[A.N] Sorry it took so long! Here's the next chapter!

What You Want Most Chapter Four

Heero looked up from his mound of paperwork placing his hand over her heart. Over the past few months he'd been experiencing an unexplained pain in his chest that started shortly after changing shifts on security detail. He glanced at the clock. She would be officially off right about now; though doubtless she would stay at the office several more hours to catch up on her work. He still knew her schedule by heart. He knew right now she'd be brewing herself a cup of tea and putting her favorite round of songs on repeat since it would be just her. It was one of her little quirks he found so amusing.

It would be his turn to go there shortly, picking up the evening to morning times. When she had agreed to marry Donovan he had relinquished his position as her primary guard for his sanity as well as for hers. He found that, while this shift made it easier to avoid contact with her it was far from efficient in helping him keep his distance. Watching her sleep was the worst. The confusion she made him feel on a regular basis only seemed to gain intensity when he first saw them together. She looked so happy, her smile pleasing crowds and convincing everyone around how happy she was in the premarital stages of bliss.

Donovan was a good man of upstanding family background and political influence. He was as charismatic as he was handsome which made him even more of a perfect match for her. Together the two of them would be able to do all of what she dreamed and more and it was his job as her protector to be there every step of the way. However, he couldn't deny the blind hatred he felt any time the other man's hands joined with hers. He found himself wincing whenever they embraced and found himself looking away when their lips would meet in a kiss. She was happy. Happy with Donovan. Donovan could make her happy. Could be what she needed. They were perfect for each other. And he hated it.

The pen in his hand snapped and he realized just how upset he was. There was no reason to be angry. She had made her choice. Donovan asked and she agreed and he had let it happen. She had asked him for advice. He hadn't told her to say yes but he hadn't told her to say no. he told her to do what made her happy. Clearly marrying Donovan would do that. He closed his eyes remembering every detail of that night, the last night he had been in her presence, talking with her: her perfume, her hair, the way the light in the room cast soft shadows over her face. He felt the pain in his again and leaned forward. He closed the file on the desk and stood up. He needed to get out, to talk to someone. Duo would be back from his vacation by now. He was better than nothing.

Duo Maxwell through yet another piece of popcorn up in the air and successfully caught it in his waiting mouth. Guard duty was only boring when you didn't make proper use of your time. He smirked and let another piece fly, catching it, yet again. Hilde would be putting the twins down for their nap by now and probably feeding their youngest. He sighed. As much as he missed them someone had to bring home the bacon. He smirked again knowing how busy his wife currently was. Whenever she got a moment's peace the woman was working tirelessly trying to help Relena plan her wedding. Every detail from the kind of material used to the precise shades of the flowers was being handled with the utmost care.

He shook his head. Neither he nor his wife truly was excited about the wedding. As wonderful as it was that Relena was finally ready to take the next step in her relationship he saw one major flaw in the process: she didn't love him. It was obvious Relena was fond of her future groom but fondness hardly seemed the kind of emotion necessary for a successful marriage. He ran a hand through his bangs and sighed, throwing another piece of popcorn in the air. Startled by his usually silent friend's approach he missed the fluffy kernel and watched disappointed as it fell to the ground.

"Duo." His friend's normally impassive voice held a hint of something he never thought he'd hear from the man known as the perfect soldier. It was no secret that his time as Relena's guard had added quite a few emotions-however dulled they may be-to his emotional repertoire, but despair was not one he ever expected. He took a good look at his friend. The man had obviously not been sleeping, his clothes were slightly rumpled from over-wear and his hair, which usually looked like it needed a comb, was worse than normal.

"Heero, ol' buddy. What brings you to my part of preventers?" he grinned in spite of himself, trying to lighten the other man's mood, but the grin slowly faded when he got a god look at his friend's eyes. He found himself stunned. Heero Yuy was a man of few emotions and even fewer expressions. Normally his unreadable eyes were as dark and mysterious as a bottomless pit. Despair. Confusion. Helplessness. Three things Duo never thought he'd ever see in his friend.

"I need to talk." This was a first. Normally Heero never came to him to talk, or when he did he never came right out and said it.

"Well uh… I'm kinda on duty here pal but…" he watched as Heero's eyes pled with him. "Ok, bud. Lemme get Nate to fill in and we'll go grab a bite to eat. After radioing in to make sure he was covered he and Heero walked to the department's café where he ordered them two cups of black coffee. After sitting in silence for a moment or two Duo cleared his throat. "So… whatcha need, buddy?"

"I…" Heero paused, looking down at the table.

"Come on buddy. I can't help ya if ya keep quiet."

"I don't know how to word it."

"Let me take a guess then, ok?" Heero glared at him skeptically but then nodded. "It's about the princess, isn't it?" Heero only nodded. "I thought so. She'll be ok, you know. Donovan's a good man."

"I know."

"The man's background is squeaky clean."

"I know."

"He treats her like the queen she is."

"I know!"

"Then what's the problem, man?"

"I miss her." Heero seemed almost as shocked at his admission as he was.

"I see… now we're getting somewhere." He took a long drink of his coffee as he thought out his next statement. Heero was like a wild animal sometimes; one wrong move would spook him, scaring him off. "You know, she never asked you to switch shifts."

Heero looked down at his untouched cup of coffee. Duo sighed and ran a hand through his bangs. This was getting nowhere fast. This was possibly his chance to intervene, to help ensure both of his friends' happiness.

"Look, I'm no expert on females, least of all Lena, but I can tell she misses you."

"She's with him now."

"So? What did you think, Heero? That just because she's engaged she doesn't care about her friends anymore? About you? You couldn't be more wrong."

"Duo-"

"I don't know if you backed off 'cause you thought in some weird way it was the honorable thing to do, but let me tell you something. She might smile at him, but I've never seen her look at him the way she used to look at you." With that, Heero pushed away from the table and stood up, leaving a few dollars to pay him back for the coffee.

"We're done here."

"It's not too late buddy. You can still tell her how you feel."

"Forget it. She belongs with him." Heero walked out the door and down the hall leaving Duo alone with his coffee. Duo sighed.

"Man… I hope he figures this out soon, for both their sakes." He picked up his cup and the money Heero left and headed back to station.

[A.N.] hello all! Sorry it took so long to get this out! I have had a lot going on. I'm in a playwriting class at college and it's been taking most of my writing time as well as health issues. The good news is, health-wise I am now in the clear! HOORAY! And I hope to have the next chapter out soon after finals next week. I hope you enjoyed chapter four, even though it was horribly short. I promise the next one will be longer! Thank you all for reading! Please review to tell me what you think and what you might like to see next. TTFN!