero stilled. Friends they might be, but Duo didn’t know the whole story between himself and Hilde. "It’s only dinner, Duo."

"Yeah, but it’s only natural. After all, she is your fiancée."

Somberly he replied, "We don’t work like that."

At this Duo looked confused. "Sure, whatever you say."

"Look," Heero already conditioned himself for business. "Make sure you stay on standby. I’ll probably contact you later in case something comes up."

"Something comes up?" Now, Duo looked more confused than ever. "It’s only dinner Heero, whatever else could come up."

"You’ll understand later." With a wave, he strolled out of his office, leaving a very lost Duo indeed.

* * * * *

Heero slowly pressed on the brake pedal as he pulled into the Winner Luxury Hotel establishment in New York. The valet, recognizing him as one of the owner’s friends quickly took the proffered keys as Heero thanked him and immediately walked into the plush hotel.

It was grand yet modest, and managed to radiate a feeling of homeliness about it. Heero smiled. It had Quatre written all over it. It had the luxury stating its exclusiveness, but at the same time, it wanted its patrons to feel at ease. Upon his entering the hotel it was obvious that he was a well-known figure. The menservants stood at attention while the women attendants fixed their best smile at him.

Heero merely nodded his head in acknowledgement though he didn’t flick an eyelash towards them. He just boarded the elevator and ascended to the floor that he knew Hilde would be on.

Hilde Schibecker . . . they’d known each other for a long time now. More than ten years, if memory served him correctly. And, ever since he was twenty-three, and just because he’d shown more interest in her, though not in any way romantic, than any other of the girls he had been constantly pushed together with, they were betrothed. And his life from then on went from bad to worse . . . .

It’s not that Hilde was like those women he often encountered at business dinners. No, they were conniving and greedy temptresses always out for more wealth, power, and recognition. Far from it. Hilde was a kind and loving woman of German ancestry . . . hailing from Luxembourg, as a matter of fact. She was intelligent and beautiful too. It was just that she wasn’t . . . . she wasn’t . . . he sighed, and he waved the thought off.

As he stepped onto the floor where Hilde’s room was located, he noticed the guards. Bulky guards, who looked really conspicuous standing there in the middle of the hallway. Heero shook his head. ‘Why do her parents let all these imbeciles take care of her.’

He nodded to the guards, who let him pass with no trouble at all. ‘That’s it. They’ll be fired.’ As he entered into the suite’s door. ‘Imagine letting me pass by without identifying me first. Good Lord -’

Heero was never fortunate enough to finish his thought since he was bowled over, literally, by an unidentified weight. ‘Must be Hilde,’ he assumed once he was again coherent enough to think.

"Heero I missed you so much," spoke a husky, accented voice.

‘Yup, it’s Hilde.’ As he stood up he brought Hilde up along with him. She was still hugging him tightly once they were upright once more. After a moment of wrestling her away from him, he held her an arms way from him and said, "Yeah, I’ve missed you too Hilde. So how’s Luxembourg?" he inquired as they walked towards the dining room, Hilde hugging his arm.

"It’s been great, though kind of empty without you there." Laughingly she continued, "Without you to take the blame for everything that goes wrong with the wedding arrangements, that is."

Heero allowed himself a smile as they entered the dining room, "So what’s for dinner? To be honest, I am starving."

Hilde looked apologetically at him as she sat him down the dining table which was set up for two. It had rose petals scattered all over it and candles lit to make the atmosphere more accommodating and more . . . romantic.

It was this very behavior that got Heero very uncomfortable. After all, they weren’t exactly romantic towards each other. So, to ease himself, "Nice place. You’ve got to tell Quatre to stop spoiling you."

"Yeah, I know. This place is great," she commented as her hand motioned towards the whole expanse of the suite. "It’s so grand and luxurious in one hand with a touch of warmth and comfortable feeling in the other."

"Quatre’s doing." He answered monotonously.

"I must give him my thanks again." She smiled brilliantly up at him.

Hilde fluttered about the kitchen and the dining room as she arranged the dishes to be brought out. Seeing this, Heero made a move to help her. Needless to say, he was shooed out by a very angry Hilde carrying a spatula. "Heero Yuy, be a good boy and just sit down here," she said as she sat him down once more.

He attempted to help when her back was turned. Much to his chagrin, she seemed to have eyes on the back of her head, "I said sit," she commanded.

"Yes ma’am." Sure she would notice it, Heero saluted her like a soldier would.

Hilde started up the conversation, "Now, tell me all about that dreadful merger that you keep worrying about."

"Well, nothing much to tell now since it’s all patched up. It turns out there was a leak as we suspected earlier, but everything’s been taken care of. The Barton Corporation sent very capable agents to be at our disposal. All that’s left to arrange are the small details before the deal’s finished."

