By: Spooks
~ ~ ~ ~
Halfway around the world, while the Winner household was falling asleep, Sally Po was just finishing her lunch. One of the field agents had brought in a grab bag full of deli sandwiches, and she had been lucky enough to snag one before they were all gone. If not for this, she probably would have forgotten to eat until much later in the day.
That morning she had interviewed a few employees of Sakano Inc., the real estate company that had owned the destroyed apartment building. After leaving, she had called in a few favors with the Preventers’ tracking department.
Popping the last bit of bread into her mouth, Sally twisted her wrist to check her watch. The information she requested probably wouldn’t be available until that afternoon at the earliest, tomorrow night at the latest, so she had ample time to follow up on another lead. Sally definitely wanted to be present when the information arrived, especially since she was being guided by a hunch.
Sally hoped and prayed that she was wrong. She supposed she’d know soon enough.
Rising from behind her small desk with a sigh, the woman pulled on her uniform jacket and straightened her identification badge. Satisfied, she hurried out the door into the greater office, passing a few junior agents with a smile and wave.
Some time later Sally climbed out of the car she had driven to the hotel. She hated the traffic that seemed to constantly choke the roads, and the wholly unhelpful directions she had been given had only made matters worse. Sally took a deep breath, pocketed the car keys and headed inside the small lobby.
As soon as she stepped through the door, a wave of cool, clean-smelling air washed over her. Nice. Her boots clipped against the fake marble flooring as she made her way up to the large front desk.
“Welcome to Chester International. May I help you, ma’am? Would you like to register a room?” The young Japanese woman behind the counter asked, her voice dripping polite sweetness.
“Yes, you can help me, but not about a room,” Sally lay her badge on the counter and let the girl examine it.
“Um, is there a problem?” The clerk finally asked, her voice as tight as the forced smile on her face.
“No, there’s not. I’m Preventer Sally Po. May I speak with your manager, please?” Sally smiled at the nervous young woman.
“Yes, Preventer Po. Just give me a minute to go get her,” the desk clerk replied. She stood up and disappeared through a door behind the desk.
Sally leaned her elbows on the high desk and waited patiently. Almost five minutes later, the clerk returned, leading a tall redhead in an expensive business suit.
“Here she is, Ms. Johnson,” the young woman said to the redhead as she sat down in her chair again. The clerk shrank away from the businesswoman, leaning close to the computer screen in front of her.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Johnson. Are you the manager?” Sally asked.
“Yes, I am. I also own the hotel. Not the chain of course, but this particular building. May I help you?” The tall woman replied, clearing throat importantly.
“I certainly hope so. My name is Preventer Sally Po and I just need to ask about a couple guests that stayed here recently. I also would like to speak with the person that manned the front desk on the morning of the twenty-eighth,” Sally summarized politely. Seeing the sudden paling of the desk clerk’s face, the Preventer continued. “Don’t worry. No one is in any trouble.”
“Well, Preventer Po, thank you for being so frank. Come back into my office, please, and we’ll see what I can do to assist you,” Ms. Johnson said evenly, her voice purely professional but slightly angry. She glared briefly at the desk clerk before opening a door to the right of the hotel counter so that Sally could come back to the office area.
Once they entered Ms. Johnson’s office, the redheaded woman closed the door firmly. “Preventer Po, let us get this out of the way as soon as possible. I’m sure you have more important things that require your attention, as do I. What do you need to know?”
“There were two young men staying in this hotel on the twenty-eighth, and for at least a few days beforehand. They were given information by one of your desk clerks that lead them to Sakano Inc., a real estate company. I just need to speak with the desk clerk that worked the morning of the twenty-eighth in order to ascertain why she tipped them to go to that particular real estate company,” Sally summarized.
“Well. I assure you that my employees are not allowed to solicit for any companies not already affiliated with Chester International Hotels. That is not our policy,” Ms. Johnson stated. She pursed her lips together until they made one hard lipsticked line.
“All right, Ms. Johnson. I understand. Would it be possible from me to speak with the desk clerk herself, then? According to the description I was given, the clerk was a young Japanese woman.”
“As long as you understand, especially if this leads to more extensive involvement later, that this employee was acting under her own will and not taking action related to or encouraged by the professional administration and corporation of Chester International Hotels,” the businesswoman insisted. Her eyes darted briefly towards the office door.
“Yes, I’ve already said that I understand that. You don’t have to keep covering for your company, no one is in any trouble,” Sally said evenly.
“As long as we understand each other,” Ms. Johnson nodded sharply. “I’m sure this has something to do with the apartment building incident, the one owned by Sakano Inc.”
“And why would you assume that this is about that tragedy?” Sally asked, her eyes narrowing. She couldn’t believe anyone would call such a large loss of life an “incident.”
“Isn’t it obvious, Preventer Po? It’s common knowledge that specialists from the Preventers have been called in to deal with the incident. It’s been all over the papers that the complex was owned by Sakano Inc. They’re taking a bath on the loss of the property, and no amount of spin from their PR department will help them recover from having one of their more sought after buildings blown to shreds. When a Preventer comes snooping around my hotel about so many things that line up with the incident, it’s an easy jump in logic,” the woman replied, her tone almost fierce. Her polite smile stretched so wide that it was more a bearing of teeth than an expression of pleasantness.
“Well, Ms. Johnson, even if it were about that particular case, then I wouldn’t be at liberty to confirm or deny your allegations without having just cause,” Sally shot back, her voice deadly calm. “Just go get the girl from behind the desk, I already know it was her working out there on the date in question. This will only take a few minutes of your precious time.”
“Very well, Preventer Po,” the redhead said. She walked quickly to the office door, opened it, and barked out to the girl. “Get in here, Cynthia. Now.”
A moment of scuffling later, and the young woman was standing in the doorway. She shifted from foot to foot and adjusted the sleeves of her business jacket.
Sally turned to hotel owner. “Ms. Johnson, may I have a few words with Cynthia alone?”
“Of course,” the woman replied coldly. As she walked past the girl, Ms. Johnson glared. “We will speak later, Cynthia. This may be it for your job here.”
