(Six months ago. The Battleship Libra Hours before the Final Battle)
"As you see Relena-sama," Dorothy cooed. "We are unbeatable."
"I understand that. I joined you here. I have at last realized that true peace can only come through the final battle of this war." Relena intoned, her eyes hot, fanatical and to Dorothy's knowing gaze, unbalanced.
She smiled brightly at Relena. "While the final battle will involve White Fang, the Gundam pilots and OZ, there are enough uncertainties to make it interesting. Treize-sama and your brother are men that have destinies. And they will control Earth and the Colonies. A great man will win, no matter which one does triumph!"
"And are you so certain about the outcome, that you have thrown your lot in with my brother's?" Relena asked archly.
"I adore both men, but I feel confident that Zechs-sama is the one that will win. He... he has a ruthlessness that is missing in Treize-sama, at the death of his beloved Lady Une."
Relena smiled almost gloatingly. "Une...she was the strength that was OZ. A pity that she died in that accident... her ship was almost to OZ headquarters, when it happened. Almost in front of Treize's eyes."
Dorothy spun around and looked sharply at Relena. "You had something to do with it."
Relena smiled beatifically. "She was someone that was a threat to my vision of peace. I simple removed the piece from the puzzle that bothered me. One that I thought didn't belong to the puzzle."
Dorothy frowned slightly. She was angry that Relena had hurt her cousin Treize that badly, but didn't let it show on her openly face. "I always admired you, because you had your vision." she lied. "I hope that I am part of your 'vision'."
"If you weren't...do you think that you would be by my brother's side?" Relena asked.
She then turned her back on Dorothy and looked out a porthole in the ship, into the stars that lay beyond it. She watched Dorothy's reflection in the steelglass that was the window. She knew that most of what Dorothy had said to her in the Sank Kingdom's Peace Academy were things that bordered on the outrageous and insulting for the heir to the Sank Kingdom. She wasn't one of the sheep that had followed her blindly. She was a wolf, willing to fight for what she wanted. And Relena liked her because of that. She also knew that wolves were loyal to their pack above anything, so Dorothy would be loyal to her and her brother.
"I hope, that after this is all done...you will stay with my brother. He needs your... guidance. More so then I do."
Dorothy smiled brightly, falsely back at the woman that she had tormented for months, maneuvered and used to her own advantage in her plays for power and excitement. Like Noin would let her get near the shining prince! And while Dorothy liked Zechs, she also knew that he regarded her as a sister, closer to Dorothy then Relena at times. But she was not going to explain that to Relena, she had no wish to start to learn how to breathe vacuum if the disturbed monarch decided that she was not part of her 'puzzle', since she wasn't jumping at the offer of her brother to Dorothy.
"That is up to him." she dissembled easily. "While I adore him, one should let the man do the choosing and the chasing, it is so much easier in the long run."
Relena laughed. "How can he not want you?"
#Because he's more interested in my cousin, and to Zechs I am the little girl that annoyed him those long ago summers, when he was with Treize, on leave. A little girl that has more balls then half his command staff, but still a little girl.#
Aloud she joined in Relena's laughter. Her laughter sounded slightly hollow in her ears, Relena's tinged with madness. "I will leave the maneuverings of the home and heart to a later date. Zechs and I, we are in no hurry about anything, outside the war."
Relena nodded. "That is good, but for now...I will wait on the bridge with the two of you, to see what OZ's response is to the colonies demands." Dorothy shrugged. "A fight. That is inevitable. The Earth Federation is not happy at the fact that the Colonies have enough firepower to destroy an island. And the will to use it on a city next, if they don't surrender."
Relena smiled. "From my time dealing with the Federation and the Romafellers, nothing much makes them happy."
"And the Gundam pilots...what about them?" Dorothy asked. Relena's infatuation with pilot 01 was a know fact. She didn't see the attraction herself, but to each their own.
Relena smiled. "I think that will take care of itself...they are all on the Peacemillion. I sent one of my...admirers...over there to take care of the Gundams...they will not be part of the battle. In fact, in a few hours, they will not be part of the war, since it will be over."
"And what did you do?" Dorothy asked, maintaining a calm tone with difficulty. The Gundams were needed on Treize's side. If they weren't part of the battle it would be a slaughter for the Federation. She fought down the urge to shirk at Relena.
"I simply let them take a snake into their bosom." Relena smiled evilly, "It will be hard for any of them to fight with the case of food poisoning that they are going to come down with. Combined with the small acts of sabotage that my pet is going to do...the Gundams are neutralized." Relena threw back her head and laughed shrilly "Heero Yuy will be mine at last. And nothing will take him away from me."
Dorothy smiled dutifully at Relena's news, pretending that her heart wasn't breaking. Her cousin Treize, he was going to lose and his dream would die. All because of a spoiled brat of a girl. They were all too far along with the drama to stop it now, they had to play the parts assigned to them in this farce and hope for the best.
And it was as Relena predicted. Treize lost, his duel with Zechs...was a farce and the younger man beat his best friend and lover easily. The Federation and their military force surrendered to Zechs and White Fang, after news of Treize's defeat. The Gundam pilots didn't really get involved in the battle, too ill from the poison that had been sprinkled in their food. The destruction of their Gundams was halted when they managed to capture the little spy that had been placed in their company, but it was too late to prevent the damage that had been done to them. And Zechs, Relena and Dorothy created a triumvirate that controlled both the Colonies and the Earth. Too late did Earth, the Colonies and Quinze realize that they had been used by the Peacecraft siblings. And that both Zechs and Relena had abandoned their father's teachings...
(PeaceMillion: Final Battle: A few hours before the battle)
Duo threw up what seemed for the thousandth time. He had no idea why he was doing this. It wasn't nerves, and he hadn't eaten anything. In fact all he had for the last couple of hours was coffee. He was happy that Hilde managed to make it off the Libra with the information that they needed on its defenses. And with the information that Relena wasn't on the ship, that it was only rumor. It had been close, the damn dolls nearly got Hilde before they rescued her, but she had arrived safe and sound, just a little banged up. She had felt fine, she insisted and made everybody lunch, like she had done for him all the time, even though he hadn't felt like eating at the time. Duo just loved Hilde, she was a little sister to him and knew what to do to spoil him. But now, a few hours after he had drunk the coffee that she had made all of them, he couldn't keep anything down. And he was not the only one, he was watching both Trowa and Wufei worshiping the porcelain goddess too. Hooray for communal bathrooms. He wondered if this was covered under pilot unity too, the ability to get sick together.
