Timeless
Part 22
by Nazarri
The ride to the spaceport was difficult since Duo and Heero were being so closely watched by security and could not be open about their relationship. They sat on opposite sides of the car, staring out of their own windows.
"Do you ever dream of them?" Heero asked, his voice surprisingly timid.
Duo did not need to ask what Heero meant. He looked over at his husband, wondering what brought on this certain line of questioning. "Sure, sometimes. Why?"
Heero seemed to hesitate for a moment, like he really wasn't sure how to put his thoughts into words. "I dreamed about Quatre last night."
Now, very interested, Duo turned fully toward Heero and leaned in close. "Really?"
"Trowa too." Heero faced Duo. "It felt so real."
Duo could see the utter confusion in Heero's eyes. "Maybe is was real, Heero. I mean, there are so many things that we don't understand. What if our dreams are the only place that our friends can touch us since they have already gone on to the other side? One night, I had a dream with Wufei in it. He told me that we are warriors of God and that we are always together."
"You and Wufei?" Heero frowned.
"No!" Duo quickly corrected. "The five of us. I think some others too."
"We are eight." Heero said the words then looked quite shocked as he realized that he said something very important. Then he remembered more about the dream. "There was a stone table. Our names were side by side."
Duo smiled as he slid his hand across the seat to cover Heero's in a comforting gesture. "Yes, Heero. Forever together, side by side. Sometimes we make mistakes, like Hilde and me. Sometimes we have God's work to do, like you protecting Relena to keep peace. But we always come back together, even if it's not until our bodies die. That is the way of things. Nothing can ever change that, nothing. We are always, without beginning or end."
Heero looked into Duo's eyes, he could see into forever within them. A chill went through his body. What Duo said was true; there was no doubt in Heero's soul. The concept was so overwhelming and comforting at the same time.
They had reached the spaceport and the car came to a stop. Military security immediately surrounded the vehicle then opened the doors. Duo and Heero piled out and were escorted to the terminal.
"Arrival?" Heero asked.
"Any minute now, General Yuy."
Relena approached with her warm smile. "Heero. What brings you here?" Heero turned his gaze on her; his eyes were as cold as she had ever seen them.
"Duo and I are here to pick up his children and their Mother."
"His wife, Heero. Hilde is Duo's wife. They are still legally married." As she stood there staring at Heero, daring him to contradict her, Relena could have sworn she heard a growl coming from his throat. She could see for certain that there was a snarl on his face. What was it about that man and his growling?
Duo watched and waited, standing apart from the security but within Heero's reach. The large window quickly filled with the large body of the shuttle. His heart raced and it took a great deal of control for him to not jump up and down.
People started shuffling out of the shuttle very slowly. Duo stood right in front of the exit despite the rude glares he received from the other passengers and their awaiting families.
"Daddy!" came a delighted squeal that made everyone's head turn.
Rain ran up to her Dad as he squatted down to be eye level with her. Duo opened his loving arms as his little daughter ran into his embrace. "Oh Rainy!" Duo barely managed hold back his tears of joy as he held his little girl once again. He showered her cute little face with baby kisses as Rain squealed with delight.
Heero would have watched the joyful reunion if he hadn't been in a glaring contest with one Hilde Maxwell.
The spiteful woman stood there in silent rage as she realized that somehow she had been foiled. Her plans of surprise were all shot down in a moment of shocked reality. As she stood there with a death grip on the baby carrier, Hilde glared at the man she knew to be responsible, Heero Yuy.
Noticing that the baby was still in the carrier, Heero walked up to Hilde. Without breaking eye contact, Heero tried to relieve the woman of her burden. Hilde's steel grip constricted in vain. Heero simply took her pinky finger and pulled, forcing Hilde to release the carrier. "This shit stops here." Heero hissed.
Feeling rather helpless, Hilde watched as Heero carried her son over to Duo. Fury washed over her as Duo released his hold on Rain and reached down into the carrier to pick up little Sky. Hilde hated the sight in front of her. To see Duo happy with Heero and holding her children felt like a killing blow.
Heero picked up Rain as Duo cradled the baby in his arms. She immediately found all of his medals fascinating.
Duo sighed. "Oh Heero! Look how much he has grown!"
Having no clue about babies or children, Heero just nodded his agreement. He felt the sheer joy coming from his beloved. He silently vowed that Duo would get to feel this way more often! "They both look just like you, Duo."
Duo beamed at his husband. "Thank you, Heero."
Hilde looked around for anything that could take her mind off of what was happening. She saw Relena standing off to the side greeting the dignitaries from L3. Hilde walked forward. "Relena!"
As she heard her named called, Relena looked over to see a furious Hilde making her way through the crowd toward her. She actually felt sorry for the woman, but Heero's presence was not her fault nor idea. Hilde looked mad enough to lash out physically, so she took a step back.
Dorothy's eagle eye spotted Hilde's movements, so she quickly situated herself behind the Queen. She felt no need to inform Relena that she was there; she only wanted Hilde to know. Dorothy was certain that Relena's security was already on the approaching woman. But this was personal and she would stand behind the woman she loved.
Seeing a quick fluid movement behind Relena, Hilde shuddered at what she saw. Dorothy, she knew the name, dressed in a black leather form-fitting cat suit and bitch boots to match. The woman had her knee-length hair in a ponytail jutting out of the back of her head. Dorothy placed her hands on her hips and stood protectively behind the Queen, her gaze unwavering.
