Another Door Opens
It was a beautiful summer day and everyone was out enjoying it, especially since the last few months had been nothing short of nerve racking. Paris was up and about now, walking a bit stiffly but more then able to play horsey with Lena who was making her new papa and all her new uncles play with her as much as they could. "Uncle Kitty, lookie." Lena said as she showed Quatre the flower she'd found in her grandmother's garden. Unfortunately it had been found that Lena wasn't able to properly pronounce any of her new uncles' names except for Duo and Quatre was amused to find that he was getting use to being referred to as Uncle Kitty. When she'd tried to say Quatre she'd always say Cat-ra..well it wasn't hard to see how it had become kitty, not that he minded. Wufei had gotten the worst of it. He was Uncle Woofie now.
"That's a beautiful flower, Lena. Almost as beautiful as you." Quatre told her as he kissed her on the nose, sending her into fits of giggles before she went running off towards Trowa who was lounging in his chair quietly.
"Uncle To-wa, Uncle To-wa! I gots a flower!" Lena called out as she raced over as best she could, teetering a bit but managing to get to him without falling. "Uncle Kitty says it's bootaful like me."
"Yes it is." Trowa said as he picked her up and set her on his lap. "And where did you get the flower from?"
"Garden." Lena said with a wide grin that only got wider when she saw Duo coming past them with what looked to be chocolate cake. "CAKE!"
"Well hello there, princess. Does someone want some cake?" Duo said with a grin, watching Lena stand up on Trowa's thigh to try to get closer, Trowa's hands automatically coming up to hold her there so she didn't go tumbling. "Well let your uncle put you down and then we can have some cake."
"Lena want down." Lena informed Trowa who helped her down and handed her over to Duo who took Lena's hand, the two heading off to eat cake.
"Thrown over for a slice of chocolate cake huh?" Rome asked as she wheeled herself over, the new added strength built into her arms apparent in her sleeveless sundress. Being stuck in the chair had few advantages but at least her upper body would be a lot tougher, Rome thought as she backed the chair up so that she was sitting beside Trowa's chair.
"So it would appear. How are you feeling?" Trowa asked as he looked over at her with a questioning look on his face. He hadn't seen her in a month since Milliardo had taken her on a vacation as soon as she was well enough to go. Once the doctors had mentioned the idea that she could use some time in the sun to relax and heal, that it would help her get on her feet faster Milliardo had started to make plans. "Nice tan by the way."
"Yeah it is and I'm doing pretty good all in all. I can't wait to get out of this stupid chair though." Rome said as she gave him a rueful look. "Now that I've finally gotten Peacecraft to ask me to marry him I need to hurry up and get better before he changes his mind. There is no way in hell I'm being rolled down the aisle, let me tell you. If I'm blowing several hundred dollars on a dress I'm only going to wear once then I'm going to wear it properly."
"I don't think he'll be changing his mind any time soon. He watches you like a hawk." Trowa pointed out with a small smile having noticed that while Milliardo was having a conversation with Relena and Paris he was still looking over at Rome every thirty seconds to make sure she was all right.
"Yeah, he does, doesn't he?" Rome said with a thoroughly content look on her face. "By the way I just wanted to say thanks again to you guys for letting Julian and Sue Ling move in with you until they find a good place to live around here. This is Julian's first house to pick out all by himself and I know he appreciates the fact that he can concentrate on getting the business running first." Rome said as she reached out to pat Trowa's hand. Since she was moving back here again to be with Milliardo Julian had gotten the idea of setting up a branch of the business here so that she could continue to work. Secretly Rome thought one of the main reasons was because Julian wanted to be close by to them after nearly losing them but she kept that thought to herself. She'd let Julian think it had gone over her head.
"It's no problem. There's plenty of room." Trowa said with a shrug, brushing off her thanks. Julian seemed like a nice guy who could actually cook which was a major plus and he didn't see any problems with having Sue Ling around either. It would be an adjustment having a woman in the house but given the work hours they all had he doubted they'd even run into each other that much.
"It strange how things change." Rome said with a smile as her eyes scanned the lawn, stopping at each person to see and consider before moving on to the next. "And yet so many things stay the same."
"Such is life." Trowa agreed and nodding her head Rome relaxed in the shade with Trowa, both content to stay where they were and watch everyone else.
"You know you're going to give yourself whip lash if you keep trying to pretend like you're not looking at her every minute." Paris commented dryly as he smirked at his soon to be brother in law. It amused him to needle Milliardo about what a mother hen he'd become and since Paris was being saddled with the idiot for life he figured he deserved to get his little hits in while he could. "She's not going anywhere and if she had problems Trowa is right there to help."