With that, the businesswoman closed the door firmly. Little sharp clicks of heels on hard flooring made their way from the office and towards the front desk.
“Come in and close the door, please,” Sally smiled at the nervous girl.
“Okay,” Cynthia whispered hoarsely, her eyes watering as she closed the door and leaned against it. She blinked rapidly. “Am I being arrested?”
“No, no. Of course not. I just need to ask you a few things,” Sally sat down in one of the office chairs, letting the girl remain standing. If the Preventer was physically lower than the girl, it may encourage her to feel more at ease, and therefore give Sally the information she desired.
“What do you need to ask?” Cynthia tucked a strand of hair back behind one ear and tentatively sat down in the small chair beside Sally. The girl stared at the ground.
“Do you remember, back on Monday the twenty-eighth, a longhaired American man coming up to the front desk and speaking with you?” Sally prodded gently.
Cynthia looked up briefly and nodded. She bit her lip and returned her gaze to the floor almost immediately.
“Do you remember him asking you about realtors in the area?”
“Um, yes?”
“And you referred him to...” Sally let her voice trail off.
The girl looked up again. “Sakano Inc.”
Sally nodded, holding Cynthia’s jumpy gaze. “Why?”
“I...” the girl chewed on her lower lip.
“I promise that you won’t get in trouble for telling the truth. You’re not under investigation here, Cynthia, I just need some information that only you may possess,” Sally encouraged. She forced herself to relax her posture. “In this regard, only you can help me.”
“A girl paid me, giving me the names and descriptions of two of our guests. She seemed to know them. I was supposed to slip a brochure under their door later that morning, but when the American guy came by and asked, I just told him instead. I made up some big long reason why I was recommending them, but I don’t remember it. I didn’t even remember to give the guy the brochures...I’m sorry!” She exclaimed suddenly, wringing her hands together in her lap.
Sally took a deep breath. Well, part of her hunch was correct. It was a dreadful feeling, being right. “Do you think you can you describe the person who bribed you?”
Cynthia nodded. “She was around my age I guess--23 or so--and was wearing this really big hat. I remember the hat most of all, because it had a huge floppy brim, but she had it pulled down so tight on her head that I kept thinking it was going to fall off. I couldn’t even see her hair, but I guess it was stuffed up in the hat.”
Sally sighed mentally. A large hat probably meant that any overhead surveillance cameras wouldn’t catch the person’s face. “Do you think, perhaps, that you could identify her again if I showed you a picture?”
“I guess. Well, probably.”
“Excellent, I may need to speak with you again, if only to look at a few pictures. Would that be all right with you?” Sally asked, being careful not to sound too excited.
“Sure, but I probably won’t be here at the hotel. I have a feeling that I’m about to be fired,” the girl sighed and swallowed thickly.
“My dear, it wouldn’t be a great loss. Between you and I, working under your boss must be quite...stressful,” Sally grinned at the girl, and was satisfied to see her smile back. “Let me have a word with her, and perhaps you can keep your job for at a little while longer. Long enough that you can find another place to work, anyway.”
“Thanks,” Cynthia’s smile grew less shaky.
“Here’s the number for the Preventer’s field office, in case I’m not able to make it back here in time. Just ask for Sally and either you’ll get me or someone will take a message. May I have your full name and a number where I can reach you?” Sally requested, hoping that she wouldn’t have to push the issue.
“Uh, yeah,” Cynthia blinked rapidly and took Sally’s card. She took another one and scribbled her own number on the back of it, then handed the little card back to the tall woman.
“Thank you, Cynthia, you’ve been extremely helpful,” Sally stood. She waited for the girl to get to her feet, then went and opened the door.
A moment later, Ms. Johnson strode into the room, sending a hard glance at Cynthia’s retreating back. “Well, thank you, Preventer Po. Are you finished?”
”Yes, I am. For now, at least,” Sally nodded, her voice pure business. “And might I commend you on the caliber of your employees? It’s not every day that someone is so helpful without being rude or reluctant about doing so. It would be a shame to lose someone like that.”
“Thank you for your assessment, Preventer,” Ms. Johnson sniffed haughtily.
“Oh, and one last thing,” Sally paused at the doorway. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t ask Cynthia about what we discussed in our interview. It could be construed as illegal to do so, at least under certain interpretations of the privacy laws.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” the businesswoman growled. “Good day, Preventer.”
"Thank you very much, Ms. Johnson,” Sally replied with a wide, toothy smile. “It’s been a pleasure.”
“Indeed,” the redhead clipped before closing her office door.
Sally winked at a beaming Cynthia as she exited the lobby.
Outside, in the car, however, Sally felt her face crumple. She needed to check up on a few more things, but it seemed as though everything was starting to come together in her mind. Jamming the keys into the ignition, Sally fought down a feeling of growing horror. As the engine roared to life, she picked up her portable phone and dialed the temporary field office.
“Preventers,” a deep voice replied after the first ring. “Marsh speaking.”
“This is Po. I need you to find the locations and contact information for the person or persons that previously lived in the apartment rented by Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell,” Sally clipped out. “I want it all ready for me by the time I reach the office. Also, I need someone to get warrants for the security tapes of every camera facing the street in a three block radius of Chester International Hotel. The date needed is the twenty-eighth of last month. Get the street and lobby tapes from the hotel itself as well. The address is on my desk. I need those tapes and the means to watch them in office as soon as possible.”
"Sure thing, boss lady,” the man replied. “I’ll get a couple of people right on it. You think it may lead to something? We’re all starting to feel rather pissy about the lack of progress we’ve been making lately.”
"Well, Marsh, we’ll see, won’t we?” Sally answered, feeling her mood lighten just a little.
“I suppose so,” Marsh laughed. “We’ll get on it right away.”
"Thank you. See you in about thirty minutes.”
“Sure thing.”
Sally hung up and put on her seatbelt. A moment later she was speeding back towards the field office. Damn, she hoped she was wrong.
~ ~ ~ ~
“Hey, Trowa?” Quatre swiveled his chair away from the computer screen.
“Hm?” Trowa pulled a shirt over his head and glanced over at his fiancé.
