Chapter 4

By Sulia Serafine

Email: Silverwlng@aol.com

[Author’s ramblings: A semi-romantic comedy/ adventure of Gundam Wing.

Additional note: this may also fall under Alternate Universe Category. I’m screwing around the episode plot. That’s all. Standard Disclaimer!!! I don’t own Gundam Wing (darn it) and I’m not making money.

Don’t sue! It’s all for fun!

Send criticism to me at Silverwlng@aol.com]

Dorothy sat with a gun aimed at Fitz. He was going to wake up soon and Quatre was still not there.

"Dorothy? Dorothy!" Quatre called.

"Over here, Quatre."

He ran into the room. He saw Fitz still unconscious and Dorothy sitting with her gun.

"What’s going on? Who is he?"

"Calm down," she said. "I saw him earlier with the girl who burst into the wedding banquet today. Look how he’s dressed. It’s just like hers, almost. The spades are a common characteristic of theirs."

"He was with Ace?"

"Ace? Is that her name?’

Quatre scratched his head. "Well, yeah. She and Wufei got chained together by the terrorists called the Jokers."

"Where are they now?"

"Back at the hotel. How did you find this guy? Is he okay?"

"He fell off the second floor of the old warehouse. He actually crashed out a window."

Quatre knelt down beside Fitz and checked for a pulse. He turned to Dorothy. "We should bring him back to the hotel if he’s with Ace. She can explain everything." He paused, looking at Dorothy’s disapproving look. "Hey, you can trust us Dorothy."

"Now, Quatre. I trust you, but I don’t trust the rest of them. Especially Duo."

"Duo won’t do anything. Come on. Put that gun down and help me." He began to lift Fitz by his underarms. Dorothy let out a deep breath.

"I want to find out what’s going on by myself."

"That’s pretty impossible since all of us are working on the exact same situation. Heero, Trowa, me, you… it doesn’t matter about our problems in the past," he told her gently. "Now are you going to just sit there with your gun aimed at me or are you going to help?"

She stood up hesitantly. "If that guy suddenly wakes up and decides to kill us all, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Sometimes I think knowing you has made me go soft." She snorted and put away her gun. She picked up Fitz’s feet and they began to carry him out. They put him in the backseat of Quatre’s car.

"Let me drive," Dorothy said. Quatre tossed her his keys. They got in. Dorothy handed him her gun.

"If he wakes up," she explained.

"I’m not going to shoot anyone."

"You might have to."

As they drove to the hotel, Fitz started to groan. First, he squeezed his eyes shut, but slowly, he started to move and opened his eyes. Quatre turned around in his seat and rested a hand on the gun.

"It’s okay. You’re with friends."

"Who are you?" Fitz croaked.

"I’m Quatre. This is Dorothy. Are you okay?"

"No. Get me out of here! I have… I have…" he tried to sit up, but laid back down again, curled up on his side. "Damn Jokers… what was that green gas?"

"What’s he talking about?" Quatre asked Dorothy.

"The window he fell from was leaking green gas. Some kind of chemical induced knockout gas. Maybe it was poisonous. How should I know? Talk to him some more."

"Okay. So, what’s your name?"

"I’m not telling you."

"If we wanted to harm you, we already would have. Trust us, please. We want to help."

"No."

"Do you know Ace? Ace of Spades?"

Fitz’s head immediately snapped up. "How do you know Ace?"

"She’s with us. She’s fine. Her life is not threatened. She’s trusting us."

He eyed the young blond man distrustfully. "How am I to know that? You may be lying."

Quatre sighed and shook his head sadly. Dorothy rolled her eyes. "You’re too nice, you know that? But then again, that’s why I decided to contact you rather than Heero or Trowa."

"What did you expect from me?"

She lowered her voice. "To help me instead of them. Let’s keep Fitz a secret for now. Why do we have to tell anyone that he’s with us?"

"Dorothy!"

"Just hear me out, Quatre. When was the last time you got credit for something as big as this?"

"Well…"

"Here’s your chance to become the ‘big shot’. Heero walks around all day. Everyone knows he’s the guy who piloted Wing Zero. He’s the leader of the Gundam Pilots. But who notices you? You’re so nice, Quatre, everything passes you by and you smile. You just sit there and smile and do what you’re told."

"Dorothy, stop it. Stop trying to persuade me to keep secrets from my friends."

