Fic - Separate Beings
Hi everyone, I am posting the first part of my entry for doubleexchange
Title: Separate Beings
Category: Open Fic
Pairing: Billy x Leesa, Kati x Patrick, Saji x Louise, and many other pairings thrown in…some you have to squint to see, lol.
Rating: PG-13…for now
Warnings: Long story is long!
Summary: After the events of S2, Billy and Leesa attempt to have a semi-normal relationship despite being on opposite sides. Will they be successful or will the world's ever shifting politics rip them apart?
Original Prompt: Follow them each for a while (six months to a year?) sending emails or letters back in forth while Sumeragi's still in space and then Celestial Being decides that their work is done for now so they meet up and finally start a relationship, but after a while, Celestial Being calls again and Sumeragi goes, but Billy has to decide whether he gives up the army life to follow her into space or stay behind again. Time skips are alright to help move the story along. Obviously, post-s2 canon. Porn is optional.
x-posted to gundam00fanfic
Billy allowed himself to stretch once he'd placed the spanner down.
"You're working too hard, Katagiri!" One of his fellow engineers called, as he passed by Billy's work desk, "It's Friday, let’s cut out early for a drink. Things are still crazy up with the higher-ups I doubt they'd notice if a couple of engineers slip by."
Billy gave his co-worker a smile, "I'll meet you later; I need to finish this." He said indicating the blueprints and intricate details of the latest federation model, "Let me know where you are going."
The other engineer nodded, and slipped on his jacket, "Fine. I'll tell everyone that you're coming. Oh, and invite Acre. Its nice to hang around with him, now that he's dropped that samurai stint...I don't know how you put up with it."
Billy hmm'ed slightly, ignoring the dig at Graham, he was used to his friend's quirks to the point where they didn't bother him, "I blame my uncle." He said quietly, "But, it’s good that he's finally come around. He's still fighting his demons, but at least he's going about it in a better way."
The engineer shrugged; Billy sighed, a lot was lost in translation between those who designed and those who fought; some people never would understand the trauma of battle.
"Well, I'll see you both later. We'll be at the ‘Hawk and Dove’." and with a wave, Billy's co-worker was gone.
"Will do," Billy murmured, and turned back to his work. Now that he was mostly alone, he could get some serious work finished before he went home. Enough to hold him over until Monday. Since the disbarment of the A-LAWS, Billy had strove these past six months to start anew. No more working over the weekend, and more time in touch with his friends. The past four years had isolated him, and in the past year almost driven him to the brink to commit atrocities that he would have never thought to commit prior to Celestial Being and being swept into the A-LAWs. He saw what it had done to his uncle, a proud man who in the end died a coward's death to avoid his punishment. No, Billy had decided after the final battle that he would return to design and engineer for keeping the peace.
He gazed at his now cold coffee and his half eaten afternoon-pick-me-up doughnut and wondered at the clock when Graham would show. The blonde man usually dropped by his lab to see if he and Billy was available for the evening - whether it be drinks or a game of basket ball at the gym - things that they used to do before their lives had been changed by the appearance of the gundams.
It was amazing how their lives seemed to have reset- well, not totally reset, the three powers were still merged under a united federation, but it was as if Billy was back to his life in the Union - he was one engineer amongst many, as opposed to the leadership he'd had in the A-Laws, and Graham was back in his life and the army, as Graham Acre. The new government was so far successful since its rebirth, this time with added promises to protect its people from terrorism and corrupt organizations both internally and externally.
As they were five years ago, Celestial Being were still the renegades, but this time they had more sympathizers since the world had witnessed Celestial Being efforts to help lead the world to its new and hopefully lasting peace.
The one thing that was different from the past four years was that he and Leesa were now on stable terms. There were no more secrets, no more misunderstandings of how they felt about each other. She'd had finally realized and the apologized; he had confessed and loved her once again.
He understood her obligations, and she his. He couldn't ask her to run away with him, and she wouldn't leave her family- not again. Leesa was determined to fix her mistakes rather than wallow and hide from them. The determination he'd seen in her eyes, sixth months ago made his respect for her reform, and so they decided to be long-distance, as they always had, but this time when they would correspond as two separate entities - Billy and Leesa- outside of the factions they worked for through private channels. They agreed that there would be no talk of work - although it was unavoidable to not make passing comments about the people they interacted with - but as long as specifics were left out, Billy was hopeful they could separate themselves from Federation and Being.
It had been two weeks since he'd heard from her and six months since he'd last seen her on the Celestial Being Flag Ship, the Ptolemy 2. He'd briefly met the meisters and noted the familial aura that permeated the ship; and with the understanding that they needed Leesa as much as she needed them, Billy had allowed himself to be led back to his ship before his absence could raise suspicion with his commanding officers. Leesa had walked him to his craft - almost shyly with a happy flush across her cheeks- and kissed him goodbye; telling him quietly that she would see him soon as soon as she was able...
The clang of a tool, dropped by one of the other engineers in the next bay, caused Billy to snap from his day-dream. He brushed his fingers against his lips - not caring that he probably looked like some love-sick fool who'd just received his first kiss - Well, alright, he was. It had been his and Leesa's first kiss - the first kiss that he'd ever received from someone he truly loved. Billy's eyes flicked to the tiny frame where he kept the picture that they had taken before he'd left. Leesa's shy gentle smile made him feel warm inside and made him long for any contact with her soon.
The personal comm in his trouser's back pocket buzzed. He pulled it out and smiled in recognition of the email. Speak of the devil.
To: flagmender01@earthnet.com January 27th 2314 00:30:45 GMT
From: momma_strate@unkown.net
Subject: Miss you!
Hi!
Sorry it’s been awhile! Things have been a little crazy on my end - Billy frowned and felt a slight panic rise on him, but he had to remind himself that no news of fighting had been reported- Its nothing serious, so please don't worry. Just some internal things here out in space. I hope you have been well, and I really hope you are planning to go out tonight - its Friday, Billy, go out and have some fun...Just don't have too fun if you get my drift ;) My woman-senses will alert me all the way out here...hahaha just kidding. I really miss you though. I hope I can see you soon.
Love you <3,
Leesa
Billy couldn't help but smile at the little heart. He still felt silly that Leesa still managed to make him feel giddy and make his heart race after all these years, but he couldn't help staring at the word "love", because now it was no longer an empty phrase; she meant it now.
He glanced at the clock and noticed the time. Perhaps he could just skiv off early; his work wasn't going anywhere. He typed a message back to her, wishing her well and promising that he was only going out with "the guys" (so there was no need to be jealous, although he assured the he only had eyes for her) and called Graham to see if was ready to leave early tonight.
***
To: momma_strate@unkown.net April 4th 2314 18:00:15 GMT
From: flagmender01@earthnet.com
Subject: April Flowers…brings new roommates? ;)
Good Morning! At least by my calculations, you should be in the morning-cycle :) Its a beautiful April day here - and it thankfully hasn't rained yet- I wish you could see the park near my home, the flowers seem to have exploded across the fields over night - I am attaching the picture of I took of the daisies that have cropped up near my back fence, I know how much you love them. I am glad that the rain has held off here; it would have made things hard with the move. I mentioned last time that my friend, Graham, was moving in with me. You were right about suggesting I get a housemate; it does get too lonely and I do need someone to get me away from work and the computer. Plus, I think it’s good for Graham as well, to have someone nearby to help him cope with the scars from the war. Last time I wasn't there for him and he processed his defeat pretty badly. I think being here now for him will be healthier for the both of us.
Well, I am going to help Graham settle in. Nothing too exciting going on tonight except carry-out and some football.
Hope you are well,
Love you always,
Billy
Sumeragi couldn’t stop the blush that was creeping across her cheeks, as she read her morning email. She was happy to see that Billy had taken her suggestion for finding a housemate. Now at least he wouldn’t be lonely; she had felt bad for leaving him alone again, albeit they were on better terms this time.
Her eyes flickered over Billy’s closing “ Love you always ”, it was true wasn’t it? He had loved her always. Through their carefree days at university and through betrayal and abandonment. He loved her still despite her enormous flaws, and Sumeragi, felt that sometimes she didn’t deserve to be so lucky…not after Emillio and the sins she had committed. But after her realization of how deep Billy loved her, Sumeragi, had realized then that perhaps that sometimes sinners are forgiven. Maybe he was her next chance at life; and she wouldn’t ruin this chance, or any of the others offered to make things right.
System read-outs….normal The computer screen blipped suddenly. Sumeragi switched off her l comm, and turned to read VEDA’s reports. As the report continued load itself, another line of text appeared on the adjacent screen to the one she was reading,
How are you this morning, Miss Sumeragi?, Is everyone well today?
Sumeragi smiled as she typed back to the AI; it was so odd to communicate with Tieria this way. It had been one thing to send messages through their communicators , but she now found it weird to communicate with Tieria’s detached fully-functioning mind in VEDA, while his barely-functioning body hung in suspended animation in a tube in the lower levels of the Ptolemy.
Fine thank you. Thank you again for securing a private line for me. Sumeragi had found it more difficult to patch private messages to Billy through the Celestial Being issued communicators. The next time she was on Earth, she would have to purchase one on her own and smuggle it aboard…she was sure that Tieria would help her. It was good to be colleagues with a sentient computer.
It is no trouble. I know you miss him. the computer - no Tieria - it was still Tieria she had to reminder herself, responded, and I know neither of you would jeopardize each other. I saw nothing that would give us or Celestial Being away in your last correspondence….
Sumeragi sipped her coffee, hiding her smile behind the mug. Still the same Tieria.
Sumeragi stretched and looked at the time: 0900 hours. She should go down to the canteen and have breakfast with Feldt; the girl was the only one up this morning, as Setsuna, Lasse and Lyle were resting from their mission and the Vashti family had gone on a supply run to Lagrange 2.
“Tieria,” She asked aloud, not bothering to type the question as she changed from her nightclothes and into her uniform, “When is the next time we will be able to go back to Earth?”
The screen went blank for a moment, leaving Sumeragi to wonder if Tieria had “turned away” while she changed as his response did not come until she was fully dressed.
Remember, Leesa, his consciousness may be merged with the computer, but he’s still a modest young man she thought to herself as she looked over Tieria’s approximations.
Three months.
As long as everything went to plan, she could see Billy in three months. She pulled out her comm and waited for Tieria to secure her a private line.
To: flagmender01@earthnet.com April 5th 2314 00:00:15 GMT
From: momma_strate@unkown.net
Subject: Miss you terribly!!
Let’s go somewhere together. Can you take a vacation? Is three months too soon of notice ;)?
Let me know.
Love,
Leesa
PS- I’ve always wanted to go to Italy…*hint hint *
She watched the little animation on her comm’s screen display her message as a letter being slipped into an envelope and sent, and could barely hold back her smile.
I’ve never seen you so happy. the words typed out on the screen, I am glad for you.
She looked at the words written, and despite that the words appeared generic, Sumeragi couldn’t help but hear a tone of happiness and a bit longing mixed behind those words. She touched her hand to the screen, “Thank you. And you? Are you happy?”
It took a few moments for Tieria to respond, This is what I was meant to be. I can ensure that the mission won’t be corrupted again. I am grateful to be able to watch over you all.
Sumeragi nodded but didn’t say her thoughts aloud, It’s not all that it’s cracked up to be, is it Tieria? If you were so content, you wouldn’t ask constantly how we all are, or what we do most days. You miss being here among us.
“We miss you.”
I am here . Tieria stubbornly sent back.
