"Hilde, dammit, would you just sit down! Staring out the window isn’t going to get them here any faster."
The raven-haired girl dropped the curtain and let it fall back into place, "I’m sorry, Relena, I’m anxious. How long till their
transport arrives?"
Relena sighed with exasperation, "Same as it was when you asked thirty seconds ago, a half an hour."

Kain: Well, this isn't so bad.
Rowen: Other than a few grammatical errors, the author has a knowledge of the English language.  Kudos.
Livy: *eyeing it warily* Why would Relena swear like that?

Hilde turned away from the window and flopped down onto the nearest couch with a loud thump. She picked up her book and opened it at the spot held by her bookmark. Staring at the pages, she reread the same passage she’d already read a hundred times that morning, and it did nothing ease her anxiety.

Professor G: Maybe she ought to find something else to keep her occupied...
Katy: If she's been reading the same passage all morning, why bother with the bookmark?

The book found it’s way back to the table moments after Hilde picked it up, "Oh, this is crazy! I don’t know why I even bothered to read this. I don’t get it and it’s far too long."

Rowen: That's one smart book.
Livy: Why DID she bother?
Professor G: Somebody needs to proofread...

Relena laughed at the sight of her friend’s frustration, understanding Hilde only too well. "Well, you chose Lord of the Rings off my bookshelf. I told you it’s a bit long, but you insisted."
"Your brother has strange taste when it comes to literature."
"My brother?" Relena scowled. "Hilde, that book belongs to me!"
"Oh sorry, Relena!"

Kain: Why was that so offensive?
Professor G: I wouldn't call the Lord of the Rings strange taste in literature, given its popularity.  'Waiting for Godot', maybe, but Lord of the Rings? Naw.
Livy: And apparently Hilde is exceedingly stupid in this fic.

Hilde shoved herself off of the couch. At seventeen, Hilde Schbeiker stood tall, strong, and thin, the picture image of her ex-military background.

Katy: Well, yes, she would be the picture image of her own background, wouldn't she?
Rowen: A strange picture, albeit.

Strikingly dark and beautiful, Hilde had clear blue eyes and short cropped raven black hair. She met Duo Maxwell during the After Colony wars and lived with him for a time. When the wars took a turn for the worse, Duo sent Hilde to the Peacecraft Mansion in the Cinq Kingdom where he knew she would be safe. And that’s where she stayed until this day arrived, nearly a year and a half later, when Duo would be returning home.
One year previously, the After Colony wars had ended. The Pilots sent their Gundams to the sun to be destroyed. They were no longer necessary and it was now time to settle down and start anew with their families.

Kain: Alright, fine. I can buy that.

Milliardo Peacecraft and Lucretzia Noin were married and as the heirs to the throne of the Cinq Kingdom,

Professor G: were quickly assasinated. Everybody hated those pacificts anyway.

were also crowned King and Queen. Relena Peacecraft, Milliardo’s younger sister, was released of her government and political obligations, much to her delight. On this day, just as Hilde waited for Duo, Relena waited for her long time love, Heero Yuy.
Military processing after the wars took longer than expected. Enduring everything as it came and as they always had done, the five Gundam pilots were cleared and given passes to leave the military. The wars were over. They could finally go home.

Katy: o.0 Have you WATCHED the series?  Milliardo doesn't WANT to be King!
Rowen: I always thought Relena liked her position in politics, since, you know, she did it voluntarily at the end.
Kain: How many times do we have to hear about how Milliardo's hands are too stained with blood to rule the Kingdom?

The doorbell chimed. From her post at the bookshelf, Hilde spun around.
Flipping her gold hair over her shoulder, Relena dropped her own novel and got up, "Relax, Hilde, it’s not time yet."
Relena smoothed out her floral sundress and walked over to the door. Turning the handle, the door opened to reveal a pretty young girl with

Livy: a gun. It was me, coming to kill everyone before this fic could get any worse.

blonde, almost white, hair and pretty light blue eyes. She wore a pink ankle length sleeveless dress and carried in her hand a black shoulder bag.

Professor G: As opposed to carrying the bag in her hair.
Rowen: *covers eyes* Oh GOD, Quatre cross-dressing again!!
Kain: No, no, it's worse!!
Katy: It's a Mary-Sue!!
All: AHHHHHHHH!!  IT'S WORSE!!

She smiled, "Miss Relena Peacecraft?"
Relena smiled back, "Yes?"
"My name is Ania Winner. I spoke to you over the phone a few days ago."

Katy: (As Relena) You telemarketers sure are persistent, I told you I don't WANT any buxomizing pills!

