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You're Not Alone	By : Hideki LaShae Category: Gundam Wing/AC > General Views: 1391 -:- 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
- 3
Disclaimer:
All Gundam Wing characters and references belong to their respective owners.
The song Insatiable belongs to Darren Hayes and the company that
recorded it. It was used in this story with the best of intentions. Story
elements � Hideki LaShae. No money was gained in the writing of this story.

Dedicated to
the evil people who make life interesting, to all the pompous jerks we love to
hate!

Courting Relena

Part Two �
Jesse�s Crush

�� Not long
before, Relena Darlian gathered the five young men who had been the pilots of
the Gundams during the war. Her brother, Milliardo Peacecraft had requested
their presence for a special mission, to create Peacecraft Security for the
sole purpose of protecting Relena. Heero Yuy and Chang Wufei agreed immediately.
Now, they prepare to go to a peace conference with a member of the royal family
of a neighboring kingdom.

�� *�� *�� *

�� Relena
packs her suitcase and tosses a light blue suit on her bed. She looks around
her room for anything she might have forgotten, and her blue eyes rest on the
teddy bear Heero gave her for her birthday. She lifts the teddy bear and hugs
it before slipping it into her carry-on bag beside her nightgown. She takes
another look around and closes her suitcase and her carry-on bag. She lifts
them both and heads down to put them by the door in the entrance hall so Pagan
can load them into the limo.

�� Almost
ready, Relena?� asks Prince Jesse bringing his three bags down the stairs. The
half smile he gives her only draws attention to his obtrusive nose.

�� Almost,�
says Relena with a diplomatic smile, �I just have to change for the trip.�

�� Milliardo
reserved three rooms for us at the hotel,� says Prince Jesse, �I think we�ll
get to know each other quite well during this trip.�

�� Well now,
Prince Jesse, we shall see about that,� says Relena, �Now if you will excuse
me, I�ll go change for the trip.�

�� You are
excused,� says Prince Jesse.

�� Relena nods
her head and heads back up the stairs to her room. She kicks off her shoes as
soon as she walks through the door. She pulls off her purple tank top and her
blue jeans. She takes her white shirt with the ruffled neckline and cuffs, and
she puts it on. She buttons it all the way up to her neck. Then she grabs her
light blue dress pants and pulls them up her legs. She tucks the bottom of her
shirt into her pants and slides her arms quickly into her pale blue dress
jacket. She buttons her jacket up and quickly braids her golden-blond hair into
a crown around her head. She flops down on her bed to put on a pair of white
trouser socks before slipping her feet into her white pumps.

�� There comes
a gentle knock on Relena�s door.

�� Just a
minute. I�m coming!� calls Relena. She walks over to the door and opens it. She
smiles when she sees Heero wearing a black pinstriped business suit. �You look
really nice, Heero.�

�� I feel
ridiculous,� says Heero, �but you look beautiful!�

�� I feel
ridiculous,� says Relena.

�� Heero
smiles. �The car�s all loaded, and the others are waiting for us.�

�� Relena
nods. �I�m ready to go.�

�� Heero takes
Relena�s hand and leads her out of the room. He takes her downstairs and out to
the limo.

�� Relena
climbs into the limo and sees Wufei and Quatre sitting side by side with their
backs to the front of the car. She sits down beside Prince Jesse, and Heero
slides in beside her.

�� Heero
closes the limo door and nods to Wufei.

�� Wufei taps
on the glass behind his head three times, and the limo starts moving.

�How long is the plane trip going
to be?� asks Quatre.

�About three hours,� says Prince
Jesse, �but the conference is well worth the trip.�

�I think it�s well worth the trip
just to see these boys in suits,� says Relena smiling. She looks over Wufei�s
sleek black suit and Quatre�s navy blue business suit.

�Yes, I suppose that is how a
woman might see things,� says Prince Jesse.

�Is that a compliment or an
insult, Your Majesty?� asks Relena noticeably tensing.

�A compliment, Princess Relena,�
says Prince Jesse with a quaint smile.

�Then thank you,� says Relena,
�So, Heero, Wufei, what�s my schedule look like?�

�Same as mine,� says Prince Jesse.

�I doubt that,� says Relena
curtly, �Some of our activities at the conference would make a protector�s job
terrible.�

Wufei pulls a day planner out of
his inside jacket pocket, and he opens it. His slanted black eyes gaze over the
schedule. �This conference is going to be highly broadcast, so you will have to
be at most of the events. We�ll claim that you�re sick for some though to get
you out of them.�

�Alright, fine,� says Relena
nodding her head.

�Our plane will be landing at
about the same time as the other delegates�,� says Heero, �So we�ll be
traveling to the hotel with them. It�ll be a lot like a parade. Quatre and
Prince Jesse will ride in the car with you. Wufei and I will walk along the
side.�

�Then we have dinner with the
other delegates at the hotel, in a private banquet hall,� says Wufei looking at
the schedule, �And there will be a short welcoming speech before it�s off to
bed for the night.�

�And in the morning?� asks Relena.

�After a small continental
breakfast, we�ll be going to a meeting which should last until noon when we
meet the other delegates for lunch,� says Wufei reading the book, �Then we�ll
listen to a talk in the main reception hall, and have the rest of the afternoon
off.�

�Alright,� says Relena as the limo
comes to a stop. �We must be at the airfield!�

Heero climbs out of the limo and
holds out his hand for Relena.

Relena climbs out followed quickly
by Quatre and Wufei.

�Quatre, Wufei! Get Relena in the
plane!� orders Heero as the light wind whips at his disheveled dark brown hair.

Quatre grabs Relena�s arm and
pulls her towards the stairs with Wufei only a step behind.

Heero�s Prussian blue eyes look all around for any
sign of trouble before Pagan comes back to open the trunk of the car.

Prince Jesse climbs out of the
limo and joins Heero. �What�s the deal with you and Relena?�

�There�s no deal. I�m sworn to
protect her,� says Heero loading up his arms with luggage. He heads towards the
plane.

Pagan takes a handful of luggage
and starts towards the plane leaving Prince Jesse to carry his own bags.

Soon, Quatre, Wufei, Heero,
Relena, and Prince Jesse are on their way in the plane.

Relena rests her head on Heero�s
shoulder and closes her eyes. After a moment, the sound of Quatre and Wufei�s conversation
fades away to nothingness as she drifts to sleep.

�� *�� *�� *

�Relena?�

Relena stirs and feels Heero�s arm
around her, keeping her safe and warm.

�Relena?� comes the voice again.

Relena slides closer to Heero.

�Relena? Wake up!� shouts Prince
Jesse.

Relena jumps and smacks the top of
her head on Heero�s chin. She blinks her eyes furiously. She whispers to Heero
before sitting up, �Sorry, Heero.�

�Relena. Nice of you to wake up,�
says Prince Jesse, �We�ve landed.�

�Already?� asks Relena standing.

�Yes, you�ve been asleep the
entire trip,� says Heero softly as he stands up.

�Come, Relena,� says Prince Jesse
taking her hand and leading her towards the exit.

�Quatre, follow. Wufei and I will
be right behind you,� says Heero, �Be on guard. We don�t know when he�ll
strike.�

Quatre nods and hurries after
Relena and Prince Jesse.

�Our luggage will be taken to the
hotel in a separate car,� says Wufei walking out with Heero.

�At least that�s one thing we
don�t have to worry about. Keep your eyes out for Prince Jesse too,� whispers
Heero, �If someone wants to kill him, let them. I don�t like him, and I don�t
want him close to Relena. However, Milliardo thinks a diplomatic arrangement
can be met with him.�

�Jealous, Heero?� whispers Wufei
walking to the car that will take Relena, Quatre, and Prince Jesse to the
hotel.

Heero glares at Wufei.

Wufei smiles and moves around to
the left side to walk beside Quatre.

Heero takes up his position beside
Prince Jesse�s door. He looks at Relena fondly before starting to scout the
gathering crowd.

After a twenty-minute wait, the
slow procession of cars moves forward towards the hotel.

Relena watches the people as her
car passes them, secretly wondering if any of the smiling faces could be hiding
a madman who intends to kill her. Then she sees Heero, and she smiles bravely.

The trip to the hotel is long and
hot in the mid-afternoon sun, but it ends quietly as all the delegates check
into their rooms.

�Miss Darlian, you have room 604.
Mr. Yuy and Mr. Yurameshi are registered in room 605, and Mr. Winner and Mr.
Wufei are in room 603. Your luggage has already been sent up, and dinner will
be served promptly at six-thirty in the Emerald Hall,� says the clerk passing
Relena five keycards, �Please enjoy your stay with us!�

�I�ll need to secure your room,�
says Heero as they all walk towards the elevator, �Everyone else can go get
ready for dinner.�

Relena nods as she sorts through
the keycards. She passes one to Prince Jesse. Then she gives one to Wufei and
one to Quatre. She passes the other two to Heero. �Here, Heero. You can hold
onto my key.�

�In case I need to come in to
rescue you,� says Heero quietly.

