A/ Note: The name of the bike has been edited in case it wasn't allowed so if you recognise it and it looks off it was intentional.

P/S I combined Chapters 1-5 since they were so much shorter than everything that followed. No need to re-read since I didn't change any information. just editing.

"Love is weakest when there is more doubt than trust but Love is strongest when we learn to trust despite the doubts."- Unknown

Trust

Relena felt over worked, painfully and ridiculously overworked. To the outside world she was twenty three, but inside she felt fifty. Standing at the window in her office at the ESUN headquarters on Earth she watched the passers by going about their day. Children, teenagers to the more mature persons. She smiled to herself, she never used the word old, "it was impolite" her mother used to tell her and it stuck. It was a beautiful day out, the sun was shining brightly, with only a tiny whisper of clouds threading the sky, she could almost imagine the fresh air, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply, not even close. The cold thin air of the air conditioned room burned her nostrils. Opening her eyes to continue her perusal of the day she wasn't experiencing, she got the distinct feeling she wasn't alone.

"Are you my protection or my stalker?" she asked while smiling at the reflection which appeared behind her in the glass. It was more rhetorical than anything else, atleast that's what she told herself because really was she going to get a response?

He came up and leaned against the window beside her. Dressed in full preventer uniform he was beautiful. Not particularly a word you used for men but handsome just wasn't enough to describe him. She looked at him from the corner of her eye, leaned against the window, arms folded half paying attention and half I'm too sexy for my shirt. This thought only brought to mind what he looked like without a shirt. She blushed and turned her attention back to the window.

"Have you ever wished you were them?" She was unsure what made her pose the question out loud, maybe because this person next to her was probably the only person furthest from the idea of normal than she was.

He looked up at her then, waiting for her to elaborate.

She continued "Have you ever wanted to be normal? To walk down the street and just do nothing?

"No one is stopping you from walking down the street."

Ugh she hated his logical way of seeing everything. I was an asset in difficult times and a pain in everything else "Can I go without ten bodyguards?"

"You only ever need one" He was smirking now.

"Please Heero, this widow can't open and I really don't want your ego to suck all the oxygen from the room." She sighed, he didn't understand.

"What's really bothering you?"

"We've achieved peace but can you say we enjoy it. Is it selfish to want to enjoy it? Is it just our jobs to obtain it for others? I want to go to the movies, go to the theme park, I've seen the world and the colonies but I've never been to the circus or ate a hotdog. These things seem trivial and maybe a little silly but I sometimes want to be her." She pointed down to a bunch of girls talking and laughing arm in arm.

"Say when." His response was automatic, commanding and affirmative.

She jumped, eyes wide, did he just say that, did he mean it, "What?"

"Hn" his typical response to just about everything including his name.

She was grinning hopelessly…"When!"

The very next day she had announced she was taking a much needed vacation. She sent the information to everyone on the need to know list, namely Commander Une, Lucrezia Noin and Senator Nicolai Staten along with other members of the ESUN.

She was in her room packing a few things and musing to herself, at first she was only going to take one week but she decided to throw caution to the wind. 'How pathetic' she thought dryly, her idea of throwing caution to the wind was taking two weeks vacation? Yeah Relena you're really living it up.

She was told to pack light by her tour guide and she complied. She only had one bag when she met Heero down stairs. He was wearing a white button down shirt with its three tops buttons undone…to torture her of course and a pair of blue jeans. On her part she was wearing a white short pant linen suit.

He gave her a once over and if she didn't know better she would have thought she saw him cringe. Did he just cringe? … at her outfit?

Quite matter of factly he stated, "You're gonna need a disguise" A disguise? She was loving this already. So he did cringe humph.

They stopped at a small mall so she could pick up some stuff. When she got back to the car she had refused to tell him what she had bought. They quickly went back to the house where she dashed upstairs and got to work.

Heero waited downstairs, five minutes turned into two hours. 'It's a good thing we're not on the run'. He checked his watch again. He was about to check she was still up there when the door cracked. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Relena emerged from the room, her hair was jet black which emphasized her blue eyes tenfold. She wore dark blue denim jeans, a black long sleeved off shoulder crop top which stopped 2 inches above the waist of her jeans, exposing her soft yet slightly toned stomach. The outfit was complemented by black ankle boots while a black leather jacket was slung casually over her back in her right hand. She was by all intents and purposes a biker chick. His eyebrows went up by at least a .2 of a millimeter not a lot but for a guy who redefined the word stoic it was huge. She descended the stairs, eyes locked with his the entire flight, stopping only when she was 2 inches from his face.

"What do you think?" Had she been a cat, she would've been purring.