“You know what I mean. The moment your body is healed…would you?”
Only if a valid reason presented itself for me to return…then yes. But truly, it is much more efficient for me to act as this…
The line of text stopped suddenly, as if Tieria had lost his train of thought.
“Tieria?”
I have picked up a distress signal. Pulling up coordinates and verifying user….
Sumeragi’s widened when she saw Tieria continue,
Allelujah Haptism confirmed.
***
To: flagmender01@earthnet.com April 10th 2314 05:45:00 GMT
From: momma_strate@unkown.net
Subject: Sorry….
I am sorry I didn’t respond to your last email. I am happy to hear that you can get away. I suppose I owe you an explanation, but…it’s been a rough few days for us here…
Sumeragi, looked down at the still form of Allelujah’s slumbering body. The young man twitched in his sleep and occasionally let out a mournful whimper. She quietly picked up the empty beer cans and the half bottle of wine, shaking her head sadly as she disposed of the alcohol. She was angry that she hadn’t been there to stop Allelujah from drinking and made a mental note to never again leave Lyle to comfort Allelujah.
I don’t know if you met Allelujah, She continued,
The one that left us after the final battle. I have been like an older sister to him, a shoulder for him to cry on, a teacher - bad habits and all, I am afraid- and a close friend. He has confided in me most things, and now he’s returned seeking my help once again.
Except, I don’t know how to help him now.
He had a lover. Someone he loved very deeply, someone whom he fought for, and in the end after finding each other again…broke his heart.
He won’t say why or how, but the fact of the matter is, she’s gone and he is here and broken. As much as I want to help him I can’t help but think this is karma…for how I treated you - I am now forced to experience what you went through after I left. You loved me desperately; and when I turned to you, I used you and then left you devastated. It wasn’t until now, after seeing Allelujah so miserable, that I fully understand how those days after I had left, must have been for you.
I think the reason why I never noticed it is because, I have had my heart broken before, but the difference between is that Emillio never broke my heart; I broke it myself...
Sumeragi brushed the tears from her eyes before she continued,
You grieved and despaired alone…and now seeing him so broken and distraught, I am reminded of your pain.
I am not sure how to help him. When we found him alone, he managed to pass by the others with a brave face but when he got to my quarters, he immediately broke down. Nothing I have done so far, has been able to comfort him. He’s partially upset with me, because I refused to ‘drown my sorrows’ with him. Something, I am ashamed to admit that I taught him to do. When he had become of age, I stupidly allowed him to drink, making him feel he needed alcohol to cope, as I once had, with his stress. Fortunately, for him, he couldn’t rely too much on the alcohol as I did, as he would have risked his position as a meister. He’s overwhelmed and despondent; If he’s not sequestered in his room, he wanders around the ship evading everyone - She left out the part where she had searched the whole ship only to find Allelujah sitting in front of the tube where Tieria’s body was encased; and since then visited often.
But still, I don’t know what to do…Billy I am so sorry…I just don’t know what to do…I want to help him but I feel so alone… I know it’s selfish to keep thinking of us, when I should be thinking of him right now, but I can’t.
I’m sorry… I know you’ve forgiven me, but still…I am sorry...
***
Billy lay back against the pillows as he re-read Leesa’s latest message. A weight had settled upon his heart and his stomach had twisted in a wretched knot in memory of the initial hours after Leesa had abandoned him. She was right to guess that he had despaired over the knowledge that he had not only been used, but the love of his life was working for the reason that the world had changed.
But before he could let his mind wander further down that dark path, he heard the backdoor crash open from the downstairs. He looked at the clock, now realizing it was after one in the morning.
“Graham?” He called out, as he got off the bed. The blonde had said he would be late tonight, but Billy hadn’t expected him to be this late.
He wandered down the stairs, into the kitchen calling again for his roommate.
The smell of alcohol hit him before Billy even saw him crumpled by the back door. Billy dropped to his knees besides Graham in shock - he had never in all their years of friendship seen Graham drunk. Drinking was not how Graham dealt with his issues; the blonde had always been a model soldier, preferring to vent his frustrations in a more mature manner. At least, he did before his loss against the Gundam Exia. Graham’s suffering had caused him to reinvent himself; striving to find on his own, what it meant to be a perfect warrior. Billy thought that Graham had found his answer and had returned to being the man he’d once knew, but now Billy realized that there were still some remaining scars that ran deep in the other man’s heart.
“It’s….fault. Mine. My fault, Billy.” Graham slurred, while looking Billy straight in the eye, repeating himself so in hopes that Billy could understand his point.
“Whose fault? What’s wrong?” He said as he helped Graham to his feet, “What’s wrong?” as he said it, Billy’s eyes caught the date on the calendar.
He’d forgotten it was today. The day that Howard Mason had died and soon, it would be the anniversary for Darryl Dodge. Graham’s proud Flag Fighters; and he was the only one remaining.
“They all b-b-believed in me…and they died still. I couldn’t avenge them.”
Billy shook his head and steered Graham into the living room, where they both wound up on the floor after Graham had managed to trip on the up-turned corner of the carpet.
Billy laid there besides his friend, listening to his rapid breaths and garbled words.
“S-so pathetic. I couldn’t even face you…or anyone, I had to make up a lie…they wouldn’t have followed a liar…they shouldn’t have had to die for someone as pathetic…”
Billy grabbed at Grahams hands, and pulled them away from the blonde’s scarred face, “You aren’t pathetic. They died fighting for the peace that you believed in. A peace we all wanted. A peace you tried to achieve. They knew the risks, and they saw it as an honor to fight besides you.”
Graham’s eyes seemed to unglazed at Billy’s words, looking up at him like a lost child, “But how…how can I fix this? How can I avenge them?”
Billy shrugged, “Keep this peace alive. Fight not to avenge them…but to make it so their sacrifices aren’t in vain. I think that’s the best way for you and their memories. I know that they are proud to have served with you, Graham, and they won’t think that their deaths were for not, as long as you keep striving for peace.”
Graham stared up at Billy as if trying to process his friend’s words. He slowly closed his eyes and turned his head away from Billy, “I am sorry.”
“For?”
“Acting this way. Acting weak”
Billy lay down besides Graham , “We’ve all had our moments of weakness. Don’t be ashamed; just pick yourself up and move on.”
Graham nodded, “Thank you….thank you…”
A few moments later, Billy noticed the blonde was snoring, and he couldn’t help but smile. He patted Graham’s upturned shoulder, “You’re going to be okay. You’ll find your happiness; I know you will.”
He decided to stay on the floor with Graham as he suddenly felt too tired to move. Before he let himself be consumed with sleep, he pulled out his comm and re-read Leesa’s message one more time. He looked at Graham’s form and then back at the message, “Looks like we’re both soothing broken hearts tonight,” he murmured as he typed a quick response:
To: momma_strate@unkown.net April 10th 2314 00:45:15 GMT
From: flagmender01@earthnet.com
Subject: Re: Sorry
Just be there for him.
Love you,
Billy
***
To: momma_strate@unkown.net May 10th 2314 15:20:34 GMT
From: flagmender01@earthnet.com
Subject: FWD: Travel confirmation
Your wish is my command,
<3
Billy
****
Hello,
This email is to confirm your reservation at Hotel Medici. Your check in is on July 7th 2314and check out is on July 14th 2314. If for any reason there are changes to this reservation please contact us and let us know immediately.
Thank you and we look forward to your stay.
Hotel Medici
Sumeragi read the email quickly and felt her giddiness rise within her. She couldn’t believe that Billy had taken her up on her offer. She researched the hotel and felt her heart race faster. Florence.
They were going to vacation in Florence.
She blindly felt for the pulley that would take her to the lower levels of the ship where Allelujah had taken to spending his time lately. Two months had passed since he’d arrived back to the Ptolemy, and while Allelujah was doing considerably better due to Sumeragi’s constant badgering that dragged him from his quarters, the green-haired pilot was still not quite over his heart break.
She came to the door where they had stored Tieria’s body. Most of the crew were a bit unnerved to come down to this area when it wasn’t required; understandable since Tieria’s comatose body was laid in a tube with his eyes open and eerily glowing. Allelujah had stumbled upon Tieria upon his second day back and it had taken surprisingly little time for the reality of Tieria’s current state to sink in with Allelujah. Once he had accepted that Tieria was both VEDA and Tieria, the green-haired pilot had taken to visiting the remote chamber. At first Sumeragi hadn’t understood Allelujah’s reasons to suddenly seek out Tieria’s company, but Setsuna had explained that here in the chamber was the best place for Tieria to communicate without VEDA; meaning they could “talk” with quantum brain waves. Sumeragi herself barely fathomed quantum brain waves communication, but she figured that after Marie, Allelujah craved someone speak to in this manner.
As the doors slid open, she found not only Allelujah and Tieria, but Setsuna as well. The two pilots were standing on either side of Tieria’s body engaged in silent conversation. Setsuna’s eyes glowed with the same unnatural light as Tieria’s and Allelujah had a sort of glassy expression that was only broken by a slight twitch of a smile.
She couldn’t help but feel proud of them. Prior to the Second Advent the three of them wouldn’t have willingly gathered together for anything other than a mission or Neil’s constant badgering for “team building”. And during the last war it seemed that everyone was too busy with the mission or individual goals for leisurely interaction. Now that Celestial Being was on indefinite hiatus, it was nice to see the crew making time for each other.
“Miss Sumeragi?” Setsuna called out suddenly, and she felt embarrassed to have intruded.
She waved at them as she pulled herself into the room, “Sorry. I just wanted to see how everyone was. It’s too quiet up in the bridge. “
“Nothing exciting here,” Allelujah said softly, “Just catching up.” He said with a nod of his head towards Tieria, “We heard about your romantic getaway. Florence sounds nice.”
Sumeragi glared at Tieria’s form, “Just because you secure my lines, does not give you permission to gossip.”
Setsuna’s eyes suddenly lit up and then after a few moments returned to normal, “He says that he couldn’t help it. There’s nothing to do and he’s sick of running diagnostics.”
Sumeragi shrugged, “He can generate possible battle strategies and efficient maneuvers.”
Setsuna’s eyes lit up again, “He see’s no purpose in plotting strategies for battle when we are in an indefinite hiatus and when we already have approved and efficient maneuvers. He’s bored.”
Sumeragi let out a sigh, she understood Tieria’s frustration, and she hadn’t done any forecasting lately and like the rest of the crew was becoming hard pressed to keep herself occupied.
“Its frustrating, “Allelujah said, “I mean, we should be thankful that we don’t have anything to do, because if we had tasks that would mean having to fight…but still, something to do other than sitting on board or running through flight simulations would be wonderful.”
They sat there for a long while in silence mulling over their situation with occasional small talk to break the silence; Setsuna eventually excused himself to answer a call from Feldt. The comm in Sumeragi’s back pocket buzzed indicating a message. She flipped it open to see that the message was from Billy asking if she had seen the confirmation email he’d sent, and if she was happy with the plans.
“From Billy?” Allelujah asked, and Sumeragi felt the smile she was unaware of drop from her face. She looked up at Allelujah’s and could see a glint of longing behind his curious gaze.
“Yes.” She said feeling slightly guilty for showing any happiness about her relationship around Allelujah.
But Allelujah smiled, “I hope you both have a nice vacation. You deserve some time together.”
“Are you feeling okay?”
Allelujah nodded, his gaze shifting towards Tieria, “Yeah. I’m a lot better today.” He touched his hand to the glass case in front of him and his grin widened, “Tieria says that you better bring back souvenirs.”
