The Mysterious Affair at Victoria (or, the Worms' Mistress)



Part 3


The Plain's Pub

He had arrived at the moment he had been dreading. Two of the people who meant most to him 
in the world were standing there, needing him to make a decision. Who would he speak to 
first?

/Stay calm. You've been a soldier. You've been in situations that involved the survival 
of thousands, no millions of lives. You have to trust yourself. You have to put those 
horrible mistakes behind you and be decisive again. If you don't, what's the point of 
living? I want to live now... I didn't before... when he... when I lost him... now I 
do... there's a reason and that reason is too important... I can't hide anymore.../

He looked down at them. To his left, Noin's eyes were on fire, her cheeks flushed with 
anger. She looked up at him with an expression he couldn't identify, but he knew she 
was angry and that the anger was only the surface emotion. Underneath, there would be 
nothing but pain; she had made that clear enough to him in her room.

On his right, Duo had ducked his head and was staring at the fire. He looked dazed, as 
if he was staring at something a thousand miles away, but his slender hands were curled 
into fists at his side and his breathing was heavy. He looked very young, but ready to 
fight.

Zechs realized as he looked at Duo that the decision he had thought would be so difficult 
had already been made. There was really no question about who got top priority, who would 
be comforted first. He loved Noin dearly, in a way that could only come from knowing her 
for years. It was a deep and constant feeling, and no matter what happened between them, 
it would always stay with him.

But Duo was another matter entirely. The connection that had been made when they met each 
other was really only a possibility - They had had no real time to themselves, no chance 
to get to know each other outside of crisis and pain. Duo was still a stranger to him; 
it just happened that he now wanted to spend his life with that stranger.

Noin represented his past, with all of its decisions and all of his mistakes. Duo was the 
future, nothing but chance and potential. The choice was obvious.

"Noin," he said softly. "I need to be with Duo right now. I want to talk to you, to 
explain things. I want to do whatever I can to make up for what I've done to you. But I 
need to be with Duo. If you can accept that, I'll come and find you sometime tomorrow."

Duo turned his head slowly to look up at Zechs. Several different emotions played across 
his face: confusion, disbelief, wonder.

/Is this happening? Did I hear him right? He said... he said that I would get to be with 
him first... he thought of me first... I don't have to wait... don't have to get in line... 
I'm really first this time... /

Noin's face had gone red, her eyes bright with tears that hadn't fallen yet. "Why, Zechs? 
Why? What could he possibly give you that I can't?"

Zechs put an arm protectively around Duo's shoulders. "Noin, I'll talk to you soon. But 
right now he's my first priority. I hope you'll let me see you tomorrow."

The tall man looked down at his lover, who appeared to be in shock, and guided him gently 
out of the bar and down the corridor to his, no, *their* room. He stopped only once, at 
the lodge's front desk, to arrange discreetly for a special cleaning of Lucrezia Noin's 
suite and to ask that his suitcase be moved from her rooms to Duo's.

**********

Duo's Rooms

"You must hate me." Zechs stood, his back against the door, in Duo's suite.

He kept his eyes on Duo, who was standing at the darkened window. Neither of them had 
said a word on the way back to the room, although Zechs had kept an arm around Duo's 
shoulders and Duo had not moved away from the touch.

Now the boy at the window turned slowly and looked his tall lover in the eyes. "Maybe I 
don't have the right to complain. Maybe I should just be happy with whatever I can get. 
After all, who am I to expect anything? I'm just street scum right?"

"Don't say that about yourself!" Zechs hissed. "Don't expect so little from life - you 
deserve more than that!"

"Well that's the problem Zechs. You... you've been treating me like I *do* deserve more. 
Like I was really worth enough to expect something better. It felt so strange, so good. I 
was even starting to think that I should have told Heero to treat me better or go to hell."

"You should have," Zechs said quietly, his eyes on the floor.

Duo ran his hands through his long bangs. When he spoke again, his voice was shaky. "So 
what I do I do now? Use that feeling to tell *you* to go to hell? Believe me, Zechs, 
there's a part of me that really wants to.

