DISCLAIMER: GW is NOT mine! Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone! ^_^ Did you know this was supposed to be a one-shot but then I ended up writing too much? ^_~ the next part will come out about a few hours after this one!

Be My (a Day made by a Card Company)

Chapter 1: The Day Before…(must not say it!)

By: J.B Santiago

- Earth – 10:09am 13th of February A.C. 201

“What?! You’ve got to be kidding!?” Duo Maxwell exclaimed to an austere Lady Une.

“No I’m not kidding.  Your mission is to guard Room 4011 at the Grand Hyatt for the next four days beginning 10:00am, 14th of February, A.C. 201 to 18th of February, A.C. 201.” Replied Lady Une, trying very hard not to notice Duo’s puppy dog look.

“But-but, Lady…please!  Tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day!  Hilde’ll kill me if I miss Valentine’s for a mission!  There has got to be someone else who’ll do it! I know I’m the best qualified but I already forgot Hilde’s birthday!  If I miss Valentine’s Day…well I doubt you’ll ever see me again.”  Duo added another cuteness factor to his puppy dog look - tears in his big violet eyes.

Lady Une shook her head, “No Duo.  As much as I would like to replace you, the informant demanded you for the guard or they would run.” Duo was about to speak up but Une held up her hand in silence.  “This person is one of the most important people for the ESUN and Preventers.  Their information is vital for the peace of the Colonies and Earth.  Four days and then you’ll be back on L2 with Hilde.  I’m sure she’ll understand BUT you mustn’t disclose any part of your mission to her.  A security breach would be disastrous.”

Duo looked at her forlornly but Lady Une didn’t back down from the staring contest.  Minutes passed and Duo turned away first, looking at his shiny black boots.  “Fine.  Just don’t expect me to be happy about it.”  With that he snatched the mission folder on her desk and walked downtrodden out of the office but not before giving Lady Une one more sorrowful look.  He reached his office and plonked himself on his office chair, staring at his closed vid-phone.  What was he going to tell Hilde?  She was going to chew him up and spit him out.  ‘C’mon Duo, you can do it.’  He reached out for the ‘on’ button on the vid-phone, his hand stopping halfway.  ‘Ok maybe not.’  He sighed.  Why deny the inevitable?  Maybe he could soften the blow…He pressed the button.  “Hello operator.  Can I have a florist on L2?”

         ***********************

  - Earth – 10:28am 13th of February A.C. 201

Wufei Chang grunted in annoyance.  Sometimes he wondered why he didn’t just self-destruct in Nataku to save himself from the future of onna’s everywhere.  Firstly, his onna partner just had to run into one of her little onna friends and he had to stand their mundane onna chatter before finally going up to Lady Une’s office, where more onna chatter ensued.  Secondly Lady Une had both given him and Sally the next few days off, winking at Sally about tomorrow, whatever that meant.  Thirdly, he didn’t know what he was going to do for the next three days.  Wufei grunted again, his partner, that onna, had just gone into her office; his further down the corridor.  He walked past Duo’s office unnoticed by the braided baka who seemed to be dramatically telling a story to someone on his vid-phone.  Opening and slamming the door shut behind him, he picked up the mail, rifling through them, opening the urgent ones.  He found a red envelope decorated in lovely little pink hearts and threw it in the bin.  It was probably an office card like the ones sent on Christmas and birthdays.  He didn’t understand why onna’s went crazy around this time.  A holiday made by some card company and they expected men to give them flowers, candy, cards and other mushy crap.  Wufei snorted in disgust.  At least he didn’t have that problem.  Throwing the rest of the mail on his desk, he sat on his office chair, booting up his computer.  He would download some working files and head to the mountains for the break.  Relax and meditate.  He was halfway finished downloading when Sally walked in trying to hide a smile.

“So Wufei.  What are you going to do for the mini-break?”  Sally Po sat on the seat opposite him, propping her elbows on his desk.

Wufei gave her a small glare.  “No reason for you to know.”

Sally’s smile just grew bigger, “Ok then.  See you in a few days.”  She stood up and walked to the door, turning as she exited waving ‘bye’ with a red piece of paper.  Wufei didn’t notice and stared at his monitor, watching the bar reach 90%, 92%, 95%…BEEP. BEEP.

“You have mail.” His computer said automatically, a small blue screen popped up in front of the downloading bar, flashing, waiting to be clicked on.  Wufei frowned at it but clicked it anyway.  There was no sender e-mail, just his e-mail address and three little words in the message.

“Read the card.”  He read aloud.  He checked again for a sender finding none, his eyes travelled to his waste bin where the red envelope jutted out provocatively.  Shaking his head, Wufei began to type furiously, focusing all his attention at the screen.  He would find who sent that message and then he’d make THEM open that damn card.  A small smile played on his lips as he worked.  Maybe having some time to oneself wasn’t so bad.