“You got an email from Catherine,” Quatre continued, jerking his thumb in the direction of the computer screen. “She sent it to my account because, and I quote the subject line, ‘You never check your email, Trowa.’”
“Yes I do, it just takes me a few days. Or weeks,” Trowa shrugged. “You, on the other hand, check your email five times a day.”
Quatre rolled his eyes and stood up from the chair to let Trowa to use the computer. The blond man decided to get ready for the day. First things first, he decided, and headed for the bathroom to brush his teeth. He hated having morning breath.
Trowa appeared in the bathroom door a minute later. “Cathy managed to get her schedule moved around. It turns out she can be here the day after tomorrow, probably in the evening.”
“That’s better than two days after tomorrow, isn’t it?” Quatre replied around a mouth full of toothpaste.
“That it is,” Trowa agreed.
Quatre spit into the sink and took a sip of water. After swishing, the water joined the toothpaste foam in the sink’s basin. “What time is it? Do you still want to go into town this morning? Ring shopping?”
Trowa checked his watch. “It’s a little after nine, and of course I want to go ring shopping.”
“Good,” Quatre said loudly as he turned on the sink tap. He grinned at his reflection, then turned towards the taller man. “Shall we?”
“After you get dressed, I assume?” Trowa returned.
“That won’t take a minute,” Quatre raised his eyebrows. “Unless I get distracted...”
“We’ve already been distracted. If we get more distracted, we’ll never emerge from this room,” Trowa let a small grin appear on his face.
“Good point, but I can’t say that I’d mind.”
“Neither would I, but I’m sure that eventually someone would come looking for us,” Trowa said reasonably as he watched Quatre button his pants.
“Well, I don’t know about that. Not with all the distractions everyone’s had lately,” Quatre surveyed his shirts, wrinkled his nose at them, then pulled a green one off a hanger and started putting it on. “Stalkers, pregnancies, and tension.”
Trowa nodded. “Not to mention Wufei simmering over a whole assortment of things.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Well, the Relena thing,” Trowa paused, “And now I think he’s getting worked up over May and Hakim. He’s going into over-protective mode, and I don’t think Mariemeia is going to appreciate that.”
“Probably not,” Quatre nodded. “May’s growing up, and I don’t think that Wufei realizes it. I hope they don’t end up fighting about it. They both have explosive tempers.”
“At least Wufei has a slower burning fuse than he used to.”
“True,” Quatre finished brushing his hair, fiddled with it for a second, then turned to Trowa. “Ready to go?”
Trowa crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. “I was ready while you were still checking your email.”
“Then let's go.”
So they did.
~ ~ ~ ~
“So, how was your trip here?” Duo asked.
“There were a few delays, but overall it wasn’t bad,” Sylvia replied, taking a sip of coffee. She glanced up at her fiancé and smiled. “Do you agree?”
Greg shrugged awkwardly. “I guess. Of course, I haven’t traveled that much unless it was moving, so I don’t have anything to compare it to,” he ran a hand back through his thick wavy hair, tousling it slightly.
It was late morning, and some of the guests had yet to emerge from their rooms. Those that had were spending time in smaller groups than usual. When Heero and Duo had ventured out, they had almost collided with Sylvia and Gregory. Since the pair had retired to their rooms almost immediately after they had arrived the night before, no one had really had the chance to properly make introductions. Therefore, the four had wandered into one of the recreation rooms.
“Well, this is slightly odd,” Duo observed. “So, how did you two meet? Where’s your sister? Do you approve of minestrone soup? Come on, this is awkward.”
“Well, last time I saw Ophelia, she was talking to a redheaded girl and dark haired boy,” Greg replied. His voice suddenly turned utterly serious. “And I do not approve of minestrone soup.”
“See, there we go. Now we know something about you,” Duo chuckled. “Oh, and that was Mariemeia and Hakim she was probably speaking with.”
“Thanks, I’m awful at remembering names,” Greg grinned, letting a rush of air escape his lungs.
“Seriously, how did you two meet?” Heero asked, focusing his attention on Sylvia.
She laughed lightly. “To make a long story really short, we met at the university Greg goes to. I was on a semester transfer program. One thing led to another, and when my transfer period was over, we kept up correspondence.”
“It was fate! Destiny! Kismet!” Greg teased, poking her in the side.
“Indeed, it was. Now shut up, you’re embarrassing me!” Sylvia replied, batting at his hands.
“Ha! Impossible. I cannot be stopped!”
Duo turned to Heero and spoke quietly in his ear. “Damn, he’s good for her. Not too serious.”
Heero whispered back, “True. Good balance. Reminds me of another couple.”
Duo looked amused. He winked at Heero.
“So, catch me up on everyone?” Sylvia asked suddenly. “It seems we’re almost the last to arrive.”
“Zechs, Noin, and their shiny new baby girl are arriving later today, so you’re not the very last,” Duo replied.
“Oh, yeah. I heard about the baby from Relena a few weeks ago, but she hadn’t been born yet,” Sylvia patted her fiancé’s arm. She focused her gaze on Heero, then Duo. “So, what’s this I’ve heard about you two? What’s going on?”
“How did you hear? You just got here last night!” Duo sighed dramatically and slumped backwards against the couch cushions.
“We heard a couple of maids talking,” Greg broke in quietly. “One of them said something about threatening packages.”
“Well, I guess news gets around,” Duo mused. He and Heero exchanged a long look, then the American continued. “To borrow one of your tactics and make a long story short, Heero and I have a stalker problem. A very scary, obsessive, threatening stalker problem. She’s been sending us mail and might have blown up our old apartment building in Tokyo.”
“In Tokyo? The one that’s been in the news?” Sylvia leaned forward, her face suddenly anxious.
“Maybe. We haven’t really been paying attention to the news lately,” Heero felt the urge to put his arm around Duo’s shoulders. He followed through on it.
“Um, I’m sorry to seem ignorant here,” Greg coughed. “But why would someone do that to you? I’m aware of your roles in the wars and all, but surely someone isn’t that wrapped up in getting revenge for something that happened six years ago. Or would it be something else?”
“Revenge,” Sylvia spat the word out, her eyes narrowing. “How pointless and petty.”