"I know you told me, hinted at least, that something like this would happen. But I 
guess hearing it is one thing and actually living through it... knowing that you were 
with her... " He put a trembling hand over his eyes. "Well, I guess I didn't know how 
tough that would really be."

Zechs leaned more heavily against the door, his face a mask of misery. "Just tell me, 
Duo. Tell me you hate me... tell me how weak I am... it's true you know. I've been weak 
ever since my father's kingdom was attacked by the Federation. It's been fourteen years... 
and everything I've done since then has been weak. I should have saved them, you know. But 
I couldn't."

He looked up briefly at the boy across the room. "I guess I was lucky during the war. 
Somehow, in the end things always worked out. But this time... I've betrayed the one 
person who's becoming my reason for living. That's not forgivable... not after what 
you've given me. You made me feel alive again, Duo, and how did I repay you? By doing 
the one thing that would hurt you most. I was trying to take away Noin's pain, but all 
I've done is hurt you." His eyes returned to the floor at his feet.

Duo kept his gaze on the tall blond man. Parts of Zechs that he had never seen were emerging, 
and so many things were falling into place. He saw in his mind the smoky ruins of Maxwell 
Church, and superimposed on them was the equally devastated ruin that had been the Sank Kingdom.

Zechs spoke again, his voice a bit lower. "Sometimes it seems that I'm just destined to hurt 
people I love - or to lose them. Look what I've done to Noin because I couldn't just tell her 
what I really wanted - let her get on with her life.

"My parents, my sister... Treize... Treize... I wanted to die when I found out about him. I 
couldn't believe in his view of war, and we were fighting each other about it. But... " Zechs' 
voice broke and he ducked his head lower. "I loved him so much. Everything he said, everything 
he did... the way he looked at me, his voice... Then it was gone! It was all gone and nothing 
could bring him back. I just wanted to be able to tell him... that I loved him, even though we 
didn't agree. But I never got the chance... I never got the chance to say goodbye... to anyone."

Duo felt dizzy, unable to speak. /He's just like me. Dear God, he's just like me. The 
Federation made both of us war orphans. What was he, six at the time? Just a kid... just 
like me... he had to find a way to survive on his own, too. And he looked to get revenge on 
the bastards, just like I did. And just like me, his whole life since then has been based on 
guilt. Neither of us could stop what happened so we've spent all our lives trying to make up 
for it... /

Zechs' head was bowed, his face hidden by his long white-gold bangs. As Duo watched, tears began 
to fall from underneath the silky strands, falling straight from the man's eyes to the floor 
below. Then, suddenly, Zechs sank to his knees, his back sliding down the door, arms limp at 
his side. His rich, low voice was barely louder than a whisper. "Leave me, Duo. Get out of this 
now, before I hurt you again. Go find someone who won't destroy everything he touches... "

A moment went by, and then the resolve that had come to Duo earlier when he had faced Noin in the 
light of the fire came back with a vengeance. The street kid was being told 'no.' He was being 
denied what he wanted, this time by the treasured thing itself. Zechs was telling him that the 
ne thing he had been craving all of his life - the love of someone he loved - wasn't going to 
happen. The street kid heard this, and, this time, refused to believe it.

"You're not getting off that easy, Zechs!" he said, raising his voice. "This situation is a mess, 
that's true, but you can't run away from it. I won't let you! You, me... we both need to stay 
right where we are and work this out. If you're sorry for what you did, then make it up to me. 
If you feel you've hurt me too much, then make it better. But don't you dare tell me to leave 
you! Don't you *dare* take away something that *I* love!

"You're mine, now! Do you hear me? Mine! And I won't let anyone take you away from me, not even 
you! You're gonna stay here, *with me*, 'cause that's what *I* want!" Duo broke off abruptly. 
He couldn't believe what he had just said (and to whom he'd said it.) But it felt good, he knew 
that.

Zechs looked up at him from the floor, his mouth open, face still wet with tears. "Duo? ... Duo, 
did you really say what I think you said? Do you love me, Duo? Do you really? ..." His voice 
was soft with wonder.