"Oh, really. That’s nice," she cheerfully commented as she stirred the sauce she was cooking. "There," she said as she finished her cooking. "I hope you like fettuccini Alfredo. I know that it might not compare to any dish you whip up, but tonight, I just want you to relax."

"No problems here," Heero replied as he eyed the food set before him.

"Okay," she said when the last dish has been served, "let’s eat."

Nothing more was said as the food was devoured.

"Delicious," was the only thing Heero said as he put his napkin down. He sounded absolutely satisfied as he sat back his chair.

"Coming form you, chef extraordinaire, that’s a compliment." Hilde winked at him as she carried their plates away, and cleaned the table. They moved towards the living room, bringing their drinks along with them. "More wine?" she offered.

Heero nodded and said, "Thanks."

As Hilde sat herself down right next to him on the couch, she started talking. "Do you know that my mom has been constantly complaining?"

"How so?" This peeked his curiosity.

"Well, to put it mildly she wants you there in Brussels with me, taking care of the wedding arrangements," she answered as she sipped her wine and sighed in delight.

"Hilde you know –"

"I know, I know." Hilde gave him a shaky smile. "We’ve always known from the start that this was a business arrangement. Most of our close friends know that. As it stands, our parents have the most to gain from our alliance. It’s just that –" Hilde sighed.

Heero stopped her with a glance as he laid his wine glass in the bight table near him. "I understand. In time, maybe, we will learn to love each other. But for now, we at least have our friendship." He looked at his gold watch. "It’s getting late. I still have to go back to the office to pick some documents I forgot. I need to have them with me over the weekend."

As they walked back to the door, Heero suddenly turned to her and burst out suddenly, "You have to do something about those guards."

She just looked at him in confusion, then in alarm. "Why? They didn’t do anything to you did they?"

Heero sighed. "That’s just it. They didn’t do anything at all." At this Hilde just looked even more confounded. "They let me pass by without a question. They didn’t ask for my I. D. or anything. I could’ve been a kidnapper for heaven’s sake."

"But Heero," she interjected. "They already knew you were coming."

"Still. I’m going to talk to Wufei and have him assign you a new batch of guards. You already know that he’s one of the best in security, he and his wife, that is." Heero looked at her intensely and sighed as he touched her cheek, "You can’t live carelessly like this. You have a responsibility. You know that better than I do."

Hilde sighed in defeat, "I know. It’s just that – "

"Hey, hey I understand. Just take care of yourself okay? And tell everybody back in Luxembourg that I said hi. I’ll be there in a month." He headed out of the door then turned back to her. "Is that okay with you?"

"Yes it is. Thanks for coming Heero."

"Always a pleasure. I loved dinner Hilde. Bye now," and with a backward wave he strolled out into the hallway then into the awaiting elevator.

Hilde could only sigh as she closed the door and leaned against it, resting her forehead on the cool wooden surface. ‘Oh Heero. I know you only think of me as a friend. I know you think I look at you as a friend too, but, even though I’ve tried not to . . . It’s too late. I’ve fallen in love with you and I’m falling even more in love with you.’ She pushed herself upright as she walked into her room, proceeding to plop down to her bed, hugging her pillow close to her. ‘I hate how my life is. Sure, luxury is nice, but for once I want to be just normal, with all the worries of normal everyday people. When to pay bills, how to pay bills, so on and so on.’ She sighed once more. ‘I don’t want to be that important anymore . . . I just want to be normal Hilde Schibecker with her prince charming, Heero Yuy. I don’t want to be Princess Hilde Schibecker of the House of Brandenburg . . . not anymore.’

* * * * *

Heero was thoughtful as he drove to his apartment. Even with all the things he told Hilde, he knew that he would never ever be able to love her. Given time, he still wouldn’t. No matter what . . . even with her beauty and intelligence, she still wasn’t for him. She just wasn’t.

He sighed as he picked up his cell phone and said, "Call Duo Maxwell’s cell phone." The phone did the dialing for him as he thought, ‘God, I love this phone. Sure beats the heck out of speed dialing or just plain manual dialing.’

"Duo Maxwell speaking," was what brought Heero back to reality.

"Duo. Heero here. I need you to do something for me." Quick and to the point, that’s what he was.

"Heero, buddy. Still at Hilde’s I bet?" came Duo’s cheerful voice. "Tell your girl I said hi will you?"

"Sorry you lose." Heero heard Duo’s ‘what’ and ‘why’s’ all too loudly. Heero cringed, ‘I’ve got to figure out what brand of energy drinks he consumes to keep him this energetic late at night.’

"Duo. I’m kind of in a hurry here, so to speak."

