Blood, Sweat and Tears Part 83
Lady Une was pacing back and forth in the living room. Rubbing her hands together anxiously, there was a deep frown of worry on her face. When Heero entered the room, she forced a wide smile for his sake. "Thank you for meeting with me," she greeted before taking a seat on one of the couches.
Sitting beside her, the quarterback nodded, "Of course. That's what friends are for." Smiling, he commented, "I could tell that something has been on your mind all morning. So what is that that you need to talk about?"
Her own smile fading, the young maid knew that she could only get right to the point and get it over with. Taking a deep breath, she finally answered, "Well... last night, at Dorothy's party, Trent asked me to move in with him."
Cobalt eyes widening, Heero broke out into a wide grin. "That's wonderful news, Lady Une." He frowned when his friend looked to him in surprise at his response. Realization flooding over him at her expression, he asked, "And you accepted the offer, right?"
Sighing, Anne shook her head, "No. I declined. It's just not the right time."
Gently taking one of her hands in his own, the team captain urged gently, "It's because of me, isn't it? You're worried about leaving me behind after everything."
Lady Une swallowed roughly and hesitantly nodded. "It's not only that. I-I'm also scared," she admitted with a shudder. Slowly raising her head so that their eyes could meet, she shrugged, "You and this home are all that I've known for years now. And I like certainties in life."
Rising to her feet, she paced back and forth while continuing, "Moving in with Trent, there are so many things that would be unfamiliar and uncertain. What would I do for a new line of work? What happens to me if things don't work out between us? There are just too many questions."
With a small smile, Heero inquired, "Do you care for Trent?"
Quickly spinning so their gazes met again, Lady Une replied without hesitating, "Very much so. I've never felt this way about anyone before."
"And what relationship does not have uncertainties?" the quarterback asked.
He rose to his own feet and stated, "You have to take risks with your feelings and every aspect of your life if you take a partnership seriously. If there is any question on your part, you have to go with what your gut is telling you. Had I not done that, I would never be with Duo and I would be missing out on the best thing in my life."
Blinking in surprise, the maid considered his words and found the truth behind them. As he rested a hand on her shoulder, Heero smiled, "You are my dearest friend and I love you. Which is why I am not about to sit back and watch you make a huge mistake. You have no obligation to me, Duo or our family. All that you need to be concerning yourself with is your own happiness. That's what I want for you."
Wide, brown eyes shimmering, Lady Une breathed, "Duo has been very good for you, Heero." Throwing her arms around him tightly, she released her fears with a soft sob as he rubbed her back soothingly.
After a long moment, she finally pulled back and wiped the tears falling from her face. "All right," she smiled. "I'll take him up on his offer." Heero gave her a bright grin. "It's not as though we'll fall out of touch just because you're moving to Green Bay."
The quarterback shook his head, "Of course not. We're going to keep this estate so that we have a place to stay when we all come back for extended visits. And you know that you and Trent are always welcomed to our home as well."
More and more relieved over her decision, Lady Une was practically glowing. All but bouncing on her feet, she exclaimed, "I have to call Trent!" That said, she was just about through the door when she hurried back to hug her friend tightly once more. "Thank you," she whispered.
"Don't mention it," Heero replied just as quietly. Winking when their eyes met, he stood back and watched her hurry off.
Left alone in the den, the quarterback took a deep breath that he released slowly. Lady Une had been his last living tie to his parents. And his letting her go was also, in a way, a sign of his releasing the influence of his parents' death.
Difficult as it was, it was time to move on. At least, for him, there was the relief in knowing that he no longer needed to face the world alone.
Heero's dear friend had been right, after all... Duo was very good for him.
* * * * * *
Noventa was not happy.
It was little more than a whole day since he had sat with Treize in his den to discuss matters. Then he recalled his son-in-law's concern over Sylvia. His daughter had caught her husband in quite the deviation of the truth. By now, she should have come to him to know for certain that the head coach had lied to her.
The more he dwelled over that, the more and more unsettled Noventa became.
While Treize was a master at covering his trails, even he was capable of slips. And if Sylvia were to stumble onto something that would link them to distributing drug enhancers, it would be disastrous. Father or not, his daughter would not blink before turning him in to the proper authorities.
No. That simply would not do. Before anything else could raise her suspicion, she needed to be handled... and handled in a way that if she was meddling, she would call an end to it immediately.
Entering the old man's office, Treize nodded firmly, "You're doing the right thing, sir. Better to bide ourselves some time to cover any possible loose ends that we may be overlooking." Noventa simply grunted an affirmative.
