Disclaimer: I don’t own Gundam Wing! Just using the characters for my own enjoyment.

Warnings: The characters are out of character. It’s mushy at the end and angsty at the beginning. I came up with it because of a review I got from Sabacat on one of my other fics. Please read and review, and be nice. Don’t hurt my feelings!

The Time In The World

“Hilde, do you take this man to be your wedded husband? To love and to honor till death do you part?” asked the priest standing in front of the altar.

“I do,” replied Hilde. Her happiness was evident in her voice. She had waited for such a long time for him to propose and when he had, six months ago, she immediately said yes. She didn’t need to think about it, she loved him and he loved her. There was no reason to wait, but a wedding took months to plan. So, with the help of all her friends, she planned her dream wedding. The kind most girls dreamed of.

And now, six months later, they were finally here, at the church about to get married. The best part was Duo. He was so handsome in his black tux and with his braid running down his back. He was the best thing to ever happen to her; the best thing that could ever happen to anyone. She was so lucky to have him! She loved him so much.

“And do you, Duo, take this woman to be your wedded wife? To love and to honor till death do you part?” the priest asked Duo.

There was a slight moment of silence, of hesitation. Hilde turned to look at Duo at the same time he turned to look at her. There was something in his eyes: hesitation and... and apology? Hilde’s eyes began to water. ‘No, no!’ she thought.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry,” he said a little louder. They both got to their feet at the same time. He began to turn away from her but was stopped by her hand on his arm.

“Why?” she asked him. He didn’t answer. “Why?” she tried again.

He scratched the back of his head then said, “Not here, Hilde.” She just looked at him. “In private,” he pleaded.

They were led to a small room where the priest held meetings. As soon as the door shut behind them Hilde turned Duo around and assaulted him with her questions. “Why, Duo? Why? How could you?” she yelled. Duo avoided her eyes.

“Hilde, what can I say? I panicked! I’m twenty years old, I-- I need to live first, to experience--”

“Oh you have to do better than that! You think I’m stupid? You didn’t have this problem when we started seeing each other five years ago, and now-- six months after you ask me to marry you-- you think you haven’t lived?” Hilde yelled. She knew that their friends could hear them but she didn’t’ care. She wanted answers and she was going to get them!

“You’re right, I shouldn’t lie to you. Hilde,” he said taking both her hands in his. “Hilde, I’m not sure about my feelings towards you--” he started but she interrupted him again.

“Oh God!” she sobbed.

“Let me finish! I-- there’s this-- there’s somebody--” he struggled to say. ‘How do I tell her?’ he thought.

“It’s Relena, isn’t it?” she asked quietly. “I knew it, I did! I knew there was something between the two of you!” she sobbed. She couldn’t stop the tears. They came freely and unbidden. “I trusted you, Duo! I trusted you--”

“Will you calm down and let me finish? There is nothing between Relena and me! Nothing! Yes, it’s true that I think I have feelings for her, but that is it. I think I have feelings for her. I never cheated on you. With anybody!”

Hilde covered her face with her hands and sobbed. Her shoulders hunched and her crying was tearing him apart. He never meant to cause her any pain. “I really thought I could go through with it, Hilde. I really thought that I could marry you today, but I was wrong. I never meant to hurt you. You mean the world to me. Just give me time... please? I have to sort out my feelings.”

Hilde sniffed and wiped her tears with the backs of her hands, which caused her beautifully applied make up to rub off. Her lipstick was smeared all over her cheeks and her mascara was all over her eyes and cheeks due to her crying. “Oh Duo, I would have given you all the time in the world. All the time in the world if you’d told me you didn’t love me any day but on my wedding day!”

Hilde left Duo standing there. As she walked away, she tore at her veil until she tugged it free from the intricate design the hair dresser had made in her hair. She walked out of the little room only to find all her guests still there. She passed by her bridesmaids, which included Relena. She gave her the dirtiest look she could muster. Holding her dress up she walked to where Quatre was standing and whispered something in his ear.

Immediately his face turned from worried to serious. He took Hilde’s arm and led her out of the church. All the guests stared after her until Duo came out of the room. All their eyes were on him now, like they had been on Hilde only seconds before. He didn’t look at anybody. He was about to walk out of the church when Heero grabbed his arm.

“What happened?” he asked harshly, but Duo just closed his eyes and shook his head. They walked out of the church just in time to see Quatre help Hilde into his limo.

Duo looked in their direction and scowled. Jealousy appearant in his features. “Did you let her go?” asked Heero in his usual monotone.

“I didn’t let her go! I asked her to give me time, Heero!” he yelled.

“You asked her to give you time? On your wedding day? What is your problem Duo, you ask her to marry you and six months later, on your wedding day, you ask her to give you time? If you weren’t sure of what you were doing then why in the hell did you ask her to marry you?” Heero yelled back.

“There’s somebody--” but Duo wasn’t allowed to finish.

“Somebody? You were cheating on her? You--”

“I wasn’t cheating on her! I wouldn’t!”

“You know what? Let’s continue this conversation in my apartment.”

