Disclaimer – If I t'would I own it, it t'would be t'weriffic.

AN: Yo. I appreciate everything you guys say. If I could respond to everyone, I would! However, busy busy little college student that I am, I don't get to do everything that I'd like! So, I'll have to settle with a huge THANKS!!! And hope it doesn't change your opinion of me!

For Richer of Poorer

Nobody's fault but mine.
Trying to save my soul tonight.
It's nobody's fault but mine.

Got a monkey on my back.
Gonna change my ways tonight.

Chapter Ten: Nobody's Fault But Mine

Gisborne stood in the center of the theatre, somewhere between rows F and G, his arms crossed, staring out onto the stage. His eyes darted around as he watched his employees shuffle around the theatre, putting placards on chairs, designating press seats. Two of them were indistinctly arguing about the placement of the curtain, if it should remain down, go up, or be replaced with one of a more neutral color. In all honesty, he could have cared less where the press sat, or if there even was a curtain behind him. He was more concerned with her showing up tonight. Her showing up, and giving him what he wanted.

"It looks nice." Prince said, walking up and standing next to him. Unlike Guy, Prince stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking fairly at ease.

"It looks like a theatre." Gisborne said blandly.

"It looks like a well designed and put together theatre." Prince said, watching Gisborne out of the corner of his eye. "Well defended." He added when his first comment didn't elicit a response.

"They've done what they could." Guy said, finally looking over at his counterpart. "I don't think you came all the way over here to inspect the place, did you, John?"

Prince smiled thinly. "Of course not, Guy. I brought in my own security team to do that."

"You did what?" Gisborne asked, obviously caught off guard.

"It's not that I don't trust you, of course." Prince said flippantly. "It's just that I have been planning this for weeks. And it has to be perfect."

Gisborne didn't say anything for a moment. He gathered his thoughts and tried to push his anger deep into the pit of his stomach so it wouldn't be detectable in his voice when he spoke. "You aren't going to do anything besides the plan we discussed," he turned to Prince. "Are you John?"

Prince didn't return the gaze. "Of course not, Guy. The plan will proceed as scheduled."

"It'll be all for nothing if he doesn't show." Gisborne said as an after thought. He watched Prince's face closely. The intent stare on the stage and the podium didn't waver.

"He will."

"What makes you so sure?"

Prince's lip curved upwards. "I'm not really that sure. But I have a plan in place that will be satisfactory to lure him out of whatever hole he's in."

"What plan?"

Prince finally connected his gaze with Gisborne's, and smiled loosely. "It's not important, Guy. He'll show." Prince gave him a pat on the shoulder, turned and walked out of the theatre.

Guy watched him leave before turning to the stage; the feeling of anger in his stomach was slowly being replaced by dread. He looked down at his watch. Three hours until he was scheduled to pick Relena up. He took one last look at the theatre before exiting.

v-v-v-v-v

Every major newspaper in the earth sphere and the colonies were invited. All of the local ones were showing up anyway. Three fashion magazines and five entertainment magazines had sent reporters. The four major news networks had anchors at the scene, with live coverage throughout the day and a time ticking down to the speech in the corner of each screen. The financial networks were there as well, predicting how the market would respond to such an event. Two wildlife magazines, a transportation revue, three high school and one collegiate paper had all sent a reporter to the theatre. None of them were turned away. They were all given press passes and seated in a timely fashion.

Relena wasn't fazed by them. She had cameras flashing in her direction since the moment she was born. They had captured her at her best and her worst, and had lost all impact on her daily schedule. As she ascended the steps to the Getz Theatre, arm in arm with Guy Gisborne, she wasn't nervous. She recognized most of them, and could guess what they would be writing about in their columns in the morning. Something a little more unfamiliar were the amount of police officers standing in front of the press corps, clad in blue and sporting sunglasses. However, realizing it was unwise to point of in front of so many reporters, she mentally stowed the question in the back of her mind, to ask Gisborne if they had a rare moment of privacy.