Duo walked slowly over to where Zechs knelt on the floor. He knelt too, in front of the 
former prince, and they looked at each other for a long time.

"Yes. I love you, Zechs. And I don't think I knew that until just now. I knew I wanted you, 
wanted to be with you. But... when I decided to come with you instead of Heero, I really didn't 
know why I was doing it. It seemed like an addiction; it was painful to be *without* you.

But I didn't know, didn't realize, until now... " Duo paused and saw the ruins again - two boys 
standing in the rubble of their lives and trying not to cry. "It's gone way beyond that now. I 
barely know you, but there are times I could complete your sentences before you finish them. I 
know how you're going to react because it's the same way I would. We just show it differently. 
Inside the feelings are the same. And you, you said it yourself... I'm, I'm your first priority... ?

Ice blue eyes caught and held his own. "Duo," he whispered, "there's nothing I wouldn't do for 
you... nothing..."

"No one's ever said anything like that to me before. With Heero, even after the war ended, there 
was always something... someone, else that had to come first. I've always been the one falling 
in over my head. I've always been the more passionate one... but I think... I think I may have 
met my match. And I never would have guessed it, Zechs. You were always so cool and detached 
about everything. Guess you wore that mask really well. Even after you took the real one off."

Zechs closed his eyes. A few unshed tears fell down the soft curve of his cheek. Duo leaned 
forward on his knees, putting his hands against the door on either side of the blond man's 
shoulders. Gently, he kissed each tear from Zechs' face, then brought his fingers up to trace 
the line of Zechs' cheekbones, the curve of his lips. Resting his head back against the door, 
Zechs stared at the American in wonder, never taking his eyes from Duo's. Then he closed them, 
as Duo took his mouth in a deep and possessive kiss.

/Nnnnnnnn... Nnnnnnnn... Duo... I'm yours... I'm yours... And you, my love, are mine... /

**********

The Victoria Club - Southern Terrace

The darkness of the African night was profound. On the small southern terrace that stretched 
out from the bar, Noin stood shivering; she looked out across a savanna she couldn't see and 
wondered where things had gone wrong - why she hadn't seen it coming. The anger had subsided 
for the moment, and replacing it was an intense feeling of grief.

To her mind, something had died, something she had carried for so long, it had become part 
of her. As she waited for relief, any kind of relief, from the smothering feel of sadness and 
loss, she began telling herself a story...

/Once upon a time there was a golden prince, who swept a commoner off her feet. One night, 
she reached deep inside of herself and pulled out her heart and gave it to the prince. He 
took it gently and locked it away inside a secret room in his castle. Although he was often 
away, the commoner was happy, knowing that the prince held her heart so safely.

One day, a traveler came to the land and demanded to see the prince. He was allowed a private 
audience with the golden man and when they came out of the throne room the prince went to the 
commoner whose heart he held. He begged her to come to his castle to meet the traveler, and 
she agreed. When she arrived, he took her to the secret room, where the traveler, a radiant 
young man, was waiting. He first unlocked the jeweled case that had held her heart so safely 
and carefully removed it. He turned to her, smiling sadly, and placed it her hands, telling 
her he could not keep it any longer. Then, as she watched, the golden prince reached deep 
inside the traveler and removed his heart with exquisite tenderness. He placed it in the 
jeweled box which he locked, and then turned again to the commoner, telling her gently but 
firmly that he now held the traveler's heart in her place and that she was no longer welcome 
in the castle.

When she asked him what had caused this sudden change, he pointed to the traveler, who drew a 
second jeweled case from under his long, hooded cloak. He opened it slowly and inside the 
commoner saw the prince's heart, wrapped in tiny golden chains.

Once the box was closed again, the prince took her arm and walked her over to the door of the 
secret room. He told her goodbye and kissed her cheek. As the door closed, she saw her beloved 
prince walk back to where the traveler stood, taking the stranger's hand in his and pressing 
it softly to his lips./

Noin went back through the bar and slowly walked to her suite. The bed had been made again, 
the soft sheets that she and Zechs had made love in were gone and fresh ones were in their 
place. Across the pillow was a single white rose, in full bloom and on her night stand was a 
bottle of her favorite wine. Zechs' suitcase was gone from her closet.