“We really don’t know why it’s happening,” Heero said slowly. He considered. “It might very well be revenge, but in the past, when either of us has had a problem like this, it’s been some sort of twisted obsession, or attraction gone wrong.”
“Hey, don’t forget that time the former Ozzie decided he wanted to take revenge for his fallen comrades. The bastard tried to kill you almost two years after the thing with Dekim Barton,” Duo reminded him. “Of course, that guy was absolutely bonkers.”
“I had forgotten about that,” Heero nodded.
Duo rolled his eyes. “You would.”
“Come on, don’t try to change the subject, I want to know the details of what’s happened so far,” Sylvia cut in. “The two of you look exhausted.”
“Er...well...” Duo felt his eyes flicker over to Greg, then shifted his gaze purposefully up to meet Heero’s. After receiving a short nod from his lover, Duo gave the two newcomers the basic run down. When he was finished, he noticed that he and Heero’s fingers had twined together, and that the arm around his shoulders was almost vibrating with tension.
“Holy fuck,” Greg whispered. “Um, sorry, but that’s my initial reaction. I wasn’t expecting that. You really downplayed what was happening.”
“I’ll say,” Sylvia nodded absently. “And you have no idea why?”
“Why...?” Duo ventured.
“Why someone would do this?” She clarified.
“No idea,” Heero shook his head.
The four sat in silence. Gregory stared at Duo and Heero with a slightly shocked expression, while Sylvia looked at them thoughtfully. For their part, Heero and Duo had resorted to staring down at their joined hands.
“Well, I think it’s time to change the subject,” Duo cleared his throat and attempted a smile. It didn’t quite work. “Hilde’s pregnant. She just told us yesterday.”
“Oh, really?” Sylvia asked, making an obvious attempt to help guide the conversation onto something else.
“Yup, she’s four months along. Well, almost four months,” Duo nodded. “At any rate, she’s doing it all on her own, which rocks.”
“On her own?” Greg blinked.
“She was artificially inseminated,” Heero replied.
“Ugh, that makes it sound gross,” Duo blanched. “I mean, she could have went the test tube baby route if she really wanted to. It’s cool that she wanted to carry it herself.”
“That’s true, test tube babies can end up with some defects,” Greg nodded, his eyes darkening.
Sylvia took his hand.
“Am I missing something? I thought that test tubes were safe?” Duo asked.
“Most of the time they are, but sometimes there can be complications,” Sylvia said, still looking at Greg’s stormy face.
“Such as growth deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, and stillborns,” Greg muttered. “Not to mention IVRD, especially if the lab jockeys were inattentive. Any number of things can go wrong. It’s not as rare as you may think.”
Duo and Heero exchanged a quick, confused look. “IVRD? I’m not familiar with that term,” Heero finally asked.
“In Vitro Reproductive Deficiency. It means either an extremely low sperm count for guys, or a girl is basically unable to carry,” Greg bit out. He took a deep breath. “I apologize, I didn’t mean to sound rude, but this is a sore subject for me.”
“Both Greg and Ophelia were test tube babies. They were originally from one of the poorer areas of L2 before they moved to Earth after their parents died. Half the reason Ophelia’s deaf right now is because she already had to have operations on her ears. The health facilities on L2 aren’t exactly the top of the line, and sometimes things happen,” Sylvia explained.
“Wow, that sucks,” Duo blinked. “I can sympathize with the L2 thing. I grew up there, well, mostly.”
“Er...well, thanks,” Greg replied. “It’s not just Ophelia that had something go wrong. Something went wrong with me, too.”
“IVRD?” Heero asked.
“Yeah, I guess that was kind of obvious of me, huh?” The man looked down, then forcibly lifted his chin and grinned sardonically. “Well, now we all know something about each other. Yay. I can officially fall asleep tonight.”
“Nice sarcasm, I think I like you,” Duo forced a grin.
Sylvia smiled and patted Gregory’s arm. “Good, because I’m keeping him.”
Greg just laughed quietly, his face slightly red.
~ ~ ~ ~
“May? Can I speak with you a minute?” Wufei cleared his throat quietly from the doorway of the kitchen.
He watched as the redheaded girl looked up from the group of teenagers she was conversing with around the kitchen table. Apparently, from what Wufei could tell, they had all decided to eat with Jenny during her lunch break. The blonde maid had just taken a huge bite of her sandwich when Wufei had spoken, and she almost spit it out in surprise at the sudden new voice. Hakim was laughing into his glass, ducking his head. He grinned and waved in Wufei’s general direction, then took a swallow of his drink. Ophelia, who had noticed the others turning away from their food, directed curious brown eyes at him. She blinked owlishly, then mimicked Hakim’s gesture and waved.
Wufei waved back, slightly disconcerted at the laser sharp attention the deaf girl paid him. It felt like she was cataloging his appearance.
“Who is that?” Ophelia asked, his voice sounding as though she were being utterly careful with her tone. It was still slightly rough.
Mariemeia turned her head away from Wufei and spoke so that Ophelia could see her mouth. “That’s Wufei,” the redhead tilted her head to the side, in Wufei’s direction. “Wufei, this is Ophelia, I don’t know if you met her last night when she got here.”
Intense eyes once again riveted in Wufei’s direction. He felt like he should say something. “It was a brief meeting.”
“Ah, well then,” Mariemeia pursed her lips together for a moment, and smiled at her table of friends as she stood up. “I’ll be right back guys, so don’t go wandering off without me.”
Jenny checked her watch. “Don’t be disappointed if I’m not around. I’ve only got ten minutes of my break left.”
“Then I’ll try to hurry,” Mariemeia replied. “If all else fails, then I’ll see you when you’re off for the day. You get off around two today, right?”
“Yeah,” the maid grinned. “Great.”
Wufei resisted the urge to tap his foot while he waited. Mariemeia seemed to be taking her time on purpose.
A moment later they were standing in the hallway outside of the kitchen. “So, what is it?” The girl asked.
“What makes you think there’s an ‘it’?” Wufei replied.
“Well, you said you wanted to speak with me for a minute,” May rolled her eyes.