"Love the dress, ma'am!" the shout rose above the rest and she looked over to find a prominent fashion reporter smiling at her. She returned the gesture. She was wearing a form fitting ivory dress, with a loose matching sweater over it, and left her long hair down around her shoulders. She really did look elegant. In comparison, Gisborne looked positively gentlemanly in his suit. He went with the classic black coat and tie with a white shirt. She smiled and left the rest of their shouted questions and comments unanswered as she and Gisborne entered the building.

"There certainly are a lot of reporters here," she murmured to Guy.

He smirked. "Every major network, paper and magazine sent someone."

"You're making this quite the event. A little over-dramatic for a routine press conference, perhaps." She said teasingly, with a small smile.

Gisborne wet his lips in a nervous fashion. "They have a right to report the news."

He led her across the lobby, through more throngs of well-dressed reporters. They stopped briefly as a uniformed officer came to speak to Gisborne. They spoke in hushed tones and Relena did her best to try to like she wasn't eavesdropping. However, she couldn't piece together their conversation. She picked up ambiguous words like "perimeter" and "safe guard". She looked around anxiously.

Suddenly there was a tap on her shoulder and a polite, "Ma'am." She looked over and found a tuxedoed gentleman with slicked back brown hair. He had a tag that suggested he was an employee of the theatre and said his name was "Harry". As she looked up into the man's brilliant green eyes, however, she knew it was a lie. She closed her eyes and let go of the breath she'd been holding. It was Trowa.

"You have a phone call, ma'am." He said, keeping his tone even and calm.

"It can't wait?" she asked, trying her best to sound uninterested. The officer had left Gisborne, who was now looking at Relena.

"No, ma'am. The caller said it was urgent." Trowa didn't react to her tone of voice, or her look of recognition.

Gisborne seemed to be only looking at his nametag, not his face, which Relena was thankful for. However, if she let him stand there any longer, she was risking that Gisborne would become curious. She turned to him and gave him an apologetic smile. "If you'll excuse me for a moment."

Guy's gaze snapped up from Trowa's nametag and to her face. He smiled genially. "No, of course. If it's urgent, you must take it."

Relena gave him a smile before following Trowa who had already started making his way down one of the hallways connected to the lobby. As she walked away, she could hear the police tell the press to move into the theatre. The smile she'd been holding slipped off of her face as she caught up to Trowa.

"You didn't get my messages?" she asked, keeping her voice down.

"Which messages?"

"The messages I've been trying to send to the Sherwood building for two days."

"The ones instructing us not to show up?"

"Yes, those messages."

"We got them."

Relena glared at him, knowing her anger was misdirected, but not quite caring. "And you decided to ignore them?"

"It wasn't my call." He led her to the last door on the left and opened it. "You have five minutes." He said, raising his voice so that the room's inhabitant could hear him as well.

Relena stepped inside the room and watched as Heero nodded his acknowledgement to Trowa. As soon as the door shut, she shook her head. "I've tried for two days to send a message to you, for you not to come. I've exhausted every avenue. I asked Tuck, I asked Hilde, I talked to several people who would look inconspicuous to Guy. I specifically asked you not to come, Heero. This is dangerous, you could have blown people's cover, you could have blown my cover - "

"It wasn't your decision." He interrupted.

Relena was taken aback. "Not my decision?" she repeated what he said, not quite sure that she'd heard him right. "Not my decision? Heero, it was absolutely my decision. When you knowingly involve yourself with things that have to do with me, you make it my decision!" She moved towards him, growing angrier with each step.

"You don't know what you're dealing with."

Relena wasn't sure what made her madder, the fact that he was so calm or the fact that he was being condescending. "Would people stop implying that?" She stood in front of him, seething. "That I'm not competent, that I don't know what's going on five feet in front on my face."

