A Dance of Hearts - Chapter Three
THREE MONTHS LATER:
"Rashid, I'm going to tell her!" Quatre stated determined.
"Master Quatre, it's your wedding day! Your not even ceremonially married yet! Why complicate all the emotional hiatus with more? "Rashid tried to reason.
"Why keep it from her?" Quatre asked coldly.
"Duo is in the wedding party. If you tell her before the wedding even takes place she may want to adjust it, and we're all nervous as it is!" Rashid exclaimed gesturing wildly.
"I'm aware of how nervous we all are Rashid! I'm a nervous wreck! I just think it'll break the monotony of it all is she and Duo meet and know they are brother and sister. I'm going to tell her." Quatre concluded. He finished tying his bow tie to his tux and stepped outside the room. Looking around he saw Duo off in a corner with Wufei and Heero. He walked up to them, exchanged a greeting with them, and promptly grabbed Duo by the wrist and pulled him away as he walked.
"Man, I've heard of jitters, but I've never heard of needing help in escaping." Duo commented as he was led through the estate and up the stairs leading to where the ladies were taking care of Desiree. "Hey man! Where are we going?"
"I need you to meet my fiancée'." Quatre said as they finally reached the end of the stairs, and rounded a corner.
"Can't it wait until after the wedding?"
"No." Quatre stated still leading him by the wrist.
"Quatre, man, I have no objections to meeting beautiful women and all that...and I heard your fiancée' is a real looker, but I prefer to do it with their clothes on! I'm married remember?" Duo asked as they finally came to the door. Quatre did not pay any attention. He was too busy knocking on the door.
"Yes? Who is it?" they heard Relena say on the other side.
"It's me, Quatre."
"And me!" Duo shouted.
"What do you want?" Relena asked her voice louder, telling them she was by the door.
"We need to come in!" Quatre shouted.
"Haven't you ever heard it's bad luck to see your bride just before the wedding? And in her dress too?" Hilde chirped from within.
"Yeah, can't it wait?" Relena asked.
"No..."Quatre said, growing impatient. He was already nervous, he didn't need to be unhumored now.
"Quatre...hey! What are you doing?" they heard Relena say as the door swung open to reveal a dazzling Desiree.
She didn't even really look at them, she just returned to her spot in front of the mirror. "Oh, this is bad. This is very, very, bad." Hilde said shaking her head.
"It's just superstition Hilde... Yes? What is it?" Desiree asked turning to look at them.
Quatre stepped inside while Duo remained out in the hall. "I need you to meet someone."
"Okay..." Desiree responded with a look of confusion. What was so important about that?
"Duo, get in here!" Quatre yelled.
Duo did a double take. He never heard Quatre yell before. He stepped inside and eyed him. "You really are nervous aren't you?" Quatre threw him a lopsided grin, then turned back to Desiree. He was about to say something when he saw the look on her face. It was one of disbelief, and in a weird way, hope.
"Anthony?" she whispered, narrowing her eyes as she looked at Duo.
"Huh?" Duo looked at her as if she had lobsters crawling out of her ears.
"Anthony Lerach? Anthony?" Desiree repeated coming forward as if spell bound.
Anthony Lerach? The name sounded familiar to Duo, but from where? Why?
She stood in front of him now, looking as if she was about to cry. "Anthony?" She looked at Quatre. "Quatre?"
"Yes..." Quatre replied softly. Her gaze shifted back to Duo with a smile, as tears formed in her eyes.
"Hey what's going on?" Duo asked completely confused by this interchange.
"Duo, this is Desiree. My fiancée...your sister." Quatre introduced watching his reactions.
"Sister? But my sister..." Duo looked at her in disbelief, and suddenly, as if hit by lightning, the realization dawned on him. "MY SISTER!" he shouted next, and grabbed her up into a bear hug, lifting her off the ground, and doing something no one thought Duo would ever do, crying.
