Dover Mobile Suit Base

Preceding the take off that day, there was a short briefing at the conference room during which time Miliardo informed the participants of the mission that the Cinq Kingdom would be claiming the abandoned L10 research station in order to finish the work started on the colony. Once the gundam pilots lead the Calabrians away from Earth - there was no doubt in the king's mind that the aliens would be dealt with efficiently by the gundams - supplies, materials and colonists would follow to begin the rebuilding of the colony. Shortly afterwards, they all headed to the runway to make their good-byes. Relena's absence surprised Heero until Trynity Stryfe told him that the princess was beyond furious over what had happened the previous evening. Heero had no doubt Relena was sulking and fuming, probably vowing to never forgive him. All the same, Heero had hoped she would be there so he could see her one last time before leaving Earth for an indefinite amount of time. He would almost certainly be gone for well over a year or two. There was still so much unfinished business between them, and maybe, just maybe he would apologize for wrecking her special event.

Sighing, Heero watched as Trowa made his farewells to Wufei and Quatre. Whatever Trowa said made Quatre burst into tears and throw himself against him. As Trowa patted his back, Wufei put his hand on Trowa's shoulder, and they nodded to each other before he turned to leave. Trowa then approached Miliardo, and they spoke for a few moments after which, Noin hugged Trowa who stood stiffly in her embrace before leaving them to join Arora. Heero shifted uncomfortably as Trowa kissed the beautiful woman from Calabria. Heero had a feeling in his gut that there were dark secrets that Trowa didn't know about, secrets that might get him killed if he tried to return to Calabria with her.

"How is your head today?"

Heero looked to his left and saw Miliardo smiling. Noin was still trying to comfort Quatre. "I wasn't drunk."

"Your little pissing match with Nelson nearly destroyed the base. I prefer to think you were drunk."

Heero shoved his hands in the pockets of his flight jacket. "I suppose I had a little too much of that brandy."

"I hope you didn't stow any of that on board. I wouldn't want to think the commanding officer of this expedition was drunkenly shooting up the solar system."

Heero couldn't speak as he stared at Miliardo. Had he heard him right? Commanding officer?

The king smiled. "I suppose I'll take quite a bit of criticism over this, but I think you are ready, commander."

"Are you sure you are not doing this because I saved you from further humiliation at the dance?"

Miliardo chuckled. "I had already decided to do it before that fiasco, but I admit, it seems like a good reward." He became serious now. "I trust you to make the right decisions, Heero. Your objective is to protect the peace of the Cinq Kingdom at all costs."

"He will do a commendable job," said Noin as she came to stand beside her husband. Heero noticed the shoulder of her blouse was drenched. "Quatre needs a sedative. Benton is taking him back to Seaside." She hugged Heero, then pinned the command insignia on his jacket.

Heero stared at it, unable yet to believe he was given so much trust and responsibility. "Was this your idea?"

Noin raised her brows. "I recommended you for a command several months ago, but Miliardo didn't think you were ready then."

"I do now," said Miliardo. "You are in charge of security on the new colony."

Reaching up to touch the gold insignia, Heero straightened proudly. "I will not give you any reason to regret your decision."

Miliardo shook his hand. "I have complete confidence in you." Then he frowned. "I am sorry Relena didn't come with us. When Lucrezia tried to get her up this morning, her door was locked and she refused to speak. We thought it best just to let her stay and stew. If she wanted to be here, she would have gotten a driver to bring her."

"She'll regret not coming to say good-bye," said Noin with a sigh.

Heero looked at the ground for a moment, then looked at Noin. "Tell her…tell her…"

Noin smiled and clasped his hands. "I know what to tell her, Heero. She needs to hear from you alone."

What the hell did she mean by that?! Heero felt his insides churning and panic rising, and he absolutely refused to put a name to the feeling he got when he thought of Relena. With his new responsibilities, he couldn't afford to waste time thinking about the Cinq Kingdom princess. As soon as he left Earth, he wouldn't have to worry about her antics for many months, if ever again. So why did that bother him? Isn't that what he wanted?