Duo only grumbled. "Fine, but we got a lot of talking to do later." Ignoring Heero’s loud ‘No we don’t’ Duo asked, "So what’s up? What can I do for you?"

"You’re still at the office right?"

"Yeah, just finishing up some left over details from our dealings with Forrester last month."

"Good. I need you to gather all the documents in my desk that are related to our D. C. branch. Drive them over to my apartment will you? And," he said tiredly, "I need you to book me to a direct flight to D. C. ASAP. If they argue give them my name. They’ll be more complacent by then. Oh yeah, drive me to the airport too while we’re at it okay?" With a mumble of thanks, Heero hung up.

"Your welcome too," Duo sarcastically said as a dead line met his ears. "Geesh, what could he possibly want in D. C.?" Duo shook his head ruefully. ‘He’s just one guy I will never figure out, good friend or not.’

* * * * *

Heero walked straight to his bedroom as soon as he arrived at his apartment. Finding a traveling bag, he opened his closet and chose a few sets of casual clothes. After all, that’s all he should need. He had a apartment in D. C. as well. If he ever needed his business suits or a tux, for that matter, he had extra ones there. ‘I could also buy another one.’

‘There. That should be all that I need,’ Heero thought as he zipped up his bag. Then his home phone rang.

‘Wufei,’ he thought as he answered it.

"Yuy," came the Wufei’s voice before Heero could say anything else. "I heard you had a busy day."

"So I did." Heero leaned against the wall and crossed his arms as he tucked the phone securely between his ear and his shoulder.

"So you found Relena huh?"

"Correction she found me."

"So how’s our little princess?"

"All grown up."

"Good."

Heero was already tiring of their twenty-questions-type of conversations. Normally he wouldn’t mind, but he was just in too much of a hurry right now. "Got an address for me?"

As Wufei dictated and Heero copied, Heero remarked, "I assume you weren’t that far off from finding her."

"It would have only been a matter of days since we just recently found out that her maman was protecting her by covering her trail."

"So I found out. Do me a favor and try stalling her brother from finding her. I want to talk to her first. Then her brother can come and get his little princess whenever he wants."

"Yuy, one question before you leave. Answer truthfully." Heero experienced deja-vu when he said that.

"What is it?" Heero questioned, foreboding creeping up at him.

"What are you trying to achieve by going to her and harassing her with questions?"

"I’m trying to get some answers."

"What else?" Wufei suspected there was something else for Heero was acting irrationally.

Heero sighed. Wufei knew him too well. He was part of a security agency after all. It required him to be astute. " . . . . . I’m trying to recover a past dream of mine . . . at any cost."

* * * * *

"Hmmm . . . Home sweet home," was the first thing Relena said when she got into her apartment. She left her bags at her door as she plopped down her comfy couch. "Now for some shut-eye."

"Will you be okay here Relena? You sure you don’t want to stay at my place tonight or the family house? After all, you haven’t visited in two weeks." Trowa had followed her into her living room laden with her bags, which he promptly carried to her bedroom.

From her place in the couch, Relena tiredly called out, "Thanks Trowa, you’re a sweetheart." ‘But, from what happened today, it just proved that you can’t be my sweetheart.’ Then as she fell into the land of dreams, ‘Sorry.’ And a tear fell down her face as she promptly fell asleep.

And that’s how Trowa found her – her whole frame huddled on the couch, wherein to accommodate herself, she had curled into a ball. ‘Cute,’ he lovingly thought as walked towards her. He kneeled right next to her as he gazed at her. Slowly, he traced her face, along the arch of her temple, down the curve of her cheek, and to the red lips of her mouth. ‘God, you are breathtakingly beautiful.’ He gazed once more at her familiar, lovely features before he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to her room.

‘Good night, my princess,’ he lovingly thought as he brushed a tender kiss on her forehead, and tucked the covers around her body. He left the confines of her room and walked around her apartment cleaning the place up. Sure she was a neat person, organized to the highest degree, but there were still times when she could be as messy as a packrat.

After satisfying himself that everything was in order so that she wouldn’t have to clean once she woke up, he visited her room once more and wished her, "Sweet dreams Lena." Then, he silently closed the room, and left her apartment.

* * * * *

But, Relena’s dreams were anything but sweet that night.

Well, for the most part they were, but along with the sweetness came the pain. Her brief meeting had had more consequences than she bargained for – because as she thrashed among the satin covers of her bed, she was plagued . . . by dreams of the past.

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

. . . Now that we’ve established that you at least semi-like this fanfic <hopefully> . . . I’ll be posting the rest of the parts as soon as possible . . . but don’t be shy . . . you can still just e-mail if you want to . . . peace J . . . Thanks for all the support people !!!! =P