He pulled her away, and looked her over. "I thought you were dead. I thought you were dead..." He grabbed her tightly again.
"Anthony?" she huffed after a few minutes. "Can you let go of me?"
Duo began rocking her back and forth. "Why?"
"I can't breathe." she said in a breathless voice.
"All right, we can continue the family reunion during the reception. Out both of you! We still need to get her hair done, and now, redo her makeup." Relena said starting to usher the men out the door. Once outside, she came out, and closed the door behind her.
"Thanks Quatre!" Duo said in delight and grabbed Quatre up in the same type of hug he just put his sister through.
"Your welcome. And Duo, your stronger than you think you are, cause I can't breathe either." Quatre stated after a couple moments.
"Oh sorry." He let go with a teary eyed look of happiness. "I've got to tell Heero and Wufei."
"Go ahead Duo...I need to talk to Quatre alone for a minute." Relena said with a smile. Practically on the verge of dancing, Duo made his way back tot he other pilots.
"What is it Relena?" Quatre asked watching Duo start down the stairs.
"I noticed Trowa isn't here. Did he tell you why?" Relena asked somber.
"No. He just said he didn't think he should come." Quatre said sadly.
"Quatre..." Relena glanced at the closed door, then back at him. "...tonight your going to have to take things slow." She looked down at the carpeted floor of her estate, then back up into Quatre's worried eyes.
"Is it because she's a ...", he blushed scarlet at the word, "virgin?"
Relena considered for a moment or two. "Well, yes, partly. I mean she is a virgin, and it will hurt her the first time...but after that..."
She watched the Arabian's blush glow even deeper. "I don't want to hurt her. Even the first time..." Quatre said looking away.
"Well, you really have no choice in that...it's the will of mother nature there..." Relena stopped. This was so not what she meant to talk about. "Quatre..."
"You think if I sort of get her a sedative or something?" Quatre asked eyes brightening in hope. He never knew it would hurt the woman the first time she ever made love. He didn't ever want to hurt her, or anyone again.
Relena had to choke down a laugh. "Ummm, Quatre, I don't think you'll need to worry about it... but what I needed to talk to you about is completely different. You see, before she..."
"Hey! We gotta go! Car's waiting...we have to leave or we'll be late." came Abdul's cheery voice, followed by the other three pilots, and Rashid.
Duo was still being overly joyous at finding his sister again. "Heero, isn't it great?!" Then he gathered the stern pilot in a hug.
"Get off of me!" Heero shouted.
Duo immediately let go, and took a few steps back. "Sorry man. I'm just so happy."
"No one said you can't be happy, Duo, just don't include me in it!" Heero said walking to stand next to his wife.
"Wu-man!" Duo said opening his arms for a hug.
"I don't think so." Wufei said, and started to walk away. Sulking, Duo followed with Abdul and Rashid.
"Quatre, if you live through this ceremony, I'm going to kill you." Heero said in a serious voice. Quatre's eyes widened. He knew in Heero's case he just might mean it.
"Quit looking at me like a scared kitten, Quatre. Go to the car." Heero said a little more gently. Still wide eyed Quatre walked away. When he rounded to corner Heero gave his wife an inquiring look.
"Did you tell him?"
"I tried Heero. I tried." Relena said, her eyes narrowing.
"Are you going to try again after the ceremony?"
"No. I don't think I will" Relena said thoughtfully.
"Why not?" Heero asked harshly. "He needs to know."
"It won't do any good now. In the eyes of the kingdom their already married, now that the contracts are signed. Besides, he knows that with his position there would be a price to pay." Relena said sadly. "Peace and the Colonies would never let either of them back out of it now Heero. I tried to intervene. Remember?" she asked looking at her husband who nodded. "There's nothing I can do."
"If you ask me, the price of our peace is starting to have a pretty high cost." Heero said with a glare, then walked away to join to groom's party.