/Don't be sweet, Zechs. Don't be the kind man you are. I need you to be thoughtless...inconsiderate... 
I need to stop wanting you more than I want to breathe... Make me want to run so far away from you 
that I never come back... Because if you don't, some small, stupid piece of me will hang on to you 
for dear life... /

She undressed and crawled into the cool, clean bed. She poured a glass of wine and drank it down, 
all at once then turned off the light and closed her eyes, waiting for the merciful numbness. The 
last thing she remembered thinking before falling asleep was that, even when he was tearing her 
heart to ribbons, Zechs knew exactly what would make her feel better - and she wished to God it 
wasn't so true.

**********

Somewhere Nearby

The tall, dark-haired man seemed absorbed by his reflection in the men's room mirror. He adjusted 
the top row of medals until they were exactly even, and smoothed the front of the dark blue 
uniform, giving careful attention to the two folds of white that formed a diamond on breast.
 Each button was a gleaming jewel. The shoulder fringes were perfectly in place. His long legs 
were just the right size for the spotless white trousers. He had even found a pair of the boots, 
long, black, and gleaming, with high knee guards. He smiled softly. All-in-all it was a perfect fit.

/If I dyed my hair, I would bet that I could frighten the hell of out a few people today. That 
woman... disturbed one, she was... but very strong in her own odd way. Wouldn't *she* be 
surprised. And of course that overly serious pet of his... would he want me to screw him?... 
I wonder... it wouldn't be that unpleasant... after all, the only way he made it anywhere was 
by sleeping with his superior... but I suppose that if the man could be taken in by a pretty 
face, he deserved to die... Well, we don't really need *him*, just his memory... just enough 
of a resemblance to stir the loyalties... and get the job done... /

Another man came in then, and gasped at what he saw. "Dear God - you... you look just like him!"

The tall man smiled again and watched the mirror while he practiced waving a hand. "Not exactly, 
Meier. After all, I could never achieve that look of noblesse oblige he had - no, that the *two* 
of them had. But then I'm not of "royal blood."

He turned around, getting an idea of the impression he made from all sides. His smile became smug. 
"Of course," he told his companion, "I don't have the eyebrows, either."

**********

Duo's Rooms

"Zechs?"

"Yes, Duo?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you have a toe-curling voice?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"A toe-curling voice. Has anyone ever told you that you have a toe-curling voice?"

"Hmm, I don't believe that particular phrase has ever come up. Of course, I don't spend much 
time discussing my voice with other people, so perhaps it's just that no one has had the 
opportunity."

"Oh come on, bunny - 'fess up. You're not gonna tell me that no one has ever told you that 
your voice is one of the sexiest things about you."

"Ah, this is what 'toe-curling' means?"

"Yeah - it's like, you'll say something, to me, I mean, and, well, I have to try to... uncurl 
my toes... afterward... "

"Ah... really? You really have to uncurl your toes?"

"Uh huh, big time."

"Ah. So, making someone's toes curl is a *good* thing?"

"Oh yes, it's a very good thing."

"Well. I had no idea."

"It's true, though."

"... Duo?"

"Yes, Zechs?"

"What are you doing down there?"

"Trying to curl your toes."

"Ah. ... Aaaaahhh... "

**********

Lobby - The Lodge at Victoria

A man approached the night clerk at the Registration Desk, who had been double-checking that 
each lodger's breakfast order was in. It was absolutely imperative that enough staff were 
scheduled in the morning to assure the timely deliveries of said breakfasts. After all, the 
reputation of the Victoria was at stake with every dish of eggs with asparagus, every cup of 
perfectly roasted coffee.

She had seen the man as soon as he had entered the lobby and wondered why he was here, because, 
all in all, he didn't much look like the Victoria's usual clientele.

