Releena was awoken that morning to a rapid knock on her bedroom's door. Without waiting for her to answer, Hilde stuck her head in the door, the expression on her face grim. "Releena, we have got to be out of here in five minutes or less," Hilde said to her tersely, and closed the door. Without letting herself think about it, Releena quickly began to dress, while she tossed some extra clothes in a travel bag. Obviously, there was some kind of trouble, and Hilde would explain when she could. Three minutes later, shoes on, dressed in pants and T-shirt, she stepped out of her room, bag in hand. "I don't know yet how they found out we're here, but the satellite data feeds show two modified Virgo's inbound, E.T.A. seventeen minutes. We need to get you out of here, as soon as possible," Hilde explained. Releena nodded, and followed Hilde at a run out into the hallway and down the nearest stairwell. 'I do wish Noin hadn't picked such a tall building all those years ago,' Releena thought wryly as they barreled down the stairs. "Is there a leak at the Preventers, then?" Releena asked Hilde breathlessly, hurrying to keep up with her. "Has to be," Hilde said coldly, her expression bleak. "Either our electronic systems have been hacked, or there's a traitor in our organization." They both sighed a bit in relief as they passed the sixth floor marker. Only five more to go. At ground level, they took a moment to catch their breaths. "Will they attack the hotel?" Releena asked Hilde worriedly. Hilde shook her head. "According to our best information, they're still professionals. It would be a waste of resources, if they attack the building and you're not here. They'll scan for our distinctive lifesigns, then decide if they should attack or not." When they finally ran out into the street, Releena nearly stopped in surprise as she instantly recognized the biggest, pinkest car she had ever seen, and it was sitting at the curb waiting for them. The passenger side door was open, and across the front seat, Dorothy Catalonia was waving cheerfully at them both. Hilde then all but picked the faltering Releena up and tossed her in, then she dove in right behind her. "Move! Move!" Hilde barked! Behind Releena, a heavy door slammed shut loudly, and with a throaty roar of the oversized engine they were off. Dorothy flipped two small switches on the dashboard, a pair of lights went from green to dark red, and without turning around in her seat she asked Releena conversationally "How has your vacation been so far, Releena-chan?" "A little too tense Dotty-chan," Releena answered her with a wry smirk. ‘Same old Dorothy,’ she thought. She then looked over at Hilde beside her and asked plaintively "How’d Dorothy get mixed up in all of this?" Before anyone could say anything more, the two Virgo's roared by over their heads. They buzzed the hotel tower a moment, looking a little like irritated bees, then promptly flew off. "I've got the E.C.M. system you gave me active," Dorothy said calmly as she gestured to the glowing lights on the dashboard, "but if they know what my car looks like, we're dead." They waited a minute, then two, before they finally breathed a small sigh of relief. "Dorothy's a Preventer in the covert intelligence section, actually," Hilde said to Releena, answering for the young Duchess while she drove. "However, she's not listed in any database or payroll file, because of her covert work for us." "I've got to get my excitement somehow," Dorothy said modestly. Releena softly sighed, and Dorothy grinned at her. "I know a bit about the cost of war," Dorothy said seriously, "and the price of peace. I prefer peace." "Thank you," Releena said softly to her former lover, now confidante and close friend. She turned back to Hilde with a frown and asked, "What are we going to do now?" "Keep traveling overland, I'm sorry to say." Hilde smiled a bit, continued, "I contacted Miss Dorothy earlier, and she's been stablishing a cover so we can travel together without problems." She looked out the window, and frowned as she noticed how fast they were travelling. "Where are we going, anyway?" Totally deadpan, Dorothy answered, "To your wedding, of course. Your cover is going to be as a honeymooning couple." Hilde and Releena stared at her dumbfounded. "What?!" they both asked Dorothy almost exactly together. Dorothy grinned at the two of them, and passed them each a slim file folder. She began to recite from memory: "Rita 'Releena' Clark, is getting married to Harmony 'Hilde' Clark. You will be then travel together across Europe, honeymoon in the very best hotels and resorts. You're just a very normal pair of boring computer analysts who met on the job and fell in love, with a long, fictitious history I won't tire you with now. All the proper papers have been filed, but I though if we had some photographic evidence of a real wedding, it would finish things off quite nicely." "Photographic evidence? What, prey tell, exactly are we going to wear for this wedding?" Hilde