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Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Gundam Wing, its characters, blablablablablabla.

Author's Note: Hiya! Please gimme words of encouragement by reviewing! Anything's fine, please gimme some tips on how to make the story better if you'd like to! No flames please. Remember, I live for reviews. (And presents) Sorry for the LONG wait on this chapter, I had a lot of tests and was quite busy. . .

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"I don't want to live--

I want to love first,

And live incidentally." - Zelda Fitzgerald

"It is better to have loved and lost

Than never to have loved at all. " - Alfred Lord Tennyson

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Only Forever - Chapter 4

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After the Mariemaia Incident, January 24th, 1958

Out of habit, Relena groggily sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. Touching a hand to wrinkled hair, she winced. God knows how much weeping she'd done from yesterday. How odd it was to see Heero again, now of all times, when she was planning a vacation to try her best to let him go! She groaned. She'd never seen him for months since the Mariemaia incident. And why now? Sighing, Relena dragged a hand through her rumpled hair. Fate was cruel as always. She'd just have to live with it.

She was awake. He'd known from the first moment that she'd opened her eyes. Instincts maybe? Bringing the cup of coffee to his lips, Heero stared out the window. The sky seemed dark and desperate. Something that mirrored him. Watching the transparent clouds drift over the dimming sun, Heero listened to the light tinkering of the doorbell ringing.

Running downstairs, Relena plopped in front of the door. Should she open it? After all, Heero didn't seem to be making any move to anyway. Hesitantly glancing backwards, Relena's thoughts were confirmed by the small silent nod Heero gave. Curiosity burst. Who was the person going to be behind the door? Did Heero know whoever it was? Turning the knob, Relena came face to face with Trowa Barton.

"Uh. . ." Speechless, Relena waited. Did he recognize her? Both men acknowledged each other in silence.

"My name is Trowa." He studied her from glassy green eyes, half hidden behind a mane of chestnut hair.

"Re. . .Tori!" Relena cringed at the slight confusion of her name. Uh oh, bad move.

"Tori. Pretty." Trowa tilted his head and merely observed.

Tucking his hands in the pockets of his jeans, Heero silently watched the small talk going on between Tori and Trowa. A small discomforting feeling nagged at his heart. Jealousy? Heero Yuy doesn't feel such a petty emotion. Scowling, Heero stepped forward between the two. He didn't like the way Trowa was staring at Tori.

"Why are you here?"

Trowa turned to face him, his face an emotionless mask.

"Because I am."

"Fine."

Relena watched the two men string words at each other. Wasn't it possible for them to act friendlier to one another? Half-sighing, Relena obtained the role of a hostess.

"Why don't you come inside to the kitchen Trowa? I'll fix you some coffee."

Without waiting for his answer, Relena strode into the kitchen and flicked on the coffee machine. Opportunity available, Trowa took it and resumed his staring at Heero.

"What?" He'd be damned if he flinched under Trowa's staring. Although he desperately wanted to do so now.

"Why is she here?"

"I found her. A runaway. She's renting a room to stay until she moves out." Heero slid a hand through his thick dark hair, causing the reddish brown strands to appear more visible.

"I'm surprised you actually believe that. Relena's disappeared you know." Trowa's words were quiet and firm, meant to cause one's heart to constrict and bleed. And Heero's did.

"So? She's an adult Trowa, she can take care of herself." Forcefully, Heero put on a monotone. It took all he had not to rush to his laptop and search on the schedule flights at the airport.

"That she may be, but she might be in danger this time. The Preventers can't find a trace of where she's gone, there's no note left behind to her family, nothing to start a lead. We need you over there."

Heero could feel the hole Trowa's blistering green stare was burning into his back. But the shield around his heart held firm and unbreakable.

"If I find her, I'll kill her." Even as he said these words, his own ears couldn't believe it. No, he couldn't believe it.

"Will you?" And with that, Trowa sidestepped past Heero and continued on his way to the kitchen, the delicious aroma of coffee greeting him.

The words hurt. Even as she told herself not to believe them, they hurt. She could hear what they were saying. Heero and Trowa. What Trowa had silently asked. And what Heero had denied. Did he not have enough of a heart to even offer to look for where she actually was? Relena blinked back tears of resentment. No, Heero had a heart all right. The only thing was, she had never been a part of it.

The footsteps behind her caused her to spin around, fumbling with the cups of coffee in her hands. Trowa looked on silently. As if he knew who she was. As if he had always known.

"Your hands are trembling."

"It's all right. It's nothing." Dammit, why couldn't she stop the shaking? Offering the cup of coffee to Trowa, Relena sat back and enjoyed her own.

"So, Trowa, why are you here?" Relena raised an eyebrow. God, it was fun not to act so formal in front of others.

"Business. Pleasure. Whatever you want to think." The dark bangs fell across his eyes again, the straight line of his nose and high sweeping cheekbones accenting the roguishly handsome face. His lips were curved up into a quirk of a grin, slow and sensual. Like butter. 'How poetic of me' Relena absently smiled at her description of him.

"I'd like to think of nothing but the truth." The words caused her to incline her chin, stubbornness rearing its ugly head.

This time he laughed. The sound seemed smooth and light, reminding her of whipped cream on whiskey. It made her itchy.

"I'll leave you to your thinking then." He continued to study her, as if she were some museum artifact or what else. His steady green stares unnerved her to no end. She would not lose control. She would not lose control. She would not. . . oh, what the hell.

"What are you staring at?" Relena meant for it to be asked in an icy no- nonsense tone but it seemed as if her voice betrayed her. The irritated tone showed clearly for all to see. Well, it wasn't her fault if she was in a bad mood. Trowa merely lifted a brow.

"You. What else?"

"Oh! You are impossible!" Throwing her hands up, Relena stalked to the sink to dump the contents off her coffee down the drain. Silently, Trowa walked over, standing close. Closer. So close, all Relena could see was green. It made her think how Heero's blue eyes seemed to stand out in contrast to Trowa's green. It you try to mix the two together, the colors would clash. Suddenly, Relena noticed all the small details in the room. The dust floating about, the stains on the windows.

"Trowa. . ." She paused in mid-sentence when Trowa lowered a hand to take a handful of her hair. She watched as they slid between is fingers like black water on silk. He leaned closer so all Relena could smell of was man. His mouth lowered, breath mingling with hers. He was so close. Scenes from last night flashed before her eyes. Of Heero, and the unmistakable flash of desire in his eyes. There could be guilt and regret after this one kiss from Trowa, but, she was a single, healthy female. He was a single, healthy male. What problem would there be? After all, Heero didn't want her, thought Relena bitterly.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation." Relena jerked back, turning to find Heero standing by the doorway, hardly contained rage in his eyes. Could it be? Was Heero jealous? Relena could only wonder and stare as Heero strode briskly from the room.

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To be Continued. . .

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