"So...either this is a case of battle fever or we have a problem with the flu." Wufei stated coldly after he rinsed out his mouth. He had just thrown up the water he had sipped at a few minutes before.
Duo grinned at his small, involuntary joke and shook his head. "I feel fine, except for the fact that my stomach wants to flee into the far reaches of space." Trowa staggered up to the sink and started to splash water on his face and rinsed out his mouth carefully also. He didn't want to throw up again, he wasn't even keeping down the tea that Quatre had given earlier him to settle his stomach.
"None us, with the exception of Yuy, can keep anything down. And I don't know about him, I haven't seen him since lunch. I left Quatre in the room, with the basket by his head and I hope that he manages to feel better, but...I doubt it."
"Any of the others have this?" Wufei asked thoughtfully, he had thought it was just him. But since they were all sick, it might not be something harmless like he thought.
Duo shrugged and opened his cell phone. "Hey Sally...Sally...." He looked puzzled for a second, "I can't get her."
"What do you mean?" Wufei asked.
Trowa grabbed his own cell phone and tried to get in touch with Quatre. He realized after a second that his 'phone was dead also. "I can't get Quatre, so something is blocking us."
Wufei cursed and then leaned over the sink, dry heaving for a couple of seconds. Damn his stomach! "Get to Heero, there's something going on." he managed to gasp out.
Trowa nodded. "You watch after Wufei. And find your friend Hilde. She maybe in trouble. I'm going after Heero, he's probably with Wing."
"After find I Hilde, I'll check on Quatre." Duo said. Looking at Wufei worriedly.
Wufei cursed and shook himself. " I'm fine! I'll try and find Howard and Sally, something is going wrong." #I hope that you little friend is innocent in this and it is not what I think that it is. We gave her free run of the ship because we trusted her, she is a friend of yours. And now we are all sick after she cooked us lunch, like she always did for you.#
Duo nodded. "I understand."
They all split up running to various parts of the ship. Wufei started to get concerned when he saw the line of men outside the small sickbay that Sally was running. As he pushed his way past the men that were lying outside the room, his stomach turned when he smelled blood. He controlled the heaving with difficulty and stopped at the doorway, horrified with what he saw. The room was full of men in various states of delirium. They cursed and slashed at demons only seen by themselves. Wufei made his way over to Sally and pulled her aside, knocking out a man that was screaming that she was the devil and had to be dealt with. Sally looked at Wufei with tired eyes.
"This started about an hour ago. I have ten severely wounded and two dead. I don't know what's causing it."
Wufei swallowed hard, sickened by the smells. He wanted to heave again, even though there was nothing left in his stomach. "Sabotage. I think that it might be our helpful little ex-OZite girl, Hilde."
"Duo's friend?" Sally asked in confusion. Why would she do this? She was fighting for the colonies also.
"She does not like the fact that Duo treats her like she is a woman, not a soldier. And the fact that Duo thinks of her as his sister, not a lover." #That was the look in her eyes, as he joked and flirted with all of us and treated her like a little sister. And she did not like that!#
Sally snorted. "And you know this how?"
"I saw the look often enough in my wife's eyes. And Merian, I loved her dearly, but she also was willing to forgo her honor if it meant that she could revenge herself on me." #She was not happy that her groom thought of her as his sister more then anything either. We might have worked something out...but we had no time.#
"So you think that Hilde did this?"
Wufei shrugged. "I hope not. But none of the pilots are up to fighting, we are all too sick. I am barely keeping myself from vomiting now. Duo, Quatre and Trowa are the same way. And we can't get a hold of anyone with out internal cell phones, so someone might have fooled with the relay stations. And Hilde does have the knowledge to do that. Duo's tracking her down. Trowa is searching for Heero and Quatre is in his room."
Sally sighed. "Its most of the command staff that is sick. And Hilde dropped off drinks and snacks for us. But Duo said she did that for him a lot."
"What better way to spread her poison around and confuse her enemy; act like you are being oh so helpful." Wufei commented dryly. "Knock these people out to make them easier to handle and start evacuating the PeaceMillion."
No sooner did those words leave his mouth when the lights flickered off and the emergency lights flickered on. "Forget them, see if you can escape, because it's too late for the ship. And don't argue about honor and fighting woman! I need you to be free to organize the resistance again."
Sally looked at Wufei and smiled. "I love you."
"I know. And I love you, so please do this for me. I do not want to mourn you like the rest of my people."
"And you will send me to safety and ignore your lover?" Sally asked.
Wufei leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "My lover and I understand war...we are children of it...so he and the rest of the pilots will not be upset that I sent you to safety, in fact I think that any of us would throw you into the transport himself. If you need a place to hide...Catherine Bloom's circus will hide you."
Sally nodded. "I understand. And be careful, all of you."
Wufei smiled as Sally made her way to the hanger, he escorted her part way, hoping that he felt well enough to fight in Natuku to protect her. As her shuttle streaked away towards the colonies, Wufei valiantly attempting to fight a rearguard action to protect her against the swarms of White Fang soldiers, that was the last that either one saw of each other...
Duo ran towards Quatre's room, to check on him before he looked for Hilde. He wanted to make sure that he was fine before things got too crazy. Duo was having minor flashbacks to the L2 plagues when he noticed all the sick guys in the quarters. Most of them were either delirious or were curled up in a ball. Either way, they were SOL if they got attacked. It seemed like most of the crew was sick. And Duo was starting to get worried that he knew the reason for this. Hilde. He didn't want to think that his friend was responsible for what was happening, but it all started when she showed up. He wondered if she really did escape from the Libra or was she a Trojan Horse?
Duo burst into Quatre's room, startling the other pilot out of his troubled sleep. Which caused Quatre to grab the bucket that Trowa placed beside him and throw up into it. After the tea that he had drunk earlier came up, Quatre accepted the small glass of water that Duo handed him and took a cautious sip.
"Oh man, I am sorry, really freakin' sorry." Duo said. "I'm pretty sure now that I've fucked things over big time. Everyone's sick and it started with Hilde coming aboard."