Heero walked to his car and unlocked the doors. They both got inside and drove to Heero’s apartment. They drove the whole way in silence.


*~*~*


Hilde got out of the Quatre’s shower in a pair of his boxers and one of his old shirts. She was more comfortable in his clothes than in her own skin at that moment. She toweled her hair and brushed it. It had gotten quite long over the years, she had stopped cutting it after she and Duo-- “Stop thinking about Duo!” she yelled at her image.

Hilde regretted her outburst when she heard Quatre’s hesitant knock on the door and his worried question, “Hilde? Are you okay?”

She walked to the door and opened it to reveal Quatre dressed only in a pair of sweats. Hilde was a normal female, a young female, with hormones and if she hadn’t seen the worried expression on his handsome face, she might have taken advantage of the fact that he was there and he looked so good. ‘Hilde, what are you thinking? This is Quatre, dear little Quatre who used to wear pink shirts not too long ago!’ she scolded herself.

“You okay?” he asked again.

“I’m fine Quatre, but why don’t you go finish dressing because if you don’t, I might be tempted to rape you!” she said with a small smile.

He ignored her comment and asked, “What did he say, Hilde?”

Hilde sighed. She knew this was coming. “He said he wasn’t sure of how he felt. He said there was somebody. Then I blurted out Relena and he didn’t deny it! Then he told me to give him time to sort out his feelings and crap about not wanting to hurt me and that I meant a lot to him, and that was it.”

Quatre enveloped her in his arms and stroked her hair when she cried against his shoulder. “I know he loves you, Hilde. I’m sure,” he said and kissed her forehead. “Try and get some sleep, tomorrow we’ll go get your stuff from the apartment if you want. I can ask my sister if you can move in with her,” there was a slight pause before he said, “or you could stay here.”

“If you don’t mind, then I’ll stay here.”

*~*~*

The next morning Hilde and Quatre drove to her and Duo’s apartment for her clothes. It surprised her to find Duo there, watching TV. She totally ignored him when she walked in, and she would have loved for Quatre to do the same but they had nothing against each other.

“Hi Duo,” said Quatre nervously.

Duo turned away from the TV, nodded and curtly said, “Quatre.”

“Quatre, can you help me put my stuff in boxes?” Hilde called from the bedroom. At that coment Duo perked up. He couldn’t let Hilde leave. They had to work things out! He got to his feet and walked to the bedroom behind Quatre.

“Hilde?” he called but she ignored him. “Babe, come on! I have to talk to you!” he said.

“Maybe I should leave you two alone,” suggested Quatre.

“Yes, maybe you should. We gotta talk, Hilde!” he said and watched Quatre leave the room.

“I’ll be in the limo. Just call if you need me to help you with the boxes, okay?” he asked Hilde.

“Yeah, thanks Quatre,” she said half heartedly.

When he was gone, Duo turned to Hilde. “I’m sorry, babe. I know I said that yesterday, but I want you to know that I really do love you. Yesterday, when I said that stuff about there being someone else, it wasn’t true.”

“Then why did you say it, and yesterday of all days?” she asked, finally looking at him. Tears forming in her eyes again.

“I was so nervous about the wedding and about the responsibility of being married that I took the easy way out. I didn’t know wether to tell you that I was nervous, so I said the first thing that came to my mind,” he explained.

Hilde paused a moment to gather her thoughts. After a few minutes of silence, she finally said, “You really hurt me yesterday, you know? With your words and with your attitude? I really thought you didn’t love me. I wanted to tear Relena’s eyes out when I passed by her in the church.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I love you, I hope you know that,” Duo said quietly.

“I think I do, but I’m not too sure after yesterday. I need time to think, Duo,” she admitted with a little sadness in her voice.

“We’ll take all the time in the world if you want.”

Hilde didn’t answer that, instead she said, “Let’s go get Quatre.”

“You’re still moving out?” he asked worriedly.

“No, but we better not keep him waiting in his limo all day!” she said with a small smile, which he returned. Hilde suddenly stopped, which made Duo also stop and turn to look at her.

Hilde raised her open palm and slapped Duo as hard as she could across the face. When she dropped her hand there was a red mark on his cheek.

He looked at her with horror and cried, “Ow! Why’d you do that for?”

“That was for ruining my wedding!” she answered. She tried to keep a straight face, but couldn’t so she burst out laughing.

“That wasn’t funny, but I guess I deserved it,” Duo grumbled.

Hilde arched an eyebrow and asked, “You guess?”

“Okay, okay! I deserved it!” he said as they walked out the door holding hands. “Hey wait a sec! Were you going to move in with Quatre?” Duo eclaimed.

“Um, yeah. But not anymore!”

Their bickering was heard all through the halls by all the neighbors.



The End


Author’s Notes: So, how’d you like it? I’m proud of this one. I don’t think it’s very good, but I like it. Hey, I actually came up with something and actually finished it! I couldn’t resist writing that last bit with the slap. It was a in a review I got from Sabacat. She wanted Duo slapped on one of my other fics. Please review!