Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. Plain and simple. I'd normally have some witty remark to add here but I really don't feel like putting one in. Maybe later.

--

Relena sat back in her chair, smiling. "The food was wonderful, Pagan. Don't you agree?"

"I think yours was overcooked, for starters," the old man replied. "I wish you had let me make you lunch at home."

"It was just right, and everyone deserves a break. Even you." At this point, their waiter came up. "Umm… how-how was your lunch?"

"Wonderful. Give my compliments to the chef." Pagan just nodded silently. "Could we have the check now?"

The waiter rushed through his response. "There's no need for you to pay, your food is on the house. After all, we don't get someone as prestigious as Relena Darlian here every day." He picked up their plates faster than Relena thought could be possible, but his hands were shaking so much he nearly dropped them. He left the table, forcing himself not to run. "Well, are you ready, Miss Relena?" Pagan asked.

Relena used her napkin to wipe her lips one last time. "Yes. Let's go."

They stepped outside and both frowned. It had started raining while they were inside, and lightning and thunder had soon followed. Pagan gestured to a bench under the building's awning. "Here, Miss Relena, sit down. I'll bring the car around and pick you up."

Relena sat down, a bit relieved that she wouldn't have to run through the storm. "Thank you, Pagan." He nodded and ran off.

Another waiter saw Relena sitting and walked out to her. "Hello, Miss Relena," he nearly shouted. "My name is Charles. I noticed how… odd your waiter acted today. I thought I should apologize for him. We hope that this won't stop you from coming here again." He sounded much calmer than the first waiter.

Relena shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I'd love-" She was cut off by the sound of an explosion. She stood immediately, looking around the parking lot. The rain couldn't douse the fire where her pink limousine once sat. "Pagan…? Pagan!" Ignoring the weather, Relena ran towards the fire. However, she was wearing heels and the ground was slippery from the rain. She stumbled and fell, dirtying her white dress. Charles was right behind her and helped her up. "Miss Relena, please try to stay calm. Someone's calling-"

"Get off of me!" Relena cried. She pushed him away and continued running. Once she made it to the car she tried to open the driver's side door. She burned her hand on the handle. Thinking quickly, Relena tore off a piece of her dress and used it as padding to get the door open. Pagan's body fell out into her arms. She had to pull him away from the car so that he wouldn't be burned any more than he already was. His face was so badly burned that it was hardly recognizable. She felt for a pulse; there was none.

Charles was once again behind Relena. He kneeled down and put a hand softly on her shoulder as she cradled Pagan's head in her arms. They stayed that way until the ambulance came.

The paramedics calmly took Pagan's body and put it on a stretcher. One checked her watch. "Time of death… 1:17 pm. Let's go, Ross." The two paramedics lifted the stretcher into the ambulance, closed the doors, and moved to the front. They soon started it up and drove away, leaving Relena and Charles standing in the rain.

Charles took Relena's hand and she immediately fell into his arms. "Oh, Heero…"

Charles paused a moment before asking, "Who's Heero?" Relena pulled away, blushing slightly. "Oh, um… no one important." He wasn't satisfied, but simply replied, "Okay."

"Anyway, I can't stay. I still have an appointment to make."

"What, you mean a doctor's appointment?"

"No. I came from the Peacecraft castle. A park is being set up outside of New Port City in Heero Yuy's memory. I'm going to be speaking there."

"You can't be serious! That bomb was obviously meant for you!"

"If I ran away every time my life was threatened, I wouldn't be here. I'm still going. I can't let whoever did this think they can scare me off." Relena pulled her cell phone out of her purse, frowning slightly. "Now, do you know the number for the local cab service? I don't have time to wait around for another limousine; I figure taxis will come sooner."

"There is no way someone like you is going to ride in a taxi," Charles responded.

"There is nothing wrong-"

"I'll take you. My car is right over there."

"I don't want to take you away from your job. I doubt your shift is ending now."

"The manager is my brother. I'm not worried about it."

"This is all very kind, but I've taken help from strangers before, and it never ends well."

"But we aren't strangers. You know me. I'm Charles, a waiter at this fine establishment."

Relena managed to smile. It seemed this man was just as stubborn as she was. "Alright, let's go. Where did you say your car was?"

Charles returned her smile. "Right this way, Miss Relena." He helped Relena to his car and opened the door for her. He then quickly ran around and got into the driver's seat. As he started the car, he looked over to the restaurant. Relena followed his gaze and saw another man standing at the window. Charles smiled and waved, but the other man did neither in return. Charles just shook his head and started driving. "That's my brother."

