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-picimadar
Broken
Chapter 37
"What do you mean, 'you couldn't find him'?" Sally growled, taking Trowa by the lapels and shaking him. "He's one person!"
"I don't know what to tell you," Trowa said calmly. "I can't follow him everywhere. He seemed fine when he left, told the rest of us to wait for him."
"Goddammit," the woman muttered, standing in the corner of the ballroom with the rest of the troupe. "What can we do?"
"We've gotta find him!" Duo said. "Man, this is bad. Thank god everyone out there is well-fed and there's a lot of alcohol."
"We've got bigger problems," Wufei said, stepping back in the door. "Relena's gone."
Duo went to yell a few choice expletives, but Hilde clamped a hand over his mouth. "Keep it down! We don't want everyone knowing that we've got a runaway bride and groom! Let's find them!"
"Footprints outside," Quatre said, pointing out the door. "This is where Relena left from."
"We'll follow her first," Wufei said. "We've got a much better chance of finding her than Heero anyway." They stepped outside, the women pulling on thick coats and changing shoes so they could step through the few inches of snow on the ground.
"I'm regretting giving her those boots, in case anyone is wondering," Cathy said, sighing as they walked through the snow.
A ways away, Relena had finally finished running, silently thanking her friend for the winter footwear choice. "Heero?" She said quietly, not wanting to draw attention. "I know you're there. I saw you."
She circled the now dry fountain and saw the young man sitting there on top his jacket, looking at his feet. She pulled the cape closer around herself and sat down as Heero tried to put his jacket under her.
"Don't worry about it," she said, "through this much tulle and silk, I can't feel a thing." They sat in silence a while before she leaned against his shoulder. "They'll be on a manhunt for us, you know," she said, putting her arm through his. He nodded in response. "Do you want to talk? We don't have to go back if you don't want to."
"Why are you being so calm about this?" he asked, turning toward her. "I just left you at the altar."
"Well, actually, I never got to the altar," Relena contradicted. "I know you too well, you see." She smiled, but it fell as she watched Heero's straight face. "Talk to me, Heero. I can't fix it if you don't talk to me."
"How am I supposed to keep you happy?" he asked, standing up and pacing. "I'm not perfect."
"I'm not asking you to be," she answered calmly, watching him.
"I'm not normal."
"I don't want you to be."
"I can't be everything for you!" he finally said, turning back toward her. "You have no family, no career… I can't fix that."
"I'm not asking you to!"
"Then what are you asking?"
Relena stood, taking hold of Heero's face. "Last I checked, it was you who asked me to marry you." She smiled. "Why are you so worried?"
"Because I'm afraid that… I can't be what you need anymore. Your whole life has changed and I… haven't."
"That's not true."
"How so?" he asked harshly.
"Well, it's post-Christmas and you're still here," she said coyly, still smiling. "And as if the Heero Yuy of the past would ever have had a conversation like this with anyone, let alone me."
"Why do you have so much faith in me?" He asked, his voice nearly breaking.
"The same reasons I'm marrying you," she said simply. "I love you, and you asked me to." She took his hand and pulled him back down next to her. "I'm not asking you to be my whole family. I have a family, the people I've chosen to share my life with. And I'm not asking you to occupy all my time, either. Just because that part of my life is over doesn't mean I have no ambition, no skill…" she trailed off, looking at her hands.
"I'm just as scared as you are, Heero. This is all I've ever known, but I'm ready now to let it go. I've accomplished a lot, but it was a position, a circumstance in my life born out of war and hate and death. I'm ready to let that go, and I want to do that with you, but only if you're ready."
"Things are going to change," he warned.
"I don't need perfection to be happy," she answered earnestly.
Heero looked at her, shaking his head as he wiped at his cheeks. "I'm sorry. I just didn't know what to say. I didn't want to let you down. I just want to do the best that I can for you, and the last few years… I feel like I just completely screwed up."
"Do you love me?"
"Yes."
"Enough to go back in there and start over with me?"