He looked her up and down in a slow deliberate movement with a hint of a smirk on his dark features. "Hm, let's go."

They exited the house and stopped in the drive way, parked on the street was a black SUV, what they would usually use as transportation, in the garage sat his black extremely sleek, Kawasi ninja bike.

He looked at her his smirk still in place, this had to be a record. "Your choice"

She looked down at herself and then back up at him, one brow raised, telegraphing her thoughts.

Taking the hint he led her into the garage where his bike was waiting. He got on, handed her a helmet then proceeded to secure his own, "Hop on"

She climbed on the back, hands curled tightly around his waist, she got as close as she possibly could to him without being a second skin.

"You know I always like it when you take me for a ride"

They drove for what seemed like forever, but really she didn't care. She was snuggled up to his back while the wind blew through her hair and the scenery unfolded before her eyes. It was beautiful. Whether he took this route on purpose or if this was just the way to wherever he was taking her she didn't know, but they managed to avoid the city, the concrete jungle. Instead they drove by lakes and parks, they saw and heard children playing, dogs barking and birds chirping. They heard life, instead of horns honking and the smell of exhaust. She watched as the day changed and the sky morphed from blue to tones of pink and orange as the sun set, this time when she closed her eyes and breathed she was met with fresh air and contentment like never before.

They arrived at a small hotel chain just before night fall, Heero had obviously taken care of everything ahead of time because he already had a key and they headed straight to their room. Ever efficient. After making sure she was settled he went back down to get something for them to eat. Relena looked around the room, it was sufficient, not the luxury chains she was used to but it was clean, she paused and stared at the carpet, daring it to show any signs of neglect. None, so it was clean, there was a bed draped with a very colourful flowered print bed spread which to her surprise and slight mortification matched the wallpaper. In front of the bed a few feet away was a small coffee table with what she assumed was the television remote sitting on top, pushed against the far wall was a flat screen tv nestled atop a small stand which housed a variety of magazines on the bottom shelves. A chair was stationed at the window with a small desk, in case you wanted to switch things up. A useable bathroom completed the tour. It contained a sink, shower, toilet and more ugly wallpaper, the basics. She walked around the room, not that it was big but after riding that long she wanted to stretch her legs. She did it, she exclaimed to no one in particular. She was on vacation. She couldn't help but smile at the thought. Yet the fact that she had nothing to do, no one to see and no where she needed to be was unsettling. She could only categorise the feeling as withdrawal. Her fingers were twitching with the need to sign a paper, answer a call or type a letter. She opened the only bag she had brought. Inside was some clothes, a few make up items and her feminine necessities. The only form of communication was her emergency cellular, so emergency that only three people had the number one of whom was there with her. She picked it up and stared at it for several seconds her finger poised to make a call when the door swung open. Heero stepped back inside the room carrying two small bags of something that smelt of heaven. She felt like a child being caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She lowered her head to peer at him through her bangs hoping to appear as innocent as humanly possible.

"Couldn't help yourself" He apparently wasn't moved by the display.

"I didn't use it, you should be proud of me" She tilted her chin up at him as if she had just achieved a major feat.

"Here", he gave her one of the bags he was holding and settled on the bed next to her. "This," he said and he opened his bag and held up the sandwich, "is a bacon cheeseburger"

She stared at him incredulously, "Heero I know what a cheeseburger is." She harrumphed, the jerk. Truth is just because she knew what it was doesn't mean she had ever eaten one. She tentatively opened her bag, carefully trying to avoid what she assumed was grease and ketchup. It wasn't the best presented thing she had ever eaten but the smell was intoxicating. Her mouth to her surprise was watering, either she was hungrier than she realized or her mouth was reacting to being so close to something it knew was going to be good. She took a bite and her toes curled, her eyes closed tightly while her nose inhaled the gorgeous scents of bacon and smoky grilled something or the other. Oh. My. God! Was this legal? The combination of the bacon, cheese and some kind of sauce she couldn't quite identify was sinful. When she opened her eyes Heero was looking at her, a triumphant smile on his face as if he had anticipated her reaction. She flushed, slightly embarrassed by being caught in the middle of a mouth-gasm. She lowered her head instinctively under his glare. "This is good" It was the only thing her mind could think of saying feeling thoroughly self-conscious. He reached out his hand cupping her chin and slightly brushed his thumb across the side of her lips. She started momentarily, her lips slightly parted from his touch. Looking up at him she met Prussian eyes regarding her purposefully. His hand still cupping her chin he leaned down, kissing her lightly, carefully, as if waiting for her response. He didn't have to wait long, she brought her hand to his neck, sliding up until she had a fistful of his hair urging him forward and deeper into the kiss. In one swift move he relieved both of them of the contents of their hands depositing the uneaten food on the coffee table, his lips never leaving hers.

