Disclaimer: I figure they’re in their twenties.  Oh! And I don’t own any of them.  (Except Bethany, Keioa, Lavirea, Beijn, Masem, and so forth and so forth – basically all the names that AREN’T in Gundam Wing, I made up).  I really hope the next few chapters will begin to explain why I called this fic the Colours of Life!  (I hope)…

THIS IS THE REVISED VERSION!

The Colours of Life

Chapter 3: A Charity Ball, a Circus and a Purple Dinosaur.

By: J.B. Santiago

-        Paris, Earth – Real Time –

The ballroom was decorated a la Versailles Palace; a gigantic one tonne chandelier in the middle of the room had 400 small diamond studs on each crystal, making it sparkle even more as the lights reflected back and forth from each other making the room shine brightly.  The ball was a black tie event and everyone wore rather demure colours.  Except a certain young blond with sparkling jade coloured eyes.  Bethany Montague surveyed the scene, hiding her bored expression behind her wine glass. ‘I don’t know how Dorothy does it.  This is so DULL!’ It felt like watching fish in a fish bowl.  She knew all these people mingling about were like sharks – they were politicians after all – but since she wasn’t a political figure, they didn’t want her blood, figuratively speaking, of course.  She smirked to herself, however by some of the looks she had been receiving from some young hot shots, maybe they did want her.  A low cut, high slit red dress can do that.  Bethany downed her champagne and was about to get another when a small commotion was heard near the entrance.  She turned to look, smiling when she saw whom it was.  The Vice Foreign Minister and her fiancé had arrived along with Mr Winner, president of one of the richest companies in the universe and they had brought friends.  Bethany eyed the couple, the man had long luxurious brown hair, tied in a braid similar to the one she had been wearing when she had first bumped into Mr Winner.  The woman next to him had short black/blue hair, wearing a dark blue dress that showed off her features without being too showy.  ‘Hmmm…Too bad he looks taken.  But then again there’s always Mr Winner.’  Bethany smirked grabbed two wine glasses from a passing waiter, glanced around for her cousin, who was surrounded by sharks – politicians – and made her way to Mr Winner, willing him to look at her with her eyes.

         ******************

Quatre glanced around hoping to catch a glimpse of a certain blond, lavender-grey eyed person who he couldn’t stop thinking about.  He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and he spun around expecting to meet those eyes.  He stared at light jade coloured eyes that seemed to have a secret he didn’t know about.

“Not the person you were expecting, Mr Winner?”  She handed him a wine glass before sipping tentatively at her own, hiding a smirk.

“Uh…Hello Miss Bethany.  Thank you for the drink.  How are you finding the ball?”  Quatre blushed lightly as he also sipped the champagne, the taste doing nothing for his suddenly dry throat.

“Please, Mr Winner, just call me Bethany.  I find these type of events a bore.” She watched as he diverted his eyes, scanning the room.

“Please call me Quatre, Bethany.”  He smiled politely at her, trying not to seem like he wanted to get out of this conversation.

Bethany laughed.  “Oh Quatre.”  She giggled again, as Quatre’s attention turned fully back to her.  “She’s over by the painting of Rembrandt, surrounded by delegates.”

Quatre blushed a deep red, laughing weakly.  “Hn…Am I that obvious?”  He finished his drink motioning a waiter for another.

“I can help you, if you want.”  Bethany said with all seriousness.  Quatre stared at her, silently willing her to continue.  She smirked, the seriousness gone, her eyes sparkling with mirth.  “Cousin dear likes to play hard to get.  Therefore so shall you.”  She bubbled with laughter as she grabbed Quatre’s hand and dragged him outside where he had just been minutes before.

“Uh…Bethany, I can’t leave, I just got here!”

Bethany stopped pulling his arm and stared into his aquamarine eyes.  “Do you want to know if she likes you or not?”

“Yes, but - ”

“Good.  Now just follow me!”  Bethany laughed again as she got Quatre’s valet ticket and gave it to the valet.  “You are bait, Quatre and we need to see if cousin dear, will be like a fish and bite.”  She smiled wildly.  Quatre looked at the girl who had an iron grip on his hand.  ‘What am I getting myself into?’ He thought as Bethany got into the drivers seat, motioning him to sit in the passengers seat.