Relena smiles as they all walk
into the elevator, and she pushes the button for the sixth floor.

The elevator plays an old tune as
it ascends to the sixth floor.

Everyone piles out of the elevator
and walks down the hall together.

�Here�s your room, Prince Jesse,�
says Heero stopping in front of 605 and waiting for Prince Jesse to enter.

�Don�t you mean our room,
Heero?� asks Prince Jesse opening the door and walking in.

Heero continues down the hall with
Relena.

Quatre and Wufei head down the
hall a little farther and enter room 603.

Heero slides the keycard through
the reader and opens the door to room 604. He walks in followed by Relena. He
closes the door. �Wait here.�

�Yes, of course,� says Relena as
Heero heads off to look out each window and check out the bathroom.

Heero returns after ten minutes.
�It looks okay. Keep the shades closed and the doors and windows locked. I�ll be
right next door. Yell or scream if you need anything.�

�Or if it�s not that urgent I
could call,� says Relena smiling.

�Or that too,� says Heero.

�Thank you, Heero,� says Relena,
�I�m going to shower and change for dinner now.�

�I will protect you, Relena,� says
Heero before walking out the door and locking it.

�I know, Heero. I love you too,�
whispers Relena before heading into her bathroom.

�� *�� *�� *

Relena walks out of her room
smiling at her three friends in their black tuxedos. She wears her hair in a
crown about her head. A flowing silver and gold dress adorns her body, hugging
her to reveal the woman she has grown to be. Her white pumps can barely be seen
beneath the bottom of her dress. She wears elbow-high gloves to counter the
sleeveless top of the dress, and the necklace she wears is in white gold with a
ruby pendant. The small stones of the pendant draw out a delicate rose.

Heero takes the red rose from his
lapel and carefully puts it into Relena�s braided crown. �You�re beautiful.�

�And your tie is crooked, Heero,�
says Relena, �Let me fix it.� She reaches up and adjusts Heero�s tie.
�Perfect!�

�I feel like I�m about to be
married,� mumbles Wufei.

Relena smiles and giggles. She
wraps her arms around Wufei�s neck. �But Wufei, you look wonderful!�

�And what about me?� asks Quatre
smiling. His pretty blue eyes sparkle happily.

Relena smiles at Quatre. �You
couldn�t look better if you tried! Just try not to break any girls� hearts, you
two!�

�Okay,� says Wufei laughing.

�We�ll try,� adds Quatre chuckling.

�Ahem,� says Prince Jesse as he
comes out of the room he shares with Heero.

Relena releases Wufei and turns to
look at Prince Jesse.

�We should head downstairs for
dinner,� says Heero holding out his arm for Relena.

Relena takes Heero�s arm and stares
up into his eyes for a moment before he leads her towards the elevator.

�What would the other delegates
think of the Princess of the Sanc Kingdom coming down to dinner on the arm of
her bodyguard?� asks Prince Jesse.

�No one would care. I am completely
unconcerned with their possible reaction, and no one knows what role
Heero is playing here,� says Relena angrily.

�No, Relena. He�s right,� says
Heero, �You and Quatre are the delegates from the Sanc Kingdom and the Winner
Resource Satellites, so it would be only natural for you two to go down
together. Half the world knows about your close friendship with him. Quatre, do
you mind?�

�Not at all,� says Quatre with a
wide grin as he offers Relena his arm.

Relena squeezes Heero�s arm in
thanks before she takes Quatre�s arm. �Now let�s go down to dinner!�

Quatre leads Relena into the
elevator.

Wufei and Heero follow close
behind with a sulking Prince Jesse in the rear.

Prince Jesse hits the button for
the second floor where the dining hall is.

�Oh, Quatre, I�ve completely
forgotten to ask you! How is your little sister? Ania, isn�t it?� asks Relena.

�Yes, Ania,� says Quatre, �She�s
doing well. You�ve only met her once, haven�t you?�

�Oh, yes. When you came to visit
me in the Sanc Kingdom after the Gundams were destroyed, and you brought her
with you,� says Relena, �I would like to see her again. I really enjoyed her
company. I thought that she was the one whom Hilde was going to be bringing! I
hadn�t thought that Cathie could tear herself away from the circus, even for
that short time she was with us.�

�I�ll invite Ania to come out and
join us when we get back,� says Quatre, �I�m sure Hilde just thought Cathie
needed the vacation more.�

�I think Cathie could use a
vacation with us for about a year,� says Heero, �She�s too tense.�

�Not to mention too protective of
Trowa,� adds Wufei, �Does she realize he is a grown man?�

�I asked Trowa that, and he says
he just humors her,� says Quatre with a gently, concerned sigh.

The elevator stops and the doors
open.

Wufei walks out first followed by
Quatre and Relena.

Heero walks out beside Prince
Jesse.

�You�ve had plenty of time to get
the princess to fall in love with you,� hisses Prince Jesse into Heero�s ear,
�You lost it. Give it up and let someone else have a chance.�

�You give up,� whispers Heero,
�She�s not interested in you.�

Heero and Prince Jesse share a
steely gaze. If looks could kill, they would both be lying dead on the floor.

Prince Jesse turns his black eyes
away first at the sound of Relena�s voice. �I�m sorry. What was that, Relena?�

�I asked if you two were planning
on coming into the dining room,� says Relena nodding in the direction of the
large banquet hall behind her.

�Yes, of course,� says Heero,
�After you, Princess!�

Relena blushes as Quatre guides her
into the banquet hall.

Heero moves up beside Wufei and
walks after his two friends.

Prince Jesse, still angered,
follows behind Wufei a little more slowly.

Relena and Quatre mingle with a
few of the other delegates while searching for their table. Then they spot an
empty table with six chairs, and they move towards it.

Quatre holds the chair out for
Relena, and she sits down.

Relena looks at her place card.
�Princess Peacecraft. They must not have understood me when I told them I was
using Darlian again.�

Quatre looks at Relena�s place
card. �Princess Peacecraft. Sanc Kingdom.�

Heero and Wufei reach the table.

Quatre looks at the place card to
Relena�s left, and he reads it aloud, �Mr. Winner. Winner Resource Satellite.�

�Take a look at this one,� says Heero
lifting the card to Relena�s right. �Miss Winner. Winner Resource Satellite.�

�One of your sisters must be
coming,� says Wufei as Quatre sits down to the left of Relena. He moves to the
next spot and looks at the card. �Mr. Wufei. Sanc Kingdom?�

�Oh, yes, when I informed them
that you and Heero were accompanying me, I had to tell them what area you were
representing. I didn�t have time to ask you, so I told them the Sanc Kingdom,�
says Relena, �Telling them about Quatre was the easy part!�

Prince Jesse reaches the table and
finds his place card beside the one for �Miss Winner�. He takes his seat as
Wufei sits down.

Heero looks at the card in between
Wufei and Prince Jesse. He sits down as he reads the card aloud, �Mr. Yuy. Sanc
Kingdom. I like the sound of that.�

Relena smiles at Heero.

�So who is this seat for?� asks
Prince Jesse indicating the empty seat beside him.

�One of my sisters is coming down
from our resource satellite,� says Quatre, �I can�t imagine why she didn�t call
to tell me she was coming.�

�She must have wanted to surprise
you,� says Wufei taking Quatre�s hand beneath the table.

Quatre smiles. �It will be
a nice surprise.�

A waiter comes up with a bottle of
white wine. �Good evening, Princess, gentlemen. You look extremely lovely
tonight, Princess Relena. My name is Tori, and I will be your server for the
remainder of the conference. Would any of you care for some white wine?�

�Yes, please, Tori,� says Relena
smiling sweetly at the tall, handsome waiter with the brown eyes and dark brown
hair.

Tori opens the bottle he carries
and pours a little wine into Relena�s glass.

Relena lifts her glass and swirls
the liquid around in it. She closes her eyes and inhales the fragrance before
taking a sip. �This will do. Tori, would you happen to know the whereabouts of
Miss Winner? She is a close friend of the Peacecraft family as well as a
beloved sister of my companion. We would so like to see her.�

�I�m sorry, Princess, I�m afraid I
don�t know, but if it pleases you, I could inquire on the subject,� says Tori.
He finishes filling Relena�s glass.

�That would please me very much,�
says Relena, �Thank you.�

�Would anyone else like some
wine?� asks Tori blushing slightly from Relena�s words.

�A round for everyone,� says Heero
looking to Quatre and Wufei for their approving nods.

Prince Jesse nods.

Tori starts to fill Prince Jesse�s
glass. �Tonight we are serving chicken, fish, pork, or steak.�

�Choices, choices,� says Quatre.

Tori moves to fill Heero�s glass
next. �If you would like a suggestion, I�d say don�t take the fish or the pork.
The fish is all bone, and the pork is rock hard.�

�How is the steak prepared?� asks
Prince Jesse.

�It is saut�ed in butter with
onions and mushrooms and served with mushroom gravy,� says Tori as he begins
filling Wufei�s glass, �The chicken is broiled and served with a light cream
sauce.�

�What would you eat?� asks
Wufei.