"Relena - "

"No. You're accusing me of being ignorant to the threat I face. You've only just come back, Heero. I've been dealing with these people for five years. I know what I'm doing. So when I tell you not to show up, I mean don't show up. I don't mean come anyway, or come after I've gotten on stage, I mean don't come."

He was silent.

"You assume that you're the only one who knows how to fight, Heero, but I can fight too. Not the way you do … but I do my part."

"I know."

"I'm capable." She said, losing steam as his expression softened and he agreed with her.

"I know."

"Then why did you come here when I specifically asked you not to?"

He pulled her to him with a sense of urgency, pressing his mouth on hers. Relena shut her eyes and kissed him back. Her eyes were shut so tightly it looked like it pained her. Truthfully, she was aching inside, longing for him to continue kissing her, touching her. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he broke the kiss and dipped down for another. She gratefully accepted, opening her mouth a little more. His hands started at her hips and slowly made their way across her back, their light touch making her head swim. As the kiss deepened, his arms tightened around her.

They parted momentarily and she backed away. "That's a good reason." She murmured. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him again. This time the kiss was soft and short, but lost none of its passion.

"Don't go out there." He said quietly, his right hand abandoning its post on her back to come up and cup her face.

"Tell me why."

"I have a hunch. A feeling."

"Heero, I can't just get out of this. Guy is waiting for me. And in a few minutes I am going to stand on that stage and listen to whatever he has to say, make a few remarks about it and then get off. There's nothing to worry about."

"Then why make it public? Why make it in a theatre?"

"Because he's hoping to catch you."

"That's not the only reason."

"It is." She insisted. "Which is why I wanted you not to come. If they find out you're here," She trailed off, not wanting or needing to finish the sentence. They both knew the consequences. Heero had just decided to ignore them. His arms loosened and she easily stepped out of them.

"They'll never know." He said adamantly.

There was a knock at the door. They both looked to the direction of the sound. Relena's heart plummeted to her shoes as she looked back at Heero. His face had lost most of its emotion. He seemed like he was all business now.

"I'm asking you not to go on that stage." He said, his tone proving that it was not up for discussion.

She stepped closer to him, closing the distance. "I know."

He dipped down and caught her mouth in his one more time, savoring the way she felt against him.

Trowa opened the door. "They're asking for you."

Relena followed him out and sighed as he shut the door behind her. Trowa stood next to her silently for a moment before speaking. "It wasn't my call." He repeated. "But if it was, I would do the same thing."

Relena looked up at Trowa, with a pained expression. "This will be the death of him, I just know it."

"He knows what he's getting himself into." He said, although his tone wasn't as sure as his statement. He offered her his arm, which she accepted. Silently, he led her back into the main lobby, where Gisborne was eagerly waiting for her.

v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v

Duo walked through the halls of the theatre, slipping in and out of the sea of patrons, unnoticed. His eyes darted from person to person, carefully checking their faces before moving on. To the outside observer, if even they bothered to glance at him, he looked like a lost employee, searching for his manager. His tuxedo wasn't ironed and his nametag wasn't on straight. He was the very picture of an inexperienced employee. It would have been easy to mistake his quick steps for unsure ones, his roaming eyes for nervousness.

In fact, Duo was counting on it. He blended into the crowd quite easily. But it didn't hurt that no one was bothering to look him in the face. Making his way up several flights of stairs and around a corner, he finally found his target, leaning against the wall, arms folded, almost looking bored. But Duo knew better.

Heero's senses were as sharp as the day he met him. People passed by him without a second glance, hurrying to get their seats in the theatre. Duo walked calmly to Heero and stood next to him against the wall.

"200 employees today, and I had to beat someone up to get this tux."

Heero didn't respond, nor did he make any notion that he'd even heard him. But Duo knew better. The low hum of chatter around them only served as background noise, and couldn't provide the cover Heero was looking for.