"I’m just trying to help you, Quatre. You talk to people. You get them to trust you so easily," she whispered to him as she slowed the car to a stop. Fitz watched them curiously, keeping his guard up. If only he could hear what they were saying! But the effects of the green gas were still on him, and he kept his head down.

"Quatre, do what you do best. Talk to this man and make him trust you. I trust you," she said softly, the tip of her nose touching his ear lobe as she leaned toward him and whispered gently. "We don’t have to tell anyone yet. Not until we’ve figured out what’s the best course of action. Joining him and this Ace might be the most practical idea, but not the best. Quatre, please. Trust me. You’re the only person in this whole world who trusts me even a little. I’ve earned a bad reputation I’m ready to erase."

Her cheek rested against his now. Dorothy smiled inwardly. Quatre was always a gentleman. A trustworthy, angelic, gullible, and sweet man was what Quatre was. There was only half-truth to her words. She did trust him. But she wasn’t ready to do anything about her reputation. He shivered slightly. He stared at the semi-sated Fitz still watching them distrustfully and listened to Dorothy’s honeyed words. It felt nice to be pressed up against her. Even with a stranger watching them like a dazed wolf.

"Okay," he answered. "Just for now. Where are you staying?"

"In a hotel not far from yours. Shall we go there?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Now talk to him."

Quatre nodded. Dorothy pulled away and began to drive again. He turned to Fitz.

"Are you sure you won’t tell us your name?"

"No. I don’t trust you."

"Will you trust us enough to tell us your name if I let you hold the gun?" Quatre offered it to him, pointing the handle toward Fitz. Dorothy glanced nervously at him.

"Quatre--"

"You said ‘make him trust us’," Quatre reminded and handed Fitz the gun. "There. You’re in charge. You can shoot us at any time. So, tell us your name."

Fitz stared in amazement at this Earthling. He’d never heard or seen such a thing like what Quatre had done. You didn’t give a stranger a weapon. It was just stupid. But the young man had cast all common sense aside and gave Fitz the gun.

"Ten of Spades."

Dorothy snorted. "How funny. Ace of Spades, Ten of Spades. Do you people like playing cards or something?"

"It’s the way it’s always been. My station is the Ten of Spades," Fitz said evenly, holding the gun in both hands and sitting up. "When can I see Ace?"

"Not tonight. But soon, right Dorothy?"

"Yes. Of course, Quatre." She grinned.

"Jean Dunois," Duo groaned. "He thinks it’s you and him—you and Jean."

"Duo!" Relena shrieked over the vid-phone. "I can’t believe this! Are you crazy? Why don’t you just tell him that it was you!"

"Are you kidding? Then he might ask about the disk! Then he might ask a billion other questions! Hell, he might even come to the conclusion that I like you!"

Relena stomped her foot. "Duo! Fix this! You got us into this mess, so get us out!"

"I know. I’m sorry!"

"Duo," Heero called from the next room. "Who is that yelling? Keep it down."

Duo yelped. "I have to go, Relena. See you later."

He hung up and stumbled out of his bedroom. Heero shot him a suspicious look before returning to his research.

"Find anything, Heero? Buddy?"

"Some explosives and C-4 have been stolen. It leaves no clue as to where these Jokers will turn up next though. What did you and Howard do?"

"Howard?"

"You said you met with him."

"Oh! Yeah, well, we were going over some improvements for my Gundam. That’s all."

"Duo."

"Yeah?"

"Why are you still wearing a hat with your hair stuffed in it?"

"Um…"

"Do you really think I wouldn’t find out? It’s ridiculous and stupid, Duo."

Duo’s mouth dropped open. His jaw practically hit the floor. "I… I…"

Heero shut off his computer and turned to him. "I saw the hair dye in the bathroom sink."

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no," Duo thought to himself. "I’m dead!"

"I know that you tried to dye your hair yourself and it screwed up and that’s why you’re hiding your hair. Duo, you can be so stupid and materialistic sometimes. Next time, do us all a favor and leave your hair alone. It saves the whining we’re bound to hear later on."

Heero stood up, tucked his laptop under his arm and went to his room. Duo stood there, unmoving. Then he let out a deep with held breath and sank to the floor.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," he whispered over and over again, clasping his hands together and grinning. Trowa came in and stared at him. Duo got up and for no reason at all, gave Trowa a quick hug, gave him a thumbs-up and merrily danced to his room.