�Me?� asks Tori, �I love the
chicken. The steak is really good too, but I love the chicken!� He moves over
and fills Quatre�s glass with wine.

�I�ll take your suggestion,� says
Heero, �I�ll have the chicken.�

�As will I,� says Relena smiling
at Tori.

Tori smiles at Relena. He turns to
look at Prince Jesse who happens to be scowling at him. �Prince Jesse, what
would you like?�

�The steak,� says Prince Jesse.

�Yes, and Mr. Chang? Mr. Quatre?�
asks Tori looking at them both.

�Chicken,� says Wufei, �and it�s
Wufei. Chang is my family name.�

�Yes, sir, Mr. Wufei,� says Tori
nodding, �I will remember that.�

�Chicken,� says Quatre.

�Very well then. I will be back
shortly with your first course,� says Tori, and he walks away.

�He seems nice,� says Relena.

Heero notices Prince Jesse glaring
off in the direction Tori had gone in. �So, Quatre, which sister do you think
is coming?�

�Well, this is the type of thing
Iria would have gone to,� says Quatre remember his older sister who died in the
war, �But with her gone� the only one I believe might come would be Ania.�

�So you might get to see her soon
after all, Relena,� says Wufei.

�Oh, I hope so,� says Relena.

Tori walks up with a tray in his
hands. He places a bowl of steaming soup in front of Relena. �I�m sorry,
Princess Relena. Miss Ania has not checked into the hotel yet.�

�Do you know when she�ll arrive?�
asks Heero.

Tori nods as he places a bowl of
soup in front of Prince Jesse. He moves to give Heero his soup and says, �She
has requested a car to pick her up tomorrow morning at the airport.�

�Thank you, Tori,� says Quatre as
Tori places a bowl in front of Wufei.

Tori puts the last bowl in front
of Quatre. �Will there be anything else right away?�

�No, but thank you,� says Wufei.

Tori nods and walks away.

�Relena, I have an idea,� says
Wufei looking at Relena as she blows on the soup in her spoon, �Are you willing
to share your room with Ania?�

�Yes, of course!� exclaims Relena.
She takes a bite of her soup and winces. She pushes the bowl away from her.
�What do you have in mind?�

�We cancel her reservation and
leave a message for her to contact you when she arrives,� says Wufei.

Heero takes a bite of his soup and
pulls a small bone out of his mouth. �I�m not eating any soup with bones in
it.�

Quatre, Wufei, and Prince Jesse
all push their bowls away.

�I think that�s a wonderful idea,�
says Quatre.

Relena nods.

Tori hurries up. �You�re not
eating! Is something wrong?�

�The soup�s lousy,� says Wufei.

�But that�s beside the point,�
says Relena sweetly, �Will you do me a favor?�

Tori blushes as he looks at
Relena. �Anything.�

�I would like you to get me a
piece of paper and a pen. I�m going to write a note to Ania,� says Relena, �and
I would like you to cancel her reservation. When she arrives, she will be
sharing my room. Can you do that for me?�

�Yes, Princess. I will need you to
write a second note to cancel the reservation though,� says Tori pulling a
notepad and a pen from his back pocket. He passes it to Relena. �I�m not
allowed to cancel reservations.�

Relena quickly scrawls on the
first note. �I am unable to attend the conference. Please cancel my hotel
reservation. Ania Winner.�

�I�ll be back for your notes. I�ll
take the soup away and bring the second course,� says Tori, �I�m so sorry you
didn�t like it.� He backs away and leaves.

�Wufei? Who is my meeting with?�
asks Relena, �Tomorrow morning?�

Wufei pulls the planner from his
pocket and opens it. He shows the page to Relena.

Relena nods. She turns the page in
the notepad and begins her note to Ania. �To Miss Ania Winner. I�m sorry to
have cancelled your reservation, but Quatre insisted that you stay close to
him. You can stay in room 604 with me, right next to your brother. You can have
your bags sent up. I will either be in my room or in a meeting in the Lilac
Hall. Feel free to interrupt if you have any problems. See you soon. Relena
Darlian Peacecraft.�

Relena rips the two pages out of
the notepad.

Tori walks up with a tray full of
salads. He makes his rounds quickly exchanging soup for salad. �Are you done
writing, Princess Relena?�

�Yes, I am,� says Relena passing
the notepad and pen to Tori.

Tori tucks the notepad and pen in
his shirt pocket before taking the two notes. He smiles and says, �I�ll see
that these get delivered. I hope you find the salad to your liking.�

Tori leaves them alone to eat
their salads.

For a while, no one speaks. They
just sit in silence eating their salads.

Tori brings up the main course on
a large tray. He grins. �I see the salad was edible.�

�It�s hard to mess up a salad,�
says Wufei.

Tori passes out the dinners.

Each plate contains a side dish of
asparagus in butter and garlic-mashed potatoes with a light sausage gravy. The
only other thing on the plate is the main dish, which on most of the plates is
chicken except for the steak on Prince Jesse�s plate.

�Tori, could you bring us some
more wine?� asks Heero showing him his empty glass.

�Right away, Mr. Heero,� says Tori
piling the salad plates onto his tray. He walks away. He returns in a few
minutes and fills all the wineglasses again.

Most of the dinner and dessert are
spent in silence, and afterwards, all the delegates listen to a welcoming
speech given by the organizer.

�Heero, will you take me to my
room?� asks Relena, �I�m suddenly very tired.�

Heero escorts Relena up to her
room alone, having left Wufei, Quatre, and Prince Jesse to listen to the full
speech.

�I can�t wait to crawl into bed,�
says Relena as Heero unlocks the door.

�I have to check the room first,�
says Heero walking in.

Relena follows Heero in and
watches as he checks everything from the windows and closets to the bathroom
and under the bed.

�If you�re too tired in the
morning, you can skip the meeting, Relena,� says Heero.

�Thank you, Heero,� says Relena.
She moves up to him and hugs him.

Heero holds Relena gently. �Good
night, Relena.�

�Good night, Heero,� whispers
Relena.

Heero walks out of the room. He
hears a loud thud, and he runs back into the room. �Relena!�

Relena sits on the floor in front
of a small table rubbing her lower leg. �That is a lousy place for a
short table! I didn�t even see it!�

�Are you hurt?� asks Heero moving
over to her, �Let me see.�

Relena pulls her skirt up just
enough for Heero to see her leg. She smiles. �Will I die, doctor?�

Heero laughs. He jokes in return,
�Only if you tell bad jokes!�

�No, seriously.�

�You have a small cut, and you�ll
probably get a bruise,� says Heero, �but you�ll be fine!� He heads into the
bathroom and brings out a wet washcloth to clean the cut. Then he helps Relena
to her feet. �Go get ready for bed. I�ll wait here to make sure you don�t hurt
yourself anymore.�

Relena grabs her carry-on bag and
heads into the bathroom. She closes the door.

Heero sits down in a comfortable
chair and waits for Relena. He waits quietly for fifteen minutes before Relena
comes out of the bathroom in her satin pajamas. He stands and moves to her
side. He lifts her and carries her to the bed where he gently sets her down.

Relena covers herself with the
blanket. She smiles at Heero as she sinks into the comfort of her bed.

Heero kisses Relena�s forehead and
quietly walks out. He locks the door behind him.

Relena turns out the lights and
falls asleep.

�� *�� *�� *

Heero leans against the door for
several minutes before heading next door to his room. He stares at the King
sized bed he�s supposed to share with Prince Jesse, and he silently curses
Milliardo for not reserving a room with two separate beds. Yet he realizes that
the extra reservations did come in rather late and this was probably the only
room that the hotel still had available due to the large number of delegates at
the conference. He sighs as he walks into the bathroom where he left his
carry-on bag. He removes his tuxedo and puts on the boxer shorts he usually
wears to bed. He brushes his teeth, picks all his clothes and his bag off the
floor, and heads out of the bathroom.

The door opens, and Prince Jesse
walks in. He sees how Heero is dressed. �Going to bed early?�

�Yeah. Relena�s already asleep,�
says Heero dropping his stuff into a chair, �You even think of going in there
with her, and I�ll drop you out the window!�

�I wouldn�t think of soiling a
woman before marriage,� says Prince Jesse walking into the bathroom.

Heero lies down on the right side
of the bed and folds his arms beneath his head. He closes his eyes and relaxes.
He doesn�t hear the bathroom door open quietly as Prince Jesse swings it open.

Prince Jesse, with nothing more
than a towel about his waist, steps silently out of the dark bathroom. Without
making a single sound, he walks towards the bed. He drops the towel and slips
stealthily over to Heero�s side of the bed. He watches Heero lying in bed for a
moment. He grabs Heero�s arms, still folded beneath his head, and holds them
down as he quickly lies down on top of him with speed and strength he shouldn�t
even posses. He kisses Heero and uses one hand to yank the boxer shorts down
before grabbing his genitals.

For a second, Heero thinks it
might be Relena, but then he realizes that she�s locked in her room. He opens
his eyes quickly and struggles as he sees Prince Jesse. He feels the young man
groping him, and he quickly frees his hands from behind his head. He grabs
Prince Jesse�s hair and yanks him back.

