A/N: Relena's had enough! Now I know everyone has absolutely loved the comedy up till now but sooner or later serious issues gotta be settled *sigh*

Just one more chapter to go after this people! *cheers*

Disclaimer: insert standard 'I don't own Gundam Wing' disclaimer here

CHAPTER VII – Peace Of Our Own

"SILENCE!!!!!!!"

Everyone froze instantaneously and turned their heads to look at the flushed Vice Foreign Minister who stood in the middle of the room.

Dorothy, who was still on the floor, had tilted her head back and was staring at Relena upside down.

On top of her, Max had cocked his head to the side looking at her quizzically.

Quatre had his mouth open wide.

Trowa looked slightly amused and startled at the same time.

Lady Une looked outright amused.

Wufei's eyes were widened at her.

Sally had her hand to her mouth in astonishment.

Hilde and Duo's jaws had dropped to the floor simultaneously.

Relena turned to Zechs who had frozen while attempting to strangle Heero. "Let him go Milliardo," she said in icy tones.

Zech's immediately unstuck his hands and Heero stumbled backwards feeling the skin around his neck cry out in relief. Relena soundlessly took his hand. She turned to Zechs, "If you love me or have any respect for who I am then you WILL let me finish what I came here to do."

Relena then pulled Heero into the centre of the room with her. He looked at her in amazement but he didn't say anything because he didn't know quite what to say. This situation was a bit beyond him…she was beyond him.

Relena turned to each person in the room and gave them all a piercing stare. "Not a word," She warned and they all mentally zipped their mouths shut.

She turned to Heero and crossed her arms, "Why won't you come back with me?"

Heero frowned, "I can't."

She frowned back at him, "What's happened to you suddenly? What about the garden, the office the…the party?"

"I didn't realise what I was doing…it wasn't right."

"No, you realised that you liked what you were doing and you became afraid because Milliardo's words made you doubt yourself. You weren't sure anymore of where your actions were taking you and it scared you."

He was taken aback but he shouldn't have been surprised really; she was perceptive. He controlled himself. "In any case, I don't think I can be what you want. I'm not romantic…I don't know how to love you properly and eventually, I'll hurt you."

Zechs was nodding to Heero's words until a sharp yank on his shirt revealed an angry Noin and he stopped.

He watched Relena go stiff and her lip quivered. He felt his chest cave in response, this was starting to hurt terribly.

"None of that matters to me!" Her eyes moistened. "Did I ever ask for or demand that you be anything other than what you are? Maybe if you'd asked me what I wanted you would have gotten the answer that it was you." She sniffed and smiled faintly as she said that. "Instead, you made assumptions about what I needed and what's right for me. Stop looking at me through other people's eyes…"

Zechs visibly quailed as she glared at him. Relena lifted her chin.

"You ran away without giving me a chance to talk to you but now you're going to hear my side of the argument and you're going to listen to it carefully."

Everybody waited. Relena took a deep breath.

"Firstly, I want you to know that I do not need romantic gestures to love anybody. Gifts, romantic dinners and midnight walks are all expressions of a feeling. The gesture may be sweet but considering you and I have shared a connection through a war that has changed our lives, don't you think we're above such things?"

Secondly, there's no how, no set rule, no law to loving someone and everybody loves and expresses it differently. You haven't even tried to learn or find out how to express your feelings. It's simpler just to close them off like you've always done. When you say you're going to hurt me Heero just what are you afraid of? Afraid of becoming someone that actually doesn't love me? Afraid of me not loving who you really are? Afraid of failing at love?"

She paused for another breath.

"Let me tell you something. You can't hurt me forever. I'll always heal with time and in the end, it will make me a stronger person. Don't be afraid to try, otherwise apart from pain, you'll be left with regret and it lingers. We've all made the wrong decision somewhere but when the choice had to be made we made it based on what was in our hearts and right or wrong, we should never regret that. I'm going to give you a second chance to make your decision because I want you to bear something in mind and that brings me to my third point.

That is, I love you Heero and above all, I want you to be happy. You must make this choice for yourself, not me or anybody else." She closed her eyes, "Please don't resign yourself to this empty life, sacrificing everything you have in your attempt to keep fighting for the 'greater good'. We can't strive so hard that we forget about our own peace which comes from inside us. Reach out for what you want. That's why I'm here right now Heero." She opened her eyes again, "I want you to come with me and try to find happiness."

Her words hung on the air like a thick cloud as Relena put her hands on her hips and stared Heero down. Everyone would have broken into a round of applause as she finished but they were too intent on waiting for Heero's reaction to her words.

Every syllable she had uttered echoed in his mind.

She's trying so hard when she should have long given up trying to be with me.

He sighed inwardly, and I want to be with her…He froze. Did he just think that? Something she had said struck a chord within him and set something deep inside him free.

Yes, if he was truthful then he already felt regret at the decision he had made that separated him from her. He had pushed it back, like all his other emotions but it was there and he was trying to live with it, if what he was doing could be called living. He had told Quatre the only happiness he understood was the peace she fought to achieve but now she was telling him he could have his own peace if he lived for himself for once. For the first time, Heero realised that his life was empty of meaning; he was still Heero Yuy the Gundam pilot, the assassin, the weapon. All the others had moved on and had found happiness except him. Perhaps he could have it too if he…his mind struggled against the words. "No…" He whispered in denial.