“Er, yes. Well. I just wanted to see how you were doing. You’ve been awfully busy these past few days, May,” Wufei raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest. He shifted from foot to foot before deciding to lean against the wall.
“Are you trying to find out anything in particular, or is this just a general ‘how’s it going?’” Mariemeia grinned and crossed her arms, too.
Wufei rubbed his forehead. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”
“Course not.”
“May, how exactly are things going with this Hakim of yours?” Wufei sighed.
Mariemeia resisted the urge to giggle. “Fine.”
“Fine? Okay, I guess that’ll have to do. Just be careful, okay? I know you can watch out for yourself, and I know that Hakim may appear to be a nice guy, but keep in mind that looks can be deceiving,” Wufei finished quickly.
“Worried?” Mariemeia asked, her lips curling upwards in a sly little smile.
“No,” Wufei responded immediately.
“Yes you are,” May laughed quietly. “Just lay off, though, because it’s starting to get tedious. It’s not as though we’re doing anything.”
She blushed a little and ducked her head. She attempted a wicked smile, but it just wasn’t convincing when paired with her expression. “Yet.”
“Just remember--" Wufei started.
“I know, that we live in different places so not to get too attached, and that guys that age are just after one thing, and that--" She cut him off, raising one thin eyebrow as she spoke.
“Okay, okay, you know, I get it!” Wufei held up his hands. “When did you pick all that stuff up?”
“You told me.”
“No I didn’t! That’s what I was going to tell you now,” he protested.
Mariemeia sniffed and cleared her throat. “Wufei. You’re about as subtle as a brick. A brick flying through a window,” she paused. “A brick flying through a window with a note tied to it.”
“Thank you for that assessment. Smart ass.”
“Thank you!” May parried right back. “I learned from the best.”
“Who? Duo?”
Mariemeia just rolled her eyes again. “I’m going to go finish eating now, okay? Please don’t give me any flak over this, I promise that I’ll be fine.”
“Sure, go on,” Wufei said. After she had disappeared down the hallway, he shook his head. “But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
~ ~ ~ ~
Duo left the bathroom and hurried down the hallway, heading back to the dining room. Everyone had long since finished eating, but they were still gathered around the table. Quatre and Trowa kept smiling furtively at each other, which wasn’t necessarily odd, but it certainly warranted a closer inspection. Duo was determined to figure out what was going on with those two before the day was over. He grinned to himself. Detective Duo was on the case!
Of course, Detective Duo wasn’t exactly the best person in the world to figure things out, he thought sourly. Just look at the damn stalker situation.
Duo forced those thoughts into the back of his mind, took a deep breath, and focused back on the subject of his two friends. What was going on with them? He snickered. Maybe it was something kinky. He got the sudden mental image of Quatre, dressed in that pink shirt he always wore during the war, holding a black leather whip.
His snickers turned into full-blown laughter. It felt so good that he stopped in the corridor and just let the sensation flow through him, putting him back into a good mood.
“I’m really, really sorry.”
“Huh?” Duo turned on his heel, his eyebrows shooting up. He hadn’t expected someone to come across him, otherwise he might have thought twice about standing alone in the hallway and laughing like an idiot--alone being the key word, of course. “What is it?” What was her name again? Oh yeah, “Jenny?”
The maid bit her lip. “The mail just came in. There was...a box,” Jenny bowed her head. “Mrs. Jessam told me to come and get either you or Mr. Yuy. I poked my head in the dining room and saw you weren’t there, so I thought I’d tell you instead of having to go in and interrupt everyone.”
Duo felt his shoulders begin to slump before he caught the gesture. He took a long, deep breath and made a point of standing tall. “Show me.”
“It’s in the kitchen,” the girl replied, starting down the corridor.
Duo followed her silently, his head up and his shoulders back. It seemed that the hallways lengthened underneath his feet as he walked. An eternity later, he finally followed the young maid into the kitchen.
“I can’t believe she’d go this far... May’s been keeping me posted, and word’s been getting around the house about what’s happening. You both have my sympathy,” Jenny said as she headed back out the door, presumably to return to her regular duties.
“Thanks,” Duo replied.
Mrs. Jessam herself stood in the center of the kitchen, her stern eyes fixed on the rectangular box that lay on one of the counters. It was wrapped in white shipping paper.
She finally shifted her gaze from the box to Duo. “I apologize for interrupting your post-lunch enjoyment, but this unnerved me enough that I thought it wise to inform you or Mr. Yuy as soon as possible.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Duo sighed, poking the box carefully with his index finger. “I sincerely doubt you’re the stalker, so it’s not like any of this is your fault.”
“Thank for that wonderful vote of confidence,” Mrs. Jessam returned.
Duo glanced over his shoulder at her. “Sorry.”
The woman shrugged her thick shoulders. “Shall I get you a knife to open the tape, or will calling the bomb squad be the most prudent measure?”
She was being serious.
“Naw, that’s okay,” Duo said as he picked up the box. He shook it gingerly. “I’m going to take this in where everyone else is and open it there. After all, it’s not just addressed to me.”
“Very well,” Mrs. Jessam paused, “And good luck.”
“Thanks,” he forced a smile. “And thanks for taking care of this for us. You’ve been more than considerate.”
Mrs. Jessam nodded. “You’re welcome.”
Duo returned her nod before leaving the kitchen. As he walked to the dining room, he glared down at the package in his hands. It was about a foot wide, two and a half feet long, and perhaps six inches deep. The familiar black writing glared up at him from the label. The postmark was local, but this package was distinctly marked as same day delivery. Their stalker had been to the post office that very morning.
He fought the urge to shudder at that. What the hell could be so important that their stalker had to have it arrive that day? Why was it marked “fragile”? Was...whatever-it-was...perishable? Worse, could it be something that may have already begun to decompose?
...Best not the think about it.
Duo stepped through the doorway to the dining room. In his absence, the three teenage guests had arrived and were taking up a corner of the table. Within a few seconds, everyone fell silent and looked at him.
Damn, did he look that upset? And here he had thought he’d been hiding it rather well.
“Is that...?” Heero trailed off as he nodded at the package held carefully in Duo’s hands.
