April's Fools -- Part 5 --

She stormed through the garden and down the wooded path before Relena had calmed down enough to take note of her surroundings. In a few moments she realized she would soon be at the lake, almost a mile behind the house. Not ready to head back, she continued walked but at a more leisurely pace.

At first, the vacation had seemed like a good idea. She had desperately needed a break from her political life so she could better fulfill her duties when she returned. Also, it had been so long since she had been with the others that it was too tempting to let the chance pass.

"Now I wonder why I even bothered," she muttered.

Immediately, she felt guilty. She was disappointed and she was letting the black mood taint everything. She didn't think that she would be spending her vacation as a mediator between her friends.

Finally the lake came into view. As she gazed out at the peaceful water, Relena gradually noticed that the disappointment and frustration were fading. With a contented sigh, she sat down underneath a huge oak tree.

Lulled by the gently lapping water and the soothing birdsong, the weary politician fell asleep.

* * * * *

A few hours later, Heero marched through the lower level of the house. Sensing the Perfect Soldier's dark mood, Quatre looked up from the card game, careful to hide his hand from Duo's prying eyes. Hilde and Sally looked up as well.

"Heero, is something wrong?"

"Have you seen Relena?"

The former Sandrock pilot's eyes clouded for a moment. "Actually, I haven't seen her since this morning."

"Has anyone seen her recently?" His gaze swept over the entire group. He was rewarded with a chorus of no's and shakes of heads.

"It's a vacation, Heero," Hilde admonished. "Relax."

Trowa's eyes never left his cards. "No one knows she's here."

Everyone's indifference to the politician's absence surprised him. No plan is fool proof, a lesson he and the other pilots had learned over and over again. Just because no one was suppose to know where Relena was spending her little vacation, it didn't mean that no one knew. It didn't mean that she was necessarily safe.

"Fine," he muttered under his breath, stalking out of the room.

With his eyes following Heero, Quatre set his cards on the table. "You guys play without me."

Trowa and Catherine watched the blonde leave before glancing at each other. The taciturn acrobat merely shrugged, gathered up the cards, and began shuffling. With a slightly uneasy feeling, Catherine leaned back in her chair and waited for her hand to be dealt.

* * * * *

Blinking hard, Relena sat up, momentarily disoriented. Her back ached from sleeping the awkward position for such a long time. Searching for the sun, she was horrified to discover it was about mid-afternoon.

'I've been gone too long,' she realized, hurriedly brushing the leaves and dirt off her clothes. 'They must be worried by now.'

Scolding herself, she began the trek back to the house. 'You have told someone where you were going, Relena. That was stupid, really stupid. Anything could have happened out here and no one would know where even to begin to look for you.'

Then a thought hit her. 'Well, they can't be looking that hard for you. They would have found you by now.'

Surely, with all the guys' skills, it wouldn't have been that difficult to find her. She was only a mile from the house. Plus the lake was the only attraction for miles.

'They didn't even realize I've been gone,' she thought. It hurt. She thought that her friends would have missed since she had been gone for several hours now.

"Maybe not," she murmured. Trying not to dwell on the distressing thoughts, she continued on toward the house.

* * * * *

"Any idea where to start?" Quatre asked, matching Heero's quick, efficient stride.

"The lake," the other pilot replied. "There's nothing else for miles."

The Arabian nodded before adding, "We could be overreacting you know."

"Do you want to take that chance?"

"No," Quatre said readily. "No, I don't want to take that chance. If something happened to Relena while we were here, I'd never forgive myself."

Heero knew that feeling. Whenever Relena was involved, things became complicated for him, and he didn't need complications at the moment. He needed to find her.

"Let's go," he said needlessly as they headed down the lane leading to the lake.

* * * * *

Relena was halfway back to the house when she met up with her would-be rescuers. "Hi, guys, going for a swim?"

Heero immediately scowled. "No."

"We got worried and came looking for you," Quatre explained, earning a glare of his own from the other pilot. "You shouldn't go off like this, Relena."