The lights flickered at that statement and both boys cursed. "We better get to our Gundams. I know that we can't be effective the way that we are now, but...we have to do something!" Quatre declared.
Duo nodded. "Communications inside the ship are out. The crew is really sick, from what I saw coming here. Wufei's gone to check out Sally and Trowa's checking on Heero. So let's try and get you down to Sandrock and out of here. I think this is something that Zechs or Dorothy cooked up."
Quatre moaned and accepted Duo's help to the hanger. Quatre dry heaved a few times trying to get to the hanger, causing Duo to throw up in sympathy with him. When they finally made it down to the hanger, Wing Zero, Natuku and HeavyArms were gone and Duo spotted Hilde attempting to wreck DeathScythe. Thankfully Sandrock seemed to be untouched. Duo laid Quatre down by the door and snuck up on his former friend.
"So Hilde," Duo said, grabbing the wrench from her hand, before she started her jump up to the cockpit. "It wasn't enough that you have to poison everyone that I know, you got to try and take out my mate?"
"Mate!!!" Hilde screeched, turning to face Duo. "I thought that it was perverted when you played those games with you fellow pilots, you're fucking your Gundam too?"
"That the problem Hilde? I wasn't friendly enough for you?" Duo asked sadly.
"I gave up my career for you! I gave up my life and you treat me like I was your sister!" Hilde screeched at him. "So when Relena offered me this deal...'
"What deal?" Duo asked coldly.
"I get you, so long as I take out the PeaceMillion and the rest of the Gundam pilots. Which I have. White Fang is going to be attacking this ship at any moment and you can't do anything about it!"
"But I can Hilde," Duo said sadly, "You betrayed me. You betrayed the colonies because I wasn't who you thought I was. I sorry that I didn't like you the way you needed it. But did you ever figure out it was because I don't like girls that way?"
The ship shook with for a moment. Duo noted almost absently that they must have been hit with a shit load of firepower. And he has a sneaking suspicion that they weren't going to be able to return the favor to whomever was trying to blow them up.
Hilde smiled. "That's White Fang and the Peacecrafts! They are going to beat you and then the colonies will be free!"
Duo shook his head. "No, because they still won't have their smiles. And neither will you." Duo coolly pulled out his gun and shot Hilde in the forehead. As she fell at the feet of his Gundam, he hoped that he was able to get out of this mess. He noticed that Quatre had gotten up and had slowly made his way over to Duo.
"I'm sorry." was all that he said. Duo embraced him tightly and sobbed for a second.
"We got to get out here," Duo replied, sucking in the pain that he felt and was echoed in Quatre's eyes for a second, through his 'uchuu no kokoro'.
"I agree. Just lets check out our Gundams and hopefully we can defend the PeaceMillion. With any luck some of the crew can get away." Quatre said.
Duo nodded and gracefully leaped up to the cockpit of Shinigami. Quatre jumped over to Sandrock, pleased that he has emptied his stomach out at last, so that he didn't feel like throwing up anything that he had ever eaten, any more. Quatre was under no illusions. Neither one of them were in any shape to fight, the best that they could hope for was that they kept White Fang and the Peacecrafts occupied enough to let the others escape.
As Duo and he left the hanger, Quatre took one last look at Hilde's crumpled body and wondered why she had betrayed them. She had betrayed her people for something as fleeting as lust? Quatre shook his head and headed into battle. He was horrified to find out half way through that battle that his controls were no longer responding to his commands. As he was being dragged away by the White Fang forces, frantically trying to self destruct, he cursed himself for being a fool. That was the last thought that he had for a while, before he passed out from the knockout gas that flooded the cockpit.
Duo bumped into Wufei, who was desperately trying to keep White Fang from following Sally's ship into the cluster of colonies that were in the area. Both he and Duo were hampered by the fact that if they moved the wrong way, their stomachs protested. And a lot of ways were the wrong way. As Sally got further away, Wufei radioed Duo.
"I know that this is dishonorable, but I am suggesting that we retreat and fight another day."
"Wufei, you must be sick if you are suggesting that to me," Duo joked.
"Fighting against overwhelming odds, ill and in a field not of our choosing, leads me to say these things, Maxwell."
Duo smiled. Wufei managed to say any number of things in the way that he said his name. Love, respect, sorrow. "It was Hilde. She...she betrayed us to Relena."
"I am sorry."
"So am I. I...I also put a bullet in her brain. She was a traitor, I don't care if White Fang is fighting for the colonies...there is something wrong with an organization that represents the Colonies and of their top people have all been born on Earth."
Their conversion was cut short by a series of small booms that shook their sector of space. Duo shook his head. "They blew up the PeaceMillion. I can't believe that they just killed all those people." He was too numb to feel those deaths now, they would hit him later, in the dark. He would mourn then. For the crew of the PeaceMillion, for Hilde, for his trust in her.
"Maxwell...we have nothing left to defend, let us leave now. We are terrorists, not soldiers. We can't fight an army and we are not going to be able to help the colonies if we are captured." Wufei urged Duo. #Duo I'm not losing everything again, for the third time. Protect yourself!#
"Have you seen the others? Trowa and Heero." Duo asked before he prepared to fade away.
Wufei sighed. "I have not...and that is part of the reason that I wish to retreat. I don't think that they are able to."
Duo laughed sadly. "You taking lessons from Quatre on 'feelings'? But...I agree with you."
As the two Gundams faded into the wreckage of what had been their shelter a few hours before this, a faint 'good bye' was heard. No one reported to see either pilot 02 or pilot 05, or their Gundams again...
Trowa glanced up at his guards, wondering who he was being taken to. The last thing that he remembered was launching Heavyarms out of the PeaceMillion. The battle was blurry, he was too sick to really remember anything. He had passed out when the cockpit of his Gundam started to fill with knockout gas. He woke up later when they were dragging him out of it, on the Libra. He managed to fight off the nausea and had just sunk into a mindless haze, not caring what happened next. He was too ill to fight back, he just had to accept what happened for now. It was how he got through most of his life. Just react to whatever it threw at you, when you were strong enough or in a better position, you fought back. He was kneeling on the floor and was mentally relistening to the last concert that Quatre and he had went to, when he heard the door to the room that he was in being opened. The guards that were in his room straightened up a little and attempted to drag him to his feet. Trowa's stomach protested this movement and he involuntarily groaned.
