I'll Be Home for Christmas

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Relena looks out the window at the snow. It was falling softly, quietly onto the drifts already covering her little world. As she sat there, a familiar face entered her mind. He was always there; it was just that at this moment, she wished he were there even more. "Heero..." she sighed softly. "Where are you? It's Christmas. You should be here." The snow was heavy. Relena wondered where he was. She knew he was fighting a battle some where on the other side of the world. She put her hand against the window. Suddenly, the door burst open. Duo and Wu Fei ran in. "Duo, GIVE ME BACK MY COAT! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FIGHT IN NATAKU WHEN I'M FREEZING? IT'S INJUSTICE, I TELL YOU, INJUSTICE!!!" "Hey, ya gotta get it first!" They ran out. Relena just shook her head and sighed.

On the other side of the world, Heero was hiding in a cave with Wing 0. Shots could be heard from outside. Trowa and Quatre were out there fighting, and didn't know he was there yet. Quickly, Wing Zero flew out of the cave and slashed a mobile suit. "Heero!" Quatre yelled. "Glad you made it," Trowa greeted. "Sorry it took me so long. I had something to take care of." His mind was brought to the present he had mailed that morning. He had shopped for hours trying to find the perfect gift for Relena. He had spotted it in a gift shop. He put a picture that Duo had taken of Relena and Heero inside of it. He wrapped it carefully with a note.

Heero shook his head to get back into the battle. He heard everyone yelling at him. "HEERO! LOOK OUT!" "Huh?" Heero turned to see a mobile suit behind him. It shot at Wing Zero point blank. Zero exploded. Heero was thrown out. "HEERO!" Quatre yelled. "NO! Damnit Heero!" Trowa mutilated the mobile suit. It was the last one. Quatre jumped out of Sandrock. "Heero! Heero, wake up! Heero! You can't die! You can't!" Quatre cried, shaking Heero vigorously. Heero moaned. "Relena. I want to... be... there. Christmas... I... I..." He stopped.

Trowa jumped out. "Is he okay?" he asked. Quatre turned. Tears filled his eyes. "NO HE DEAD! HEERO, HEERO OF ALL PEOPLE, IS DEAD. DEAD!" Trowa was silent. Quatre pounded on the ground. "Damnit! Damnit Heero! Why did you have to die? Damnit!" Trowa put a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be okay." Trowa said softly, swallowing the huge lump in his throat. He held back his tears. "What are we going to do?" Quatre cried. "I don't know." Trowa replied softly. "Take him to base so they can bury him, I guess." he said coldly. "Trowa!" "What else are we supposed to do, take him to Relena?" Quatre was silent as Trowa threw the limp Heero onto his shoulder. He got into Heavyarms. Quatre just sat there, crying. "You coming, Quatre?" Trowa called. "Yes." Quatre answered, wiping his eyes. He got into his Gundam and followed Trowa to base.

The snow had stopped. Relena put on her coat, her hat and her scarf. She stepped out into the winter wonderland outside. Walking towards the woods, she looked up at the stars. "I wonder if Heero is looking at them at this moment." Suddenly, she had a bad feeling. A really bad feeling. Something was wrong. He wasn't looking at the stars. Something had happened. Relena shivered, pulling her coat tighter around her. She ran back to the house. "Pagan! Pagan!" she called when she got in the door. "Yes, Miss Relena?" "If I get a call, tell me immediately." "Yes, Miss Relena," he replied, then walked out. "God, please let Heero be okay," she prayed softly.

Trowa brought Heero to the medical center on base. "Who is that?" Sally Po asked as he entered the door. He laid Heero out on the table. "Heero??? Is he-" "Yes." "Oh my God." "I've got to go call Relena," he said without emotion. "Oh, and Sally?" "Yes?" "Talk to Quatre." Sally looked after Trowa with amazement. "How can he bottle up so much emotion?" She went out to find Quatre.

Relena heard the phone ring. She waited for what seemed like eternity. Finally, Pagan came in. "Yes?" "Miss Relena, Trowa is on the phone." "Thank you Pagan." She went to talk to him. "Hello." "Hello, Relena?" "Yes." "I have bad news." Relena braced herself. She hoped he wasn't injured. "Yes?" "Heero's dead." Relena dropped the phone. Heero? Dead? How? Forget about injured. When he's hurt, at least he's alive. But dead? DEAD? No, no, it couldn't be. "HEERO! NO!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! HEERO!!!"

Duo and Wu Fei ran in. "Relena, what's wrong? Relena?" She was hysterical. She pounded on the wall. "HEERO!!! WHY???" Duo saw the phone on the floor. "Um, hello?" he said, picking it up. "Duo?" "Yes?" "This is Trowa." "Hey Trowa, how's the action?" "Heero's dead." "What? No, no, you're joking, right? Damnit, Trowa, it isn't funny." "I'm not joking." "Oh my God. Not Heero," Duo yelled, throwing the phone against the wall. He clinched his fists. "Damn you, Heero, Damn you!" Wu Fei picked up the phone. "Can you tell me what's going on, Trowa?" "Heero's dead." Wu Fei's face turned pale. He regained his composure. "How?" Trowa filled him in. He hung up the phone. Relena sobbed. Wu Fei pulled her up and took her to her room. He laid her down and then walked out. Relena cried herself to sleep.

She woke up to shaking. "Wha- what?" She opened her eyes to Duo and Wu Fei. "You have a package." "Fr- From who?" "Well..." She knew whom. It was Christmas; of course he had sent something. She took it out of Duo's hands. His handwriting. How she would miss it. She opened it carefully, and looked inside. It was a locket, with a note. She read the note first.

Dear Relena,

I know I might be distant sometimes, but, Relena, I want you to know that I do love you, and always will, forever.

Heero

She opened the locket. There was a picture of her and Heero, with a message engraved on the other side. "Our love reaches through anything." She started to cry. Wu Fei and Duo tiptoed out. She fell back against the pillows. She looked at it. "Our love reaches through anything." Well, Relena was going to give their love a little less of a stretch between them. She walked out to the cliff outside of her house. She was freezing because her nightgown wasn't very warm, but did she care? She stood at the edge, and spread out her arms. The wind ruffled through her hair. She closed her eyes, and fell into a glorious free fall. "It is finished. I am coming Heero."