Bruises: A Love Story in Three Acts

by Scarlet Eve

Haven't seen you since high school

Good to see you're still beautiful

Gravity hasn't started to pull

quite yet. I bet you're rich as hell.

Act 1

Resurgences

We didn't realize it at the time, but it takes more than a shared childhood filled with war to keep two people together. Once the fighting was over and our lives were no longer in danger, we found there was little to bind us together.

We did try, for a long time, too. But the life of a politician and the life of a soldier can only remain on the same track for so long before they must turn off in different directions. And so we did what we thought was right for both of us. We agreed the decision to split was mutual, but that didn't mean I didn't cry when I watched him leave out the front door of my home, and disappear from my life.

But as it does, life moved on. I continued to work as the Vice Foreign Minister, later being elected to Foreign Minister. I fought for peace, for the people, and for Mars. I tried to keep in touch with as many friends from the war as possible, too. Quatre and Dorothy were easy, as they moved within similar circles as I. Duo and Hilde were easy to keep in touch with as well, since they're both always so friendly. Anytime my work brought me to L2, they'd invite me for dinner and drinks. With them, I had a chance to see life as a normal person, out of the spotlight. I have been and still remain a bit envious of those two.

Sally and Wufei, of course, as part of the Preventer Organization, passed me by on occasion, but never for long. It was too hard to keep up with each other's lives. But no one is to blame. It is just the way of life. Trowa sent me tickets to the circus every time they were in town, and I always tried to make it.

When I sat alone in my office, I would daydream about the life I wish I could have. I tried to imagine being free from constant meetings and engagements, and what it would be like to see my travel itinerary list warm, beautiful locations instead of large cities, still trying to rebuild from the destruction of wars. I would even sometimes imagine standing in line outside of a theatre, waiting to get into a concert, like I would see when driving around Brussels and other cities, wearing leather pants and a pound of outrageous makeup on my face.

But then my phone would ring, and bring me out of my daydream. I truly love my work, but still…

Perhaps my own tenacity is to blame. I work more than I live. Perhaps I should try harder to leave work on time, and to make plans with friends to go out to dinner, or get drinks. See a movie. Perhaps if I did not daydream so often, I would get more done during the day. Perhaps I should switch from tea to coffee.

The summer of A.C. 203 was the three year mark since I last watched Heero Yuy disappear out of my life. I had not seen nor heard of him since then. We stayed on our own sides of the world, I suppose, to live our own lives, and never contacted each other. I would have liked to have heard from him every once in a while, but I know that each time would leave me wrecked and feeling more lonely than usual.

You can imagine my surprise, when during the Preventer Committee Quarterly meeting, Heero Yuy's name showed up on the meeting agenda.

I hadn't been sleeping well lately, so I thought I was slightly delusional when his name swam before my eyes. I had to blink several times and stare closely at the paper in front of me before I realized that I wasn't seeing things. His name really was there, under the heading "Additional business."

I spent the first part of the meeting only half paying attention. My brain could not stop wondering why Heero's name was on the agenda. Was he in some sort of trouble? Several times I tried to catch Lady Une's eye from across the table, but she kept her gaze fixed at either the agenda, her notepad, or the committee leader. Finally, when the committee leader reached that section, I was given some explanation.

"I know that new hires are not a part of our normal meeting," he said, "but this is a special case. Heero Yuy has applied for the role of Director of Security at the Preventers. Being that he does not have formal experience, I thought it best to bring this decision before the committee. All present are aware of Heero Yuy's past during the wars, where he showed exceptional amounts of skill, training, and discipline. Now that his formal education is complete, I believe he would be an excellent addition to the Preventer organization. Colonel Une has given her recommendation for him as well." The committee leader pressed a button on his laptop and Heero Yuy's resume appeared on the projector screen. I swallowed hard before I glanced at it, and saw his picture in the top right hand corner of the screen. He looked older, more grown up, but his eyes were the same. And there was still no smile on that face. My heart skipped a beat looking at him, but I forced myself to focus.

"Does anyone have anything to say on the matter of hiring Heero Yuy as Director of Security?" the committee leader asked, looking around the table. Several people glanced at me, and I tried not to blush. They knew our history. The committee leader noticed that several people were staring at me. "Miss Darlian?"

