There are no overt pairings in this fic unless you want to count Duo and Hilde waff for like two seconds in one bit. This came to me last November when the Halo 2 release was looming over the gaming world. Yes the characters maybe out of character, but they are also 20 something years old people grow and change, I can't help that. It is also not complete yet. It hasn't been looked at by anyone but me. And this is my first fanfic since 2002 I believe, so just read, review.

PG
no other warnings

Breaking the habit Tonight,
I paint it on the wall.

"Hello?"

"Did you get it?"

"Yes, it came last night."

"Then is every thing set?"

"Yes there should be no problems"

"That was an interesting ring tone," Heero stated as they closed the door to the limo.

"I thought so," Relena answered quietly, "I recently got into the band and bought the ring tone"

"Oh."

"Yep."

The minutes of silence were wearing on his nerves. By now Relena would have spilled what was going on. Damn it why isn't she saying anything. And more importantly why does she look like she knows it annoying me? It wasn't necessarily fear that worked its way around Heero's mind and gut, but it wasn't that far off from that feeling. It was more like 'his world as he knows it is ending' feeling. Either way it had to be stopped.

"So what are you up to and shouldn't your security detail know about it?" Heero asked plainly.

"It's nothing. Everyone that needs to be informed has been. So don't worry," Relena said, far too casually for Heero's piece of mind.

"I wasn't informed."

"Then you didn't need to be."

Heero glared at the woman sitting next to him, Relena just grinned.

Still muddling through the overheard conversation this morning Heero was typing like a madman on his laptop. The paperwork was doing nothing to distract him from his paranoia that these phone calls were creating in his brain.

"I don't like this," Heero said as he glared as his laptop.

"Like what?" Duo asked from across the spacious office.

"The mystery phone calls that she is getting."

"That who is getting?"

"Relena, you idiot."

"Oh…. Dude you need to relax. Relena has a tapped phone."

"What?" Heero exclaimed jerking up from his seat.

"She knows. She insisted on it actually. Just in case of incidents if you get my drift. But the tapes are destroyed if there isn't a problem. Didn't you know?"

"Damn it. No, I didn't," Heero exclaimed, slaming a hand down on the desk. "Why wasn't I informed? I am the head of her security detail!"

"Heero, she went directly to Une over a month ago about it. I was the one who installed the taps if it makes you feel better," Duo said not looking up at the glare he knew he was receiving from his friend and partner.

"Shouldn't I be the one listening to these tapes? I am her bodyguard I should know about threats first thing. Not receiving second hand information or none at all if it is too late."

"Sorry but her privacy is important even if she did ask for the taps. Relena and Une wanted as few people to know about it as possible. So I was told to put the taps in and Une personally monitors all the transmissions."

"So why are you telling me? Since I am apparently not in the current circle?" Heero asked with none of the irritation he felt discussed in his voice.

"Because your laptop is going to have a hole melted threw it if you kept glaring at it like that and you are getting the twitchy thing going again. This usually means that something is up with Relena and you need to find out," Duo stated like this was an everyday occurrence.

"Well you are right on one thing. I do think I need to find out what is going on. And I have a feeling you know what it is Maxwell."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because this has you written all over it."

"I know I should be insulted by that, but I am going to let it go. Just because I know your insecurities are driving you to do this."

"That was a low blow, even for you."

"Nope only the truth my friend."

"Okay do we have everything now?" Dorothy asked looking at the list. "TV?"

"Check," Catherine replied.

"Xbox?"

"Check."

"Halo 2?"

"Oh defiantly Check," Relena called from the kitchen.

"Defiantly Check?" Asked Hilde.

"You better believe it. I have had it in my briefcase all day so I knew where it was," Relena called out.

"Relena that is so neurotic," Sally laughed.

"No it isn't!" was the yell from the kitchen

"What ever makes you feel better hon," Sally said shaking her head.

"Anyways beack to our check list. Chips?" Dorothy asked.

"Check."

"Salt?"

"Bar, Table, or Kosher?"

"Bar Salt please."

"Check."

"Limes?"

"Check."

"Jose and his friends Cuarvo and Tequila?"

"Oh yes."

"Well, ladies I believe we are ready for a night of bloodshed and battle," Dorothy proclaimed as she put a grand signature on the bottom of the paper.

"I call first player," Relena yelled from the kitchen.

"You do realize it make no difference which controller you get right?" Hilde yelled back.

"Bite your tongue. Of course it does," Relena chided while carrying a bowl of tortilla chips and sporting a pair of PJ bottoms and tank top.

"I think you have been hanging out with Heero and Duo too long Relena. Heero's overly anal attitudes and Duo's loudness have rubbed off and combined to form some sort of scary hybrid in you," Hilde said.

"Just for that Schbeiker, I am sniping you first chance I get."

"You think that."

Responding oh so maturely by sticking her tongue out Relena went over to the TV to set up the Xbox and game.

While the ladies were changing into more comfortable clothes and eating, Heero was seething, sort of, if you turned you head to the side and squinted you might have seen him seething, maybe. Sitting at his desk in Preventers Headquarters listening to the ladies conversations he was angry that Relena would actively search for that game. Why couldn't she have someone else do it. If the press got wind of this who knows what could happen.

While Heero was assessing the ramifications of Relena's interest in Halo and her career, he missed the conversation regarding his bug in the potted plant in the den.

"Hey, Relena, did you know that your houseplants are now growing top of the line Winner Enterprises surveillance equipment?" Sally asked.

"What was that Sally?" Relena called from the kitchen.

"I said, did you know that your houseplants are now growing top of the line Winner Enterprises surveillance equipment?" Sally repeated for apparently deaf friend.

