Deprogramming
Chapter 9

by Scarlet Eve

December 11, A.C. 201

Heero

Heero woke up in the comfort of a hotel room. Duo had insisted, nearly to the point where he almost offered to pay, but Heero declined, and promised he'd rest at a hotel for a couple of days. The idea was a good one, as he'd been sleeping on cheap bunks for the last three years, and he hadn't realized the number he'd done on his back.

Duo had left the night before, taking the chip with him. Since there was no way of analysing it at the lab, he said he'd see what he could do at home, and with Hilde's help, they might be able to get something off it. Heero was grateful to have the chip in someone else's hands.

Uncharastically, Heero lingered in bed for a while, watching television, and drifting between wakefulness and sleep. He found his dreams to be much more vivid, much more involved, than before. In fact, Heero could hardly remember dreaming during the last several years. A side effect of the chip, most likely. Relena made several appearances in his dreams, as did others, people he knew, people he didn't know. He found it fascinating.

While he lay there, during one of his waking moments, he started to realize how different he felt. He hadn't noticed before, but there must have been some feeling of weight, of extra density, upon his chest. Without the chip, he felt lighter. As he explored the depths of his own mind, he found that the emotions he'd always struggled with to be much easier to understand. He thought back to seeing Relena for the first time, and the original feeling of panic associated with that memory was gone. In its place was something like curiosity. That grew as he pictured the moments with her after that day, including the day she told him she was his ally. Fear had been replaced by relief. It was a strange, yet interesting feeling.

But when his mind shifted gears, and his conversation with Duo replayed in his mind, he found his chest getting tight with nervousness and worry. The implication that Trowa might have feelings for Relena made him feel a bit angry and jealous. Thankfully, his logical mind, which was probably more natural and only enhanced by the chip, reminded him that he'd left her.

Still though… he thought to himself. All he could do was take Duo's advice, something he was usually loath to do, and get back to Earth as soon as possible. But first, he needed more sleep…

December 13, A.C. 201

Relena

The day of her move had arrived. With impressive speed and determination, Relena had managed to pack all the things that would be moving with her to the new place. Much of the large furniture, such as beds, couches, etc, would be left behind. She'd gone a little overboard as well, filling her new townhome with a lot of new things. She chose wildly different styles than what filled the estate, choosing to go with more modern items. She figured this would make the estate feel more like a getaway than it did now. And when she tired of the city, which would undoubtedly happen, she could whisk away to the estate for a short stay.

Relena watched the movers bring her items into the townhome, preferring to stay off to the and out of their way. Curious on-lookers were stopping and staring, and she'd already heard her name whispered among the crowd. She ignored it, choosing to deal with the whole "the Foreign Minister is living next door" problem once she was settled. Relena had already had a worried call from Une, expressing concern at her safety, but Relena dismissed the issue. Security at the estate wasn't so bad, but in a smaller home, she didn't want anyone else roaming around. She had, however, agreed to video surveillance on the exterior of the townhome, and a few interior locations, such as doors and windows. Most of that installation would happen during the night, when less people would be out and about to see.

The thrill of the move temporarily banished all the negative thoughts and worries in her mind. At least until her phone buzzed, alerting her to a new personal email. Relena pulled the phone from her coat pocket and checked. It was a forwarded email from an address that was just a sequence of numbers and letters. The subject line read "FWD: Confirmation & Itinerary." Frowning, Relena opened the email and glanced through it. It was certainly an itinerary, and the passenger's name was listed as 'Heero Yuy.' Relena's eyes widened slightly, and checked the dates. He would be arriving the following Tuesday, only three days away. Relena became jittery and nervous, closing the email and stuffing her phone in her coat pocket. Looking up at her new townhome, the windows of the third and fourth floor black, and tried to imagine them being occupied by him.

The thought was too confusing, and she pushed it away. As she always had, she had to let go of trying to pre-plan anything with Heero Yuy. He'd always been so unpredictable, that anytime she tried to plan, he'd go a different way, leaving her with a bad taste in her mouth. She tried to forget the idea, but knew it would sit in the back of her mind until the day of his arrival.

December 13, A.C. 201

Trowa

The circus train sped south towards warmer climates. Trowa sat in the dining car, staring out the window, while Catherine sat across from him, her fingers laced together and elbows resting on the table. She was staring him down, waiting for him to keep talking.

"I don't know when it happened," he said, finally making eye contact with her.

"That's normal," Catherine said. "What about her drew you to her? You never had more than a passing respect for her as a politician before."

"I've always respected her," Trowa agreed. He closed his eyes, trying to imagine her, her mannerisms, the way she spoke, and her smiles. "But I never spent much time around her before, other than our random meetings. I've gotten to know her. Outside of her work, she's pensive and quiet, and she reads a lot." Catherine raised an eyebrow.

"She wasn't always that way," Catherine said. "We've seen different things, brother. Before, when she was outside of work, she was happy and smiling, and always generous and accommodating. The light has gone from her eyes since Heero left."

The air in Trowa's lungs wooshed out, his mouth moving to speak but no words would come. He lowered his eyes. "I understand the type of girl that would interest you, and she would be very similar to you. You'd both enjoy long quiet afternoons. Relena's not really that girl. She grew up a politician's daughter, and she's blood royalty. She's constantly on the move, and she's actually quite talkative once you get her going. You had no interest in her before she became withdrawn."