Giving Paris an I'd like to throw you into the pool and drown you look Milliardo took a sip of his wine and tried not to look over at Rome. Or at the very least hide it better. "Shut up, Paris."
"Well he's right." Relena said with a giggle, pleased and glad to see her brother this way. Nearly losing the love of his life had put so many cracks and holes in the shell Milliardo liked to hide in that Relena was really starting to get to know her brother for likely the first time since they'd been reunited. It was something she'd never thought would or even could happen. "And Lena seems to be enjoying weaseling treats from her new uncles." Relena added as her grin widened at the site of Duo and Lena on the grass taking turns shoving cake into their mouths.
"Yeah. And everyone says I spoil her rotten." Paris said with a roll of her eyes. "Heck Wufei doesn't even frown when she calls him Uncle Woofie anymore."
Laughing Relena grinned then looked over at Milliardo questioningly. "Speaking of which what does she call you, big brother? If she can't even pronounce Trowa's name how bad has she mangled yours?" Watching her brother's cheeks go pink and Paris break out laughing Relena raised a questioning eyebrow. "What did I say?"
"It was the most hilarious thing ever." Asia said as she walked over with Quatre having just caught Relena's question. "God I wish I'd had a video camera to show you."
"Why? What happened?" Quatre and Relena wanted to know while Milliardo stated quite strongly that they didn't need to know which of course only made them want to know more.
"Well basically since it was obvious that she couldn't say Milliardo the guys were trying to think of a way to shorten it when Trowa suggested she just call him Uncle Zechs since it was short and better sounding then all the other ones." Asia began, her eyes sparkling while Milliardo sent her a dirty look. "So there's Rome trying to get Lena to call Milliardo Uncle Zechs..and Lena tried but her pronunciation was a bit off. Isn't that right, Uncle..Sex?"
Relena slapping a hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter, everyone else was breaking out into laughter while Milliardo just rolled his eyes at their childishness. "That..is so funny." Relena managed to gasp out, leaning against Paris for support since she was laughing so hard. "Oh my God that's just hilarious." Relena yelped then broke out into outright laughter at the look her brother sent her.
"Yeah. Rome just stared at Lena for a minute then looked at Milliardo and broke out laughing, nearly rebroke a rib or two doing it she was laughing that hard." Paris said with a smirk, wrapping his arms around Relena's waist and drawing her against him before she laughed so hard she went stumbling. "Now he's just Uncle M."
"Sounds like a good plan to me. At least until she can pronounce it a little better." Quatre said as he tried to keep a straight face for Milliardo's sake. "Can she pronounce Julian's?"
"Not yet, no. He's Uncle J at the moment. It was either that or Uncle Julie." Paris said with a chuckle as he recalled Julian's reaction to that one. "He preferred Uncle J instead."
"I wonder why." Milliardo said drolly.
Later that Evening
"Hey, Q-man. You look deep in thought. Too deep in thought to be in a party mood and since you're at a party that needs to be redeemed." Duo said as he wandered over to here Quatre sat on the porch steps looking off into space though Duo doubted he was seeing anything. Holding out a glass of wine he'd brought for his friend Duo continued to hold it out till Quatre finally took it. "So what's up?"
"It's nothing, don't worry about it." Quatre said with a shrug, absently taking a sip of the wine even though he really didn't want it. "I'll be inside in a minute."
"Nice try but I've been getting the vibes for a while now that there's something going on that you aren't talking about. I don't think it's a girl and Asia said as far as she knows it isn't work so what's up that's got you like this? You hardly ate anything for dinner either and Asia said you've been brooding a lot." Duo said as he elbowed Quatre lightly in the side. "So spill already."
"Asia's been saying a lot." Quatre said with a shake of his head though he wasn't really surprised. Asia tended to mother him and worry about him more then was strictly necessary. "And really it is nothing. Just something I'm blowing out of proportion."
"Well then why don't you tell me about it and I'll tell you if you're blowing it out of proportion or not." Duo shot back readily, determined to stay until he got the whole story out of Quatre. If he were the one in trouble he knew the Q-man would be there in a second and it was vice versa whether Quatre liked it or not.
"It's stupid really." Quatre began then seeing Duo's face knew that there was no way he was going to get out of it that easily. "Okay basically I've been getting these letters...these love letters I guess you'd call them. They're always on the same stationary, sent to my personal mailing address and they're never signed. At first I was just flattered but since there was no name or anything it wasn't like I could do anything about it right? So there'd be like two every month and I never really thought about it much except gifts started coming with them and the tones of the letters changed. They've changed a lot and not in a good way."
"Three questions." Duo said as he mulled it all over. "One, how long has this been going on. Two, what kind of gifts and three, why have you never mentioned this?"
