Formalities: * Checks under the tree * DRAT! Santa didn't bring me Gundam Wing!

Sequel Series to Heero's Peace - Part 3: The Return of Quinze

Relena had lost track of how many hours she had been on that shuttle. Her stomach seemed to lurch every other second. The men who were guarding her had long since untied her so that she could run to the restroom. Her captors were obviously very concerned. They had never seen anyone look so ill in their entire lives. The leader had stressed the importance of the Vice-Foreign Minister being brought to him "unharmed," and frankly, Marius Kahn was afraid she was going to die right there.

"Peter," Marius said to one of his men. "Call ahead to Mission and make sure the doctor is waiting IN the shuttle bay so he can see her immediately." He looked at his prisoner. Her long hair was damp with sweat; her face was ashen and cold to the touch. She'd been unable to eat or drink anything without losing it in five minutes. Now she seemed to be going in and out of consciousness, and if she expired before they reached the base, he knew that it would mean his life as well. Not once had he felt the slightest twinge of guilt in taking her. He hadn't gotten to know her at all in his service to the Lowen Kingdom. Once he learned that Heero Yuy, or Odin Lowe, Jr., had been a gundam pilot, he'd lost all respect for the Prince Regent that had seemingly shown up and found his birthright by accident. All Marius could focus on were those last months before the final battle in which Libra was destroyed and the White Fang's plans thwarted. He had been a a member of the group, and like the rest of the surviving rebels, he saw the gundam pilots as turncoats who had betrayed the colonies by fighting to protect the earth. And Relena. To the White Fang, she was the proverbial "Eve," having fooled the pilots into fighting for her ideals. When word came two years ago that Quinze, though severely injured, had survived the explosion of Libra and was looking to regroup with former White Fang members, Marius had been one of the first to flock to his side. He had no loyalty to the earth, and certainly none to Heero Yuy, no matter how good of a leader he had become. No, his place was fighting for the colonies, no matter what tactics had to be employed.

"Don't inform Quinze of our arrival until you've determined what's wrong with her," Kahn instructed the doctor as he carried Relena to the infirmary. He laid the barely conscious woman on the exam table while the doctor collected the necessary equipment to start and IV and examine her.

"She looks dehydrated, did you give her no food or water?" he asked disapprovingly.

"We offered her plenty. Everything that she ate, uh, well, came back up," Kahn answered uncomfortably.

Relena seemed to be coming around, and the doctor pitied her. He had an idea what was wrong with her and it made him feel even worse. Personally he hadn't agreed with the plans that this organization had made to hold the gundam pilots' wives hostage, but he didn't dare voice his opinion. "Why don't you leave us for a while," he said to Kahn. "I'm pretty sure she'll be fine with some rest and nourishment. Tell Quinze that if he wants to see her, he must check with me first."
"Quinze will do as he likes," Marius answered sharply, stealing a final glance at the patient as he left.

Heero blinked at his computer screen. He'd sent Preventer patrols out in every direction searching for the shuttle Relena was on, but no one had anything to report. It had been over 24 hours. Zechs had been informed and had taken the news very hard, at first losing control and blaming Heero, but finally settling on silent rage and blaming himself. Heero understood that feeling, and he could no longer hold it in. After hours of searching and getting nowhere, he slammed the screen down, yanked the cord out of the wall, and promptly picked up the whole works and threw the machine forcefully in the direction of the door, which began to open slowly just as the computer hit it, sending circuit boards and bits of plastic flying around the room. Trowa Barton entered cautiously, his eyes calmly settling on the disheveled Heero who leaned against the opposite wall with his head in his hands. "Heero," Trowa began. Heero looked up, hopeful for news, but that was not why Trowa was there. "Heero, we have to decide whether or not we're going to go public with this situation." Both men were inwardly bothered with the word "situation." Trowa shook it off and continued. "Quatre seems to think it would be best if we did, to ask the colonies and the earth sphere to support us in the fight. We have to let them know about the White Fang and make it clear that this is a threat to everyone." Heero hated the idea, but he knew that Quatre was correct in his thinking. This whole thing was too far-gone for them to be able to keep it quiet.

"Call a conference," Heero said hoarsely. The sooner he got the formalities out of the way, the sooner he could be out there himself actively working to get his Relena back.

The room was darkened and it was difficult for her to make out where she was. Relena was pretty sure that she was no longer on the shuttle. She heard the sound of shuffling feet and it wasn't long before a friendly face smiled down at her. "You're awake. How are you feeling?"

"I... I'm alright," Relena answered weakly. "Can you please tell me where I am?"

Again, the doctor looked sorrowful. "You're, well, all you need to know is that you're on the White Fang base."

"You're one of them?" she asked, becoming visibly upset.

"In name only," he replied. A moment of silence passed between them. "Do you know how far along you are?" the doctor asked.

Relena looked shocked. He must have done a blood test as well. Her mind seemed to be working so slowly as she tried to think. 'Dr. Hale's letter said 10 weeks, but that was two almost three weeks ago that I'd had the blood test, and he wasn't really certain about that number.' Relena looked up to answer. "Maybe twelve weeks," she said. The doctor regarded her for a few seconds.