~~~~*~~~~
Aside from Quatre's disappointment of Trowa's absence, stumbling over some of the vows, and at one point his own name, then someone bringing a cell phone that started ringing during Desiree's "I do", and the same phone distracting them again when it was time to kiss, making them burst out laughing hysterically, and Heero getting up into the mic saying. "Turn the phone off, or I'll kill you.", leaving them only enough nerve to kiss chastely on the lips, the ceremony went smoothly.
Quatre beamed at his wife, who couldn't help but give him flirtatious looks. Over the months they had been together, she did develop a fierce infatuation for him, and both were moving into a close friendship. However, her own heart plagued her. She was still in love with another man. She was doing all she could not to be. She wanted to love Quatre, he deserved no less, but she couldn't deny the fact that her own heart was not ready to let the other man go yet. Being an extremely religious person, something that neither of the two men understood very well, (but Quatre took it better than the other one did), she always felt guilty when with Quatre. She tried telling him several times, but was always interrupted, or lost her nerve. 'Maybe now all will come together. Dear God, you've chosen this man to be the one I spend the rest of my life with. Each day I understand the reasons why more and more, but it hurts no less. Help me let go just a little of the other one. Please...', she prayed as they rode in a limo to the reception. Quatre seemed even more nervous now to her, than during the ceremony. She started giggling when she remembered him stumbling over his own name, and how red his face was when he did it.
Quatre gave her a look of complete bewilderment. "What's so funny?" She looked at him again then broke out into outright laughter. "What?" he asked, a smile teasing his lips.
"Nothing..."she said unconvincingly through a laugh.
"What?!"
"You promise you won't get mad?" she asked trying to bite down on the giggles.
"Yes. What?" he asked his eyebrows narrowing in suspicion.
"I was just thinking about how you looked when you messed up your own name. I'm sorry...it shouldn't be that funny, but..."
She stopped when she saw him put his hands over his face in embarrassment. She completely stopped laughing when she saw his body shake with sobs? Her smile diminished.
"Quatre, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that...I..." her eyes got wide when he tore his hands away from his face and looked at her. He was crying-- but because he was laughing so hard.
"I know, my middle name is now 'Rabern'..." he burst out, then collapsed into the seat, head laid back on the seat's top, a hand over his stomach. Feeling safe to laugh again, she started to join in the merry glee. She was happy now. He didn't seem as nervous as he was. The laughter was enough to cause the limo driver to look back at them through the glass when he reached a red light. He gave them a look, and turned around mumbling about driving lunatics around all the time. Quatre looked at his wife through blurry eyes. She was so very beautiful when she laughed, and he loved the way her laughter sounded. It was musical to him. He felt his heart beat even faster when her eyes opened and she looked straight into his. Both stopped laughing at the same time and she shyly looked away, he looked at her with mixed emotions and thoughts.
'I want to sit closer to her. Put my arms around her. Kiss her. But will she let me?' He had in three months come to care deeply for her. He had no regrets that he married her. He knew there were things that she wanted to tell him. Things she had tried to tell him. He knew it had to be important for he noticed how haunted and hurt her eyes looked when she began to. He always wanted nothing more than to kiss that hurt away. What was it that plagued his beautiful wife so deeply? He smiled when she looked up at him again with a gentle turn on her lips.
"Well, are you going to do it?" she asked to his confusion.
"Do what?"
She began to smooth out the wrinkles in her white lace skirt. "What you want to do." she answered quietly.
He blushed and turned away. Did she know? Was it that obvious? He looked back at her, then timidly he scooted over the seat until he was sitting as close beside her as he could get. He took her left hand in his right and laced his fingers through hers. He looked away again. He didn't dare go any further than that. That would be forced to come later tonight. He felt nervous tension he had left behind for a few minutes come back. How can he do this? How?
"That's it?" Desiree with disappointment. She was sure he wanted to kiss her. She was sure he had wanted to kiss her many times before this. They didn't need to be ...careful anymore, they were married. With a high degree of joy she realized she wanted him to kiss her, and that she was looking forward to the events that were to come that night when they left the reception.