"Where are Quatre and Trowa?" Duo asked, recognizing that Heero wasn't going to acknowledge his presence unless he asked a straightforward question.

"They're fine." Heero answered, his voice flat. There was nothing in his tone to indicate that he was particularly mad at Duo, but there was nothing to indicate that he even knew him. It was flat and even, unruffled. It unsettled Duo to know that his absence hadn't bothered Heero, or that his words hadn't caused even a little resentment. His jaw clenched in anger and he stared straight ahead.

"I didn't ask you how they were, I asked you where they were."

"They're trying to find a quick exit backstage in case we need it." It was clear through his tone that the 'we' he was referring to did not include Duo.

Duo took a moment to even out his breathing, trying not to be hurt. He didn't know if it was a testament to Heero's biting remarks that his words still stung after five years, or he hadn't grown a thick enough skin. Their conversation had dissolved into a fencing match. Heero had scored the first point. Duo parried and came back with a hit of his own. "Have you talked to her?" he asked, trying to inflict a wound on Heero, knowing that mentioning Relena would certainly make him uncomfortable.

"Yes." Heero narrowed his eyes a bit as he answered.

"And?"

"She subscribes to your belief. That I shouldn't have come."

"I see." Duo nodded, watching the people pass by. The desire to hurt his friend had greatly dissipated.

"You came to rub it in, then?" A hint of malice crept into Heero's voice.

Duo's anger was slowly replaced by pride, realizing he had punctured Heero and cracked his shell. Duo smirked, even though he knew Heero wasn't looking at him. "No." he shook his head.

"Then why are you here?" Heero didn't raise his voice, but he didn't have to. Duo felt the cold chill of his words. The resounding feeling replaced his pride and flowed through his veins like ice.

"I'm not going to apologize." He said, trying to shake off Heero's words. "For anything I said. Because it's all true and you know it."

"Then what are you doing here." It wasn't a question, but Duo knew it required an answer.

"Look at all these people." He responded, lowering his voice enough so no one would notice it, but loud enough Heero could definitely hear it. "They're all walking past us like we're not even here. I didn't even have to disguise myself." Duo shifted his weight, but it wasn't because he was uncomfortable. "I could be wearing a sign, shouting 'I'm Duo Maxwell, I've stolen thousands of dollars, arrest me!' and no one would even look up." He glanced at Heero for a moment. "They just look through me. It's like I'm invisible." Heero didn't respond, but Duo could tell he was listening. It wasn't much, but at least he hadn't walked away. Duo nodded, realizing it was the best he was going to get.

"This isn't new to me, you know. Being invisible. I've been invisible all my life. I've made it into an art. I thought I was alone when I came down to earth. And maybe I was, maybe I still had something to live for. It's been so long ago, that I don't even remember. I just remember being fifteen years old, sent to earth after months and years of training. I remember being alone." Duo paused. "And then I met you. And I wasn't so alone anymore. I wasn't invisible. Sure, we weren't the same, but there was someone out there I knew who had gone through what I had, had done what I had. I knew you pilots were out there somewhere, fulfilling your mission and it gave me strength."

Duo stood a little straighter. "I would follow you into battle. I knew that you were a keen observer of the odds and you would never waste your energy on a fight that had no meaning. So I trusted you, and you never led me astray. During the wars, I watched you fight, and tried to match your conviction." Duo looked at him, turning his body slightly to face him.

"You're never wrong. " Duo marveled, a sense of awe in his voice. "Even when we lose, it doesn't matter. Because just the action of our fighting… it means something. I stood behind you with Libra, with Zechs … I followed you to space, when Mariemaia was brainwashed. I put myself in harm's way, because I knew that if you thought it was important, then it really must be."

He let a brief silence pass between them. Duo paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. They both knew what came next in their journey together. Duo stood, reverent. "I followed you to Mars." The words had the effect on Heero he had predicted. Heero's posture grew more rigid and the muscles in his jaw tightened. "I knew that it was important. So I went there."

