Innocence Reclaimed Part 17
Quatre's heart raced as he frantically searched the faces of the men entering the hall. His eyes fell on his cousin and Heero, the blue pools pleading.
Heero nodded towards the door. "The courtyard."
The blonde felt weak with relief as he flew through the door. He stopped in his tracks as he saw the slender brunette straighten and turn around, his face damp from washing the dust off. Why am I afraid? His heart pounded as he realized that he couldn't move.
Trowa's green eyes locked with Quatre's and he slowly approached the blonde. Nearing Quatre his eyes narrowed as he saw the bruise on his cheek. Trowa reached out and gently brushed his fingertips across the fading yellow mark as he lowered his head to kiss the blonde.
"Who hurt you?" He asked, raising his head.
"It's not important." Quatre replied, drawing Trowa back for another kiss.
The brunette slanted his head, deepening the kiss, and his arms slid around Quatre's waist, pulling the blonde tight against him. At the contact with his back, Quatre tore his mouth away unable to stop the cry of pain. Trowa stepped back and quickly turned the blonde around, jerking his tunic up to reveal the angry purple and black marking.
Turning Quatre back around, his emerald eyes darkened in rage. "Who?" He demanded tersely. "Who did this to you?"
"Trowa, please..."
"No! Quatre, either you tell me here or I will go in and demand it from everyone in there." He lifted the blonde's chin and looked into his wide blue eyes. "Now, tell me who did this!"
Quatre opened his eyes, his cheeks damp with his tears. Sitting up in the bed, he glanced at the clock and sighed. Three months he'd been home and not a single dream. He thought that he'd left them behind in England. Now, after all this time, it seemed they had returned.
He climbed from the bed and walked to his kitchen. Putting water on to heat, he sat at the table to read the mail that he'd not gotten to the day before. Sorting through the letters, he set a stack aside to let his secretary handle. Then his eyes fell on one small envelope, the address on it written in Duo's scrawling handwriting.
How'd I manage to miss that yesterday, he wondered frowning.
He tore open the envelope and a small newspaper clipping fell out. He glanced at it as he withdrew the folded sheet of paper that was with it.
I thought you should see this... write or call when you can.All Our Love
Duo & Heero
He cocked an eyebrow as he picked up the clipping. It was a picture of Catharine Bloom sitting astride a dark colored horse, her attire clearly stated that the animal was a hunter. His blood ran cold as he read the caption underneath.
"Raberba's Dream, ridden by Miss Catharine Bloom takes best in hunt. This is the first competition for the three-year old owned by Barton Stables..."
Behind him the tea kettle screamed angrily as he sat there staring at the clipping, his body numb with anger. How could he even dare!!!
~*~
Duo hung up the phone and went to the kitchen to find Heero.
"That was Quatre." He said as he jumped up to sit on the counter.
"Duo!"
"What?!" The violet eyed man blinked innocently.
"They make chairs for a reason!" Heero snapped.
"I can't watch you from there."
Heero growled and turned back to the stove. "What did Quatre want?"
"Barton's head."
Heero turned back to Duo. "What did you do?"
"I sent him the picture from where Catharine and that horse won the hunt." Duo replied leaning over to snatch a mushroom from the cutting board.
Heero turned to glare at his lover. "What the hell did you do that for?"
Duo shrugged as he popped the mushroom in his mouth.
"You swore to Meia that you wouldn't interfere." Heero scolded him.
"I didn't interfere. All I did was keep him informed of current events."
"It was interfering!"
"Fine! I interfered...It's about time someone did!" Duo remarked jumping down. "It's been three months! We all thought that someone would come to their sense by now...but obviously he isn't going to. Not without a little help!"
Heero opened his mouth to reply but the chestnut haired man stormed from the kitchen before he got the chance. "Idiots!" He grumbled turning back to the stove. "Every one of them are idiots!"
~*~
Quatre tossed the file on his desk and grabbed the phone. "Winner here."
"That woman is a complete imbecile!!!!"
The blonde blinked for a moment before sitting down and leaning on the desk. "Problems with the sale?"
The voice on the other end snorted. "There is NO sale at this point!"
"Excuse me? Mr. Chang...what is going on there? I thought it was all settled for us to buy the property."
"That woman you sent me to deal with has got some idiotic notion in her head that the sale won't go through unless we sign a paper stating that we won't destroy that stone rubble in the woods...and if we do, we forfeit the land." Came the angry reply. "That was no where in the original paperwork!"
"Fine."
"WHAT?!?!?"
"I want that land. If we have to preserve that old keep then fine. We'll just barricade the area around it to keep people out."
"You can't be serious! You're just going to give in?"
"Contact Ms. Po and tell her we agree to the terms."
There was a sigh at the other end of the phone. "You are serious aren't you?"
"Yes."
"I'll contact you in a couple days."
"Fine." Quatre replied and hung up the phone.
He sat at the desk and stared at the papers in front of him for a moment. Then he leaned over and hit the intercom. "Would you get some numbers for me? And put a call through to Duo." He told his secretary.
He had an idea...
~*~
Duo's eyes widened as he listened to his friend on the other end of the line. Seeing the look on his face Heero started to speak and his lover waved a hand at him to tell him to be quiet.
"You really mean to do this?" He asked quietly.
"They won't let me tear it down. I might just as well restore it. I've got people coming to look at it next week." Quatre replied. "I was hoping that either you or Heero would take them out to the place to look it over."
Duo frowned. "Just exactly what do you plan on doing with it once all that work and money is put into it?"
"Who knows. Maybe we'll put our offices in there. It would be unique at least."
"I'll say." Duo muttered. "Fine. I'll take them out. I don't think it's a good idea though."
Heero leaned back on the couch as Duo talked a few more minutes before hanging up the phone. As he heard the receiver click in it's cradle he set his paper aside and looked up at the other man.
"Quatre again?"
"Yeah." Duo muttered as he walked over and joined Heero on the couch, straddling his lap. "I think he's lost his mind."
"Oh?" Heero slid his hands around Duo's waist.
"Would you believe that he's going to restore that old keep?"
"Hn." Came the reply as the dark haired man leaned forward to press a kiss to Duo's neck.
"Is that all you have to say?" Duo asked.
Heero leaned back and looked at him. "Even if he doesn't understand the reason, Quatre has a strong attachment to that place. It doesn't surprise me that when left with having to keep the place...he'd rebuild it."
"I guess." Duo murmured. "I mean...it was my home too, but I could care less what happens to it."
"That's because most of your happiest memories were from another place. Quatre lived his entire life there...all of his life with Trowa."
Duo cocked his head to the side and studied Heero. "I never thought of that. I wonder if the old baronial estate is still around?"
"It isn't." Heero answered pulling Duo close and kissing him lightly. "The manor was torn down and the land sold off in pieces after our death."
Duo murmured and shifted on Heero's lap, his heart rate picking up as the brunette nibbled on his ear lobe. "You looked?"
"Yes. I was curious." His slim fingers went to the buttons on Duo's shirt. "I will take you to where the old manor used to stand."
"Later..." Duo breathed as he felt his lover's fingertips brush across his chest.
TBC...
WHOO-HOO!!!!! They have RETURNED!! Bitches...erm...I mean wonderful creatures won't tell me where they've been...but they found their way home!!! *glomps muse...gets bit...* ITAI YO!!!! Yep...and they are normal!
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