/He's got no bag with him. How did he come to be all the way out here in the bush with no luggage? 
And those clothes - what a horror. Someone should tell him that that the war is over. It's not 
really in good taste to go walking about in an OZ uniform these days. Even here./

The man was now at the desk, and although she was working at the computer terminal directly in 
front of him, he reached over and rang the highly polished brass bell used to call her when she 
was in the office at the back. She looked him in the eye, an expression of firmness on her face, 
and reached over, clamping her hand around the bell, cutting off the sound abruptly.

"Yes?" she asked. "May I help you, sir?" /Please, dear Lord, tell me he's *not* staying here./

"I have some letters with me that need to be delivered to two of your guests." As he said this, 
he drew two small, creamy envelopes from the cape he wore.

The night clerk reached for them. "I'll see that they're delivered, sir." /Thank goodness. Now 
give them to me and leave... /

The man moved the envelopes back away from her open hand. He looked at her, his facial expression 
wavering somewhere between irritating self-assurance and smooth seduction. Her mood and her own 
expression turned black, although she said nothing, feeling that, after all, it was *he* who 
needed to explain himself, not her.

He leaned forward intimately and rested an arm on the counter. His eyes were a vivid blue, and 
they searched her sensible hazel ones before he spoke again, his voice soft but compelling. 
"These are... *very* important... it is absolutely essential that you give them to these people 
*personally*. Don't give them to someone else - I want *you* to do it. Do you understand?" He 
held out the envelopes again.

She took them slowly, but gave him a withering look, noting that it seemed to do nothing to his 
smugness. "I understand sir. I will certainly do my best to deliver them in person. I do, however, 
leave work at 8am, so if they are not up before that time, I will pass these on to the day manager. 
He will see them safely to the individual's involved."

He caught her wrist suddenly, the calm, sanguine look on his face not changing a bit. She winced 
at the tightness of his grip, and scowled at him. He leaned in closer, so that his face was just 
inches from hers, and smiled. "No, you will *not* give them to the day manager, you will go to 
the rooms of the people who are to receive these and you will deliver them in person. Do you 
understand?"

The combination of the self-satisfied face, the smooth, quiet voice, and the painful grip he held 
her wrist in was enough to frighten her into agreeing. Somehow, without him saying a word, she 
was certain that if she did not do as he asked, there would be hell to pay. "Yes," she said, 
trying to keep her voice from shaking, "I understand. I'll see to it personally."

The pain let up immediately. She cradled her abused wrist in her other hand and watched as the 
man strolled slowly to the front doors. She would certainly make sure that these people - Zechs 
Merquise and Lucrezia Noin - knew that she was not at all pleased with their taste in friends.

As he left the warmth of the Lodge and walked into the chilly savanna night, the man thought 
that, on the whole, things had gone even better than he had expected. The letter were there, 
to be read in the morning. That was good enough. But he had also been just obnoxious enough to 
insure that the clerk would tell them *who* had delivered the letters. She would mention his 
odd outfit, his cape, his aura of blissful self-confidence. Maybe even his strikingly blue eyes.

And oh, wouldn't *that* give them something to think about...

**********

Duo's Rooms

The boy in the bed was far gone with pleasure as he arched his back and felt the delicious wave 
crash over him again. As Zechs' tongue moved up his belly, taking in every drop of the American's 
release, Duo writhed beneath him and, finally, slipped his arms around the neck of his lover.

"Mmmmm... Zechs... Zechs... come here... here... I need - oh, please... kiss me... nnnnnnn..."

Zechs lay on top of Duo, his arms resting on either side of the long-haired boy. His mouth covered 
the boy's and his probing tongue found every tender spot inside. He pressed his hips against Duo's, 
making his long shaft ache with need. But he had agreed to Duo's terms for this particular coupling, 
and he would wait until his boy told him he could take his own release. There was nothing in their 
agreement, however, that said he had to wait patiently. Quite to the contrary, he was letting Duo 
know just how badly he was wanted, and driving them both a little mad with desire as he simulated 
long, deep thrusts against Duo's willing body.

