Author's note: This story disregards the very end of Endless Waltz where Zechs and Noin leave for Mars. I don't own Gundam Wing or its characters. Please don't sue me.

Going Home

Zechs leaned against the rail of the balcony that overlooked the gardens of the palace of the Sanc Kingdom. The gardens were quite beautiful in the twilight. They would be perfect for a romantic walk.

He sighed. At the end of the war, Relena had asked him to come live with her. She had felt lonely living alone in the large house. There were three of them living here now: himself, Relena, and Relena's fiancee, Heero Yui.

Noin had dropped off the face of the earth; he couldn't find her anywhere. He missed her so much. He'd hoped that with the end of the war, they could actually spend some time togther.

Movement down in the garden in caught his eye. He caught sight of a woman's silhouette by one of the trees. Then it turned and disappeared.

He quickly mad e his way down to the garden. He stood still for a moment. There was a soft rustling noise, and he whirled around too see the woman disappear.

"Who are you?" he called.

There was no reply. Zechs turned in the direction she had gone. He should go back inside and tell the royal guard about this. But something compelled him to follow her.

Whoever it was wasn't trying to hide their trail or maybe wasn't thinking about that. He followed her into the heart of the garden. He finally found her sitting on the bench by a pond that reflected the rising full moon. Her shoulders were shaking with silent sobs. It was Noin.

He sat down beside her wrapping an arm around her and gently turning her toward him, so she was crying into his shirt. Five minutes later her crying had subsided. He gently wiped away the remains of her tears.

She then seemed realize where she was and who she was with.

"Zechs, let me go. Please."

"Noin, what happened?" He paused, "I missed you."

"I'm sorry," she tried to leave, but her hands were still caught in his. "I shouldn't have come."

"Why not? I missed you; it's been rather lonely without you."

"But I'm not...Zechs you're a noble, royalty. I'm not. People want to see you with someone noble, grand, and proper. There's no room in that world for me."

"Maybe not. But you belong in my world. I don't care what other people say. You notice that Relena hasn't let what's people's expectations for her keep her from what she wants."

"Zechs..."

He ended her protest with a kiss. When it ended, he said, "I love you, and I don't want to lose you. And I need you. I've waited so long, and I just can't wait any longer."

She smiled slightly. Zechs pulled her closer. She sighed and leaned into his embrace. She thought about going back to the dingy little apartment she was renting. Noin finally surrendered to her feelings; she loved him, he loved her, and they would make it work.

"If you're sure you want me to, I'll stay."

Zechs' response was to kiss her breathless. To her surprise, he then scooped her up into his arms.

"Zechs, what are you doing?" she exclaimed.

"Now that I've got you back, I'm not about to let you go."

She laughed the first real laugh in weeks. He grinned at her and carried her inside. After he dumped her on his bed, Noin scooped up a pillow and threw it at Zechs. This started a pillow fight which led to other things entirely.

Noin awoke in the middle of the night. It took her a moment to realize where she was, but then she smiled. Zechs had an arm around her waist as they lay cuddled together in his bed. She closed her eyes again and let herself drift back to sleep. She was finally home.

Owari (the end)