Disclaimer: I do not, repeat, DO NOT own Gundam Wing and any other affiliates. They are property of Sunrise and Ocean Group. But God if I did….oh I could get sooo evil )

Dedication: to the Heero/Relena shippers out there. We need this fluff to keep us believing!

S/N: this is a definite first for me since I've never written a Heero/Relena fic before. I had been toying with the idea for a while but trying to stay true to Heero's character is quite a challenge in of itself. In the end, I basically wanted him to have toned down and yet still retain certain aspects of his personality that we've all come to know and understand. Post Endless Waltz.

In my mind, I always felt that it was my destiny to be alone. I had watched thousands of people suffer and die at my hands, their screams forever embedded in my mind, never ridding me of a guilty conscience. I would lay awake at night, hearing the blood pound in my ears—their blood—something that held so much intensity I could not even begin to describe in words capable of understanding.

It had been five years since I last gazed upon her face. Those mystic pools of cyan which held such a fascination for me felt as though they were sculpted by the Gods. She ran for me as I fell, holding my body against hers, exuding such a warmth I hadn't felt since I was a mere child. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and a wave of elation flowed through my entire being. But that was then.

Now, I simply stood outside her home, watching a blanket of white delicately settle itself upon the nooks and crannies of the roof and bay window. Smoke gently cascaded out from the chimney, exuding the perfect postcard Christmas. I walked slowly up the wooden steps to her porch, glancing at the windows of frosted glass and noticing movement inside. Tentatively, I peered in and saw her. My breathing fell short.

Golden locks held back by a simple white bow crowned the head of Relena Peacecraft as she was smoothing out the wrinkles of her red long-sleeved cardigan. Blue jeans were adorning her long legs with red slippers covering her feet. After a few moments, I watched her disappear in what had to be the kitchen, only to come back moments later with a tray, carrying a steaming teapot and a single mug. Relena made her way to a chair by the fireplace, where the flames were giving off a cheerful and inviting glow. I felt something twist inside of me…a longing I had been wanting to quench since the first time our eyes met.

On Christmas Eve, my princess was spending her evening alone without the accompaniment of anyone, not even any of the fellow pilots. My eyes glazed a moment, taking the whole scene in. Five years I had been gone since the events of Mariemaia and still she had found no one else to share her heart with. I stepped back, wondering if my being here was a mistake.

You're here to finally come to terms with yourself…now you're going to turn your back when you've come this far?

I'm Heero Yuy, Duo's idea of the Perfect Soldier—something that's been beaten into me for as long as I can remember.

Yes, but now that is over. The chaos of the world has subsided. You've been living the life of a wanderer. You claim that there's nothing wrong with acting on your emotions, so why is it that the one woman who sets your soul on fire and forces you to confront these emotions scare you so much?

I gritted my teeth. I looked at the front door for a moment, taking in the ornate curvature of the wood as it swirled around a piece of oval glass that was placed in the middle. I could feel the nerves in my hands and feet become fidgety, and something began to swell within my chest.

Your heart, Heero. There's nothing wrong with being human every once in a while.

I let out a heavy sigh, feeling myself finally give into the part of my conscious I had been ignoring the past six years. In a desperate attempt to look decent, I straightened my jacket and ran a hand through my hair. As I went to knock on the door, my bare skin just making contact with the weathered timber, I suddenly felt myself falling as the door opened.

Oh, shit.

Losing my footing, I stumbled forward when a pair of soft hands grabbed me by the elbows, holding me up to avoid my calamitous crash with the ground.

"Hey, are you al-" I felt the princess lose her voice as she recognized who it was.

I titled my head upward and was fortunate enough to have the first thing I see be her eyes. They were bright and full, gazing at me with a mixture of bewilderment and awe.

"Relena…"

TBC in Chapter 2