Sumeragi rolled her eyes and turned to the door, “Of course.”
***
“Goda del vostro soggiorno, signore. Enjoy your stay, Sir.” The porter bowed after he set Billy’s bag down. Billy could only manage a wave and a polite nod; he was still winded from his climb of eight flights of stairs. How on Earth did a hotel not have an elevator in this centaury? At least the porter had assisted him with his luggage.
The hotel was small, two rooms to a floor with a shared bathroom down the hall. He hadn’t been crazy about the lack of essential amenities (such as air-conditioning), but the hotel was centrally located in Florence, and best of all: small and private. It was definitely a hotel where people wouldn’t ask questions.
Although, now judging how much he was sweating and how badly his legs were trembling, Billy began to wish that he had made arrangements at one of the larger-chain hotels. He hoped this hotel would be worth the trouble, but then he remembered why was here.
With that in mind he rolled his bag up to the step in front of his door, and pushed the old fashioned key into the lock of the room. The room was plain. Two twin beds, a nightstand, and a small armoire. In the corner there was a mirror, a sink and a small towel rack. The windows were long and tall, and were fitted with wooden blinds that allowed for ventilation but could be locked and covered with a glass shutter. There was a door similar to the windows- wooden slats and all- that lead to the private garden balcony, which according to the hotel’s website “offered beautiful panoramic views of Florence”.
And said door was open, just slightly. Billy noticed the small suitcase that peeked from the open armoire and his heart began to race. He closed the main door and locked it behind him, crossed the room to the veranda (quickly checking himself in the mirror along the way) before he stepped out into the bright afternoon sun.
Before him was the proud dome of Santa Maria del Fiore, framed elegantly against the deep blue of the afternoon sky and the brick red rooftops of the city below him, but nothing right now in that moment was as breathtaking as Leesa’s smile, as she beamed at him from where she was seated on their private patio.
When she embraced him, Billy wondered if it was possible to combust from happiness.
“Bonjourno.” She said happily, “Did you have a nice trip?”
Billy nodded; he wasn’t sure if his tongue was up to forming words let alone sentences at the moment.
She gestured to the bottle of chilled sparkling water, and fruit and cheese platter that was on the table, “Hungry?” she asked as she twined her hand in his and led him to sit down.
***
The bells of the Duomo woke him at the ungodly hour of five in the morning. Billy rolled over to see that Leesa was still asleep in the other twin bed. He wasn’t sure how she managed to sleep through the abominable noise. Billy stretched, and grimaced at how hot their room was- the sheets were practically sticking to his skin. He decided that a quick shower might help him cool down enough to go back to sleep.
He quietly left the room and headed for the bathroom. So far the communal bathroom hadn’t been as much of an issue as Billy assumed it would be, as there didn’t seem to be any one else in the other room on their floor. He hadn’t heard or seen anyone in the adjacent room and veranda. It was as if they were in their own private resort; which Billy didn’t mind- all the more privacy he had to enjoy with Leesa and less chances of her being recognized.
But in the end he really shouldn’t have assumed that they were alone, he realized, when he pushed the bathroom door open - harder than he should have - and sent the occupant (who had been attempting to exit) crashing to the floor with a loud howl.
“How dare you attack me! Do you know who I am?”
Billy’s face drained in recognition of the man who was sprawled on the floor like a child having a tantrum, clad only in boxers and clutching his nose.
Patrick Colasour…Mannequin.
Oh god.
He had to get Leesa out of here….he had to get out too… perhaps Colasour wouldn’t recognize him….
“Oi! You!” Patrick pointed, “You’re that engineer! The one who made those customs for that Crazy Acre-guy!”
Billy swallowed, wondering if he could get away with playing dumb and then hiding in his room until the coast was clear.
“What is going on here?” A very stern female voice demanded. Billy didn’t have to turn around to see that it was Kati Mannequin herself.
“Why are you on the floor, Patrick?”
Patrick pointed at Billy, “He pushed me!”
“Billy?”
He felt his stomach drop out; how was it possible that Leesa could sleep through the church bells right outside of their window but be woken up by a crash down the hall?
He turned to see Leesa peeking out of their room and Kati’s gaze lock with her’s.
“Kati.”
“Kujo.” Kati said coolly.
There was a suffocating silence for a long moment before Leesa responded, “I forgot to tell you ‘congratulations’. Please excuse my tardiness.”
Kati nodded, “Thank you. Patrick and I are on a second honeymoon.”
There was another silence and Billy couldn’t help but notice that Leesa and Kati were sizing each other up.
“Are you having breakfast in this morning? Or will you be in the dining hall?” Kati asked.
“The dining hall. What time?”
“ Eight.” The Colonel answered, ignoring her husband’s complaint of not having much of a sleep-in.
Leesa nodded, “Billy and I will see you then. Sorry for the accident.”
Kati said nothing except for a “Come along, Patrick,” and retreated to her room with her husband trailing obediently behind her.
Once back in their room, Billy immediately locked the door and began looking for Leesa’s bag. He opened the drawers wildly, pulling out a few of his shirts, shorts, a few of hers, underwear, and haphazardly stuffing the items into the duffle. If they left now, they could quite possibly out run the authorities...
“What are you doing?”
Leesa was staring at him from under the covers of her bed. Her expression was puzzled; almost as if he had suddenly sprouted a third head.
“What am ,I doing? What are you doing?!” he hissed, “Kati Mannequin is in the next room. You’re a wanted terrorist. We need to get out of here. What don’t you understand?”
“It will be fine.” She said shortly.
Billy sputtered; finding it hard not to raise his voice at the absurdity of her statement.
“Leesa. Kati. Kati Mannequin.” He said pointing at their shared wall for emphasis, “Is in-”
“She won’t do anything.”
“Why not.” He whispered. For all they knew Kati cold be listening on the other side. It was not safe to discuss this here, but Leesa was proving difficult to seen the gravity of the situation, “Why not? It’s her career if she just lets you slip by.”
Leesa shrugged, “She just won’t, Billy, I know it’s difficult for you to understand, but I know Kati, she won’t. It wouldn’t be fair.”
Billy almost forgot to keep his voice down, “What?! This is a game now?”
“A strategy,” Leesa clarified, “There’s no point in catching me when I am not doing anything related with Celestial Being. It is better to take me when there is a better chance of catching others. She knows if I am compromised, I am abandoned. Nothing they’ll do- and Kati is too honorable for torture, so she’ll avoid that as well - will lead them to Celestial Being through me. Plus, she is not ungrateful for the last war; and I am grateful to her as well. God forbid it, but if something like A-Laws happens again; Kati will defect for the greater good, and that puts her on the same level as me. She knows that she needs me as both an enemy and an ally depending on the situation. Right now Federation vs. Celestial Being is not what we’re playing, with it being peacetime and all.”
“But-“
Leesa held up her hand, “Trust me. If Celestial Being becomes active again, all bets are off. But right now, Celestial Being, Kathalon and the renegade Federation members were the winners. It’s bought us some time with this unwritten truce.”
Billy glared at her, “What is that supposed to mean?”
Leesa smiled bitterly, “You know how war is. Punish the losers; forget the sins of the victors. If war breaks out again, you will see how surprisingly short people’s memories are,” she leaned over to pat the mattress of his bed and gave him her easy going smile, “Please trust me. Nothing will happen. I promise we will still have fun.”
Billy stared at her, and then at the wall were just beyond lay a threat that could possibly have Leesa taken away from him again. When he looked back she was still smiling her confidence visibly radiating from her. With a sigh he dropped the duffle bag and shuffled to his bed.
He supposed breakfast had been fun; two couples enjoying fresh baked rolls and rich coffee, Leesa and Kati chattering over the Colonel’s ring, the wedding, and general newly-wed stories. Or the tour of the Uffizi galleries, David, and perhaps Patrick’s off-color remarks about the nudes too. And the bike riding day trip through the Tuscan valleys, climbing the top of the Duomo (the Immortal Colasour never made it to the top due to a sudden bout of claustrophobia), and hiking to the top of Mt. Michelangelo and sitting in the gold-gilded halls of the Baptistery. A perfect impromptu couples’ vacation that would have been enjoyable, had Billy not been constantly waiting to be ambushed by Federation forces.
But the ambush never happened. True to Leesa’s predictions, Kati did not seem at all interested in capture or the whereabouts of Celestial Being. Conversations were kept to general topics and there was no mention of work or war.
On their last day together, they spent their time wandering around the Ponte Vecchio buying last minute gifts before they helped Kati and Patrick to the train station. The goodbyes were a bit awkward; Patrick hugged them both, while Kati gave them curt professional handshakes before they boarded. The “I am still watching you” look that Kati gave Leesa was not lost on Billy, but Leesa smiled regardless.
Once alone, they leisurely spent the remainder of the afternoon lazily wandering Florence’s corridors. They ate under the stars in the Piazza della Signoria, and after dinner walked hand in hand around the displays of famous sculptures. They shared a gelato, and after much pestering, Leesa convinced him to take ride on the carousel in the middle of the square together.
But then there was very little that Leesa couldn’t convince him to do. He had always been aware of this fact; but in that moment, with Florence’s nightlife a spinning blur around them and Leesa’s laughter filling his ears, did Billy realize the extent of how much his entire universe hinged on this woman- the one who would be leaving him again in the morning.
Billy wrapped his arms tighter about her, and rested his chin on her shoulder. It was all that he could do to keep his grief at bay.
***
It was nearly three in the morning when they finally returned to their room. After the carousel ride, Billy had made it a priority to cram as much time together as possible. They had gone dancing, strolled along the Ponte Vecchio’s three bridges, and managed to finagle one more carousel ride out of its manager before it closed.
He left Leesa to change while he went to wash up in the bathroom. Halfway through brushing his teeth, he heard a loud noise; the scraping of furniture against the tile floor. When the noise continued and Leesa suddenly let out a cry of pain, Billy rushed out of the bathroom, fearing that finally the ambush had come.
But again there was no ambush. Just Leesa standing with her smarting thumb in her mouth, by the beds she had pushed together. She gave him a shy glance- he had never seen her look uncertain before - and waited for him to say something.
Billy swallowed; trying not to seem overly nervous at this development. They had kissed and held hands; but they were adults, surely this would come up sooner or later. Billy wondered if now was the time to admit he barely had experience; or would this information cause Leesa to look badly upon him…he had some experience, it had just been a long while. He found that couldn’t just do it with anyone that wasn’t her.
“We don’t have to do anything.” Leesa said gently, “I just thought…since we don’t know how long it will be until we see each other.”
Billy nodded, and pulled her close to him, “Its okay.” He kissed her forehead, “I don’t mind taking it slow.” He hoped this was a good bluff; he didn’t want her to think he was too hard up- but when he saw her wry expression, he knew that she hadn’t been fooled.
They pulled back the sheets and settled as best they could on two twin beds that threatened to move apart at the slightest pressure in the middle. Leesa lay entwined in his arms, still fully clothed, but Billy noticed that the nightclothes she wore tonight were more revealing and made for easier access than those she had worn previously. Billy made another nervous swallow; partially in disbelief that this was actually happening, and clumsily moved to turn out the light on the night stand. This resulted in the lamp crashing to the floor, which caused Leesa’s snort of laughter and left them both giggling like children.
He had barely caught his breath when Leesa made her move: She swooped in and closed her mouth hungrily over his; rolling them both onto his side of the bed and leaving the broken lamp forgotten on the floor.