Trowa blinked. "I always knew he was crazy, but…"

The phone rang. Trowa answered it.

"Quatre? Where are you?"

"I’m not coming back to the hotel tonight. I have important business to attend to."

"What sort of business?"

"It’s South America. Remember how I was supposed to go? Well, I can’t now with all this talk of Jokers. Ha-ha! So, I’ll see you in the morning, Trowa!" He smiled wider than before and shakily hung up. Trowa stared at the blank screen for a few moments and shook his head.

"Everyone is acting strange today."

In Wufei’s room, Wufei and Ellis finally decided to go to sleep. Wufei was balanced on the edge of the right side of the bed. His arm hung behind him because the chain was already stretched between them. Ellis clung to the left side of the bed with her arm stretched behind her. Neither was in a comfortable position, but neither was going to admit it out of pride.

In the morning, Wufei woke up first and tried to get out of bed, but something held him back. He looked back and remembered that he still had Ellis to be stuck with. He ran a hand over his face and yanked the chain. Ellis groaned and buried her face in the pillow.

"Get up."

"No."

"Get up! I have no time for this," Wufei said as he moved around to stand at her side of the bed and pulled on her arm. Ellis pulled back.

"Five more minutes."

"You’re so lazy! How am I ever going to get anything done with you around?"

Ellis opened one eye and glared at him. "Stop with the insults and I might get up."

Wufei didn’t say a word. Ellis was about to look up at him again when she felt him grab her by the waist and pull her out of bed.

"Hey! Yow! Quit it!" she protested as he dropped her on the floor. Ellis scrambled to her feet and punched him in the shoulder. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her with him.

"That’s no way to treat a lady."

"I don’t consider you a lady. You’re a tomboy and a nuisance."

Ellis got back some of her dignity as she managed to trip him. Wufei crashed into the wall. He turned on her and clenched his fist.

"Go ahead, Wufei. Punch me, I dare you."

He glared at her before resuming their walk to the bathroom.

"I have to take a shower," he said. "How exactly are we to pull that off?"

"We’ll stand in the shower in our underwear."

"No, I am not standing near-naked in the shower with you."

Ellis narrowed her eyes. "Modesty is something important in your society. You don’t mean to suggest that we just shower naked with blindfolds?"

"No!" He blushed.

"Then in underwear."

He started to reply, but didn’t. They entered the bathroom and stared at each other.

"If you turn out to be some pervert, it’ll be just my luck," Ellis muttered.

"Ha! It was your idea."

"Do you have a better alternative?"

He blushed again, without meaning to. Whether he liked her or not, Ellis was quite attractive.

They undressed nervously until they both stood in their underwear. Then they entered the shower. Wufei was trying to keep his eyes focused on anything besides her, such as the ceiling, or the faucet. It was not working well. He was worried lust might take over. For a few seconds, he just kept his eyes tightly shut and stood still with the hot water running down his body.

"Are you okay?" Ellis asked. She had her back turned, but she could sense his discomfort.

"This is not right. Sleeping in the same bed, taking showers--"

"Look, it’s not like we’re doing anything. No sex," she said. "We hate each other’s guts… right?"

"Yes," he said, although he became a little nervous with the mention of ‘pre-marital happenings’.

"Then there’s nothing to worry about. It’s not like this means marriage."

"I would never marry a woman like you."

"See? And I wouldn’t marry someone like you."

Wufei let out a deep breath as he ran his right hand through his hair. He leaned against the tile of the shower wall. "I was married once."

Ellis turned to look at him, keeping her eyes directed at his face, nothing else. "You?"

"Arranged marriage. It brought me grief."

"You didn’t like your wife?"

"Not until she was gone." He shook his head and finished rinsing his hair. "Are you done?"

"Huh? Yeah." They got out of the shower, dried up, and dressed with their backs turned. Afterwards, they went to the table to see what the room service brought for breakfast.

Ellis looked at him from the corner of her eye. He looked to be in deep thought. There was a sorrowful expression on his face. She remembered her brother, Gerald. His first wife had died in battle. It was an arranged marriage also. He’d never gotten married after.

"Wufei."

"What do you want now?"

"You told me about a part of your past that was painful. In exchange, I’ll tell you mine."