The American almost jumped, jolted out of his thoughts by his lover’s voice. Duo moved out of the doorway and reclaimed his seat, setting the wrapped box down on the tabletop.
“Yes, I believe it is,” he finally answered.
“Lots of wrapping on this one,” Wufei muttered, leaning forward and half-standing to get a better look. “Post office wrap, or personal wrap?”
“Post office, actually. It doesn’t make me feel any better about the damn thing, though,” Duo glanced around the table. He noticed Ophelia watching his lips and made a mental note to enunciate instead of mumbling with a partially closed mouth.
“Uh, is it safe to open that thing?” Mariemeia asked. “Anything could be in that package.”
“If it was a bomb, we’d already be dead,” Trowa stated dryly. He considered for a second. “Probably.”
“And I’m sure that the Idiot is reserving something particularly dangerous for later,” Dorothy spoke up. “More than likely, this is another jab at intimidation.”
“That’s what I thought,” Duo nodded slightly.
“Well, get on with it!” Relena burst out, her fingers knitting together as though in prayer. Her knuckles were turning white.
Heero and Duo looked at each other, and shrugged in unison. The Japanese man took the box and sniffed it tentatively, then shook it very carefully. He took his knife out and sliced through the wrapping, starting a tear in the heavy paper and pulling it off of the box.
Once again, there was an inspection. The revealed box was plain white and made of coated cardboard that shone dully in the bright light of the room. The lid of the box came halfway down the sides of the bottom, and two pieces of clear tape on either end kept it in place. Heero sniffed it again.
“Fragrance. Perfume, perhaps,” he mused quietly.
“Keep going,” Duo gave the box a strange look. “I can’t imagine perfume as being dangerous, and if it were poison gas it wouldn’t smell nice. If it had an odor at all.”
Heero deftly sliced through the tape holding it closed. Duo reached forward and removed the lid.
“Okay, I have no idea what to make of this,” Duo said.
Nestled inside the box, painstakingly wrapped in tissue paper, were flowers.
Heero used the point of his knife to pull away the thin paper completely and expose the floral arrangement. The flowers were held together strategically with thin, nearly invisible string and braced in the box by plastic stilts. Someone had wanted the arrangement to arrive intact. It was a presentation.
Jagged holly leaves ringed the edge of the box and supported the rest of the arrangement. A few relatively inconspicuous white flowers highlighted the sharp leaves and poisonous berries of the holly. Next came a layer of deep purple flowers that arched delicately up from the holly leaves. In the next layer, small yellow flowers with a multitude of thin petals were placed to form an oval. Finally, in the very center lay a single dried white rose. It was secured in place with plastic struts.
“What the hell is this? Is there a note?” Wufei finally asked after the arrangement had been passed around, still left in its box.
It was apparent that there was no note in amongst the flowers themselves. Duo picked up the box lid and checked it, just in case. Sure enough, a piece of folded paper was taped to the inside of the box top. He pulled it off carefully and unfolded it.
IN ADVANCE
“How delightfully cryptic,” Duo glared at the note.
“In advance for what?” Dorothy pondered. “When do people receive flowers, that’s the question.”
“Valentine’s?” Hilde guessed. “When someone wants to express love? That can’t be it.”
“When people make-up?” Greg ventured.
“Doesn’t holly mean Christmas?” Mariemeia ventured.
Sylvia cleared her throat quietly. “Funerals.”
“Oh, come on, it can’t be that,” Duo protested. Underneath the table, he squeezed Heero’s hand, hard. “That’s so unoriginal. This stalker, like it or not, is devious as hell. Surely there has to be something more to it than this.”
“Or maybe not. Perhaps the Idiot only wants you to think that,” Dorothy speculated.
“Damnit, Dorothy! You’re always playing the devil’s advocate and shooting down all our theories,” Duo gritted out between clenched teeth. “Is that all you can contribute?”
“Well,” the blonde smiled smoothly, completely unperturbed. “Actually, I was going to suggest that the flowers themselves might be part of the message. After all, the arrangement itself is rather odd, and I doubt that the flowers were picked at random. I’m sure the florist that made this would be able to identify the person who ordered the arrangement. Who knows, the arrangement itself might mean something.”
“All right then. That’s better,” Duo took a deep breath. “Sorry.”
Dorothy shrugged lightly.
“How would you find out which flowers were used?” Hakim spoke up tentatively. “And why would that mean something.”
“You could maybe find out online,” Mariemeia suggested. “Besides, who says that the florist used was even in town? Maybe it was arranged somewhere else and just sent from a local address.”
“It might be best to go to a florist and ask about the flowers first,” Ophelia said carefully. Her eyes darted around the table, waiting to watch the next speaker.
“Yeah, maybe some of these aren’t in season. Then they’d require a certain place to get them at this time of the year!” May’s eyes lit up. “And then they could be tracked!”
Dorothy grinned at the redheaded girl. “Excellent thinking.”
“So who’s going to go?” Heero asked, his voice hard.
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Quatre replied. “Anybody can go.”
Heero raised his eyebrows deliberately.
“That is--anyone but you two,” the blond amended. “It’s just not safe right now.”
“What if the stalker isn’t leading up to something? What if this is all just a ploy to make us miserable and trap us into staying in one place?” Duo pressed his lips together.
“There has to be a point to this,” Dorothy replied immediately. “The Idiot is going to a lot of trouble just to spin her wheels. This has an ultimate purpose.”
Duo closed his eyes momentarily. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?”
“Enough of this,” Heero stated. “Quatre, you’ll take care of getting a florist’s input?”
“Of course,” Quatre nodded. “I’ll get someone on it right away, actually.”
“Thank you,” Heero stood up.
That seemed to break the spell that had settled over the gathered people. Duo rose to his feet, and the couple left the dining room together. A few minutes later and the whole group had gone their separate ways.
~ ~ ~ ~
“Thanks, Rashid. I hate to ask you to go and do what must seem like an errand, but I’m afraid to trust anyone else,” Quatre said as he handed the box that contained the flower arrangement to the tall man.
“Anything I can do to help is my pleasure, Master Quatre,” Rashid responded. “We’re all worried.”