Relena's eyes watered as she thought he was refusing her.

"What can I say that would let me into your heart Heero?" She pleaded. He could see that she had given everything she had in her determination to convince him. He had the feeling that she was slipping through his fingers and he mentally grasped at her vainly because he wanted to hold on. He didn't want to let go… His face became unreadable.

"Nothing."

She bit her lip, "Nothing at all?"

"Nothing," He repeated and she looked down.

There was a slight pause.

"Because…you're already in there."

She looked up at his words and saw him smiling slightly. A smile that made his eyes glow like stars and emanated warmth. Gasping with relief she ran into his embrace and looked up at him in wonder, "Really?"

He nodded "I couldn't get you out if I tried," He said slowly because the words sounded strange on his lips but the feeling wasn't as alien as he thought it would be. Her eyes shone as she leaned up and kissed him softly.

There was a series of sniffles that suddenly erupted around the room. Wufei handed a handkerchief to Sally and patted her back while looking uncomfortable. Max had moved off Dorothy and she and Quatre were clutching him with misty eyes. Trowa was nodding in approval. Une got a handkerchief out and dabbed her eyes. Hilde was using Duo's braid as a tissue and Duo, who hadn't noticed, had the widest grin on his face.

Relena pulled away from his possessive lips and looked up at him with big blue eyes. "I can't get you out too," She admitted and sniffed. He wiped away her tears gently with his thumb and she took hold of his hand. "Come on," She said.

Zechs stepped in front and blocked their path. Relena gripped Heero's hand tighter and stepped forward determinedly. Zechs held up his hands in submission, "Hear me out."

"I've heard enough from you."

"I'm not standing in your way…no wait, I am physically standing in your way but I need you to let me explain."

"I'm listening," She said icily.

Zechs looked at her wearily, "Before, I would've said you were being foolish and rash but now I can see you clearly understood what you were doing all along. All this planning for what's best has made me think on how things should be to the point where I've lost sight of what's right. Now, I understand your reasons for doing what you did. Some of us can make something of ourselves but others need to be shown the way. I should trust in you to do what's right. I'm sorry I never realised it before."

"You mean it?" Relena was astonished.

Zechs looked back at Noin who smiled at him in a tender way and slowly, Zechs' mouth curved upwards into a smile too and he looked back at Relena gently, "Yes I do." He turned to look at Heero and although his gaze turned stern, there was a reluctant acceptance behind his eyes, "If anybody can show you what there is to live for Yuy, it's Relena. But I also see that everyone else here today believes in you like she does." He glanced at each person in turn. "You have the makings of a good life Heero Yuy; you have love and friends all around you. Don't forget that."

Heero looked a little startled at that, but he nodded and they all saw the silent gratitude in his eyes. He turned to Relena, "You have to get back to Earth," He said quietly.

"You're coming with me," Relena said firmly, gripping his hand tighter.

Heero hesitated but Une's voice called out, "Technically, you still haven't been reassigned yet Yuy; the paperwork still needs to be approved…" She smiled slyly, "…By me. I can make good use of my shredder when we return and nothing more needs to be said."

The corners of Heero's mouth turned up faintly as he looked at Relena, "Looks like I am."

"You two go on ahead, we'll be right behind you buddy." Duo winked.

"Right," Heero replied, grabbing his jacket and heading for the door. Relena twisted around and gave them all a heartfelt smile that lit up her features and made her glow, "Thank you all for helping me today," She whispered.

Trowa bent and whispered something to her before Heero pulled her after him out the door and the two vanished.

Everyone gave a contented sigh and began to get ready to part and go their own ways:

"Well Dorothy, will you come for a visit to L4?" Quatre said softly. Dorothy sniffed with disdain. "I suppose I could." She conceded. "And I admit I could perhaps bring Max, sometimes."

"Wuff!" Max licked her hand affectionately. Dorothy shuddered but a faint ghost of a smile graced her lips.

"Come on Sally let's go."

"All right Wufei," Said Sally, her eyes shining as she noticed that Wufei used her name for once.

"I can never stay mad at you Duo even though you drive me crazy." Hilde smiled as Duo put his arm around her shoulder. "And I love you for it babe. You know, you drive me crazy too," He winked.

"I'm proud that you did the right thing in the end." Noin rested her head on Zechs' shoulder, "Let's go home now." Zechs just nodded and followed.

Trowa watched everyone leave and turned to Une who had been watching too. "And so peace returns to everyone's hearts."

Une nodded, "Hopefully, even to a weapon that isn't supposed to have one."

TBC

A/N: Now I'm aware of how much people reading this story feel like killing Zechs and I can't blame you since I did kinda make him the thorn in everyone's side *sheepish* but I do really like Zechs (I love all the characters *grabs them and squeezes them all*) and I'm sorry if you felt he deserved some severe punishment but I couldn't make it like that. It just didn't sound right to me and I wrote this as best as I could.

The next chapter is an epilogue that will finally finish this and I promise I will post it quickly because I have deadlines and exams coming up that I need to concentrate on.