"No. I know about the ones in the DVD cases. But the potted plant ones I did not. I will have to correct this," Relena said walking over to the tiny microphone and camera. "Mmmm… In an out of the ordinary place because of the danger of short-circuiting, top grade equipment and manufacturer, and in my house. Oh please, this is so obvious who it was done by. And I am going to make sure he has plenty of paperwork to do because of it too."

"Are you sure you should do that Relena?" Catherine asked.

"No but I think the lesson would be learned," Relena replied.
Picking up the microphone Relena thought about what she was going to say. "Testing, One, two, three. Testing. Can you hear me Heero?"

At the sound of Relena's voice so close and clear in the microphone Heero jumped a mile in his seat. He knew this would not end well for him.

"Heero, love, light of my life, I have a bargain to make with you. If you can get the rest of the guys together and at my place in forty-five minutes I won't use my power to make sure you never see the light of day from underneath a stack of paperwork I will make sure you get for spying on me in my house," Relena said into the bug. Not sure if he heard her or not, and secretly hoping he didn't, she ripped the microphone out of the plant along with the camera and went back to preparing food for tonight.

Heero for his part was sweating bullets. How did she know about the bug? I hid that one perfectly months ago! More importantly how long has she known about it? Ignoring the questions and concerns about his supposedly secure bug, he did what any man in his position would do; he called his friends and made them an offer they couldn't refuse.

Forty-five minutes to the second, five very petulant, okay admittedly two were overly petulant, one looked indifferent and the other two just went with the flow, looking young men were standing on the door step of a modest three story, thirty-room house.

"Why hello guys, so nice of you to join us," Sally snickered as she moved out of the way to let them in.

"Hey Sally! So what are you all playing tonight?" Duo called out from behind a grocery bag of food.

"Halo 2. Relena has been looking around everywhere for it and finally found it last week," Hilde said.

"Really? Relena went looking for Halo 2?" Trowa spoke up.

"You have better believe it little brother," Catherine said, "She is really, really good at it."

"The advocate of peace in the Earth Sphere, is a Halo player and a good one at that?" Trowa asked now very confused even if his tone and face didn't show it.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Catherine said, "All of us who fought in the war, or used weapons for a living can't get a hit on her. It's kind of sad when you think about it."

"Oh stop your bitching and get in here before I make sure you don't regenerate," Relena yelled out to the foyer, raising a few eyebrows at the interesting choice of words.

"So we are getting our asses handed to us by the Vice Foreign Minister in a war game and getting drunk. Care to join us?" Sally asked.

"Madame, if Relena is a good as you say she is I want a whack at her," Duo said with an evil grin on his face.

"It's your funeral Duo. Just remember we warned you."

While the five men in the room will admit they have seen their share of weird things happen in their life times, fighting a large interstellar war, helping create a peace for the Earth Sphere, watching all twenty nine of Quatre's sisters get married at the same time to several members of the Maquenac Corps and other select individuals, being only a few. They had to admit, at least to themselves, that Relena Dorlin was damn good at Halo. She was more than damn good, she had beaten them all expect Heero, who was currently loosing to her as we speak. Even more so was the fact that she seemed to be very tipsy on the tequila and still able to focus on the game and speak with out a slur in her voice.

"Heero, how in the name of all that is holy did you survive the war?" Duo asked as his friend was picked off from one hundred game feet.

"Shut up, Duo. I am trying to concentrate and your mouth is not helping me any," Heero retorted slowly as his tequila fogged brain tried to pick out Relena from the background of the alien planet.

"Yeesh. No need to get testy, dude. Just making a comment on your performance in the game," Duo replied with a smirk as Heero went down again and slammed back another shot of the liquid assault.

"Now, Duo you know how he can be when he gets in one of his moods. Let's just watch him loose horribly to the women he is assigned to protect and laugh at him in the office when you will inevitably tell everyone," Hilde said as she rested her head on Duo's shoulder.

"Yes Maxwell how do you plan to tell the entire Preventers building about this? Since we know that you have been locked out of the P.A. room," Wufei inquired enjoying the show before him even if he did loose to Relena within five minutes of start.

"I am not sure yet. A building wide E-mail might work though I am not sure I can truly get the emotion across in it," Duo said thoughtfully as he contemplated his newest joke on the Zero Pilot.

"That might be your best bet though. Since flyers really aren't practical," Trowa spoke up.

"Why Trowa, you want to get in on this little information session with our co-workers?" Duo asked surprised.

"No, I am merely trying to save trees and pointing out how cumbersome that many flyers would be."

"You do have a point. I guess I will just have to settle for an E-mail then," Duo said with an overly exaggerated sigh of disappointment.

"And I do believe we have a winner folks," Catharine said as Relena took out Heero for the twenty-first time.

"Well, I think that was an interesting set of games," Quatre said from his seat on the couch only to receive a glare from Heero. "What is wrong Heero? I think Relena played remarkably well and gave us all a run for their money."

"Don't worry Heero, you have been saved from the paperwork of doom," Relena said cheekily. "And I will admit that you almost won. I enjoyed the challenge."

"Hn. Whatever. Now I need to leave and get some sleep since I have to be on duty at noon tomorrow," was the moody reply she got.

"You all are welcome to stay the night since it is almost three a.m. There are no shortages of guest bedrooms," Relena said. "That way you do not have to drive home while exhausted."

"Thank you Relena I think that will be the safest course of action," Quatre said with a yawn following it.

"Goodnight everyone," Relena said as the pilots walked upstarts to find a bed.

"Relena, that was amazing," Hilde said "and with that I am going to find a patch of mattress to occupy for a couple of hours."

"I am with Hilde," Sally said climbing the stairs behind the German girl.

"Wait for us guys," Dorothy and Catharine called.

"'Night," Relena said following them.