"You still want to?" Heero asked, surprised.
"Of course," she said, kissing him on the cheek. "It's also because I'm freezing cold and the only warm place around is unfortunately expecting us to get married in it."
"Damn. Well, I guess I have no choice then," he said, earning a loving slap on the arm.
"No more of that," Relena said. "Running away like a chicken is 'old-Heero-Yuy' nonsense." Heero scoffed, rolling his eyes, and the two met up with the group of people searching for them.
"What he hell are you two thinking?!" Duo hollered, catching up to them. "We've been waiting for you?"
"Well, good, because we're ready," Relena answered smartly.
"It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding, you know," Hilde said, and Heero barked out a laugh.
"I think we got past that the first time I told her I'd kill her. We've tapped out our bad luck." The group laughed, many shaking their heads as they walked back to the palace.
"You two okay though, really?" Hilde asked, eyeing them both carefully.
"I think everything's going to be fine," Relena said, smiling up at Heero.
"We still going with the separate entrance, or-"
"No, I think we've kept them waiting long enough. You go on ahead, and we'll follow you," Relena said, shooing the rest of the group off through the door. "You ready?"
"Mhm," Heero said.
"You sure?" Relena teased, and he glared at her. "Get that sour look of your face," she whispered, kissing him on the lips. "You've got the rest of our lives to be a sourpuss."
Heero took her arm and led her down the aisle, all past anxiety and doubt erased. Duo officiated, the pair said their vows, kissed, and were congratulated by all.
When it came time, after dinner, several speeches from reasonably inebriated friends, and dessert, for the pair to have their first dance, Heero led Relena out onto the floor and pulled her into a gentle waltz.
"Who knew he could dance?" Sally asked, and the rest of their group shook their heads, but Duo grinned.
"There's a long history with that. You should ask him sometime; I'd love to see what he says."
They watched the pair move around the dance floor, oblivious to those around them.
"I love you," Relena said, smiling radiantly at him. "I can't imagine being happier."
"Me neither," Heero said, pulling her into his arms and kissing her. "Come on, we should check in on Ken and let the others dance." Relena nodded and they stepped off the floor, Relena curtseying to those applauding.
They met with their friends who were gathered about the bar. They chatted a bit, exchanging congratulations and jokes, sampling a few desserts and taking a few photos before they moved out of the ballroom and into the common room nearby, where Ken'ichi slept under the watchful eye of a guard.
"So, what are you two thinking for a honeymoon? You should definitely go someplace warm, after all it's winter!"
"And you'll want to make sure that the travel will be safe for the baby, noplace really foreign, or with any outbreaks," Sally added, nursing her drink.
"And for the love of all that's holy, don't stay in a hotel," Hilde said. "You two are going to get harassed from dawn to dusk if you do."
"Actually," Relena said, settling into the couch beside Heero, "I think we know just the place."
"Georgia again?" Wufei asked, and she nodded, smiling. "I knew you'd like it there. It's a good place for you to stay for a while, and there's a school nearby-"
"You knew," Heero said, and the other man tilted his head up in defiance.
"I knew that once you two made the choices you had, there wouldn't be any going back. Frankly, the house in Atlanta was just a last-ditch effort to try and keep you from trying to come back here."
"Well, you were half successful, then," Relena said. "I appreciate it. Either way, I think we'll be headed back there very soon, before this has a chance to totally blow over. I don't want people to think I'm hiding, but at the same time… this isn't my problem anymore. I don't want to have to think about it."
"And that's okay," Quatre said, and the rest added a few agreements. "I'll get your travel arrangements taken care of, you can take one of my jets. It'll be easier that way. Do we need to get in touch with someone to get the house ready for you, or for the baby?"
"That would be fantastic Quatre, thank you," Relena said. "That would make it a lot easier. There's just so much to think about…"
"You going to go back to school?" Trowa asked Relena, leaning back in his chair.
"Eventually, maybe in September, when Ken's a bit older. I don't want to take off now, when he's so dependent."