***
To: flagmender01@earthnet.com November 24th 2314 11:05:15 GMT
From: momma_strate@unkown.net
Subject: Booking you in advance…
Hi Sweetie,
It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? I know things have been busy with your design proposals this month. How did they turn out? I have been looking at the picture of us on the carousel, and it makes me want to go back to that night so badly. I miss you terribly…that it really makes me crave that gelato place we found. :)
I was wondering if you had anymore leave available. I’ve been invited to a wedding and would like to bring you as my date. I am not sure if you personally knew Louise Halevy, but her fiancé, Saji Crossroad, was with us during the second war. They’ve been laying low since the end of battle, partially for her health reasons, but they’ve finally decided to make it official.
Please let me know if you can come. The date is September 22nd (I told you I was booking you in advance ;)
We’ll figure out meeting/transportation logistics for you later.
Hope you can come,
Leesa
A crash and Tieria’s loud swear, made Sumeragi look down into the recreation area. Allelujah was supporting Tieria’s upper-body, while the newly resurrected meister’s lower half wobbled and shook like something akin to a newborn calf.
“Take it easy,” Allelujah said gently, “You were doing fine until you got distracted.”
“Tell him to leave.” Tieria growled, tossing his head at Lyle who was sitting on the weight bench nearby, his amusement at Tieria’s lack of grace displayed visibly on his face.
Sumeragi sighed, “Lyle, you’re not being helpful. This is really hard for him…”
“I was only joking,” Lyle smirked, “I didn’t think he would take me seriously.”
“Don’t you have something better to do?” Tieria snarled, “Like teasing Setsuna about his ‘monkey suit’?”
Lyle smiled, “Not my fault he agreed to be the best man.”
“Such a child…” Tieria grumbled as he attempted to keep his legs from buckling.
Sumeragi rolled her eyes. Lyle had become rather obnoxious since the announcement of the wedding. While those invited, were excited for something different and a happy occasion to look forward to, Lyle had been making digs wherever he possibly could. Sumeragi supposed in the end it was envy; she doubted he was over Anew- a wedding was probably the last thing he wanted to attend. But beggars couldn’t be choosers during this hiatus; everyone was looking forward to getting off the ship.
“Still,” She called, “I don’t think telling Tieria ‘he can attend in his gundam’, should he not be able to walk in time, is all that encouraging.”
“Ten months should be ample time.” Allelujah chimed in; helping Tieria to sit on one of the benches, “You really are improving, Tieria.”
Sumeragi turned back to her comm to see if Billy had responded. Nothing yet; she supposed it was too soon for a response.
“Oi! Miss Sumeragi. Who’s going to be your beard at the wedding?”
Sumeragi fumbled with her comm, before slipping it into her pocket, “I have someone in mind. Hopefully he can come.”
Lyle gave her a wry smile, “Won’t that be a conflict of interest? Your boy still works for the Federation.”
“Billy and I have an agreement,” She snapped, “Besides, he’s already been on the ship, he’s seen everyone’s faces; so you’ve already been compromised.”
Lyle held up his hands defensively, “Fine. Fine. It was just a friendly concern.”
Sumeragi rolled her eyes, “I wouldn’t be too concerned about information being compromised, ‘Mr. Gene-1.’”
“That’s different.” Lyle shot back defensively.
“Still the same. Who knows what side Kathalon will be on in the future? Alliances may change, you never know.”
“Klaus wouldn’t betray me; or us.”
“How do you know?”
Lyle sputtered, “I don’t know. I just do, okay?”
Sumeragi gave him a teasing smile, “Then you should understand mine and Billy’s relationship then.”
Lyle glared at her, his mouth opening and shutting a few times before he eventually gave up attempting to counter her logic.
“So who’s going to be your beard?” She teased, hoping to bring the conversation back to friendlier terms.
“Dunno. Was going to ask you, but you’re apparently taken. That’s the problem with this ship…not too many females. Milelina’s too young, Feldt’s obviously going with Setsuna…”
“How is our ‘unofficial couple’?” Allelujah asked from where he was leaning over Tieria, helping the other meister stretch his hamstrings.
“Still in the closet. Lasse recons that Milelina will get them to come out around New Years if she pesters enough.” Lyle said.
Sumeragi smiled at Lyle, “Well I am flattered…but-“
“Mind if I be your back up, in case Mr. Wonderful can’t show?”
Sumeragi hand lingered over the comm in her pocket, “Maybe. But don’t get your hopes too up.” She winked.
“Can’t blame a guy for trying,” The Irish meister sighed and wandered out of the rec area to most likely bother Setsuna.
***
It was quite possibly the most, for lack of better word, interesting wedding Billy had attended. There weren’t too many weddings he had gone too, where he had to first fly to an non-descript location, before being met to be ferried off to a secret island…it was really something he had previously seen in the movies.
But here he was on a small uncharted island, in the middle of god-knows-where, attending the wedding of the former A-Laws financial backer/ member and the young engineer whom at some point, Billy had been told, had been the best man’s neighbor, before fate decided to throw him into the ranks of Celestial Being.
It was a small gathering - as neither the bride nor the bridegroom had any family - just some friends from university and from the groom’s work who were now unknowingly mingling with the infamous members of Celestial Being. He had wondered at first, how Louise had tolerated having the reason that she didn’t have any family at her wedding; but as Leesa had explained, the Halevy Family massacre had been committed by rouge gundams that the main faction of Celestial Being had not recognized as official meisters.
That truth, along with the fact that it was ultimately Celestial Being that reunited the couple and had allowed Saji to saved Louise from the personal hell she had slipped into, justified Saji’s reasons to invite the members of Celestial Being that he had befriended.
The wedding had been short and simple- vows spoken and rings exchanged on the beach at sunset. Despite not knowing either of the couple that well; Billy had to admit he had never seen a happier and more relaxed couple at their wedding. He could see it in their body language as they moved down the aisle that they were not only crazy about the other; but grateful to be able to be together.
When he approached the couple in the receiving line, he could see the change in Louise’s face - he had only seen her a few times during his time in the A-Laws; and she had been a sullen creature then - but now standing next to her husband, Billy saw such an amount of happiness radiating from her, that she practically glowed.
Louise’s smiling face remained with Billy into the reception. He placed his and Leesa’s seating cards on their table and looked around to see if she was nearby; Leesa had excused herself to freshen up; the humid island air was conflicting with her hair and make up.
“Table 11, This must be us.”
Billy looked up to see that a family of three was now joining the table. The man, whom Billy vaguely recognized, extended his hand, “Ian. You must be Miss Sumeragi’s man.” He grinned.
Billy shook the man’s hand, “Yes. I am Billy.”
Ian smiled and presented his family, “This is my wife, Linda, and our daughter Milelina.”
The teenage girl looked wide-eyed as Billy shook her hand, “Are you and Miss Sumeragi lovers?” she squealed.
“Milelina! Don’t be a pest!” The girl’s mother said sternly, “please excuse her,” she said apologetically to Billy.
Billy gave a slight cough, “No. No, its okay. It’s very nice to meet members of Leesa’s family.”
“’Leesa?’ That’s Miss Sumeragi’s real name? I have to tell this to Feldt!” and with that the girl sprinted off to the other side of the reception area up to the young woman who was standing next to Saji’s best man.
Ian sighed, “Again, excuse her. Its hard to be fifteen and a crew member…there isn’t too much news to sate a teenager’s need for gossip.”
Billy nodded again, hoping that he appeared sympathetic.
“I hope she isn’t too crushed when she learns that Feldt already knows that information.” A deep voice said from behind him. Billy turned and at first was in disbelief that person behind him was capable of having such a masculine voice. The man (at least he appeared to be a man) was slender and effeminate, with dark purple hair and the same unnatural beauty that reminded Billy of Revive Revival and Hilling Care.
“Tieria.” The man said simply and offered his hand, “I was unable to meet you last time you were aboard.”
Billy took the offered hand and smirked, “Billy. Do any of you have last names? Or is this for security?”
“Protocol.” Tieria shrugged, “It was nice meeting you.” He gave a nod to Ian and his wife, before he walked- with a noticeable limp- away to join the group of people where Milelina was standing.
He jolted when something cool pressed against his hand. He looked to see that Leesa had returned with a glass of white wine for him and what appeared to be ginger ale for her, “I’m back.” She smiled, “I hope no one is giving a hard time.”
“Don’t worry. We’re being on our best behavior, “ Ian grinned, “Although, I hear that Lockon and Lasse might make him do ‘you-know-what’, later on.”
Billy sputtered, “What?! Do what now?”
Leesa rolled her eyes, “It’s nothing; he’s joking,” She looked at Ian, “I don’t appreciate you guys trying to scare my boyfriend off.”
Billy felt his heart jump a little at the word “boyfriend”.
Ian pushed his glasses up with a smirk, “Wouldn’t dream of it…although you might want to have a word with the boys, anyway.”
“Noted.” Leesa replied as she linked her hand with his open hand, “C’mon, Billy, lets introduce you to the rest of the ‘family’.”
****
Billy couldn’t remember the last time he had enjoyed going to a wedding. The food was wonderful and abundant and the band that had been hired had been excellent. He and Leesa had danced under the stars- and as the night grew later, they found themselves to be the only ones on the temporary dance floor, besides Saji and Louise.
Around one o’clock in the morning, Saji had thanked their guests for coming and announced that he and Louise would be leaving for the honeymoon. The pair had exited amongst whoops laughter and suggestive cheers from the guests and had headed to where Setsuna was waiting by a small boat. Evidently the couple were honeymooning on the other, more private side of the island. Despite that their hosts had left, the party still continued into the night.
It was finally around four, that Leesa decided it was time to call it a night. She had pried Billy away from his and Ian’s deep “engineers’ conversation” and led him away from the reception area. He was too full and happy from such an enjoyable evening, that he did not immediately notice that Leesa was leading him away from the compound where he had slept the night before.
They walked hand-in-hand together through a narrow path cut into the jungle foliage.
“I had your things moved here, before the wedding” was the only comment she made during that time.
Finally, they came upon a private bungalow with a large veranda attached to it.
“One of our financial backers used to stay here.” She explained, opening the door to the single, elegantly decorated, floor structure. Billy saw that his bags were set next to the large bed that dominated the room; and he felt his heart began to beat faster. Memories from their last night in Italy swam back to him - as they often did at night- and he turned to kiss Leesa with enough force to push her against the closed door.
When he broke the kiss, he could see that her lips had swollen slightly, and her breathing had quickened. She gave him a coy smile, and shimmied away from him before he could land another kiss on her.
She stood by the bed, her beautiful body framed in the moonlight that was spilling through the skylights in the ceiling. She gave him a sexy smile and slowly reached behind her, tugging the zipper of her dress and letting it fall away from her body.
Billy felt his mouth run dry as he stood before him in only a sheer black-laced bustier, matching lacy panties and garters. She sat on the bed with a smoldering gaze that asked “What’s stopping you? Get over here!”
“Billy…”Her voice was sultry and thick and Billy could feel all traces of exhaustion leaving him as his body awakened.
“I want all of you this time.” She whispered, “Not a night’s past since Italy that I haven’t thought about you and wanted you so badly.”
Billy restrained himself from pinching his own arm- this was the stuff his dreams were made of.
He crossed the room to where she was sitting, and leaned down to kiss her once again. She mewled hungrily against his lips and he pushed her all the ways down against the mattress. Leesa pulled at the tie he was wearing and haphazardly attempted to divest him of it, but he took her hand and pinned it above her head, “Let me.” He whispered, “Let me love you tonight, my Leesa.”