"Oh goodness! I nearly forgot about that!" Relena let the girl into the room. "Where are my manners? Welcome to the home of the Peacecrafts and to the Cinq Kingdom. It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you.
Relena studied the girl for a moment. "You certainly do resemble our Quatre."
Ania blushed with embarrassment,

Rowen: Because she hated when they brought up how manly she looked.
Kain: It was a source of constant pain to her.
Professor G: Because Quatre is Hilde and Relena's adopted son.

but allowed herself to be led into a bright room filled with comfortable looking couches and bookshelves. On one of the couches, sprawled a tall pretty woman staring intently at a copy of Lord of the Rings with an unhappy look on her face.
"Hilde, guess who’s here?" Hilde looked up at Relena, "This is Miss Ania Winner, Quatre’s little sister. She’s going to stay with us and the boys for the next two weeks!"

Kain: Yay.  Plot cliche.

Throwing the book down in obvious distaste,

Katy: See? Hilde hates the Mary-Sues as well.

Hilde got up and went over to them. Holding out her hand, she said, "Oh, it’s so wonderful to finally meet you. I’m Hilde Schbeiker. You are all Quatre talks about in his letters to us!"

Livy: As opposed to his 15 million other sisters that he never talks about.
Rowen: His other sisters must be feeling pretty pissed off right now.

Ania, now more than a little embarrassed, shook the dark girl’s hand. "It’s so nice to meet both of you as well. I wasn’t expecting such a welcome, but I’m so grateful for it. Thank you for letting me stay here. I know Quatre will be overjoyed that I’m here to greet him and I look forward to getting to know everybody else."

Professor G: More like shagging everyone else...
Katy: OH GOD is this a lemon?!
Rowen: I want out now!! *struggles against restraints*

"Wonderful!" Relena exclaimed! She glanced at her watch.
"Hilde, do you know what time it is?"

Livy: [as Hilde]: "Time to take over the world?" Oh wait... wrong show!
Katy: [as Hilde] Time to end this fic before it gets any worse?
Kain: [as Hilde] Time to kill the blonde girl?
Rowen: [as Hilde] Time to bring out our Treize porn collection?
All: Eeeewwwww!!

Hilde shrieked, pulling lipstick out of her pocket. She dashed to the mirror and applied a thick coat to her lips and smoothed down her hair. Gazing at herself and adjusting her blue shorts and yellow tank top, she announced, "I look great!"
Ania and Relena stared at her for a moment in complete shock before bursting out laughing. Hilde stuck her tongue out at the laughing girls.
"Save it for Duo, Hilde." Grabbing Ania’s arm, Relena steered her

Livy: Into the knife protruding from the wall.

towards the stairs leading to the second floor. "Pagan has already taken your things to your room, Ania, but come on, I’ll show you where you’ll be staying."

Katy: I thought Pagan was dead!
Kain: This is ZOMBIE Pagan!
Rowen: [as Zombie Pagan] Gurgle moan!

Leading the way, Relena took her up the stairs down a long hallway. Stopping, she opened a door to one of the rooms. Inside, on the luscious gray carpet, stood a huge four-poster canopy bed in shades of gray and pink. Pillows of every color were stacked high on the bed. In the corner was a tall dresser and beside it, a dressing table matching the wood of the chest of drawers. On the other side of the room were three doors, one to the bathroom, one to the closet, and the other leading to

Professor G: An exotic play-room.

a second bedroom. At the back of the room, there were French doors leading out to a large balcony that overlooked the grounds and the swimming pool.
Ania went in and dropped her

Livy: Ahhhhh!!!!

purse on the bed.

Livy: Whew... I thought this was turning into a lemon!
All: AHHHHH!

"Oh my god, Miss Relena. It’s so beautiful."
"None of that, Ania. You call me Relena just like all the rest of my friends do." Relena said. She pointed to a door, "Your room connects with Quatre’s and you share a balcony with Quatre, Wufei, and Trowa."

Kain: CONVENIENT!  I smell a plot device coming...

Moving out into the hallway, she pointed out other doors, "To your left is Quatre and on your right is Trowa. Wufei is on the right of Trowa’s room. Across the hall is me and Heero and down at the end, as far as possible from the rest of us, are Duo and Hilde."
"Why so far away?"

Professor G: Well, you know... Duo always did have a problem with beans...

Relena looked away, slightly embarrassed, "You don’t want to know.

Rowen: So don't tell us.

Let’s just say that it’s been a long time since Duo and Hilde saw each other and last time they stayed, we had to buy earplugs."

Livy: *goes to vomit*
Katy: Pointless sex plot!!

Ania’s eyebrows went up, "Ah, yes, I see."
Suddenly, from downstairs, came an earth-shattering scream, "RELENA, THEY’RE HERE!!!!"
Relena spun around and headed for the stairs, Ania hot on her heels.
Staring at each other doesn’t exactly describe what happened when the girls saw the guys for the first time in eighteen months, but it’s as close as it could come to what happened.