�What�s wrong, Heero? Aren�t you
enjoying yourself?� asks Prince Jesse, �I can do it differently!�

�You bastard!� exclaims Heero
punching Prince Jesse in the eye, �If I wanted a boyfriend, I wouldn�t be after
Relena!�

Prince Jesse moves away from Heero
clutching his eye.

Heero slides out of bed while
pulling his shorts back up. �You may want to use Relena, but I won�t let you!
You won�t touch her or me!�

�Heero!� exclaims Prince Jesse.

Heero punches Prince Jesse in the
stomach before hitting him in the jaw. He pushes Prince Jesse to the floor and
moves over to his suitcase. He opens it and pulls the lining back to reveal a
rope.� He removes the rope and quickly
ties Prince Jesse up so he can�t move.

Then Heero kicks Prince Jesse in
the ribs. He grabs everything he brought with him and heads out of the room. He
locks the door and walks down to Relena�s room. He swipes the keycard and
enters quickly. He closes the door and quietly sets all his belongings near the
empty chair. He locks the door and looks at Relena sleeping peacefully in the
bed.

Just the sight of Relena, sleeping
in her navy blue pajamas, awakens Heero�s body in the way that Prince Jesse�s
touch had intended to.

Heero walks up to Relena and
gently brushes a strand of her hair away from her face. He quietly whispers, �I
will protect you, Relena.�

Heero smiles and walks over to the
chair. He lies down in the floor in front of the chair and uses his arms as a
pillow. He closes his eyes and falls asleep.

�� *�� *�� *

Relena wakes up about one in the
morning. She crawls out of bed and walks into the bathroom, closing the door
behind her. After a few moments, she opens the door and sees Heero sleeping on
the floor. She leaves the bathroom light on and walks over to the bed.

Relena pulls off a blanket and
takes a pillow from the bed. She walks over to Heero and lays the blanket over
him. She kneels by his head with the pillow in her lap.

Relena carefully lifts Heero�s
head in both her hands. She holds it up with one hand and moves his right arm
down to his stomach. Then she holds his head with her other hand and moves his
left arm down to his stomach. She places the pillow beneath his head and sets
his head gently on it.

Relena gently kisses Heero�s
forehead and moves away from him. She turns off the bathroom light and climbs
back into bed. She smiles to herself and settles herself into the soft
mattress.

Heero opens his eyes and looks at
the bed where Relena quickly returns to sleep. He smiles and rolls onto his
side, pulling the blanket around him tightly.

�� *�� *�� *

The early morning sunshine slides
through a crack in the curtains and wakes Heero from his sleep.

Heero looks at the blanket and
pillow and smiles towards the bed where Relena sleeps. He stands up and moves
to her side.

Relena rolls over to face Heero,
but her eyes remain blissfully closed.

Heero backs away and heads into
the bathroom. He sees Relena�s carry-on bag with a familiar teddy bear sitting
on top. He smiles and lifts the bear. He heads back into the bedroom and walks
up to Relena. He tucks the bear into her arms. Then he turns away.

�Heero,� whispers Relena.

Heero turns back towards Relena.

Relena opens her eyes and looks at
Heero.

�I�m sorry I woke you,� says
Heero.

�You didn�t,� says Relena sitting
up. She shivers slightly.

Heero places his hand on Relena�s
forehead. �You�re freezing!�

�That�s what woke me up,� says
Relena.

Heero lifts the phone beside the
bed and dials the number for room service. �Hello, I would like a bowl of
chicken soup and two cups of hot tea to be sent up to room 604� Yes, thank
you.�

Heero sets the phone back down. He
quickly grabs the pillow and blanket from the floor. He puts the pillow behind
Relena�s back and wraps her in the blanket.

�Heero, hold me,� says Relena.

Heero sits down beside Relena and
wraps his arms around her. �Do you feel warmer now?�

�A little, but I�d feel better if
you were beneath the blankets with me,� says Relena blushing slightly.

�Maybe after you have your soup,�
says Heero smiling.

Relena shivers in Heero�s arms,
and he quickly starts to rub her trying to warm her by friction.

�You�ll be okay, Relena,� whispers
Heero, �but I would like Sally to come check you out, just in case.�

�No complaints here,� says Relena.

Heero reaches over and grabs the
phone. He sets it on his lap and picks up the receiver. He quickly dials the
number of a long-time friend and doctor, Sally Po.

<<Hello, Sally Po
here.>>

�Sally, this is Heero Yuy. I need
your help. There�s something wrong with Relena,� says Heero into the receiver.

<<What is it? What are her
symptoms?>> asks Sally quickly.

�She�s freezing. Her body
temperature had dropped drastically,� says Heero holding Relena close to him,
�We�re at the conference in Brussels! I don�t know what to do, Sally!�

<<You�re in Brussels? I�m
not that far from you! Cover her with blankets and get her some hot tea. I�ll
be there soon!>> exclaims Sally, <<What hotel are you in?>>

�We�re in the Regal Hotel, room
604!� exclaims Heero, �We�ll be waiting for you!�

<<I�m on my way, Heero. Take
care of Relena until I get there!>> says Sally.

�I will, Sally,� says Heero,
�Bye.�

Heero sets the receiver back on
the cradle and moves the phone back to the nightstand.

�Sally�s coming?� asks Relena.

�Yes, Relena,� says Heero, �She�s
coming� Relena, I��

Heero is interrupted by a brisk
knock at the door.

�Room service!� calls a voice on
the other side of the door.

�Coming!� exclaims Heero getting
up. He tucks the blankets around Relena and runs to the door. He unlocks the
door and swings it open quickly.

The young redheaded woman pushes
the cart into the room. �Will that be all, sir?�

�No. Bring more!� exclaims Heero.
He grabs his wallet from his bag and stuffs a bill in her hand. �Two more cups
of tea and another bowl of soup!�

�Yes, sir!� The woman bows and
backs out of the room.

Heero closes the door and pushes
the cart to the bed. He sits down and pulls Relena to him. He lifts the bowl of
soup and the spoon. �Open wide.�

Relena cuddles close to Heero as
he feeds her the soup. Then she drinks her tea and half of Heero�s cup.

�Okay, lie down now, Relena,� says
Heero wrapping the blankets tighter around her.

�Heero, you�re going to squeeze me
to death!� exclaims Relena.

Heero lies down beside Relena and
wraps his arms around her. He doesn�t say a word. He just holds her close to
him.

�Don�t let go� Heero, I just want
to say��

A loud firm knocking interrupts
Relena.

�The door�s open. Come in!�
exclaims Heero.

The door swings open.

Quatre and Wufei walk in wearing
matching black suits. They see Heero and Relena in bed together, and they share
a quick smile.

�Well, I imagined you�d be dressed
by now,� says Quatre.

�I would be if I could only get
warm,� says Relena.

�Um� excuse me? Room service!�
exclaims the redhead from behind Wufei.

Heero climbs out of bed quickly.
He hurries to give the woman her tip. �Thank you.�

�Thank you,� says the woman
leaving.

�Heero, do you know what you just
gave her?� exclaims Wufei staring wide eyed at Heero, �That bill had a hundred
written on it!�

�Listen, Wufei! I don�t care!�
exclaims Heero, �Relena�s ill, and right now all I care about is her! I don�t
need money! I need her!� He lifts the bowl of soup and walks over to Relena,
and he starts to feed her.

Relena starts shivering more, and
she breaks into a cold sweat.

�Relena? Are you alright?� asks
Quatre, �Should we call a doctor?�

�No! Sally�s coming!� exclaims
Relena.

Wufei hits the light switch as the
room grows darker when the sun outside moves behind a cloud.

The room is suddenly flooded with
light.

Relena screams and covers her
eyes.

Wufei turns the lights off quickly.
�I�m sorry, Relena!�

Quatre brings a cup of tea over to
Heero. �Here.�

Heero takes the tea and takes a
sip before lifting it to Relena�s lips.

Relena quickly drinks the entire
cup of tea.

�Heero, have you eaten anything
yet?� asks Quatre.

�I�m not hungry,� says Heero
helping Relena drink the last of the broth from her soup. He turns to look at
Wufei and Quatre. �You go down and eat. Meet Ania when she arrives. I�m not
leaving Relena.�

�We�ll be back soon,� says Wufei
before he leaves with Quatre.

�Heero, what is wrong with me?�
asks Relena quietly resting her head on Heero�s bare chest.

�I wish I knew,� says Heero
cuddling up to Relena.

The phone rings, and Heero
snatches it off the cradle. He lifts it to his ear. �Heero Yuy.�

<<Hello, Heero. It�s Sally.
The manager won�t let me come up,>> says Sally.

�Put him on,� says Heero.

<<Hello, this is Mr.
Moore,>> comes a man�s voice.