***
Title: Separate Beings
Category: Open Fic
Pairing: Billy x Leesa, Kati x Patrick, Saji x Louise, and many other pairings thrown in…some you have to squint to see, lol.
Rating: PG-13…for now
Warnings: Long story is long!
Summary: After the events of S2, Billy and Leesa attempt to have a semi-normal relationship despite being on opposite sides. Will they be successful or will the world's ever shifting politics rip them apart?
Original Prompt: Follow them each for a while (six months to a year?) sending emails or letters back in forth while Sumeragi's still in space and then Celestial Being decides that their work is done for now so they meet up and finally start a relationship, but after a while, Celestial Being calls again and Sumeragi goes, but Billy has to decide whether he gives up the army life to follow her into space or stay behind again. Time skips are alright to help move the story along. Obviously, post-s2 canon. Porn is optional.
x-posted to gundam00fanfic
Billy allowed himself to stretch once he'd placed the spanner down.
"You're working too hard, Katagiri!" One of his fellow engineers called, as he passed by Billy's work desk, "It's Friday, let’s cut out early for a drink. Things are still crazy up with the higher-ups I doubt they'd notice if a couple of engineers slip by."
Billy gave his co-worker a smile, "I'll meet you later; I need to finish this." He said indicating the blueprints and intricate details of the latest federation model, "Let me know where you are going."
The other engineer nodded, and slipped on his jacket, "Fine. I'll tell everyone that you're coming. Oh, and invite Acre. Its nice to hang around with him, now that he's dropped that samurai stint...I don't know how you put up with it."
Billy hmm'ed slightly, ignoring the dig at Graham, he was used to his friend's quirks to the point where they didn't bother him, "I blame my uncle." He said quietly, "But, it’s good that he's finally come around. He's still fighting his demons, but at least he's going about it in a better way."
The engineer shrugged; Billy sighed, a lot was lost in translation between those who designed and those who fought; some people never would understand the trauma of battle.
"Well, I'll see you both later. We'll be at the ‘Hawk and Dove’." and with a wave, Billy's co-worker was gone.
"Will do," Billy murmured, and turned back to his work. Now that he was mostly alone, he could get some serious work finished before he went home. Enough to hold him over until Monday. Since the disbarment of the A-LAWS, Billy had strove these past six months to start anew. No more working over the weekend, and more time in touch with his friends. The past four years had isolated him, and in the past year almost driven him to the brink to commit atrocities that he would have never thought to commit prior to Celestial Being and being swept into the A-LAWs. He saw what it had done to his uncle, a proud man who in the end died a coward's death to avoid his punishment. No, Billy had decided after the final battle that he would return to design and engineer for keeping the peace.
He gazed at his now cold coffee and his half eaten afternoon-pick-me-up doughnut and wondered at the clock when Graham would show. The blonde man usually dropped by his lab to see if he and Billy was available for the evening - whether it be drinks or a game of basket ball at the gym - things that they used to do before their lives had been changed by the appearance of the gundams.
It was amazing how their lives seemed to have reset- well, not totally reset, the three powers were still merged under a united federation, but it was as if Billy was back to his life in the Union - he was one engineer amongst many, as opposed to the leadership he'd had in the A-Laws, and Graham was back in his life and the army, as Graham Acre. The new government was so far successful since its rebirth, this time with added promises to protect its people from terrorism and corrupt organizations both internally and externally.
As they were five years ago, Celestial Being were still the renegades, but this time they had more sympathizers since the world had witnessed Celestial Being efforts to help lead the world to its new and hopefully lasting peace.
The one thing that was different from the past four years was that he and Leesa were now on stable terms. There were no more secrets, no more misunderstandings of how they felt about each other. She'd had finally realized and the apologized; he had confessed and loved her once again.
He understood her obligations, and she his. He couldn't ask her to run away with him, and she wouldn't leave her family- not again. Leesa was determined to fix her mistakes rather than wallow and hide from them. The determination he'd seen in her eyes, sixth months ago made his respect for her reform, and so they decided to be long-distance, as they always had, but this time when they would correspond as two separate entities - Billy and Leesa- outside of the factions they worked for through private channels. They agreed that there would be no talk of work - although it was unavoidable to not make passing comments about the people they interacted with - but as long as specifics were left out, Billy was hopeful they could separate themselves from Federation and Being.
It had been two weeks since he'd heard from her and six months since he'd last seen her on the Celestial Being Flag Ship, the Ptolemy 2. He'd briefly met the meisters and noted the familial aura that permeated the ship; and with the understanding that they needed Leesa as much as she needed them, Billy had allowed himself to be led back to his ship before his absence could raise suspicion with his commanding officers. Leesa had walked him to his craft - almost shyly with a happy flush across her cheeks- and kissed him goodbye; telling him quietly that she would see him soon as soon as she was able...
The clang of a tool, dropped by one of the other engineers in the next bay, caused Billy to snap from his day-dream. He brushed his fingers against his lips - not caring that he probably looked like some love-sick fool who'd just received his first kiss - Well, alright, he was. It had been his and Leesa's first kiss - the first kiss that he'd ever received from someone he truly loved. Billy's eyes flicked to the tiny frame where he kept the picture that they had taken before he'd left. Leesa's shy gentle smile made him feel warm inside and made him long for any contact with her soon.
The personal comm in his trouser's back pocket buzzed. He pulled it out and smiled in recognition of the email. Speak of the devil.
To: flagmender01@earthnet.com January 27th 2314 00:30:45 GMT
From: momma_strate@unkown.net
Subject: Miss you!
Hi!
Sorry it’s been awhile! Things have been a little crazy on my end - Billy frowned and felt a slight panic rise on him, but he had to remind himself that no news of fighting had been reported- Its nothing serious, so please don't worry. Just some internal things here out in space. I hope you have been well, and I really hope you are planning to go out tonight - its Friday, Billy, go out and have some fun...Just don't have too fun if you get my drift ;) My woman-senses will alert me all the way out here...hahaha just kidding. I really miss you though. I hope I can see you soon.
Love you <3,
Leesa
Billy couldn't help but smile at the little heart. He still felt silly that Leesa still managed to make him feel giddy and make his heart race after all these years, but he couldn't help staring at the word "love", because now it was no longer an empty phrase; she meant it now.
He glanced at the clock and noticed the time. Perhaps he could just skiv off early; his work wasn't going anywhere. He typed a message back to her, wishing her well and promising that he was only going out with "the guys" (so there was no need to be jealous, although he assured the he only had eyes for her) and called Graham to see if was ready to leave early tonight.
***
To: momma_strate@unkown.net April 4th 2314 18:00:15 GMT
From: flagmender01@earthnet.com
Subject: April Flowers…brings new roommates? ;)
Good Morning! At least by my calculations, you should be in the morning-cycle :) Its a beautiful April day here - and it thankfully hasn't rained yet- I wish you could see the park near my home, the flowers seem to have exploded across the fields over night - I am attaching the picture of I took of the daisies that have cropped up near my back fence, I know how much you love them. I am glad that the rain has held off here; it would have made things hard with the move. I mentioned last time that my friend, Graham, was moving in with me. You were right about suggesting I get a housemate; it does get too lonely and I do need someone to get me away from work and the computer. Plus, I think it’s good for Graham as well, to have someone nearby to help him cope with the scars from the war. Last time I wasn't there for him and he processed his defeat pretty badly. I think being here now for him will be healthier for the both of us.
Well, I am going to help Graham settle in. Nothing too exciting going on tonight except carry-out and some football.
Hope you are well,
Love you always,
Billy
Sumeragi couldn’t stop the blush that was creeping across her cheeks, as she read her morning email. She was happy to see that Billy had taken her suggestion for finding a housemate. Now at least he wouldn’t be lonely; she had felt bad for leaving him alone again, albeit they were on better terms this time.
Her eyes flickered over Billy’s closing “ Love you always ”, it was true wasn’t it? He had loved her always. Through their carefree days at university and through betrayal and abandonment. He loved her still despite her enormous flaws, and Sumeragi, felt that sometimes she didn’t deserve to be so lucky…not after Emillio and the sins she had committed. But after her realization of how deep Billy loved her, Sumeragi, had realized then that perhaps that sometimes sinners are forgiven. Maybe he was her next chance at life; and she wouldn’t ruin this chance, or any of the others offered to make things right.
System read-outs….normal The computer screen blipped suddenly. Sumeragi switched off her l comm, and turned to read VEDA’s reports. As the report continued load itself, another line of text appeared on the adjacent screen to the one she was reading,
How are you this morning, Miss Sumeragi?, Is everyone well today?
Sumeragi smiled as she typed back to the AI; it was so odd to communicate with Tieria this way. It had been one thing to send messages through their communicators , but she now found it weird to communicate with Tieria’s detached fully-functioning mind in VEDA, while his barely-functioning body hung in suspended animation in a tube in the lower levels of the Ptolemy.
Fine thank you. Thank you again for securing a private line for me. Sumeragi had found it more difficult to patch private messages to Billy through the Celestial Being issued communicators. The next time she was on Earth, she would have to purchase one on her own and smuggle it aboard…she was sure that Tieria would help her. It was good to be colleagues with a sentient computer.
It is no trouble. I know you miss him. the computer - no Tieria - it was still Tieria she had to reminder herself, responded, and I know neither of you would jeopardize each other. I saw nothing that would give us or Celestial Being away in your last correspondence….
Sumeragi sipped her coffee, hiding her smile behind the mug. Still the same Tieria.
Sumeragi stretched and looked at the time: 0900 hours. She should go down to the canteen and have breakfast with Feldt; the girl was the only one up this morning, as Setsuna, Lasse and Lyle were resting from their mission and the Vashti family had gone on a supply run to Lagrange 2.
“Tieria,” She asked aloud, not bothering to type the question as she changed from her nightclothes and into her uniform, “When is the next time we will be able to go back to Earth?”
The screen went blank for a moment, leaving Sumeragi to wonder if Tieria had “turned away” while she changed as his response did not come until she was fully dressed.
Remember, Leesa, his consciousness may be merged with the computer, but he’s still a modest young man she thought to herself as she looked over Tieria’s approximations.
Three months.
As long as everything went to plan, she could see Billy in three months. She pulled out her comm and waited for Tieria to secure her a private line.
To: flagmender01@earthnet.com April 5th 2314 00:00:15 GMT
From: momma_strate@unkown.net
Subject: Miss you terribly!!
Let’s go somewhere together. Can you take a vacation? Is three months too soon of notice ;)?
Let me know.
Love,
Leesa
PS- I’ve always wanted to go to Italy…*hint hint *
She watched the little animation on her comm’s screen display her message as a letter being slipped into an envelope and sent, and could barely hold back her smile.
I’ve never seen you so happy. the words typed out on the screen, I am glad for you.
She looked at the words written, and despite that the words appeared generic, Sumeragi couldn’t help but hear a tone of happiness and a bit longing mixed behind those words. She touched her hand to the screen, “Thank you. And you? Are you happy?”
It took a few moments for Tieria to respond, This is what I was meant to be. I can ensure that the mission won’t be corrupted again. I am grateful to be able to watch over you all.
Sumeragi nodded but didn’t say her thoughts aloud, It’s not all that it’s cracked up to be, is it Tieria? If you were so content, you wouldn’t ask constantly how we all are, or what we do most days. You miss being here among us.
“We miss you.”
I am here . Tieria stubbornly sent back.
“You know what I mean. The moment your body is healed…would you?”
