Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Verses From Your Song ❯ Slipping Falling Calling ( Chapter 13 )

Chapter 13: Slipping Falling Calling

Gundam Wing is not mine I am just borrowing

The poetry is mine.

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It was awkward feeling the slip, chalked hands gliding from his, and the look of slight terror on his face as she fell four stories down into the safety net. She landed on her back and stared wide-eyed up at the rigging. That settled it. Nothing but shear purpose was clear to her as she lay in the net listening to the bustle of people clamber about her. She shut her eyes and shook her head. Sat up and waved off the concerned mob with an insincere smile.

"Cathy?" He stood at the side of the net waiting for her to climb over to him. "Are you alright?"

"Fine...just slipped. Just a slip... I used to fall like that all the time," she said absently. "Wonder why I slipped like that?"

"You usually have a better grip, that kind of fall isn't like you," he mentioned.

"Trowa, it's fine. It happens. Even the most experienced flyers will hit the ground from a simple mistake. Falling is...Falling is just one of those things... I guess."

He arched an eyebrow, "Are we even talking about the same thing?"

She flipped off the net and into his waiting arms. Sighed a little and tried to hide her slight blush as he set her down. Violet-blue eyes that were never able to disguise themselves under the tall a slender young man's gaze half shut with a hint of melancholy.

"It's time for me to quit," Cathy whispered.

He nodded, not so much in agreement but because he had been sure it was coming.

"I mean, really, I'm already in my late twenties and I have a steel pin in my left knee, a wrist that's just barely functional, and let's not even go into my back. All that damage and most of it from before I was old enough to drink." She bit at her upper lip and then added, "Damage from falling."

He crossed his arms over his chest, expressionless for a moment. Then he smiled slightly and shrugged, "So when are you going to announce your last show?"

"Last show of the season will be my last show. It's not gonna be easy either...I've spent my whole life under the safety of the big top."

"So...that fall," he began softly.

She interrupted before he could finish, "It wasn't on purpose...just lost my grip."

She began to remove the white tape from around her wrist. All her life she had performed, she tumbled and flew, threw knives, hit her targets, tamed the wildest of beasts. The injuries she had listed she never used as a good excuse, because they were old. Old wounds from a single event that nearly killed her, it was a fall from the high wire when she was just barely twelve years old. As she explained to Trowa it was just a fall, but Catherine Bloom knew he caught her underlying meaning. Trowa Barton, that mysterious boy without a past, he was the brother she never had. She squinted as she stepped into the light of the day, raising her hand to block the harsh rays. Right behind her she felt him watching, assessing, and maybe even guessing at what she was thinking about.

"Cathy?"

"I don't want to rush things Trowa," she replied. "I don't wanna ruin anything. And right now...I'm sure it would be very easy for me to ruin everything."

A reassuring squeeze on her shoulder made her glance up. He was there as always with that smile that meant there was no need to worry.

"Why don't I call Quatre? We can go have some coffee and take it easy for a bit," he offered knowing she would never refuse a moment with her boys.

Falling never felt so good
I should fear
Falling...
I should fear
But it feels so good

His puckish smile had been permanently frozen into place the minute she showed up with the ring on her finger. She pretended not to notice. All through the rest of the day, after lunch and shopping that Cheshire, I-told-you-so-smile, would not let her be. Finally after two hours of comparing and analyzing at a local jewelry shop the blonde goddess raised an eyebrow and acknowledged the smile with one of her own.

"I have it down to these two," she whispered as the sales clerk pulled two rings from the glass case and placed them on the counter before her.

Duo slid up beside the young woman barely able to contain his giggle, "So which is it gonna be?"

"Not sure." Her eyes considered the shapes of the stones, the form of the rings, uncertainty clear in her eyes.

He scratched his head. "Well this is a first...Who ever thought you'd be unsure?"

"Duo...she deserves the best...I don't want to just give her anything. I mean this," she paused and held up her left hand, the simple and elegant ring flashing in his face, "That's a family heirloom. Maybe not the most expensive piece on the planet but...it's special. I don't have anything special to give her."

"No family jewels huh?"

"Not the point," she shot in then sighed and considered the rings before her again. Set her hand next to them and frowned slightly, "My family? Those pieces have no meaning. They are decoration nothing more...I want to give her something...something she can give to her own daughter one day. Something that will be..."

"Magical?" He leaned up against the glass counter and looked over the rings. "I think whatever you give her will be special. She'll make it special, Dorth."

"I really dislike that nickname and you know it," she whispered harshly.

He backed off a little. He'd forgotten how much she detested that nickname. Then he inched back to her when she released a sigh, the anger in her eyes washed away by the uncertainty of the rings, such a fragile choice to make. It was a bobble that could mean everything or nothing depending on whoever wore it. The impish young man suddenly wondered if all the other permanently attached couples he knew had gone through such an important yet trite choice.

"Part of me wants to buy her the biggest diamond I can afford," Dorothy continued, "but she's worth more than that. And I'm stuck on one of these two. You could be helpful at least and give me an opinion."

Baby blue eyes rolled as he huffed and then shrugged, "Does she even want you to get her a ring?"

