Lies - Between Friends and Lovers
Chapter 45
by Dyna Dee
Quatre woke slowly to the familiar nagging of his alarm clock. Flinging his arm in the direction from where the irritating disturbance was coming from, he slapped the button that brought immediate and blissful silence. He stretched and yawned loudly, feeling the slight ache that accompanied a vigorous bout of love making. It was Sunday, his mind recalled, causing him to smile. He simply adored Sundays. There was no where either one of them needed to be today, and no work or familial obligations. Whenever possible he and Trowa liked to spend Sunday morning lying abed while reading the newspaper, talking or simply enjoying each other. Reaching out to his left, he was disappointed to find Trowa's side of the bed vacant, the sheets cool to the touch. The barely audible sound of water running in the bathroom could now be heard, but a moment later it ended, indicating the shower had been shut off.
Several minutes later the bathroom door opened and he turned his head in time to watch his lover emerge wearing a pale blue towel wrapped around his waist. With his auburn hair combed back it was easy to see those stunning green eyes brighten as they turned to him. Trowa's lips curved upward as he strolled to the bed. Once he reached it, he bent over to kiss his lover good morning.
Quatre was aware his breath was probably less than appealing at the moment, so he kept the kiss brief, but that didn't stop him from hugging Trowa or copping a feel of the treasures hidden beneath the towel. The good news they'd received the night before seemed to have made the both of them rather insatiable.
Just as his lover pressed him down into the mattress the vid phone rang. With an apologetic smile, Trowa straightened and moved towards the desk. Over his shoulder he said, "Go ahead and take your shower. I'll handle this." Inserting the earpiece into his ear, Trowa hit the appropriate button and received the call with a quiet hello then listened to whatever the caller was saying. Though he was curious, Quatre knew Trowa would give him an account of who was calling and of his conversation. He made his way to the bathroom looking forward to a nice hot shower.
A good half hour had passed by the time he exited the bathroom wearing his favorite yellow bathrobe. Much to his disappointment, Trowa was fully dressed and sitting on the edge of the made-up bed. Figuring his lover really was ready to start the day, the blond proceeded to the dresser and asked over his shoulder. "Who called?"
"Heero. And five minutes after I hung up, Duo called."
With underwear and socks in hand, Quatre turned around, a worried crease forming between his eyes once more. Trowa continued. "Heero informed me he's on his way to Sanq and that he'll be leaving Earth shortly after he reports to Preventers, returning to L4 with an ETA sometime late Monday morning. He wants to speak with both of us about the report Agent Warfield submitted last night. I have the feeling that something in her report has aroused his suspicions."
Discarding his robe and pulling on his boxer briefs, Quatre asked, "What do you think it is?"
Trowa shrugged. "I'm not sure. Perhaps we didn't display proper concern for Wufei's absence. Agent Warfield might not have been able to capture in words your worried expression."
"I'm not much of an actor," the blond said as he moved to his closet and threw open the doors to look inside.
"You did well enough," Trowa answered. "I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what he suspects. We're in sync with our version of our last meeting with Wufei, so even if Heero splits us up to interrogate us, we'll be on the same page."
The look of worry on Quatre's face persisted. He glanced at the clock on the bedside table and noted the time was 8:10 a.m. "When are you supposed to leave for L2?"
"From here, around four tomorrow morning if I'm to pick up the crew and get there by late morning."
Quatre frowned. "You can't possibly be back in time to meet Heero. He's going to become suspicious of your frequent absences, regardless of any explanation I give him."
"I've already thought of that. When Duo called, I asked him to rendezvous with us a little closer to home. We briefly reviewed our discussion last night and he'll recheck with Rashid to make sure all the planet-side arrangements have been made."
"Did you tell him Wufei isn't to know he's involved or that there's a second ship. If he sees Duo, he'll realized we've lied to him, again. That might make him angry enough to do something we'll all regret."
"Yes, I instructed Duo not to let Wufei see him or his ship. I've got that part all figured out also." Then stepping forward to pick up one of the two socks that lay on the bed, Trowa directed the blond to sit down the edge of the mattress. Kneeling before him he began to slip it over his lover's slender foot. "I don't want you worrying unnecessarily about Wufei's reaction," he continued. "He's more level headed than he has ever been before. He'll remain true to his word even when he finds out there was a bit more to our operation than just supplying food to L2."
Several moments of silence stretched out as Quatre waited for his lover to elaborate on his plan. When it looked like Trowa wasn't going to say anything further, he tilted his head and said, "You're not going to tell me all that you have planned, are you?"
A ghost of a smile graced the brunet's handsome face. Having now pulled on both socks on Quatre's feet, he kissed one pale knee before him before rising. "It will make a good story when Wufei calls. Trust me, everything is going to work out."
Standing, Quatre slipped on a pair of pleated trousers and a polo shirt he'd selected, definitely dressing down for a day at home. And while he dressed his thoughts remained on Trowa's trip to L2 and what the end of the next day might bring. He then remembered that Duo had also called. "Why did Duo call?"
"Heero discovered Taylor."
"What!" Quatre's face blanched.