"Really? I think you're a bit farther than that. Were you not aware of the pregnancy until recently?"

She shook her head to imply that she hadn't been. "I'm always kind of tired, and my cycles are irregular." She thought for a bit. "I'd just been noticing that my clothes were a little tighter. I figured that I had just gained weight."

"I'd say you're near the end of your fourth month." Sadly, the doctor wondered what Quinze would do with her once he found out that she was pregnant. Very soon it would be noticeable, and he silently prayed that their leader would not seek to punish this woman or her husband by harming the child. His thoughts were interrupted as a pair of men burst through the doors.

"Quinze will see her now," one said in a cold tone. He roughly grabbed for Relena, when the doctor stepped between them.

"I have to remove this needle," he said, irritated. "Quinze can wait one minute." The soldiers were obviously annoyed with the delay, which caused them to treat their prisoner even harsher as they dragged her to her unsteady feet and began to pull her along the corridors. Finally they came to a large room with massive screens and several workstations along the walls. It was obviously the command center. Relena's "escorts" stopped at the base of a landing. A few feet above them, the figure of a man stood staring out at the images of outer space that appeared on the screens. One of the soldiers spoke up.

"Sir, the prisoner."

As the man he was addressing emerged from the shadows and limped his way down the stairs towards them, it was all Relena could do not to cry out. She saw the damaged side of his face first, if one could call it a face. It simply appeared to be a black and red layer of scalded muscle clinging to a cheek and jawbone. The eye was gone, as was his ear and all the hair that had once covered the right side of his face and head. The right arm was missing and his right leg twisted so grotesquely that it made her cringe. His voice was a low rasp when he spoke, as one of the men raced to his side to help support him. He stopped a few steps before the landing, so that he seemed to tower above her. "Welcome, Lady Relena," he said in a mocking tone. Relena tried her best to regain her composure and not be unnerved by the hideous site of him.

"What do you want with me?" she asked, mustering all her courage, trying not to look directly at his disfigurement. He reached out for her and she felt her knees buckle. She did not collapse because the other soldier was still holding onto her. Quinze reached out with his remaining hand and grabbed a fistful of Relena's long blond hair. Painfully he pulled her head back so that she was forced to look right at his face.

"Do you even have to ask? Look at me. You had a part in this, as did your traitorous husband and his fellow pilots, not to mention your brother. You ask what I want. I want the colonies to be free. And aside from that I want revenge."

Relena knew she had to try to talk to this man. She gathered all her nerves and began to speak. "This is not the solution. The gundams fought for peace - peace for everyone. My brother saw the error of his ways." She nervously admitted to herself that this was not going well. She had to soften his heart. All she could think to say was simply, "I am sorry for your pain." Her words seemed to have the reverse effect that she had been hoping for.

"You're sorry!" He laughed and the bitterness in his damaged voice was unmistakable. "Did you hear that?" he said to the soldiers, "She's sorry for my pain." They snickered around him. "Life is pain," he spat as he abruptly released his grip on her hair. "That's what you're going to learn. And here's your first lesson." He turned around. "Barkley, bring up the conference!"

The main screen in the room flickered and the familiar image of Lowen Palace's great hall appeared. The hall was filled with hundreds of representatives, diplomats and reporters. Suddenly Relena saw Heero take the stage, flanked by Quatre and Duo. "Heero..." Relena whispered. Quinze face gave a twisted smile, distinguishable only on the non-charred side of his face.

He turned to one of the men sitting at a massive control desk. "Let him speak for a minute, then give the snipers the go ahead."

"NOOOOO!" Relena screamed, feeling her legs give way completely.

"YOU will be silent!" Quinze growled at the trembling woman. Then he said in a low voice as one of the soldiers picked her up and forced Relena to look at the screen, "Let the lesson commence."

End Part 3

Stella: (drums fingers on desk) Now how can I torture Heero in the next chapter?
Heero: Haven't you done enough to me, Stella? What have I ever done to you?
Stella: Two words, pal - Endless Waltz!
Heero: What? Oh, you're still mad about the ending?
Stella: Uh, understatement! You just walk away! Disappeared! And Relena... no kiss, no nothing! I can't believe...
Heero: (while Stella continues to rant in the background) Just let me explain.
Stella: (still ranting, throws random desk objects) ... no closure!
Heero: Will you just listen! I have a good reason.
Stella: (stops in mid-sentence, pencil holder in hand) I would love to hear this.
Heero: OK. Stella, at the end, when I left, I was only going to the bathroom. I swear I went right back and Relena and I lived happily ever after.
Stella: You were what?
Heero: Going to the bathroom. You know - "the Facilities," the "Little Pilots' Room." It's not my fault it the movie ended there.
Stella: (looks bewildered) You're kidding!
Heero: No. Calm down. Anyway, you wouldn't believe how many cups of coffee I'd had that day. And Relena's speech was taking forever! When you gotta go you gotta go. You have some serious issues, by the way.
Stella: (smacks her forehead) I'm at a loss for words. I had too many Christmas cookies and way too little sleep. Hope everyone liked this chapter and had a happy holiday!

Keep in mind that I may torture the characters, but I love them. Please review! Love, Stella.