Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing

Soft, warm and wrinkled fingers slid around the polished golden knob of the Darlian estate, as the opposing hand gently maneuvered a key in the lock. With a steeling breath the old house manager pushed the door open into darkness. The large pink ribbon over the knocker danced with the movement. He stepped into the empty mansion, observing the familiar layout of the home through sad eyes.

Hiding a frown under his overstated grey moustache, he pulled a folded white sheet from a pile atop the foyer cabinet, shaking it free of its creases. With a sigh, he tossed the top corners over her favorite full sized, antique, oval dressing mirror.

His glacial speed kept pace with his train of thought. This would be his final chore in this house, and he was in no hurry to finish it. As the work carried him through from the entryway to the parlor, he paused in the quiet reflection. A single tear snuck out from behind his full, bushy eyebrows and slid silently down his leathery cheeks.

This house had never been so quiet as it was now. It would never know the joy it held for family and friends just a short while ago. It would never again smell the soft scent of her perfume, or feel her heels stop at the mirror for a last look out the door on a busy morning. Never would it taste the tension between its mistress and her long time estranged love when they passed each other awkwardly on the stairwell. Nor would it hear the feminine whispers of juicy gossip. No. After today, this house would never, again, see Relena Darlian.

:::

Winter A.C. 202

Tap, tap, tap. The dominate female's pace broke the daydreaming stares of surrounding citizens, enjoying their lunch hour on the beautiful sunny day. Sky blue eyes narrowed in on the designer watch that decorated a porcelain wrist.

12:02 PM. Late.

Why did I accept this appointment, anyway? I just don't have time for this kind of an interruption in my day. Sally knows that! Relena felt the apprehension churn in her gut as she approached the doors to the Preventer Hospital. Everything is fine, Relena, she responded to the silent anxiety. She shook her head to free herself of the thought. You're fine.

Relena's heels finally stopped their rhythmic chant when she reached the elevator. Selecting a circular button with a ping, the young Vice Foreign Minister was glad that most of the staff were out to lunch at this hour, minimizing the bustle of workers and patients. The soft lullaby only seemed to stoke her agitation as she ran her slender fingers through her hair.

"I'm fine," she reassured herself in a soft voice.

After several torturously long moments, the small metal box around her chimed, again, informing her of her own arrival. Relena nodded to the sliding doors, folding her hands in front of her, giving her an air of composure. With a deep breath, she took a large step off of the lift and marched down the hall, past the empty reception desk, and on to an open office door at the end of the sunlit passageway. Nothing bad happens on beautiful days, right?

Relena felt her chest tighten as she drew closer. Fighting the fear, she forced a smile on her face and popped her head around the doorframe. "Sally?"

The Chinese blonde's dark blue eyes seemed tense when they met Relena's gaze. She met the false grin with one of her own. She did her best to try to hide the trembling in her hands as she stood to greet her respected friend. "Please," she said in a soft and shaky voice. "Have a seat."

Relena sank slowly into one of the guest chairs, across from Sally. She fought the urge to wring her fingers with the stress, using her stronger hand to press her weaker flat on her lap. If there was any one skill she had learned in six (plus) years of politics, it was to appear composed at all times.

She continued her ritual of self-control by fixing her stare on the gold nameplate on Sally's desk. "Dr. Chang" was neatly engraved in large black letters across the surface. Relena smiled at the flash of memory of her dear old friend, Sally Po's nuptial celebrations the year before. Her marriage to the socially rough Gundam pilot seemed to have caught everyone by surprise, but apparently Wufei was a closet romantic, saving the best for his lover.

Relena's attention was gently drawn back to the present by a rustling next to her, as Sally sat in the adjacent chair, folder in hand. The concern etched across her face sent a shiver down Relena's spine. Sally tried to cover it, again, with another forced smile, but the mask lacked potency. "Relena," she said softly.

"Sally," Relena smiled.

Another moment of silence passed before Sally cleared her throat. "Perhaps it's best if I just cut to the chase."

Relena smiled, fighting the urge to remark sarcastically, as she would to a less important acquaintance.

"Right," Sally said in an amused tone. "You're always straight to business."

Sally's smile disappeared with a last nervous swallow. "Relena, it's about your test results."

Relena nodded, allowing the seriousness to finally engulf her features.

"They were abnormal."

"How abnormal? Like 'abnormal PAP'? I get another test and—?"

"No, dear."

Relena suddenly felt an icy numb overtake her.

"The cells we looked at were definitely cancerous."

Silence. Both women's gazes dropped away from each other to the floor.

Relena suddenly felt that her arms and legs had disappeared into warm nothingness. Her stomach grew tight and queasy. "How bad is it?" Relena asked.

Sally shook her head. "I have to do more tests to find out the extent of the damage and the prognosis."

"Sally, I don't have ti—"

"Relena," Sally suddenly said in a stern, commanding tone. "You have breast cancer. Your job is going to have to wait, this time.

"You are constantly putting things off. Constantly ignoring your friends and family for this job. You haven't even been taking care of yourself. When was the last time you got seven hours of uninterrupted sleep?"

Relena's mouth dropped open without an answer.

"Relena, you will make time to get these tests, and then you will make time for you. I'm putting in an official recommendation that you take convalescent leave—indefinitely."

"But—"

"You just make time for these tests, right now, and get your work affairs in order; and then you're going to leave the Earth Sphere to fend for itself, while you get better. Do you understand?"

Relena closed her eyes and dropped her head. She had stood unarmed in the middle of battle fields, trying to stop the world's finest warriors in their tracks. She'd fearlessly looked death in the eye in the name of her beliefs and her people. On more occasions than she could count, she found herself at the wrong end of a gun, and never even flinched. Hell—she'd fallen in love with danger incarnate. But she could not find it within herself to look her friend in the eye when she knew she was wrong. The only thing she would do returning to work, now, was allow her condition to kill her, and that was a choice Sally would never allow her to make.

"You won't tell anyone?" Her question came out as a whispered plea.

Sally's eyes saddened still more. She nodded. "As long as you follow my orders, I will protect your privacy with my life."

"Anyone?" She asked, again, meeting Sally with a penetrating stare, urging her to understand.

Sally nodded expressively, with a small, mischievous smirk twisting her lips. "I will not tell Heero Yuy anything. Scout's honor."

Relena swallowed and closed her eyes. "I'll prepare my office for continuity," she sighed.

Sally's grinned deeply as she stood to her feet, followed by Relena. "We'll get you scheduled, then, for the follow ups."

Relena gave her a warm smile of compliance. "Of course. And please, feel free to call me to give me the results by phone. I think it would be easiest for me that way."

Sally hesitated momentarily, but with one glance at Relena she realized it was a reasonable suggestion. Relena was truly a busy woman, and if she ever did get a break, Sally hoped she'd be traveling.

The ladies made their way quietly to the reception desk, where a redhead had just gotten back from lunch. With a few soft spoken words, Sally had the assistant open to the scheduling page and helping Relena squeeze into Sally's time. Relena offered her kindest thanks to the helper and turned to leave.

Before she stepped onto the elevator, she felt Sally gently touch her arm. "Relena?"

The younger woman turned back with a sparkle of gentle curiosity in her eyes.

"Please," Sally begged quietly. "Beat this?"

A heavy weight of terror settled in Relena's chest as the diagnosis suddenly seemed to sink in correctly. Pulling her façade back up, she blinked free of the panic and nodded affirmatively.

Meeting Sally's worried eyes, she smiled confidently, one last time, as the elevator doors shut between them.