"Leave him." A cool voice ordered. "And then leave us."
"But..." was the faint protest Trowa heard from his captors.
"I can take care of myself." Trowa almost nodded in agreement. She could. And she had nothing to fear from him, incapacitated from the gas and the earlier bouts nausea that had shaken him. He was still wondering if was going to throw up, even though there was nothing left in his system.
Trowa looked up to see Dorothy Catalonia looming over him. "Dorothy." he said quietly.
She smiled down at him coolly at him. "Trowa."
Trowa stared blankly at her, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of listening to him beg for information about his fellow pilots. He didn't even understand why he wanted to do this, it wasn't like that hadn't faced capture and terrible odds before, they were Gundam pilots.
"I am here to inform you that the war is over. The Earth and the colonies have agreed to a government that I, Zechs Merquise and Relena Peacecraft are forming. You have been placed into my custody, for the crimes that you have committed against the former governments of the Earth and the Colonies."
"I see." Trowa said quietly.
"Trowa Barton or is it Nanashi," Dorothy said. Trowa flinched at the second name. Dorothy nodded. "Its true then. You had no name before Operation Meteor. No wonder you and Yuy got along so well, you were both creatures of the operation."
"And...." Trowa found that he couldn't even finish the question.
"Trowa." Dorothy sighed. "As much as I would like sending you back to the circus that you hid in between missions, I don't think that it would be a good idea. Catherine and the others would suffer once news got out of who you had been. Relena has managed to turn the people against you, all of you. Trowa, much as you don't want to hear it, you and the ones that you love are safer if you are with me."
"I see." Trowa said, his face the same neutral mask that he had worn since his capture.
"No you don't." Dorothy replied, letting her impatience show.
She was tired, upset and really didn't want to do this. But unless she got into Trowa her custody now, who knows where he would be disappeared to? She trusted Relena not at all, Zechs had his own problems to take care of with Treize and she needed to get this done now, before she got caught up in all the thousands of petty details that running a dictatorship entailed.
"Duo Maxwell and Chang Wufei have disappeared, along with Quatre's private army." Dorothy told him.
She was happy that some sort of emotion flared in his eyes before returning to the blank stare that he had. Dorothy mentally sighed, this was going to be difficult at best. Trowa had the strength and the will to be a Gundam pilot, but he had also mastered the art or the illusion of blending into the background, appearing to be harmless and then hiding in plain sight. He was better at not being seen then DeathScythe was. But she was going to see this through to the end. She owed it to him. He had been betrayed by that bitch Relena, if she had not interfered with Trieze's plans or had sent Hilde over to the PeaceMillion, it would be the Gundam pilots that would be victorious, not White Fang. Not that White Fang actually had gained anything from this little war, they just traded one set of dictators for another. And the worst thing was that the people of both the colonies and the Earth didn't care. They were sheep that had traded one set of wolves for another and they did not care!
"Quatre...unfortunately I couldn't help him, like I am going to help you." Dorothy said.
"Even if I do not want your help?" Trowa asked calmly.
"Even if you don't want my help. Actually I am doing this for Quatre." she said. "You two were close, weren't you?"
"Were?" Trowa asked, unable to get the same thread of fear out of his voice. They were close, all the pilots were. But he and Quatre shared a love for music that they indulged in every chance that they got. Downtime usually found them together. They loved each other, not in the romantic sense, but they had been close friends. They usually shared a bed or a room together, depending on the circumstances, but both knew that what they had wasn't the passion of lovers, but friends that depended on each other and comforted each other when things got bad.
Dorothy shook her head, "I didn't mean it that way. He's alive, but keeping him alive meant that he was remanded to the custody of his sisters. Three of them have shown up to take him away. He's not going to be allowed to move without one of them in attendance, even after they get him home. And the three that have shown up to collect him...they scare even me."
Trowa raised an eyebrow. Dorothy laughed nervously. "One of them is old enough to be his mother! I think her name was Jenna. And she is imposing, even if she if smaller then Quatre! And her 'escort' was a pair of twins that weigh twice as much as Quatre and look like they could take down TallGeese."
"That would be Serenity and Temperance." Trowa informed her. "They actually are quite nice. We spent a couple of days with them once...they managed to shut Wufei up about weak women when they almost beat Heero in an arm wrestling contest."
"They must have been tinkered with, just like he was." Dorothy muttered to herself. It made a bit of sense, if you were growing them out of test tubes, why not add some modifications and presto! instant bodyguard for the boy that you were eventually going to get.
"And how did they manage to get her so fast?" Trowa asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
Dorothy curled her lip back into a snarl. "Relena was in touch with them before she sent Hilde over to the PeaceMillion to poison all of you. She was that confident of her victory."
"Of course, she had planned everything else out, why not have them on hand to take Quatre back into the bosom of his family." Trowa said. Dorothy heard the faint edge of cynicism in his usually dispassionate voice. "I wonder what that deal cost Winner Industries. I know what it is going to cost Quatre."
"I'm sorry." Dorothy told him. She really was. Quatre was a formidable enemy, brilliant and innovative. And strong enough personality to herd the pilots together to work as a group. She didn't believe that he had had it in him to do that, from the way that he acted. He had hidden his strength under his apparent weakness of a kind heart.
Trowa shook his head. "I think that you might misunderstand a few things. Quatre, even though he had rebelled against his father, knew what his duty was. After the fighting was over, he was going to go back to the life that he had left, get married to a suitable girl and produce the next generation of Winners, like he was supposed to."
"And you didn't mind this?" Dorothy asked. She felt odd discussing this topic with a man that was chained and kneeling on the floor in front of her. She sighed and plopped down in front of him, crossing her legs and shaking her head. "I was beginning to feel like the big bad wolf there." She informed him ruefully.
Trowa shifted a little, not answering her question for a second. "We were all friends. I think that Duo and Wufei are closer then that, but we were friends that were sharing each other's beds, rather then lovers. Quatre and I just had a lot more in common then the rest of them, our shared passion was not for each other, but for our music."