It was only a short wait before Sylvia entered, her infamous wide smile on her face. "You wanted to see me, Pa?" she greeted. Briefly, her eyes glanced over to her husband standing beside the desk where her father sat. Instantly, alarms were raised but she maintained her calm exterior.
Slowly rising from his seat, the team owner smiled, "Yes, my dear. Thank you for coming." Wrapping an arm around his little girl's shoulders, he began, "These last few weeks have been quite busy for your husband and me. And I have noticed that you've been a bit... detached from our lack of availability."
That choice of words and the slight change in her father's smile made Sylvia's pulse race. 'He knows!' her mind gasped. It was all she could do to keep her knees from buckling.
With all her might, she forced a convincing smile and said, "Well, I know that you both have so much invested in winning this championship. The fact that you have finally reached the Super Bowl is wonderful and I am aware of the work involved to achieving that."
Swallowing roughly, Sylvia made herself comment, "I just can't help that I am always eager to spend time with the two of you." Treize smirked and nodded in a way that made a shiver go up her spine. Fighting the sensation, she never shivered but fought a gasp when the arm around her shoulders tightened and pulled her closer.
Quietly chuckling, Noventa smirked, "You are a bright one, Sylvia. I don't know if I have ever told you that."
A small whimper threatened to leave her throat before she quickly swallowed it down. "And I am certain that you do understand the tireless efforts that we have put into achieving our goal. While it does not excuse a bit of neglect on our part, it is a necessary evil."
Never letting the calm mask slip away and reveal her terror, his daughter grinned, "Of course. If I have ever done anything to make either of you feel that I do not appreciate all that you have done, I am truly sorry." Bile rose up in her throat over the sickening feeling in her stomach.
Treize approached slowly and lightly kissed her forehead. Catching her chin between his fingers, he smiled in a way that would appear non-threatening. The brief glimpse of something else in those eyes of his spoke differently. Once more, Sylvia had to fight back a cry.
"I appreciate and accept your apology," the team owner smirked. "And your father and I would like to make up to you our own wrongdoings by not being there for you. Our private jet is ready in the hanger to take you to any location of your choosing for an extended vacation. All you have to do is tell our pilot where you wish to go."
Leaning close, Noventa smiled, "I would take the offer up, my dear. These last few weeks have been very trying. As busy as we will be leading up to the game, take that time to relax and... clear your head. When you return, we will have you refreshed and cheering us on to victory with the eyes of the world watching."
Sylvia knew exactly what was going on. They wanted her out of the picture. And as threatening as the situation was becoming, she decided against fighting it. Straightening her back, she grinned took in both faces and nodded firmly, "That sounds wonderful. I certainly could go for a bit of a break. Thank you very much for the kind gesture."
Nothing would have made her happier than to get out of that room at that moment.
Gently kissing his little girl's cheek, the team owner responded, "You're welcome, sweetheart. And we can expect to see you the morning of the game, then?"
Her gut wrenching as she had to put on another smile, Sylvia answered cheerfully, "You know that I wouldn't miss it for the world." Keeping her poise, she kissed her father's cheek and her husband's lips. "I best be off so that I can pack my things."
Waving to his wife as she headed for the door, Treize called, "Have a safe trip, darling. I will miss you something fierce so be sure to keep in touch." Politely waving back, she responded with an affirmative before slipping past the sliding door.
The moment they were alone, Noventa beamed and turned to his son-in-law. "Well, I think that was handled rather well," he announced. "If she was snooping where she shouldn't, she would get the message. And if she has no suspicions, she'll just see this as the 'vacation' we made it out to be."
"Brilliant, sir," Treize chuckled in amusement. "I could not have done better, myself." His eyes narrowing in thought, he looked away and stated, "Now to begin looking for any loose ends that she may stumble on when she returns."
* * * * * *
Less than an hour later...
Panting heavily as she ran from her home with a suitcase in each hand, Sylvia headed for her car. None-too-gently throwing her luggage in the back seat, she secured herself behind the wheel. All but peeling out of the driveway, she was followed by a thick cloud of dust and rocks that the tires kicked up.
With one trembling hand, she reached for her cell phone in her pocket and opened it. "Call Dorothy," she commanded. The voice activation took a moment to register before the chimes of the number being dialed filled the air.
"Hello?" her cousin's voice greeted after a couple of rings.
Almost outright weeping from relief in hearing her friend's voice, Sylvia ignored the tears rolling down her face as she replied, "Dorothy, I am on my way to the airport. I'll be in Pittsburgh in three hours. I am sorry to be informing you of this on such short notice, but I have nowhere else to go right now."
The team owner's tone remained calm as she reassured, "It's all right, Sylvia. Just give me the details of your flight and I'll pick you up when you arrive."