I folded my hands in front of me and took a deep breath to steady myself. "I think he would be a great asset to the organization," I said, as diplomatically as possible. A few faces looked disappointed, as if I may burst into tears and either proclaim how amazing he is or how he shattered my heart in a million pieces. Unfortunately for them, neither are true. Though many called Heero Yuy the "Perfect Soldier," he still had his faults. I held eye contact with the committee leader until he tore his eyes away and glanced around the table.

"If there is no objection, then we can authorize Colonel Une to proceed with hiring Mr. Yuy," he said, and Une gave a brief nod. I sort of hoped that she'd look at me, but her eyes remained focused elsewhere.

That night, I received an unexpected phone call from Duo. His initial greeting was cheerful, but his demeanor quickly dissolved into one of being uncomfortable and nervous. "Duo, is something wrong?" I asked him. He tugged at his shirt collar.

"Well uh, I'm sure you know about Heero coming to work at the Preventers…" he began. I nodded my head, waiting for him to go one. "Well, I just thought I should tell you something before he shows up there."

"What is it?" I asked, feeling my stomach drop. A nervous Duo never brought good news. He scratched at his head, his eyes jumping around the camera on his phone.

"It's just that, while Heero was in Japan…" I didn't even know he'd been there. "he met someone."

I felt my lip twitch. I tried to smile, but I couldn't.

"Sorry," Duo said, still looking anxious. I forced myself to smile. Really forced.

"It's okay. I mean, he's free to do what he wants, right? Just like I am," I replied, though every one who knew me knew I only took that as far as having two glasses of wine at night instead of one. Duo was looking at my skeptically, so I sighed. "Look, we split up mutually. And of course I still care for him, but our lives were just never on the same page. To be honest, I'd love to be casual friends with him again," I said.

"If you say so," Duo replied, not looking quite convinced. "Well, if you need me to come down there and throttle him, let me know. I'll hop the first shuttle to Earth." I laughed, shaking my head.

"I'm sure that won't be necessary, but thank you Duo."

We said our goodbyes and ended the call. I sat, staring at the blank screen for several minutes while I pondered what all this would mean for me. I suppose if he didn't bring this girl around the Preventer office, I would never have to see her, so it wouldn't be a problem. And surely he wouldn't parade her in front of me- Heero wasn't cruel. It would just have to be a wait and see game.

I didn't have to wait long. I received the e-mail a week later, on Monday morning. The congratulations on the new hire email that was sent to all employees and committee members. It was a short paragraph detailing a quick summary of his skills and background (which I knew to be false), and contained his most recent ID photo. I couldn't help myself- I stared at the picture much longer than I should have. He just looked so much older, so handsome… yet, and perhaps I was just imagining it, but there seemed to be a hollow look about his eyes. It made me sad to see.

It must have been the first Sally knew of it, as she called me a short time later. The expression on her face was one of wonder and surprise.

"They hired him in as Director of Security?" she asked, gaping at me through the screen. "Where has he even been?"

I shrugged. "According to Duo, he's been in Japan, studying," I told her. "He was brought up during the quarterly meeting at the Preventers. To uh, make sure no one had a problem with hiring him." Sally gave a short laugh.

"I'm sure they'd be thrilled to have a former gundam pilot working at the Director of Security," Sally said, a bit sarcastically.

"You know that information has been erased," I said.

"But you can't erase the minds of the people," Sally countered.

"Not legally," I replied, eyeing Sally through the vid-phone. She scowled.

"We had to do that, to protect you and the other politicians," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. I had to grin.

"I'm just teasing. Anyway, I'm sure it'll be fine. He is more than capable of handling that job, I'm sure," I said, conceding the argument. Sally leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You're right, I suppose. I guess I'm more worried about you," she said. I flapped my hand at her dismissively.

"You and Noin need to quit talking so much," I said. Sally's expression changed slightly, meaning she'd been caught.

"She likes to know how you are from an outsiders perspective," Sally said. "She thinks you lie."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Tell her I'll be okay. We won't even see each other anyway. And I have another long trip coming up." Sally still looked skeptical, but she said nothing else on the matter. We chatted a little longer about the mission they were on, and how unusually cranky Wufei was, then we ended our call to go our own ways.

To Be a Friend

I almost made it through the week without seeing or even thinking about him. The itinerary for my trip had to be nailed down, several projects completed, and note cards to write for upcoming meetings.

I was returning late from lunch, flustered by the foot traffic in the city, when I barged into my office only to see someone standing there, staring up at the pictures on the wall. I nearly dropped my bags when he turned to me, and flashed me a small smile.