"Ah." Was all that Dorothy could say. She understood the needs that had driven them into each other's arms. The need for warmth, a touch that wasn't hurtful, someone that understood the demons that walked in your nightmares. She envied them the comfort that they had found with each other and mourned the death of all those loves that had been nurtured with those pilots. Relena had destroyed much in her obsession with Heero Yuy. And she had no idea of what she had ruined.
"I can arrange for you to say good bye to one another at least." Dorothy offered. "I have no idea if he has been told anything. Jenna has been treating him as if he was her disobedient son and the twins don't talk to anyone."
"And what will be the price of that?" Trowa asked. He had learned that everything had a price. The joy that he had with his fellow pilots was always balanced with the knowledge that their companionship was a fleeting thing, that they could be killed in battle at any time.
Dorothy cocked her head. She understood his reasoning. In the Romafeller Foundation, nothing was done without taking the cost into consideration. Either in money, favors or power. "That you will cooperate with me for a month. Do not try to escape and follow my orders."
Trowa thought for a second and nodded slowly. "Agreed."
He really had nothing to lose. Dorothy couldn't think of anything that hadn't been done to him before either in the Merc company or by OZ. And he was in her power for now, no matter how much he wanted to think otherwise. She was generous with him, giving him the illusion that he had a choice or his freedom with her.
"And what of Heero?" he asked her, "If I am to give Quatre any information, I should give him as much as possible."
Dorothy hid her smile. Trowa had managed to ask her about the information that he wanted that he was interested in, without betraying the fact the he wanted it for himself, under the guise that he wanted it for his friend. She was going to enjoy getting to know the clever person that hid underneath that apathetic mask.
"Heero is under Relena's...protection." Dorothy said shortly. Trowa noticed the slight pause that Dorothy had when she was searching for a word to describe Heero's condition. "It was her maneuverings that brought this all about. And she did do a lot to make sure that she got him." Dorothy was quiet for a moment, thinking of all the blood that Relena shed to make sure that she got what she wanted. Lady Une, Hilde, the soldiers and the crew of the PeaceMillion. "She wanted him more then the peace that she preached about. I..." she couldn't show weakness here, but Trowa would understand her confession and her worries. He probably had them too. "I think that it's not going to be good."
Trowa nodded his agreement. And wondered if Dorothy Catalonia felt as awkward as he did, underneath her attitude of toughness and control. What had Quatre said in said once, that she was so tough, because she has such a giving heart that had been hurt too often. He wondered if the smaller boy had been right, he usually was accurate with his assessment of people. He felt that she probably did feel awkward but refused to acknowledge it, but no amount of self assurance would make this easy on any of the parties involved.
"If you could escort me to where Quatre and his sisters are at the moment, we can say our good byes and you can do whatever it is that you need to do. I am certain there are more important things that demand your attention then myself." Trowa said softly.
Dorothy waved her hand at his concerns, dismissing them. "Right now, you are important to me. I will take you to where they are. I just want to warn you that it might not be nice. Jenna is of the opinion that you have corrupted her little brother."
Trowa shrugged. "I doubt if we will meet again and if it will make Quatre's life easier, she can blame me."
Dorothy smiled an evil little smile, "You can tell me later who actually was the guilty party in all that, then. "
Trowa frowned, then remembered their agreement and shrugged again. "As you wish."
"I'm going to have to lend you a old novel that I like," she smiled at him.
Trowa quirked his lips for a second. "Certainly...Buttercup."
Dorothy shook her head and laughed. "I know why Catherine loves you. You have the knack of making a subtle joke." #I just wished that it reached your eyes.#
Trowa shook his head in denial. "I wished to inform you that I have read the book in question, but I just don't remember what it was called."
"The Princess Bride." Dorothy said, as she stood up and brushed off her pants. She turned and offered Trowa a hand up. He ignored it and stood up on his own, closing his eyes for a second and swallowing hard. He kept his eyes closed as Dorothy unlocked his manacles, trying not to throw up. His stomach did not like the change in altitude. After a minute he managed to get his stomach under control and he gracefully gestured for Dorothy to lead the way. She curtsied her thanks and walked ahead of him, confident that he would keep his word. As she pointed out to him earlier, he really had no other place to go. And it would be a waste of his life to try and kill her now. He could always do it later.
They walked in silence, Trowa almost automatically following Dorothy behind her and slightly to the left. The nausea he felt was slowly subsiding and he just felt miserable, as opposed to actively nauseated. He stopped behind her as she indicated a door. "They are in there, I'll see if you can have some time alone, but I can't guarantee anything."
Trowa nodded. He understood and was still wondering why Dorothy Catalonia had gone out her way to he kind to him. What was she after? Did she feel that what had happened to them was her fault some how, because she hadn't seen Relena's madness earlier? Or did she have some other use for him?
Dorothy knocked on the door and was relieved that it was opened quickly. She stared up at the Winner sister, either Temperance or Serenity, that had opened the door, thankful that she did not have to deal with the matriarch Jenna. "I promised that Trowa and Quatre would have some time alone, to say their goodbyes."
The woman stared at Dorothy, until Trowa spoke behind her. "I promise that I will behave myself, Temperance. It would just be nice for the both of us to have some time alone. Your brother never forgot his duty to his family."
Temperance nodded her head slowly and gestured for Trowa to enter. She made a slight movement with her head and after a few minutes, was joined by her twin. Trowa nodded his thanks and brushed by the two of them, closing the door behind him firmly. Dorothy smiled at the two women that loomed over her and wondered how they could even be related to Quatre. About the only thing that they had in common with him was that they both had the same color eyes. The twin's hair was darker and they were most definitely larger then he was.
Dorothy smiled brightly and looked at the two of them, "So...Quatre going to be as tall as you two someday?"
They looked at each other and shrugged. One of them replied, "He might be. Father at least hoped that he would be. Our height was something that...was added. Not that it mattered if it took or not, we weren't the heir."
Dorothy couldn't figure out if it was Serenity or Temperance that spoke to her. She had blinked for a second and they had moved positions. Not that she could tell them apart before. She couldn't think of anything else to say and mentally started going over the list of things that had to be done. Both Peacecrafts were useless to her right now, for different reasons. Relena, because she trusted her not at all and Zechs because he would have his hands full with arranging for some place for Treize to live. He had survived the battle and the news that he was now a non-person that was under Zechs' control with his usual self possession. When it all caught up to him, Zechs was going to have his hands full with the resulting outburst. She welcomed the small blip of peace that she had, before plunging herself into her work. Trowa stayed inside that room for a while, well past the five minutes that he asked for. She didn't care, if Quatre's sisters weren't going to complain about it, neither was she.
