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You're Not Alone	By : Hideki LaShae Category: Gundam Wing/AC > General Views: 1392 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing/AC, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
Disclaimer:
All Gundam Wing characters and references belong to their respective owners.
Story elements � Hideki LaShae. No money was gained in the writing of this
story.

Dedicated to
the dream and the woman responsible for getting me to chase it.

Courting Relena

Part One � Heero�s Chance

By

Hideki LaShae

The year is After Colony 197, and
peace has managed to find it�s way to the Earth and the Space Colonies alike.
The Gundams, which had been a crucial part in achieving peace, have been
destroyed, and the last remnants of the soldiers who thrive on war are being
taken care of.

Heero Yuy, the former pilot of
the Gundam Wing Zero, is currently in one of the last mobile suits on planet
Earth.

His opponents are in the other
four.

Heero lowers his beam rifle and
sends a fiery hot blast straight through one suit and into another.

The two mobile suits explode as
Relena Darlian, the princess of the Sanc Kingdom, runs out onto the runway.
�HEERO!!!�

�Get out of here, Relena!�
screams Heero.

�Not without you, Heero!� yells
Relena. Her long blond hair billows in the wind, and she looks towards the
battle with beautiful blue eyes.

One of the remaining two mobile
suits fighting Heero fires his machine gun.

The bullets rip through Heero�s
mobile suit and tear the left arm completely off.

Heero swings his beam rifle
around and fires it at the mobile suit.

The mobile suit explodes as the
beam hits it.

Relena watches in horror as the
last enemy mobile suit fires its machine gun directly into the cockpit of
Heero�s suit. She starts to run towards the two mobile suits. �HEERO!!!�

Heero�s mobile suit falls forward
onto the other suit, and they both crash into the ground.

Relena runs faster towards the
two suits. Tears start running down her face. �Heero!�

Up ahead of her the two mobile
suits explode, and the shockwave knocks Relena to the ground.

Relena lifts herself up enough to
see the burning wreckage before she collapses to the ground sobbing. She hears
footsteps approaching her, but she doesn�t care. One of the most important
people in her life has just died. All she wants to do is grieve. She buries her
face in her hands, so her companion won�t see how much she�s crying.

The man reaches Relena, and he
pulls her up to her feet. He wraps his arms gently around her back and pulls
her as close to him as she can get. He lets her cry for a few moments before he
quietly whispers to her, �Shh� Relena, don�t cry for me.�

Relena snaps her head up at the
sound of the familiar voice, and she looks into his face at the dark disheveled
hair and enchanting eyes. She�d know that face anywhere. �Heero!�

Heero wipes the tears from
Relena�s eyes.

Relena closes her eyes and
puckers her lips.

Heero leans towards Relena as if
he intends to kiss her, but he moves his lips close to her ear instead. He
whispers, �I can�t kiss you.�

Heero moves away from Relena and
starts walking towards the terminal.

Relena opens her eyes and stands
there, ashamed of herself for being so forward.

Heero stops and turns to look at
Relena. �Well, Relena, are you coming or not?�

Relena looks at Heero and sees
him holding out his arm for her. She wipes the last of her tears from her face
and runs over to him. She grabs his arm and smiles. Her cheeks redden slightly
as she asks, �Why can�t you kiss me?�

Heero shakes Relena off his arm.
�I won�t fool you into believing I love you.�

Relena looks away from Heero as
he says those words, and it comes as a complete shock to her when Heero rests
his arm over her shoulders. �Heero? How did you survive that battle? I thought
for sure you were dead when I saw the machine gun fire on the cockpit.�

�I had some time to modify the
suit before the battle. I added a back exit and a remote self-destruct,� says
Heero sliding his arm down Relena�s back and letting his hand rest on her hip.

Relena rests her head on Heero�s
shoulder as they walk into the terminal. She whispers, �I�m glad you�re not
hurt.�

�What are you doing here,
Relena?� asks Heero stopping them in the middle of the empty terminal.

�I came to get you. I came to
bring you back to the Sanc Kingdom,� says Relena looking into Heero�s Prussian
blue eyes, �I believe my brother, Milliardo, has a request of you. Please come
with me!�

Heero nods his head. �Lead the
way.�

Relena smiles.

Heero takes his arm off Relena�s
back and lets her take his hand.

Relena pulls Heero out the other
side of the terminal and into a waiting limousine.

Heero and Relena sit on opposite
sides of the seat as the limo speeds towards the nearby Sanc Kingdom.

�It was easy to track you down
this time, Heero,� says Relena staring at him, �You weren�t covering your
tracks like you normally do. Did you want to be found?� She slides over to
Heero and rests her head on his shoulder.

�I was in a hurry. What does
Milliardo Peacecraft want with me?� asks Heero.

�He is the leader of the Sanc
Kingdom now, and he�s helping the world move towards total pacifism,� says
Relena, �but I don�t know why he would ask to see you. We have one stop to make
on the way home. Then you can speak to Milliardo.�

�Where are we stopping?� asks Heero.

�The airport. We�re meeting
someone who�s coming in on the shuttle,� says Relena, �If I had know I�d find
you at an airport, I could have made the arrangements for the shuttle to land
there instead of the Sanc Kingdom Airfield.�

The limo takes a really fast left
turn sending Relena sprawling onto the seat and knocking Heero down on top of
her.

Relena blushes at their proximity
to each other. Her voice is quiet when she speaks, �Oh, Heero!�

Heero falls off Relena as the
limo suddenly stops.

Relena rolls off the seat and
crashes on top of Heero.

The doors open quickly.

�Well, what do we have here?�
asks a familiar voice as a smiling face pops into the car.

�None of our concern,� says a
Chinese man climbing in and sitting down.

Relena turns bright red as she
pulls herself off Heero. She pretends not to notice that his cheeks were also
turning pink. She helps him up, and they sit down with their backs to the front
of the car.

�I don�t care what you think,
Duo! Nothing happened!� exclaims Heero glowering at his friend.

�That�s not what it looked like
to me, Heero!� exclaims the young man with the wide grin and the waist-long
chestnut brown braid, �What do you think, Wufei?� His violet eyes twinkle
mischievously. He is Duo Maxwell, the former pilot of the Gundam Deathscythe.

�Leave me out of this, Duo,� says
the Chinese man. He is Chang Wufei, the former pilot of the Shenlong Gundam,
his Nataku.

�What are we missing out here?�
asks an attractive, blond-haired man with stunning blue eyes. He climbs into
the limo and sits down beside Relena. He is Quatre Raberba Winner, the former
pilot of the Gundam Sandrock.