Only if a valid reason presented itself for me to return…then yes. But truly, it is much more efficient for me to act as this…
The line of text stopped suddenly, as if Tieria had lost his train of thought.
“Tieria?”
I have picked up a distress signal. Pulling up coordinates and verifying user….
Sumeragi’s widened when she saw Tieria continue,
Allelujah Haptism confirmed.
***
To: flagmender01@earthnet.com April 10th 2314 05:45:00 GMT
From: momma_strate@unkown.net
Subject: Sorry….
I am sorry I didn’t respond to your last email. I am happy to hear that you can get away. I suppose I owe you an explanation, but…it’s been a rough few days for us here…
Sumeragi, looked down at the still form of Allelujah’s slumbering body. The young man twitched in his sleep and occasionally let out a mournful whimper. She quietly picked up the empty beer cans and the half bottle of wine, shaking her head sadly as she disposed of the alcohol. She was angry that she hadn’t been there to stop Allelujah from drinking and made a mental note to never again leave Lyle to comfort Allelujah.
I don’t know if you met Allelujah, She continued,
The one that left us after the final battle. I have been like an older sister to him, a shoulder for him to cry on, a teacher - bad habits and all, I am afraid- and a close friend. He has confided in me most things, and now he’s returned seeking my help once again.
Except, I don’t know how to help him now.
He had a lover. Someone he loved very deeply, someone whom he fought for, and in the end after finding each other again…broke his heart.
He won’t say why or how, but the fact of the matter is, she’s gone and he is here and broken. As much as I want to help him I can’t help but think this is karma…for how I treated you - I am now forced to experience what you went through after I left. You loved me desperately; and when I turned to you, I used you and then left you devastated. It wasn’t until now, after seeing Allelujah so miserable, that I fully understand how those days after I had left, must have been for you.
I think the reason why I never noticed it is because, I have had my heart broken before, but the difference between is that Emillio never broke my heart; I broke it myself...
Sumeragi brushed the tears from her eyes before she continued,
You grieved and despaired alone…and now seeing him so broken and distraught, I am reminded of your pain.
I am not sure how to help him. When we found him alone, he managed to pass by the others with a brave face but when he got to my quarters, he immediately broke down. Nothing I have done so far, has been able to comfort him. He’s partially upset with me, because I refused to ‘drown my sorrows’ with him. Something, I am ashamed to admit that I taught him to do. When he had become of age, I stupidly allowed him to drink, making him feel he needed alcohol to cope, as I once had, with his stress. Fortunately, for him, he couldn’t rely too much on the alcohol as I did, as he would have risked his position as a meister. He’s overwhelmed and despondent; If he’s not sequestered in his room, he wanders around the ship evading everyone - She left out the part where she had searched the whole ship only to find Allelujah sitting in front of the tube where Tieria’s body was encased; and since then visited often.
But still, I don’t know what to do…Billy I am so sorry…I just don’t know what to do…I want to help him but I feel so alone… I know it’s selfish to keep thinking of us, when I should be thinking of him right now, but I can’t.
I’m sorry… I know you’ve forgiven me, but still…I am sorry...
***
Billy lay back against the pillows as he re-read Leesa’s latest message. A weight had settled upon his heart and his stomach had twisted in a wretched knot in memory of the initial hours after Leesa had abandoned him. She was right to guess that he had despaired over the knowledge that he had not only been used, but the love of his life was working for the reason that the world had changed.
But before he could let his mind wander further down that dark path, he heard the backdoor crash open from the downstairs. He looked at the clock, now realizing it was after one in the morning.
“Graham?” He called out, as he got off the bed. The blonde had said he would be late tonight, but Billy hadn’t expected him to be this late.
He wandered down the stairs, into the kitchen calling again for his roommate.
The smell of alcohol hit him before Billy even saw him crumpled by the back door. Billy dropped to his knees besides Graham in shock - he had never in all their years of friendship seen Graham drunk. Drinking was not how Graham dealt with his issues; the blonde had always been a model soldier, preferring to vent his frustrations in a more mature manner. At least, he did before his loss against the Gundam Exia. Graham’s suffering had caused him to reinvent himself; striving to find on his own, what it meant to be a perfect warrior. Billy thought that Graham had found his answer and had returned to being the man he’d once knew, but now Billy realized that there were still some remaining scars that ran deep in the other man’s heart.
“It’s….fault. Mine. My fault, Billy.” Graham slurred, while looking Billy straight in the eye, repeating himself so in hopes that Billy could understand his point.
“Whose fault? What’s wrong?” He said as he helped Graham to his feet, “What’s wrong?” as he said it, Billy’s eyes caught the date on the calendar.
He’d forgotten it was today. The day that Howard Mason had died and soon, it would be the anniversary for Darryl Dodge. Graham’s proud Flag Fighters; and he was the only one remaining.
“They all b-b-believed in me…and they died still. I couldn’t avenge them.”
Billy shook his head and steered Graham into the living room, where they both wound up on the floor after Graham had managed to trip on the up-turned corner of the carpet.
Billy laid there besides his friend, listening to his rapid breaths and garbled words.
“S-so pathetic. I couldn’t even face you…or anyone, I had to make up a lie…they wouldn’t have followed a liar…they shouldn’t have had to die for someone as pathetic…”
Billy grabbed at Grahams hands, and pulled them away from the blonde’s scarred face, “You aren’t pathetic. They died fighting for the peace that you believed in. A peace we all wanted. A peace you tried to achieve. They knew the risks, and they saw it as an honor to fight besides you.”
Graham’s eyes seemed to unglazed at Billy’s words, looking up at him like a lost child, “But how…how can I fix this? How can I avenge them?”
Billy shrugged, “Keep this peace alive. Fight not to avenge them…but to make it so their sacrifices aren’t in vain. I think that’s the best way for you and their memories. I know that they are proud to have served with you, Graham, and they won’t think that their deaths were for not, as long as you keep striving for peace.”
Graham stared up at Billy as if trying to process his friend’s words. He slowly closed his eyes and turned his head away from Billy, “I am sorry.”
“For?”
“Acting this way. Acting weak”
Billy lay down besides Graham , “We’ve all had our moments of weakness. Don’t be ashamed; just pick yourself up and move on.”
Graham nodded, “Thank you….thank you…”
A few moments later, Billy noticed the blonde was snoring, and he couldn’t help but smile. He patted Graham’s upturned shoulder, “You’re going to be okay. You’ll find your happiness; I know you will.”
He decided to stay on the floor with Graham as he suddenly felt too tired to move. Before he let himself be consumed with sleep, he pulled out his comm and re-read Leesa’s message one more time. He looked at Graham’s form and then back at the message, “Looks like we’re both soothing broken hearts tonight,” he murmured as he typed a quick response:
To: momma_strate@unkown.net April 10th 2314 00:45:15 GMT
From: flagmender01@earthnet.com
Subject: Re: Sorry
Just be there for him.
Love you,
Billy
***
To: momma_strate@unkown.net May 10th 2314 15:20:34 GMT
From: flagmender01@earthnet.com
Subject: FWD: Travel confirmation
Your wish is my command,
<3
Billy
****
Hello,
This email is to confirm your reservation at Hotel Medici. Your check in is on July 7th 2314and check out is on July 14th 2314. If for any reason there are changes to this reservation please contact us and let us know immediately.
Thank you and we look forward to your stay.
Hotel Medici
Sumeragi read the email quickly and felt her giddiness rise within her. She couldn’t believe that Billy had taken her up on her offer. She researched the hotel and felt her heart race faster. Florence.
They were going to vacation in Florence.
She blindly felt for the pulley that would take her to the lower levels of the ship where Allelujah had taken to spending his time lately. Two months had passed since he’d arrived back to the Ptolemy, and while Allelujah was doing considerably better due to Sumeragi’s constant badgering that dragged him from his quarters, the green-haired pilot was still not quite over his heart break.
She came to the door where they had stored Tieria’s body. Most of the crew were a bit unnerved to come down to this area when it wasn’t required; understandable since Tieria’s comatose body was laid in a tube with his eyes open and eerily glowing. Allelujah had stumbled upon Tieria upon his second day back and it had taken surprisingly little time for the reality of Tieria’s current state to sink in with Allelujah. Once he had accepted that Tieria was both VEDA and Tieria, the green-haired pilot had taken to visiting the remote chamber. At first Sumeragi hadn’t understood Allelujah’s reasons to suddenly seek out Tieria’s company, but Setsuna had explained that here in the chamber was the best place for Tieria to communicate without VEDA; meaning they could “talk” with quantum brain waves. Sumeragi herself barely fathomed quantum brain waves communication, but she figured that after Marie, Allelujah craved someone speak to in this manner.
As the doors slid open, she found not only Allelujah and Tieria, but Setsuna as well. The two pilots were standing on either side of Tieria’s body engaged in silent conversation. Setsuna’s eyes glowed with the same unnatural light as Tieria’s and Allelujah had a sort of glassy expression that was only broken by a slight twitch of a smile.
She couldn’t help but feel proud of them. Prior to the Second Advent the three of them wouldn’t have willingly gathered together for anything other than a mission or Neil’s constant badgering for “team building”. And during the last war it seemed that everyone was too busy with the mission or individual goals for leisurely interaction. Now that Celestial Being was on indefinite hiatus, it was nice to see the crew making time for each other.
“Miss Sumeragi?” Setsuna called out suddenly, and she felt embarrassed to have intruded.
She waved at them as she pulled herself into the room, “Sorry. I just wanted to see how everyone was. It’s too quiet up in the bridge. “
“Nothing exciting here,” Allelujah said softly, “Just catching up.” He said with a nod of his head towards Tieria, “We heard about your romantic getaway. Florence sounds nice.”
Sumeragi glared at Tieria’s form, “Just because you secure my lines, does not give you permission to gossip.”
Setsuna’s eyes suddenly lit up and then after a few moments returned to normal, “He says that he couldn’t help it. There’s nothing to do and he’s sick of running diagnostics.”
Sumeragi shrugged, “He can generate possible battle strategies and efficient maneuvers.”
Setsuna’s eyes lit up again, “He see’s no purpose in plotting strategies for battle when we are in an indefinite hiatus and when we already have approved and efficient maneuvers. He’s bored.”
Sumeragi let out a sigh, she understood Tieria’s frustration, and she hadn’t done any forecasting lately and like the rest of the crew was becoming hard pressed to keep herself occupied.
“Its frustrating, “Allelujah said, “I mean, we should be thankful that we don’t have anything to do, because if we had tasks that would mean having to fight…but still, something to do other than sitting on board or running through flight simulations would be wonderful.”
They sat there for a long while in silence mulling over their situation with occasional small talk to break the silence; Setsuna eventually excused himself to answer a call from Feldt. The comm in Sumeragi’s back pocket buzzed indicating a message. She flipped it open to see that the message was from Billy asking if she had seen the confirmation email he’d sent, and if she was happy with the plans.
“From Billy?” Allelujah asked, and Sumeragi felt the smile she was unaware of drop from her face. She looked up at Allelujah’s and could see a glint of longing behind his curious gaze.
“Yes.” She said feeling slightly guilty for showing any happiness about her relationship around Allelujah.
But Allelujah smiled, “I hope you both have a nice vacation. You deserve some time together.”
“Are you feeling okay?”
Allelujah nodded, his gaze shifting towards Tieria, “Yeah. I’m a lot better today.” He touched his hand to the glass case in front of him and his grin widened, “Tieria says that you better bring back souvenirs.”