/Hnnnnn... making me wait, you little devil... oh, but I'll take my revenge... when I'm really 
inside of you... I'll drive every thought out of your head but one... 'more, more, more'... /

Before he could say anything, Duo felt himself turned onto his belly with Zechs' lean, hard body 
pressed against his. The blond was kissing the back of Duo's neck, moving on to his shoulder 
blades before ending with a tiny bite in the tender hollow between the boy's neck and shoulder. 
At the same time, he settled his aching shaft in between Duo's small, rounded cheeks.

/Ahhhhh, Zechs... it was a stupid rule... break it, bunny... take me against my will... I'll 
struggle, if it makes it more fun for you... just - ahhhhh, come on, Zechs... I need it... now... /

Instinctively, Duo lifted his hips, pressing back against Zechs and moving in little circles 
to better feel the long, hard length of his lover.

That was almost too much for Zechs. With each movement of his hips, Duo was pushing his firm 
little cheeks up around him. They were both wet and that made it easy to slip and before long, 
Zechs was pressed up against the tender place that allowed him entry to Duo's body. He moaned 
loudly as he rubbed up and down, getting closer and closer to penetrating the boy beneath him.

Duo couldn't take the anticipation anymore and cried out his surrender. He pushed up at just 
the right time, and Zechs sank into him, deeply, moaning as he went further and further in. 
Duo was resting on his forearms, now, his back arched, eyes closed.

/Yessss... oh, yessss... deeper, Your Grace... all the way in - ahhhh... Dear God... I can't 
take this... he's... got me... the prince is having his way with the peasant boy... I'm a loyal 
subject... and I can't refuse my future King... ahhhhhh, God... /

The lecherous prince himself was in his own world. A world of depth and thrusting; a world where 
no one existed but he and Duo, and nothing mattered more than this ancient rite they were performing. 
The bed was their altar and sex their form of worship; worship that affirmed the life inside of 
them, the intense bond between them, and now the delicious promise of a shared future.

/Nnnnnn... Duo... Duo... can't get deep enough... to touch that place inside you... where it all 
starts... if I could... ahhhhh, love... I'd stroke it and watch you unfold in front of me... take 
it now, Duo... take all of this... I want to mark you somehow... wish Heero were here... I'd make 
him watch... make him see you're mine... make him regret how he treated you... make him scream at 
what he lost... watch me Heero... the two of us... we're flying... soooo high... /

They rocked in time with each other, Zechs on hands and knees, now, draped over Duo's back. Duo 
rested his head in the crook of Zechs' arm, exhausted from the hours of sex but close, so close 
to release. Slowly, he lowered his face to the bed, pushing up even further onto the hard shaft 
invading him. Zechs, sensing the need, reached a hand around Duo's slender body and began stroking 
his boy. That gave Duo what he needed and suddenly, he was falling down a dark tunnel, open wide to 
whatever would come into him. He buried his face in the pillow and screamed out Zechs' name. As he 
did, the blond man himself succumbed, filling Duo with hard, hot pulses - his mark of ownership...

**********

Noin's Rooms

The dream was an uncomfortable one from the start. She was walking in the fog, outside of her 
hometown of Sienna. She wore a traditional mourning outfit: a long, black dress, a black lace 
veil, and long, black gloves. In her hand was a small bouquet of tiny, white roses. It was 
chilly, the kind of weather they might have in February, and a freezing mist added another 
dose of misery to her journey.

Although she had no recollection of deciding where to go, she knew, with a certain amount 
of dread, where she was headed. To a small cemetery at the base of the Montefiore. Her 
parents were buried there, as was her sister, but she knew somehow that she was not going 
to visit them. For also buried there, she felt certain, was Duo Maxwell and his funeral was 
being held today.

As she entered the rusted, black gates of the cemetery, she felt a sense of foreboding that 
almost made her run from the place. Something dreadful was in there. Something evil that would 
threaten her very existence. She found herself dragging her feet along the packed earth walking 
path that led through the olive and hill pines that gave the cemetery it's intimate feel. As 
she rounded a corner in the path, she saw a funeral ending. Without asking, she knew it was 
the rite for Duo Maxwell. The four other pilots were walking away from the grave, two of them 
supporting Heero Yuy, who appeared overcome with grief.

