Dark World
by Lady Saffir
DISCLAIMER:if you know'em, I don't own'em...

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I didn't meet him as he heroically saved my life from disaster. Instead, I met him in the grocery store as I stared at the vast array of fruits on sale.

"If you stare any harder, I think the fruit may start to wilt," a voice quipped, causing me to jump.

Startled, I whirled to face the voice, and I think it was then that I fell in love. And no, it wasn't lust, it was love. I wanted to wake up to this man every morning. I wanted to curl up next to him in front of a roaring fireplace and watch sappy movies. The feeling left me flustered and babbling.

The man smiled another easy, relaxed smile, reaching out tO pluck the orange I held from my grasp.

"This brand rots quickly," he gave by way of explanation, replacing the offending fruit.



He stayed by my side the rest of my shopping trip, giving funny comments and insights about different brands. He had introduced himself simply as Heero, and we became fast friends during the longest grocery trip I have ever been on.

Heero even helped me load my groceries into my car, after laughing at the fact we were parked next to each other. We were standing between our cars, having one of those awkward good-bye moments.

"Have lunch with me?" Heero asked suddenly.

It only took me a moment to think about it.

"Sure," I replied, confident that Quatra wouldn't mind. He was quite secure about me having guy friends, only cautioning me to follow my gut feeling.



So I went home and unpacked my groceries, talking to Quatra all the while on the telephone. He was actually pleased that I would have someone to talk to while he was out of town this weekend.

"Come over for dinner?" I asked. "I want to see you one last time before you leave."

He quickly agreed before saying good-bye. "I love you," was the last thing he said before terminating the connection.



That night, as we lay in my bed sleepily talking through our events, Quatra became alarmed when I mentioned Heero's name.

"Heero? As in the man that runs the Pilot Corporation?"

Something about his tone of voice caused me to wake up a bit, twisting to face him.

"I'm not entirely sure," I answered. "Do you know what he looks like?"

Before I go any further, I should mention that Quatra's in the merger business. He's the guy everyone calls when they have questions about potential take-overs. Even though he's fairly young in the business world, being twenty-six, his higher-ups love him. I think it's the fact that he looks so angelic yet plays hardball with the best of them.

Quatra shook his head. "No, I don't, and neither do a lot of people. Any business arrangments in his name is witnessed by his lawyer. It's speculated that he has something to do with the government, because no public files can be found ANYWHERE. He is the biggest, most successful mystery in the business world today.

"And you're having lunch with him tomorrow. I almost don't believe it," Quatra muttered.

"Mmph. I'll ask what he does for a living tomorrow. Speaking of which, what time does your flight leave?"

Sleep was claiming me, Quatra's voice only a murmur as I drifted into sleep.