The former pilot of Gundam
Heavyarms, Trowa Barton, climbs in the other side and closes the door. His
piercing emerald green eyes hide behind the brown hair that covers half his
face but does not disguise his emotionless look.

Wufei closes the door on his side
as Trowa sits down in between him and Duo.

�Quatre! It�s so good to see you
again!� exclaims Relena giving him a quick embrace. She shakes hands with the
other three pilots. �How was your flight?�

�Fine,� says Trowa.

�Oh, yeah, fine, except for the
fact that we just crashed the shuttle!� exclaims Duo, �That�s why the limo had
to do its evasive maneuvers! Man, Heero, you should have seen the look on your
face!�

Heero scowls at Duo with an
expression that is sure to kill.

�Relena, what does Milliardo
want?� asks Wufei quick to change the subject before Heero gets agitated any
further than he already is.

�I�m afraid I don�t know,� says
Relena, �He hasn�t discussed it with me.� She knocks on the dark glass behind
her head three times, and the limo starts to move again.

�How long until we�re there?�
asks Trowa.

�It should only be a few
minutes,� says Relena, �We�re not too far away from home.�

�Were you all summoned by him?�
asks Heero.

�I prefer to think of it as requested,�
says Quatre, �but yes. He�s asked us all to come to the Sanc Kingdom.�

The glass behind Relena and Heero
lowers.

�Miss Relena, we are almost
there,� says the driver, Relena�s old friend, Pagan, �Mr. Milliardo has just
called. He will be detained on his return.�

�Thank you, Pagan,� says Relena,
�It looks like you�ll have time to freshen up before you speak to Milliardo.�

�That would be wonderful,� says
Quatre, �Thank you, Relena.�

The limo stops, and in a moment,
Pagan opens the door.

Wufei climbs out and walks
towards the mansion that is Relena�s home.

Quatre gets out of the limo and
moves to Wufei�s side to stare at the mansion. �Opinion?�

�Impressive,� says Wufei.

Duo runs up and grabs Wufei and
Quatre�s hands. �Don�t just stand there! Let�s check it out!�

Duo pulls Wufei and Quatre into
the mansion as Trowa, Heero, and Relena climb out of the limo.

�Come. I�ll give you a tour,�
says Relena.

�Thank you,� says Trowa.

Relena smiles and leads them
inside where they meet Duo, Quatre, and Wufei staring down a very angry maid by
the name of Allison. �Hello, Allison. Is something wrong?�

�Miss Relena, do you know these
people?� asks Allison.

�Yes, I do. They are guests of
mine and Milliardo�s,� says Relena, �Now what did they do to upset you?�

�I just finished cleaning this
floor, and they come in tracking enough dirt to make a mountain!� exclaims
Allison.

�Allison, why don�t you take the
rest of the day off?� asks Relena, �Don�t worry about the mess.�

Allison nods. She turns and walks
away.

�Perhaps I should show you to
your rooms first,� says Relena as Pagan comes in, �Pagan, could you get Marissa
to clean this floor again?�

�Yes, Miss Relena,� says Pagan.

�Come with me,� says Relena
leading her five friends up the staircase. She shows them each to a bedroom.
�You�ll find a variety of clothes in the closet and dresser. You should be able
to find something you like. I will be downstairs in the den if you need
anything.�

�Alright, Relena,� says Duo.

Relena turns and walks away.

The five former Gundam pilots
head into their rooms.

Relena hurries into the den and
sits down at her computer. She turns the monitor on and pulls up the last
screen that she had opened, her electronic messaging system. She smiles when
she sees the response to her last letter. �I�ll be there. See you in the
morning. And I�ll bring a friend.�

Relena closes the screen and
opens her schoolwork. Even one who has ruled the world still needs to learn,
and right now she�s learning accounting. She pulls her calculator out of the
desk drawer and starts on her work.

�Miss Relena?� asks Pagan coming
into the den, �I�m sorry to disturb you.�

�Oh, Pagan! Wonderful!� exclaims
Relena standing up, �I have something I�ll need you to do for me. A few of my
friends are coming over tomorrow, and I�ll need you to pick them up at the
airfield.�

�Yes, Miss Relena,� says Pagan,
�Also, Mr. Quatre is here to see you.� He steps aside to reveal Quatre.

Relena walks out from behind the
desk. She smiles when she sees the khaki dress pants and pale blue dress shirt
worn by her friend. �Quatre! You look wonderful! I�m sure Allison would
approve!�

Quatre laughs. �I suppose she
would!�

Pagan nods to Relena and leaves
in silence.

�Now, Quatre, what did you come
down here for?� asks Relena clasping his hands in her own.

�I would much like to talk to you
on a personal matter,� says Quatre smiling.

Wufei knocks gently on the door
once and walks into the den. �Am I interrupting?�

Quatre smiles at Wufei and
releases Relena�s hands. �No, Wufei. My conversation with Relena can wait.�

Wufei looks handsome in his black
dress pants and white shirt. His shirt is left unbuttoned to reveal the white
tank top beneath. His black hair is slicked back and tied in a ponytail at the
base of his neck, his preferred hairstyle. �Good. The others should be down
soon. Then we can have our tour.�

�Of course,� says Relena nodding
her head.

As if on cue, Trowa enters the
den in a black long-sleeved T-shirt and dark blue jeans.

The phone on the desk starts to
ring.

Relena walks over to the desk and
lifts the receiver to her ear. �Peacecraft Manor. Relena Darlian Peacecraft
speaking��

Relena listens to the person on
the other end of the line for a moment then she slams the phone down. She
clenches her fists and seethes in silent anger.

Heero and Duo walk into the den
together. Duo has his arm over Heero�s shoulders, and Heero looks quite
displeased.

�Hey, Relena! Is something
wrong?� asks Duo looking at the blond princess.

Relena spins around to face them
and smoothes her hair. �No. Just a wrong number!�

Duo wears a dark burgundy tank
top with black slacks.

Heero walks out from beneath
Duo�s arm. He wears a black tank top and jeans with a brown leather jacket.
�Time for the tour?�

Relena smiles and nods. �Is
everyone ready for the grand tour?�

�Relena, who was really on the
phone?� asks Trowa.

�Lucrezia Noin,� says Relena with
a sigh, �She and Milliardo will arrive here in time for dinner. Milliardo will
speak to you all after dinner. For all the good he�s doing, I could have
picked you all up tomorrow.� She walks to the door. �Come with me. I�ll give
you the tour.�

They all head out of the den.