Somethings were better than cheeseburgers.

Two days! Two glorious days, two days of junk food, bad tv shows and Heero. This is not what she considered normal. No, this was extraordinary. Relena laid in bed staring up at the ceiling fan as it whirled slowly, barely emanating a breeze. A smile plastered permanently it seems on her face, as her mind recounted every minute of the past forty-eight hours starting from the time she hopped onto the back of his bike until now. She was giddy with joy, she had to fight the urge to giggle and squeal like a school girl.

She was playing hooky from work, eating ridiculously tasty food and indulging in one too many yet never enough acts of pure carnal desire. How many rules could one person break in two weeks? With what could only be described a sinister smile she vowed to find out.

"Where is she Commander?" Nicolai Staten radiated fury. He was all but yelling at the head of the preventer organization.

"Mr. Staten calm down. While I can appreciate your concern, I will not tolerate your disrespect." Not only had he barged into her office unannounced, he had all but accused her of aiding and abetting the vice minister, whose only crime was apparently taking some time off.

Nicolai straightened his posture, took a deep breath while adjusting a tie that was now suddenly restricting his air. "My apologies Commander, but it's been two days with no contact from the Vice Foreign Minister surely this has to raise some concerns for her safety."

In most cases the man would have been right. Two days without any contact from Relena would be cause for alarm, probably search parties but vacation or not Relena always had a more than capable body guard. If anything had happened to the Vice Minster he would be the first to raise an alarm, his silence meant her safety.

"Mr. Staten I can assure you Ms. Relena is safe. She has one of the best agents the preventers' organisation has to offer at her side, she's fine."

Looking across the large mahogany desk at her unexpected visitor a lesser woman may have been intimidated. He was tall, lean and arrogantly aristocratic. In many ways he reminded her of Treize, except where Trieze was brunette he was blonde, his eyes sparkling emerald. She smiled despite herself, it was going to take a lot more than a trust fund to intimidate her after all she commanded a collection of some of the most dangerous men in the sphere. Scrutinizing him she could see the glint of disbelief in his eyes. Her assurances did nothing to assuage his concern or anger, but he relented.

"I'll take your word for now Commander," he turned and headed towards the door, stopping before he closed it behind him. "For now!"

Commander Une sat at her desk in quiet reflection. Her index finger absentmindedly tapping the corner of the gleaming structure. Her confrontation with Mr. Staten had left her a little more concerned than what she initially thought. It's been two days, the preventers had the best equipment in security and surveillance and yet not a hint of Relena Darlian anywhere. Not that they were spying on her, but it was inconceivable that they were travelling without being picked up by any cameras, body scans, or facial recognition devices anywhere. After the kidnapping a few years before such measures were taken to ensure that all politicians of high rank would be easily identified and tracked if the situation were to ever reoccur. Facial recognition programs gave constant updates of the arrival and departures of key players around the world yet nothing of the Vice Minister. The only thing stopping her from pressing the panic button was the knowledge that her body guard was one of the best at not being found, but would Heero really break preventer safety protocols and procedures just to give Relena a much needed vacation? She answered herself with an emphatic yes!

Heero typed away at his computer in his seat next to Relena. She had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder a blanket pulled up to her chest. He stopped intermittently just to watch the top of her head and listen to the sound of her breathing. Three days ago he had agreed to take her on vacation, she had a list of things she wanted to do and he was systematically crossing them off one by one. Unbeknownst to her he had kept the list she had written as a guide. He wondered if she even noticed that they were following a map of her inner desires. Whether she realized or not it was enough just to be able to do this for her. Dragging his eyes away from her slumbering form he brought his focus back to the laptop in front of him. Everything he did he did for her whether she knew it or understood. This was no different.

Consciousness was nagging her, bothering her even. She laid hovering in that irritating place teetering between sleep and reality until she could no longer delay the inevitable. Relena stirred, dragging her hand from under the blanket and over her face. Momentarily losing her bearings she had to blink a few times allowing the situation to explain itself. She smiled she had fallen asleep on the shuttle to L2. She shook the remnants of sleep from her mind and tilted her head in the direction of the window beside her to look out at the expansive night which engulfed the space craft. Never before had she traveled on a public space shuttle, whenever she traveled through space it was always privately chartered or owned by the ESUN, so the low hum of noise which filled the cabin was a breath of fresh air. She brought her head up from its perch to scan the crowd, or atleast what she could see of it. A throng of faces, and a swirl of activity, some people were sleeping, others lounging, eyes glued to any number of technological devices. She turned her head back to her travel companion, who incidentally was watching her as well. She smiled, of course she smiled. He always brought a smile to her face. She leaned her head against the window the darkness of the view drawing her into the recesses of her own mind and thoughts. A couple months ago a trip like this would've been impossible. Her head on his shoulder unthinkable. Many nights she would replay their exchanges in her mind unable to stomach his rejection.