"Now?" he asked as Trowa entered.

"Later," she whispered. Duo also entered, and then Heero.

They all sat down quietly to scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and a various arrangement of fruits.

"Where’s Quatre?"

"He had business that caused him to spend the night elsewhere," Trowa answered Heero. Then he tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to Duo. Heero whispered to him about the hair dye.

Duo pulled the hat further down on his head. "As if things couldn’t get any worse," he thought.

"I’ve got to get to the Sanc Kingdom Embassy. Zechs and Noin have had their honeymoon in Paris. They’ll be going home today." Heero finished his food.

"I think I’ll go with them," Trowa said. "We have no proof that the Jokers are going to keep striking within France. They might be in America next."

"I decided not to go with the Sweepers," Duo said to everyone. "Besides, you need help on this Joker thing. I can go to America and check it out over there. In fact, I’m already packed and my stuff is in my car."

"Are you going to come back?"

Duo thought about it. He wanted to go to good old America, but he still had to get Relena and Heero together. Hey! He could just pretend to go to America. "Yeah."

"Wufei, Ace, what are you going to do?"

Ellis looked at all of them. "Break the rules," she told herself. "If it were Gerald, he would do the same thing. He would trust these people, wouldn’t he?" "My partner is here in Paris still. I do not believe he would leave without me."

"Partner?" Wufei dropped his fork. "There are more of you?"

"He is the Ten of Spades," she went on. "Thick dark brown hair, wears spades patterns like I do. He’s my brother’s second in command."

"Jokers. Ace. Ten. These are all playing cards," Heero observed. "Is this some kind of cult?"

"No," she said, looking at Wufei instead. "We are an alien civilization whom branched off from Earth hundreds of years ago, while it was still young. We parted from Earth before you began counting years off as After Colony. We were four families and a bunch of rebels."

Wufei remembered the words the Joker spoke during the bright light. "Four houses?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I am the first daughter of the House of Spades. My brother is the Jack of Spades, and my partner who came with me down here is Ten."

Heero stared at her, probing her thoughts almost. "Why did you come here?"

Ellis took a deep breath, trying to keep herself from shuddering. "Jack, Ten, and I were heading an expedition from our planet, Vasquere, to further our knowledge of the universe. We are much more highly advanced than Earth and its colonies."

"What about these other houses?" Trowa asked.

"The House of Hearts and the House of Clubs aren’t exactly on good terms with us. We have not had arranged marriages with them for three generations. We have made bonds with the House of Diamonds. Only they cared to know about our expedition. The Jokers are a bunch of outcasts coming from all the houses. They are escaped criminals. Fugitives, if you will." She frowned. "That’s not the point. The point was, when we came upon Earth, we realized it was the Lost Links of Life. The people of Vasquere had forgotten where we had come from. We theorized and speculated that there was another place in the universe that was like us. We weren’t alone."

She began to make a fist with her right hand. "We were going to contact home and tell everyone that we had found Vasquere’s mother. We were going to open up peace and bridge across the galaxy to our distant families. The Jokers though, those Outcasts followed us to Earth and they planned to destroy it bit by bit before the Kings could even talk to you. They didn’t want to find any Lost Links of Life."

Duo leaned forward. "What happened then?"

"I volunteered to take on the duty of preventing the Jokers from destroying you. F- I mean, Ten and I were appointed guardians of your Earth until our armies arrived. We seem to be failing without our technological resources and each other." She rested her forehead on the palm of her propped up hand. "Each Ace of each House has been trained to be the most deadly of them all. I have only been in this station for a year. I am not worthy of it. Standing alone with no weapons and only my wits, I can only fail. Fail," she whispered.

Heero stared at her pityingly. "Where are those armies?"

"Five and Six are coming soon. I have no idea where my brother is. It does not matter. I don’t deserve to be the Ace of Spades."

Wufei couldn’t help but gaze at her, remembering all the times he had claimed himself to be unworthy of Nataku. They were two of a kind.

Duo shoved his hands in his pants pockets. "See you, Trowa. I hope you have a nice trip home. Tell Zechs and Noin I said ‘hi’."

Trowa nodded and got into the car. Heero got into the driver’s seat. "I’m going to drop Trowa off with them, then I’ll continue on to the embassy."

"Bye." Heero nodded and drove off, leaving Duo to groan beside the curb.

