Title: Austin
Author: Lindsey Yawn
Pairing: 2+R
Rating: G
Warnings: None, except for maybe a little angst and a lot of sap.
Notes: I heard this song and it has become one of my favorites! The
first time I heard it, I thought it would be really good for a Duo
and Relena fic, so here it is! And yes, I know it's strange to send
Relena to Austin, but hey, it matches the song, does it not? And
also, parts of the song are actually dialogue in the fic as well.
You'll see what I mean. Just read!
Lyrics are in <these>. Thoughts are in //these//.


Austin by Lindsey Yawn


<She left without even a number
Said she needed to clear her mind>

"Relena..." Duo reached for her wrist, but she moved before he could
grasp it. "What's wrong? We were doing good. We were happy, and now
this..."

"I'm sorry, Duo. It's just...things have been getting to me lately
and I need to go away for a while to set things straight with my
life. I need to find out things for myself. You know, without you,
for a little while." Relena looked up into his violet eyes; a
dangerous thing to do now, she knew. She saw the hurt in them, the
pain at the knowledge that she was leaving, and she almost changed
her mind. She almost took her suitcase back to their bedroom to
unpack.

But, she knew, in her mind, that she had to do this. It would be the
best thing, for both of them. "I'll still have my job as Vice-Foreign
Minister. Of course, I'll be doing most of my work there."

<He figured she'd gone back to Austin,
'Cause she talked about it all the time>

"You're going to Austin, right?"

Relena nodded. "Yes."

Duo didn't want to get his hopes up, but he had to ask. "You'll call,
right?"

Relena tried to smile. "Yes, Duo. I'll call." She glanced at the
clock. "My plane leaves at eleven, so I had better get going."

Duo did not say anything. He glanced at his feet, and tried
desperately to keep his tears in check. //I should smile for her.
I'll cry when I'm alone.// He looked back up, and met her pretty blue
eyed gaze. "Yeah. I guess you should, eh?" He grinned.

Though Relena could tell that his grin was a fake one, she did not
say anything about it. "Well." She cleared her throat once, quietly,
and shifted her suitcase from the right hand to the left. "Goodbye,
Duo."

"Goodbye, Relena." He lifted his hand, and reached out to touch her
cheek. Relena closed her eyes, anticipating the touch of his hand.

When she did not feel it, she opened her eyes, and looked up at him,
confused. He hesitated for a moment, and then let his hand drop to
the side. "You had better go."

Relena nodded, and Duo saw the sadness in her eyes as she turned to
walk out the door. //This was your decision, 'Lena.//

What he did not see, however, was the tears streaming down her face
as she headed for the airport.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

<It was almost a year
Before she called him up>

Relena's hand shook as she lifted the phone and dialed the
number. //He's gonna hate me! I told him I'd call, and here it's been
what? Eleven months? He might have gotten married to somebody for all
I know!//

<Three rings, and an answering machine
Was what she got>

//Why isn't he picking up?// She wondered, tapping her fingernails on
the countertop nervously. //Wait a second, an answering machine?
Since when did Duo Maxwell record messages on an answering machine?//

<If you're callin' 'bout the car, I sold it
If this is Tuesday night, I'm bowling
If you've got somethin' to sell, you're waistin' your time
I'm not buyin'
If it's anybody else, wait for the tone
You know what to do
And P.S. If this is Austin,
I still love you>

Relena gasped.

<The telephone fell to the counter
She heard, but she couldn't believe>

The phone made a series of clattering noises as it fell to the
counter, and Relena buried her face in her hands. //I don't believe
this...//

<What kind of man
Would hang on that long?
What kind of love that must be>

Relena finally lifted the reciever from the countertop, and placed it
back in its cradle. //He's waited for me this long....he's hung onto
me for this long...he's loved me for this long...//

She glanced out the window. //I'll try again in a few days.//

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

<She waited three days
And then she tried again>

//What do I say? If he answers the phone, what do I do? What will he
think?// Relena fidgeted in her seat, pushing a few strands of blonde
hair behind her ear.

<She didn't know what she'd say
But she heard three rings and then>

//The answering machine, again?//

<If it's Friday night, I'm at the ballgame
And first thing Saturday, if it don't rain
I'm headed out to the lake, and I'll be gone all weekend long
But I'll call ya back when I get home
On Sunday afternoon
And P.S. If this is Austin,
I still love you>

Relena covered the mouthpiece, and took a deep shaky breath.

<This time she left her number
But not another word>

Moving her hand away from the mouthpiece, she said softly: "612-
5487." And then, she hung up. //Can't wait until his reaction
Sunday.//

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Duo was, to say the least, surprised to find a message on the
answering machine when he came back in Sunday. Sighing, he pressed
the play button. //Probably just some doofus askin' me to switch
phone companies or somethin.'//

Boy, was he ever wrong. As soon as he heard the voice, HER voice, his
head swivelled around. //Relena...//

"612-5487." *Click*.

//That's her number!// He realized. //She left her number!// He
snatched the phone from its cradle, and dialed. //Please be
home....please be home...//

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

<Then she waited by the phone
On Sunday evening
And this is what he heard>

The phone ringing startled Relena from her doze. She opened her eyes,
shook her head a few times to clear it, glanced at the phone, and
realized: //That's Duo!// After letting it ring a few more times, she
finally answered. Smiling, she said:

<If you're callin' 'bout my heart, it's still yours
Shoulda listened to it a little more
Then it wouldn't have taken me so long
To know where I belong>

She could hear his surprised intake of breath, and she continued:

<And by the way, boy
This is no machine you're talkin' to
Can't ya tell
This is Austin
And I still love you>

She choked up then, and began to cry. She heard Duo's voice above her
sobbing.

"Relena....it's really you."

She nodded. Realizing that nodding would do no good, since he could
not see her, she decided to speak. "Yes. It's me. I'm sorry, Duo. I'm
sorry it took so long to realize...to realize where I really belong.
I don't belong here in Austin. I belong at HOME, with you."

She heard him chuckle. "I've waited for you, 'Lena. I've never had
another. I know that you're the only one for me, so how could I
possibly get into a relationship with someone else?"

Relena was now laughing and crying all at the same time. "I haven't
been with anyone else, either, Duo. I couldn't. I thought about
you...all the time. I was too scared to call."

"Are you coming home, 'Lena?" Duo asked hopefully.

"If you want me to."

"Silly 'Lena! Of course I want you to come home! You have no idea how
horrible it's been without you. It gets cold at night, without you."

"I do have an idea, Duo. It's been miserable without you, too."
Relena wiped a tear from her eye, and sniffed.

"When will you be home?"

"If I can get a ticket tomorrow, I should be back by Tuesday night.
Maybe Tuesday morning, if I'm lucky."

"I love you, 'Lena."

She felt tears rise in her eyes again, and she shut her eyes to keep
them from leaking out. "I love you too, Duo."

"'Lena, I guess I had better let you go so you can make
preparations."

"Yes. I'll see you Tuesday, then."

A pause.

"'Lena?"

"Yeah?"

"Goodnight, 'Lena."

She smiled, even though she knew that he couldn't see
her. "Goodnight, Duo."

<I still love you...>


Alrighty! There we go! That should be alright! ^_^