Sumeragi rolled her eyes and turned to the door, “Of course.”
***
“Goda del vostro soggiorno, signore. Enjoy your stay, Sir.” The porter bowed after he set Billy’s bag down. Billy could only manage a wave and a polite nod; he was still winded from his climb of eight flights of stairs. How on Earth did a hotel not have an elevator in this centaury? At least the porter had assisted him with his luggage.
The hotel was small, two rooms to a floor with a shared bathroom down the hall. He hadn’t been crazy about the lack of essential amenities (such as air-conditioning), but the hotel was centrally located in Florence, and best of all: small and private. It was definitely a hotel where people wouldn’t ask questions.
Although, now judging how much he was sweating and how badly his legs were trembling, Billy began to wish that he had made arrangements at one of the larger-chain hotels. He hoped this hotel would be worth the trouble, but then he remembered why was here.
With that in mind he rolled his bag up to the step in front of his door, and pushed the old fashioned key into the lock of the room. The room was plain. Two twin beds, a nightstand, and a small armoire. In the corner there was a mirror, a sink and a small towel rack. The windows were long and tall, and were fitted with wooden blinds that allowed for ventilation but could be locked and covered with a glass shutter. There was a door similar to the windows- wooden slats and all- that lead to the private garden balcony, which according to the hotel’s website “offered beautiful panoramic views of Florence”.
And said door was open, just slightly. Billy noticed the small suitcase that peeked from the open armoire and his heart began to race. He closed the main door and locked it behind him, crossed the room to the veranda (quickly checking himself in the mirror along the way) before he stepped out into the bright afternoon sun.
Before him was the proud dome of Santa Maria del Fiore, framed elegantly against the deep blue of the afternoon sky and the brick red rooftops of the city below him, but nothing right now in that moment was as breathtaking as Leesa’s smile, as she beamed at him from where she was seated on their private patio.
When she embraced him, Billy wondered if it was possible to combust from happiness.
“Bonjourno.” She said happily, “Did you have a nice trip?”
Billy nodded; he wasn’t sure if his tongue was up to forming words let alone sentences at the moment.
She gestured to the bottle of chilled sparkling water, and fruit and cheese platter that was on the table, “Hungry?” she asked as she twined her hand in his and led him to sit down.
***
The bells of the Duomo woke him at the ungodly hour of five in the morning. Billy rolled over to see that Leesa was still asleep in the other twin bed. He wasn’t sure how she managed to sleep through the abominable noise. Billy stretched, and grimaced at how hot their room was- the sheets were practically sticking to his skin. He decided that a quick shower might help him cool down enough to go back to sleep.
He quietly left the room and headed for the bathroom. So far the communal bathroom hadn’t been as much of an issue as Billy assumed it would be, as there didn’t seem to be any one else in the other room on their floor. He hadn’t heard or seen anyone in the adjacent room and veranda. It was as if they were in their own private resort; which Billy didn’t mind- all the more privacy he had to enjoy with Leesa and less chances of her being recognized.
But in the end he really shouldn’t have assumed that they were alone, he realized, when he pushed the bathroom door open - harder than he should have - and sent the occupant (who had been attempting to exit) crashing to the floor with a loud howl.
“How dare you attack me! Do you know who I am?”
Billy’s face drained in recognition of the man who was sprawled on the floor like a child having a tantrum, clad only in boxers and clutching his nose.
Patrick Colasour…Mannequin.
Oh god.
He had to get Leesa out of here….he had to get out too… perhaps Colasour wouldn’t recognize him….
“Oi! You!” Patrick pointed, “You’re that engineer! The one who made those customs for that Crazy Acre-guy!”
Billy swallowed, wondering if he could get away with playing dumb and then hiding in his room until the coast was clear.
“What is going on here?” A very stern female voice demanded. Billy didn’t have to turn around to see that it was Kati Mannequin herself.
“Why are you on the floor, Patrick?”
Patrick pointed at Billy, “He pushed me!”
“Billy?”
He felt his stomach drop out; how was it possible that Leesa could sleep through the church bells right outside of their window but be woken up by a crash down the hall?
He turned to see Leesa peeking out of their room and Kati’s gaze lock with her’s.
“Kati.”
“Kujo.” Kati said coolly.
There was a suffocating silence for a long moment before Leesa responded, “I forgot to tell you ‘congratulations’. Please excuse my tardiness.”
Kati nodded, “Thank you. Patrick and I are on a second honeymoon.”
There was another silence and Billy couldn’t help but notice that Leesa and Kati were sizing each other up.
“Are you having breakfast in this morning? Or will you be in the dining hall?” Kati asked.
“The dining hall. What time?”
“ Eight.” The Colonel answered, ignoring her husband’s complaint of not having much of a sleep-in.
Leesa nodded, “Billy and I will see you then. Sorry for the accident.”
Kati said nothing except for a “Come along, Patrick,” and retreated to her room with her husband trailing obediently behind her.
Once back in their room, Billy immediately locked the door and began looking for Leesa’s bag. He opened the drawers wildly, pulling out a few of his shirts, shorts, a few of hers, underwear, and haphazardly stuffing the items into the duffle. If they left now, they could quite possibly out run the authorities...
“What are you doing?”
Leesa was staring at him from under the covers of her bed. Her expression was puzzled; almost as if he had suddenly sprouted a third head.
“What am ,I doing? What are you doing?!” he hissed, “Kati Mannequin is in the next room. You’re a wanted terrorist. We need to get out of here. What don’t you understand?”
“It will be fine.” She said shortly.
Billy sputtered; finding it hard not to raise his voice at the absurdity of her statement.
“Leesa. Kati. Kati Mannequin.” He said pointing at their shared wall for emphasis, “Is in-”
“She won’t do anything.”
“Why not.” He whispered. For all they knew Kati cold be listening on the other side. It was not safe to discuss this here, but Leesa was proving difficult to seen the gravity of the situation, “Why not? It’s her career if she just lets you slip by.”
Leesa shrugged, “She just won’t, Billy, I know it’s difficult for you to understand, but I know Kati, she won’t. It wouldn’t be fair.”
Billy almost forgot to keep his voice down, “What?! This is a game now?”
“A strategy,” Leesa clarified, “There’s no point in catching me when I am not doing anything related with Celestial Being. It is better to take me when there is a better chance of catching others. She knows if I am compromised, I am abandoned. Nothing they’ll do- and Kati is too honorable for torture, so she’ll avoid that as well - will lead them to Celestial Being through me. Plus, she is not ungrateful for the last war; and I am grateful to her as well. God forbid it, but if something like A-Laws happens again; Kati will defect for the greater good, and that puts her on the same level as me. She knows that she needs me as both an enemy and an ally depending on the situation. Right now Federation vs. Celestial Being is not what we’re playing, with it being peacetime and all.”
“But-“
Leesa held up her hand, “Trust me. If Celestial Being becomes active again, all bets are off. But right now, Celestial Being, Kathalon and the renegade Federation members were the winners. It’s bought us some time with this unwritten truce.”
Billy glared at her, “What is that supposed to mean?”
Leesa smiled bitterly, “You know how war is. Punish the losers; forget the sins of the victors. If war breaks out again, you will see how surprisingly short people’s memories are,” she leaned over to pat the mattress of his bed and gave him her easy going smile, “Please trust me. Nothing will happen. I promise we will still have fun.”
Billy stared at her, and then at the wall were just beyond lay a threat that could possibly have Leesa taken away from him again. When he looked back she was still smiling her confidence visibly radiating from her. With a sigh he dropped the duffle bag and shuffled to his bed.
He supposed breakfast had been fun; two couples enjoying fresh baked rolls and rich coffee, Leesa and Kati chattering over the Colonel’s ring, the wedding, and general newly-wed stories. Or the tour of the Uffizi galleries, David, and perhaps Patrick’s off-color remarks about the nudes too. And the bike riding day trip through the Tuscan valleys, climbing the top of the Duomo (the Immortal Colasour never made it to the top due to a sudden bout of claustrophobia), and hiking to the top of Mt. Michelangelo and sitting in the gold-gilded halls of the Baptistery. A perfect impromptu couples’ vacation that would have been enjoyable, had Billy not been constantly waiting to be ambushed by Federation forces.
But the ambush never happened. True to Leesa’s predictions, Kati did not seem at all interested in capture or the whereabouts of Celestial Being. Conversations were kept to general topics and there was no mention of work or war.
On their last day together, they spent their time wandering around the Ponte Vecchio buying last minute gifts before they helped Kati and Patrick to the train station. The goodbyes were a bit awkward; Patrick hugged them both, while Kati gave them curt professional handshakes before they boarded. The “I am still watching you” look that Kati gave Leesa was not lost on Billy, but Leesa smiled regardless.
Once alone, they leisurely spent the remainder of the afternoon lazily wandering Florence’s corridors. They ate under the stars in the Piazza della Signoria, and after dinner walked hand in hand around the displays of famous sculptures. They shared a gelato, and after much pestering, Leesa convinced him to take ride on the carousel in the middle of the square together.
But then there was very little that Leesa couldn’t convince him to do. He had always been aware of this fact; but in that moment, with Florence’s nightlife a spinning blur around them and Leesa’s laughter filling his ears, did Billy realize the extent of how much his entire universe hinged on this woman- the one who would be leaving him again in the morning.
Billy wrapped his arms tighter about her, and rested his chin on her shoulder. It was all that he could do to keep his grief at bay.
***
It was nearly three in the morning when they finally returned to their room. After the carousel ride, Billy had made it a priority to cram as much time together as possible. They had gone dancing, strolled along the Ponte Vecchio’s three bridges, and managed to finagle one more carousel ride out of its manager before it closed.
He left Leesa to change while he went to wash up in the bathroom. Halfway through brushing his teeth, he heard a loud noise; the scraping of furniture against the tile floor. When the noise continued and Leesa suddenly let out a cry of pain, Billy rushed out of the bathroom, fearing that finally the ambush had come.
But again there was no ambush. Just Leesa standing with her smarting thumb in her mouth, by the beds she had pushed together. She gave him a shy glance- he had never seen her look uncertain before - and waited for him to say something.
Billy swallowed; trying not to seem overly nervous at this development. They had kissed and held hands; but they were adults, surely this would come up sooner or later. Billy wondered if now was the time to admit he barely had experience; or would this information cause Leesa to look badly upon him…he had some experience, it had just been a long while. He found that couldn’t just do it with anyone that wasn’t her.
“We don’t have to do anything.” Leesa said gently, “I just thought…since we don’t know how long it will be until we see each other.”
Billy nodded, and pulled her close to him, “Its okay.” He kissed her forehead, “I don’t mind taking it slow.” He hoped this was a good bluff; he didn’t want her to think he was too hard up- but when he saw her wry expression, he knew that she hadn’t been fooled.
They pulled back the sheets and settled as best they could on two twin beds that threatened to move apart at the slightest pressure in the middle. Leesa lay entwined in his arms, still fully clothed, but Billy noticed that the nightclothes she wore tonight were more revealing and made for easier access than those she had worn previously. Billy made another nervous swallow; partially in disbelief that this was actually happening, and clumsily moved to turn out the light on the night stand. This resulted in the lamp crashing to the floor, which caused Leesa’s snort of laughter and left them both giggling like children.
He had barely caught his breath when Leesa made her move: She swooped in and closed her mouth hungrily over his; rolling them both onto his side of the bed and leaving the broken lamp forgotten on the floor.