"Heero…" I said quietly, feeling the blood rush away from my head, making me feel faint. He was dressed in jeans and the brown Preventer jacket, a black button up tucked in to his jeans. His hair was ever the same, and he was clean shaven. And those eyes…

"Hello Relena," he said, taking a step to turn towards me. I took a deep breath to steady myself, then finished crossing my office to drop my bags down on my desk. He turned to remain facing me.

"That's not the outfit the former Director of Security traditionally wore," I said, rather awkwardly, trying to joke. At least he did me a favor and smiled.

"You know I hate suits," he said. I steadied myself by placing my palms flat on the desk, and forced myself to smile.

"I do," I replied. An awkward beat passed, and Heero stepped around my desk and reached his hands out.

"I wanted to come and say hello," he said, and I gave him my hands in greeting. He wrapped his around mine in a secure grip. "My first day was Monday, so I haven't had time until now to stop over." I barely heard him as he talked, because I was too focused on staring up into his blue eyes. No wonder some other girl had managed to steal her way into his heart. It was still just as easy to get lost in his eyes.

"I'm sure you've been very busy," I choked out. How had he managed to maintain that smile for so long?

"Hn…" he nodded. His grip remained firm on my hands, and it seemed he had no intention of letting go. Silence fell once again, and we stood staring at each other. Finally, I felt myself jerk forward as he released my hands and pulled me into a hug, his arms resting around my shoulders. My face was pressed against his shoulder. For a moment, I breathed deep, remembering his familiar scent, but feeling terribly guilty about it at the same time. I lifted my hands up to his back to return the hug.

"I've missed you," he breathed quietly. My heart leapt into my throat, and my heartbeat quickened. With my ear pressed against his jacket, I could hear his own heart racing. So at least I knew he was just as nervous and excited as I.

"I have missed you, too, Heero," I replied, in truth, as I pulled away from him to look back up. His arms dropped away from me, and he squared his shoulders.

"I know you are leaving on Monday," he said. I frowned.

"How did you-?" I cut myself off, seeing the grin spread over his lips. I placed my hands on my hips. "Heero, you shouldn't be hacking into my schedule. I'm not your charge," I said, almost adding "anymore" at the end.

"I'm the director of security," he said. "I am in charge of whoever will be your protection, which means I must know your schedule."

"And do you know all the other ESUN employees' schedules as well?" I asked, and he blushed. "I didn't think so," I said, giving him a playful punch on the arm.

"Anyway, I wanted to ask if you'd have dinner with me tomorrow night," Heero said, this time lightly brushing my arm with his fingers. I stared up at him, feeling awkward once again.

"Oh uh," I stammered, "I heard you have a girlfriend now." Heero's expression darkened slightly.

"Maxwell?" I nodded. "We're old friends, Relena," he said, stepping closer to me. "I can have dinner with old friends." I felt a little better, but the fact that he barely acknowledged the girlfriend was troubling. And I suppose, deep inside, I wished that we could go on a real date, like we used to back then. But that relationship was gone. We were, as he said, old friends.

"Sure, that's fine," I said. He smiled.

"I'll pick you up at 8." He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, then turned and left the room, rather abruptly. I stared after him, feeling flustered and confused, but my stomach whirled with butterflies at the thought of dinner with him.

I woke the next morning feeling incredibly stupid. During my sleep, my brain must have finally had time to process the encounter with Heero, because upon waking up, I realized how foolish the idea of dinner with him was, and how my girlish affections had gotten way out of control. Just because he was back in the city didn't mean that I needed to start pining over him once again, like the silly school girl I once was. As I lay in bed, staring up at the canopy above, I mentally berated myself, and told myself to calm down and treat any relationship with Heero as a business relationship.

That mental pep talk, however, left me in a sour mood for most of the morning. I sat at my island counter, drinking a cup of tea and staring moodily out the window at the lovely day outside. My penthouse apartment was near the central part of the city, and it overlooked much of the surrounding area. I had a 360 degrees view of the city if I walked all the way around my apartment, which was entirely possible because of the whimsical round shape to the building, the window walls and the doorways that allowed just that sort of view.

I eventually shifted my sulking from the counter to the couch, where I stared at the television, allowing my mind to wander to other things. I knew I should be packing for my trip, but the motivation was not there. As I lay there, my phone vibrated on the glass coffee table. I reached out and pulled the phone to me, and saw that I had a new text message. Opening it, I was unsurprised to see a new number, but surprised by the text.

