Title: My Daughter's Keeper

By: S. Michelle Green

Prologue

AC 206

Heero Yuy slung the small duffle bag over his shoulder, and stood up a little straighter. His eyes flickered to the open window, making sure that his exit would be clean and without flaw. He couldn't after all just walk out of the front door. There were security systems set up in case of entry from elsewhere in the house that would keep a potential burglar from getting away without a fight. Heero could easily disarm the systems, but his decision to go had not been finalized until six hours earlier, when cameras flashed and microphones were being shoved under his nose. The media had no respect and no real interest in the lives of the Minister's family, only what was the new big story. And it was usually Relena.

His eyes rested on the golden haired beauty, who had not yet realized his absence. She was turned on her right side, cuddling with her pillow, lost in dreams. A small smile played on her lovely, contented face, and Heero had to turn away. He'd let her down. He wasn't even gone yet, and the guilt was already flooding into his heart. He would leave her again, and this time he wasn't coming back. No matter how much she meant to him, it could not make up for the hate he felt in his being for the things he'd experienced since their marriage six years earlier.

Too many pictures, too many parties, too many rumors about his wife, too much time playing Relena's playboy husband for the media. This wasn't him. She was in love with someone that didn't exist...at least someone that didn't exist in Heero Yuy.

For a moment he stared at the bedroom door, contemplating stepping out into the hallway, walking three doors down, and peering into the pale pink room where a little blonde girl slept on a large pink canopy bed. He forgot it quickly, and moved swiftly and quietly to the window. He took one last look at Relena, and stepped up onto the ledge. The guard duty tonight would be a cinch. They were all amateurs and he could sneak past them without them ever suspecting that anything was out of place. Heero left that night, putting Relena out of his mind, keeping the hate of her politics and her parties closer. He worked to forget about her, forget about what had brought them together at the age nineteen. He worked hard to put the little seven year old miniature Relena out of his mind, to erase the name Mary Grace Yuy from his very heart, he would also work to never remember the other three: Thomas, and Owen, and Savanna. He would put all his efforts at putting them behind him forever.

He never thought though that he would be able to completely do this, but he had to try.

Six months later

The headlines were notorious. Since the tragic exit of her husband had been confirmed, the press had ran the story in the ground. Relena shook her head as she read the newest "information" about her loss which had appeared on the front of a magazine called Inside Politics, though it rarely ran stories about poilitics.

Minister Peacecraft-Yuy's Husband: Is he Missing or did he Walk Out?

Former Preventer Heero Yuy leaves wife and four children to wonder what went wrong.

Relena stared up at her publicist and shrugged, "What do you want me to say about it?"

Roy Fish stared back, "I want you to speak out," he finally said, "I don't care, deny it or talk or something! Relena, these people...your people need an explanation to why your husband just walked out on you," Relena winced, but Roy wasn't worried about sensitivity, "what went wrong, how long have things been bad, was there another woman..."

Relena rose from her seat quickly and spun around so that Roy could not see her face, and spoke rapidly, "It's no one's business but mine what happened between my husband and I, if anything, and I do not intend upon telling the world the few things I have that are still sacred," she growled, "which isn't much."

Roy sighed, "Relena, until you say something about it, give an explanation...anything, just letting everyone know you're okay, they aren't going to leave you alone!"

"What if I'm not okay!" Relena spun around to face Roy, and glared at him, "These people don't care how I'm doing, they just need a good story. Now, Roy, please leave. It will eventually calm down. The buzz about my pregnancy out-of-wedlock with Mary Grace settled down," she pointed out.

"Yes, ma'am," Roy agreed, "after you announced that you would be marrying the child's father."

Relena sighed heavily, "Roy, please leave. I'm having lunch with Quatre Winner in an hour."

Roy turned on his heel and marched toward the door, "You're getting sloppy, Minister, you're going to let this get the best of your political career if you are not careful."

"I can't say that my career is at the top of my priority list anymore, Roy. I have just lost my husband after all."

Roy left the office without another word, and Relena slid down into her chair, and let her head fall on the desk, cradled by her arms.

"Oh, Heero, why did you leave? Why? Was it something that I have done to you? Was it the rumors?" She did not receive an answer back to her questions spoken aloud, only silence, which is what Heero and she had lived in for a year or so up to his disappearance.

Relena stared at a picture of Mary Grace and Heero that was still displayed on her desk. Mary was three, with a round smiling face, and wide blue eyes. Little golden ringlets stuck out from a pink cap that the girl wore, and she was sitting atop her daddy's shoulders. There was a rare smile on Heero's face.

Another picture of Heero and Relena holding their son, Thomas, sat near the first picture.

Hot tears coursesd down Relena's cheeks, and she furiously tried to wipe them away and cease her crying, but she just couldn't.

"Damn you, Heero, damn you to hell!" she wailed, "You've hurt me so many times, you think I'd be numb of this pain by now, but how could you do this to our children?"

The phone on her desk beeped and Relena jumped. She looked down at the receiver, and pressed the speaker button.

"Yes, Martha?" Relena tried to speak clearly.

"Mr. Winner is here to see you, ma'am," the secretary answered.

"Tell him to come in."

A few seconds later the door to her office opened, and there was Quatre, looking tired but wearing a comforting smile on his face.

"Hey, 'Lena," Quatre smiled, "How are you?" He walked over to her desk as she was standing up, and the two old friends embraced.