�This is Heero Yuy, one of the
delegates from the Sanc Kingdom. Sally is a close friend of mine as well as the
sole physician to Princess Relena Darlian Peacecraft!� exclaims Heero angrily,
�Now send her up to room 604! Immediately!�

<<Yes, sir. She is on her
way up now,>> says Mr. Moore, <<In fact, she just left for the
elevator! I�m sorry for the inconvenience!>>

Heero drops the phone onto the
cradle and gently caresses Relena�s face. �Sally�s on her way up.�

�Heero, I have to tell you
something,� whispers Relena.

�Don�t worry, Relena. I know
there will be plenty of time for you to tell me later,� says Heero, �and I
think it should wait.�

�You act as if you know what I
want to say,� says Relena.

Heero smiles. �I think I do.�

The door swings open, and a woman
with auburn hair in a single braid down the center of her back and dark
sunglasses runs in carrying a large carpetbag. She wears a white T-shirt and
blue jeans beneath a white lab coat.

Heero stands up. �Sally?�

�Yes. I�m trying out a new
hairstyle,� says Sally taking off her sunglasses to reveal her blue eyes. She
closes the door and walks towards Relena. She sets her bag on the bed. �Heero,
would you mind leaving the room?�

�Don�t ask again, Sally. I�m not
leaving Relena,� says Heero firmly.

Sally nods as she opens her bag.
She pulls out her stethoscope, flashlight and thermometer. �Well, then, will
you at least turn on the lights?�

Heero nods and stands. He walks
over to the light switch. �Cover your eyes, Relena.�

Relena places her hand over her
eyes.

Heero flips the switch, and the
room is flooded with light.

Sally puts the thermometer in
Relena�s mouth. She lifts the flashlight and turns it on. �Relena, I need to
look at your eyes.�

Relena lowers her hand shakily and
blinks repeatedly.

�Relena! Your eyes are bloodshot!�
exclaims Sally, �What have you been doing?� She flashes the light into Relena�s
eyes and looks them over.

�I haven�t done anything. I was
fine last night. Then I woke up early today like this,� says Relena trying to
talk with the thermometer in her mouth.

Sally turns the flashlight off and
sets it down. She lifts her stethoscope and listens to Relena�s heart and
lungs. Then she takes the thermometer out of Relena�s mouth. �Your temperature
is really low. I�m going to need to do some tests, but let�s get you into the
bathroom right now.�

�What for?� asks Heero quickly.

�I need to get some samples to
test,� says Sally, �And I want to do a proper examination. She might be a
little uncomfortable around you if she�s not wearing her clothes. Now, please
take my bag into the bathroom. I�ll take Relena in there.�

Heero grabs Sally�s bag off the
bed and takes it into the bathroom. He sets it on the sink and walks back out.
�She will be all right, won�t she, Sally?�

Sally helps Relena to her feet.
�I�ll do everything within my power, Heero.�

Heero nods as Sally takes Relena
into the bathroom. He starts pacing as soon as Sally closes the door.

Quatre and Wufei come back into
the room with a plate of Belgian waffles.

�We brought you some breakfast,
Heero,� says Quatre, �Where is Relena?�

�In the bathroom with Sally,� says
Heero. He paces nervously with his arms crossed.

�Heero, please. Sit down and eat,�
says Quatre.

Heero looks at Quatre and sees the
concern on his blond friend�s face. He forces a smile. �What did you bring me?�

�Belgian waffles,� says Wufei.

Heero takes the plate from Wufei
and sits down on the edge of the bed. He tears into the waffles hungrily and
quickly empties his plate. He dumps the plate on the room service tray.

�Heero, have you seen Prince Jesse
today? He wasn�t at breakfast, and the other delegates are worrying,� says
Wufei.

�Aw, hell! I forgot about him!
He�s probably still tied up in his room!� exclaims Heero getting off the bed.
He grabs a black tank top out of his bag and pulls it on. He finds a pair of
blue jeans and slides them on.

�Tied up?� asks Quatre.

�What happened?� asks Wufei.

�He was hitting on me last night,�
says Heero, �So I beat him up and tied him so he couldn�t move. Then I came
over here to sleep on the floor, and early this morning, Relena woke up sick. I
forgot all about that perverted bastard!� He grabs the keycard to the next room
and walks out the door.

Wufei and Quatre follow close
behind Heero.

�He didn�t try to� ahem,� says
Quatre blushing slightly.

�Oh, yeah, he tried,� says Heero
swiping the keycard and opening the door.

The three young men enter the
room.

Wufei closes the door as Quatre
turns the lights on.

Quatre gasps as he sees Prince
Jesse lying gagged, naked, and tied up on the floor.

Heero unties Prince Jesse.

�How far did he get?� asks Wufei
glaring at Prince Jesse as if he was just another pile of garbage on the street.

�All he really managed to do was
kiss me when I was half asleep and touch me in a way that convinced me to kick
his ass! Only one person can touch me like that,� says Heero, �I�m done here.
Let�s go.�

Quatre leads the way out.

Wufei turns the lights off and
closes the door as he follows Heero out.

The three friends return to
Relena�s room just in time to hear the phone ring.

Quatre hurries to get the phone.
�Hello, room 604.�

<<Hey, I know that voice.
It�s Quatre, right?>>

�Ania!� exclaims Quatre happily,
�You�re here!�

<<Yes! I just wanted to call
before I came up!>> exclaims Ania.

�I can�t wait to see you. Hurry
up,� says Quatre.

<<You got it!>>

Quatre sets the phone down. He
smiles. �Ania�s coming up.�

Heero starts to pace again.

The door to the bathroom opens,
and Sally walks out.

�Anything?� asks Wufei.

Sally holds up a little blue vial.
�I know the problem. I didn�t even think of it until I saw Relena�s eyes. She
has been drugged.�

�Drugged?� asks Heero, �When? By
who?�

Sally looks in the bathroom and
closes the door. �The drug is called Joy. It�s something OZ used in the early
years of the war. It�s highly addictive. There�s two parts to Joy. Alone, they
do nothing. But when they�re combined, the results can be devastating. The
first part is quite common. It�s found in most alcoholic beverages.�

�Like the wine we had with
dinner,� says Quatre.

�Exactly, but the other ingredient
is getting hard to find these days. A few medical research labs still have some
around though,� says Sally, �I hope the concentration is low. Otherwise she�ll
have to be on a special anti-drug the rest of her life. I�ll need an actual lab
to make the anti-drug and check the concentration in her blood, but I gave her
something that should help raise her temperature. She�ll be fine, Heero. I�ll
go down to the hospital and run the rest of the tests.�

Heero closes his eyes and replays
Sally�s words in his mind. �How can I help her?�

�When she gets out of her bath,
just try to keep her warm, Heero,� says Sally.

�If the concentration of Joy in
her blood is low, how do we treat it?� asks Heero.

�A single dose of the anti-drug,
Venom,� says Sally calmly, �and a fair amount of alcohol. Venom is also
triggered by alcohol, so plan a party for tonight. I�ll need to make the
Venom.�

�Go, Sally,� says Heero opening
his eyes to look at her. His eyes speak volumes.

Sally smiles. She checks the blood
sample in the pocket of her lab coat. �I�ll be back as soon as I can.�

�Return soon,� says Wufei with a
friendly nod.

Sally smiles at Wufei and nods.
Then she heads out the door.

�Hello!� calls a pretty blond
haired teenager moving into the doorway. She holds her luggage in her hands.
She smiles. �Was that Sally I saw coming out?�

�Yes, it was,� says Wufei as Heero
starts pacing in front of the bathroom door.

�Ania!� exclaims Quatre.

The white-blond girl looks so much
like Quatre, and it shows when she smiles. Her sapphire blue eyes sparkle in
the light. She sets her bags down and runs into Quatre�s arms. �Quatre! I�ve
missed you!�

Quatre holds his little sister in
a comfortable embrace. �I�ve missed you too, Ania. Have you met Heero and
Wufei?�

�I don�t believe so, but I�ve
heard a lot about them,� says Ania.

Quatre guides Ania over to Wufei.
�This is Chang Wufei.�

�I�m honored,� says Ania smiling.

�As am I, Ania,� says Wufei
shaking Ania�s hand, �honored to meet Quatre�s most beloved sister.�

Ania blushes. She looks towards
the bathroom where Heero�s still worriedly pacing. �And that would be Heero
Yuy?�

Heero looks over at Ania. He walks
up to her and offers her his hand. �Heero Yuy. Nice to finally meet you, Ania
Winner.�

Ania shakes Heero�s hand. She
smiles at him and asks, �Where is Relena?�

�In the bathroom,� says Heero
glancing at the door again, �She�s been taken ill.�

�So that�s why Sally was here,�
says Ania.

Wufei sees the concerned look on
Heero�s face. �Ania, would you please go in there to check on her?�

Ania sees Quatre nod. �Of course!�

Heero sits down on the edge of the
bed as Ania slowly enters the bathroom.

�Relena will be fine,� says Wufei.

Ania bursts out of the bathroom,
leaving the door wide open. �Heero! Relena�s unconscious!�

Heero bounds off the bed and
sprints into the bathroom. He sees Relena lying in the bathtub with a soggy
towel draped over her body.