Relena frowned. "I thought you said he was okay with this."

"Oh, he's got other things to worry about." For a moment his smile disappeared, a rather grim look in its place. Just as quickly, though, he seemed to calm down. "Well, Miss Relena Darlian. You were once known as Queen Relena, right?"

Relena looked away. She didn't like being reminded of the unhappier times in her life. "Yes. And please, just call me Relena."

"I always found it fascinating." Charles noticed how confused Relena looked and elaborated. "I mean, Romefeller built so many Mobile Suits for the Alliance and OZ, even developed that Mobile Doll system, and yet so many of its members supported your beliefs of disarmament to bring about total pacifism. You must be as talented as Heero Yuy."

Relena's eyes lit up at the name, but the moment passed as she realized he meant the real Heero Yuy, the man who was assassinated in A.C. 175 after uniting all of the colonies under the ideals of total pacifism. "You're too kind. He was able to unite all of the colonies. I can only hope to be able to do the things he did for the people. That's why I'm speaking today."

"And I'm looking forward to it. I thought I'd just be seeing your face in the news tonight. I'm a bit excited to be coming to see you in person!" Charles remembered how he got the opportunity. "I… I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Relena tried to smile but there was still some sadness in her voice. "So, Charles, how long have you been at the restaurant?"

"About two, three years. I started right after high school. My father died a year ago and my older brother took over. I'm constantly reminded of how 'privileged' I am to still be working there. He owns the place and instead of putting me, his blood, as a manager, he chose his fiancée. She reports to him every time I drop a napkin."

Relena put a hand on Charles' shoulder. "I'm sure things will improve soon."

"Yeah, I hope so. Maybe he'll finally see that she's the spawn of Satan!" He laughed for a moment, then paused. "Sorry. I shouldn't be complaining about all of this to you. You've got enough on your mind."

"Don't worry. You can stop apologizing for everything, too."

"Well… thanks for listening." Charles suddenly slowed down the car. "You know, if you want to put this on hold for a couple of days-"

"No, it's fine. Like I said, I'm not going to let anyone think they can scare me. Besides, the park is just up ahead."

A public park was officially being dedicated to (the real) Heero Yuy. Although he was the leader of the colonies, many people on Earth considered him a hero and even a martyr. The quietness and general peacefulness of nature seemed appropriate, and having another advocate of total pacifism speak there showed that people were truly ready to head down the path towards peace.

Charles drove up and parked by the biggest entrance into the park. Already people had noticed Relena was inside his car. Cameras started flashing and reporters from several news stations and magazines were crowding around it. Charles looked over at her. "All ready, Relena?"

She smiled. "Yes, definitely." Without hesitating, she opened the door and stepped out. She was immediately barraged with cameras, microphones, and reporters. However, none of their questions were about the park.

"Miss Relena, is it true that you were nearly killed earlier today?"

"Miss Relena, didn't your driver recently die in a car bomb? Is that why you're with this man now?"

"Miss Relena, are you still going to speak today considering everything that's happened?"

How did they find out about this so soon? Relena frowned. Someone at the restaurant must have called… As she thought about it, Charles came over and put an arm around her protectively. "She'll answer all of your questions later. Please, just stop bugging her!" He led her past the crowd into the park, leaving behind the reporters who were still shouting.

Police were inside the entrance trying to keep the order as best they could. As Charles and Relena walked further into the park, the noise eventually died down until the only thing they could hear was the current speaker. "…and among the more rare species of plants we have is what's called the 'Black Mimosa'. It grows wild in Brazil and Mexico. You'll notice the short trunk and gorgeous black leaves…" The woman looked up and noticed that Relena had arrived. "…I'm sure we can finish this up later, as Miss Relena Darlian has come to officially dedicate the park to Heero Yuy. Miss Relena, would you like to say a few words?" The woman gestured to the spot where she was standing, in front of the crowd.

Upon hearing her name, the crowd started applauding. Relena smiled. This was the whole reason she was here, of course she would speak to them today. Every pair of eyes followed her as she walked up to the front. Though keeping a smile on her own face, the other woman leaned over and whispered, "Um… Miss Relena, are you sure you want to do this now? I mean, you look…"

"I'm okay, and am ready to proceed." Relena turned her attention to the crowd. "Heero Yuy was a great man who lived and died fighting for the belief that people must throw down their weapons and learn to coexist with one another. These beliefs were shared on Earth with my father and myself. I am very glad that all Mobile Suits have been destroyed and that we are finally heading down a path towards peace. I'm sure Heero Yuy would be as well if he were still with us.