"Not very good," Relena groaned into his shoulder, and then laughed, "I'm glad you're here."

"I'm glad to be here," he said, and patted her on the back.

"How's Dawn?" Relena inquired, remembering Quatre's tiny, black haired wife.

Quatre smiled and his eyes softened, "She's happy and hopeful as usual, determined to put up a fight..."

Relena moved away from Quatre slightly and stared up into his friendly blue eyes, "Quatre...?"

Her friend swallowed hard, and stared down at Relena, once again forcing a smile onto his face, "Dawn was diagnosed with liver cancer, and the treatments are not making an impact yet. However, I have faith that she will pull through it fine. She says that Charise and I give her more strength and determination than any doctor or treatment could. I think she'll pull through."

"Oh, Quatre, I'm so sorry," Relena latched onto him once again, but this time for his comfort instead of her own.

"It's okay, really. She's stronger than she looks, and Sally is trying to help her to find a decent specialist here on earth."

"How is Sally?" Relena asked quietly.

"Better," Quatre said.

Tragedy seemed to cloud over all the Gundam pilots and their families, Relena thought. First, Wufei had gotten killed on what was supposed to be a routine mission into space. Then, Duo was severely injured in a mobile suit that he was testing which exploded and sent him flying forty feet to the ground. Heero left Relena and four children for Heaven only knew what reasons, and now this...Dawn Winner had been diagnosed with liver cancer, and it wasn't looking good.

Quatre must have been reading Relena's mind.

"Don't think about the negative things, Relena. We're here, and we should be thankful. Let's go to lunch, it will make you feel better to get out of this office. Oh, and I have a surprise for Savanna since her birthday is next week."

Relena laughed, "You're spoiling my kids, Quatre."

He smiled back at her genuinely, "That's Uncle Quatre's job. Come on, I know they love it. Duo and Hilde's kids don't complain."

"Of course not," Relena went on as they headed out the door, "But you won't want to be spoiling them so much when they turn into some regular brats."

"Give it to them while you have it," Quatre muttered, "I love to see kids smile."

A year and a half after Heero had left, and barely a year after Quatre had walked into Relena's office in the state of mind to comfort her and bearing the bad news about his wife, yet displaying outward hopefulness, Dawn Winner died a death of much suffering. She had blatantly refused treatment, explaining that she just wanted to be with her family in her last days. She was twenty-four. Quatre buried the woman that had been the center of his life for six years.

But as much as Dawn had been in his life, even after the child and all their hard times, Quatre's mind always went back to Relena. The dove of peace, the strong young woman behind the end of the wars, the one person who was now holding together that fragile peace that she and the Gundam pilots had worked so hard to attain. He had never told anyone, though he was sure that there were people who knew, but he was in love with her. He had been in love with her from day one. How could one not love and admire such strength and determination for peace amongst war? Quatre had a feeling Trowa knew, much like Duo had known of Heero's hidden feelings for Relena. No matter who you were, it was often hard to hide something from your best friend.

Quatre stared at the coffin that contained his wife's body. It was minutes before the large oak box carrying such a small body would be lowered into the ground. He had loved his wife, and she had been a wonderful woman, and she would be missed. Quatre's hand rested on his four year old daughter's blond head. She was wiping tears off her rosy cheeks and sniffling every few seconds. There were so many things that were beyond her understanding at her age, but she fully understood the largest thing: Mommy wasn't coming back. She had gone to heaven with Allah and she wouldn't be sick any longer up there.

Quatre bent down and lifted his small daughter in his arms and she hugged her daddy, burying her little head into his shoulder. War had taken enough precious lives of people that Quatre had loved, and now he was beyond dealing with war. He could fight in a war, he could do something to defend the people he had lost...but with cancer...he had nothing. He had only a broken heart and a broken-hearted daughter.

"Quatre?" Relena strode up next to him as the graveside ceremony ended, "Do you need anything?"

She was dressed in a long sleeved, knee length black dress, and her hair was pinned back off her neck. Trowa appeared at her side, her bodyguard for the night.

Quatre tried to force a smile onto his face, but he was sure it looked more like a grimace.

"No, Miss Relena. You've been too kind already. I'll be...we'll be fine. Thank you for all you have done so far," he told her truthfully, trying to keep his voice steady.

Relena patted Charise on the back, but the little girl barely moved, and did not acknowledge Relena at all.

"Now, Chari, it's rude to ignore grown-ups. I'm sorry, Relena," he shook his head as his daughter's arms went tighter around his neck, "She hasn't been responding to anyone for the last few days. I think it will take some time."

Relena shook her head, "It's fine," her hand came to rest on his arm just above the elbow, "Quatre, if you ever need anything, my door's open, for the both of you. I want to hear from you at least every other day so that I know you're okay," she said winking and giving him a smile.

Quatre nodded, though he couldn't force a smile, "Thank you, Miss Relena."

Relena watched as the casket was lowered into the ground. When would it end? Wufei had passed away two years ago at the age of twenty-five, Heero had left after six years of marriage, and Quatre's twenty-four year old wife had passed away from cancer, and Relena didn't know how much more she could take.

God, you took away friends, and my husband, and you leave these children without one of their parents, Relena thought, when will it end, when is it enough?

TBC

Author's Note: I just wanted to warn everyone that the next chapter is a big jump. It's like, okay here we are with small children, then BOOM...it's years later...just wanted to let everyone know so you don't think I'm crazy.

-S. Michelle Green