Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. So don't sue me. You'd only get about $10 anyway. I'm a poor college student!

Hidden Love

Chapter One:

flashback (A.C. 198: two years after the Mariemaia incident)

"Relena, I don't love you!"

"Who do you love Heero, if not me?" Her tears were falling like waterfalls.

"I love Hilde."

Relena's world crumbled the moment Heero said her best friend's name. "It's not fair!"

end flashback

Relena was brought back to the present, three years after the flashback, by a knock at her door. "Come in."

"Hey Rel, how are you doing?" He was her bodyguard today and he'd just gotten news from Quatre that he needed to share with Relena.

She smiled as Duo showed a shaky but solid smile. He had gone through the same thing she had when Hilde told him she loved Heero. After that she and Duo had clung to each other for strength and they had become each others best friends, since their former best friends had become lovers. "I've been better. Duo, what's wrong?" She learned during the first year after the flashback exactly how to read him.

"I never have been able to keep something from you, have I Rel?"

"Not for very long. You can tell me Duo."

He stood in front of her desk thinking of the best way to word it. "Quatre told me that Hilde & Heero are getting married in two months."

She instantly put on her politicians smile, but no matter how hard she tried to fight them her tears ran down her cheeks. Duo instantly ran around the desk and pulled her into his arms. "Shh…I know. We'll be okay. Rel, you and I are stronger & much better off now. We'll show up and show them that we can be happy without them." By the end of his comfort speech he was crying like she was and she was holding him in her arms as well.

A soft knock of the door made them both jump. "Who is it?" Relena asked.

"It's Quatre, may I come in?"

"Of course dude."

Quatre walked in to find that both of them had tear stained cheeks. He instantly went to Relena and she welcomed his embrace, starting a second wave of tears.

"It's alright, Miss Relena." He spoke soft words of comfort in her ear until her tears stopped and he realized she was so emotionally exhausted from the news that she had fallen asleep in his arms. Quatre smiled at her sleeping form and looked at Duo. "Would you like to carry her to her room as we talk?"

"Sure."

Once they were in Relena's bedroom, Quatre shut the door behind them & Duo tucked her into her bed. Duo stood next to her bed and gazed on her sleeping form, focusing on her face. 'How could someone give up such a beautiful angel?' he wondered to himself.

Quatre voiced that same thought out loud.

Duo responded, "Who knows, but we're not just talking about anybody. It was that emotionless bastard, Heero Yuy." He had not meant for his anger to show through in his tone, but his former best friend had stabbed him in the back too hard for Duo to not be pissed off.

"Yes, even after Relena tried for three years to get him to see that emotions aren't a weakness, he stayed the stone-faced 'perfect soldier'. Heero really was heartless when it came to her. Damn him." Quatre was angry at the thought of each time Heero saw Relena during the A.C. 195 war and how he would constantly try to verbally push her away during those three years. "Zechs is still bent on strangling Yuy for treating Relena like that."

"Yeah, he's finding it easier to be the protective big brother now that there's not a war going on." Duo remembered the first time Heero was assigned as Relena's bodyguard. Zechs had crossed the room at Preventers Head Quarters & punched Heero's left cheek with so much force that Heero stumbled backwards a few feet. Zechs had then said "That's just a sample of what I'll do to you if you don't keep her perfectly safe." He then proceeded to stalk out of the room and leave Lady Une, Relena, Hilde, Sally, & the other gundam pilots, including Heero, stunned beyond belief. Relena then proceeded to bust out in giggles & explained that Zechs was still in the learning stages of how to be a big brother.

"It's kinda funny how you, Trowa, and Wufei are her bodyguards now. She feels safest when she's with the three of you. Plus, you and Rel provide emotional strength for each other."

"Yeah…hey, wait a minute…I thought she always felt safest around Heero?"

"Nope, she told me herself. Wufei admitted that they don't argue half as much as they used to. Trowa became her confidant when the Mariemaia incident ended. He always listened to her problems and gave her a positive outlet for her anger since he's been teaching her how to fight just in case she gets attacked when she escapes her less experienced bodyguards. And you know she's always felt safe when she's hanging out with you or when you are her bodyguard."

"Wow, so the Wu-man actually gets along with Rel. Who knew? Looks like miracles really can actually happen." Duo was already planning on how to tease Wufei about it when they switched shifts in an hour.

Quatre knew that look of mischief on Duo's face all too well. "Duo, you shouldn't tease him. You know that could ruin their friendship and right now the more friends Relena has, the better."

Duo realized that Quatre was right. Anytime Wufei got teased about something his attitude towards that certain something became the complete opposite of before. "You're right. Hey, do you realize we've been standing over Rel during this whole conversation?"

Quatre blinked and blushed slightly. "Maybe we should move to the adjoining sitting room and just leave the doors to her room open so we can keep an eye on her."

Duo studied the blushing Quatre and got a big grin on his face. Once they were sitting in plush chairs of Relena's sitting room, Duo whispered "You have a crush on her."

Quatre's blush deepened. "I just care for her. Like a sister."

"Yeah, like you need a thirtieth sister, hehehe." Duo was enjoying the embarrassed expression on Quatre's face.

"I'm serious Duo. She's always been like my little sister. We practically grew up together. We played with each other every time she and her father came to the colonies or when my father took me to Earth. Relena's such a gentle person. I just wish I could be the big brother figure that makes everything alright. Zechs can't even do that. What's your excuse for protecting her like you do? And don't say that she's like a sister you never had. That's my reason."

Duo smiled. "I love her."

Quatre's jaw dropped.

Duo continued. "We've been each other's strength since Heero & Hilde told us how they felt. I realized after spending so much time with her that I never really loved Hilde. I think I've loved Relena since the first time I met her."

"When was that exactly?" A still slightly stunned Quatre asked.

Duo got a big grin on his face. "It was when I shot Heero on an Alliance ship. He had raised his gun to her face and I was thinking I was gonna be her savior so I shot Heero in the arm causing his gun to go sliding along the deck. When he lunged for the gun, I shot him in the leg. He went down but kept trying to stand up. Relena got in front of him and yelled for me to stop. She then bandaged Heero up with pieces of her dress that she ripped off. I was utterly confused but in total awe of her. When she came looking for Heero at the school he and I had transferred to, I got a little jealous. After all, she comes looking for the guy that was trying to kill her. Every time we were reunited after that, I fell in love with her a little more each time." Duo looked at Quatre and chuckled.

"Shut up Duo! And don't ever mention that I cried at that story or Trowa and Wufei will never let me live it down!" Quatre was drying his eyes with his shirt sleeve.

"I won't Quatre."

Just then Wufei entered the sitting room to replace Duo and Quatre. One look at Quatre & Wufei only said "I don't think I wanna know. Just go get some rest."