"All I have to do is lay low for a while. I can’t tell everyone I’m still here. I have to be Jean Dunois for a week and make it so Heero has to rescue Relena from me instead of Aaron! I’ll talk to Heero as Jean and ask him why he protects her and what he feels."

He sighed. "I have to keep wearing a fake mustache." Then he grinned. "But I still have Paulette’s number… heheh."

Ellis and Wufei sat at the table still. She didn’t know what to say now. The great Ace of Spades had revealed all. Being chained to an Earthling had caused her to eventually seek help from Gundam Pilots. And where was Fitz in all of this?

"The Jokers," Wufei said aloud. He pointed to the television. Ellis turned and looked.

On the television, there was a reporter in New York City. He pointed out a graffiti wall in the Bronx. It read "Jokers Take All. Click Your Ruby Red Heels and Go Home. Lost Links of Life are Lost Links to Death."

"What does that mean?" Ellis wondered. "Ruby Red Heels?"

Wufei turned off the television. "It’s a good thing Duo is going to America. He can investigate this as soon as he gets there. Ace?"

"I’m such a failure," she mumbled.

"You’re not a failure," Wufei said as he tugged on the chain. "Does it look like I just gave up on life because my life was a disaster? Because the war nearly destroyed everything I had, even my integrity? I doubted myself plenty of times and called myself unworthy, too." He leaned back in his chair. "You’re so weak, Woman. You’re so weak, I guess fate meant you to meet someone strong like me to teach you how not to be weak."

"Don’t call me Woman."

"Oh? And what do I call you, weakling? Ace of Weaklings?"

She chuckled. "No. You can call me Ellis."

"Ellis," he repeated. "The name of a fragile woman. It suits you."

She punched him in the shoulder. "It’s much better than Wufei. It’s the name of an arrogant, simple-minded man. It suits you."

"I should teach you to hold your tongue in the presence of a man."

"I should teach you how to shut up for once."

She yanked on the chain. He yanked back.

"Quit it!"

"You quit it!"

"You are so stubborn!"

"You’re such a jerk!"

"Jerk? Here, let me jerk that chain again!" Wufei grabbed the chain and dragged her with him to the middle of the living room. He fought not to blush as something strange came over him. Ellis laughed.

"Hey! Watch it!" Ellis couldn’t stop laughing.

"Let go!"

"Why, I ought to…"

"What? What? I dare you!"

Without another thought, she kissed him. Then she realized what she was doing and pulled away to see the astonished look on his face. Wufei was surprised at himself that he wasn’t bothered by it. "This isn’t right," he thought to himself, "But I can’t control myself. What is it with this woman?"

Ellis grinned mischievously at him. Where did that come from? And why all of a sudden they were wrestling with each other in the middle of the suite? Wait, why was he holding her? She punched him again in the shoulder and stuck her tongue out. She liked this warm Earthling feeling, whatever it was. "You’re chicken. You’re too chicken to do anything!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

Without another thought, he picked her up by the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder. Ellis squealed and laughed at the same time. He began laughing too as he ran to the bedroom.

"Hey! Put me down!"

"Make me, woman!"

"I’m going to get you for this!"

"You really want me to stop?"

She blushed. No, she didn’t.

Previews of chapter 5:

Fitz: He-llo! What the heck just happened? Gerald is gonna be so pissed at me when he finds out his sister is getting along with a Gundam pilot… so well. Wait! How come I’m still not allowed to go anywhere? Why is Dorothy keeping me a secret? Do something, Quatre! And Duo! What’s with the fake disguise? Don’t tell me you’re going to pretend to go out with Relena as Jean Dunois to make Heero jealous! Does Heero get jealous? And aren’t you going to New York City to get the Jokers? Trowa! Haven’t you found anything in the Sanc Kingdom? You have! Well, TELL us!

Author’s Ramblings: You’re asking, ‘Why Wufei and why does he score before say… Heero? Well, recently, I’ve seen my favorite Gundam pilot been humiliated and embarrassed in other’s stories. If there were a real Wufei out there, he’d be depressed. So, to rectify other’s sorry mistakes (ha-ha) I’m giving Wufei some action. No, I’m not writing lemon. I’m just… oh, you know what I’m talking about. But don’t worry! Heero, Relena, and whatever other couples I make will all get the spotlight in due time.