"I want to get her a ring...I've been meaning to get her a ring since..." She chuckled at the memory. That day she wanted to rush out and do something drastic like propose. Stopping her self only because she couldn't decide how she wanted to do it. She couldn't find correct words to ask such a delicate thing such as 'marry me'. Returning from her thoughts she added, "But she beat me to it. And you, are you gonna be ring shopping soon. That whirlwind romance you've managed to get yourself into with Cathy must be itching at you."

He stepped back from her and she spun around to watch him. It was an interesting uncomfortable topic for him. She let a forked eyebrow pop up and a slight grin formed. He didn't pay much attention.

"Well," she asked, "what's the scoop?"

"I'm giving her space," he replied swiftly.

"Why?"

"Because I can tell she's a little afraid to fall for me. The charmer that I am," he said snapping and then pointing his fingers at Dorothy.

"Dear Lord with moves like that who could say no," she quipped. "But seriously, is that it?"

He took in a deep breath and then exhaled with, "Yup and I will let her have her time. Don't want to scare her off you know?"

She focused back on the rings, her stormy blue eyes suddenly wide with realization. Politely she called the sales clerk over.

"That one, please," she said. "Put it...Put in a black box, not gray."

The sales clerk nodded and took the ring. Meanwhile Duo stunk up behind her and gave her a little tickle on her side. Laughing as she gave a yelp. The fire in her eyes as she turned around was a delight.

"Duo Maxwell I swear if you want a battle you can have one...don't think I'll go easy on you just because we're out in public."

He just laughed, which was a mistake in itself. Distracted by the amusement of the statement he was unprepared for her attack. They were pulled from play by the intruding cough of the sales clerk.

"Your ring is wrapped and ready Miss. Will your fiancée be paying for it," the clerk asked looking in Duo's direction.

"You think I'm marrying him?" The goddess nearly fell on the floor. "My dear I have much better taste than that."

Slipping
Falling
Calling your name
Slipping
Falling
Is all of this pain?
Slipping falling
I'm ready to see
Slipping falling
I ready to be

"So what was Duo doing today," Quatre's ever gentle voice asked politely.

Cathy shrugged, "He said something about ring shopping with Dorothy...but who knows." She sipped her coffee. Still unsure about the friendship between Duo and Dorothy Catalonia, knowing as long as there was doubt there she couldn't dare to slip into his pull.

The blonde's warm smile seemed to go deeper, "Oh that's wonderful. Dorothy had written me about that."

"About what," both Cathy and Trowa asked at nearly the same time.

Light blue eyes got a little wide, "You haven't heard?"

Trowa shook his head, "Obviously love, we haven't or we would know what you were talking about."

Quatre giggled, "Une and Dorothy got engaged about a week ago."

"Really," Cathy said, "engaged? The psychic powers of Duo Maxwell will never cease."

"What would you know about his supposed powers," Trowa asked softly, fighting his want to grin.

"He mentioned something about them at Heero and Hilde's party...that's all," she said quickly and then changed the subject while taking a large gulp from her cup.

The three sat in the shop for hours just talking and giggling at each other. Reliving past moments and creating some new ones as well. Cathy took it all in for what it was worth. She had to let go of her fear, and she wasn't sure what it was about falling that scared her anyway. She'd been hurt once before, but that seemed ages ago. Still, the scars remained, healed but deep. Something about falling from heights so high made her insides ache. She was pulled from the void of her fears by a light and warm voice.

"Cathy?" His light blues eyes mixed with concern and curiosity.

"Yes Quatre," she replied trying to smile.

"Are you ok?"

"Fine," she stumbled, "fine, just thinking about...about..."

"That fall you had," Trowa calmly interjected, "You shouldn't worry about it too much. Over thinking mistakes always causes more to be made."

"Whatever made you so wise," Cathy whispered. She finished up her coffee and then with a sharp smile began to prod Quatre for more information on Dorothy and Une's engagement.

Falling never felt so good
Never was so right than right now
Falling
Slipping
Calling your name
For lack of other words to say
And will you catch me
Catch me just before I hit bottom

His cell phone rang just as he hopped out of the car. Jumping just a bit as it also vibrated. His blonde companion laughed at the sight of it. His baby blues shot her a look as he spoke.

"This is Duo!"

The silences between speaking and answering intrigued the goddess ever so slightly. Watching as his expression grew more and more pleased. That wonderfully tormenting grin that had so plagued her earlier was now being used for other reasons.

"Well...if you're sure I can hop a shuttle tonight," he said cheerful, "What? Oh Dorothy can handle the club for one night...Hmm? Oh no she found a ring. But she can wait a day...Yes I'm sure...she won't mind."

Dorothy perked an eyebrow. Such interesting promises being made without her approval, but she supposed she could manage to let it slide this once. He immediately flipped the phone shut and practically jumped up and down with all his excitement.

"Break over," the goddess asked slyly.

He just nodded, beaming like a kid in a candy store.

"Well...I don't know what to say. Isn't this a sign of the apocalypse?"

"What?"

"Both of us settling down," she replied, "happy and content with our relationships. I could have sworn it meant the world was ending."

"Nope...I'd say it's just means the world is settling into perfection."

Continued…