He looked at her wide eyed. "What else? What did you want me to do?" Embarrassed, she turned and looked out the window briefly before meeting his eyes again.
"I thought you wanted to... you know..." She timidly raised a hand to his lips. He felt as though an electric shock went through his blood at her touch. But the type that felt weirdly good.
"I... I do. will you let me?"
Dumb question, he knew. She wouldn't be talking about it if she didn't. But should he? His eyes were hungry for her, he knew. But the question that persisted in his mind as of late was still there...why? She nodded with a smile, and gentle laugh. Still he hesitated. She turned to look back out the windows. 'He does want to. He's just holding back. which right now is the last thing I need him to do' Her smile came back when she felt his hand under her chin turning her head to look at him.
His breath escaped him as her eyes met his yet again. 'Just do it!' he told himself. He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. They were soft, and tasted sweet to him. When he pulled back he saw her open her eyes and raise her eyebrows inquiringly.
"More?" he asked hopeful. She looked at him flirtatiously, as she hooded her eyelids and smiled at him. he took that as a yes. He cupped her face in his hand, pulled her closer to him, and kissed her deeper. His mind began to whirl... He pulled back slightly, keeping his lips lingering two inches from hers.
"Again?" he inquired, then without waiting for an answer pulled her as tightly against him as he could, and met her lips again. The kiss became the deepest of kisses, permeated with passion. He swooned when he felt her arms encircle him.
Suddenly, their car door opened to reveal three faces that were grinning ear to ear. Pulling away out of breath, they looked up at the faces of Duo, Hilde and Wufei.
"Can't save it for the honeymoon, huh?" Duo asked. "Glad you're her husband Quatre, cause now that I know she's my sister, I'm going to be a bit protective." The two newlyweds gave the three innocent looks, and hurried out of the car.
"I think you two better make your presence known. Relena's going crazy in there trying to hold back the guests and photographers for you two." Wufei said.
"Hmn..." was all the answer Desiree gave him, and hurried inside.
Wufei caught Quatre's arm. "I guess you didn't need my advice after all." he whispered with a smirk. Quatre's eyes widened, then blushing he rushed forward, catching up with his wife.
"I think they'll be all right." Duo said more to himself than anyone.
"It's too early to tell. Their lives together have hardly begun.' Wufei said walking forward to the building's doors.
"Yes, but at least what we just witnessed has to be a good sign." Hilde chimed in.
Wufei stopped and turned to look at each one in turn. "We'll see." Wufei didn't dare reveal that he was certain as well that things would be okay between Quatre and Desiree. They certainly started out better than he and his Meiren did. Meiren...no one knew that he had in fact loved her. Except if they looked down into his soul deep enough-- in his eyes, then they would know he did. Just as he knew what not even Quatre realized yet...that Quatre was in love with his Desiree.
~~~~*~~~~
"How do you think things will go tonight for them?" Heero asked Relena as they sat in the quietness of their room.
Relena looked up at her husband with a mixture of hope and worry. "I don't know. She tried to tell him again you know."
"What happened?" Heero asked helping her pull her nightgown over her when she somehow got lost in it.
"Someone interrupted them again. I think this time it was Rashid. It's like there are forces at work preventing anyone from telling him." Relena said in disgust.
Heero picked up the book he had been reading and opened it. "Think she'll try again?"
"No. I think she's more worried about getting him through tonight." Relena said with a smile.
"I know, he stayed until he couldn't any longer." Heero said shaking his head, not allowing Relena to see the smile on his face.
"You should've been there when we were talking about how we had to help her get the gown on..." Relena said with a laugh.
"Why?"
"Let's just say, when we told him how he'd have to also help her out of it, and tried to show him how to unhook the buttons, I was afraid he'd faint!" Relena said giggling.
"This is going to prove to be a most interesting night for them." Heero said, setting the book aside as he saw his wife was ready for bed, and turned out the light.
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