An Interlude

Queen Relena's heels tapped against the marble floors of the palace, sending up echoes through the cold, cavernous hall. She held her hands together lightly in front of her as she walked, mostly for her own comfort. Surrounding her were several armed guards, marching along with her to her rooms. They never spoke to her except when giving her information about the day and her safety, so she spent most of her time with her own thoughts.

The small group approached a set of marble stairs. Relena carefully pick up her skirt to free her feet and climbed the steps, taking her time. She could have gone faster, as walking up and down steps in heels was something she was an expert at, but she liked frustrating the guards. Every once in a while, she would wobble as she took a step, just to keep the guards on their toes. When she reached the top of the steps, the marble was replaced by lush carpet, and the sounds of her heels were muffled. Relena let out a sigh. Soon, she would be back in her room, and she could let down this façade. Plus, there was a particularly nasty bobby pin jabbing into her scalp.

The double doors leading to Relena's rooms were ahead. One of the armed guards unlocked the doors and stepped aside to allow Relena in. She thanked them.

"We will have two on watch at the doors. Just say so if you need anything," the man with the key said to her. Relena nodded and stepped inside her rooms while the door closed behind her.

The moment the doors closed, she knew that she was not alone. Her silent watcher was somewhere in the room, waiting. For what, Relena was curious to find out. She kicked off her heels and stretched her toes. Her feet felt much better being cushioned against the thick carpet. Relena moved further into her room and spread her arms out wide.

"Hello Heero. Are you here to kill me or protect me?" she said into the room, quietly enough that the guards posted outside the door wouldn't hear. Music began to play, a waltz. Heero stepped out from the shadows to her right. Relena turned towards him.

"I haven't decided yet," he answered. Relena looked him over. He was wearing a uniform, probably stolen, and she could see a gun tucked into his belt. At least it wasn't already in his hand. He took several quick steps across the room until he was standing in front of her.

"Should I ask you how you got in here?" she asked. Heero shrugged.

"Probably not. Otherwise you may try to escape," he said.

"That would be too bad, wouldn't it," she said, turning her head away from him slightly. Was it that obvious that Relena felt like a prisoner?

"It's not safe," he replied. She met his eyes again.

"Nothing is safe." Relena turned away from him and walked across her room to her dressing table. She could feel his eyes on her, following her movements. She carefully slipped the long, silk gloves off her arms and set them gently down on the side of the table. She released the earrings from her ears and placed them in their proper box. As she was reaching up to take off the glittering diamond necklace, she felt Heero's hand brush against her shoulder. She dropped her hands and allowed him to unclasp the delicate latch. He carefully lifted the necklace off of her and set it down on the dressing table.

"They are only using you, you know," Heero said. Relena turned back around, and she was started at how close he was to her. His blue eyes bore into her, deep to her soul.

"Yes, I know," she replied. Her eyes narrowed. "But there are more advantages to being a figurehead than being stuffed inside expensive clothes and adorned with expensive jewelry." Heero raised an eyebrow. Relena raised her hands to frame her face. "Everyone knows me now," she said. "Even when the inevitable happens and they have me dethroned, the people will still remember my face."

"I see," Heero replied, but Relena could tell he hadn't really thought about it. Heero reached up and lifted the gold tiara off of her pile of hair. He held it gingerly in his hands and looked it over. Relena took it from him and sighed.

"Sometimes I wonder what life would have been like if my biological parents hadn't been killed," she confessed, resting the tiara on a pile of silk on the dressing table. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. "I probably never would have met you." He didn't respond. She hadn't expected him to.

Several moments of silence passed by between, but it was not an awkward silence. Relena was considering what to do next, as she was exhausted, and Heero's presence was sort of in her way of changing into her pajamas and going to sleep.

"Have you decided yet?" she asked him, stepping around him towards her bed.

"Huh?"

"About whether you are going to kill me or protect me," she reminded him.

"I'm not going to kill you," he replied.