�� *�� *�� *

Heero meets Milliardo Peacecraft,
the current King of the Sanc Kingdom, as he enters the mansion with Lucrezia
Noin, his advisor and close friend. �The others are waiting in your office, Zechs!
Dinner won�t be served until you give us some answers.�

Milliardo nods. His golden blond
hair falls down his back. �Very well. Noin, would you check on dinner?�

�Yes, Milliardo,� says Noin, and
she walks towards the kitchen.

Milliardo and Heero head up the
stairs and soon enter Milliardo�s office.

Milliardo�s blue eyes shoot
directly to Relena as she sits chatting with Duo and Quatre. �Relena, would you
please go down to the kitchen? Noin would like to speak to you.�

�Yes, Milliardo,� says Relena
standing, �Did she say what about?�

�No. I�m afraid she didn�t,� says
Milliardo motioning with his hands, �I believe it was some sort of woman
thing.�

Relena smiles and chuckles
lightly. �See you all at dinner.�

�See ya, Relena!� exclaims Duo
happily.

Heero and Relena�s eyes meet as
she brushes past him, and for a moment, the whole world stands still.

Relena walks out of the office.

Milliardo closes the door and
locks it. �Now, down to business.�

�Why did you want us here?� asks
Wufei.

Milliardo sits down on his desk.
�Before I tell you why I�ve asked you here, you must swear not to breathe one
word of this to Relena.�

�Why not?� asks Trowa.

�For her own safety,� says Milliardo,
�Swear to me you will not tell her.�

The five pilots look around at
each other and finally nod their heads.

�We won�t tell her unless we feel
it absolutely necessary,� says Heero.

�That will have to do,� says
Milliardo as Heero sits down in the spot emptied by Relena. He gets off his
desk and moves to a picture on the wall. He pulls a piece of paper from behind
the frame. �I got this letter two days ago.�

Duo snatches the letter from
Milliardo�s hand and opens it. He reads it aloud, �Hello, Zechs Merquis, I will
get straight to the point. You have taken something from me, so I will take
something from you. Say your good-byes to your sister, Princess Relena. She
will soon be mine, but don�t worry, I�ll send her pieces back to you.�

Quatre clamps his right hand over
his mouth and clutches his stomach.

Duo�s skin turns a stark white.

Trowa crosses his arms over his
chest, and Wufei, who�s sitting beside him, clenches his fists.

Heero stands up and looks
directly at Milliardo. �No one is going to hurt Relena!�

�I asked you all to come here
because I need your help. For a while now, I�ve been planning to create a
Secret Service for the Sanc Kingdom. They would be part body-guard and part
detective,� says Milliardo, �I would like to hire you all for Peacecraft
Security, and your first task would be to protect Relena.�

�No one is going to hurt Relena!�
exclaims Heero again.

Trowa stands. �Your offer
interests me. I�ll think it over.�

Duo hangs his head. �Hilde� Hilde
and I have our own business in the colonies. I�m sure I can sweet-talk her into
letting me stay until you get your little operation up and running though.�

�I will join Peacecraft
Security,� says Wufei firmly.

Quatre runs his hands through his
hair and nods his head. �I can stay for awhile. The Winner Resource Satellite
doesn�t need me now. My sisters can handle it for a time.�

�Heero?� asks Milliardo.

�No one is going to hurt Relena!�
exclaims Heero, �Not with me as the head of Peacecraft Security! I swear
to protect Relena!�

Milliardo nods. �Thank you,
Heero, everyone. I�ll give you more information tomorrow. We should go down to
dinner now.�

�Why haven�t you told Relena?�
asks Trowa.

�I don�t want to worry her,� says
Milliardo, �and if you do your job well, she�ll never have to know.�

Heero and Trowa both scowl at
Milliardo.

�Well, let�s go down to dinner,
shall we!� exclaims Duo.

Milliardo unlocks the door and
opens it. He walks out followed by Trowa.

Duo pulls Heero out of the
office.

Wufei stands and sets his hand on
Quatre�s shoulder. �Quatre? Are you okay, little one?�

Quatre looks up at Wufei and
nods. �Just a little disgusted by that letter. I�ll be fine.�

Wufei pulls Quatre up into a very
close, tender embrace. �Relena will be okay.�

Quatre wraps his arms gently
around Wufei and rests his head on his friend�s shoulder.

�We should catch up to the
others,� whispers Wufei pushing Quatre just far enough away so that he can look
into the blue eyes of his friend.

Quatre stares into Wufei�s black
eyes. �Yes, we should go.�

Quatre closes his eyes and relaxes
in Wufei�s arms. For a second, he thought he felt Wufei�s breath on his cheek,
but then Wufei moved out of his arms. He opens his eyes again as Wufei takes
his hand and pulls him out of the room.

Quatre and Wufei run to catch up
to the others, and they head to the dining room.

�� *�� *�� *

Relena sits silently beside the
black-haired Noin in the dining room when Milliardo and the boys walk in.

�Hello, ladies. I hope you
haven�t been waiting long,� says Milliardo.

Relena stands up angrily.
�Milliardo! If you didn�t want me to know what you brought my friends here for,
all you had to do was say so! You didn�t have to make up some lie about Noin
wanting to speak with me!�

�Relena!� exclaims Milliardo,
�Let me explain!�

Relena walks past Milliardo. She
takes Heero and Duo�s hands and pulls them towards the table. �I bet you two
are just starving!�

�I am hungry!� exclaims Duo,
�What are we having?�

�We�re having the local wildlife.
Some small game hens,� says Noin turning her brown eyes to Duo, �They are quite
tasty.�

�Great! Bring on dinner!�
exclaims Duo sitting down opposite of Noin.

Heero sits down in the chair
facing the one Relena left vacant.

Trowa walks up to Relena. He
brushes up close to her and whispers, �Don�t be mad at your brother. He had
good reasons for not wanting you there.�

Relena�s eyes widen as she
watches Trowa move to a seat.

Wufei and Quatre sit down.

Relena walks back to her seat as
Milliardo rings the bell for dinner to be served.

Milliardo takes his seat.

Relena smiles at Heero. �So, how
long are you going to be staying?�

�Until I decide to quit,� says
Heero, �Milliardo offered me a job� as the Head of Peacecraft Security.�

�Peacecraft Security?� asks
Relena widening her eyes.

�I�ve never heard of that,� says
Noin.

�It�s just been created,� says
Heero, �We�re the only employees. Wufei and I have agreed to sign on for an
indefinite period of time.�

Relena looks at Heero and blushes
slightly at this bit of news.

Pagan and a pretty maid come into
the dining room pushing carts full of food. They place plates in front of
everyone.

�Thank you, Pagan,� says Relena,
�Marissa.�

�We�re all going to try to stay
here for awhile to get it working,� says Quatre.