Duo looked away, unable to look at Heero. "I don't have friends, Heero. I don't have people I trust. But I have you. And I have the belief that where you lead, it can't be wrong."

A silence came over the pair as they stood against the wall. "So, I came here." Duo said, answering a question they both had long since forgotten.

"I don't mind you risking our lives. When it's for a purpose, when it's for something good." Duo continued, not waiting for Heero to respond. "Risking it for these people, giving them money, I get that. I don't mind that, because it's good and honorable. We've helped cause this situation, we should end it." Duo fought the urge to pace the floor in front of Heero. "I didn't mind you risking my life during the war, because we fought for the colonies, and the people and against Oz and dictators. I didn't mind on Mars because I know that if I died there, it meant something. But this, Heero." Duo shook his head, almost against his will. All of his pent of feelings were spilling out of his mouth. He knew he'd gone too far, but reeling himself back in wasn't an option at this point. He took a deep breath and looked straight ahead. "If we get caught here, if we die here, it will be for nothing."

The words hung in the air in front of them. For the first time, the silence between them felt uncomfortable to Duo. Time passed slower, as he waited for his friend's response. He was finally rewarded after a long pause.

"I didn't tell you the whole truth." Heero spoke for the first time, keeping his focus straight ahead, and not on Duo.

"What?" Duo asked, wondering if he sounded as tired as he felt.

"It's partially because of her."

Duo stared at him, blankly. He let Heero's admission sink in for a moment, but he couldn't say that he was surprised. Knowing Heero as well as he'd grown to, this statement was more inevitable than shocking. But to hear it come out of his mouth was something Duo didn't count on hearing anytime soon. He licked his lips involuntarily before he spoke. "Then I'm wrong. Because I do owe you an apology." He said, watching Heero's face for the most minuscule of emotions. Heero glanced over at Duo for the first time. "For the longest time I've thought of you as impervious to this sort of stuff. I didn't think you could feel. I mean, man, when you didn't answer her letters, I thought – "

"I know what you thought." Heero interrupted.

"Heero, this is a stupid risk to take." Duo said quickly, cutting to the point.

"We lose too much if she dies." Heero folded his arms again. "The colonies are unhappy with the way they're being treated. The people here are close to revolting. She's what's keeping people grounded. If she dies, this country is going to erupt."

Duo thought about it for a moment before speaking. "You."

"What?" Heero asked, looking over at his friend.

"You said 'we' lose too much if she dies. You meant to say 'you'."

"No, I didn't."

"Heero, it took me this long to realize it, but you're human. You're capable of making mistakes, and trust me, you're making a big one right now. What makes you think she's in danger? She's standing right next to the chief of police. Besides, with security so lax, they're begging you to show up."

"Then you better believe they have a contingency plan if I don't."

"You think they'd actually hurt her just to get to you?"

"Do you think they won't?"

The lights flashed, and they both looked at the balcony entrance.

"It's starting." Duo commented, more to himself than to Heero.

Heero answered nevertheless. "Yeah."

v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v

Relena had made many speeches in her lifetime. Some of them were incredibly important, and made her nervous to the point of nausea. She remembered ascending the staircase as she was about to address the members of the Romafeller Foundation. It took all of her composure not to faint in front of the microphone. She was also used to speaking in relatively no pressure situations. Ironically, she felt like she always performed better when she was ill prepared. The words seemed to flow easier, and she was always more concise with her words.

But something was different about this event. The house lights flashed slowly and deliberately, and she watched the remaining people take their seats in the theatre. She was getting nervous, although she had no idea where the nerves were coming from. The situation wouldn't erupt as long as Heero kept out of sight.

Her heart raced again. Heero. That was definitely what was causing the nausea. If Guy were to see him this time, surely there was a plan; Relena had no doubt about that. Her speech had to be kept short and sweet. The longer Guy and his officers had to look for Heero, the more likely it would be that they would find him.