“If someone who looks like me, asks where I went, tell her I’ve gone to the circus!”  She handed the valet a wad of bills before flooring the gas pedal and Quatre gripped onto his seat, in fear for his life.

         *****************

         Earlier on, in the same building…

Wufei cursed under his breath.  This damn suit.  It was customised to fit him; it was bullet proof and had a built-in surveillance camera on one of the dinosaur’s eyes.  He had spent nearly a whole day in this suit, and he would have to be in this suit for another six hours or so.  ‘Stupid Children’s Charity.’  The Charity’s mascot was of course a purple dinosaur.  Wufei felt like he had lost ten kilos of water while in this costume.  He had already, several times nearly strangled one of these annoying bakas.  He counted the minutes before he was out of this costume.  Too long.  He could not believe he had to baby-sit these terrors.  ‘Maxwell would have been perfect for this job but he had to go and take leave!’ Wufei focused all of his anger on the braided baka. 

‘Kisama!’  He winced as another brat - er - child stomped on his foot.  He couldn’t believe he was wearing a purple dinosaur costume.  He was a goddamn Gundam Pilot, for heaven’s sake!  He didn’t deserve being thrust into a suit to look after a bunch of delegates annoying, whinging, horrible kids! 

“Shh Wufei, one of the kids might here you.”  A tiny voice said in his ear.

Sally.  His partner.  Damn her!  This was all that onna’s fault!  While he had to suffer in these conditions, she was in a nice, air-conditioned van, probably eating donuts and having a cappuccino.  All the footage from the camera on the suit was being relayed to her in her comfy little van. 

“Mr P.D.?  Mr P.D., I need to go to the bathroom.”  A small cherubic child said, tugging on the purple dinosaur’s ‘hand’.

Wufei bit down a scream, before counting to ten in Chinese, very slowly.  Letting out a small breath, he spoke into the mic that made his voice sound deeper and more ‘dinosaur’ like.  “Sure little girl.  Let me get one of the female attendants - ” He was stopped as the little girl pulled on his hand again.

“No, no!  I want you to take me!” She gave an angelic smile.

Wufei resisted the urge to kick something.  He hated everyone.  EVERYONE.

         *****************

         Back at the Charity Ball…

Dorothy’s eyes narrowed as she saw her cousin talk to Quatre.  It irked her, when Bethany laughed and Quatre had laughed as well.  ‘It’s a free country, Dorothy they can laugh if they want to.  It’s not like you care.’  Dorothy turned her attention back to the delegate who was discussing the trade tariffs between Earth and the Colonies, but she couldn’t stop glancing back at Quatre.  The way the room was lit, it made his hair and face glow.  He looked so angelic.  Dorothy blinked three times, trying to stop staring and pay attention to the delegate instead.  All her resolve flew out the window when she saw Bethany take Quatre’s hand and head for the exit.  Not even bothering to excuse herself from the conversation, she started towards the exit as well, leaving the delegate in mid-sentence.  She weaved her through the throng of people, not even acknowledging the greetings she was getting.  She had almost made it to the door when a certain braided ex-pilot bumped into her.

“Hey blondie!  Hows it goin?” Duo had been doing his version of the tango with Hilde and hadn’t been watching where he was going.

Hilde whapped him lightly on the head.  “Hi, Dorothy.  You ok?  You look like you lost something.”

Dorothy realising how predatory she must have looked stalking to the door like that, schooled her features into elegant calm again.  “Hello, Mr and Mrs Maxwell.  It’s good to see you again.  I do hope to see more of you but I do fear that I have lost something and must go and retrieve it right now.  Good evening.”   With a light bow she exited to the foyer.

Duo and Hilde watched her retreating form.  “Strange girl.  Anyway - ” Duo held Hilde’s hand in a tango position and began dancing again.

Dorothy searched around the foyer to see if Bethany or Quatre were there.  Finding neither she headed outside to the valet.

“Excuse me, did you see a girl that had similar features as me, leave?”  Dorothy asked in fluent French.

The valet just stared at her.  Dorothy gave a small glare before taking out a wad of bills and slammed them into his hand.