�Wonderful!� exclaims Relena
smiling as she looks around at her friends, �Oh, yes, Milliardo. That
conference I told you about� the one that was supposed to be next month� it has
been moved up to next week.�

�I don�t think you should go
alone,� says Milliardo, �but we can talk about that later.�

Relena nods. She takes a sip of
her wine before starting to eat.

Heero glares at Milliardo for a
moment before starting in on his bird.

�� *�� *�� *

Heero walks quietly down the hall
that night and stops in front of a door. He knocks gently three times and
waits.

The door opens as Relena wraps
her robe around herself. �Heero? Do you know what time it is?�

�Yes, Relena. I do. It�s half
past one, but I need to speak with you. Now,� says Heero.

Relena steps aside. �Come in.�

Heero walks into Relena�s bedroom
and closes the door behind him. �Let�s go onto the balcony.�

�Yes. It is a lovely night,� says
Relena opening the door to the balcony and walking out into the night.

Heero walks out onto the balcony.
He takes off his jacket and places it over Relena�s shoulders over top of her
thin robe. �You�re going to freeze in that outfit.�

�Thank you, Heero,� says Relena.
She leans on the railing looking out across the grounds.

Heero leans back against the wall
and closes his eyes. �Someone wants to kill you.�

Relena turns around abruptly, and
the jacket Heero gave her falls to the floor. �What did you say?�

�Someone wants to kill you,� says
Heero opening his eyes. He sees Relena shiver, and he quickly bends down and
lifts the jacket. He wraps it around Relena once more and helps her push her
arms through the sleeves. �That is why your brother asked us all here. He
received a letter from someone who wants to kidnap you and send Milliardo your
dead body.�

�Why didn�t he tell me himself?�
asks Relena.

�He doesn�t want you to worry,�
says Heero, �and he made us all swear not to tell you unless we felt it was
imperative for you to know. And I feel it is. Relena, I don�t want you to go
anywhere without one of us.�

�That�s what Peacecraft Security
is for� to protect me?� asks Relena.

�Yes. To protect you and
himself,� says Heero grabbing Relena�s arms.

�I will go everywhere with one of
you,� says Relena nodding.

�I swear to you, Relena, no one
will hurt you as long as I am alive,� says Heero pulling her into his
embrace.

�Heero,� sighs Relena.

Heero�s lips brush gently against
Relena�s cheek before he whispers into her ear, �We should go in. You need to
get some sleep.�

Relena nods. �Thank you, Heero�
for being here� for telling me� for everything.�

Heero guides Relena back into her
room. �Get in bed. I�ll stay until you fall asleep.�

Relena smiles and takes off
Heero�s jacket. She tosses it into a chair as Heero locks the balcony doors.
She slides her robe off to reveal her blue satin nightgown, and she climbs into
her bed.

Heero closes the curtains and
walks over to the bed as Relena lies down. He pulls the blanket up over her and
quickly kisses her forehead. �Good night, Relena.�

�Good night, Heero,� says Relena.
She watches Heero sit down in the chair with his coat before she closes her
eyes and falls asleep.

�� *�� *�� *

�Relena? Could I speak with you
now?� asks Quatre walking into the den where Relena sits doing her work.

�Yes, of course, Quatre,� says
Relena standing up and walking around the desk. She grabs Quatre�s hands and
leads him over to the couch where they sit down together. �Now, what�s on your
mind?�

�I would like your help,� says
Quatre blushing slightly, �You see, women don�t interest me. I like them just
fine, but only as friends.�

�You like women, but you love
men?� asks Relena. She smiles warmly at Quatre hoping to make him feel more
comfortable.

Quatre nods and blushes more.
�Well, I really like one of the other Gundam pilots, but I don�t know if
he likes women or men.�

�Would you like me to make some
inquiries?� asks Relena, �I can try to find out if he likes men and if he�s
interested in you!�

�Thank you so much, Relena!�
exclaims Quatre. He leans in really close to Relena and whispers into her ear,
�I really like Wufei.�

�Really?� asks Relena as Quatre
moves back.

�We�ve been writing and calling
each other often,� says Quatre smiling.

�I�ll talk to him!� exclaims
Relena smiling wide. She embraces Quatre quickly. �Oh, wait! What time is it?�

Quatre looks at his watch. �It�s
almost ten. Why?�

�I have some friends stopping by.
They should be getting here any minute!� exclaims Relena, �I�m going down to
greet them, but I promise I�ll talk to him today!� She winks slyly.

�I�ll come with you,� says Quatre
standing up with Relena, and together they hurry down to wait by the front
door.

�I am so happy for you, Quatre! I
hope this really works out for you!� exclaims Relena opening the door and
walking outside to sit on the steps.

Quatre closes the door and sits
down beside Relena. �So how is it going with Heero? Has he taken the hint yet?�

Relena sighs. �No. When I picked
him up yesterday he said he couldn�t kiss me. He doesn�t want to fool me into
thinking he loves me. But then, late last night he came to talk to me. He
kissed my forehead as he put me in bed. Then he sat with me until I fell
asleep.�

Relena blushes happily.

Quatre smiles assuredly.

The black limo pulls up in front
of the mansion.

Relena and Quatre stand up
quickly.

The door of the limo opens, and a
pretty, dark-haired young woman climbs out.

�Hilde!� exclaims Relena.

�Relena!� exclaims Hilde Schbeiker
running to embrace Relena quickly.

�Now, Hilde, who was this friend
you brought?� asks Relena.

A slightly older woman with curly
brown hair climbs out of the limo. She walks up to Relena, Hilde, and Quatre.
�I am Catherine Bloom. Trowa is my younger brother.�

�It is such a pleasure to meet
you, Catherine,� says Relena smiling warmly, �I�m Relena Darlian.�

�And I hope you remember me.
Quatre Raberba Winner,� says Quatre.

�Yes, I know you both,� says
Catherine, �It�s a pleasure to be here. Call me Cathie.�

�Let�s get your luggage, and I�ll
show you to your rooms,� says Relena, �Duo and Trowa will be so surprised to
see you!�

Pagan brings the luggage up from
the limo.

�Thank you, Pagan,� says Relena
taking two bags from him.

Quatre takes the two remaining bags.
�Come on!�

Quatre and Relena lead the way
inside and take the two women up the stairs to two empty bedrooms.

�The boys are in a meeting right
now so you can rest up and see them at lunch,� says Relena.

�Speaking of meetings, I have my
own to go to,� says Quatre, �I�ll see you at lunch. And Relena, remember my
question.�

�I will, Quatre. See you at
lunch,� says Relena before Quatre walks away.