After Miliardo left with Noin, the latter assuring him that she would have a long talk with Relena, Heero turned to see his subordinates. Trowa was still clasping Arora to him, and Duo was leaning against the transport with Trynity draped almost indecently over him. This was going to be a long trip, he thought with a sigh. He was going to be in command of the Love Shuttle.

Dr. Stryfe poked his head out shuttle door and saved him from making his first unpleasant order. "One minute to lift off. Plenty of time for that later!"

"Father!" Trynity scrambled away from Duo who slapped her backside on the way up the steps.

Heero followed Trowa and Arora. Apolo had escorted Princess Ryana aboard earlier, so they were ready to leave. The plan was to rendezvous with the mobile suit carrier on the dark side of the moon. The transport, already loaded with supplies and their gundams, had left shortly after dawn. When they were about to take off, Princess Ryana whined and cried and finally became hysterical about the blastoff until Apolo found some magical way to shut her mouth. Heero didn't really know how Apolo did it, nor did he care as long as it got done. But there was something eerie about the way the alien princess suddenly fell quiet and still, as if she had gone into some kind of stupor, when Apolo took her hands in his. He heard Arora tell Trowa that Ryana was in a better place now, whatever that meant. He wondered if Arora sent Trowa to that same wonderland when they were together.

Curling his lip in disgust, Heero buckled himself in, then waited for the takeoff. He didn't really care for these shuttle flights when he was not piloting, but the Cinq Kingdom pilots were competent and they soon cleared the atmosphere and made an uneventful trip to the transport. Once aboard, Heero felt more comfortable when he was sitting before the controls, directing the huge ship away from the moon and on a course toward L10. As they put more distance between them and Earth, they scanned space frequently searching for the Calabrian fleet. The last communication they received from Dover Base was that they were having difficulty pinpointing their exact location.

After only the third day, Duo reported anomalous readings in the vicinity of L4, which they would be approaching. Soon enough they were able to determine that it was the Calabrian fleet.

"Dr. Stryfe, you better get the cloak on-line," Heero ordered as he viewed the information on his own instrument panel.

Trynity and her father were at another panel rapidly entering data.

"What information does your scan pick up?" Heero asked Trowa.

"Two Calabrian battle cruisers and two dozen space Leos," answered Trowa.

Heero spun in his chair to look at Arora who was never very far from Trowa, even though he was on duty. "What, exactly, are the capabilities of your ships? How many fighters can be carried on those cruisers?"

"Leave her alone!" snapped Trowa irritably. He took his eyes from the screen to glare at Heero.

Arora looked from Trowa to Heero, then said, "My duties are to protect the crown prince."

Before Heero could question her further, despite Trowa's objections, Duo warned them, "I've picked up a scanning sweep headed this direction."

"Just a few more seconds," said Dr. Stryfe with a chuckle, but his fingers were moving rapidly over the keyboard.

"Scanning sweep approaching our quadrant."

Heero willed Stryfe to finish. If he didn't, they would be forced to fight the battle here, much too close to the Cinq Kingdom. They had to lure them back toward L10, away from innocent civilians.

"On-line!" announced Trynity.

Duo watched his own monitor for a moment, then said, "The sweep passed over us and they are sending it in another direction."

Heero glanced at Trowa who was looking over his own monitor. His feelings and uncertainty were going to cause trouble on this mission. The fleet they were avoiding and with whom they would likely do battle was the vanguard of his home planet, a planet he had been born to rule. His own brother was probably commanding. Where, exactly, was Trowa's loyalty? When Trowa looked back at Arora, Heero knew the answer.

Arora stood. "I will check on Apolo and Princess Ryana."

After she had gone, Heero remarked, "I don't believe her. She knows more than she's saying."

Trowa stared at him and was able to keep from showing how angry Heero's remark made him. "Arora wouldn't lie."

"Girls lie all the time," remarked Duo with a laugh. His laugh was cut off when Trynity slapped him over the back of the head.

"She might be telling the truth," commented Dr. Stryfe helpfully, but his voice didn't carry any conviction.

Heero raised a brow. "And her ability to quickly learn to pilot the Taurus? I don't believe for a minute that someone so high in rank as the guard of the crowned prince doesn't know everything there is to know about Calabrian weaponry. Didn't you say her father's rank is even higher?"