As the crowd parted and began to drift away, she caught sight of the grave. It was small, as 
Duo had been, and it had a gleaming headstone of highly polished black marble that read, "Duo 
Maxwell - He Sleeps with the Angels." And now she saw another person, one she hadn't seen 
before, lying on the freshly dug earth that covered the grave. He was face down, his body 
stretched along the length of the grave, with his arms around the headstone. Zechs' long, 
white-gold hair fell across the black marble, and the contrast made her shiver.

She stopped where she was and stood behind an olive tree with gently drooping branches. She 
could hear the sobs of the man who lay on the grave, horrible, wrenching sounds that seemed 
to be the essence of grief itself. She wanted so badly to comfort him, because she had never 
seen him this way. But she hesitated a moment too long, and in that moment, *he* came.

From the olive grove to the left of the grave, walked the pale, ghostly image of Duo, dressed
 all in white. She felt like screaming, and had to raise a hand to her mouth to stop the sound.

The apparition crossed the damp grass and knelt beside the prostrate man. The very fog itself 
seemed to be swirling inside of the specter's body as it reached a hand out and stroked Zechs' 
hair and back. The sobs quieted and Zechs lay for a moment in utter exhaustion before pushing 
himself to his knees and turning to look at the ghost. Instantly, the beautiful, dirt-stained 
face was lit with the most dazzling smile Noin had ever seen from him. He reached out his own 
arm and appeared to stroke Duo's pale cheek. Then, she heard the boy speak.

"Come with me, Zechs. I'm so lonely without you. I want you so much. Please, please - come with
 me. It will only take a minute, I promise, and then, we'll be together again."

Zechs' entire face softened at the sound of the ghost's words and, to her horror, he nodded, 
and then lay on the grave, his back against the dark earth, his eyes closed. She struggled to 
move, to scream, to say anything, but she could do nothing. Her body seemed paralyzed and even 
though her throat ached with effort, no sound came from her at all.

And just as the apparition had said, not two minutes had passed when Zechs' breathing slowed, 
then stopped. Then, from the other side of the olive grove, she saw another ghastly white 
figure. With his long golden hair and his graceful body, he was every bit as beautiful in 
death as she had thought him in life and he smiled blissfully as he reached his hand out 
to the spectral Duo. As Duo began leading him away, she found she could move, and ran up 
to the grave, only to see them disappear through the gray-green branches of the trees.

She made a move to go after them, starting up through the olive grove. As she came into a 
clearing, though, another ghostly figure emerged from the trees and stood in the path in 
front of her. It took her a moment to register the tall, slender form, the cool, self-confident 
expression, and the strangely forked eyebrows. For a moment she could only stand where she 
was, feeling absolute terror at the sight of Treize Khushrenada, standing in the mist below 
the Montefiore, and smiling at her as he used to before he died. His voice, when it came, 
was a pale, silvery copy of the unique tenor he had in life.

"I'm sorry, Lucrezia. You can't come any farther. None of the living can come any farther 
than this. You don't belong here... "

"I have to find Zechs," she said, frantic with terror. "He's... he's left his body lying 
over there," she gestured to the grave where the still form of Zechs Merquise lay. I have 
to bring him back to it."

Treize shook his head and smiled. "No coming back, Lucrezia. As much as I've wanted to, 
there is no coming back. He will stay here now, with Duo... and me of course. Surely you 
knew that would happen when you allowed the boy to be killed."

Her eyes grew large, and she began to back away. "Allowed? I.. no, it was... " A horrible 
memory was flooding back into her mind. She was arguing with Duo on a crowded street - screaming 
at him about something she couldn't quite remember. As he angrily responded to her, she 
happened to glance at the street in back of him. A large black car seemed to be accelerating 
towards them. In a instant she knew that the person in that car wanted to kill Duo, would kill 
him if she didn't do something.