***
To: flagmender01@earthnet.com November 24th 2314 11:05:15 GMT
From: momma_strate@unkown.net
Subject: Booking you in advance…
Hi Sweetie,
It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? I know things have been busy with your design proposals this month. How did they turn out? I have been looking at the picture of us on the carousel, and it makes me want to go back to that night so badly. I miss you terribly…that it really makes me crave that gelato place we found. :)
I was wondering if you had anymore leave available. I’ve been invited to a wedding and would like to bring you as my date. I am not sure if you personally knew Louise Halevy, but her fiancé, Saji Crossroad, was with us during the second war. They’ve been laying low since the end of battle, partially for her health reasons, but they’ve finally decided to make it official.
Please let me know if you can come. The date is September 22nd (I told you I was booking you in advance ;)
We’ll figure out meeting/transportation logistics for you later.
Hope you can come,
Leesa
A crash and Tieria’s loud swear, made Sumeragi look down into the recreation area. Allelujah was supporting Tieria’s upper-body, while the newly resurrected meister’s lower half wobbled and shook like something akin to a newborn calf.
“Take it easy,” Allelujah said gently, “You were doing fine until you got distracted.”
“Tell him to leave.” Tieria growled, tossing his head at Lyle who was sitting on the weight bench nearby, his amusement at Tieria’s lack of grace displayed visibly on his face.
Sumeragi sighed, “Lyle, you’re not being helpful. This is really hard for him…”
“I was only joking,” Lyle smirked, “I didn’t think he would take me seriously.”
“Don’t you have something better to do?” Tieria snarled, “Like teasing Setsuna about his ‘monkey suit’?”
Lyle smiled, “Not my fault he agreed to be the best man.”
“Such a child…” Tieria grumbled as he attempted to keep his legs from buckling.
Sumeragi rolled her eyes. Lyle had become rather obnoxious since the announcement of the wedding. While those invited, were excited for something different and a happy occasion to look forward to, Lyle had been making digs wherever he possibly could. Sumeragi supposed in the end it was envy; she doubted he was over Anew- a wedding was probably the last thing he wanted to attend. But beggars couldn’t be choosers during this hiatus; everyone was looking forward to getting off the ship.
“Still,” She called, “I don’t think telling Tieria ‘he can attend in his gundam’, should he not be able to walk in time, is all that encouraging.”
“Ten months should be ample time.” Allelujah chimed in; helping Tieria to sit on one of the benches, “You really are improving, Tieria.”
Sumeragi turned back to her comm to see if Billy had responded. Nothing yet; she supposed it was too soon for a response.
“Oi! Miss Sumeragi. Who’s going to be your beard at the wedding?”
Sumeragi fumbled with her comm, before slipping it into her pocket, “I have someone in mind. Hopefully he can come.”
Lyle gave her a wry smile, “Won’t that be a conflict of interest? Your boy still works for the Federation.”
“Billy and I have an agreement,” She snapped, “Besides, he’s already been on the ship, he’s seen everyone’s faces; so you’ve already been compromised.”
Lyle held up his hands defensively, “Fine. Fine. It was just a friendly concern.”
Sumeragi rolled her eyes, “I wouldn’t be too concerned about information being compromised, ‘Mr. Gene-1.’”
“That’s different.” Lyle shot back defensively.
“Still the same. Who knows what side Kathalon will be on in the future? Alliances may change, you never know.”
“Klaus wouldn’t betray me; or us.”
“How do you know?”
Lyle sputtered, “I don’t know. I just do, okay?”
Sumeragi gave him a teasing smile, “Then you should understand mine and Billy’s relationship then.”
Lyle glared at her, his mouth opening and shutting a few times before he eventually gave up attempting to counter her logic.
“So who’s going to be your beard?” She teased, hoping to bring the conversation back to friendlier terms.
“Dunno. Was going to ask you, but you’re apparently taken. That’s the problem with this ship…not too many females. Milelina’s too young, Feldt’s obviously going with Setsuna…”
“How is our ‘unofficial couple’?” Allelujah asked from where he was leaning over Tieria, helping the other meister stretch his hamstrings.
“Still in the closet. Lasse recons that Milelina will get them to come out around New Years if she pesters enough.” Lyle said.
Sumeragi smiled at Lyle, “Well I am flattered…but-“
“Mind if I be your back up, in case Mr. Wonderful can’t show?”
Sumeragi hand lingered over the comm in her pocket, “Maybe. But don’t get your hopes too up.” She winked.
“Can’t blame a guy for trying,” The Irish meister sighed and wandered out of the rec area to most likely bother Setsuna.
***
It was quite possibly the most, for lack of better word, interesting wedding Billy had attended. There weren’t too many weddings he had gone too, where he had to first fly to an non-descript location, before being met to be ferried off to a secret island…it was really something he had previously seen in the movies.
But here he was on a small uncharted island, in the middle of god-knows-where, attending the wedding of the former A-Laws financial backer/ member and the young engineer whom at some point, Billy had been told, had been the best man’s neighbor, before fate decided to throw him into the ranks of Celestial Being.
It was a small gathering - as neither the bride nor the bridegroom had any family - just some friends from university and from the groom’s work who were now unknowingly mingling with the infamous members of Celestial Being. He had wondered at first, how Louise had tolerated having the reason that she didn’t have any family at her wedding; but as Leesa had explained, the Halevy Family massacre had been committed by rouge gundams that the main faction of Celestial Being had not recognized as official meisters.
That truth, along with the fact that it was ultimately Celestial Being that reunited the couple and had allowed Saji to saved Louise from the personal hell she had slipped into, justified Saji’s reasons to invite the members of Celestial Being that he had befriended.
The wedding had been short and simple- vows spoken and rings exchanged on the beach at sunset. Despite not knowing either of the couple that well; Billy had to admit he had never seen a happier and more relaxed couple at their wedding. He could see it in their body language as they moved down the aisle that they were not only crazy about the other; but grateful to be able to be together.
When he approached the couple in the receiving line, he could see the change in Louise’s face - he had only seen her a few times during his time in the A-Laws; and she had been a sullen creature then - but now standing next to her husband, Billy saw such an amount of happiness radiating from her, that she practically glowed.
Louise’s smiling face remained with Billy into the reception. He placed his and Leesa’s seating cards on their table and looked around to see if she was nearby; Leesa had excused herself to freshen up; the humid island air was conflicting with her hair and make up.
“Table 11, This must be us.”
Billy looked up to see that a family of three was now joining the table. The man, whom Billy vaguely recognized, extended his hand, “Ian. You must be Miss Sumeragi’s man.” He grinned.
Billy shook the man’s hand, “Yes. I am Billy.”
Ian smiled and presented his family, “This is my wife, Linda, and our daughter Milelina.”
The teenage girl looked wide-eyed as Billy shook her hand, “Are you and Miss Sumeragi lovers?” she squealed.
“Milelina! Don’t be a pest!” The girl’s mother said sternly, “please excuse her,” she said apologetically to Billy.
Billy gave a slight cough, “No. No, its okay. It’s very nice to meet members of Leesa’s family.”
“’Leesa?’ That’s Miss Sumeragi’s real name? I have to tell this to Feldt!” and with that the girl sprinted off to the other side of the reception area up to the young woman who was standing next to Saji’s best man.
Ian sighed, “Again, excuse her. Its hard to be fifteen and a crew member…there isn’t too much news to sate a teenager’s need for gossip.”
Billy nodded again, hoping that he appeared sympathetic.
“I hope she isn’t too crushed when she learns that Feldt already knows that information.” A deep voice said from behind him. Billy turned and at first was in disbelief that person behind him was capable of having such a masculine voice. The man (at least he appeared to be a man) was slender and effeminate, with dark purple hair and the same unnatural beauty that reminded Billy of Revive Revival and Hilling Care.
“Tieria.” The man said simply and offered his hand, “I was unable to meet you last time you were aboard.”
Billy took the offered hand and smirked, “Billy. Do any of you have last names? Or is this for security?”
“Protocol.” Tieria shrugged, “It was nice meeting you.” He gave a nod to Ian and his wife, before he walked- with a noticeable limp- away to join the group of people where Milelina was standing.
He jolted when something cool pressed against his hand. He looked to see that Leesa had returned with a glass of white wine for him and what appeared to be ginger ale for her, “I’m back.” She smiled, “I hope no one is giving a hard time.”
“Don’t worry. We’re being on our best behavior, “ Ian grinned, “Although, I hear that Lockon and Lasse might make him do ‘you-know-what’, later on.”
Billy sputtered, “What?! Do what now?”
Leesa rolled her eyes, “It’s nothing; he’s joking,” She looked at Ian, “I don’t appreciate you guys trying to scare my boyfriend off.”
Billy felt his heart jump a little at the word “boyfriend”.
Ian pushed his glasses up with a smirk, “Wouldn’t dream of it…although you might want to have a word with the boys, anyway.”
“Noted.” Leesa replied as she linked her hand with his open hand, “C’mon, Billy, lets introduce you to the rest of the ‘family’.”
****
Billy couldn’t remember the last time he had enjoyed going to a wedding. The food was wonderful and abundant and the band that had been hired had been excellent. He and Leesa had danced under the stars- and as the night grew later, they found themselves to be the only ones on the temporary dance floor, besides Saji and Louise.
Around one o’clock in the morning, Saji had thanked their guests for coming and announced that he and Louise would be leaving for the honeymoon. The pair had exited amongst whoops laughter and suggestive cheers from the guests and had headed to where Setsuna was waiting by a small boat. Evidently the couple were honeymooning on the other, more private side of the island. Despite that their hosts had left, the party still continued into the night.
It was finally around four, that Leesa decided it was time to call it a night. She had pried Billy away from his and Ian’s deep “engineers’ conversation” and led him away from the reception area. He was too full and happy from such an enjoyable evening, that he did not immediately notice that Leesa was leading him away from the compound where he had slept the night before.
They walked hand-in-hand together through a narrow path cut into the jungle foliage.
“I had your things moved here, before the wedding” was the only comment she made during that time.
Finally, they came upon a private bungalow with a large veranda attached to it.
“One of our financial backers used to stay here.” She explained, opening the door to the single, elegantly decorated, floor structure. Billy saw that his bags were set next to the large bed that dominated the room; and he felt his heart began to beat faster. Memories from their last night in Italy swam back to him - as they often did at night- and he turned to kiss Leesa with enough force to push her against the closed door.
When he broke the kiss, he could see that her lips had swollen slightly, and her breathing had quickened. She gave him a coy smile, and shimmied away from him before he could land another kiss on her.
She stood by the bed, her beautiful body framed in the moonlight that was spilling through the skylights in the ceiling. She gave him a sexy smile and slowly reached behind her, tugging the zipper of her dress and letting it fall away from her body.
Billy felt his mouth run dry as he stood before him in only a sheer black-laced bustier, matching lacy panties and garters. She sat on the bed with a smoldering gaze that asked “What’s stopping you? Get over here!”
“Billy…”Her voice was sultry and thick and Billy could feel all traces of exhaustion leaving him as his body awakened.
“I want all of you this time.” She whispered, “Not a night’s past since Italy that I haven’t thought about you and wanted you so badly.”
Billy restrained himself from pinching his own arm- this was the stuff his dreams were made of.
He crossed the room to where she was sitting, and leaned down to kiss her once again. She mewled hungrily against his lips and he pushed her all the ways down against the mattress. Leesa pulled at the tie he was wearing and haphazardly attempted to divest him of it, but he took her hand and pinned it above her head, “Let me.” He whispered, “Let me love you tonight, my Leesa.”
***