Relena started Friday morning feeling more rested than she had in weeks, and chalked it up to a successful first filming of "Ask an Astronaut." Despite Chip having to rush through his questions at the end, it really couldn't have gone any better. Relena could only hope the show would be well received by the press and viewers in the coming weeks.

But for now, at least one weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. As she laid in bed, Relena rested her hands against her stomach, wondering absentmindedly if it would start to look and feel like an actual basketball as it grew. She knew she was still several weeks away from showing; it would be after the holidays before anyone would be able to visibly tell that she was pregnant. Which was good, considering she had a slew of public events to attend between now and then.

After that, maybe she would take a week or two off; she had plenty of vacation time stored up. And, maybe by then, Heero would be back, and they could figure things out together.

Naturally, Relena thought of him as she made her way through her morning routine, popping two slices of bread in the toaster, flicking on the coffee pot. If he were here, she mused, she'd have to brew two pots of coffee - there was no way he would accept decaf. She smiled to herself as the warm, nutty aroma filled her kitchen.

Even though she missed him more than she ever had before - ached for him - she felt more at peace with his absence, knowing it was beyond his control, trusting that he would return to her as soon as he could. Just like he said.

Relena kept replaying their last conversation over in her mind as Trowa drove her to work later that morning.

We have things to discuss, Heero had said.

We sure do, Relena chuckled to herself.

Once again, she was grateful Trowa was the one behind the wheel. As much as she enjoyed Duo's company, right now he would be chatty and most likely teasing her about Heero. Relena wanted to maintain her zen attitude as long as she could, and Trowa was basically the embodiment of zen.

Besides, she knew she would hear plenty from Duo and Hilde later during their little dinner party. Hilde would be in full scheming mode and, if Duo ended up getting as drunk as his wife predicted, they were in for quite an evening.

Relena didn't realize she was groaning out loud until Trowa cleared his throat.

"Are you all right, Relena?"

She looked up at him with a start. "Yes, sorry. I'm fine."

"No need to apologize, just making sure you're ok. Do you need to make any stops on the way to the office?"

"No, that won't be necessary." Relena smiled. "Thank you for asking, though."

Things were so polite and professional with Trowa, she thought. It was refreshing. He didn't pry into her business like Duo or make her feel constantly self-aware and on-edge, like Heero did. Of course, she loved Heero, but working with him was often intense and, depending on their relationship status at any given time, completely nerve-racking.

Relena figured it wouldn't hurt to engage Trowa in some pleasant conversation on their way to work. "Are you looking forward to tonight's dinner party?"

To her surprise, he snorted. "I guess?"

Relena covered her mouth as she giggled. "Not your thing, apparently? You like Hilde and Duo, don't you?"

Trowa shrugged. "It's not that. But since Duo will be at home, he'll get wasted, and then he'll be even more annoying than usual."

Now it was Relena's turn to snort. "You sound like Heero, only he would opt for a harsher word than 'annoying.'"

"Probably," Trowa agreed. "Besides, I'll still be working, so it will feel more like babysitting than anything else."

"Well, you won't have to babysit me." Relena patted his shoulder. "You should be able to relax a little."

"Yeah, right." Trowa leveled her with a sidelong glance. "And have Heero on my case later? No, thanks."

"Wow…" Relena clucked her tongue as they pulled into the government center's parking garage. "Did Heero put the fear of God into you guys, or what?"

Trowa shot her a glance before turning into a parking spot. "Pretty much. You know how he operates."

Relena frowned as he turned off the ignition. "Trowa…"

"Yes?" He turned to face her as he unfastened his seatbelt.

Relena peered into his green eyes, trying to her best to read them, but he kept his features as impassive as Heero would.

"Did you… speak with him before he left?"

Trowa stared at her for what felt like a full, uncomfortable minute before answering. "Only very briefly." He turned away to open his door.

"Wait." Relena snatched Trowa's jacket sleeve. "What did he say?"