Without a word, Trowa walked out after shooting Heero a glare.

Trynity folded her arms over her chest. "Our castle is closed, but I think we have someone waiting to open the drawbridge."

"No one leaves any of them on the bridge alone," ordered Heero. "No Calabrian can be trusted."

"Does that include Trowa?" asked Duo, scratching his head.

"Especially Trowa. We don't know what memories he has, nor what his intentions are. For all we know, 'prince Trey' or whoever he really is, was sent ahead as a scout to determine our defenses."

"He's right," commented Trynity. "Trowa was the first one on their ship. He cleared it for us to board and he was alone with them for several minutes. He could have been receiving or giving orders."

"It's all been too much of a coincidence." Although he had considered the scenario before, Heero had discarded it as far-fetched, but now the security of the Cinq Kingdom and that of the colonies depended on making the right moves. He had to consider the facts objectively, and the erratic behavior Trowa had been exhibiting since the arrival of the Calabrians made him less than trustworthy. "Dr. Stryfe, put a secure lock on the cloaking program. No one is to access it but you." He looked at Duo and Trynity. "We will take turns on the command bridge. I want to know where the Calabrians are at all times."

After all they had been through together the last few years, Heero disliked mistrusting Trowa, but he had no choice. The Calabrian ship had been transported several days earlier and was also in the bay with the transport carrying the gundams and the two Taurus suits. He didn't even want to think about the damage Trowa could do with Heavyarms and wondered if he should order Trynity to put a security lock on the gundam as well, but he couldn't bring himself to take that step.

After a week, Duo, who was monitoring the movements of the Calabrian fleet, announced that they were attacking another colony where a small amount of gundanium was being processed. Heero knew they were looking for Arora and Apolo's swords.

Watching on his monitor, Trowa turned to Heero. "Isn't it time to let them know where we are to draw them away from those civilians?"

Heero looked back at him. Did he have a reason to suggest that? Did he and Arora discuss strategies when they were locked away in his room? And Apolo was making himself scarce. Were it not for a heat sensor scan, Heero wouldn't know where he was on the gigantic ship. Apolo seemed to be spending a lot of time in the bay where his ship was stored. What was he up to?

"There are innocent men, women and children who are suffering." There seemed to be genuine concern in the dark green depths of Trowa's eyes. "I know my brother. He doesn't give a damn about people's lives. I once lead a foray into the Wastelands of Calabria to hunt down rebels who had made an attempt on the emperor's life. Dilan was merciless in the slaughter."

Heero raised his brows. "And you?"

The color drained from Trowa's face and he turned away. Heero guessed Prince Trey was little less than his brother, and it now shamed him. "I didn't kill any children," he muttered.

Heero looked away. "Dr. Stryfe, uncloak the ship. Duo, increase the speed. We don't know how fast the Calabrians will come after us."

There was a slight fluctuation in energy as Dr. Stryfe disengaged the cloak. To further lure them away, Heero sent out a communication to the Cinq Kingdom relaying their coordinates and giving a report of their progress. Then they waited until Trowa announced that the attack on the colony was being abandoned.

"I feel like a worm on a hook," remarked Duo.

"More like sharks on a hook," laughed Dr. Stryfe. "I really don't think they have anything that can challenge our gundams."

"I'm going to my quarters," said Trowa, and Heero watched him leave.

No one spoke until he was gone.

"He gets more action than I do," commented Duo, which earned him another slap over the back of the head from Trynity and a frown from Dr. Stryfe. Heero checked the urge to laugh.

Naturally Trowa was heading to his quarters to give a report to his imperial guard. Heero flipped on the scan and watched the undefined form head down one corridor, then another before meeting another form. Imperial guard Apolo, guessed Heero by the distance they kept from one another. Report to Apolo. The figures parted. Heero watched as the one he had determined was Apolo headed toward the transport bay for another visit to his ship. Heero turned his attention back to Trowa who had entered the section where his quarters were. Now report to Arora. She was waiting for him. The two heat sources came together. And stayed together.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" asked Trynity with a soft laugh, "than to spy on them?"