Making herself take a deep and calming breath, the frightened young woman nodded, "Okay." While giving the details, she could feel her nerves solidifying a bit.
At least there was someone in the world that she could trust.
* * * * * *
Wide-eyed, Dorothy finished pouring the second cup of tea that she had prepared. "Do you really think that your father would try to harm you in any way if he actually caught you trying to find something on him?" Carefully, she walked to the table with a cup in each hand.
Accepting the offered beverage handed over to her, Sylvia sighed, "I would not put anything past him when it comes to his gaining what he wants. No doubt whatever the two are involved in has to deal with the team. Whether it's paying off officials, rigging games through other means or even drugs for that matter, I have not been able to find a single piece of evidence to link them to any wrong doing."
Her fists clenching, she growled, "It's just infuriating to know that my father is involved in this... thing that Treize has been covering up."
The team owner frowned deeply, "Do you think that they will know you came here?"
"No," Sylvia smirked. "Treize is not the only one who can cover his tracks. Our private jet has a tracking device. I told our pilot to treat himself and his family to a two-week vacation in the Caribbean. My plane ticket for my flight through the commercial route was paid with a card that no one is aware that I have but me. There will be no way for them to sense I haven't followed their orders."
Laughing, Dorothy raised her teacup and toasted, "Well done." After a long drink, she lowered her arm with a sigh. "It's just a shame that if there was anything to find up to now, the chance has been lost to recover it. Two weeks is more than enough for them to fill every gap in whatever it is they're doing."
A small gasp left her cousin as her eyes suddenly widened in thought. Their gazes meeting, Sylvia informed, "I think that I may know someone who could help us."
* * * * * *
Opening her front door, Dorothy smiled, "Thank you, both, for coming so soon." She stepped away so that Heero and Duo could enter. With a quick, friendly embrace for her friends, she told them, "We have an unlikely ally who will be staying here for the next two weeks." Blue eyes turning to the running back, she smirked, "They're particularly interested in seeing you again."
Duo's violet eyes widened and blinked. Pointing to himself, he repeated, "Me?" His partner also had a look of confusion on his face as to who the pair had a common acquaintance with.
Those questions were soon answered when Sylvia walked around the corner grinning. Gasping, the running back exclaimed, "Sylvy!"
Quickly closing the distance between them, he scooped her up in a bear hug and spun the laughing young woman around. Heero and Dorothy just sat back and watched in amusement.
Carefully lowering his previous owner's daughter, Duo gripped her shoulders and smiled warmly, "How the hell are you, girly?"
Giggling at the nickname her friend had deemed for her the moment they met, Sylvia replied honestly, "Well, I have been better. But it's wonderful to see you again, Duo. San Francisco just has not been the same without you." She winked, "It's far too boring now." Her braided companion snickered in response.
Wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulders, the running back turned to face his lover and owner to explain, "Sylvy was the only person in San Francisco I could talk to when things became heated between Treize and me. She was the only good thing in San Francisco as far as I'm concerned." A light blush coloring her cheeks, Noventa's daughter giggled and playfully nudged him.
Heero approached with an offered hand and a warm smile. "It's very nice to meet you, Sylvia," he greeted.
"And it is an honor to meet you, Heero. I have been a fan of yours for quite some time," Sylvia returned as she shook his hand. Looking from the quarterback to the running back, she smirked, "I understand that congratulations are in order." When the couple looked at her in shock, she pointed to the ring on the hand draped around her shoulder.
Dorothy snickered quietly as she watched and listened in. Nothing got past her cousin.
* * * * * *
Gathered in the living room over tea, the lot sat in for Sylvia's explanation of everything that had come to pass over the last couple of weeks. Sitting back in the couch that he shared with Heero, Duo sighed deeply after the telling. It had become pretty clear that he was brought in to possibly shed some light on the situation.
All expectant eyes were turned to him as he shook his braided head, "I'm sorry, Sylvy, but I don't know anything that could help figure out what's going on." Snorting, he added, "Believe me, nothing would have made me happier than to bring that bastard down. If there was anything I could have stumbled on that would have gotten him into trouble, it would have been front page news the next day."
Sighing, the young woman shook her head, "I thought as much, but I had to try."
Heero turned towards his lover and suggested, "We better get a hold of Zechs and let him know that were going to have our work cut out for us even more than we thought." Duo nodded solemnly.
"There is something else that I need to ask," Sylvia prompted. When those violet eyes met hers, she inquired, "What did it felt like to punch that son of a bitch?"
Duo and Dorothy's heads fell back as they laughed hysterically at the very question the team owner had asked him at their first meeting.
TBC...
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