Trowa glanced back at her over his shoulder, this time not quite meeting her eyes. "You know Heero, Relena. It was the usual: 'Don't let anything happen to her, or I'll kill you.'"

Relena hung her head, still clutching Trowa's arm. "He didn't tell you anything about his mission?" Trowa just shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he added. "If I knew more, I would tell you."

Relena bit her lower lip, not knowing whether she could believe him. Trowa was as guarded as Heero was, if not more so. And she hadn't spent years trying to crack Trowa's stoic demeanor; at least now, she knew she had chipped away at Heero's armor enough that he would share information with her beyond a "need to know" basis, which had always been his go-to line for keeping her in the dark.

But now, Relena had a feeling that Heero had shared more with Trowa than the green-eyed Preventer was letting on - more than Heero had shared with Duo. Or with her.

She was disappointed Trowa wasn't opening up to her. For a moment there, she sensed she had an ally, but now the circus performer's mask was firmly back in place.

She finally let go of Trowa's jacket, murmuring an awkward apology before unbuckling her seatbelt and exiting the SUV. As much as she wanted to pry some more, she knew Trowa well enough to know he wouldn't budge. She'd have to stick with Hilde's original plan, and just hope that it was crazy enough to work.

Relena's morning zen was soon shattered as she settled at her desk and dove into work, which included back to back meetings and press interviews. Even though she'd slept well, exhaustion was starting to take hold, and so was something else.

Later, in a case of the worst possible timing, Trowa happened to enter Relena's office just as she was retching into a wastebasket on the floor.

He immediately shut the door and crossed the room in what seemed like a single step, kneeling down beside her and sweeping her hair back from her shoulder, resting another hand on her back.

"Relena, are you all right?" She peered up at him through her messy bangs, which were haphazardly stuck to her sweaty forehead. She attempted to smooth them, but Trowa beat her to it. She was surprised by the tender gesture and concern in his eyes.

"I…" She began, but found she couldn't quite get the words out. Instead she bent over the wastebasket and retched again. Relena moaned, one hand over her stomach while the other covered her mouth.

"Here." Trowa was handing her a handful of tissues from her desk. Relena took them gratefully and dabbed at her mouth, then used another to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

"Come on," Trowa murmured soothingly, taking her by the elbow, slowly raising her to her feet. "I'm taking you home. Or to the doctor. Whichever you prefer. Want me to ask Elise to get you an appointment? Or should we go straight to the ER?"

His level of alarm caught her off guard, and she almost laughed. "No, no, I'm fine, Trowa. Really." Relena plopped into her office chair. "It was just… something I ate."

Trowa frowned down at her. "Really," he said flatly. "You're sure."

"Yes, I'm sure it's nothing." Relena waved a hand. Trowa's expression indicated that he wasn't buying it any more than she believed he knew nothing of Heero's whereabouts.

"I still think you should go home for the day." Trowa folded his arms over his chest as he glared down at her. "You don't want to take any chances and jeopardize your health when you have so much going on."

"I really am fine, Trowa," Relena sighed, rubbing her hands with hand sanitizer from the bottle she kept on her desk. "This sort of thing happens every now and then. It hardly qualifies as an emergency."

She turned to her computer, but out of the corner of her eye noticed Trowa fumbling with his phone.

"What are you doing?" She whirled on him, before realizing how paranoid she sounded.

"Texting Duo so he and Hilde can reschedule their little shindig."

"Trowa…"

"It didn't sound like you wanted to go all that badly, anyway." Trowa glanced up from his phone. "Am I wrong?"

"Yes," Relena said stubbornly, folding her own arms over her chest. "I do want to go. I've been looking forward to it."

Trowa returned his attention to his phone. "Some other time."

She exhaled enough to send her bangs flying upward. "You're as bossy as Heero."

"You need to rest," Trowa admonished her.