"Seems like the most logical course of action."

Trynity put her finger on the screen. "Tell me, just what part of that do you think is Trowa?"

Heero felt his face turning red. He flipped off the screen. "I suppose I am getting paranoid."

"Perverted, too," said Duo under his breath.

Regardless of the seemingly innocent relationship between Trowa and Arora, Heero made sure he knew exactly where Trowa was at all times. As the days passed into weeks, Heero began to have a nagging suspicion that Apolo was up to something in the bay. He had already ascertained that the shameless Princess Ryana was amusing herself with the imperial guard. The empty-headed heiress of Bayman was obviously going to enjoy herself to the limit before she had to marry Prince Dilan. Heero turned down her invitations daily, and she had the nerve to proposition Duo in front of Trynity, which almost earned her a black eye. Failing, she turned on Dr. Stryfe who laughed so hard there were tears rolling down his cheeks. That was when Apolo stepped up to the plate and he had been in the batter's box ever since. If 'Prince Trey' were offended by the fact that his imperial guard was bagging his brother's bride, he didn't say anything.

"Damn, this is boring!" Duo announced one day about two months into the trip as he sat back in his chair and swung to look at Heero.

"You are off duty in about ten minutes. I suggest you get some rest until you are back on."

Duo glanced at the duty roster. "Crap! Why do you have Trynity scheduled to relieve me? Can't you give me a break? I'm so bored! It is taking those lazy Calabrians too long to catch up. They are at least two days away. Let's slow down a bit."

"We need those two days to prepare a defense on L10," Heero reminded him.

Duo rolled his eyes. "The only defense we need is our gundams. Besides, we passed the last colony three days ago." He looked at the viewing screen. "Nothing now but deep, dark space and plenty of room to have a little fun."

"There will be plenty of action in a week when we reach L10."

The door to the bridge slid open and Trynity walked in. "Reporting for duty, sir." As she walked toward them, she was looking directly at Duo, and Heero knew what was on her mind. He had scheduled them separately for two weeks now because he doubted they could get any work done. When they weren't arguing, they were all over each other. Dr. Stryfe had been a barrier at first, but he was now usually squirreled away in his lab working on his formulas the closer they came to L10 where he would be able to run his experiments.

"Babe, you are a sight for sore eyes," said Duo. She was dressed in her uniform, even wearing pants for once.

Heero chuckled and caught a smirk from Trynity. "Duo, I think you do need a break."

"I could use about five minutes," said Duo, rubbing his hands together before he reached out to grab Trynity.

She laughed. "Five minutes? Stretching it, aren't you?"

He whacked her backside as they headed to the elevator. "I need a good three minutes to remember what to do."

They disappeared into the elevator.

Heero noted that they locked the door. Judging by the sounds coming from inside, Duo needed thirty seconds. After a few moments, Heero became disgusted and turned to the control panel. Overriding the elevator lock, he sent the elevator moving. He considered stopping it at the lab, but he doubted Dr. Stryfe would be pleased to hear his daughter's breathless praises for the god of death, so he stopped the elevator on the floor where Duo's room was, then turned his attention back to the scans. He recorded the location of the Calabrian fleet, and when he was sure they weren't gaining any ground, he decided to check out the locations of the passengers and crew, in particular, the Calabrians.

Running the scan, he found Trowa, as usual, with Arora in his quarters. There was no movement, so he concluded they were sleeping although Trowa would soon be on duty to relieve him. He tracked Apolo to Ryana's room. The Calabrian hadn't left there in at least two days. Everyone was bored, thought Heero, but he wasn't bored enough to spend any time with Ryana. Dr. Stryfe was in his lab, and Heero imagined he was playing Zelda. Accessing his computer terminal, he found that he was correct. After watching Stryfe battle gnomes in the Bog of Dread for what seemed like hours, Heero ran one more sweep of the entire ship and was about to close it when he noticed an unidentified heat source in the bay near the Calabrian ship. Frowning, Heero locked the systems of the ship, then picked up his gun.