groaned. "Oh, dear," Dorothy said in her exaggerated way, "I almost forgot." Dorothy smoothly pulled the car over, opened the doors and led them around to the trunk. She pulled out one garment bag and passed it to Hilde. "Put this on in the back seat, then sit up front. I've put the divider to black so you won't be able to see the bride. Tradition, you know," Dorothy said with a sweet smile. Hilde grumbled, but headed off to get changed. "Well, it's a... very interesting plan," Releena said to her quietly. She smiled a bit, "Hilde will probably kill you when it's over for springing this on her without warning, though. She likes to be kept well abreast of the situations she gets into." Dorothy smiled, but her eyes were dead serious. "Releena, the enemy we're dealing with here are former soldiers. Very stodgy people, who wouldn't know fun if it ran up to them and bit them on the ass. There's no way they would expect this," she finished with a smirk. Hilde opened the car door and climbed out. She cut quite the fine figure of a woman; the excellently tailored wedding tuxedo hugged her lean form. She reminded one of a noble prince, or a master spy about to go out to seduce the beautiful ladies. "Wow," Dorothy whispered, and said more loudly "Can I marry her, too?" Releena rolled her eyes, took the other garment bag, and climbed in the back seat to change. Hilde leaned against the car and looked at Dorothy steadily, making her sweat a little. Finally, Hilde conceded "It's a good plan. I think they will be caught by surprise, assuming they even suspect." "Thank you," Dorothy said and threw her a mock curtsey. They faintly heard Releena call for Dorothy, and she excused herself to climb in, before she stopped to tell Hilde, "No peeking!" "What's with the lingerie?" Releena sweatdropped as she asked Dorothy in a whisper, as she tried to make sure Hilde didn't hear her. Dorothy laughed and answered "Tradition. Besides, it brings back, some very nice memories", she added wistfully. Releena gently spun her around int the seat and looked her in the eyes. "We said no regrets when we ended it, didn’t we Dotty-chan?" her hands now cupping Dorothy’s face. When Heero died, Releena was inconsolable. Her hysterical sobs over the news were heard some distance outside of the mansion. Une herself was so concerned that she put Releena under surveillance 24/7 for the next few weeks, in case she to something to harm herself in her grief. It was at this time that Dorothy, who had remained the young princess’s friend and confidant after the last battle of the 2nd Eve War, had rushed to her side. Over time, Releena’s depression subsided, thanks in no small part to the young blonde Duchess, to the point where she could continue her duties to the E.S.U.N. Shortly there after and after a night of drinking, Dorothy confessed to Releena that she was a lesbian, and was in love with her. Releena in turn admitted her own bisexuality to Dorothy and thanked her for her honesty and devotion with a deep passionate kiss. The lovemaking that followed was intense, frenzied, and full of discovery for the young diplomat. Unfortunately, some things were never meant to be, and while Dorothy’s cynicism towards humanity in general was the best sounding board Releena could have hoped for, Dorothy’s lack of faith in people, but never in Releena, was too much of a drag on the young politician. Although they remained friends and the ‘sister’ each other never had, 14 months after it started, the relationship ended. "Yes we did, Princess." She then set about to snap and strap Releena into the various under things, then into the gown itself. "I do envy Hilde though," Dorothy sighed, before she stepped out. Dorothy then ushered Hilde back up front, and they were soon on their way. A few minutes later, Hilde found herself in a country church, standing nervously in front of a very amused looking justice of the peace. "I haven't seen a wedding set up this fast in years," he remarked leadingly. Hilde, totally deadpan, commented, "I knocked her up, and our parents want us to be wed before the baby starts to show." The priest looked at her in surprise then began to quietly laugh. Just then the wedding march began, and Hilde turned to see Dorothy escort the white clad figure up the aisle. The young priest's words were a blur, and only registered to Hilde near the end. "Do you, Rita, take Harmony, to be your wedded wife?" Releena answered clearly "I do." "Harmony, do you take Rita to be your wedded wife?" the priest asked. "I do," Hilde croaked. "Then you may kiss the brides," he said happily. When Hilde heard that, her blood ran cold. She reached over, hesitantly lifted the veil and looked down at Releena's beaming face, and just didn't know what she should do. Or what Releena wanted her to do... Releena looked up and realized that Hilde was completely frozen. She reached up, gently wrapped her arms around Hilde's neck, and then drew her down into the wedding kiss.
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