Trowa went into the room wondering what he was going to find. The last time that they had seen each other, Quatre had been pouring tea down his throat and fussing over him like a mother hen, between throwing up himself. He walked further into the room, he spied Quatre huddled in a chair looking miserable.
"Angel Eyes?" Trowa asked softly. Quatre heard that and bounced out of that chair and into Trowa's arms so fast he rocked back a little.
"You're alive!" he exclaimed in relief. "They wouldn't tell me anything!"
"I'm...well." Trowa said, quietly.
Quatre looked at him with concern. "No you're not. But I won't argue with you, we don't have the time."
Trowa hugged him silently and sighed. He wanted to remember this moment, something that could get him through whatever Dorothy had planned for him. "Duo and Wufei have escaped. Along with Rashid and his men. They are safe for now. I can't tell what will happen to them in the future though. Dorothy has taken charge of me. Heero is with Relena."
"Allah protect him!" Quatre exclaimed. "She will do more harm to him then anything that J could think of."
Trowa nodded. "Dorothy is worried also. But...it is out of our hands for now."
"I understand. Jenna has informed me that I will do my duty as the Winner heir." Quatre said wryly. "She seems to think that I wouldn't for some unknown reason." #Dorothy is worried? I didn't think she had it in her to tell you that, but right now she is also the person that knows Relena the best, so she might have a good reason why she's worried. But I don't know if she's the best person to take care of you, Trowa, you're going to need a lot of care that she might not be able to give you. Your strong, but you need someone to remind you of things, to fuss over you. You have a bad habit of not taking care of yourself, because you are taking care of someone else, first.#
Trowa smiled at him. "As you were going to do, as soon as the war was over."
Quatre blushed. "Jenna thinks that we're in an 'unnatural' relationship."
Trowa leaned down carefully and smiled a little, before whispering in Quatre's ear. "We are."
Quatre giggled involuntarily, Trowa's breath tickling his ear. "You know what I mean."
"I understand. And I have a favor to ask of you...can I just hold you until they drag us out of here?"
"Of course koi." Quatre whispered back to him. "I understand. I need it too."
Trowa and Quatre laid down on the small sofa that was in the room, holding each other, like they had done so many times before. Trowa was happy that after a few minutes of talking about nothing and everything, and exchanging a few kisses. Quatre managed to fall into a doze, sleeping peacefully on Trowa's chest. It was a familiar position for Trowa, Quatre loved to cuddle with any of the pilots. Must be because he came from such a large family. Or had learned to trust people. Wufei had been the same way. Duo preferred to be the cuddler rather then the cuddlee and Heero had never learned to cuddle. That he at least relaxed enough afterwards to stay in the same bed with his partner was a major victory in Trowa's mind.
Dorothy had given up on getting Trowa out of that room. She sat down on the floor in front of the door and contemplated finding a deck of cards and trying to talk Serenity and Temperance into a card game. She was in no hurry to get back onto the madhouse that she had left to get Trowa. And she had a sneaking suspicion that Trowa and Quatre were going to need this privacy for them to face their future. She was wondering if she should just leave them in there and drag the Winner twins back to her quarters when Jenna came storming down the corridor. Dorothy leaped to her feet, Jenna oddly enough reminded of a nanny that she had when she was younger. She had been terrified of that woman too. And her family was thankful about that, because she had been the only person that could keep her in line.
"What are you doing out here?" Jenna asked in a small cold voice. "I told you that he was to see no one!"
Dorothy couldn't figure out if she was yelling at the twins or herself, but Dorothy took it upon herself to answer. "Trowa Barton wanted to say good bye. Since he is being remanded into my custody, I allowed it. And since Quatre will be a lot more cooperative if you treat him like an adult and tell him what has happened to his compatriots, that is why it was a good thing to let the two of them talk. It's going to be bad enough for them over the next few months, they should at least be able to have some time alone to say their goodbyes."
Dorothy took a deep breath and then rushed onward. "It's not going to be easy for either one of them, going from soldiers to civilians in a matter of hours. Combined with what they have been doing for the last few months, Jenna, it's going to be difficult for everyone involved. Don't push Quatre. You may not have liked what he had been doing, but he did it and he's going to have to deal with the guilt and any other emotion that crosses his path. Your brother is a really nice person, he just did what he had to do. That he never made peace with your father before he died, is going to weigh on him. Don't treat him like the village idiot or a mushroom!"
Dorothy took another deep breath and tried to calm down, yelling at Jenna would not endear the woman to her. Or make Quatre's life any easier with his sisters. "I know that you think that I am a spoiled brat. That I should grow up and stop playing at being an adult. Well... I'm one now. Trowa has been one all his life I swear and the day that your brother defied your father, made him one. Just take care of Quatre now and love him. Don't push him. He'll eventually settle down and marry, do what your father wanted. But... don't push him into anything too soon."
Jenna just stared at her, frowning. "Do not tell me how to treat my brother!"
Dorothy shrugged. "I'm just giving you advice, not telling you what to do. Quatre's been shot. Shot at. Shot other people. Gone crazy. Had a price on his head and fought in a war, all before he was seventeen. He's going to need time to become your little brother again. Give it to him. And if you marry him off now, the poor girl's going to have to deal with all the problems that Quatre has. That will ruin any marriage faster then you can say 'flashback'."
Jenna nodded, grudging acknowledging that Dorothy might have a point. She had spent more time with Quatre then any of them had recently. She had only seen the boy once or twice herself, during his entire lifetime. "I and my sisters will think about it."
Dorothy nodded back. "That's all anyone can ask for. I'll go gather my wayward prisoner and leave you all to get back to the main Winner resource satellite."
"As you wish, Dorothy." Jenna smiled tightly at her. "But we are all going in together. You are not covering up for either of them, if they are being naughty...I will find out. How long have they been in there?"
"About an half hour." Dorothy admitted. #Naughty? What the hell is talking about? Sex, God that's an odd way to refer to it. But most of them are tube babies, so sex and procreation never applied to them.#
"Time enough." Jenna commented sourly.