         **********************

  - L3 – 10:40am 13th of February A.C. 201

“Good.  Thank you.”  Trowa Barton closed the vid-phone.  He had just called the florist and the restaurant, making sure the flowers were going to be delivered at the restaurant at 7:30pm the next night and to reaffirm his booking for the restaurant.  It was more talking than he usually liked to do but he did have to do it.  Catherine would be so surprised.  He had planned it months ago since the restaurant, La Mirage, was booked out almost all the time.  It was going to be his way of thanking her for being such a great sister and friend.  Then why did he want someone else to be with him?  That girl, woman now, had just waltzed back into his life a month ago.  Out of the blue, there she was, Midii Une, still as mysterious and ethereal to him as she was when they he had first met her years ago.  She was living on L3 now, working as a Preventer.  They had actually met through Catherine, who had bumped into her at the supermarket and, well, Cathie was just the friendly type and in no time had invited Midii to dinner at the circus.  His Cathie, of course, had picked up the tension between him and Midii and had assumed they’d make a great couple.  She was constantly hinting to him to ask Midii out but Trowa just couldn’t trust her yet…and he didn’t trust himself when he was around her.  Confusing emotions was not something he wanted but then why did he want Midii to go with him to the La Mirage instead of his sister?  He stretched his long legs and went outside for some air.  He stood on his rickety stand leading up to his trailer and spotted Cathie laughing at something he couldn’t see through her open window.  Catherine glanced at his way and waved, talking rapidly to someone, before bouncing outside to meet her brother.

“Hey, Trowa could you help me with something?”  Catherine Bloom smiled happily at her brother, grabbing his hand and dragging him towards the front gates before he could say anything.

“What is it?” he asked, letting himself be pulled along by his effervescent sister.

Cathie hailed a taxi, opened the door and turned to Trowa.  “I’m going to visit a friend, I’ll be back tomorrow, could you tell the manager and do all my chores, please?”  She tilted her head and smiled cutely.

‘Do all of her chores?’  Trowa was about to ask a question when, Cathie nodded energetically and said, “Thanks heaps, Trowa!  You’re the best!”  With that she ducked into the taxi and it roared down the road, leaving Trowa to stand there looking less like his normal cool self.  Blinking twice he headed for the manager’s office, thinking about Cathie’s chores.  It was her turn to clean the animal cages.

         ***********************

  - Earth – 10:57am 13th of February A.C. 201

Relena Darlian suppressed a yawn, as she discreetly looked at her watch.  Another three minutes and then the ESUN Debate or as she liked to call it the ESUN Borefest Talkfest would be called to recess.  She watched the delegate grunt and moan about some thing or other, stealing a glance at Dorothy who was rolling her eyes and making stabbing motions with her pen.  Covering her mouth so not to giggle she surveyed the room.  She couldn’t find him in her peripheral vision, meaning he was probably standing behind her, watching her like a hawk.  The sound of a gavel hitting a table brought Relena back to attention; only years of practice had not made her jump in her seat.  The Debate was now in recess.  Standing up elegantly, gathering all her papers she gave a quick smile to Dorothy who smiled back and they exited the hall together, Heero following close behind them.

“Remind me again why we have to listen to these archaic delegates…” Relena stood in the middle of the foyer, people milling around everywhere.  She was about to step outside where a mob of reporters waited with cameras, mikes and annoying questions.

Dorothy Catalonia just smirked.  “Why Miss Relena, do I hear dissension in your voice?”

Relena just gave her a withering look before smiling sweetly again, “You may be right, Dorothy.  Oh, and if I don’t see you tomorrow, Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Dorothy raised her eyebrows in mock surprise, “Do you have plans for tomorrow?  I didn’t hear anything in the news.”

Relena looked past her and at Heero.  “I don’t have plans but you do.” She replied nodding to the doorman to open the door, stepping into the throng of reporters, Heero creating a clear path to her limo.  She climbed in motioning Pagan to drive.  Heero sat next to her, indifferent, assessing any threat that might come about.  Relena sighed as she looked out the tinted window.  She took off her high heels and jacket, unbuttoning the top two buttons of her dress shirt.  Years ago when Heero first became her bodyguard she would never have just taken off her shoes and jacket without blushing furiously at him being so close to her.  However, she was way past the crush stage and if he didn’t act any differently to her then why the hell should she blush?  Relena felt quite proud of her progress even though she did still sleep with that teddy bear he had given her at fifteen.  ‘She could still dream, right?’ She was brought back from her thoughts by that deep, sultry (even though he didn’t mean it to be) voice.  She turned to look into his Prussian blue eyes.  “Sorry Heero, could you repeat that?”

Heero Yuy nodded.  “I said, we should go over your itinerary for tomorrow.”

She nodded and he continued, though she was only half paying attention.  Tomorrow would be another normal working day for her, no signs of love from the man she had been pining over for years now.  Something snapped in her mind and she yelled, “Stop!”

Pagan stopped the car in the middle of a busy intersection and Heero stopped in mid-sentence.  They just stared at her, surprised.  “What - ” Heero was about to say when she covered his mouth with her hand.