"I know, Quatre, I know," she replied, hoping she had the right repentant tone. "I was upset and wasn't thinking. I promise to be more careful."

Heero snorted, indicating his doubts about the politician's promise. "Let's go."

"Quatre, have you seen the lake yet?" Relena asked, pointedly ignoring Heero. "It's really quite a view. If you like, we could go. We're already halfway there."

She gave him her most winning smile, tempting him to take her offer. Heero was clearly not amused by Relena or her shenanigans. Yet, they were already halfway there.

"Maybe a quick look," he conceded, earning another death glare.

Relena happily linked her arm with Quatre's. As they headed back to the lake, she gave him a detailed discourse of the property's history and charms. Heero followed them, glaring at her back.

"So, you can imagine how excited I was when I learned that this whole place was on the market," Relena continued. "It's an ideal place for a little getaway. Don't you think?"

Quatre nodded. "It's very nice, Relena. You need to take more of these breaks. It's not good for you to work so much."

"Like you're one to talk, Quatre," she replied, laughing. "Before now, when was the last time you had a vacation? And don't you dare count the Mariemaia Incident. That doesn't count."

The Arabian's cheeks turned pink. "Okay, I admit it. It's been a while, Relena."

"Then I'll leave you to your work if you will leave me to do mine."

"Wow, this view is amazing," Quatre breathed as they reached the lake.

Heero grudingly agreed with the other pilot. However it felt too exposed. "Let's go."

"Heero, we just got here," Relena admonished, tightening her grip on Quatre's arm.

Yet Quatre nodded. "He's right, Relena. We do need to go. If we stay any longer, the others will be worried."

Reluctantly she allowed Quatre to turn her around. Once more she resumed her journey back to the house.

* * * * *

"Duo Maxwell, what on Earth are you doing?" Hilde demanded.

Duo turned around sheepishly to face her. However, she wasn't buying his innocent expression. She placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"Babe, it's just a simple prank," Duo said, using his most coaxing tone. "No one is going to be hurt."

"That's not the point, Duo," she retorted.

He sighed and resorted to puppy-dog eyes. "Just imagine Heero's face when he comes in. It's perfect. Come on, please, Hilde."

She studied him carefully, watching him squirm slightly. Finally, her posture relaxed and he breathed a sigh of relief. "This has to be the last prank, Duo. Enough is enough."

He gaped at her. His last prank? "Babe, you can't be serious."

"Fine," she said haughtily. "Try sleeping on the couch, buster."

"Hilde, just give me one more and I quit. I swear."

"Promise?"

He drew an elaborate X over his chest. "Cross my heart."

"Oh, very well," she sighed. However, she was laughing when he scooped her up and spun her around. "Duo, what am I going to do with you?"

"Whatever you like, babe."

However, the mood was broken as the door opened behind them. In a blur of motion, Duo set Hilde down and turned around. His smile of triumphant quickly turned to one of disbelief as he identified the person in the doorway.

"Relena, wait!"

It was too late. The politician screamed as the bucket's contents were dumped on her head. She was quickly drenched with various liquids: vinegar, honey, ice water, ranch dressing, oatmeal, and red wine.

The room fell into shocked silence for a moment until Relena turned to Duo. Reading murder in the pacifist's eyes, he quickly began to back away from her. "Relena, I'm sorry. I thought it was Heero. It was just a harmless prank. I swear . . ."

"ENOUGH!" she bellowed, her shoes squishing as she stalked toward him. "I've had enough of these pranks! If there is one more, I will kill you myself!"

With one more menacing glare, she stormed upstairs. The other occupants glanced nervously at each other except for Heero. He burst out laughing and left the room, leaving the others even more stunned.

Upstairs a door slammed, indicating that Relena reached her room. "Oh, man," Duo groaned, "this can't be good."

"No," Hilde agreed. "Now, clean up this mess."

"But, babe," he protested.

