Author's note: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. Both Zechs and Noin are eighteen years old. Some of these chapters have been posted before as part of This Kiss.

Some Hearts

Zechs stood, his hand entwined with Noin's, in front of the priest of Saint Elmo's Chapel. Sunlight streamed through the high windows, and he didn't think she had ever looked so beautiful. Dressed in a simple, sleeveless white dress, Noin practically glowed.

"Do you take Lucrezia Alessa Fiammetta Illeana Noin as your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?"

They had been planning this trip for nearly a month, ever since Noin's eighteenth birthday. They had been discussing it since his. The contract their parents had signed specified that they be married by their twenty-first birthdays. However, given Treize's plans for the next few years, neither he nor Noin had wanted to wait that long, and now that they both were eighteen, they needed no parental or guardian consent.

"I do."

Noin beamed at him.

So here the two of them were in a chapel in Livorno, Noin's mother's home town. The priest here at St. Elmo's had been Donnatella Noin's family priest for years and could be trusted implicitly. He would hold onto all the records from their marriage certificate and license to the legal name change forms making them officially Zechs and Noin Marquise to the newly created wills they both had written. Every single legal document they could think of was now in his hands.

"Do you take Milliardo Emrys Stephan Zechs Peacecraft as your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?"

It had been Noin who brought the subject of the marriage up. Given the circumstances they found themselves in, no one would fault them for not honoring the contract. In fact, he had never brought the subject up himself because while he was quite willing to honor the agreement, he wasn't willing to force her to do so. However, Noin had made it very clear she wanted to marry him for her own reasons, and he wasn't about to deny her.

"I do." Her eyes were shining.

So they had planned this carefully, arranging for two weeks of leave and taking off for a vacation in Italy. It seemed appropriate to be married in Noin's home country, and their connections there would make things easier.

"I take this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness." He slid the cool metal onto her slender finger. It would remain there for the rest of their vacation before being relegated to her dog tags until this whole mess with the Alliance was over.

This was probably their last chance to have time alone together before the overthrow of the Alliance began. Treize was moving into position, and that would mean separation. Noin most likely would be tapped teach at Lake Victoria, training the next generation for Treize's plans, while he would have to start taking an active lead on the front lines. Zechs wasn't looking forward to their separation, but they both knew it was inevitable.

"I take this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness." Noin repeated his gesture before sliding her hands back into his.

He worried about the future. Noin kept him human. The idea of facing months or even years without her calming presence was unappealing. But he had no choice really. For the two of them to have a future that wasn't lived in the fear that someone would discover their past, they had to destroy the Alliance, and Treize's plan was their best bet.

"By the power vested in me by the Holy Catholic Church, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Zechs leaned down and kissed his wife for the first time. There in the sunlight, with her hands entwined with his and her lips warm and soft under his own, Zechs knew that no matter what happened in the future, he would always have her love.