Dorothy shrugged. She had no problem with whatever the two of them had been doing behind closed doors. If they weren't hurting anyone else...why bother them? Jenna was just being an anal retentive bitch. Jenna marched into the room, followed by Dorothy and the twins.
Trowa looked up at the group that was staring at him and Quatre, snuggled together. As Jenna opened her mouth to say something scathing, but Trowa just shook his head, silencing her. He then leaned over and whispered in Quatre's ear. "Time to get up."
Quatre murmured and snuggled closer to Trowa. Trowa shook his head and looked up at Jenna apologetically. "Quatre, your sisters are here. I have to go," he said in a gentle voice.
The pouty sounding "No" was barely heard. Trowa sighed and whispered a little louder. "They are going to think that we did something weird."
Quatre involuntarily giggled at that statement and shifted a little, waking up a bit more. He rolled off the sofa and stretched a little, his face settling into an indifferent mask when he caught sight of Dorothy and Jenna. He helped Trowa up and embraced him, hard for a second before letting him go. Trowa barely heard the murmured "Koi, take care," before Quatre let him go.
Trowa leaned over and deliberately kissed Quatre on the mouth before stepping back and walking over to where Dorothy was. Serenity and Temperance hastily swallowed smiles as Jenna's back stiffened slightly. Dorothy restrained herself from applauding Trowa's actions. He had quite neatly laid the blame for anything that Jenna disapproved of at his feet, and then got out of range of her anger. A very smooth move on his part. Trowa was going to be so fun to be with! He had the most marvelous way about him.
Jenna raised her eyebrow to Trowa and nodded slightly, acknowledging whatever little machinations he had done to deflect her anger from Quatre. She regretted that he wasn't staying with her brother, he was clever, but...Quatre was not going to be allowed to see any of the other pilots, or he would be executed. And Jenna did not trust the household staff as much as she had in the past, it was too easy to slip in someone that was a spy. Relena was quite specific about that, Quatre communicating with his fellow pilots was not to be tolerated by the Queen of the World. But...the little idiot never mentioned anything about writing letters. She said e-mail, vid' phone, cell phone or in person was forbidden, but not anything about written letters. Not many people wrote letters any more, so she just didn't think of it. As part of Quatre's punishment, he was going to relearn the proper way to write a personal letter or any other type of correspondence she demanded of him. And it would give Trowa something to look forward to. Jenna didn't think that the younger girl, Dorothy, would be actively unkind to the other pilot, but hearing from Quatre would be good for him. And it would be good for Quatre to have some contact with someone outside the family.
Trowa nodded his goodbyes at the twins, then stepped over to Jenna and bowed, lightly grasping her hand to raise it up to his lips to give it a kiss. Jenna raised an eyebrow and wondered who had taught this silent pilot his manners. Or was it that almost anything he did seemed so elegant? Dorothy curtsied her good bye to Jenna and walked out the door, certain that Trowa would follow. After a brief, intense look passed between Quatre and himself, he did silently.
Quatre bit his lip, wondering if he would be able to see his friend again. He turned to Jenna and smiled sadly. "Thank you for not being unreasonable. I needed to see that he was safe and hear that the rest of the pilots were fine. He needed the same thing. I don't expect you to understand, but I thank you any way. I am willing now to return to my family and my duty."
Jenna smiled at him, kindly. "Part of your duty will wait, it will take a while to find a suitable wife for you. About a year or so."
Quatre's eyes widened at this announcement. And his 'uchuu no kokoro' told him that she was serious, but then finding a wife by committee would take a while, giving him enough time to heal himself. He lost what else she said, but was intrigued by her final statement, "...and I have thought up a few suitable punishments for you."
Trowa followed Dorothy silently down the corridor. He marveled at the fact that she trusted him to follow her. But then where could he go that he would not lead trouble to? He could believe that Relena had turned public opinion against them, it wasn't hard. They Gundam Pilots had been a symbol of everything that was wrong with the war, children that were willing to fight and die for their cause. When they came to the door of Dorothy's quarter's Trowa, stopped her and motioned that she should stay put, after she keyed open her door. Dorothy raised an eyebrow at him, but made a gesture that he could go in first. Trowa waved at her to stay outside while he checked on her rooms for intruders. It was just a feeling that he had, a feeling that a soldier most of his life had honed to almost ESPish gift, that he could tell if there was someone waiting on the other side of the door.
Trowa relaxed a little when all he found was Zechs Marquise waiting there for Dorothy. Trowa stopped. "Is she expecting you?"
Zechs almost smiled at that. He was being challenged by a boy that was most likely still suffering from the after effects of his little sister's poisoning attempt, had just been made a prisoner of war and had no idea what was going to happen to him in the future, but was trying to protect the girl that was partly responsible for his defeat.
"Dorothy isn't expecting me, but I would like to talk to her about her cousin Treize." Zechs said.
Trowa nodded and called out, "It is safe to come in now."
Dorothy walked through the door with a frown. "How did you know that there was someone in here? "
Trowa shrugged. "I've been on the run most of the last two years...it does give one certain abilities."
Zechs smiled and went over to hug Dorothy. "Treize is fine. He's going to be relocated to Earth, where he can recover from his injuries. They aren't serious, but he does need some care. And while that is happening, he will be living in a small house with a large rose garden. Someplace that he can be alone."
"How is he mentally?" Dorothy asked, "I found out before the battle that Relena had killed Lady Une. And that she had sent Hilde over the PeaceMillion to sabotage the Gundams and poison the crew. Your sister is quite insane. She destroyed so many lives because of her obsession with Heero Yuy."
Zechs sighed. "I know. And she has made herself untouchable among a lot of people. With her preaching of peace, she is thought to be the savior of the World. We are the evil hawks that perpetuated the war. She can't be removed from her place yet."
Dorothy shook her head. "That's not the only problem. She thinks that we would make a good couple. She wants me to 'court' you. I told her that it was better if the man did the chasing, so be prepared to pay some attention to me in a romantic way. Or I think that she will get rid of Treize. And I was afraid that if I said no...I would have been learning to breath vacuum if I did."