“I’m not going to work tomorrow.  Pagan drive me to the airport, I’m going to Ibiza.  I’m going to go do what normal 20 year olds do.”

Heero eyebrows shot up.  He removed her hand from his mouth.  “No, you are not.  You have a full schedule for tomorrow, you can’t ignore your responsibilities to go to some Mediterranean island.”

Heero was surprised when she just glared at him angrily and pointed a finger at his face.  “You.  Can’t. Tell. ME. What to do!  I’ve never taken a sick day off in four years!  I’m going to go to Ibiza and club as long as I want to!”  She glanced at Pagan, “Drive me to the airport.”  She crossed her arms in front of her and glared back at Heero, daring him to say anything different.  He was about to when she placed her hand over his mouth again.  “AND I don’t want you to come with me.  I want you as far from me as possible.”  With that statement the trip to the airport was a chilly, silent one.

         ************************

  - Earth – 11:02am 13th of February A.C. 201

Dorothy frowned as she watched Relena disappear in the throng of people.  What did Relena mean that I had plans for tomorrow?  She didn’t.  She knew she didn’t.  Then why was she thinking of a certain blond who was probably sitting at his large desk deciding the fate of his colossal empire?  Dorothy stepped outside, smirking at the flashing cameras, catching a glimpse of Relena’s limo pulling away from the front of the building.  Her gold Porsche rolled up to the front.  Giving another smirk to the cameras she got into the drivers seat, she’d always preferred to drive then be driven around.  Speeding into the oncoming traffic, she drove to her penthouse apartment at the Grand Windsor, giving the valet her keys to park her car.  A few people greeted her and she gave a polite nod before entering the lift.  Dorothy walked onto the last floor; she was the only inhabitant.  Opening the double doors with a key pass she placed her belongings onto the hall table before kicking off her shoes and undressing her clothes strewn everywhere.  Coming out of her bedroom wearing a hockey shirt with her surname and the number 13 emblazoned on the back and a pair of denim short shorts, she made her to the mini-bar, about to make a daiquiri when her vid-phone beeped.  Dorothy studiously ignored the beeping - not wanting to answer just in case it was a Romefeller aid with more work for her to do.  The beeping stopped as soon as she made her drink.  Bringing the cool liquid to her lips, she could taste the intoxicating flavours at the tip of her tongue.  Beep.  The vid-phone winked at her infuriatingly.  Sighing she placed the glass down and pressed the button ready to rip her claws into whoever was calling her.  She lost her anger when she saw who it was, a feeling of annoyance replacing her anger.

“Bethany?  What do you want?”

Her cousin smiled cheerfully at her, “Hi dear cousin!  I was just calling ‘cos…well you see…I’m in a spot of trouble…” She giggled nervously her pale green eyes, pleading with Dorothy.

Dorothy sculled down her drink.  Whenever her ‘dear’ cousin got in trouble an international incident was just about to break out.  “What do you mean, trouble?”

Bethany Montague’s smile grew bigger.  She knew her dear cousin would get her out of this mess.  “Well I’m on a Colony XZ-252.  I think it’s a resource satellite and…umm…I sort of got arrested.”  She giggled again.

Dorothy poured herself a scotch; she needed something stronger than a daiquiri when dealing with family.  “Arrested?  You ‘sort of’ got arrested?  What are you doing on a Colony, let alone a resource satellite, anyway?”  She asked keeping her voice a cool and calculated.

Scratching her head in a classic ‘I-don’t-really-know-but-I’m-so-cute pose, Bethany shrugged.  “Well, you see, Dory.  I was helping a friend take some tourist shots of the facilities and then these guards thought we were spies and they put us in jail, then I found out my friend was really a spy for some other company and now they think I’m a spy as well!”  She finished with a flurry of hands.  “You’re my only chance, Dorothy.  You’re also my one phone call so please help me!”  She tilted her head and gave her cousin a teary eyed expression.

“Why didn’t you call your lawyer?  How can I be of any help?  Contrary to popular belief I don’t have the Colonies under my thumb.”  Dorothy sarcastically replied. 

The smile on Bethany’s face didn’t falter one bit.  “I know that, Dory BUT I did find something very interesting…Guess who owns this resource satellite!?”

Discreetly coughing on the strong liquid, she felt dread creep up on her as she asked almost silently, “Who?”

“Quatre Raberba Winner!”

         *****************************

Person who is on a high for no reason in particular:

Does it sound interesting?  I don’t have to continue if no one likes it, I just thought I should write a sappy romantic fic ‘cos, as my sister puts its nicely, “there is no JOY in Joy to My Life!”  Don’t worry people!  I’m still writing JtML, (I’ve finished Ch.3! and I am writing Ch.4! amazing isn’t it! ^_~)  So what do you guys think of my Valentine’s fic?  There will be sap in chapter 2! (I might do a Ch.3 if I think Ch.2 is too long!)  Okies, I’ll stop now!  R&R, C&C, flames and e-mail are not mandatory but are very well appreciated!!!