She never considered it, though - saving him. Instead, she stood very still as he talked, 
watching the car come closer. At the last possible moment, she had thrown herself to the 
side. There was a scream, and a horrible sound. Then it was over."It was an accident... " 
she breathed. "We were arguing and... and it just happened... it was an accident... "

Treize began to follow her as she backed away through the grove of trees. "You let him die, 
Lucrezia. You let him die, thinking Zechs would come back to you, but instead, he killed himself 
to be with Duo... " She began shaking her head at the apparition, then turned and ran, skidding 
on the misty path. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Treize standing beside Duo's grave, 
looking down at Zechs' body, still atop it. In one horrible instant, she realized that in 
Zechs' lifeless hands rested the bouquet of tiny white roses. She couldn't for the life of 
her remember putting them down.

Treize turned his head slowly in her direction. On his face was the most ghastly expression 
of madness she had ever seen. She struggled forward, the tree branches catching against her 
long black dress and veil, her legs feeling like lead. She was almost at the entrance when, 
against her better judgment, she hazarded a last look back and screamed. Treize stood not 
five inches behind her, the same mad expression on his face. He leaned towards her and 
murmured in a eerie voice, "It's all... your... fault."

She woke with a hoarse cry and sat up in bed, eyes wide and staring. The room was dark and 
silent. She looked at the bottle of wine on the nightstand and thought of drinking the rest, 
but decided against it. Instead she got up and went to the bathroom where her medicine bag 
was. Wine just wouldn't do tonight. It was time for the big guns.

**********

Lobby - The Lodge at Victoria

The night clerk had gone to sit down and have a cold drink. The night manager, after one 
look at her, thought that would be best, and so he was now behind the desk in the deserted 
lobby. Well, not quite deserted. One small figure hobbled his way to where the manager was 
checking over cleaning schedules.

"My goodness, Professor Nauht, whatever are you doing up and about at this hour? Is your 
room uncomfortable?" The manager looked at the fragile old man with concern.

"No, of course, not!" The elderly man waved a trembling hand at the other man. "Can't a 
fellow just go for a stroll?"

The manager smiled. The Professor was a regular guest, coming for stretches of six weeks 
at a time and charming the entire staff with a mixture of gruff manners and self-depreciating 
humor. "What can I do for you then, Professor?" the manager asked.

"I heard a rumor at dinner tonight. It seems a lot of people thought they saw Zechs Merquise 
check in today, but he wasn't anywhere to be found at dinner. So I want to know - is it true?"

"Now Professor, you know I'm not supposed to divulge any of that kind of information to other 
guests."

"Oh, poppycock! Stupidest rule I've ever heard of. I know Merquise, very well, and if he's 
here I'd like to pay my respects. Where's the harm in that?"

The manager relented - the old codger was just too much for him. "Yes, Professor, he checked 
in this afternoon. I believe he stayed in... his rooms all evening. Would you like me to leave 
a message for him that you'd like to meet?"

"Yes, yes I'd like that very much. Give him my room number and tell him that I'll be in the 
library all morning tomorrow." The elderly man bowed slightly. "Well, off to bed - if you 
fall asleep in an hour or two, watch out your head doesn't hit the desk too hard." He was 
already walking away, but lifted and hand and waved over his head, disappearing around the 
corner to where the elevators were.

The manager quickly wrote the note and put it into the small pigeonhole that was now marked, 
"Merquise/Maxwell." And there it sat, resting lightly on top of the small, cream-colored envelope.

**********

Somewhere Nearby

There was a name on the terminal screen, just to the left of a blinking cursor. It was a very 
important name, but very few people on Earth would know why. And now, as a hand hovered over 
the enter key on a keyboard, it was making its last appearance in any database on the planet 
or the Colonies. A heartbeat of time went by - just enough for someone's mind to change, or 
for second thoughts. But it wasn't to be. The finger hit the key. The name disappeared from 
the screen. And all over the known universe, one less person was part of Earth's long history.

The woman sleeping next to the terminal had been given a powerful sedative and now, as the 
area was evacuated, she slept peacefully. At the same time, people, furniture, and massive 
amounts of data were removed and sent to be shipped out of the country. When it was all over, 
she slept alone; not a single thing remained behind to watch her awakening.

to Part 4

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