However, she was already gone. Quatre followed on her heels. Slumping his shoulders, Duo eyed the mess his harmless prank had created.

"This is so unfair."


Part V She stormed through the garden and down the wooded path before Relena had calmed down enough to take note of her surroundings. In a few moments she realized she would soon be at the lake, almost a mile behind the house. Not ready to head back, she continued walked but at a more leisurely pace. At first, the vacation had seemed like a good idea. She had desperately needed a break from her political life so she could better fulfill her duties when she returned. Also, it had been so long since she had been with the others that it was too tempting to let the chance pass. "Now I wonder why I even bothered," she muttered. Immediately, she felt guilty. She was disappointed and she was letting the black mood taint everything. She didn't think that she would be spending her vacation as a mediator between her friends. Finally the lake came into view. As she gazed out at the peaceful water, Relena gradually noticed that the disappointment and frustration were fading. With a contented sigh, she sat down underneath a huge oak tree. Lulled by the gently lapping water and the soothing birdsong, the weary politician fell asleep. * * * * * A few hours later, Heero marched through the lower level of the house. Sensing the Perfect Soldier's dark mood, Quatre looked up from the card game, careful to hide his hand from Duo's prying eyes. Hilde and Sally looked up as well. "Heero, is something wrong?" "Have you seen Relena?" The former Sandrock pilot's eyes clouded for a moment. "Actually, I haven't seen her since this morning." "Has anyone seen her recently?" His gaze swept over the entire group. He was rewarded with a chorus of no's and shakes of heads. "It's a vacation, Heero," Hilde admonished. "Relax." Trowa's eyes never left his cards. "No one knows she's here." Everyone's indifference to the politician's absence surprised him. No plan is fool proof, a lesson he and the other pilots had learned over and over again. Just because no one was suppose to know where Relena was spending her little vacation, it didn't mean that no one knew. It didn't mean that she was necessarily safe. "Fine," he muttered under his breath, stalking out of the room. With his eyes following Heero, Quatre set his cards on the table. "You guys play without me." Trowa and Catherine watched the blonde leave before glancing at each other. The taciturn acrobat merely shrugged, gathered up the cards, and began shuffling. With a slightly uneasy feeling, Catherine leaned back in her chair and waited for her hand to be dealt. * * * * * Blinking hard, Relena sat up, momentarily disoriented. Her back ached from sleeping the awkward position for such a long time. Searching for the sun, she was horrified to discover it was about mid-afternoon. 'I've been gone too long,' she realized, hurriedly brushing the leaves and dirt off her clothes. 'They must be worried by now.' Scolding herself, she began the trek back to the house. 'You have told someone where you were going, Relena. That was stupid, really stupid. Anything could have happened out here and no one would know where even to begin to look for you.' Then a thought hit her. 'Well, they can't be looking that hard for you. They would have found you by now.' Surely, with all the guys' skills, it wouldn't have been that difficult to find her. She was only a mile from the house. Plus the lake was the only attraction for miles. 'They didn't even realize I've been gone,' she thought. It hurt. She thought that her friends would have missed since she had been gone for several hours now. "Maybe not," she murmured. Trying not to dwell on the distressing thoughts, she continued on toward the house. * * * * * "Any idea where to start?" Quatre asked, matching Heero's quick, efficient stride. "The lake," the other pilot replied. "There's nothing else for miles." The Arabian nodded before adding, "We could be overreacting you know." "Do you want to take that chance?" "No," Quatre said readily. "No, I don't want to take that chance. If something happened to Relena while we were here, I'd never forgive myself." Heero knew that feeling. Whenever Relena was involved, things became complicated for him, and he didn't need complications at the moment. He needed to find her. "Let's go," he said needlessly as they headed down the lane leading to the lake. * * * * * Relena was halfway back to the house when she met up with her would-be rescuers. "Hi, guys, going for a swim?" Heero