Guy stood next to her at the foot of the stairs, watching the audience carefully. He quickly found John Prince standing next to his lieutenant, Bishop Hereford, at the back of the theatre. He could barely make out their faces, but they were unmistakable. He glanced over at Relena, who was also scanning the crowd.

"Are you ready?" he asked. She nodded, accepting his arm. He led her up their stairs and onto the stage.

The stage was minimalistic. All that stood on it was a podium. As they made their way to it, a hush fell over the crowd. By the time Guy reached it, they were completely silent. Relena stood a few feet behind him, allowing him to take the spotlight.

"Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen." Guy said, looking over the crowd. "I appreciate your presence. I'm not a politician or very good with words, so I'll keep this short." He watched several people in the front rows scribbling down furiously in their notebooks. Suddenly he was very aware of how many people were watching him. He had never had a problem with public speaking, but the knowledge that every person within the city, and probably the entire Earth sphere, was watching, made him wish he'd written the speech down instead of memorizing it. Collecting his thoughts, he spoke again. "Five years ago, our people answered the great call to terraform Mars. I'm here to tell you that we are indeed doing God's work, and that we continue to be victorious." There was a smattering of applause. Guy let it go quiet before he continued. "Here at home, we must keep supporting those who are brave enough to risk their lives for innovation. I know some of you feel that the rules and regulations that have been set are severe. But you're wrong." He said, stressing the last part.

"The world is safer under John Prince's leadership. Without his intelligence and bravery, this world would be a very different place." Again, there was a mild applause. Guy could feel the smugness radiating from the back of the theatre where Prince was located. "And this is what the people of this city deserve." He continued, talking over the tail end of the applause, diverting the attention away from Prince and back to himself. "You don't deserve good leadership, you deserve great leadership. Not good police officers, but great ones. Ones that are dedicated to their jobs and eradicating all criminal nuisances that plague our lives." Another round of applause came from the audience, lasting for the obligatory time before dying down.

"Due to the recent attacks on myself and the police force, the senate has voted more emergency power to Vice President Prince, which he accepts with great humility." Guy fought the sarcasm that threatened to overpower the sentence. The day John felt humility would be the day hell froze over. "There are going to be some changes in the way our city is run. There will be staff changes and personal changes. You will hear about them as they are made. But I am no exception, which is why I want to introduce the woman standing behind me, who deserves much credit. I am honored to have her standing beside me."

Relena nodded and smiled, a bit surprised to be introduced at that exact moment.

"I want to start making changes right now. By asking Relena Darlian for her hand in marriage."

Suddenly the air in the room seemed to be sucked out. Relena couldn't breathe. She could hear heart beating wildly, afraid that the microphone on the podium could pick it up as well. The cameras were going wild, the flashes nearly blinding her. Small, white dots clouded her vision as she moved towards the podium. She heard the clicks and releases of camera and a few hushed voices in the first few rows as she looked out over the crowd.

She blinked, trying to wipe the shock from her face. "I'd like to thank Police Chief Gisborne for that flattering introduction." She said, nearly breathless.

The cameras continued to snap. She turned slightly towards Gisborne, who smiled at her. The nauseous feeling returned as she looked at the reporters crouched in the front row, waiting for her to speak again. "I'm sorry, I just need to catch my breath," she said, smiling nervously. She heard a chuckle ripple through the audience.

She looked toward the back of the theatre and found him. He was making no effort to hide himself. Though the bright stage lights were shining in her face, she could make him out. She stared at him, unable to look away. The rest of the faces in the crowd blurred, and for a long moment, all she could see was him. She looked away quickly, opened her mouth to speak and coughed. "You'll have to excuse me, this has caught me by surprise." She said, making eye contact with a few reporters. The crowd echoed the same manufactured laughter from her previous statement.