The ship was eerily quiet as he made his way to the docking bay. Holding his gun ready to fire, Heero slipped in, then quickly stepped into the shadows. Heero glanced up at Wing Zero and saw that the hatch was open, but it was dark. The cable was lowered, so he concluded that the intruder had been hiding in the cockpit of his own gundam. Maybe he had had too much to drink that night. Who took care of his gundam after he had been taken into custody?

"We heard the commotion," he remembered Trowa saying.

Did Trowa use his gundam to sneak another Calabrian spy aboard the ship? Seeing a faint light from the opened hatch to the alien craft made Heero's faint hopes that Trowa wasn't a traitor disappear completely. There was another Calabrian! Not for long. He pulled back the clip of his gun.

Careful not to make a sound, Heero slipped into the Calabrian ship. The light clicked off. His heart began the cadence of fear, but his senses heightened. The Calabrians preferred blades, his mind told him. So Heero quickly adjusted his sight to the dark and watched for even the slightest hint of reflection. A movement alerted him. Heero watched as a form slipped out the door and into the dark hanger. He followed it, stalking, making enough noise to make it known that he was onto it. Soon enough he had the intruder trapped. The only escape was the door, and there was too much open space before reaching it. Heero aimed his pistol at the figure and was about to pull the trigger when the door to the hanger opened and a light was flipped on.

The startled gasp almost made him fire the gun. Fortunately, he stopped himself.

"Heero!"

He couldn't believe his eyes. "Relena?"

Relena Peacecraft was standing before him, her eyes wide and horrified. "Are you going to kill me?"

He looked at the pistol in his hand, then drew it back. "I just might." Looking over his shoulder he saw Apolo approaching. He was carrying something in his hand, but before Heero could jump to conclusions, he could detect the aroma of food.

"Are you involved in this?" he demanded, waving his gun toward Relena who tried to step out of his line of fire. He should cap her, thought Heero.

Relena moved between him and Apolo. "Leave him out of this! I forced him to help me."

Apolo pushed Relena out of his way. "I don't need you to protect me, princess. Truth is, I discovered her a few days out from Earth. I reasoned that exposing her then would have compromised your mission."

"The mission is compromised now," stated Heero.

"We are past the last colony," announced Relena smugly. "You can't turn back."

"She's right." Trynity walked in, her own gun drawn. She looked at Heero. "I checked your logs and thought I might see if you needed help."

"Who's on the bridge?" asked Heero, annoyed.

"The same person you left in charge," she shot back.

Heero frowned. He had been careless.

"Well?" demanded Relena, putting her hands on her hips. "Am I allowed to leave this place now?"

He raised a brow. "You will have to forgive us, princess, but we don't have a suite prepared for you."

She glared at him until she heard Trynity laughing. Both her and Heero looked at her.

"My God, you planned that Medieval madness so that you could sneak onto the ship!" Trynity laughed harder.

Heero didn't find it all that funny. "You were in charge of security," he stated, "yet she managed to get aboard."

Trynity was still smiling as she looked at him. "You helped her do that." She nodded her head to Wing Zero.

He looked at Relena. "You were on my gundam?"

"Not a very pleasant place to be when blasting into space," admitted Relena with a toss of her hair. "Effective all the same. When Miss Stryfe sealed up the transport, my plans had to be quickly changed. Fortunately, you decided to get drunk and shoot up the base, so when no one was looking I slipped into your gundam and hid in a storage locker in the cockpit when they moved it."

"I rest my case," said Trynity smugly.

"I caught her, as I said, three days out. Since then I have been bringing her food," added Apolo.

"What else have you been up to down here?" Heero wanted to crack the handsome Calabrian on the back of his head with his pistol.

There was no chance for a reply as red warning lights began to flash, and a siren began to wail. Trynity quickly dashed to a control panel and checked the monitor. "This isn't good! There is a fuel leak in tank number two."

"Is your father's untested fuel compromised?" asked Heero as he went to another monitor. If Stryfe's fuel caught fire they wouldn't have to worry about the Calabrians.

"No, it's safe."

"Is there danger of explosion?"

"I have to shut down the number two engine."

If she didn't, the fuel tank would explode and it might cause another breach. "Do it."