Relena threw her hands up. "Here we go…"

Trowa ceased typing on his phone. "In case you're wondering, yes, I'm doing as he would do, because that's what he asked me. Anyway, Duo says we can come over tomorrow night instead, if you're feeling up to it then. It's fine. Now get your stuff; I'm taking you home."

Relena opened her mouth to protest but couldn't get past "Trowa," before he interrupted her.

"You can finish your work from home, can't you? You don't have any more meetings today, last I checked."

Relena wished that she did, just to spite him.

"I'll have to let Elise know," she said, stalling for time.

"Already emailed her." Trowa strode toward the door. "Let's go."

Relena sighed dramatically, for effect, but obediently packed up her things. Normally she would never take orders from a man regarding her work, but she decided to humor Trowa, just this once. For now, it would be better to let him believe she was actually sick than have him discover the truth.

Back at Relena's apartment, she attempted to get some work done from her living room sofa while Trowa poked around, undoubtedly doing his version of Heero's usual security checks. He also had the kettle boiling and at one point set a steaming cup of herbal tea in front of Relena.

"Thanks," she murmured without looking up, pretending to be busier than she actually was on her laptop.

"That should help your stomach," he said needlessly.

"Mm-hmm," Relena agreed, tapping at her keyboard.

"You're out of java, though. Want me to go to the store?"

Relena's lifted her head and gaped at Trowa. "Did you just say java?"

"Yeah." He remained expressionless. "Want me to buy some?"

"Maybe." Relena tucked her legs under her. "If I knew what that was…"

"Funny." Trowa's flat tone didn't waver. "I figured I could also pick up some soup for you, if you'd like."

"That's very sweet of you, but no need to trouble yourself." Relena waved a hand at him. "I can just order takeout later."

"And let a stranger drop it off here?" Trowa arched one of his brows. "What would Heero have to say about that?"

"Heero isn't here all the time, you know," Relena sighed. "I assure you, I can handle a delivery boy."

"Hm…" Trowa's gaze swept the room before returning to Relena. "I don't like it."

"You know this place has every possible alarm, right?" She spread her hands. "Heero saw to that. There's really nothing to worry about."

Trowa continued to stare at her blankly. Relena sighed, feeling like she had to continue to address him, otherwise he might just keep standing there. "So, just to clarify, you're ok with leaving me here alone, but it's not ok if I let anyone else up?"

"If you know them, sure. But to order delivery by yourself seems to be inviting in an unnecessary risk factor, which I doubt is included in Heero's security protocols for this residence. That would mean poor planning on his part, and I find it hard to believe Heero would leave any holes."

"Oh, he has a plan for everything, believe me." Relena's eyes rolled. "Did I fail to mention that he has approved only certain delivery personnel, and that we have their biometric data recorded and stored in an authenticator app? In the cloud, or whatever?" She swirled a hand in the air.

"Huh." Trowa crossed his arms over his chest and looked up, as if there were something to see. "Now I'm impressed."

"So." Relena's fingers resumed their clacking over her keyboard. "As you can see, I'm doing perfectly fine. Whether you choose to stick around or not is up to you. If you want, you can cut out early."

She didn't want to tell him that while she didn't mind his company, she was secretly hoping he would leave so she could call Hilde and vent. The two women had been texting back and forth since Relena left work. Hilde was disappointed that tonight's dinner had to be postponed, and mentioned that Duo was worried Relena might have a stomach bug, since she'd been sick at Thanksgiving, too. One thing Relena hated, almost as much as the negative press around her terraformation project, was having people think she was sick, and therefore incapable of performing her duties. In sixteen years she had taken only a handful of sick days, and it wasn't a trend she planned to continue. It was bad enough she would have to take maternity leave in roughly seven months' time. And while Relena was slowly starting to get excited about the baby's birth, she wasn't ready to think about taking all that time off, not to mention the media circus that would soon ensue.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could hear Heero saying some form of "Careful what you wish for," even if the phrase itself wasn't in his lexicon. Rather, he would most likely just grunt and say, "See?"