That said, Rashid turned and left, walking briskly down the corridor with the white box held carefully in his hands. For a moment, Quatre watched him leave, then turned and started down the hallway in the opposite direction. As he turned the corner, Trowa pushed off from where he had been leaning against the wall. He and Quatre’s hands found each other immediately, and they continued on their way together.
Suddenly Quatre broke off into a side corridor, stopped, and turned. His face was slightly pinched; his lower lip was pulled firmly into his mouth and held between his front teeth. He stared at Trowa.
The taller man looked around quickly, then pulled the blond through the nearest doorway in the corridor. It turned out to be a bathroom. “Quatre?”
“Trowa,” Quatre stated. He stepped forward and gently edged his index finger underneath the thin gold chain that circled Trowa’s neck. He pulled the chain out until it emerged from under the dark haired man’s shirt, revealing a plain golden band threaded onto the necklace. Quatre slipped the bright loop around his left ring finger, a perfect fit. He stretched his neck forward and up, and kissed Trowa firmly.
Trowa wound his own hands up to rest on the tops of Quatre’s shoulders as their lips and tongues danced against each other. He slipped the matching gold band that hung around Quatre’s neck onto his own left ring finger. When the blond felt this, his pulled back a little, just far enough away that he could see Trowa’s eyes.
“It’s not us. We’re safe,” Quatre stated, his voice hard and sure. “We’ll wear these rings, and we’ll be safe together.”
Trowa nodded, his gaze steady as he focused on uncertain blue eyes. He leaned his head forward a few inches and nuzzled his cheek against Quatre’s. “Of course. We should be thankful.”
“It feels horrible to feel that way, though. Relieved, I mean,” Quatre whispered. “Doesn’t it?”
“It really does.”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Hilde, can I talk to you about something?” Sylvia sat down beside the still green-haired young woman and smiled.
Hilde looked up, her eyes wide. She had been watching Mariemeia, Hakim, Ophelia, and Jenny, who had recently finished her shift, laugh and talk around a game of pool. They had decided to play in teams of two so that no one would have to stand idly by and wait for a turn. “Yeah, I guess. Fire when ready, Syl.”
“Well, ah,” Sylvia’s smile wavered slightly. She glanced over at Gregory, who had joined the teenagers by the pool table. He was laughing at something Hakim had said. Sylvia took a deep breath. “First of all, congratulations on your impending arrival.”
“My impen--Oh! You mean my baby!” Hilde’s mouth quirked as she covered her abdomen with on hand. “Thanks! I’m really excited.”
“I’ll bet,” Sylvia looked down at her hands, then over at Greg again. “I was wondering, that is, if you don’t mind me asking, how exactly you chose your donor? And how the procedure was carried out?”
Hilde stared at the blonde woman for a moment. “That’s quite the personal question,” she paused, then followed Sylvia’s glances to where Greg stood. Hilde nodded in the man’s direction. “I take it you have a reason for asking this? I thought you and him were engaged. Why do you need to know about how I conceived without a partner.”
“We haven’t spoken of it, well, not in so many words, but Greg and I will eventually want...” Sylvia’s eyes flickered down to where Hilde’s hand still covered her belly. “And we won’t be able to. I can, but, he--I haven’t done any research on this kind of thing before, and I think he’s been almost afraid to. I know we’ll want children...And here I have an opportunity to ask someone who’s dealt with a similar issue first hand. How can I not ask?”
“Well, thanks for being straightforward about it,” Hilde bit her lip. “And, uh, you have my condolences.”
Sylvia nodded absently.
“Do you mind me asking why he can’t? Is it in his DNA or what? Because there’s a way that they can take his DNA and yours and artificially induce the growth of a zygote...expensive...but then you can have it inseminated. Or something like that,” Hilde said carefully. “I’m not sure, because it wasn’t something I wanted to do.”
“Hey, ladies! What are we whispering about?” Greg plopped down beside Sylvia and wrapped her in a brief bear hug, a big grin plastered on his face.
Hilde blinked rapidly and tried to come up with a response. What was she supposed to say in a situation like this?
Fortunately, Sylvia spoke first. “About ‘girl stuff,’ Greg.”
“Then why, oh why, do you look so nervous?” He returned playfully, even as his eyebrows furrowed together in concern.
Sylvia turned and whispered to him for a minute or so. Hilde watched as the cheerful expression dropped completely from Greg’s face. He spoke quietly back into Sylvia’s ear, then smiled at her warmly. Sylvia responded by kissing his cheek and nodding. Together, the couple turned to look at Hilde.
“Um, hi?” Hilde stammered out, turning her head slightly and biting her lower lip. She had the sudden urge to giggle inanely at the scrutiny, but fought it down.
“Hilde, thanks for being so understanding to us. Sylvia should have told me that she was going to ask you about this, so I could be here too and thank you for sharing info and all that, but hey, nobody’s perfect, right?” Greg spilled out. “Anyway, before I lose my nerve, the reason I can’t isn’t really my fault. I have IVRD. It’s not my DNA, but something went wrong in my test tube.”
“Oooohhhhh...” Hilde drew the word out. “I know what IVRD is. I’m pretty sure there are ways that you can...well, you know. I think, anyway. Why didn’t you look into this earlier? I’m not exactly an authority here.”
“Because I didn’t even know I had it until I was tested, and that was this year. Everything else works normally, so I didn’t really think about it, to tell you the absolute truth. Not that the opportunity or the money was just laying around for the tests earlier...but that’s not what we’re talking about, is it?” He shrugged and forced an uncomfortable, loud laugh.
“Uh, excuse me?” Hakim asked. He had moved closer to the adults and toyed with the cue stick in his hand. “Sorry to butt in, but we could overhear you guys speaking. I know a little bit about what you’re talking about.”
“You heard?” Greg’s face tinted bright red. He shrugged, forcing his shoulder muscles to loosen. “Hit me with what you know.”