Nonetheless, Hilde was going to ask some questions. "Relena! What is going on? I thought that you had this all arranged?"
Relena took a deep breath and squared her shoulders to face Hilde. "I did my part. If you had listened to me about reconciling with Duo, you would not be in this situation. You still have time to make this right, please don't give up on your marriage."
Hilde closed her eyes to gain some sort of inner control. She wanted to lash out at something. Anything. "You don't understand." She gritted out through clenched teeth. "It is too late, even if I had changed my mind. Which I haven't!" Hilde opened her eyes and looked into Relena's. "Heero will never let him go now. They have found each other again. Everything is fixed and you can't change it!" Hilde turned around and walked away.
Relena felt a swish of hair behind her; she immediately recognized the perfume that permeated the air. Dorothy. She turned around just in time to see her friend's retreating figure. "Dorothy!"
Dorothy continued to walk away even though she had heard Relena call to her. She was still angry with the young Queen and she didn't want to talk to her.
But Relena was a persistent person and she followed her friend. "Dorothy! Please talk to me! Don't leave me like this" But Dorothy continued walking. "Please, Dorothy! I don't understand what I have done wrong!"
This caused Dorothy to stop, and then she slowly turned to face Relena. "You really don't understand, do you?"
There was no denying the confusion in Relena's face.
Dorothy closed the space between them. The zipper on the front of her leather cat suit was open enough to reveal her perfect and very ample cleavage. With her spiked heals on; her chest was eye-level to the young Queen. She leaned forward slightly to ensure that Relena's eyesight was filled with nothing but Dorothy. "Why do I need to explain this to you? Since you met him, Yuy has been ignoring you, pointing guns at your face, threatening to kill you, treating you with indifference and yet you see a romantic fantasy? Who did this to you, Relena? Who taught you that such things equal love?"
"He's not like that! He saved my life!"
"Duo saved your life first. Does that mean that you love him or that he loves you? Do I need to remind you why Duo had to save your life?"
Relena defiantly raised her chin. "Heero wouldn't have killed me!"
Dorothy raised one of her spiked eyebrows. "Really? Are you so sure?"
"Yes."
"Again, we come to the important issue. He has pointed guns at you with the intent to take your life. He treats you with disrespectful indifference; this does not equal love, Relena. There is something seriously wrong when this kind of behavior intrigues you."
Dorothy watched Relena's face and realized that she was not getting through to the woman. "Give it up, Relena! It's been a joke from the start. He doesn't love you! I am the one that loves you! I have always loved you. But you can't see it because you have your head so far up your ass all you see is this sick childish fantasy!"
Dorothy stood up straight and let out a sigh. "And I hate it!" With that said, she walked away leaving Relena in a state of shock.
Heero looked at his closest security persons and nodded in Hilde's direction. "Get her stuff and escort her to the car."
Hilde looked as if she was going to protest, but a huge military guy graciously took her bags and headed for the car without waiting for her opinion on the matter. Another officer offered Hilde his arm, but she just glared at the gentleman and followed the man with her luggage.
Duo lovingly placed his son back into the carrier and buckled him in as Rain chattered excitedly about her first space trip. He stood and carried Rain on one hip and took the baby carrier into the other. He looked at Heero and gave him the most wonderful smile before the four of them headed out toward the waiting car.
Relena saw Heero and Duo heading to the car. She made sure that the L3 dignitaries were getting help with their belongings then she followed Heero out of the spaceport.
"Heero, wait!" Relena froze when she saw him at the car door. She was stunned to see Heero's hand on the small of Duo's back, such a subtle but intimate gesture. She swallowed hard; he had never done anything like that for her. Heero never touched her just for the sake of doing so. Not even when they were first married and actually had sex. His touch was never loving or caring. It was simply get it done and roll over. Relena didn't even know about foreplay until she heard some her women giggling about doing such things with their lovers.
Heero heard Relena's voice, but he did not turn around. He was helping Duo and the children get into the car where Hilde was already waiting.
Relena walked up to Heero. "I want to talk to you."
Heero secured the safety belt on Rain then turned around. "What?"
She tried to catch his eyes with her own, but he was looking anywhere except at her.
"Heero," She began timidly. "Do you love me?"
Photographers and reporters saw the Queen and Prince standing together at a car, they all rushed over to get pictures. They were so rarely seen together and this provided such an excellent opportunity. A crowd started to form over the spectacle.
Duo blinked from his seat in the back of the car. Cameras and flashes were going off in all directions around them, security holding the line. Young women waved frantically at the royal pair, giggling and cooing. "Look how cute they are together! Don't they have the perfect relationship! Aren't they sweet! Swoon! Dreamy! They are the perfect couple! A match made in heaven!"
Duo felt his stomach turn upon hearing those young women making such a big deal out of Heero and Relena just standing together outside the car.
Across from him, Hilde sneered. "Everyone loves the Queen and her Prince!"
Needing to look away from the disgusting display before he lost his lunch, Duo focused on his children.
Rain looked up at her Dad. "Daddy, why do you look like you are going to cry?"
A loud mean cruel laugh erupted from Hilde's chest.
Duo wanted to die.
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