"Well." Trowa's voice cut into Heero's in her head. "Seeing as how I don't believe in 'cutting out early' from a Preventer job, looks like you're stuck with me for a few more hours yet."

Sheesh, Relena thought. He's either a robot or a mindreader.

"Suit yourself," she said with a smile, trying to sound cheerful. "I'll do my best not to bore you to death."

Trowa chuckled. "Trust me, it won't be a problem." He disappeared briefly into the kitchen, where he poured himself a cup of tea and retrieved his backpack from the counter. Moments later he had settled in the armchair opposite the sofa, where Heero often sat, and started typing away furiously in between sips of tea.

It had been so long since someone else had been in the apartment with her, besides Hilde, that Relena found any and all noises Trowa made to be incredibly distracting. Finally she shut her own laptop's lid and stretched. She needed a break.

She got up, wandered to the kitchen, dug up an old packet of crackers she hoped hadn't gone stale, and emptied them out onto a plate. Then she rummaged in her refrigerator and found some cheddar that still smelled edible. She brought the snack out to the living room and offered some to Trowa, but he declined. Relena shrugged and sank back down onto the couch, realizing as she nibbled how much she missed wine. Maybe once she'd cleared her first trimester she could go back to having a little every now and then...

If Relena were alone she would have turned the TV on, but she didn't want to be rude while Trowa was still working. So instead she watched with fascination as he continued typing with lightning speed.

"What are you working on, a novel?" she teased. He didn't look up, but Relena thought he looked amused.

"Nope. Just reports."

"Ahh..." Relena paused with a cracker to her lips. "Are you telling Une what a pleasure I am to work with?"

Now Trowa cracked a smile. "Something like that."

"Dream job, am I right?"

"I've had worse."

"I don't know, Heero says I can be a handful…"

"Well, he would know, wouldn't he?"

Relena gasped involuntarily.

"I'm sorry." Trowa's face immediately colored. "That came out wrong."

Relena's cheeks, too, flushed scarlet. She knew he was kidding, but his words still struck her like a slap in the face. She darted up and marched back into the kitchen with the plate of crackers, dumping them unceremoniously in the trash.

She hoped she didn't look like she was overreacting to an innocent joke. But, then, maybe she was allowed to be a little extra-sensitive right now, considering she was carrying Heero's illegitimate child.

But Trowa didn't know that, and Relena knew that if he did, he wouldn't have made a comment like that.

She kept her back to him as she poured herself a glass of ice water. Which she then almost spilled upon turning around to find him standing right behind her. He was even stealthier than Heero, somehow.

"I'm really sorry, Relena." Trowa's one visible green eye pleaded with her from behind his long bangs. "That was in poor taste. What I meant to say was what a dream job this must be for Heero, getting paid to spend time with his girlfriend. I mean, I know there's much more to it than that, I just-"

"He's not my boyfriend," Relena found herself saying, her heart thumping wildly against her ribcage.

Wait, what?! Her mind screamed at her. Why was she saying that?

It was true, she and Heero were not exclusive. But surely they would be, once he found out about the current turn of events.

Right?

Trowa, for his part, remained expressionless, save for a quick arch of his brow. He continued to stand over her, mere inches away. Now Relena found his usually zen presence unnerving. God, he was tall and lanky, but still well-built. And, of course, handsome. Was it awful that she was even noticing? Was she that lonely? Relena took a slow sip of her water, hoping it would instill her with some calm. But her throat felt dry and papery as if she might choke.

Trowa cleared his throat. He seemed to be having the same problem as Relena.

"Is it dry in here?" She clutched at her neck, thinking a subject change was in order. "I should have that checked…"

"I should go," Trowa said flatly.

Before she could say anything else, he had swept back into the living room, deposited his laptop into his backpack and strode out of her apartment in what appeared to be a single, swift motion, without a look back or another word.

A/N: Thank you to all of the readers and reviewers! I love you all!