Trowa wanted to yell at Catherine, to tell her she was wrong, even if she wasn't. He'd never felt anything beyond friendship and respect for Relena before. But the last three years showed that she did have those traits that he admired. And maybe if she realized that Heero is wrong for her…

"I can see I haven't changed your mind about the whole thing," Catherine said. She began to rise from the table. "You know I'll always love you, little brother, but I think you're making a mistake." She stepped forward and rested a hand on his shoulder, then walked away and left the car.

Trowa sighed and glanced down at the paper lying in the middle of the table. His first letter to her. It explained his feelings for her in a more coherent way than he could by speaking. He was going to send it at the next stop. Catherine had tried to change his mind, but he wouldn't be swayed. He didn't want to believe that she would reject his feelings, though she basically did when he went to see her before leaving. Perhaps that really was all she needed: time. Time to decide that Heero was too different, and no longer someone she was in love with. And maybe with time, she'd come to know that Trowa was the one who was there for her the last few years, and not Heero.

December 16, A.C. 201

Relena

Relena spent most of her morning at work glancing back and forth between the clock and the itinerary she had on her desk. It wasn't hers for once, it was Heero's. He'd be arriving at the Brussels International Spaceport at three in the afternoon. She was already planning to meet him there, though she'd gone back and forth about that decision many times. Even now, she still didn't know if it was the right decision or not. She hadn't heard any other information from either Duo or Heero, except for the itinerary.

The most nagging thought she had was wondering how she'd feel to seeing him again. After their initial meeting in A.C. 195, they still had not gone longer than a few months without seeing each other, or without him popping in every once in a while to check on her. But this time had been different. He disappeared for three years without a word. She had a right to be angry, didn't she?

Maybe not, another side of her reasoned. They weren't together, at least not in any official capacity. They'd done things, in the heat of the moment things, but never took their relationship out of the shadows. The pilots and the girls were the only ones who knew anything, besides Pagan of course.

Butterflies fluttered around her stomach all morning. She badly wanted to get the whole thing over with.

The time finally came when Relena called her driver, and he drove her to the spaceport. Relena waited at his shuttle's landing spot, keeping her chin tucked into her scarf, and her hands shoved deep in her pockets. It still had not snowed, but there was a bitter chill in the air that seemed to have come so suddenly after the warm, mild fall. The wind was piercing and strong.

Relena risked exposing her wrist to the cold to check her watch. He should be arriving any minute. Sure enough, a shuttle crested a slight hill in the landing area, and taxied to the space where Relena was waiting. Her butterflies surged once more, and she found herself clenching and unclenching her fists in her pockets. The wind picked up again, blowing her hair in all directions. The stairs were pushed up against the shuttle and the door opened while other workers set to unloading the luggage from under the shuttle.

Several passengers exited the plane before Relena saw the familiar face. He ducked slightly to get through the door, then rose up to his full height, which was much taller than he'd been before. Relena stared, her breath catching in her throat. One of her hands clenched and she pressed it to her chest. He descended the steps, wearing a heavy black coat and jeans, and a green scarf tied around his neck. A bag was slung over his shoulder. He hadn't noticed her yet, so she had a quick moment to stare. He'd grown taller, stronger, and more defined in the last three years. There was a bit of trimmed facial hair along his jawline, which Relena couldn't help but find attractive. His face had become more angular, his hair a little longer.

When he stepped onto the pavement, he looked up, and their eyes met. A jolt rippled through Relena's entire being. There was something unmistakably different about him, about his eyes. He was looking much healthier than he had before, last time he'd called her. But his unruly brown hair still fell over his face, blowing in the wind. He'd grown taller since she'd last seen him; she remembered when they were the same height, so many years ago.

"Heero…" she whispered, pressing her fist a little closer to her chest. A slow smile spread across his face, and he made his way to her, dodging other passengers. Finally, he was only a foot away from her, looking down at her from his substantial height.

"Relena."

She melted. She didn't want to, and she told herself not to, but she flung her arms around his neck.

And he winced. Relena pulled back.

"I'm sorry," she said, pressing a hand to her mouth. Heero shook his head, and patted the back of his neck.

"It's okay." He approached her again, and slipped his arms around her shoulders, allowing her to wrap hers around his chest. He pulled her tightly against him, and beneath his layers of clothes, she could hear the rapid beating of his heart. He was just as nervous as she. Or excited.

Relena remained pressed against his chest for a long time, not wanting to break the hug. She was warm against him, as his body shielded a bit of the blowing wind. The time came, however, for Heero to pull away. "Let me grab my suitcase, and we can get out of the cold." Relena released him and nodded, watching as he joined the huddle of people waiting for their bags. He reappeared, carrying a suitcase with him, the other bag still slung over his shoulder. Heero joined her at her side, and together they crossed the tarmac towards the parking lot, where Relena's driver was waiting with the car.

Robert had kept the car running, so the back of the limo was warm as Relena and Heero slipped inside. Robert pulled the car away from the curb. "Where to?" he called back.

"Home."

-SE