"You're a good mom already," Hilde said, and Duo laughed.
"Like we knew she would be."
"Speaking of which," Relena said, standing, "I'm going to take Ken up to bed and change out of this dress. Thanks for everything, everyone. We owe you everything."
Heero followed her up, watching as she shed the heavy dress and stood in her tight slip and stockings, looking into the crib at Ken.
"You okay?" Heero asked, pulling her into a hug.
"Honestly? I can't wait to get out of here," she whispered, putting the baby down. "This place just holds so many memories, and I'm sure some day we'll come back and tell Ken all about it, but right now… I just want to leave it all behind us. Is that wrong?"
"No," Heero said, kissing her on the forehead. "Frankly, if you didn't feel that way I would be having you committed."
The pair both laughed quietly before leaving the baby in his crib and taking a monitor clip, so they would hear him if he needed them. Relena pulled on a new dress, a loose blue gown that covered her shoulders, and they rejoined their friends for one of their final few nights in her ancestral family home.
By the end of the week, the rest of the guests had departed as well as a few of their closest friends, leaving only a few tearful goodbyes and thank-yous to be exchanged before the newlyweds and their son said farewell.
"So, this is really it, huh?" Duo said sadly, pulling Relena into a hug. "I'm going to miss ya, Princess. We've had some good times."
"Duo, I'm a plane ride away," Relena said, "stop being so dramatic."
"Yeah, but you know how it is, people move, and you say you'll see each other, but then life just punts that right out of the picture." He frowned.
"Well, maybe it doesn't have to be that way," Relena said, and Duo gave her a questioning look. "Check your mail when you get home. You and Hilde have some things to talk over."
Heero shook Trowa's hand a few feet away. "Thanks for everything," he said, sincerity in his voice. Neither man was much for unnecessary words.
"You gave me the best advice I've ever heard once," Trowa said. "Make sure you keep following it." The two men nodded and parted ways as simply as that.
Relena and Heero waved goodbye to their friends, Relena wiping away tears as they watched the cars disappear from the long driveway.
"I'll get the porters to help me with the bags. Can you get Ken ready to go?"
"Sure," Relena said, leaning against him for a moment as he kissed her on the head.
The ride to the airport and flight were without event, the couple happy to have the jet to themselves. They caught up on some precious sleep and talked a great deal about their plans before the plane touched down.
A car was waiting for them, another courtesy of Quatre's, and by the time they arrived at their new home, Relena was ready to jump out of her seat.
"I've never been so happy to live in the south before in my life," she commented. "I hate winter."
"Oh, well that's good. I'm sure your husband and son, who uprooted their lives to be here with you, will be glad to know you're happy because you don't have to wear a coat."
"Oh shut up," Relena said, rolling her eyes. "Let's get in there." She opened the door and stepped out, immediately gasping as a wide-eyed and frenzied blonde woman nearly knocked her over.
"Oh my good lord!" Stacey said, smothering her friend in her arms. "I knew you weren't dead! You had to be just hidin', I just knew it!"
"Stacey, I'm so sorry, I couldn't call. I couldn't bring you and Ryan into it," Relena apologized. "We're here to stay, this time, if that's any consolation."
"Really?" Ryan said, crossing the yard and standing next to Heero. "That's great news. It's been boring around here without you two."
"We're hoping it'll stay that way," Heero said.
"Pretty hard for us to top what you two've been through," Ryan conceded. "Although our charades parties can get pretty wild."
Relena laughed, pulling Stacey over. "There's someone you two have to meet," she said, opening the car door, and Stacey squealed and bounced in place. "This is our little man, Ken'ichi."
"He's beautiful," the other couple breathed.
"We should probably get in and try to get him settled… you're welcome to come in and see the place. Friends were decorating our nursery while we were away."
"We saw 'em come in," Stacey confirmed, "we were terrified that you'd sold the place to someone else!"
"Never," Relena said fervently, winking at her friend. "There's no place I'd rather be."