"That's good." Heero seemed to shake himself out of a daze, or his thoughts, and walked past her and sat down on the edge of her bed. Relena tilted her head slightly, but he held a hand out to her. Surprised but curious, Relena took his hand and he pulled her towards him. She turned and sat down on the edge of the bed, positioned between his legs. The sudden intimate closeness to him gave Relena feelings she was almost ashamed to admit to herself. Relena rested her hands in her lap, unsure of what Heero's intentions were. She felt one of his hands rest against her hair, then deftly pulled out a bobby pin and set it beside him on the bed. One by one, Heero felt for the pins holding her hair in place and took them out. Soon, Relena felt the pleasure of her hair loosening on her head, freeing her scalp from the pain of the pins. Heero lifted his hand up to the braids and began to unravel them, slowly, allowing them to nearly unravel on their own. Relena exhaled deeply.

Soon, her hair hung against her back, a kinked, wavy mess. Heero ran his fingers through the strands, catching on a few knots and gently working them loose. As each moment passed of this intimate moment, Relena was more and more confused. She knew he didn't steal a uniform and break into her rooms just to unbraid her hair.

"Heero," she said quietly. She caught one of his hands in her own, feeling the rough, callused skin.

"Hmm?"

"Why are you really here?"

"To see if you knew what you were doing," he said. His hand rested on her shoulder. "To see… how you were doing."

"Why did you change your mind about killing me?"

"I've been trying to figure that out myself." She heard him sigh. "You managed to suddenly become extremely important to the Earth and Colonies. And to the Gundam pilots. And OZ thinks you are a threat, which makes you… important to me." Relena smiled to herself.

"I see."

Heero dropped his hand from her shoulder and laid it over her hands in her lap. For several long moments, they sat in silence, listening to each other's breath. Relena wondered if she would ever get the chance to enjoy Heero's company without the threat of death or war. But at least now she knew that deep inside him, somewhere, was the ability, and perhaps even the desire, to be more than just a Gundam pilot. That perhaps someday, he could live like a normal teenage boy.

Relena relaxed slightly, and Heero's body moved in an automatic response to tighten his hold on her. She slumped back against his chest, feeling the warmth of his body through his uniform. She could feel his breath at her cheek. She could feel the beating of his heart, melding with her own, and it soothed her. A few moments later, Relena's eyes slipped closed.

Relena woke up in a panic and looked around. The room was dark, and she was lying on her bed. She still wore her gown, which was now hopelessly rumbled and creased. A pale sliver of moonlight flowed between the curtains over the ever-locked doors leading to an off-limits balcony. She looked around the room, wondering if Heero had disappeared. She was about to lie her head back down on the pillow when she noticed a chair had been moved, and that someone was sitting in it. She rose from the bed and walked quietly over to the chair, trying to dampen the rustle of her gown.

Heero was asleep, his head propped up by his hand, which rested on the arm of the chair. Relena stared, amazed, at the peaceful expression on his face as he slept. She knew he would disappear before the sun rose. Relena left him there and walked to her bathroom to change into her pajamas. She tossed the gown over the bathtub and pulled her nightgown down over her head. The silk settled around her body and she smiled. It was a luxury of being Queen that she truly appreciated. She tried to comb out her hair, but it seemed Heero had done a better job of it than she expected. She tossed the comb back on the sink and left the bathroom.

Heero hadn't stirred. She looked around her room, wanting to leave something with Heero to show her appreciation of him. She tiptoed past him to her bookshelf and pulled a small, leather bound book from the top shelf. It was a book of poetry she'd found when she was younger, at a street sale. The book fell open in her hands to the page she wanted, as it was the page she'd read the most. It was a poem about peace, about roses, and angels. It was her favorite. And that's why she grabbed the top and carefully ripped the page out. She read it one more time, then folded it into a small square. She walked to Heero's sleeping form and tucked it between his fingers. His head lolled slightly, but he remained asleep. Relena smiled at him and touched his cheek, then retreated to her own bed.

In the morning, he was gone.

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