�Thanks for the invite, Relena,�
says Hilde, �I was in need of a vacation!�

Relena embraces Hilde quickly.
�My pleasure! Now if only I could snag Heero the way you did Duo!�

�Oh, Relena, one day he�ll have
to come around!� exclaims Hilde.

�I�m going to rest before lunch,�
says Catherine heading into her room.

�Yeah, me too!� says Hilde
walking into her own room.

Relena thinks for a moment before
hurrying off to try to find Wufei. She walks past Milliardo�s door and sees a
small crack of light pouring out from inside. She listens intently and soon
hears Wufei�s voice. She smiles and continues down the hallway, intending to
talk to Wufei later. She hurries to the den and starts to do her work, thankful
for a few quiet moments.

Relena works for over an hour
before a quiet knock distracts her from her homework. She looks up and smiles.
�Yes, Trowa?�

�Lunch is ready, Relena,� says
Trowa.

�Alright. I�ll be down in a few
minutes,� says Relena standing, �I just have one thing to do first!�

Trowa nods and leaves.

Relena hurries to get Catherine
and Hilde for lunch.

�The boys will be so surprised.
They don�t know you�re here,� says Relena as she heads to the dining room with
her two friends, �Unless Quatre told them.�

�I hope not. I�d like to see the
look on Duo�s face,� says Hilde giggling.

�And I�m sure Trowa doesn�t know
I�m here,� says Catherine, �I can only stay for a few days though.�

�Because of the circus?� asks
Relena.

Catherine nods. �We�re going on a
tour of the colonies. I�ll need to be back before our next performance. I hope
Trowa can come back with me.�

�We�ll see about that,� says
Relena, �You can talk with him after lunch.�

Relena leads the two girls into
the dining room.

�Duo!� exclaims Hilde smiling.

�Hilde!� exclaims Duo jumping up
from his seat. He runs over to Hilde and lifts her up in his arms before
kissing her passionately.

�Well, it�s good to see you too,
Duo,� says Hilde turning red.

Duo pulls Hilde over to the
table.

Trowa stands as soon as he sees
Catherine. �Cathie!�

�Hi, Trowa!� exclaims Catherine
moving up to the table and taking a seat across from her brother, �You�ve been
gone from the circus a long time. I�ve missed you.�

�I know. I�ve missed you,
Cathie,� says Trowa sitting down again.

Relena smiles and takes her seat
across from Heero just as Pagan and Marissa bring out the lunch carts.

Heero looks at Relena and just
stares at her with a blank look on his face. He closes his eyes right as Relena
looks towards him.

�Heero, could I speak to you for
a moment?� asks Quatre standing.

Heero nods and stands. He walks
out of the dining room with Quatre. �What is it, Quatre?�

�She cares for you. Relena. I think
she even loves you,� says Quatre, �And I know you care for her, but if you
don�t tell her about it, you�re going to lose her! She needs to know how you
feel.�

�I don�t care for her the way she
wants me to,� says Heero.

�Then tell her that,� says Quatre,
�It isn�t fair to her to keep leading her on like this. Don�t hurt her like
that.�

�No one will hurt Relena,� says
Heero, �Not even me.�

Quatre nods. �Let�s go in for
lunch.�

Heero and Quatre return to the
dining room and join their friends for lunch.

�� *�� *�� *

Relena waits outside of
Milliardo�s office. She�s been there for nearly an hour just waiting.

The door opens, and Heero walks
out. He smiles at Relena.

Relena smiles. �Good afternoon,
Heero.�

�Relena,� says Heero.

Wufei walks out of the office
followed by Milliardo.

�Oh, Relena. Did you need
something?� asks Milliardo.

�I was actually hoping that I
might have a few words with Wufei,� says Relena looking from Milliardo to
Wufei.

Wufei nods his head. �Let�s go
for a walk, Relena. Heero, I�ll meet you later to go over the preparations.�

�I�ll be out in the limo for a
few hours,� says Heero, �I�ll catch up to you when I get back. Protect Relena
for me, Wufei.�

�I will, Heero,� says Wufei
placing his hand on the small of Relena�s back and leading her away.

Heero glares at Wufei for a
moment before storming off in the other direction.

�Did I miss something?� asks
Milliardo looking back and forth down the hallway on either side. He sighs and
shakes his head as he walks back into his office.

Wufei and Relena walk in silence
until they reach the garden.

�Wufei, I have a personal
question to ask you, but I�m not quite sure how to say it,� says Relena as they
walk into the rose garden.

Wufei guides Relena to an iron
bench, and they sit down. �Well, then, Relena, maybe you should just ask me.�

�That doesn�t seem right
somehow,� says Relena, �So I�m going to do it my way, but I may stumble over my
words a lot. So please just try to understand.�

�I will,� says Wufei nodding.

Relena takes a deep breath.
�Well, I have this friend that really likes you.�

�I�m not interested. I like
someone else,� says Wufei.

�No, Wufei, just listen!�
exclaims Relena, �My friend isn�t a woman. It�s actually a man.�

�A man?�

�Yes. He really likes you, but
he�s not sure if you like men or women. He doesn�t want to be hurt by asking
you himself,� says Relena quickly.

�Relena, you�re a great friend,�
says Wufei.

Relena waits for a moment hoping
Wufei will continue, but when he doesn�t, she asks, �Wufei, what is your sexual
preference?�

Wufei sighs. He looks directly
into Relena�s blue eyes as he stands up. �I actually like men, but I have my
heart set on someone.�

�Wufei! He was afraid you
wouldn�t care for him like that, but he really likes you!� exclaims Relena
standing up.

Wufei turns around angrily and
runs away as fast as he can.

�Wufei! It�s Quatre! He�s the one
who asked me to talk to you!� exclaims Relena as Wufei�s quick feet carry him
out of earshot, �Quatre really likes you!� She falls to her knees so certain
that Wufei hadn�t heard her last words. She bursts into tears as she realizes
that she may have just ruined Quatre�s chance at happiness.

�� *�� *�� *

Wufei runs into the house, and he
starts his frantic search. He hurries upstairs and knocks on the door to
Quatre�s bedroom.

Quatre opens the door. �Hi,
Wufei.�

�Can I come in?� asks Wufei.

�Of course,� says Quatre stepping
back into his room.

Wufei walks into the room and
closes the door. He slides the lock into place and turns to face Quatre. �I
just had a nice talk with Relena. She had some interesting things to say.�

�Really? What did she say?� asks
Quatre.