She looked back up at Heero, pleading with her eyes to tell her what to do. He didn't have an answer for her.

"She's stalling." Prince said to Hereford out of the corner of this mouth, careful that he wasn't heard. Hereford looked over at Prince with wide eyes.

"You're suggesting - "

"Execute our back-up plan."

Hereford stammered. "Sir, give her a moment, she'll give us a satisfactory answer."

"Hereford." Prince looked over at him, eyes narrowed.

"Yes sir?"

"Did you do what I asked you to?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then execute the plan."

"Yes sir." Hereford spoke quietly into his radio. "Execute Plan B."

Relena looked into his eyes, her own nearly filling up with tears. "I - "

Heero watched her on stage, feeling like they were the only two people in the room. "Get off the stage." He whispered, hoping she could read his lips. He saw her eyes glisten with tears. She blinked, trying to hold them back. He moved forward, up the aisle. "Get off the stage." He murmured again, a little more urgently.

There was a loud crack and suddenly time slowed down. Confusion and surprise were etched on Relena's face. Their gaze was disconnected as Relena was thrown backwards.

The podium exploded, lighting up the stage, sending debris in all directions.

Heero watched in horror as Relena fell to the ground in a huddled mess. The people in their seats were getting up, scrambling to get out of the building. There was screaming all around him, but he didn't hear any of it. He started walking forward, trying his best to push through all of the people cramming the aisles, trying to exit.

A hand found its way through the crowd and latched onto Heero's shoulder. He whipped around quickly, knocking shoulders with reporters, sending them to the ground. He turned to find Wufei, in his Preventer uniform. He struggled through the people to get a better grip on Heero.

"Don't!" Wufei yelled to him over the screaming noise around them. His grip on Heero's shoulder was strong, but Heero ripped himself out of it, pushing through people forcefully. Heero could hear Wufei calling after him, but he didn't care. People rushed past him, unconcerned about his identity, caring more about their own safety than who he was.

Heero deftly pulled himself onto the raised stage, a few feet from the exploded podium. He looked over, seeing Guy Gisborne writhing in pain, holding his shoulder. Gisborne's eyes were shut tightly, as he gritted his teeth.

He made his way to Relena and dropped down on his knees next to her. He heard the hurried sound of footsteps come up next to him and stop.

"Is she alive?" Duo asked, clearly out of breath.

Heero didn't answer, but put two fingers on her neck. His heart raced, as he felt a faint pulse. He shot a look at Duo and nodded. Heero brushed some of the debris off of her dress. His hand came away with red smears on it. He looked down at her abdomen. A crimson stain was steadily making its way across the ivory material on her stomach.

"Oh God," Duo murmured, spotting the blood.

They both heard a grunt coming in Gisborne's direction. "Yuy," he growled, struggling to get up. He tried to push himself up off of the floor, but collapsed as he put weight on his shoulder. He breathed heavily, before hoisting himself up again. He made eye contact with Heero, and saw Relena lying in his arms. "Officers!" he cried as loud as he could.

Heero and Duo looked up to find a sea of blue making their way through the aisles, hindered by all of the people trying to get out.

"We gotta get out of here!" Duo called to Heero, looking around wildly.

"Heero!"

He heard his name, and turned slightly to find its source. Quatre stood at the other end of the stage, motioning for Heero to follow him. "We've found an exit! Hurry!"

Heero gathered Relena into his arms. He could hear screams of panicked reporters rushing to leave the theatre, the frustrated grunts of the officers as they fought their way through the crowd, and the shouting of instructions from Gisborne and Prince. But no sound was so loud to him as the moan of pain that escaped Relena's lips. She shifted in his arms again and cried out in pain. Her eyes fluttered open for a moment. She looked at Heero briefly before her eyes rolled back and closed.

He stood, with her in his arms, and followed Duo, who was already halfway across the stage. They followed Quatre and Trowa out of the side door and fled into the night.