“Madame, she said she was going to the circus.”  The valet pocketed the money before asking, “Would Madame, like her car?”

Dorothy nodded giving him the valet ticket.  She stood impatiently on the steps, resisting the urge to tap her foot and put her hands on her hips.  ‘I can’t believe that girl!  I tell her to stay out of trouble and what does she do? …Not like Quatre would do anything remotely resembling anything like trouble.  Damn it, Bethany!  What are you trying to prove?’  She saw the valet return with her golden Porsche.  Slamming the door and flooring the gas pedal she headed for the circus.  It was near the ball as both were for the Children’s Benefit. ‘What are you going to do, Dorothy?  Haul Bethany from the circus because she’s gone to see a show with angel boy?  Stop kidding yourself.’  Dorothy shook her head. ‘I’m doing this for Bethany’s sake.’  While another part of her mind replied, strangely with the same voice as Bethany’s, ‘Sure, Dorothy, sure.’

         *****************

“ - Rude!  Can you believe she just waalked off while I was talking to her?!”  Relena heard the last part of one of the delegate’s angry tirades as she and Heero waltzed by.  ‘Hmm…wonder where Dorothy went?  She hadn’t seen Quatre since they had arrived together.  She giggled as she thought of Dorothy and Quatre. ‘I hope they’re together.’  She saw Hilde and Duo at the Buffet Table, Duo had finally given up turning the Tango into a cross between a waltz, the chicken dance and the cha-cha and was now happily devouring the buffet table.

“She leaned closer into Heero, whispering into his ear, “As much as I would love to dance with you all night; Hilde looks about ready to give Duo brain damage.”  She smiled as Heero gazed into her eyes, stopped waltzing and offered his arm to Relena. 

“Milady, I would love to escort you to the buffet table.”

Relena gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as they walked towards the Maxwells.

“Hi you guys!  Rel, help me!  I can’t get him away from the buffet!”  Hilde said half-jokingly, as she whapped Duo’s head again.

Relena chuckled while Heero gave no outwardly expression but his eyes did twinkle a little.  “Duo, if you get away from the buffet I’ll give you all the popcorn, cotton candy and other assorted goodies you can eat.”

Duo grinned at Relena. “Ojousan, you sure know a way into a man’s heart.  This place is too stuffy, even the food’s stiff.  So where’s the really good stuff?”

“The circus, of course!”  Relena exclaimed. 

Heero stared at her. ‘The circus?’ he thought.

“Oh!  The one with Trowa and Catherine!  They’re playing tonight only!  I can’t believe I forgot.  It’ll be good to see them again.”  Hilde nodded she liked this idea.

“Relena, you can’t leave now.  Besides the circus hasn’t been properly checked out yet.  I won’t have you placed in danger.”  Heero said.

“Heero!  Will you stop worrying so much!  I’ll be fine; you’ll be there, so stop worrying!  It’ll be good to see Trowa and Catherine again, wont it?”  Relena gave a smile that she knew Heero couldn’t resist.

“Well…”

“Good!  Let’s go! My treat!”  The four friends made their way outside.

         ****************

“Sir!  Everyone is in place.  We have located the 24th sacrifice.”  The soldier saluted.

A non-descript man nodded.  “Await my orders.  We must move swiftly.  The diversions are in place?”

“Sir, yes Sir!  Everything is ready to go on your signal.”  The soldier saluted again.

“Good.”  He turned back to what he had been staring at before the soldier had interrupted him.  The huge lights, aimed upwards shone brightly, giving the place a Hollywood premiere look.  The place was jam packed with families and children’s squeals were heard even with the night traffic.  The circus was teeming with life, what a perfect place for the start of the end of the world.

         ****************

Person who has just revised three chapters in a row:

Hopefully all the mistakes are getting fixed.  People who have read the not-revised-version, can you guys spot the difference? Hopefully you can! ^_^

Thanks for such KIND and REALLY-BOOST-UP-MY-LOW-SELF-ESTEEM reviews!!!  More thanks to Mama-sama who has been so kind as to review more than once! @--&--- Here have a rose! (I hope that’s what it looks like…hehe