It's Heero. Are you still at your parents' estate?

I wondered how he got my cell phone number, but quickly realized he probably hacked the ESUN employee information. But how then, did he not know where I lived? I clicked "reply" and sent back:

No. I live in an apartment in the city.

I added my address, then sent the message back. I was both hoping he'd respond and that he wouldn't respond. He remained silent after that.

When seven o'clock rolled around, I had begun to half-heartedly pack for my trip. Clothes and toiletries were scattered everywhere as I sorted through them. When I noticed the time, I panicked, needing to get ready for dinner with Heero, when I realized I had no idea where we were going. For all I knew, we could be going to a diner. I spent twenty precious minutes trying to decide what to wear, until I finally settled on a pink and yellow sundress with a pair of strappy heels. I chose a white cardigan as well, in case I needed to dress down. That left me with only a small amount of time for hair and make up.

Just as I was applying mascara, the bell to the apartment buzzed. I rushed out to the door of my room to the front door and pressed the talk button on the console beside the door.

"Hello?" I asked casually.

"It's Heero," he voice said clearly through the speaker. My heart fluttered.

"Be down in a minute," I replied, and rushed away from the console. I grabbed up my purse and phone, skidding across the smooth tile floor of my apartment. My nerves were running high as I left the apartment and stepped into the elevator to begin the 15 floor descent to the ground floor.

When the metal doors slid open, I saw Heero waiting for me in the lobby. He stood near the door, his hands laced behind his back. He was dressed all in black, from his shoes, to the dress pants, and the button up black shirt he wore. He turned to me and smiled when I stepped off the elevator.

"You look beautiful," he said, his voice low, as I approached his side.

"You look like Duo," I replied playfully, gesturing towards his all black outfit. He shrugged and smiled, then took my arm in his.

"I look better than Duo," Heero corrected as we made our way out the door to the street. I giggled, then rolled my eyes at myself, warning my mind to keep itself calm and collected instead of bursting like a piñata of glitter.

Heero had found a parking space at the front of the building, which was a surprise. He opened the passenger door for me, and I slipped inside. A distinct smell of perfume lingered in the car, a scent I would never have chosen. But as the smell drifted up my nose, my stomach tightened into a knot of nervousness. I knew that the subject was going to have to come up eventually, if only to quell my insane curiosity. I think I believed I was the only girl for Heero, despite our break-up, and could not imagine any other woman taking my place.

Heero climbed into the driver's seat and started the car. I glanced at him.

"I hope I'm dressed appropriately for whatever you have in mind," I said.

"It'll do," he replied, but with a smile. I threw him a look, but more startling was that he was joking around. Even after the way, when the wall around him began to break down, he only made dark jokes, and not very often at all. And always with that monotone voice. Now, he was lightly joking, never dropping his sarcastic tone of voice, but displaying that smile that was so important to the listener, to know for sure that he is joking. I stared at him for a long moment.

"You changed a lot while in Japan," I said. He gave me a sidelong glance.

"It would have happened no matter where I was," he replied. I understood his meaning, but I wondered at the truthfulness of that assertion.

"What made you choose Japan?" I asked, trying to keep my own tone light and conversational.

"Family heritage," he replied. "They also have a renowned security program at a university there." He glanced at me. "Employers tend to like that piece of paper saying you've gotten a degree."

"I wouldn't know," I said, shrugging my shoulders, and turning my gaze out the window. "No one has ever expected that from me. I have tried, though," I said, turning back to him, "to apply for college, but I am always held up by the President."

"Why?"

"He thinks it's a waste of time for me to quit my job to get a degree," I replied. "I only got my high school diploma because I took night classes for weeks. I was among dropouts, some who had children, can you imagine?"

"No. And I don't think I would have let you do that," Heero said rather seriously.

"Probably not," I replied. We fell silent, but Heero pulled the car around into a drive. I hadn't even been paying attention to where we were going. I looked out the window, and saw that we were parked in front of L'Archiduc, a famous restaurant and bar in Brussels. The ancient facade stuck out against the modern buildings which were pressed up against its sides.

"How on Earth did you get a table here?" I asked, whirling back to him. He grinned before climbing out of the car. A valet stepped up to my door and opened it for me, offering a hand. I left the cardigan behind.