Kain: Well, if it's the closest thing, wouldn't it BE what happened?
Professor G: ....... what??

For about thirty seconds, nobody moved, then Relena, overcome with happiness that it brought tears to her eyes and rather than greeting Heero, she turned and ran into the house.

Katy: I think there are more than a few run-ons in that sentence...

A puzzled look crossed Heero’s face, and then he

Livy: committed harikari.
Professor G: [Heero]: Mission... accepted...

ascended the steps into the house to look for Relena.
"Is she okay?" Ania asked Hilde.

Rowen: [as Hilde] No, dammit, you stupid bint, she's upset because you're here!

Hilde just shrugged, "I’m not sure, I’ve never seen her do that before."
Duo came up the stairs and took Hilde’s hand. He had not changed.

Livy: too much, as long as you didn't count his sex change.

Still the same violet eyes, and the same brown braid down his back. He wore black. The color suited him. He stared at Ania, "Don’t I know you?"
"Hello, Mr. Maxwell." Ania said, holding out her hand, "We met quite some time ago on my family’s satellite."

Kain: [as Ania] I'm rich, bitch!
Professor G: I don't remember that at all... I think she's lying.

"My god, its Ania Winner? And Jesus, call me Duo. None of that Mr. Stuff." Duo said, as a grin crossed his face. He gave her hand a good firm shake. "Quatre, what happened to your sister? She grew up!"

Professor G: [as Quatre]: Well, we tried to stop it. Technology just isn't what it used to be these days.
Katy: Despite the idiocracy of that, it was the first in-character comment yet.
Rowen: Sad, really.

Behind them, Quatre laughed, "Are you trying to woo my sister right in front of your own girlfriend?"
Hilde punched Duo in the arm, "Where’s my hello?"
Duo pulled Hilde to him and their lips met in a passionate well-earned kiss. Without breaking their contact, Duo picked her up like a groom would pick up a bride on the day of their wedding and carried her into the house.
"How long has it been, Little Sister?"

Livy: Ania used to live in a convent...
Katy: It might explain a few things if she did.

Ania held out her hand to Quatre, "Two years. Two years to long since you left us."
Always the emotional one, tears formed in Quatre’s big blue eyes, the same eyes that Ania stared at him with.

Kain: They share the same eyes!!
Rowen: Boy, I bet THAT makes things complicated.

Quatre had not
changed in the last two years. He still wore the same boyish face that hadn’t aged at all in that time.

Professor G: Well, I still wear this old scraggly face. Is she going to get on me for not changing my face too?

His blonde hair fell in locks onto his forehead getting into his eyes, his clothing consisted of jeans and a green polo shirt. He pulled her into a hug. "I had no idea anybody would be waiting here for me."
"Bella gave me leave to come here." She replied. "Not that it would have stopped me anyways, but Bella always thinks she’s got some sort of responsibility for me. Relena is letting me stay here too and I’ve got a big room upstairs next to yours. We have a door that connects our rooms."

Livy: for those late-night rendexvous we used to have at home." Ahhhh! I can't believe I just said that!
All: Eeeeewwwwww.

Quatre pulled away from her, "Damn, Ania, you’ve sure grown up! Duo was right."
Ania blushed and changed the subject, "Care to introduce your friends?"
"Oh, dear, what happened to my manners?"

Professor G: I ate them.
Kain: I think they left with the rest of his personality.

Quatre turned to the two guys behind him. "This is Chang Wufei, former pilot of Shenlong, and this is my best friend, former pilot of Heavyarms, Trowa Barton."
Ania’s heart skipped a beat. This man with the piercing green eyes was Trowa Barton? He had brown hair, most of which covered
half his face and he wore blue jeans and a red t-shirt. Ania remembered him as though their first meeting had only been
yesterday. His face, that not hidden by his hair, still held that emotionless blank look, but his eyes held relief.

Livy: He knew that tonight he was going to murder Ania in her sleep.

Ania reveled in this moment, for she never once believed she would the man who stole her heart at the age of fourteen ever again.

All: WHAT?!
Katy: The continuity makes no sense here!  If he stole her heart while she was 14, he would have already been going by the name "Trowa", because he only met QUATRE after he was going by "Trowa"!
Rowen: Otherwise, Trowa and Quatre would have known each other before they met during the series.
Kain: I think we should ignore the obvious space-time continuum skip, because otherwise our heads will explode.

A Chinese man stood next to Trowa. He wore traditional Chinese dress, more formal for the occasion. He had slicked back his hair, which came to a small ponytail, tied at the base of his neck. On his handsome face were the most piercing black eyes.
Ania smiled and shook hands with each of them. She received, in return,

Professor G: a knife in the gut.

a small smile from Trowa and a nod from Wufei.
"Please, as it seems Relena is a bit indisposed at the moment, let me show you where you’ll be staying."

continued in the next part...