Oh my gosh, another new fic project. What am I thinking?! Heh. Anyway, I owe all the inspiration to Maeve for this one. She's the one who said she wanted to see this pairing in a fic. Though I gotta hand it to Elly...she helped out with the plot a lot. Anyway, enjoy!
Pairing: 4xH.
Warnings: May be some language, some implied situations, eventually. Disclaimer: I don't own nothing. I be poor. The Gundam Wing characters belong to Sunrise/Sotsu/Bandai, who are probably not poor. ^_^
This fic is dedicated to my good friend, Maeve, for a variety of reasons...mainly because she is a special person, but also because she asked me very nicely if I would write a fic featuring this pairing. This one's for you, Maeve! ^_^
AC 195
On board Peacemillion
The five pilots were standing in the hallway, watching the silent gurney being wheeled into the infirmary. The slight figure on the bed seemed even more waifish by the IV and medical equipment surrounding her.
Quatre and Duo stood foremost in the hallway. The braided pilot folded his arms across his chest, a pensive expression on his face.
Quatre stepped up to stand next to Duo, and stared at the doorway the gurney had disappeared through. Quatre thought he knew what was most likely foremost on Duo's mind.
"She's going to be all right, isn't she," he said softly. Duo grunted in assention.
"Yeah."
Quatre was taken aback. He had thought that Duo shared some kind of special bond with the girl...at least, it had seemed as such, from what he'd heard from others. Still, Duo's attitude reflected only slightly concern for the girl's well-being. He certainly wasn't acting like his girlfriend had nearly been killed. Quatre decided to change the subject.
"We can't let the data that she brought us be put to waste."
"No," replied the other youth quietly.
Quatre shook his head slightly. This was not like the normally loquacious pilot. "Duo, is everything...all right? You're not worried about that girl, are you?"
Duo looked at Quatre as if noticing his presence for the first time. "What?"
"Well...that girl...her name's Hilde, right? You and her...aren't you two...aren't you..." Quatre fumbled for the right words.
"Aren't we what, Quatre?"
"Well...the others have said that...and I guess I thought so, too...that you and her--Hilde, that is--were dating...." Quatre's voice trailed off.
Duo stared at his companion with an almost comical expression of disbelief. "You think that me and her are...that we are...a couple?"
Quatre shrugged noncommittally. "Well, I guess that I thought you two were..."
Duo let out a short, harsh bark of a laugh. "We're not a couple, Quatre. I helped her out a little after she was discharged from OZ, and we pooled our resources for rent. She's a good friend. I don't like her like that."
Quatre forced the shocked expression from his face and managed a nod.
"And just between you and me," Duo lowered his voice to a whisper slinging one arm casually across Quatre's shoulders, "I think I'm a little too young to be thinking about shacking up with anybody just now, don't you think? And there are too many good-looking girls out there. Y'know, just the other day, I stopped at this little dive, and there was this girl behind the counter, and she...."
Quatre allowed Duo's voice to fade into the background as his thoughts wandered. So Duo wasn't involved with the petite raven- haired girl who had brought them data on Libra. What possibilities did that leave for him?
Chapter 1
AC 204
Hilde stowed her carry-on in the overhead compartment of the shuttle, and turned to help one of the shorter students do the same. She smiled encouragingly, and took her seat.
Though by all appearances, Hilde seemed happy and content with what she was doing, a part of her was in a panic. What was she thinking, chaperoning a school trip?! Never mind her supervising teacher said she was ready for this. And to the Earth, of all places! Hilde had never even been to the Earth, at least, not that she could remember. And now she was to be responsible for a group of students, going on their first-ever trip to the same? How was she supposed to give guidance when she didn't even have experience with it herself?
She bit back a slight sigh, and squared her shoulders unconsciously. Hilde, you can do this, she thought to herself with determination. The kids knew and trusted her. She wouldn't have to worry about them questioning her authority or trying to test her limits. They'd gotten over that stage of her testing a long time ago. In fact, if not for a few well-placed people in Administration, she would probably be the teacher of this particular group. Funny, how fate worked sometimes.
She bucked her seatbelt and settled back into her seat, content to wait for take-off. One thing was certain; this trip promised to not be boring.
The tall young man tugged at the brim of his hat, and peered as best he could over the dark sunglasses obscuring his eyes. Though he had checked over his papers several times, and knew them to be perfect, and--more importantly--beyond suspicion of forgery, he was still worried. It was not until he had made it safely onto the shuttle and taken his seat that he allowed his guard to relax slightly.