Relena�s head tilts to the side,
almost resting on her own shoulder, and the little water that remains in the
tub quickly drains out.

Heero lifts Relena out of the
bathtub and quickly carries her into the other room. He sets her down on the
bed. He spots the stethoscope Sally left lying on the blanket, and he grabs it.

Ania grabs Quatre�s hand nervously
as Heero listens to Relena�s heart and lungs.

Heero stands up and looks at the
others. �She�s breathing and her heart beat is steady, but we should call
Sally.�

�You can go call Sally from
Quatre�s room while I get some clothes on Relena,� says Ania.

Heero looks at Relena. �I�ll be
right outside the door. As soon as she�s dressed, I�m coming back in.�

Ania nods.

�Quatre and I will call Sally,�
says Wufei.

�Now out!� exclaims Ania.

Quatre and Wufei nearly pull Heero
out of the room.

Heero stares back in at Ania and
Relena before closing the door.

Ania opens Relena�s luggage and
quickly finds a loose spring dress. She drops the towel on the floor and
somehow manages to put Relena�s limp body into the dress. Then she pulls the
blankets over Relena. �You can come in now, Heero!�

The door opens, and Heero walks
in. He hurries to the bed and sits down beside Relena. He pulls the blankets
tighter around her.

Ania lifts the towel and heads into
the bathroom. When she returns, she sees Heero lying beside Relena with his
arms wrapped tightly around her. She smiles and sits down in the chair.

Heero pulls himself closer to
Relena and closes his eyes.

After a few minutes of silence,
Quatre and Wufei come back into the room.

�Sally�s at the hospital. She can
have the medicine fixed up in about an hour,� says Quatre.

�She said to just keep a close eye
on Relena and keep her warm. She�s hoping that Relena�s just asleep,� says
Wufei.

�I think Heero may be asleep now
too,� says Ania quietly.

Wufei and Quatre look at Heero,
and they smile at each other.

�We might as well relax,� says
Quatre walking over to the stereo cabinet. He opens the door and turns the
volume knob way down. Then he hits the power button and tunes in a radio
station. He slowly turns the volume up, so that the harmonious melody fills the
room.

Wufei and Quatre sit close to
Ania, and they all talk in hushed tones.

�� *�� *�� *

Sally walks into the room without
knocking. Her eyes go immediately to Ania�s smiling face. �Ania Winner? I
didn�t know you were here.�

�I got here this morning,� says
Ania, �You look different, Sally.�

�Yes, and I�ve decided I don�t
like it,� says Sally, �but we can chat later. Now to business.� She walks up to
Relena and lifts her stethoscope. She listens to Relena�s heartbeat. �Steady�
good.�

Wufei joins Sally. �What do we
do?�

�First we need to wake them,� says
Sally, �Wufei, will you get my bag from the bathroom?�

�Sure,� says Wufei heading to get
the bag. He hurries back with it.

Sally takes the bag and sets it on
the nightstand. She opens it and pulls out a small black bottle. She uncorks
the bottle and waves it beneath Heero�s nose.

�Hunh?� asks Heero snapping awake.
He blinks and looks at Sally as she wafts the scent of the smelling salts
beneath Relena�s nose.

Relena gasps for air. She blinks
furiously.

�Sally. I thought you left,� says
Heero sitting up.

�I did. You�ve been asleep for
awhile,� says Sally putting the cork back into the bottle. She quickly examines
Relena�s red eyes. �Tsk. Tsk. Joy is really taking a toll on you, Relena, but I
brought the Venom. It�ll fix you up soon enough.�

�Sally, I can�t see,� says Relena.

�Don�t worry about that. You�ll be
able to see once the Venom takes effect,� says Sally pulling a bottle from her
lab coat pocket. She reaches into her bag for a needle. �Quatre, would you call
down to have a bottle of brandy and a few bottles of wine brought up?�

�Of course,� says Quatre taking
the phone and pulling it away from the bed to make his call.

�Heero, Wufei, I will need you to
hold Relena still. I�m sorry to say this, Relena, but this will hurt. As soon
as this anti-drug hits your blood, you�re going to go into convulsions,�
explains Sally.

�That�s why you need us to hold
her,� says Wufei.

Sally nods as she fills the needle
with the liquid from the bottle.

Heero slides behind Relena and
wraps his left arm around her waist and his right arm across her arms and
chest.

Wufei takes Relena�s left arm and
holds it steady.

�Hold her tight, Heero,� says
Sally.

Heero tightens his arms around
Relena.

Sally finds the vein in Relena�s
left arm and cleans the skin with alcohol. Then she slips the end of the needle
into it.

Relena starts trembling and
jerking around forcefully as Sally pushes the liquid into her body.

Wufei holds Relena�s arm tighter
as Sally finishes and withdraws the needle.

�You can let go of her now,� says
Sally, �I added a small percentage of alcohol to the mix to get it to activate
instantly.�

Wufei releases Relena, but Heero
only grips her tighter as she struggles against him.

�So� what all� did you� find out?�
asks Heero trying to hold Relena still so she won�t hurt herself.

�The percentage of Joy in her
system was small. She�s not going to be addicted to it, and one dose of Venom
will be enough to cure her of it,� says Sally, �So, Heero, she will be fine by
morning!�

�Good,� says Heero as Relena
elbows him in the stomach. He gasps.

�They�ll be sending up everything
you asked for Sally, plus some dinner for all of us,� says Quatre setting the
phone back.

Sally nods.

�Now we just wait?� asks Ania.

�There�s nothing else we can do,
I�m afraid,� says Sally with a sigh, �Now it�s just a matter of time before it
takes effect.�

�Can�t we hurry it up any!�
exclaims Relena through gritted teeth, �I feel like I�m burning!�

�The only way to speed it up is to
add more alcohol, and we�re waiting for that,� says Sally.

A brisk knock on the door
distracts Quatre, and he hurries to open it.

Tori stands on the other side of
the door smiling. He pushes the room service cart in and quickly pushes the two
from that morning out. He pours a drink of brandy and walks towards the bed.
His smile is now replaced with worry as he looks at Relena. �How is Princess
Relena?�

�She will be fine by morning,�
says Sally taking the drink.

Heero tries to hold Relena still
as Sally pours the brandy into the princess�s mouth.

Relena swallows hard.

�Fill it again,� says Sally
passing the glass back to Tori.

Tori pours more brandy into the
glass and returns it to Sally�s hand.

Sally pours the brandy slowly past
Relena�s lips.

Relena swallows, and her body
stops trembling and convulsing.

�Did you give her Venom?� asks
Tori.

�How do you know about that,
Tori?� asks Wufei quickly.

�I used to work for OZ. I was the
person they got addicted to Joy in the testing phase,� says Tori, �I get a
supply of Venom from a discreet source. Last week, someone kidnapped my younger
sister. They promised to return her if I got Relena addicted to Joy. My Venom
supplier wanted her to need him. I just got my sister back. They think I gave
Relena all the Joy they supplied me with, but I threw most of that shit away. I
just lightly frosted her wine glass with it� enough to make her sick, but not
get her addicted.�

�They kidnapped your sister to
make you help them?� asks Quatre looking from Tori to Ania.

�I wouldn�t have helped them if
they hadn�t had her,� says Tori, �I�m very sorry, Princess!�

�Don�t worry about it, Tori. I
don�t blame you,� says Relena relaxing in Heero�s arms, �You weren�t the cause
of my illness. You were just the carrier. I�d like to meet your sister later.�
She jerks violently.

Tori smiles. �As you wish, my
Princess!�

�You should go now before I get
angry,� says Heero, �unless you know who kidnapped your sister.�

�I don�t know. I get my Venom
through a quiet dealer. He�s the one who gave me the Joy for Relena,� says
Tori, �He said the order came straight from the top and that my sister would be
returned once I�d finished my job.�

�Wufei,� says Heero.

�I�m on it! Tori, I need you to
take me to that dealer!� exclaims Wufei.

�I can take you tomorrow afternoon
when I go to pick up my weekly Venom,� says Tori, �I don�t know where to find
him now.�

Wufei clenches his fists.
�Tomorrow then. This better not be a trap!�

�I swear on my sister�s life!�
exclaims Tori.

Wufei nods.

�Go on now, Tori,� says Quatre,
�Go meet your sister.�

Tori nods. �I�ll be back early
tomorrow afternoon. I usually meet him at two.�

Tori heads out to take the two
room service carts down to the kitchen.

�Relena, how do you feel?� asks
Heero rubbing her arms gently.

�Hungry!� exclaims Relena jerking
again, �And incredibly hot!�

Heero releases Relena, and she
climbs out of bed.

Relena heads into the bathroom.

Heero gets out of bed and smiles
at Sally. �Thank you.�

Sally smiles and pours up glasses
of brandy for everyone. �Now, let�s enjoy ourselves and get thoroughly drunk!�

Ania giggles. She moves over to
the stereo and changes the radio station before cranking the volume up.