The door to the hanger slid open and Trowa walked in. Heero resisted the urge to aim his gun at him. "What's going on?"

"What are you doing out of your quarters? Protocol during a red alert is for you to remain secured. Only on-duty officers…"

Trowa raised a brow. "I am on duty. I went to the bridge to relieve you."

Trynity looked at Heero. She trusted Trowa as little as he did. Apolo drifted to Trowa's side as if he sensed their hostility. In Heero's eyes they both appeared guilty. Apolo had been out of his quarters when the breach occurred, supposedly on his way to bring Relena food, and Trowa had the opportunity to sabotage the tank on his way to the bridge. Where was the other Calabrian?

Going to the monitor, Heero quickly scanned the ship and saw that Trowa's quarters were empty. There was someone in the Bayman princess' quarters, another figure moving in Duo's quarters, and then he noticed two in Stryfe's small ship laboratory. He quickly contracted him on the telecom.

"Dr. Stryfe, please respond."

Stryfe appeared. Behind him, Heero could see Arora. "Is everything all right?" asked Trynity's father.

"A breach in fuel tank two. We shut down that engine. What is she doing there? She doesn't have security clearance to be in your laboratory."

Trowa took a step toward him. "What are you implying?"

Heero raised his gun and aimed it at Trowa. "Back off before I lay the mystery of Prince Trey to rest for good."

Trynity aimed her own gun at Apolo when he dropped the food he had been carrying to produce his sword. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you. A bullet can do some nasty damage to a man's insides at this close a range, and I don't think you can protect both you and Prince Trey at the same time."

"I would gladly die for my prince."

Heero turned his attention back to the telecom. "Dr. Stryfe, are you all right?"

"All right?" The older man chuckled. "Just fine. Arora wasn't feeling well and thought my title meant I was a healer. I gave her a few soda crackers and some water, and she's been helping me with my other project. In fact, she managed to find a treasure I completely overlooked while I was exploring…"

Heero closed the communication and swung to look at Trowa. "I'm going to have to ask you to stay in your quarters." He tucked his gun away.

Trowa's eyes were filled with hurt. "You…you don't trust me."

"You are a Calabrian. There are Calabrians chasing us to L10. Now, because of the breach in the fuel tank, they will be able to overtake us before we get to the research facility to set up a proper defense."

"You think I had something to do with that?" asked Trowa with a glare. "Are you going to fight them without my help?"

"Do we need to?"

Trowa returned his stare. "Would you believe me either way?"

"Probably not."

There was a moment of silence before Trowa said, "I will be in my quarters, friend."

Apolo followed him out.

"That was handled well," remarked Relena sarcastically.

Heero turned, remembering his other problem. "Stay out of it."

She lifted her chin. "I don't care what you do to the Calabrian clown prince. I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I need a shower."

Heero looked at Trynity. "Take her with you."

"I'm on duty," she reminded him with a grin.

Gritting his teeth, Heero looked at Relena. "Follow me. You can use my quarters for now until I decide what to do with you."

Heero headed to the door without looking back and walked out.

Relena glanced at Trynity. "Do you think he is angry?"

Trynity laughed. "In case you hadn't noticed, Heero was clenching his fists. If he beats you, don't come crying to me. This was stupid, Relena. Very stupid."

Sighing, Relena walked out and found the corridor empty. He had already taken a turn, and since she hadn't left the hanger, she didn't know which way to go. Turning to her left, she started ahead, but she stopped when she heard his voice.

"You're going the wrong way."

Clenching her own fists, Relena headed in the direction of his voice. He was leaning tiredly against the wall. She wanted to go to him, but she knew he wouldn't accept her help. Relena didn't quite know what problem he was having with Trowa, but whatever it was had obviously been building for weeks. Apolo was pleasant to look at, but after she had refused his advances from the start, he didn't waste time talking to her. He had made her feel like a useless pet mutt that he was burdened with keeping alive. She wouldn't have left the gundam had he not been so wrapped up in his woman that he hadn't brought her food at all that morning.

