| Whatever It Takes Chapter 3 Quatre absently rubbed his hands along his upper arms. This part of the house always took the longest time to heat up. "So are you going to tell me?" Duo took a deep breath. "When I was living on L2 I was...," he smirked, "...privileged enough to be able to observe the effects of many types of illicit drugs, among these a dangerous class of aphrodisiac known as 'libido enhancers.'" Quatre nodded. "I've heard of that type of thing but...I always thought they were more myth than fact." Duo nodded. "As far as I know, the drugs were never taken beyond the experimental stage because of the dangerous side effects. But just because they were experimental doesn't mean that the hardened junkies of L2 couldn't get their hands on them." He paused a moment. "I was at a party where someone thought it would be fun to inject some of the girls with the libido enhancer. They went along with it, thinking it was a simple mood enhancer." Duo's voice hardened. "Two of the girls died that night. Two others had serious injuries." Quatre's eyes were large. "What are the side effects that make it so lethal?" Duo sighed and ran a hand through his bangs. "I don't even know if it could be termed a 'side effect' since the purpose of the drug is to increase the sexual drive. But it's the *way* it's increased. These girls act like they are obsessed - no beyond that. They go crazy. Their libido will build until it reaches a peak and they will do anything, I'm talking *anything*, to satisfy it. Then everything will be okay for a little while before it starts to build again. The worst part is that between the peaks the girls were completely lucid, crying desperately for someone to stop it, to help them. They all described the early symptoms as feeling 'restless' and like they had 'ants crawling under their skin.'" "How awful," Quatre said. "The only girls who survived the night without lasting effects were those few that had caring partners to help...er...ease their distress. The two who died had been left alone. They died from massive internal injuries that occurred when they tried to find relief." Quatre shuddered. "Is there any kind of a cure or antidote?" Duo shook his head slowly. "Just time." "So then the man with the video camera..." Quatre's eyes were wide. Duo nodded. "Oz apparently wanted exclusive footage of Princess Relena acting in a way that would insure her public disgrace, perhaps even cause her to give up her position." They both turned back towards the warm light spilling from the kitchen. "What do we tell her?" "The truth," Duo sighed. "We have to tell her the truth." Duo strolled into the kitchen and snagged the back of a chair, turning it backwards to straddle it in front of Relena. His casual demeanor hid the inner turmoil he was feeling. The only clue to his distress was the hand that reached to bring his braid over his shoulder and then lingered to play with the tip. Relena caught the movement from the corner of her eye and suppressed a smile. The action reminded her of a child that reverts to sucking its thumb or rubbing its ear when tired. She sat back, closed her eyes and sighed, thankful that the pins-and-needles sensation had faded. Duo cleared his throat. "Quatre is making some discreet phone calls. He's checking to see that Pargan is alright and to see if there's a search on for you yet." "Oh!" Relena sat up. "I was hoping their threats were empty. If they've hurt Pargan or anyone else..." her voice trailed off as she bit her bottom lip. Duo's gaze traveled over her face. The pale features were familiar to him by now, though he couldn't say that he really knew this girl. He counted her among his friends, and hoped that she, likewise, did the same despite the inauspicious beginning of their relationship. He wondered how she would feel about him twenty-four hours from now. Quatre came back into the kitchen. "Everything seems to be okay for now," he seated himself at the table again. "I talked to your secretary, Sarah, is it? She remembered me and said that she had a message from you saying that you were in your room, tired and that you didn't wish to be disturbed," he smiled slightly as he continued, "and she told me that the whole staff is abuzz with the shocking news that Pargan has been discovered in his room, apparently drunk, and snoring loud enough to shake the walls." Relena's eyes grew large. "Oh, poor Pargan!" "Well," Duo drawled, "at least whatever they gave him doesn't seem to be life-threatening. I'm sure that you can repair his tarnished reputation when you get back." Relena looked from Duo to Quatre. "And when might that be?" Quatre cleared his throat nervously and looked to Duo who shifted slightly in his chair before meeting Relena's gaze. "Well, princess," Duo tried to smile but failed, "we might have a little problem..." Ten minutes later... Relena felt as if her body had been frozen. The story Duo told her...that just couldn't be true. Anger was now replacing the coldness in her limbs with fire. "So...let me get this straight...you're saying that I'm going to go crazy and want to have sex with you guys?" The last part of the sentence ended in a screech. Both Duo and Quatre winced and Duo had a death grip on the end of his braid. "Um...maybe not. It's just a possibility," Duo managed to grind out. "The symptoms you were having fit with what I've seen before and would also explain the presence of the guy with the vid recorder and the questions Une asked you." Relena crossed her arms and narrowed her gaze at them. "And you two have so graciously offered to help me with this little...problem," she spat out sarcastically. Duo's