Relena comes out of the bathroom
smiling. She takes another glass of brandy and downs it quickly. �I like that
song!�

�Good! We�ll keep the radio here!�
exclaims Ania.

Relena and Heero both take a
sandwich from the cart and start to eat.

The door opens, and Prince Jesse
enters. �So this is where you all are. You were missed today, Relena.�

�I was feeling ill this morning,�
says Relena, �Nauseated from the trip, I�m sure. Nothing too serious though,
Prince Jesse.�

Heero glares at Prince Jesse as he
closes the door and walks further into the room.

�This looks like a party. Might I
join in?� asks Prince Jesse.

�No!� snaps Heero.

Prince Jesse walks up to Relena as
she puts the last bite of her sandwich in her mouth. He takes both her hands in
his and whispers into her ear, �Don�t mind Heero. I�m sure he just doesn�t want
to share me with you. Not only is he rough in bed, but he�s jealous too. But
you wouldn�t know that would you?�

�Your Majesty, get out of
my room! I do not recall inviting you in!� exclaims Relena.

�Very well, Relena, for now,� says
Prince Jesse turning and walking out of the room.

Relena grabs another glass of
brandy and gulps it down as her body shakes uncontrollably. She drops the glass
onto the room service cart. �Heero! Did you sleep with that last night?�

Heero chokes on his sandwich. �Did
he tell you we had sex?�

�Yes!� exclaims Relena with wide
eyes.

Heero clenches his fists and
seethes in anger. �Listen, Relena. I would never have sex with a man!
Especially that ass! I spent the entire night here on your floor!�

�After you beat up Prince Jesse,�
adds Quatre.

�Yeah. He wanted sex from me, so I
gave him that black eye and swollen jaw!� exclaims Heero proudly.

Relena wraps her arms around Heero
and holds him close to her.

Heero places his arms around
Relena and holds her as if his life depended solely on her.

�Aren�t they cute together?� asks
Ania with a sigh.

�Yes, Ania. They certainly make a
cute couple,� says Sally.

Heero takes a step back away from
Relena. �You need to eat.�

Relena smiles and nods. She lifts
a bottle of wine and uncorks it. She fills up a glass and takes a long drink.
�Ania, would you like some wine?�

�Um� do I?� asks Ania lifting a
sandwich.

Relena fills a glass and passes it
to Ania.

�I�m surprised the Venom is
working this fast,� says Wufei.

�Yes, it�s because I added it
directly to her blood,� says Sally, �Well, everyone! We have plenty of
sandwiches and more than enough booze! Let�s enjoy ourselves!� She lifts a
glass of brandy to her lips and takes a sip. Then she lifts a sandwich.

Everyone starts eating and
drinking. In practically no time at all, they�ve gone through two-dozen
sandwiches and six bottles of wine as well as the bottle of brandy.

Ania hums along with the music as
she swirls the wine around in her glass. Her cheeks are pink from the alcohol.
She decides not to finish her glass and sets it down on the cart.

The song on the radio changes.

�Oh, hey! I love this song!�
exclaims Relena.

�It�s my favorite!� exclaims Ania
giggling.

Relena and Ania clasp hands across
the cart, and they both sing off-key, �Turn the lights down low, take it off,
let me show my love for you, insatiable. Turn me on, never stop, wanna taste
every drop, my love for you, insatiable!�

Relena stands up shakily and pulls
Ania to her feet. �Shall we dance?�

Ania giggles uncontrollably.

Relena and Ania keep their right hands clasped as
the music takes control of their bodies, and together they dance as if the
music was coming from deep within them. Their bodies move wildly, sexually to
the music.

�Well,� says Quatre watching his sister
and close friend dancing, �that is definitely not the type of dancing
you�d expect a princess to do.�

Heero watches Relena in amazement.

�But it is the type a teenaged
girl would do,� says Sally smiling, �Like a mating dance.�

�We levitate, our bodies soar, our
feet don�t even touch the floor. And nobody knows you like I do, coz the world,
they don�t understand. But I grow stronger in your hands,� sing Ania and Relena
laughing.

�She looks so free, so sexy, out
there,� whispers Heero really quietly.

�What was that, Heero?� asks
Wufei.

�She looks so free out there,�
says Heero staring at Relena as she runs her left hand down her side
suggestively. He swallows hard.

�Turn the lights down low, take it
off,� sings Relena as Ania grabs a bottle of wine and takes a drink from it.
�Let me show my love for you, insatiable. Turn me on, never stop��

Relena takes the wine bottle and
takes a drink.

�Why don�t you get out there with
Relena, Heero?� asks Sally, �And Quatre can dance with Ania.�

�Yeah, come on, Heero,� says
Quatre.

�Then I�ll have a reason to dance
with Sally,� says Wufei.

Heero stands and moves to Relena.
He takes the bottle and deposits it back on the cart. Then he takes Relena�s
hand.

Quatre moves over to Ania as the
two girls separate.

Sally and Wufei stand and dance to
the music together. They stay close to each other in an intimate conversation.

Quatre and Ania dance like old
friends who�ve found each other at last.

It takes a moment for the music
and Relena to take a hold of Heero, but before the song progresses too much, he
is dancing just as carefree as Relena sliding his hands along her body as he
dances close by her side. He whispers along with the music, �Can�t close my
eyes when I�m with you, insatiable, the way I�m loving you.�

Relena giggles and pulls Heero to
her. Her knees weaken, and she collapses into his arms. �I think I�m a little
drunk, Heero!�

Heero lifts Relena and gently sets
her on the bed as the song finishes.

�I suppose I should do a quick
examination before we all go to bed,� says Sally. She moves to Relena�s side
and checks her eyes. She listens to her lungs and heartbeat and checks her
temperature again. �All fine. You�ll be in great shape by the time you wake
up!�

�Thanks, Sally,� says Relena.

�Heero, I think we should let the
girls stay here and all us guys will move over to our room,� says Quatre.

Heero lifts the keycard for
Relena�s room. He nods at Quatre. �We�ll be right next door, Sally, Relena. If
you should need us� for any reason at all��

�We know, Heero,� says Relena
smiling warmly at him. Trying not to move her lips and in a very quiet whisper,
she adds, �I need you, Heero. I�ve always needed you.�

Heero nods again and leads the way
out.

Quatre and Wufei walk out the door
and close it.

The lock slides into place as Heero
uses the keycard from the outside.

�Now, let�s get some sleep,� says
Ania yawning. She turns the stereo off. She stumbles over and plops down on the
bed. She falls asleep almost instantly.

Sally smiles. �She�s out.�

Relena giggles.

Sally helps Relena move Ania into
the center of the bed.

Relena lies down on one side of
Ania. She closes her eyes and falls asleep.

Sally takes off her lab coat and
tosses it inside her medical bag. She closes her bag and sets it on the floor.
She turns the lights off and then lies on the opposite side of Ania.

�� *�� *�� *

Heero enters the room at six in
the morning to get the suit he brought to wear on the final day of the
conference. He smiles when he sees the three women asleep. He grabs his clothes
and returns to Quatre and Wufei�s room to shower and change.

Heero walks out of the bathroom
putting on his double-breasted black suit jacket.

�Don�t wake Quatre. He could use a
little more sleep,� says Wufei before going into the bathroom.

Heero sits down and waits in
silence for Wufei to change and then again for Quatre to get dressed.

The three young men, in matching
black suits, head over to room 604.

Wufei knocks on the door.

Ania opens the door still
towel-drying her hair. �Come on in. Sally�s just finishing her exam on Relena.�

The three boys walk into the room.

�You look nice,� says Quatre
noticing Ania�s light blue business suit.

�Yeah, well. It cost a bundle, but
it�s appropriate for these kinds of occasions,� says Ania.

Heero moves up to Sally who once
again has her hair in her two side braids. �How is the patient, Sally? Will she
live?�

�She�s doing great,� says Sally
putting everything away, �but once you�re back in the Sanc Kingdom, I want to
see her in my office for a full physical and an examination.�

Heero nods.

�Now, Relena, you can go get ready
now,� says Sally.

Relena gets out of bed. �Thank
you, Sally.�

Sally smiles. �Welcome, Relena.�

Relena grabs the navy blue suit
with the gold shirt and hurries into the bathroom for a quick shower and
change. When she comes back out, everyone is enjoying a small breakfast of
muffins, bagels, coffee, and orange juice. She pulls her hair into a ponytail
at the base of her neck and walks up to grab a bagel. �How is everyone this
morning?�

Heero looks into Relena�s crystal
clear, blue eyes and remembers how blood-shot they were twenty-four hours
previously. He smiles. �Wonderful!�

Wufei and Quatre smile at each
other behind their coffee cups.

�I�m happy. We�ve missed almost
the entire conference,� says Ania, �I wasn�t looking forward to attending. I
was quite surprised though to find out you canceled my hotel reservation!�

�That wasn�t Relena�s idea,� says
Quatre.

�It was a good idea,� says Ania
smiling, �Now we just have a meeting, a quick lunch, and a closing speech to
attend.�

There comes a firm knock on the
door, and Prince Jesse�s voice sounds on the other side. �Princess Relena! The
delegates are waiting for you!�

�So much for breakfast,� says
Relena dropping her half-eaten bagel. She takes Heero�s coffee cup and takes a
quick drink before passing it back to him.