But Quatre still did not dare to remove the hat, though he did take off the glasses. He bit back a scowl. He felt ridiculous, to be honest. All he wanted to do was take a pleasure-trip to the Earth, and maybe check on some of the villages that had been connected to the Maguanac bases back during the Eve wars. Why should he feel guilty about taking a vacation from work to do that?
He knew why he felt guilty. It was because he had ducked out on his family and friends without telling them where he was going, and had decided that, rather than use the extensive resources available to him, he would go incognito. He was really tired of not being able to go anywhere without being recognized, or to not be able to go anywhere without being followed by an extensive entourage of people. Just for once, he wanted to be treated like a normal person instead of an internationally famous heir and head of a multi-million dollar corporation.
He glanced around the shuttle. He had taken special care to make sure he was on a flight where he would not be likely to gather much attention. According to the boarding list he had found, the shuttle's passengers were largely comprised of a group of schoolchildren on a class trip to the Earth, and a few random civilian passengers. There was not likely to be someone who would recognize Quatre--at least, not at first.
Across the passenger bay, a short woman was straining to place her carry-on in the overhead compartment. Even though the shuttle was cramped, by most standards, the woman's head barely cleared the bottom edge of the compartment.
Quatre frowned slightly. The woman looked somehow familiar to him...although he certainly didn't know anyone from his daily life that fit that description. The woman finally finished putting her possessions away, and closed the compartment with more strength than he would have given her credit. She then turned around, and seemed to stare right at him.
As soon as he saw her eyes, Quatre remembered who the woman was. Her hair was a little longer, and the waifish features that had characterized her during her adolescence had been edged out by more refined, adult features, but her eyes were still the same. After all this time, he had, quite by accident, met up with Hilde Schbeiker again.
He thought about saying something to her, but...wait! What was he doing? Why was he standing up? No! He was supposed to remain incognito as long as possible! And now he was walking over to where she had taken her seat--was he completely insane? If he talked to her now, he'd blow his cover! And besides, what would she have to say to him? She probably didn't even remember who he was. He was surprised that he had remembered who she was.
Before he was able to stop himself and turn around, he found himself standing next to her seat, looking down at the top of her head. He cleared his throat politely, and she swiveled in her seat to look up at him.
Quatre suddenly realized his mouth was dry. "Er, excuse me. But--I--that is, I--"
She interrupted him, her voice incredulous. "Quatre? Is it Quatre?" She peered at his face, and her own face suddenly lit up with recognition. "It really is Quatre! Oh my gosh! How long has it been?!" She jumped out of her seat and engulfed him in a hug.
Quatre fought back a blush at her enthusiastic greeting. "Hilde...I'm...kind of trying to maintain a low profile--"
She released him and backed up, peering at him critically. "Why are you wearing that ridiculous hat?"
Quatre's hand self-consciously went up to his head. "What's wrong with my hat?"
Hilde just shook her head. "It's just...different, that's all."
Quatre opened his mouth to retort, but was interrupted as the intercom suddenly pinged on, and a pleasant voice informed the passengers that they would be taking off soon, and would you all please take your seats and buckle your safety harnesses? He turned to Hilde.
"I...I hope this isn't too forward, but I'd like to maybe get together with you some time while we're on Earth. Do you think that would be possible?"
Hilde's smile put all of his doubts at ease. "I don't know if I'll be able to do that while on Earth." She dug through her purse, pulling out a pen and a scrap of paper, and jotting some information down. "But here is where I can be reached normally. I'd love to get together with you some time and catch up, Quatre." She handed him the slip of paper. "I put the phone number of the hotel where we'll be staying, too--just in case."
Quatre pocketed the paper as he headed back for his seat. Of all the people to happen to run into on a shuttle flight to Earth...What were the odds?
The flight was, for the most part, uneventful. Aside from dealing with the normal restiveness of young children in a confined space for an extended period of time, Hilde found her job to be much easier than anticipated. Perhaps this won't be so bad, after all....
She often caught herself sneaking glances over toward where Quatre was sitting. He had his nose buried in a book during the entire flight. She hadn't realized he was such a literary person. Or was it another one of his disguises? She bit her lip to hold back a giggle.
In the background of her conscious, Hilde heard a soft pinging noise, and one of the flight attendants announced that they had reached the Earth, and were about to begin atmosphere entry procedures. In a gravely cheerful voice, she explained that some turbulence was normal, and to please fasten all restraints and put away liquid beverages until atmosphere entry was complete.