"Before I continue, I'd like to say a few words... Now, I'm sure you all can see how I look, and many of you have heard rumors about my driver." Relena paused, taking a breath before she continued. "Earlier today, my driver, Pagan, was killed in a car bomb. I believe it was meant for me, and I want to say something to the people who set this up. You may think you can scare me off with a… stunt like this, but-" At this point, Relena heard what she thought was a firecracker. What?

"Miss Relena!" A man pushed Relena aside. She felt a sharp pain in her right shoulder as she hit the ground. People all around her were screaming. Just before she closed her eyes, she saw Charles running up to her.

--

Relena slowly opened her eyes. She was lying in a bed and a machine was beeping loudly in her ear. A man dressed in white was standing over her writing something on a clipboard. He looked at her and smiled. "So, you're finally awake."

"Where… where am…"

"You're in the hospital. You were shot three days ago. We've removed the bullet, but you should stay here at least one more night so we can make sure you're okay."

"Okay… that sounds good." Relena still felt so weak she couldn't even sit up. There was no need for her to rush out of here. She slowly turned her head towards a window. The hospital was right on the water, and she could see a pier with several boats docked. She thought she saw movement, but dismissed it as the waves.

Before she could say anything, the doctor asked, "So, do you feel up for having some company? The man who brought you in hasn't left the hospital since then."

She smiled. "Yes. I'd love to see him."

"Alright, I'll go get him." The doctor stepped out of the room. Relena could hear him say something, but couldn't make out the words. Almost immediately the door opened and Charles entered. He closed the door behind him. "How are you feeling, Miss… sorry, Relena?"

Relena nodded. "Fine. I still feel so weak. What about the man-"

"Who shot you? He was taken care of. I wish I could have come in earlier; two guys are standing at the door. No one was allowed in."

"I'm glad you're here now."

Charles smiled. "Me too…" He walked over and looked through the nearby cabinets. He pulled out a washcloth, wet it at the sink, and walked back to Relena. "Seems like the doctors didn't do a good job of cleaning you up." Charles rubbed the wet washcloth over Relena's forehead. "You're so hard to kill…" He suddenly shoved the cloth into her mouth and plugged her nose.

Relena's screams were muffled by the washcloth. She tried to move, tried to get Charles away from her, but she didn't have enough energy. "If only you'd died in that damn bomb I wouldn't have to be doing all of this." The beeping next to her became faster and Relena realized it must be monitoring her pulse. Charles noticed it and calmly switched it off. "By the time anybody realizes, you'll already be dead."

They both suddenly heard a man grunt in pain. "Hey, st-" the other said, but he was cut off. Another person roughly opened the door and Relena's eyes widened. Heero…!

"Well, I have to thank you. I was worried about everyone hearing a gun go off, but you've taken care of the guards for me." Charles used his free hand to pull out a gun. Before he could raise it, Heero kicked over a chair and knocked him down. The gun fell out of his hands and skidded over by the sink.

Charles jumped up and both he and Heero ran for the gun. Heero got to it first but Charles tackled him. They rolled around on the floor, both trying to get the gun, when it went off. Heero pushed Charles' body off of him and stood up. He immediately went over to Relena and started to pull out the IVs. "It's not safe. I'm getting you out of here."

Relena was so happy to see Heero she didn't protest. He scooped her into his arms right at the time the doctor ran in. He looked over at the body before yelling, "Security!"

Heero looked around and spied the window. He ran with Relena in his arms and turned with his back to it, pushing it open. He then jumped out of the window and ran towards the pier. "I've got a boat waiting. You won't be staying in the Sanc Kingdom for awhile."

Before she could ask where they were going, Relena heard another familiar voice. "Hey Heero! What took you so long?"

Behind her, Relena heard someone shout, "There they are! You! Stop!" Heero glanced behind him and then shouted back, "Get the boat going, Duo. We've got to get out of here."

"Can do!" Duo jumped onto the boat. As Heero carried Relena aboard, he started the engine. "Hold on tight!" The boat sped off, leaving behind the hospital and people chasing them.

Heero pushed open a door and walked down into the lower level of the boat. There were a couple of couches and a television. Another door was closed, probably leading to the bathroom. He gently laid Relena down on one of the couches and sat next to her. "You feeling okay?"

Relena smiled. "I'm good, now." The last thing she remembered before falling back to sleep was Heero's hand gently on her forehead.