Chance Occasion 

Author: P-120

My latest completed TK-LU fic.

She didn’t remember how the name had entered into the conversation, but it had. The damage was done and now a heavy silence hung between them, each unsure of what to say to the other. The whisper of her name had torn a gap between the two like nothing else had been able to.

‘Mariemaia’.

Treize had stood abruptly from his chair when he’d been sitting at his desk previously, to perch himself by the open window, turning his back to her. Lady Une closed her eyes sadly, thinking perhaps she had made a terrible error of judgment.

"How do you know her?" he asked suddenly, shattering the silence.

"She recognized me from television. She introduced herself to me as Mariemaia Kushrenada… although her mother later called her Mariemaia Barton… I met her walking in the park… she was picnicking with her mother and grandfather I think when she got lost."

He was silent, his back stiffly straight, his jaw set in a grim, straight line.

"One would expect… Sir, you’d be more interested in your daughter," she said cautiously, choosing her words carefully.

He didn’t move, but listened as she approached. Her footfalls stopped a few feet behind him, near his desk. She sighed heavily pulling something out of her purse, and laying it on his desk.

"She wanted me to give you this…" Lady Une took one last glance at the rosy pink envelope she’d placed on his desk, and then at Treize, who stood so coldly quiet before her. She closed her eyes turning away, walking swiftly to the door and out it, and retreating to her own office. She didn’t want to be with him now… not while he was in this mood.

He turned his head to his desk at hearing her finally leave; the item she left on his desk was leaning against his computer. He sat back down at his desk and propped his elbows up and ran his hands through his hair. Why now? Why after all this time does she show up? He wondered frustration, anger, and guilt all creeping up on him with a million other confusing emotions springing to new life.

It had been his first trip ever to the colonies. He had been sent by his father, his last vacation before he was sent off to the Oz Military Academy. It’s where he’d met her. She’d been seated at one of the desks helping the incoming passengers at the docking port. Her exotic beauty had drawn his attention immediately, and he flashed her his most charming smile. She blushed, smiled and quickly looked back down at her desk. When it came his turn at her desk he remembered asking her, her name. She’d replied in a whisper, "Leia Barton". He realized it then, he was completely taken by her…

Treize shuddered at the memory. Since then he’d had no contact with Leia, he couldn’t. Her father had successfully hidden her away somewhere, and he’d not pursued her after that. He hadn’t even known that the child of his was a girl until Lady Une had told him about her. Oh my dearest Lady Une… what you must think of me now…?

He picked up the envelope and opened it, emptying the contents onto his spotless desk. A small note, a picture and a tiny golden ring fell out. He picked up the picture, she was smiling, a beautiful smile. She wore a black beret, a striking contrast to her fiery red hair. She had the palest blue eyes…

Lady Une turned the corner, finally making it to her office, motioning for her secretary, Mauve to follow her inside from her desk in the lobby area.

"Yes Ma’am?"

"Let’s attend to that problem you told me of this morning…?"

"Mr. Martin?"

"Yes, that’s it," she said, collapsing into her chair. Forgive me Mr. Treize… I did not mean to bring you pain.

"Ignore him!" Lady Une snapped, listening to the letter being read by Mauve.

"This is the 7^th letter he’s sent us," Mauve protested.

The door swung open and Lady Une looked up preparing to snap at whoever had dared interrupt her meeting but bit her tongue seeing Mr. Treize. He glanced once at Mauve, and motioned for her to leave them alone, to which she happily did. Mauve sighed; glad he didn’t want to talk to her. Right now His Excellency’s face resembled a thundercloud.

She kept her eyes on her screen, refusing to meet the gaze, which she knew held no warmth.

"I didn’t abandon her Anne…" the quietly spoken statement was enough to ensure her that he wasn’t angry at her. "I didn’t have any choice… her father wouldn’t have let me near her anyway. He went to great lengths to prevent me to even find her should I have bothered to look,"

She glanced up at him with sympathetic eyes. "I’m not accusing you of anything, but fathers are important to their daughters. You didn’t see her; you didn’t see the look in her eyes when she talked about you, or the pride when she introduced herself to me as a Kushrenada. Despite living in a household where you are apparently not well liked the girl still adores you,"

He walked away again, this time to her window, and stared out thinking over her words.

"Mr. Treize do you care about her at all?"

He pinned an icy stare on her.

"You didn’t abandon her, you said so yourself, but don’t make her think you don’t care about her. Don’t confirm her dark suspicions that maybe her grandfather is right about you… " seeing that had no affect she tried a different method. "Mr. Treize if you should die, the closest she’ll ever come to knowing you is a television screen. Forgive me Sir it was never my intention to bring you pain, but she wants to know you so badly…"

He leaned against the window frame, unable to support himself, his eyes shut tightly, trying to prevent the tears from falling. He never meant for any of this to happen. He’d never meant to hurt Leia… he’d never meant to hurt Mariemaia… he’d never wanted Anne to know anything about this.

"I can’t,"

She stood up. "But you can-" she began to protest his decision.

"Anne!" his abrupt, and resolute calling of her name ended all hopes she had of convincing him. She relented, the battle against him was lost. Little Mariemaia would have to go without…

She sighed again, frustrated at her helplessness in this situation. She turned away, wanting once again to be away from him during these awkward moments. It just wasn’t fair, what he was doing, to Mariemaia or to himself…

"Wait!" he called. "Don’t walk out again," he requested softly.

She walked back to stand by his side, accepting his decision.

"Is there something I can do for you Sir?" she asked.

"I was only eighteen… I didn’t realize…" he trailed off.

She reached out to place her hand reassuringly on his arm. He grasped her hand, turning to face her, his eyes shimmering. She suddenly felt tremendously guilty, I had no right to do this to him, she thought. She guessed it must have shown on her face because he pulled her into his arms without warning, whispering it wasn’t her fault, he’d done this to himself.

"So you’re still against seeing her?" Lady Une asked, just once more, and if he declines I’ll not mention it again.

He pulled away from her enough to lock eyes. His eyes tracing every detail of her face, settling on her parted lips. He lifted his eyes to hers and slowly lowered his head. Their eyes fluttered closed as their lips touched. He stepped forward, moving them away from the window, deepening their kiss. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist, he removed his hand to the front of her blue blazer, grasping one of the gold buttons.

"Mr. Treize!" she stepped back away from him, fearing someone would barge into her office, as was so common it seemed.

He sighed, resigning to her wishes. "I’ll see her,"

Anne smiled; she would arrange it immediately and was about to do just that when she realized she was still restrained in his embrace. She’d not stepped back far enough to escape his touch entirely.

"Do it tomorrow, stay with me tonight…" he whispered against her hair, taking her hand leading her away from her now empty office toward his stateroom.