Hilde was thinking about Quatre. She barely remembered him from the war days; he was just a faded blur with a halo of platinum- blonde hair, peering down at her as she lay on the gurney-cot, his eyes dark with concern. Duo had talked about Quatre occasionally, but Hilde had never actually gotten to meet him herself. Then why had she given him her phone number? That wasn't like her.
There was a loud thump!, and the cabin shuddered. Hilde felt her stomach flip-flop, but her common sense reassured her that the flight attendant had mentioned that some turbulence was normal.
Her mind returned to the quandary of Quatre. She had just given her phone number not only to someone she barely knew, but someone who was widely quoted as being one of the richest people in both the Earth Sphere and the colonies. My friends would be laughing out loud at me, she thought ruefully. What would they think?
There was another loud thump, and the cabin shook harder. A rhythmic rattling started to cascade through the ship. Hilde's concerns resurfaced. Was this to be considered 'normal' turbulence...?
Before she could ponder the question any more, a loud, klaxon- like siren began blaring through the cabin. In spite of herself, Hilde let out a small, startled scream. The flight attendant came back on the intercom. Funny, thought Hilde, she doesn't sound nearly so chipper any more....
"Attention guests of Colonial Air and Space, please remain calm...we are experiencing mechanical failure...please do not panic...prepare for a crash-landing..."
Hilde's heart leapt into her throat. A crash-landing?! Several of the children started crying in terror, and the cabin was thrown into complete pandemonium.
"Please! Everyone! Remain calm! We do have escape pods, designed for just such an occasion...."
Suddenly, Hilde's life had a much greater purpose. "It's all right," she said soothingly to her charges, seemingly oblivious as the shuttle shook violently, threatening to break apart in the sky. "You will be all right." She began to gather up the children, shuffling them toward the flight attendants, who seemed to have magically appeared in the aisles to guide people to the escape pods. She sensed a presence behind her, and turned to face Quatre.
The young man put a hand behind his head nervously, his other hand clutching a seat tightly to maintain his balance. "I...figured you might need some assistance, getting these kids into the pods." Hilde smiled, and nodded curtly.
When the last of the children were safely in the pods, Hilde turned to face an apologetic-looking lead flight attendant. "I'm...sorry, sir and madame," she said meekly, "but all of the pods are full."
Hilde wanted to scream, to cry, to yell, 'Don't you know who this is? You're just going to let him die?!' But she turned to face Quatre, and was shocked at the look of grim resolve on his features.
He nodded once. "We'll ride the shuttle down," he said with conviction, and began working his way to the cockpit. Hilde quickly followed.
When they reached the cockpit, Hilde immediately realized why things had gone so terribly wrong. Both the pilot and the copilot were slumped over the instrument panel, quite unconscious.
Quatre rushed to the side of the pilot, while Hilde checked the co-pilot for signs of life. "I feel a pulse," she said, "but it's not very strong." She leaned the man back in his chair. Blood stained his face from gashes and an obviously broken nose. He groaned slightly.
"Put his head between his knees," commanded Quatre, "and find a place to buckle down." He dragged the pilot out of the captain's chair and sat down. Outside the cockpit the sky had changed from the cool black of space to atmospheric blue, but Hilde was more interested in the pilot.
"Is he..."
Quatre didn't turn to look, as he concentrated on the control panel. "Don't worry. He can't feel any pain anymore." Hilde swallowed around the lump in her throat. She turned to watch Quatre. She gripped the back of the co-pilot's seat tightly.
"What's the verdict?"
Quatre grunted slightly. "I think I can get us righted...but we're still going to crash..." Hilde looked out of the window of the cockpit at the ground, which grew closer with every heartbeat, yet seemed an eternity away.
As she watched, a puff of white swung past the shuttle. "What the--hey! That was the flight attendant!" Her fears were momentarily forgotten as anger crashed through her conscious. "Why that little...How come she didn't say anything about parachutes?!"
"Doesn't matter," said Quatre, his voice clipped with concentration. "By the time we found them, it would be too late to jump." He fought with the controls some more. "We'll...be safer than her...if she makes it. I think...we're still too high...in the atmosphere...for her to make...the jump....aha! Got it!" He turned a triumphant smile on Hilde. "With any luck, we should survive the crash now."
Indeed, the shuttle seemed to have leveled off, though the ground was still approaching far too rapidly for Hilde's comfort. "With any luck?"
"We're not going straight down. If we land in a forest, we'll probably survive."
Time suspended itself, as Hilde watched the ground grow closer and closer. She smiled bravely at Quatre. She hoped the kids were safe.
The last thing she remembered was saying, "I see green, Quatre...looks like you will get your wish." The canopy of green rushed up to greet them, and everything went black.