"Heero made a sudden trip to New York, intending to surprise Duo at the premiere he was to attend last Friday, the one Taylor was covering for him." Quatre's eyes widened almost comically with a look of horror. Trowa continued. "Heero wasn't fooled by Taylor's resemblance to Duo. He confronted him and apparently whisked him away from the theater and back to the apartment where he kept him hostage until Duo returned Saturday evening. Duo said the scene was rather tense at first, but he and Heero talked and he managed to convince Heero that Taylor is merely his stand-in for events he doesn't want to attend. Of course Heero questioned him about what he does when Taylor is taking his place. He's obviously trying to put two and two together, but Duo thinks he managed to persuade him that he really just wants to be free to be himself for a day or two, away from photographers and the public eye. Oh," he remembered something else. "If Heero asks, we stick to the story about Duo using the cabin up in Vermont."
The crease between Quatre's eyebrows deepened, a sign that his worrying was escalating. "Did he ask about the marauders or Relena?"
"Duo didn't say. But having learned about Taylor, Heero is bound to question again whether it was Duo or Taylor who was the at the restaurant when Relena was kidnaped. We'll have to make sure Taylor has his story straight. And knowing Duo, I'm sure he's been thoroughly coached by now to say he was somewhere else that night and that Duo was the one in that restaurant. We don't want to add any more to Heero's growing list of suspicions."
"Do you think Heero would arrest Duo if he did discover some link between him and the raids?"
Trowa contemplated that question for a moment. "I don't know. Heero has always been rather enigmatic. Choosing between his scruples and Duo might be one of his greatest challenges."
They both silently wondered what their Preventer friend would do if he found out about their involvement. While he might not be willing to haul Duo in, he didn't have the same emotional tie to them as he did the American.
Quatre looked up at Trowa, worry etched in his blue eyes as he stated, "I've got the papers drawn up that will turn over my shares of the family's business in case we're arrested, tried and found guilty of our crimes." Breaking eye contact, he moved to the bed and picked up his belt. The lighter, celebratory mood they had shared the night before was gone. Before beginning their quest to save L2's citizens from starving, preparations had been made to protect the family's business if they were identified as the men behind the raids on the freighters. They'd done their best to see that the ships they'd targeted were recompensed and that they operated without harming any member of the ships' crews. As careful as they had been, the odds of being discovered grew each time they boarded a freighter and confiscated a portion of their goods.
"I'm sure it won't come down to Heero having to make that decision," Trowa said, approaching his lover and gently brushing his hands aside to finish buckling his belt. "If Wufei can understand our reasons for what we do, enough to abandon his job as a Preventer to join us, there is hope Heero can be persuaded of our good intentions." Pulling the end of the belt through the last loop, Trowa gave the belt a small tug, bringing the blond even closer. Then putting his hand on Quatre's chin and raised it slightly so he lean down and place a kiss on his lips. As natural as taking a breath, Quatre leaned into his lover, savoring the taste and touch of the man he loved so dearly.
Abruptly breaking the kiss, the blond businessman wrapped his arms around the taller man and held him tightly. "I don't want to lose you, Trowa," he whispered, his voice strained and his eyes welling up at the thought of possibly being separated from his lover for many years.
Running his hand over the blond hair, Trowa said with as much confidence as he could muster, "You'll never lose me, my heart."
"If we're convicted and sent to prison, it will be just like losing you."
"Then I'll be even more careful on this last run."
"But Heero..."
"Will be kept in the dark," the brunet said firmly. "We will each keep playing our parts and hold on for another couple of days. Once Relena is returned to Earth, she'll do something about L2's situation. Hilde wouldn't have alerted Howard unless she'd seen a definite change in her."
"I pray that you're right, Trowa. Relena is our last hope for reaching the public and putting enough pressure on the UEC to begin changing what's been happening on L2. I can bear the thought of losing my home, money and even the respect of my family, but I can't imagine life without you."
"We've talked all of this out before. You, Duo and I all agreed that the lives of the people on L2 were worth the risks we've taken. Do you feel differently now that we might have become suspects?"
Quatre's answer was immediate. "No. The actions we took were necessary. Someone had to step forward and help those unfortunate people. I can't regret what we've done in order to save them or agreeing to help Duo when he asked for our support. It was the right thing to do, even if we are found out and arrested."
Reluctantly easing back, Quatre looked up and into the green eyes of his lover and saw love and reassurance in their depths. Trowa brushed back the soft blond curls hovering over his lover's left temple and tucked them behind his ear. "Hold onto that thought, Quatre. I swear to you that if we are arrested, charged and sentenced to prison, I'll find a way to be with you, even if I have to break the both of us out. We'll live on the run, if we have blue funk."
"Just like the good old days."
Trowa gave his lover a smile and nod of his head.
"You are my heart and soul," Quatre said as he stroked Trowa's cleanly shaved cheek, knowing that Trowa knew his declaration to be true.
And just has honestly, Trowa replied, "And you are everything to me."
The kiss that followed was tender yet transmitted a hint of desperation, and then they held each other for several minutes before leaving the bedroom together, hand in hand. There were still tasks that needed to be completed before Trowa's departure the next morning, but all of that could wait until after breakfast.
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