"I...I do not believe that," Zechs protested automatically, then sighed, "but I will try and be 'romantic' around you. But...all I see is a fellow soldier. Treize was the romantic one in our relationship. When we had one." Zechs sighed. "We are friends more then anything, too much wanting to be in control of the situation to have a romantic relationship with each other. We were comfort for each other when things got too rough."
Trowa nodded. It sounded like Zechs and Treize had the same arrangement that had been established with his fellow pilots.
Dorothy sighed and stretched. "It's been a long week. You go take care of Trieze. After a couple of hours of sleep, I'm going to move our base of operations to the new capital. I don't expect much help from Relena, she'll be too busy with her obsession. I can get things going, just leave a way of letting me make contact with you."
"And what about Trowa?" Zechs asked. He felt odd asking that question in front of him, like he was a child or a piece of furniture, but Trowa did have the knack of disappearing in plain sight, being ignored in a room full of people, so people did talk about him that way.
Dorothy smiled. "He just proved his worth right now, with checking out this room for me. So he is staying with me. You do know that Relena has managed to poison the public against all the pilots ...including yourself. I recommend that you become Mirialdo Peacecraft again. It will save you a lot of grief. I don't know if she spread her poison to bind Heero closer to her or if she was trying to force you to resume you birth name."
"Zechs Marquise has threatened to destroy the Earth. Mirialdo Peacecraft was a friend to both the Earth and the colonies, it would be less threatening and let you gather a stronger position with the public if you did resume your birth name." Trowa said softly.
"I'll think about it. And talk about it with Treize." Zechs said quietly.
He was mildly surprised that Trowa had voiced an opinion on the matter. But he did have a good point, Ambassador Peacecraft was a better persona then Zechs Marquise, even though he was more the soldier then the peaceful diplomat that traded verbal jabs with Lady Une. He could not believe that his sister would do such a thing! But killing Une had caused Treize to lose the mental edge that he had. Zechs had almost gone to Earth himself, at the news, to give Treize the shoulder that he needed to cry on. But he did not want to be Relena's pacifistic brother with all the blood that was on his hands. Not that his sister was an innocent either, she just never got her hands dirty, preferring to work through intermediaries.
"But for now, I will leave the two of you alone." Zechs said. "I'll give Treize your love and hope that everything works out. I don't know how I can tell him that my sister killed Lady Une. She didn't deserve to die like that." Zechs hugged Dorothy again and let himself out of the room.
Dorothy looked up at Trowa and sighed. "I was surprised that you had an opinion on the matter."
Trowa shrugged. Dorothy noticed that he did that a lot. A shrug was something that let the observer decide what to make of it. A shrug could also convey any number of things without saying anything really. And Trowa did seem to be a man of few words.
"You are both too close to the problem. And Dorothy, you really don't know the difficulties of switching your name around." Trowa said softly, his eyes on the floor. He was also surprised that he voiced his opinion on the matter. Both as Trowa and Nanashi, he had been silent and kept his own counsel. But something made him speak now. Maybe because he had nothing left to lose. Nanashi had kept quiet so that he wouldn't be noticed. Trowa, because he had no desire to give an opinion about anything. He knew his limitations. He was a good follower and a fair tactician, but not a leader like Quatre and Heero had been.
Dorothy nodded. "I don't. And you don't have any idea what my plans are for you?" she asked with a tired smile. "To tell the truth. I don't either. But you had fought too hard to be simply cast adrift again."
"I thank you for your consideration." Trowa said, slightly surprised. The others had been more active, more colorful. He expected them to be noticed. Not himself.
Dorothy sat down on one of the chairs in the room. "You know I went to see one of your performances at the Circus. I admired the way that you didn't even flinch when Catherine was throwing those knives at you. I didn't know if it was because you had no fear or the fact that you didn't care if she hurt you, because you already thought of yourself as dead, because you were a Gundam pilot."
"Catherine was the artist there. I simply let her display her talent." Trowa said modestly, not answering her question.
"Not many people would let someone throw knives at them." Dorothy said. "So don't dismiss your contribution to the show. I know that I couldn't do that."
"So why aren't you letting me return to her?" Trowa asked.
"Because I don't think that it would be safe for them. Relena has a very winning way about her, that helped her turn public opinion against you. And she knows about your connection there. If she wanted to, she would arrange for an 'accident' that would kill or ruin everyone there. You've seen her work first hand. Do you want to risk them and other innocent people?"
Trowa shook his head no. Dorothy smiled. "And how did the others react to your silence?"
Trowa said quietly, "Duo and Quatre filled the silences for us. I was not the only one that was quiet. Heero never said much and Wufei, aside from the occasional rant, was quiet. But Duo would ramble on about anything if we were in the mood to hear it. He also knew when to be quiet, though no one would believe it. Quatre also knew the art of small talk, I think that it was from all his family. And then there were the Maguanacs. They could make any occasion a party."
Dorothy smiled. "You know that is the most that I have heard you say since I meet you. You are not only quiet, but can blend into the background. People have a tendency to overlook you. Or if they don't, they aren't threatened by you. So I would like it if you would stay with me and be my bodyguard. I know that the Romafellers are not going to be pleased with this turn of events. And I trust Relena as far as I can throw a Gundam. I need you. And may be in a year or five, you can get a life. Be what you want to be. I'm not going to really restrict your activities. You can still practice your music, study, and do almost anything that you want, when I don't need you."
"Except be free." Trowa reminded her. He was confused about why Dorothy had said what she had said. What she wanted from him could be supplied by almost any trained soldier. Why did she want him?
End Part One
At this point in time, Duo and Wufei, along with the Maguanacs run away happily, because they aren't going to get involved further in this story. They spend the rest of this AU story, relieved that they aren't getting tortured by the author. Duo especially, since I tortured him a lot in other things, already. They sit around and contemplate the end of Chibi! Chibi! Chibi!, have visions of a chibi Rashid, (scary!) and enjoy the host of 5x2/2x5 fics that they get to frolic and boink in, written by nice authors who don't torture them like I do. Chibi! Chibi! Chibi!, can be found at Yaoi no Hentai's Hidden Vault and a few other places once I post it in its entirety. I have just put up a fragment of it. Now back to the story. And I feel like J. B. B. Bury for writing such a long footnote. But at least it's in English. Explanations will be provided for those that do not get the author reference. It's semi-obscure history reference.
Christine
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