�I thought we were friends, and
as friends� I thought you would be the one to tell me that you�re
attracted to men instead of women,� says Wufei, �Why didn�t you?�

�I�m sorry, Wufei, but I wasn�t
sure how you would respond to that,� says Quatre, �I haven�t told any of the
others either� not even Trowa. I didn�t want it to make you uncomfortable
around me.�

�Bullshit! Like that would
happen! You�re my friend, Quatre!� exclaims Wufei.

Quatre nods. �I�m sorry, Wufei. I
should have believed in your friendship.�

�Relena told me something else
too,� says Wufei, �She implied that you�re attracted to me. Is that
true?�

�She did?� asks Quatre, �Well,
yes. I am attracted to you.�

Wufei takes a step towards
Quatre. The expression on his face is slightly angered. �Now I have a reason to
do something to you that I�ve wanted to do for a long time.�

Quatre swallows hard and closes
his eyes. He�s not sure what his friend will do when he reaches him, but he
does know that Wufei is a profound martial artist. He half expects an attack of
some sort, so he is completely unprepared for the passionate kiss he receives.

Quatre comes out of the kiss
breathless, and he opens his eyes to look at Wufei.

�I�m attracted to you too,
Quatre, and I�d really like to give this a chance,� says Wufei wrapping his
arms around Quatre�s body.

Quatre smiles and relaxes in
Wufei�s arms. He wraps his arms around his friend. �I would like to give it a
chance too!�

�How did you think I�d react? Did
you think I�d try to beat you up just because you like me?� asks Wufei smiling.

�I wasn�t sure,� whispers Quatre
pulling himself closer to Wufei, �but that thought had crossed my mind.�

�You wouldn�t have thought that
if I had told you my feelings sooner, Little One,� says Wufei, �but I didn�t
know how either.�

�That doesn�t matter, �Fei! We
both know now!� exclaims Quatre quickly kissing the man in his arms. �We should
thank Relena later for helping us break the ice.�

Wufei smiles. �Perhaps we should
thank her by forcing Heero to become her boyfriend.�

�Heero� he,� says Quatre moving
away from Wufei and sitting down on his bed, �He told me he doesn�t care for
her like that.�

�That bastard!� exclaims Wufei
plopping down on the bed beside Quatre, �He�s lying! You saw the way he was
looking at her today at lunch! I�ve caught glimpses of you looking at me that
way! And I know I�ve looked at you with that expression. He loves her!�

�But we can�t convince him of
that, can we?� asks Quatre.

�I�ll see what I can do,� says
Wufei, �I�m meeting him later to do some work on the new security system.�

Quatre leans on Wufei for a
moment. He yawns discreetly.

�You look tired, Little One.
Maybe you should get some sleep,� whispers Wufei. He helps Quatre lie down in
his bed, and he kisses his lips abruptly. �I�ll go see if Heero�s returned.
Sleep well.�

�Thank you, Wufei,� says Quatre.

Wufei stands and smiles. He moves
to the door and unlocks it. He slips out and closes the door. He stops by the
den when he sees Relena sitting sadly inside. �Do you know if Heero�s back
yet?�

�Sorry, Wufei. I haven�t seen
him,� says Relena, �Wufei, about outside�?�

�Well, I�m going to go see if
he�s back yet. We had some work to do,� says Wufei interrupting Relena, �Just
forget what happened outside.�

�Stay away from the living room.
Trowa and Cathie are having a fight,� says Relena sighing, �Duo and Hilde are
probably still making out on the patio.�

�Thanks for the advice, Relena,�
says Wufei heading out. He walks past the living room and hears Catherine
shouting within. He walks right past.

�� *�� *�� *

Trowa sits on the couch glaring
at Catherine as she paces in front of him. �Calm down, Cathie.�

�Trowa! We need you! The circus
needs you! I need you!� exclaims Catherine, �And you�re saying you can�t come
back! Why? What is so important that you have to stay here? With these people?�

�Hey! These people are my
friends, Cathie, and they need me right now. It�s a matter of life and death!�
exclaims Trowa, �I�m not leaving as long as I can protect my friend.�

�I just don�t understand. Who�s
in danger?� asks Catherine sitting down on the couch beside Trowa.

�Relena. She doesn�t know about
it,� says Trowa.

�Someone�s trying to kill her?�
asks Catherine staring at Trowa in shock. Her jaw drops and her body goes
slack.

Trowa nods his head. �I�m going
to stay here to get Peacecraft Security up and running. Then I�ll return to the
circus.�

�Well� I guess you�ve made up
your mind,� says Catherine, �I�m leaving tomorrow afternoon. I have to go back.
The circus needs me. I�ll be waiting for your return.�

�Are you mad?�

�Yes� no� I don�t know,� says
Catherine with a resigned sigh, �You need to protect your friends. I understand
that, but I just wish you could come back with me tomorrow.�

Trowa pulls Catherine into a hug.
�I�ll be home as soon as I can.�

Catherine nods and holds Trowa in
the embrace. �I�ll tell Relena that I�m leaving after dinner. I won�t mention
that someone�s after her.�

�Thank you, Cathie,� whispers
Trowa.

�You will call me often though,
won�t you?� asks Catherine, �I�d miss you too much if you didn�t.�

Trowa laughs. �Yes. I�ll call
regularly.�

�Come on. Let�s go for a walk.
Relena says they have a beautiful garden here,� says Catherine standing.

�Quatre would love that. He loves
flowers,� says Trowa as Catherine pulls him to his feet.

�That may be true,� says
Catherine, �but you�re my brother, and you�re coming with me!�

Trowa grabs Catherine�s arm and
pulls her out of the living room so they could go for a walk in the garden.

�� *�� *�� *

Quatre walks into the den to see
Relena. He yawns wishing that his nap had been a little longer.

Relena smiles weakly as soon as
she sees Quatre. �I talked to Wufei. I�m sorry. I don�t think I was much help
at all, but he does like men.�

Quatre nods and smiles. �Wufei
came to see me. He likes me too! We�re going to start dating now.�

�Oh that is so wonderful!�
exclaims Relena jumping up from her seat. She jumps over her desk and quickly
embraces Quatre. �I am so happy for you!�

Quatre holds Relena tenderly.
�Thank you, Relena, for all your help!�

�It was my pleasure,� says Relena
happily.

�I didn�t know you�ve been
working out,� says Quatre, �How�d you jump your desk?�

Relena blushes. �I�ve actually
been studying gymnastics and acrobatics. It�s made me much more flexible! And
now I can do a lot more than I could before!�

�� *�� *�� *

Relena sits with Hilde and
Catherine later that evening as Quatre plays the violin for them.

Trowa lifts a flute to his lips
and begins to play along with Quatre.

�Hey, maybe I should sing!�
exclaims Duo.