immediately scowled. "No." "We got worried and came looking for you," Quatre explained, earning a glare of his own from the other pilot. "You shouldn't go off like this, Relena." "I know, Quatre, I know," she replied, hoping she had the right repentant tone. "I was upset and wasn't thinking. I promise to be more careful." Heero snorted, indicating his doubts about the politician's promise. "Let's go." "Quatre, have you seen the lake yet?" Relena asked, pointedly ignoring Heero. "It's really quite a view. If you like, we could go. We're already halfway there." She gave him her most winning smile, tempting him to take her offer. Heero was clearly not amused by Relena or her shenanigans. Yet, they were already halfway there. "Maybe a quick look," he conceded, earning another death glare. Relena happily linked her arm with Quatre's. As they headed back to the lake, she gave him a detailed discourse of the property's history and charms. Heero followed them, glaring at her back. "So, you can imagine how excited I was when I learned that this whole place was on the market," Relena continued. "It's an ideal place for a little getaway. Don't you think?" Quatre nodded. "It's very nice, Relena. You need to take more of these breaks. It's not good for you to work so much." "Like you're one to talk, Quatre," she replied, laughing. "Before now, when was the last time you had a vacation? And don't you dare count the Mariemaia Incident. That doesn't count." The Arabian's cheeks turned pink. "Okay, I admit it. It's been a while, Relena." "Then I'll leave you to your work if you will leave me to do mine." "Wow, this view is amazing," Quatre breathed as they reached the lake. Heero grudingly agreed with the other pilot. However it felt too exposed. "Let's go." "Heero, we just got here," Relena admonished, tightening her grip on Quatre's arm. Yet Quatre nodded. "He's right, Relena. We do need to go. If we stay any longer, the others will be worried." Reluctantly she allowed Quatre to turn her around. Once more she resumed her journey back to the house. * * * * * "Duo Maxwell, what on Earth are you doing?" Hilde demanded. Duo turned around sheepishly to face her. However, she wasn't buying his innocent expression. She placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow expectantly. "Babe, it's just a simple prank," Duo said, using his most coaxing tone. "No one is going to be hurt." "That's not the point, Duo," she retorted. He sighed and resorted to puppy-dog eyes. "Just imagine Heero's face when he comes in. It's perfect. Come on, please, Hilde." She studied him carefully, watching him squirm slightly. Finally, her posture relaxed and he breathed a sigh of relief. "This has to be the last prank, Duo. Enough is enough." He gaped at her. His last prank? "Babe, you can't be serious." "Fine," she said haughtily. "Try sleeping on the couch, buster." "Hilde, just give me one more and I quit. I swear." "Promise?" He drew an elaborate X over his chest. "Cross my heart." "Oh, very well," she sighed. However, she was laughing when he scooped her up and spun her around. "Duo, what am I going to do with you?" "Whatever you like, babe." However, the mood was broken as the door opened behind them. In a blur of motion, Duo set Hilde down and turned around. His smile of triumphant quickly turned to one of disbelief as he identified the person in the doorway. "Relena, wait!" It was too late. The politician screamed as the bucket's contents were dumped on her head. She was quickly drenched with various liquids: vinegar, honey, ice water, ranch dressing, oatmeal, and red wine. The room fell into shocked silence for a moment until Relena turned to Duo. Reading murder in the pacifist's eyes, he quickly began to back away from her. "Relena, I'm sorry. I thought it was Heero. It was just a harmless prank. I swear . . ." "ENOUGH!" she bellowed, her shoes squishing as she stalked toward him. "I've had enough of these pranks! If there is one more, I will kill you myself!" With one more menacing glare, she stormed upstairs. The other occupants glanced nervously at each other except for Heero. He burst out laughing and left the room, leaving the others even more stunned. Upstairs a door slammed, indicating that Relena reached her room. "Oh, man," Duo groaned, "this can't be good." "No," Hilde agreed. "Now, clean up this mess." "But, babe," he protested. However, she was already gone. Quatre followed on her heels. Slumping his shoulders, Duo eyed the mess his harmless prank had created. "This is so unfair."


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