"It's been going on for almost a year now I guess or at least I think so. I can't even really remember when they started coming. As for gifts well it started out as the cute and ordinary things you'd give someone you care about like chocolate and stuff like that. But the third last one..well she sent me some torn out pictures from a Victoria Secret catalogue to show me exactly what she'd been buying recently." Quatre said with a cough, his cheeks pink as Duo laughed at his friend's reaction. "And well the first notes were really flowery and girlie and well just plain embarrassing. After the first dozen or so I really just stopped reading them too, only looking at the bottom to see if they'd gotten up the courage to sign their name. Usually I'd make the effort to skim them but in general I just acknowledge their existence then into the garbage they went. Or at least they did, I've been saving the last dozen or so. Like I said the tone in them has changed. Whoever this girl is she's starting to almost sound threatening and in the last one she said all sorts of terrible things about a girl I'd taken to a charity function. It sounded like she really hated her but I don't even think she knows Alana. She also made it sound like Alan was some witch that had bewitched me or something because she knew I'd never want someone like her." Quatre said with a concerned look. "I just got a really bad feeling after reading that letter."
"And she's never signed her name..or given you even a hint as to who she is?" Duo asked and when Quatre shook his head Duo began to get a bad feeling in his own gut. "That's not a good thing. I read a lot of detective books and I remember in one how they were talking about the difference between a crush on someone and obsessing about them. This girl's been doing this for a year and she's still hiding but her actions and demonstrations are getting stronger. Does she write like she just loves you or does she write like she knows you?"
"Both. That's what's freaking me out here. She talks as if we really do have a relationship, like we're close which I just can't see as possible. It isn't possible. You know how I've been this last couple of years, Duo. I've been bogged down by work and I have no social live to speak of. What parties I go to are usually always political or business functions and I can't remember the last time I was able to take the same woman out more then half a dozen times. She makes it sound like she knows me better then anyone, she doesn't but that's beside the point. I think she's made me into this person she thinks I am, I don't think she really knows me that well. In her letters she makes me out to be this knight in shining armor without a fault to my name. It's like in her eyes I'm perfect."
"Definitely not good." Duo said with a shake of his head. "Sounds to me like this woman is building a world in her head where you two are living together in happily ever after. If she believes that then it's not hard to see why she'd be lashing out at this Alana. In her eyes you were cheating on her with Alana but because you're perfect in her eyes it has to be Alana's fault because it can't be yours. She had to rationalize it that way because that's the only acceptable answer to her."
"What should I do?" Quatre said as he raked a hand through his hair. It was one thing to be worried about something like this but when Duo actually agreed with him, well then he knew it wasn't just him. "I can't really go to the cops, I don't even have any leads to give them."
"Well lets go inside and we'll figure something out." Duo said as he slugged an arm over Quatre's shoulder.
Sneak Peek at the continuation of Rome and Paris entitled West Joins East
"Using me as bait for what?" Asia wanted to know from the doorway, having been about to come in and offer the guys coffee. She'd been about to knock when she'd heard Quatre's loud declaration and since they were talking about her she thought it only fair that she be allowed to open the door and eavesdrop to see what they were saying about her. "Because I should state now that I absolutely hate fishing and think it's inhumane."
"It's nothing, absolutely nothing. And you know you should knock." Quatre said, his feathers thoroughly ruffled as he sent the guys looks that said to keep their mouths shut.
"Well it's you so it's not like I could ever walk in on you doing something inappropriate." Asia pointed out as she wandered into the room, taking a seat on the arm rest of one of the couches like she owned the place. "I mean if I ever walked in here to find you even kissing someone I'd die from the shock. Now what is it you don't want these guys telling me, Boss man?"
"This is why people think I was crazy for hiring you. You treat me like I'm the employee instead of the other way around." Quatre muttered under his breath darkly. "And it's not important."
"Asia, I take it you know how to handle yourself in dangerous situations right?" Duo said as he sent her a just ignore Quatre look.
"You mean like Paris in the morning when he hasn't had any coffee yet?" Asia said with a cheeky grin then did her best not to chuckle at the look on Quatre's face. Her boss was way too stressed about something. "And yes I can handle myself in most any situation I find myself in. I kick ass real good and I'm pretty handy with a gun if need be. Why? Am I going to be a plant somewhere? Undercover mission?" Asia asked, her eyes brightening at the very idea. "Tell me, tell me." Asia demanded as she practically vibrated with eagerness.
"Actually we'd need you to pretend to be Quatre's lover so that we can catch a crazy stalker who's after him and has shown herself to be violent." Duo replied bluntly even as Quatre sputtered out a protest. "Interested?"
The first chapter of West Joins East is up, click on my name and go to bio to find it yay!