"You're not the only one in this city with connections," Heero said mysteriously. I frowned slightly, but he took my arm and led up me up to the door.

Inside, the decor stayed true to the era during which the restaurant had accelerated into a legendary status. It was rather small on the inside, with intimate tables on the main floor, and a lounge area on the second floor. I must have been openly gazing, because Heero squeezed my arm.

"You're princess by birth and a former Queen. How is this glamourous?" he asked.

"I suppose I am impressed by the tenacity by which L'Archiduc managed to stay open and whole throughout wars and depressions," I said with a lofty voice. Heero chuckled quietly and laced his fingers through mine as he lead me up to the hostess.

I thought I was going to faint.

We had a fairly pleasant dinner with drinks, catching up on each other's lives. I noticed that Heero continually skirted the issue of this mystery girl, having dancing around my questions and only referenced another person through the use of vague pronouns. At one point, I felt like I was grilling him during an interview.

And because of that, I barely noticed that I had several glasses of wine during dinner. My fingers and toes began to buzz, and my vision grew slightly blurry. During a lull in the conversation, I blurted the only thing that had been bothering me through the entire evening:

"Tell me about this girl!"

A few people glanced at us, but quickly looked away. In my drunken state, I assumed it was probably because I was the FM, but it was more likely that Heero had stared them down until they turned.

He brought his eyes to mine, and sighed.

"I didn't want to have this conversation, Relena," he said.

"Why?" I demanded.

"Because I don't want to hurt you," he replied, his voice low. I felt as if I were struggling to hear him. I downed the rest of my wine in a very unflattering way, and motioned for the waiter to fill my glass again.

"You won't. Now tell me," I said, settling into my chair with my fingers around the stem of my wine glass. Heero sighed.

"I met her in college. We were in the same classes, and we share similar childhoods," he said quickly.

"Name?" I slurred.

"Miko."

I stared hard at him, willing him to continue, to give me more information. He stared back, unwavering.

"Relena…" he said after a few minutes. "You said I wouldn't hurt you…" He sounded genuinely sad.

"I'm not hurt. I just, selfishly I suppose, never thought you'd end up with another woman. But you are entitled to," I said, then took another sip of my wine. He frowned.

"That's what women say when they're mad," Heero said, eyeing me. I shook my head and spread my hands out.

"It just brings us back to the original problem, Heero. I'm too busy for a relationship. Otherwise, I may have moved on and dated, or something…" I trailed off, blinking hard to clear the fog from both my brain and my eyes. "Your life is different, and it is perfectly normal for someone to move on and find another who complements them."

I could tell from his expression that he wasn't buying anything I said. I supposed he shouldn't since I was pretty sure I was drunk.

"We should probably go soon," I said. "I can hardly see straight." He nodded and raised his hand to the waiter. Heero paid the check, which would have surprised me otherwise, then led me by the arm out to the car, where the valet had it waiting. I plopped down in the passenger seat and rested my head against the side of the car. Through blurry vision, I could see the time was well past 11 at night.

Heero climbed inside the car, and we drove away, sitting silently. When we were almost back to my apartment, Heero's phone rang. He answered it after glancing at me, and I could hear a woman speaking on the other line. Heero only gave her mumbled replies, which reminded me of the days when I used to call him, and receive similar answers.

I began to think Heero had magic powers when he got another parking spot at the front of my building. Instead of just seeing me off, he turned off his car, walked around the other side and helped me out. I was unsteady on my feet, more than I thought, so I was grateful for the extra support. He held me around the waist as we walked into the building.

Inside, I turned towards him.

"Thank you for dinner. It was lovely," I said, pulling away from him and holding my hands together in front of me. I swayed a bit.

"Let me help you up to your apartment," he said with concern filled eyes. I nodded, and turned towards the elevator. I used my key to bring the elevator to the ground floor, and while we waited, Heero stepped up to my side and took my elbow. Up the elevator, up 15 floors, we stopped on my floor and exited the elevator. I kept waiting for when Heero would say good bye and leave, but he followed me to my door, and stepped inside my apartment when I opened the door.

I set my keys and purse on the counter and turned towards him. My foot slipped, and I started to fall, but quick as ever, Heero caught me and swept me up into his arms, as if I weighed nothing. He carried me to the couch and gently set me down, then sat down beside me.

"Thanks," I mumbled, my face hot with embarrassment. But he smiled, one that reached all the way to his eyes.

Believe in me, Relena.