�Please, don�t!� says Hilde
quickly. She grabs Duo�s shirt and pulls him down onto the couch beside her.
Her clear blue eyes meet Duo�s for a moment before she locks his lips in a
kiss.

Noin walks into the living room
and smiles when she sees the small concert. She walks up and kneels in front of
Relena. She quietly whispers, �Milliardo has someone he wants you to meet. He�s
waiting outside.�

�Invite him in,� whispers Relena
looking dreamily at Trowa and Quatre.

Noin nods and walks out of the
room. She listens to the music stop before she returns with Milliardo and a
young man about Relena�s age.

The young man has pitch-black
hair and dark green eyes. The most noticeable thing about him however is his
obtrusive nose. He smiles when he sees the three women.

Heero and Wufei walk in the other
entrance each carrying a file folder full of papers.

Relena stands and smiles
diplomatically.

�Relena, honored guests, this is
Prince Jesse Yurameshi,� says Milliardo as the young man bows, �He is the ruler
of one of our neighboring countries. This is my sister, Relena Darlian.� He
holds out his hand towards Relena.

Relena takes Milliardo�s hand and
half-bows to Prince Jesse. She blushes as she sees his eyes dart down to the
neckline of her shirt hoping for a glimpse of her chest. �It is an honor to
meet you, Your Majesty. Allow me to introduce my friends.�

�Please, Relena, call me Jesse,�
says the young prince.

�This is Hilde Schbeiker,� says
Relena motioning with her free hand towards Hilde, �and her companion, Duo
Maxwell.�

Prince Jesse takes Hilde�s hand
and kisses it, which causes Duo to jump up in fury. He then calmly shakes Duo�s
hand. He takes Catherine�s hand and kisses it gently. �And who might you be?�

�I�m Cathie� Catherine Bloom,�
stammers Catherine blushing.

Relena takes her hand from
Milliardo and walks up to Trowa and Quatre. She motions to them in turn. �This
is Quatre Raberba Winner and Trowa Barton. We were listening to them play
before you arrived.�

Prince Jesse nods his head in
recognition as Wufei and Heero walk up to Relena.

Relena smiles at Heero.

�I am Chang Wufei,� says Wufei
abruptly with a little more anger in his voice than he intended.

�And this is Heero Yuy,� says
Relena gently taking Heero�s hand in her own.

Heero squeezes Relena�s hand
encouragingly. �What brings you here, Prince?�

�Didn�t Milliardo tell you? I
have come to accompany Princess Relena to the conference,� says Prince Jesse
walking over and pulling Relena into his arms. He gently strokes her face. �As
well as to make her fall in love with me. A marriage between us would be quite
profitable, speaking diplomatically of course.�

Heero glares at Prince Jesse
angrily and clenches his fists until his knuckles turn white.

Prince Jesse holds Relena�s chin
in his hand and moves to kiss her.

Relena rips her chin out of
Prince Jesse�s hand so that his lips contact her cheek.

Heero drops the folder of papers
and quickly grabs Prince Jesse�s shirt. He yanks him away from Relena.

Relena falls into Trowa�s arms,
and he moves her away from Heero and Prince Jesse.

�Relena�s taken! Get your filthy
hands off her!� exclaims Heero preparing to punch Prince Jesse in the face.

�Heero! No! Don�t hurt him!�
exclaims Milliardo.

Heero glares at Milliardo and shoves
Prince Jesse roughly out of his way. His body seethes with anger as he starts
to pick up the mess of papers on the floor.

Prince Jesse takes several deep
breaths before standing. �Milliardo, Noin. I would like a word with you!�

Milliardo leads Noin and Prince
Jesse out of the living room.

Relena moves over to help Heero
gather the papers. �Heero? If I�m taken, exactly who am I taken by?�

Heero stops picking up the papers
to look at Relena.

Relena lifts a paper and gasps.
�Heero! What is this?�

Heero tries to grab the paper
from Relena, but she stands up quickly and moves away from him. �Relena! Give
that to me!�

�Hello, Zechs Merquis,� reads
Relena out loud, �I will get straight to the point. You have taken something
from me, so I will take something from you. Say your good-byes to your sister,
Princess Relena. She will soon be mine, but don�t worry, I�ll send her pieces
back to you!�

Hilde and Catherine both gasp.

�Relena!� exclaims Hilde.

�Let us explain,� says Quatre
quickly.

�Heero! You said he wanted to
kill me, not mutilate me!� exclaims Relena throwing the paper down.

�What?� asks Duo, �Heero, you
told her?�

�How could you leave out that
vital piece of information?� asks Relena storming out of the room.

�Why do you even have that paper
with you?� asks Trowa.

�For a handwriting analysis. We
were going to send it out first thing in the morning,� says Wufei.

�I�m going to Relena,� says Hilde
standing, �Cathie, please come with me.�

�Of course,� says Catherine
standing. She follows Hilde out.

Heero finishes gathering the
papers and stuffs them back into the file folder. �I�ll smooth things out with
Relena later.�

�No, Heero. Sooner,� says Wufei
taking the file folder from Heero, �Go to her now.�

Heero looks around at the others,
and they all nod. He nods in response and leaves. He heads up to Relena�s room
and sees Catherine and Hilde pounding on the door.

Catherine moves over to Heero and
whispers, �She locked the door, and she won�t let us in. She�s in there
crying.�

�Let me handle this,� whispers
Heero moving to the door. He gently pushes Hilde out of his way, and he rams
the door as hard as he can with his shoulder.

The door swings open.

Heero walks in and closes the
door. He moves up to Relena�s bed where she lay crying. �Relena?�

�Go away!� exclaims Relena.

Heero sits down beside Relena on
the bed and places his hand gently on her back. �Let me explain.�

�Go on.�

�Relena, I didn�t tell you
anything because I didn�t want to scare you. I wanted you to be cautious, but I
didn�t want you to be too afraid to leave the house,� says Heero gently
massaging Relena�s back with both of his hands, �I promised you I would protect
you, Relena, and I will.�

Relena stops crying and wipes her
eyes on the corner of her pillowcase as Heero starts to apply more pressure to
her back massage. She relaxes her body as much as she can.

�Please forgive me, Relena,� says
Heero.

�Keep the massage up, and I�ll
consider it,� whispers Relena.

�A pleasure,� whispers Heero
slowly sliding his hands beneath Relena�s shirt to her bare flesh, and he
continues to massage her back.

�Heero?�

�Yes, Relena.�

�You said I was taken. By who?�
asks Relena.

�No one. That just came out,�
says Heero, �I�m sorry.�

�Oh,� says Relena feeling a heavy
weight upon her heart.