They had just returned to her home after a marathon day of meetings, she was exhausted and despite the fact he never showed it he must've been as well. She had kicked off her shoes and headed for the wine fridge in the kitchen. She emerged with two wine glasses dangling in her right hand and a bottle of merlot in her left. She placed the glasses on the counter and poured them both a generous amount. "Long day" she managed to push out just as her lips met the rim of the glass. She extended the other to him, he didn't take it. "It's not the first time you've drank on the job" she was hoping her playful flirtations would coax him out of his work shell. Still he refused. He was standing propped against the wall just eyeing her, the look on his face was nothing she could identify, no look she had seen before. Placing both glasses on the counter, she advanced to where he was standing. A slender, well-manicured hand rose to this head, raking eager fingers through his bangs. She slid her thumb and index straight down the longest lock until it reached the tip playfully with what she hoped was a seductive smile on her lips. His reflexes were lightening quick, she wouldn't have realise he moved if she couldn't feel his hand gripping her wrist. "What are you doing?" his voice was low, strained, with a hint of anger? Trying her best to squash those thoughts she stepped into him his hand still around her wrist. "I'm unwinding, I thought we could do it together." Her free hand came up to trace his jaw, the result being both her wrists caught in a vice called Heero. This time she couldn't hide her surprise, her eyes questioning his. "You're involved" was his only response as he released her hands, stalking to the door opting to perform his duties from a safe distance.

A shudder racked her body a sigh escaping her lips, the announcement that they were soon about to land bringing her out of her self induced regression. Adjusting her posture, she brought her head to lay on the head rest of the seat, the slight shift of positon made her aware that he was peering at her from the corner of his eyes, his instincts probably telling him something was wrong. She offered him and herself a reassuring smile.

'All in the past.'

"Heh I never thought I'd see the day you'd get Heero to take a vacation" a hand slapped his forehead "oh wait it's your vacation princess I'm struggling to remember who's leading who!" Duo chirped as he walked them up the drive way to his house. When Heero had said he was going to L2 he failed to mention he was taking them to Duo and Hilde's but it was a welcomed surprise the best way to spend a vacation was with friends.

Hilde rolled her eyes at his obvious attempt at annoying his more silent friend "You struggle to remember to put down the toilet seat Duo this shouldn't be a surprise."

That stopped him dead in his track, he leaned over to her, "They don't need to know this stuff." She merely shrugged him off and continued walking.

Once Inside the Maxwell home, the pairs split up. Hilde helped Relena settle into the spare room, while Duo and Heero vanished into thin air, naturally. Relena flopped back onto the bed arms spread out horizontally to their full span, eyes closed. She was tired, not sleepy just tired. "Thanks for letting us stay with you"

"Don't mention it, you deserve this!" came her friend's reply.

"I've single-handedly managed to get the entire earth sphere to agree on something, I'm better at my job than I realise." They both chuckled at this sudden epiphany. Hilde was glad to see her friend in such high spirits. She might have been tired of hearing how long over-due this vacation was but it had been true and she deserved it. Hilde sat down on the bed next to her continuing the small talk, "How long will you be with us?"

Based on her friend's questions it appeared as though she wasn't the only one in the dark regarding this impromptu trip "Duo didn't mention we were coming did he?" It was more a statement than a question, which didn't escape Hilde. "You know them, I swear a trip to the grocery store has a mission profile and a need to know list, and we are rarely on that list."

They both erupted in laughter. It was true, a quirk and a fact of life when you're involved with these guys. After the laughter subsided she remembered Hilde's earlier question. "The length of our stay is entirely up to Heero, I'm at his mercy."

"Hmm guess that's one place you don't mind being."

"So a vacation huh? Was this your idea or her?" Duo and Heero had retreated to mission central i.e the basement. The former Death scythe pilot had taken up a seat opposite his friend, opting to straddle the furniture, his arms folded atop the chair back while 01 stood in the doorway leaned against the frame. The best way to avoid eaves droppers or carelessly giving away information to passing ears was to maintain visual of traffic to the room. His reply was quick and short.

"Hers."

"I'm assuming you didn't object." Duo pressed further, there was just something about their relationship that tickled him.

"I sent you an encrypted file from earth," Heero sidestepped his attempts at social conversation, he did that enough with Relena. Dropping his forehead onto his arms Duo deflated, 'the guy just never played fair.' "Yeah I saw it, now what?"

"Now we find out what's going on."