Heero pushed himself off the wall and started to walk. His movements were uncharacteristically sluggish, so she managed to keep up with him. On his jacket she noticed the rank insignia. So Miliardo finally relented and gave Heero a command! Some command, she thought bitterly. One distracted scientist, two hormonally challenged crew members, two aliens from the planet which was threatening the security of their own, a friend whose loyalty was in question, and one spoiled princess - make that two spoiled princesses now. No wonder he seemed exhausted.

In silence they took an elevator, then stopped on a level that was dark and quiet.

"Is Duo's room on this level?" she asked after a few moments of no sound but the humming of the ship and their footsteps.

"He's on another level."

"Smart move putting some distance between you and them." Relena sniffed. "I suppose he and Trynity make a lot of noise."

Heero turned to look at her, his brow raised. "What business would that be of yours?"

She blushed and looked away.

He pressed a button and a door opened. "Make yourself at home. I'll be back later to get my things." He started to leave, but she reached to him.

"Don't go yet! I…I wanted to talk to you, to explain…"

Relena thought he was going to ignore her, but he suddenly pushed passed her and entered the room. She followed, then hesitated in closing the door. Once she did that, they would be alone, far from anyone, far from anything that was a barrier between them.

Heero reached back and closed the door.

Her heart began to pound.

Taking off his jacket, he tossed it over a chair, then turned to look at her with his hands on his hips. "Make it quick, Relena."

"Quick?" she squeaked.

His brows raised slightly. What he must think of her! "I didn't want to be left behind!" she blurted without thinking.

"That much is obvious to me. What did you think you were going to do? Did you have any sane thought about the danger you were putting yourself in?"

"I didn't care!" Relena took a step toward him. "I want to be with you!"

"And all that crap you told me at school about us being from different worlds?" Heero was staring at her with his brows drawn together in a frown. "I believe you said that you realized how unsuitable we are for each other."

"I lied! I wanted you to think it was over so you wouldn't figure out my plans."

"There never was an it to begin with," he informed her coolly. The reality hit her in the heart. "Not once did you stop to consider that I might have a say in our relationship. There never was a relationship between you and I."

Relena couldn't stop the tears from flowing over her lashes. "I…I…"

"Don't bother saying anything more right now. I'm not in a mood to listen." He pointed toward a small room. "The shower is there. I suggest you take one. You look like hell."

Relena knew she was a mess. She hadn't been able to do more than wash sparingly in the bathroom in the hanger. Although her hair was tidy, it was filthy, and she was mortified to realize what she looked like to Heero. Without another word, she went into the small bathroom and locked the door. When she heard him snort derisively on the other side, she put her hand to her mouth to keep from sobbing out loud. How foolish she had been!

The shower was not hot, but she was so glad to be under the water, that she remained there for a long time, allowing her tears to drain. Everyone had been right, and she had been a fool all along. Heero didn't care about her like she did him. Perhaps he had been right when he said that she didn't love him, but simply wanted him because he resisted. Her upbringing, first as the heiress of the richest man in the colonies, then as the only remaining princess of the Peacecraft dynasty did not allow her to understand rejection. Now she was deep in space, days away from civilization aboard a ship being chased by an alien fleet yearning for a man who would just as soon shoot her as look at her. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

Stepping out of the shower, she took a towel and dried herself, then glanced at her clothing which was filthy from her stay in the hanger. Even in the best of conditions, a mobile suit carrier was not a tidy place. One of Heero's uniform shirts was hanging on a hook, so she took it and slipped it on. Throwing back the lock, she stepped out.

Heero was lying on the bed sound asleep.

Relena sat on the floor, hugged her legs and laid her cheek on her knees. What would she do now? She had no more tears to cry and nothing to say even if anyone would listen to her. This was by far the biggest mistake she had ever made in her life, and no one would be able to pull her out of it.

She must have fallen asleep pitying herself because she was suddenly aware that strong arms were around her and she was being lifted.

"Sleep on the bed. I have to get back on duty."

She didn't respond, but she buried herself in the warmth of the bed as he laid a blanket over her.

"I will talk to you later. Don't leave the cabin."

Sadly Relena knew there was nothing to discuss. And there was no where to go.