I blinked away the memory.

"About Miko…" he began to say, but I shook my head.

"Don't make me repeat myself," I said, giving him a significant look. He shook his head.

"No, let me say what I have to say," he said. I shrugged my shoulders and softened my gaze. "She did help me, a lot, while I was in Japan. It was nothing that you couldn't have done, but she was there and willing to help me become who I am now. I am… indebted to her. I helped her get a job at the Preventers as well, so she lives in the city," Heero said.

"With you?" I interrupted.

"No," he said. "Not with me. I plan on keeping her away from you." I frowned, and inside, my heart hurt. It almost felt like it was breaking all over again, no matter how nicely he spoke. And even though I completely understood what he was saying, I still wished I had been that person. It was probably the wine, but I felt my throat tighten and my eyes brimmed with tears. "Relena…" Heero said, as if he were in agony.

I sat up and pulled my knees to my chest, swiping at my cheeks with my hand.

"Sorry," I mumbled, averting my gaze away from him. I felt him shift on the couch, and he pulled me towards him, slipping me easily onto his lap, and he held me. I couldn't help it. The position too familiar, I leaned into his chest and allowed my tears to fall down my cheeks, soaking into his shirt. He held me, one hand twisted up in my hair, the other on my hip. His heart hammered against my temple.

My tears dried after a few minutes, and I was able to look up at him. The sadness I saw in his eyes broke my heart all over again. He moved his hand from my hip to my cheek, and pressed his palm against it. I leaned into his touch, closing my eyes. I wanted to soak him in, to hold onto his touch and remember it forever. It was undeniable, the feelings I felt for him. They were as strong as they ever were, maybe stronger.

I felt his lips press against mine. A flame awakened in my chest, and I opened my eyes slightly. His eyes were closed. Greedily, I lifted my hands to the back of his head and pressed him closer. I parted my lips and bit onto his lower lip. He responded by flicking my mouth with his tongue. We pressed each other closer, the kiss deepening, hands trailing down from the head to the back. There was no denying how right it felt.

But it had to end. Heero pulled away, his eyes downcast. I pressed my forehead against his. I could feel that he was feeling guilty, so I moved from his lap and back onto the couch. I expected him to apologize, to say it never should have happened, then disappear out the door, but he stayed where he was, staring off into space.

I laid a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to me. "Let me get used to the idea of you being with Miko, and I'm sure everything will be fine," I said, though I felt as if I were lying. Heero didn't need to know that. He smiled at my gratefully, but looked away again.

"I suppose."

He left soon after, giving me a hug and wishing me well on my trip. I watched him as he stepped into the elevator and disappeared from view.

No Going Back

Travel turned out to be just what I needed. I threw myself into work, with more focus than I've ever been able to garner before. My travels brought me to L2, where I was able to see Duo and Hilde for a few days. I ended up telling them the whole story about dinner with Heero, after a few glasses of wine, which left them feeling just as confused as I felt.

"He still cares about you, but he's 'indebted' to this other girl?" Duo asked, scrunching up his nose. I shrugged.

"It's complicated. We broke up. We weren't working out, so why should any of it matter?" I replied, twisting my glass back and forth in my hands.

"Because he kissed you," Hilde said. "The gloves are off, now." I stared at her. "Sports reference," she said, giving me a playful shove.

"The dumbass shouldn't have even gone up to your apartment," Duo complained.

"I agree with you," I said with a sigh. "Anyway," I added, flopping back into the cushions on the couch, "I'll just have to avoid him, I think, and just worry about my own life. That night proved that just being friends will be too difficult." Duo and Hilde nodded, both frowning.

"I should call him and yell at him," Duo declared, but I shook my head.

"Leave him alone. He's done nothing wrong," I said, though I knew inside that the kiss ruined any ability we'd be able to have of just being friends. Duo and Hilde eventually agreed with me, but it took much more wine and much more convincing before they'd agree. It's a good thing I am quite good at persuasion.

My trip lasted three weeks, where I spent most of the time colony hopping and meeting with various officials and politicians in the colonies. But I returned happily to my home in Brussels. I dropped all my luggage on the floor and spent several hours just lying around, relaxing. I should have booked time off to recover from the trip, but instead, I was due to return to the office the following day.

When I stepped into my office, it was with renewed confidence. Just because he worked across the street from me, didn't mean that our lives had to intersect. I was determined to fix my work-life balance and include more fun activities into my daily life than I had before. I even drank a cup of coffee that morning.