Heero feels Relena�s muscle tense
up. He sighs and leans forward to whisper into her ear. �I like you.�

Relena smiles and relaxes again
as Heero massages her back. �I like you, Heero, a lot.�

�I�m going to the conference with
you. Along with Wufei and Quatre,� says Heero, �Duo and Trowa will be staying
here to do some work for Peacecraft Security.�

�You, me, Wufei, and Quatre,�
says Relena, �and what�s-his-name. I don�t care who he is, I won�t fall in love
with him.�

�Good,� whispers Heero quietly.

Relena moans with pleasure. �I
forgive you, Heero.�

Heero pulls his hands back from
beneath Relena�s shirt and bends down to kiss her, half on the lips yet half on
the cheek. �Thank you, Relena.�

Relena blushes and rolls over to
look at Heero. She closes her eyes and puckers her lips.

Heero brushes his lips past
Relena�s, barely touching. �Not now.�

Relena opens her eyes. �When?�

Heero rests his head on Relena�s
shoulder. �Later��

Relena runs her hand through
Heero�s hair as he closes his eyes. She smiles and slowly drifts to sleep.

�� *�� *�� *

Relena wakes up alone to the
sound of screams from down the hall. She jumps out of bed and runs out of her
room. She hurries down the hall to find Trowa, Wufei, Quatre, and Heero
standing outside Duo�s room with Catherine.

Catherine, dressed in her beige pajama
set, holds her hands over her ears.

Trowa crosses his arms over his
bare chest and leans against the wall. He wears a pair of dark gray sweat
pants.

Heero, still fully dressed in the
outfit he wore earlier that day, pounds roughly on the door. �Duo! Hilde! Shut
up!�

Quatre wears a white tank top
with Navy blue shorts, and he stands close to Catherine trying to shield her
from the coarse language that starts coming out of Heero�s mouth.

Wufei, in his black pajama pants,
glares angrily at the closed door.

�Duo and Hilde?� asks Relena
panting slightly.

�Yeah,� says Wufei, �I know they
love each other, but this is ridiculous!�

�Duo! Hilde! Shut up in there!�
yells Heero pounding on the door some more.

�Excuse me, Trowa. Would you
please move?� asks Relena walking up to him.

�Sure,� says Trowa moving away
from the wall.

Relena takes the painting off the
wall to reveal a combination safe. She quickly spins the dial to the right then
to the left and back to the right again. She smiles as she opens the safe. �And
I thought this feature was useless!�

�What�s that for?� asks Quatre.

Relena pulls out a small silver
key and walks up to Heero. She unlocks the door and returns to the safe. �Don�t
go in there, Heero,� she says putting the key back and pulling out a black
grenade with a white stripe, �I have a different plan in mind.�

Relena closes the safe and walks
over to the door.

Heero backs away from the door to
give Relena room, and he stares at the hand grenade with disbelief.

�Relena! Don�t do it!� exclaims
Quatre.

�It won�t kill them,� says Relena
opening the door slightly. She pulls the pin out and throws it into the room.
Then she yells in, �Fire in the hole!�

Relena quickly closes the door
and puts the painting back over the safe. She smiles at Heero�s expression.

�Relena, what was that?� asks
Wufei.

�It was a smoke grenade,� says
Relena, �It wasn�t exactly meant for a situation like this, but I think it will
work rather nicely!�

Trowa starts chuckling, and soon
everyone is laughing.

�Hey, the screaming stopped!�
exclaims Catherine lowering her hands.

The door opens, and Hilde and Duo
run out in their bathrobes coughing.

The smoke billows out of the
bedroom.

Relena runs into the room and
opens the balcony doors before hurrying back into the hallway. She closes the
door behind her.

�Heero! How could you do that?�
asks Duo holding Hilde as she coughs.

�I didn�t do it,� says Heero with
a smile.

�Actually, I did,� says Relena,
�You�re keeping all of us awake!� She coughs the smoke out of her lungs.

�Relena!� scolds Hilde.

�You two can stay in the room at
the end of the hall, way away from everyone else,� says Relena, �I�ll
show you to it. Everyone else can return to bed.�

�Wonderful idea!� exclaims
Catherine walking away.

�Nice show, Relena,� says Trowa,
�Thanks.� He starts to head back to his room.

Wufei and Quatre smile at each
other before heading back to their respective rooms.

Relena leads Duo and Hilde down
the hall away from Heero. �I�m really sorry, but you apparently didn�t hear us
shouting. I opened the balcony door, so the smoke should clear out in time for
you to get your clothes in the morning.�

�We were a bit loud,� says Hilde
blushing, �We don�t notice it at home. We don�t have any close neighbors.�

Duo wraps his arm around Hilde�s
back. �I thought that was why we didn�t have any close neighbors.�

Hilde elbows Duo.

�Hey! What was that for?� asks
Duo.

Relena opens the door. �You can
stay here from now on. Good night.�

Duo pulls Hilde into the room and
closes the door.

Relena turns around to look at
the spot where Heero was last standing, but he�s already gone. She sighs and
makes her way back to her room. She heads into the bathroom to change into her
nightgown and brush her hair. Then she heads to bed.

�� *�� *�� *

Relena drifts in and out of
sleep. She feels the sunlight hitting her bed, warming her entire body, and she
hears something. In her half-sleep state, she concentrates on the sound,
footsteps. Then her mind snaps awake, and she listens. She hears a gentle thud
on her nightstand, and a new scent reaches her nostrils. She reaches her hand
out blindly and grabs the wrist of the person beside her.

�What?� comes Heero�s alarmed
voice.

Relena opens her eyes and sees
Heero still holding the vase of flowers he set on her nightstand. She smiles.
�Heero.�

�Relena.�

Relena releases Heero�s wrist and
sits up. She looks at the vase full of red and pink roses that�s still in
Heero�s hand. She smiles. �What are you doing in here, Heero?�

Heero releases the vase and sits
down on the edge of Relena�s bed. He pulls her into his arms. �I brought you
some flowers.�

�I can see that,� whispers
Relena, �Thank you.� She leans back in Heero�s arms and looks into his eyes.

Heero stares at Relena. He knows
that now would be the perfect time to kiss her, but he can�t. He speaks to her
quietly, �I�m sorry I woke you. I need to go now. I have some work to do. I
swear, Relena, I will protect you!�

�I know, Heero. I��

Heero places his fingertips on
Relena�s lips. �Yes, Relena, I know.�

�Heero?� asks Relena as Heero
stands and moves to the door.

�Get some more sleep, Relena,�
says Heero opening the door and walking out. He closes the door gently behind
him.
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