Just that Simple
by
Captain Anonymous


It seemed clear that they had invited his title, rather then the one who wore it.
Probably his name got onto a list, and with his title, they thought it would have been a good idea to invite him.
There wasn’t anywhere else for him to go. Perhaps he shouldn’t have come.
Maybe it was as a good start as any.

It was a warm afternoon, almost perfect.

There was a soft warm breeze, no clouds. The sky was blue.

Count Townsend stood alone in the garden, watching as the people passed him, most didn’t even seem to take notice of him.
He walked over to one of the tables that had been set up. Fine food and glasses of wine were placed with great care, on the finely made table cloths.
Townsend picked up a glass of wine and took a sip.

He glanced down at his black suit coat, at the shoulder, where the familiar insignia had once been on his arm. The suit he wore felt like it was almost too light weight, compared to the heavy uniforms that he was used to wearing.

There was the sound of music drifted over the garden, it didn’t sound familiar, but it seemed pleasant enough. Townsend took another sip of the red wine.
He held the glass, slowly rotating his hand, making the blood colored liquid swirl.
Townsend watched the pattern for a moment, before looking back at the various people as they passed by.

One woman walked by him, dressed in black. He only looked at her for a moment. He sensed something familiar about her, that he had met her before.
The look of her lovely features, the way she gave off the feeling of refinement, and sophistication.
Townsend took another sip from the glass of wine.

Mrs. Darlian.

That was her, there was no doubt in his mind. It had been the first time since the end of the war that he had seen her, after all the broadcasts about the assassination of her husband and the affairs of famous her adopted daughter.

Townsend had met her and her husband once before, sometime before the start of the great war. He barely could recall meeting. It was at a party just like this, when the hostess introduced him to the Vice Foreign Minister. Townsend recalled exchanging pleasantries, but never more than that.

Not too long after the Gundams arrived on Earth, and before OZ would launch their assault on the Alliance, the Vice Foreign Minister was killed. The reports said that he was killed by terrorists in the colonies.
It didn’t take too long for many people in certain circles, to start putting the pieces together, that in fact, OZ had him killed. It seemed all to convenient that one of the strongest allies of the colonies would be killed, and give OZ the position they needed.
Townsend remembered that Lady Une led that investigation.
After the war, he often wondered just what did happen during incidents such as these.
For the most part, no ever really talked about what happened during the war.
Deep down, many people he thought, just wanted the memories of what happened during the war to go away.
He looked again towards her, some people would never be able to forget.

Townsend took another sip of the wine, finishing the glass.

He thought about walking over to her, to speak with her.
She probably wouldn’t remember him after all this time.
May it was just as well.

She walked away from the table, to talk the hostess of the party. Townsend watched her for a moment longer, before picking up another glass of wine.

He probably wouldn’t stay much longer.

---------------------

Midii sat alone in her bedroom, after putting Marie down to sleep.
The room was dark, she hadn’t turned on the light.
She looked out the window, into the night sky, it seemed darker then usual.

She heard the sound of the door to bathroom closing as Trowa came into the room.

Trowa scanned the room, until he could the familiar silhouette of his wife against the back drop of the hall light.

He had just taken a shower, he sat down on the bed, near where Midii was.
His hair was still wet, he wore his bathrobe, which hung open.

Midii said softly, “Marie’s already asleep. I gave her a bottle. She wasn’t really  too fussy tonight, she seems to have settled down.”
Trowa nodded slightly, “That’s good.”

Trowa closed his tired eyes for a moment. He had spent most of the day staring at the computer monitor. The blanket of darkness in the room soothing, easing his aching head. “Did you talk to Lady tonight?”
Midii shook her head. “No, she was working late tonight, I’ll talk to her tomorrow.”
“I know how much you’ve been worried about this.”

“I just don’t to see Lady or Johnnie get hurt anymore over all this. I ne wanted to see it come down to all this.”

Trowa said, “You think that Johnnie might do something.”
Midii touched her hair, running her fingers through it. “I don’t know. I really don’t. I know that he wouldn’t do anything to intentionally hurt us, but, after what happened, I’m just not sure. I believe him when he said that he saw her. I really can’t blame Lady for not saying anything about it. But I don’t know, I just don’t know what’s going to happen now.”

She paused for a moment, taking a moment to look back towards the window, to the dark sky.
“I want to believe that after what happened with Maj. Ordway, and seeing Cathy, that he would see. But the look in his eyes, I can still see the pain inside of him.”