And naturally, as most things happen, my confidence was shattered.

I was leaving my office to attend a meeting when I heard voices down the hall from me. I glanced back to see a group of people standing around the defense minister's office, all in Preventer garb. Heero was among them, speaking to the group.

What the hell is he doing?

I turned away and walked in the opposite direction, holding my notebooks and tablet against my chest, and with a lowered head to hide myself. It didn't work.

"There's Minister Darlian!" a girl's voice said behind me. The group behind me began twittering, and I heard Heero shush them, but to no avail. As I walked, I heard running footsteps behind me, and a short girl with long dark hair skidded to a stop in front me of, looking up at me with large, dark eyes. She looked young, perhaps 3 or 4 years younger than myself.

"Minister Darlian! I've always wanted to meet you!" she said, holding out a hand to shake. I gave her a smile, shifted my belongings and grasped her hand for a moment. Heero stepped around me, and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Leave the Minister be, Miko," he said, looking down at the girl. My stomach dropped.

"Oh Heero, you know I've always wanted to meet her!" she said, scowling at Heero. I lifted an eyebrow and glanced at Heero. I'd never seen a more guilty look on his face.

"Minister Darlian is busy. Go back to the group," Heero said, his voice low and firm. Miko scowled again, bowed to me, and disappeared back to the group of Preventers. I lifted my eyes back to Heero's.

"Really, Heero?" I asked in a harsh whisper.

"Relena, I'm sorry…" he said back, but I swept past him down the hall. I was near shaking with rage. Why would he bring her to my building, and worst of all, to within meters of my office? When I stormed into the conference room, several of my colleagues flinched, giving me strange glances.

"Something the matter, Relena?" one asked. I flapped my hand dismissively, trying to squash my anger.

"Got held up by some rookie Preventer agents," I replied, hating the way my voice sounded when I said it. But it did the trick. Attention was diverted from me to a discussion about various annoying habits of rookie Preventers. I took my seat and prepared for the meeting.

I wasn't surprised when, after my meeting and a lunch date with my VFM, I returned to my office to find Heero had once again invaded.

"So that was her?" I asked, brushing past him to my desk. He turned, his arms spread out.

"I told her to stay quiet," he replied. I threw him a skeptical look and sat down at my desk. Heero sat down in one of the chairs opposite me.

"And why was it that she wanted to meet me so badly?" I asked, lacing my fingers together and resting my chin on them. I stared at Heero, waiting for his response. The expression on his face looked like he was desperately searching for an answer. "Look, if you have to lie, then don't bother."

"It's not that," he responded immediately. Heero spread his hands out, as if appealing to me. "You're an icon for many young women," he said. I closed my eyes, trying to not laugh at him. I knew what he said to be true, but it sounded so ridiculous coming from him. "And I may have told her a lot about you."

I opened my eyes and stared at him. He wouldn't make eye contact with me, so I turned away in my chair.

"Please excuse yourself from my office," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "We have nothing further to discuss." I remained facing my window, looking over the streets below, until I heard my office door open, then close again. I released a long breath and hung my head for a moment. Part of me wanted to feel bad for myself, to wallow in self-pity, but the other part, the stronger part, refused. So I lifted my head up, turned back around to my desk and got back to work.

Sweltering Heat

July descended onto Brussels, bringing with it outrageously hot weather. The temperatures climbed quickly, pushing into 37⁰C, and showed no signs of stopping. No one in the area was prepared for such a summer, which brought about rampant droughts through Belgium and the surrounding territories.

It was about that time that I decided I needed a vacation.

After our last awkward encounter, Heero and I had kept our distance. I didn't see him in the ESUN building again after that day, which meant that he was probably avoiding me. I also didn't see that little imp Miko. Whatever her Preventer assignment was, I hoped that it would remain as far away from me as possible. I knew that I shouldn't harbor bad thoughts about her, but I honestly could not help it. And even after many rants to my girlfriends about her, I still felt a ridiculous about of anger towards the girl. I needed to take my mind off everything, and to get away from Brussels.

I cleared my time off, pushed off all my meetings and presentations, and booked a hotel room in Ostend, Belgium, at the Andromeda Hotel, with a picture perfect view from a balcony overlooking the North Sea. I told my regular driver to take the next three weeks off, and away I spirited, taking my luggage and a sporty rental car.

-SE