Hakim hesitated, then sat down on one of the three couches that framed the small coffee table. He settled down across from Sylvia. “See, my uncle’s in the Manguanacs, and they’re all test tube babies, so I know this kind of crap. I worry, I want to know things, you get the picture, right? So I find stuff out. Anyway, the scientist guys aren’t sure what the hell causes the disorder, because everything else, um, down there, works just fine, like you said. But you can’t even test for it until puberty, and even then it’s tricky and expensive.”
By this time, the three girls had wandered over as well. Mariemeia and Jenny squeezed down beside Hakim, and Ophelia sat beside Hilde.
“What causes the disorder itself?” Jenny asked, cocking her head to the side.
“A screw up during the tube growth period,” Gregory answered almost immediately.
“At least, that’s what they think. Since it only occurs in test tube babies, that’s the hypothesis. No one’s really sure what really causes the disorder, except that it only happens, or rather, happened, to babies born in less prosperous areas,” Hakim added, running a hand through his spiky black hair. He shifted uncomfortably.
“That sucks,” May said, raising an eyebrow. “Does that kind of thing happen a lot?”
Hakim shrugged. “Eh, I don’t know. It doesn’t really happen anymore.”
“So what exactly do you know that I may not?” Greg asked.
“Not much, I’m sure. With IVRD, sometimes there are reproductive, ah...” the boy coughed. “Reproductive cells present. You just have to have a lab filter through and find them. At least, that’s a possibility.”
“Really?”
“I guess,” Hakim shrugged, looking down at the cue stick still clenched in his hands. “But you have to worry about passing the disorder onto the baby. It’s iffy. I’m not sure how it works, to be honest.”
“That’s so awful...I didn’t realize that something like that could happen to someone just because of how they were born,” Jenny whispered.
When she realized that everyone was giving her curious looks, she flushed. “It’s just that...oh, she’s going to kill me...my sister can’t have kids because of a closed uterus. Scarring and stuff caused it. Her, uh,” the maid paused and seemed to think about what to say next without sounding rude, “Fiancé left her when he found out. So it’s really awesome that you guys are working towards finding things out and staying together and all of that. It’s more than most would do.”
Sylvia smiled tightly and patted Greg’s knee. “Well, I love him. What else could I do?”
“God, Jenny! I can’t believe that someone would do that to someone just because of--I mean, that’s not her fault at all, so how could someone take it out on her like it was?” Mariemeia looked slightly disturbed, her fingers curling together in her lap.
Jenny shrugged one shoulder and shook her head. “I don’t know. He was kind of an asshole anyway. She could do a lot better, and I told her so. Of course, it wasn’t what she wanted to hear.”
“Well, assholes are a dime a dozen. You’ve got to be careful when picking a person, but it doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes you don’t get the person you pick, and sometimes you make the wrong choices. That’s the way the world works,” Hilde spoke softly, her arms crossed loosely over her abdomen.
“Ain’t that the truth,” Greg muttered.
Sylvia wrinkled up her nose and swatted his knee. “’Ain’t’ isn’t a word.’
“Shush, Miss English major.”
Sylvia rolled her eyes and formed a retort, effectively starting up a new topic of conversation. No one minded at all.
~ ~ ~ ~
“What could it mean?!” Duo stopped pacing and grabbed his braid, tugging it harshly with both hands. He winced and purposefully let go of the hair. “This is such a weird change, you know? I mean, first we get all these mildly ominous and damn creepy things and now we get frickin’ flowers? What the hell?”
Heero rose to his feet and smoothed the bedspread where he had been sitting. “What did we receive right before this, though? A picture of a grave with a flower on it. It’s subtle.”
“But when has she been this kind of subtle?” Duo frowned, his eyebrows coming together in a tense line.
“Does it matter?”
“Maybe,” Duo wet his lips and started pacing again. “If we can figure out what the clues mean, then maybe we can figure out what she wants.”
Heero waited, then snagged Duo in both arms as he turned to continue his pacing circuit. The American relaxed into Heero’s embrace and allowed himself to be held.
Sometimes Heero felt the need to just touch, to prove that Duo was there. Not that Duo minded in the least. The Japanese man sighed heavily.
“The only problem with that kind of theory, Duo,” Heero said, “Is that it implies that the twisted tokens actually mean something. This could be the work of a completely unbalanced mind. A psychopath that has no real reason except an irrational obsession. If anything at all. As Dorothy so helpfully keeps pointing out, a lot of these latest things could be faked, and easily at that.”
“Oh, yes, a psychopath,” Duo rolled his eyes sarcastically. “That’s not really comforting.”
The Japanese man tightened his arms.
Duo sighed and turned within the circle of Heero’s arms. He wound his own arms around the shorthaired man’s waist and hugged him. Duo propped his chin on Heero’s shoulder and felt Heero rest his own head against Duo’s.
Duo whispered right into Heero’s ear. “But this is.”
~ ~ ~ ~
When the phone rang a little after four o’clock, Quatre jumped up immediately and got to it before the second ring could even finish. His eyes quickly swept over the display, noting that the call was coming from a portable phone and had no video feed. Picking up the audio component, he answered the call. “Hello, Winner residence.”
“Hello, Master Quatre,” Rashid’s voice rumbled pleasantly across the line.
Quatre felt relief wash over him and turned to grin at Trowa. “Rashid, did you find anything out?”
“No, unfortunately, the florist shop was already closed. A sign on the door said that they closed at four.”
“And there’s only one florist in town, right?” Quatre asked, fighting the urge to grit his teeth in frustration.
“Only one,” Rashid confirmed. “I checked the listings before I left. However, there’s another florist in the next city down the road. Shall I try my luck there?”
“No, don’t worry about it. We’ll try looking online tonight. I don’t want you running all over the place in unfamiliar territory while doing us a favor,” Quatre said.
“Are you sure?”
Quatre had to stop himself from saying no. There was no point in having Rashid drive all over the place and probably only find another closed shop. “Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll bet even if you found another florist, there’s no guarantee that they’d be open. Any place around here probably closes pretty soon anyway.”
“That’s true,” Rashid sighed. “I’ll be heading back, then.”
“Okay, see you soon, then,” Quatre replied. He waited until the line went dead before terminating the connection at his end.
He glared at the phone before turning back to Trowa.
When were they going to get a break?
~ ~ ~ ~