face was pale as he swallowed nervously. Quatre sighed and leaned forward. "Relena, Duo and I only have your safety in mind. We will do whatever it takes to make sure that you return home safely." "Whatever it takes? So now I'm a mission of mercy? Well, forgive me for not wanting to put you through such a horrendous ordeal!" She stood and stormed off to the far side of the kitchen where she leaned against the counter and glared at them. "Um, Relena, about those questions that OZ woman asked you..." Duo hesitantly began, "well, it would help us to know if you really are a, uh, a virgin or not." Relena's glare could have melted icebergs. "It just so happens that, no, I'm not a virgin. Not that it's any of your business, anyway," she stated as haughtily as she could. "Ah..." Quatre's gaze flickered from Relena to Duo. He was completely at a loss for words. Duo sighed before he stood to face the irate girl. "Look, I may be wrong. I hope I am. You've only had one episode and that was," he glanced at his wristwatch, "about twenty minutes ago. Maybe they miscalculated the dosage and you won't have any more episodes. It's just...if you need us...and you want our help...we're here." Relena smirked at him. "That's right, I've only felt bad once. I have no reason to believe that you know what you're talking about. And as for..." her voice trailed off as her eyes grew confused. She drew a deep breath and inched backwards along the counter until she was in a corner. Duo cocked his head as he looked at her in concern. "What?" Relena's light blue eyes were large as her head slowly shook from side to side. "N-no," she moaned. Her hands came up to rub at her upper arms as her knees bent and she slowly sank into the corner. She tried to rub away the itchy feeling in her arms as she clenched her thighs together to try to counteract the warmth that was flooding her groin. "Oh god, oh god, oh god..." she whimpered. Duo looked at Quatre's shocked face and sighed. "Here we go." Relena's breathing was heavy as she struggled against the overwhelming feelings flooding her body. She had an almost irresistible urge to press her womanhood against something hard...something hard like...like Duo's thigh, her traitorous brain suggested. The thought made her want to giggle. It was odd. Her brain felt fuzzy while the rest of her was tingling from the slightest touch. She was suddenly extremely aware of the soft cotton t-shirt that brushed her upper arms and the silky shorts that teased her thighs. A hand, not her own, moved to rub her shoulder and she moaned and leaned into the caress like an attention-starved kitten. Her eyes opened and she gazed at Duo's face. So beautiful, she thought and she squeezed her eyes shut again in order to fight the urge to throw herself at him. She felt arms lifting her, guiding her, and she made no protest as she felt herself being carried into another room. A lamp was lit and soft light filled the room as she was gently lowered onto a bed. Her fuzzy brain managed to note that the linens didn't match. The sheets were white, one pillowcase was cream-colored while the other was covered in blue flowers. No, not quite blue, more blue-green like...her gaze darted around until she found what she was seeking. She held out her hand until Quatre came closer, his worried eyes the same color as the pillow that supported her. When his fingertips brushed her palm it felt as if an electrical current ran through her body. She hissed and drew her legs up close, held tightly together, hoping she could contain the feelings within herself. Duo eased back from the bed as Relena curled up in a ball, rocking back and forth in the center. He shot a worried glance at Quatre, who appeared to have been frozen in stone beside the bed. Gradually Relena's movements slowed and her eyes drifted closed. Her hands, one clutching the sheets, one gripping Quatre's, relaxed as she fell into an exhausted slumber. Duo checked her pulse and her breathing, then sighed and moved to the doorway. "We'd better let her rest." Quatre nodded and gently removed his hand from Relena's now-pliable fingers. He joined Duo in the hallway. "It's...it's going to get worse, isn't it?" Quatre's worried aqua eyes met Duo's weary ones. Duo nodded. "I'm afraid so. The episodes will get closer together and more intense. There's no way we can let her go through this alone." His unfocused gaze moved to a point on the wall. "It's not what I want." He returned his gaze to Quatre and smiled ruefully. "Though I doubt that my healthy sixteen-year-old libido will have a problem." "Duo," Quatre's voice was shaky and he leaned against the wall to steady his nerves. "Can I ask you a personal question?" Duo cocked his head. "Shoot." "Well, have you ever, ah, been with a girl? Had sex with a girl, I mean?" Duo fought the urge to smile at the pink that was stealing across Quatre's cheeks. "Mmhmm," he slowly nodded, thinking he probably knew where this was headed. "Well, I haven't," Quatre took a deep breath before continuing, "and I'm not sure that I can. I mean, I'm not even sure that I like girls." The last bit came out in a rush as he winced and glanced up to judge Duo's reaction. "I see." Duo's face was impassive and Quatre felt his heart plummet. Then Duo took a step forward and planted his hands on the wall on either side of Quatre's head. Confused, the small Arabian stiffened. "I can help you," Duo breathed. "I like girls...and I like boys, too." Quatre's swift intake of air was silenced as Duo pressed his lips to the softness of Quatre's willing mouth. The sleeping girl in the next room was momentarily forgotten. |