�Let�s go,� says Heero finishing
the coffee and standing.

�Sally, you can stay and finish
breakfast if you like,� says Wufei trying to hide a muffin in his pocket.

Ania stands up and takes Quatre�s
arm when he offers it to her.

Wufei opens the door and pushes
Prince Jesse out of the way.

Quatre and Ania follow Wufei out.

Relena takes Heero�s hand and
squeezes it before she walks out alone.

Heero follows a step behind Relena
and closes the door.

Prince Jesse walks along at
Relena�s side smiling as they head down the stairs to a conference room on the
third floor.

The meeting is a lot of non-sense,
filled with hopeful dreams and empty promises, but Relena manages to keep
herself busy objecting to the ideas of the other delegates and telling them
what should be done instead of their plans.

�We can�t have total pacifism and
at the same time be constructing weapons! What exactly is our enemy? Why do you
believe we need weapons?� asks Relena furiously.

Half the delegates nod their heads
in agreement to Relena�s words, and the other half turn their gazes from her.

Relena retakes her seat in between
Ania and Prince Jesse.

�The Sanc Princess makes a good
point,� says the chairman, �We have no enemies. We need no weapons! I�m glad to
see that you have recovered from your illness, Princess Relena.�

Relena nods her head and smiles.

The chairman begins his typical
end of conference speech.

Relena nods at the appropriate
times, but she doesn�t really pay attention to his words.

Wufei sits on the opposite side of
Prince Jesse discreetly eating the muffin he snuck into the meeting.

Quatre and Ania whisper quietly to
each other.

Prince Jesse sets his hand on
Relena�s and intertwines their fingers.

Heero, from his position on the
far side of Wufei, glares at Prince Jesse. He clenches his fists angrily.

�And now, I have a very special
announcement!� exclaims the chairman, and everyone in the room turns their
attention to him.

The chairman claps his hands and a
troop of waiters, which include Tori, walk around with trays full of champagne,
passing a glass to each delegate.

Tori slips a piece of paper to
Wufei with his glass.

Wufei passes the paper to Heero
who opens it and quickly reads it.

Heero nods to Tori.

The waiters deposit all the champagne
and hurry out.

�Now, this morning I received the
most wonderful news from the Sanc Kingdom. I called Foreign Minister Milliardo
Peacecraft for confirmation of course,� says the chairman.

Relena looks at the chairman in
confusion.

The chairman smiles happily.
�Princess Relena Darlian Peacecraft of the Sanc Kingdom��

The delegates from the Sanc
Kingdom and the Winner Resource Satellite hold their breath in anticipation of
the news.

�Will wed Prince Jesse Yurameshi
of the Neo-Europolitan Kingdom! With their union will be the creation of the
Sanc-Europolitan Kingdom ruled by Princess Relena and Prince Jesse! A toast!�
exclaims the chairman proudly nodding at Relena and Prince Jesse, �To Princess
Relena and Prince Jesse! May they have a happy marriage!�

�To Relena and Jesse!� exclaim
several of the delegates.

Prince Jesse stands up smiling and
pulls Relena to her feet.

Relena stares at the chairman in
shock as all her friends stare at her in equal shock.

�To the Sanc-Europolitan Kingdom!�
exclaims Prince Jesse raising his champagne glass, �May it have a healthy and
prosperous future!�

�To the Sanc-Europolitan Kingdom!�
chime several of the delegates.

Relena rips her hand away from
Prince Jesse and storms out of the hall.

�Forgive my fianc�e,� says Prince
Jesse, �She wanted to announce it in her own way!� He sets his glass down and
hurries out.

Heero, Wufei, Quatre, and Ania
hurry out to catch up to Relena. They meet her and Prince Jesse at the
elevator.

�Relena! Why didn�t you tell us
you were engaged?� asks Ania.

The elevator doors open, and
Relena pulls Prince Jesse into it.

The others hurry into the
elevator, and Heero hits the button for the sixth floor forcefully.

The doors close.

�How dare you!� screams Relena,
�You and Milliardo planned this! How could you tell them we�re getting married
without even consulting me first? I do NOT want to marry you!�

�This isn�t a marriage, Relena.
This is just a diplomatic arrangement where we happen to have sex and
children,� says Prince Jesse.

�Uh� No! I don�t think so!�
screams Relena. She slaps Prince Jesse and turns her back to him. �I would
NEVER have sex with you!�

The doors open on the sixth floor,
and Relena storms off towards her room with everyone close behind her. She
swings the door open and immediately turns on the small vid-phone by the
stereo. She dials the number to her brother�s office.

Sally looks at everyone confused.
�What did I miss?�

Heero pulls Wufei aside and gives
him the note Tori had passed them.

Wufei reads the note to himself.
�Meet me at the back entrance to the hotel at one-fifteen. I�ll take you to the
person you want to see.�

�You have twenty minutes before
you need to meet him,� whispers Heero.

�I�d like to know how this turns
out, in case I miss it,� whispers Wufei.

�You�ll know soon enough,�
whispers Heero.

Milliardo�s face appears on the
screen. �Hello, Milliardo Peacecraft here. Oh, Relena! Is something wrong?�

�Wrong? Why would anything be
wrong? I just found out that you and Prince Jesse are planning to get ME
married!� exclaims Relena angrily, �If someone hadn�t told the chairman, I
wouldn�t even have found out! When were you planning on telling me? My wedding
day!�

�You mean Jesse didn�t tell you in
person?� asks Milliardo.

�No!� exclaims Relena.

�When I tried, she kicked me out,�
says Prince Jesse over Relena�s shoulder.

�Next time you two decide to try
to run my life, please leave me out of it!� exclaims Relena, �I am not marrying
him!�

�Relena, we decided on this
because it would be beneficial to the Sanc Kingdom,� says Milliardo, �The Sanc
Kingdom needs this.�

�No! Don�t you go bringing the
Sanc Kingdom into this, Zechs,� screams Relena furiously, �That�s not
going to work this time! Being forced to marry someone I don�t love will not
help the Sanc Kingdom, Zechs!� If you
want this union so bad, you marry him!� Her body shakes angrily as she
clenches her fists. She only ever calls her brother by his adopted name when
she is really upset with him, but she never knew what upset was until this
moment.

�But it will help the Sanc
Kingdom, Relena. Our two countries need each other,� says Milliardo, �They need
to be united, and we both know that Zechs Merquis is not fit to rule the Sanc
Kingdom. Relena, for the sake of the Sanc Kingdom!�

Relena collapses to her knees. Her
anger leaves her body, and she starts sobbing uncontrollably. For her country,
she would do anything. She would even sacrifice everything. She knows it. Her
brother knows it. �For the Sanc Kingdom!�

Prince Jesse kneels beside Relena
and pulls her into his arms. He whispers into her ear, �Don�t worry, Relena.
You�ll still see Heero. After we�re married, I�ll be making him my lover. Maybe
we can even convince him to nail you once in awhile.�

Relena only sobs louder.

Heero clenches his fists.
�Milliardo! How could you do this to her? You know how much the kingdom means
to her! How could you use her feelings for her people to do this to her? Can�t
you see you�re killing her?�

Wufei whispers to Quatre, �I have
to go, Little One. I�m meeting Tori to go check out his supplier. I�ll be back
as soon as I can.�

Quatre nods and squeezes Wufei�s
shoulder.

Wufei heads out as Heero and
Milliardo yell at each other.

�This isn�t the end of this
conversation, Milliardo!� exclaims Heero turning off the vid-phone. He turns
towards Prince Jesse seething in anger. �Get away from Relena!�

�Relena, come here to Sally and
I,� says Ania quickly. She pulls Relena over to the bed where Sally joins her.

�I�m going to pack,� says Prince
Jesse quickly leaving the room.

Heero walks towards the door.

�Heero!� exclaims Relena between
sobs.

Heero slams the door closed and
rushes to Relena�s side. He quickly and gently wraps his arms around her. �I�m
here, Relena!�

Relena cries herself to sleep in
Heero�s arms.

�� *�� *�� *

Wufei returns to find everyone all
packed to leave. He�s amazed to learn that Quatre even packed his own things so
that he wouldn�t have to. He pulls Heero and Quatre away from the girls.

�What did you find out?� asks
Heero.

�The main supplier of Venom is
from the Neo-Europolitan Kingdom. Someone high in the government,� says Wufei.

�So that person is the one who
wants Relena dead?� asks Quatre.

Wufei nods. �That person holds a
grudge against Zechs, and we got Tori in trouble so he�ll never get Venom
again. I told him that we would get Sally to make it for him from now on. What
about Relena and that windbag?�

�Relena isn�t going to marry that
jerk, but I haven�t yet figured out how to stop it,� says Heero.

�Our shuttle will be leaving soon.
We need to go,� says Quatre.

And shortly, everyone is headed
back to the Sanc Kingdom.
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