Depths of Devotion
Part 3
By PinkDelusion
June 12, 201 AC
Vice Foreign Minister's Residence
Relena sat, legs coiled beneath her and a telephone in her hand. She hummed as she waited for the receiver to pick up their own telephone. Becoming impatient, she started to tap her nails against the smooth surface of the coffee table beside the couch on which she was sitting.
"Hello?" asked the voice finally. Relena smiled in glee, happy that someone was there to talk to her. She'd gone so long without speaking her mind that she just needed someone to listen to her.
"May I please speak with Lucrezia Noin?" Relena said into the telephone. Since Lucrezia's pregnancy, she had been distant except for the monthly e-mail she sent detailing exactly how many words her child had said, or the number of times he'd fallen in one day.
"Speaking."
"It's me, Relena."
"Oh Relena, what a surprise! I thought you were still in Luxembourg..."
"I just got back," said Relena, twisting the phone cord around her slender finger. In truth, Relena had only been there an hour before Heero insisted that she go back to D.C. Something about a high security risk and some new chemical warfare. She'd only been half-listening.
"Well, it's been so long, what with Brayden and all…what's up?" asked Lucrezia jovially.
"I just wanted to talk to you about something… do you have a few minutes?"
"Sure. Go ahead."
Taking a few moments before spilling her heart, Relena stood up from the couch she'd been resting on and began to pace the parlor. "Well…I don't know if you've heard, but –" she started, but then stopped abruptly. Was she allowed to talk about this sort of thing with anyone?
"But…"
"I'm sort of with Heero…"
"Yeah, I think I've heard a fiery blonde scream about something like that." She replied jokingly.
"Well, you've dated a few guys, right? So... you know how it is." said the young princess, finally consenting to take a stroll into the kitchen instead of the constant pacing that was making her relatively dizzy.
"Yeah. The fun times, the laughs, the heartbreak, the crying. Been through it all."
"Then you would know if something suspicious were going on, right?" inquired Relena quickly. How long she'd wanted to ask that question, she didn't know. But it was a little twinge in the back of her heart, stinging whenever Heero left the room. At least now she would – hopefully – get rid of it.
"What kind of suspicious?"
"Like the always on the cell phone, never home when I call him, distant and cold, suspiciousness," answered Relena with nervous laugh for good measure.
It was true, from the time they'd started seeing each other socially, things had been just fine. But in the last week, he'd acted pretty different – and Relena was sure they'd just started to establish a bit of a connection. She hadn't wanted to ask at first, but could no longer hold her tongue – it was just too much.
"Well, first of all, Heero is always on his cell phone, he rarely stays in one place at a time, and I thought you would have realized the 'cold and distant' is just Heero's nature. Nothing to be worried about."
"But this is different, Luce."
"How?"
"I don't know. Just different. He gets calls whenever I'm with him – during meetings, on dates, even in b-"
"In where?" asked Lucrezia hurriedly.
"In bed," whispered Relena, heat rising to her fair face.
"I hope you understand what you're getting into, Relena. Heero is risky business. I don't want you to get hurt," Said Noin, sighing quietly, "I've been giving you advice for quite some time now – whether or not you actually took it, doesn't matter. Just remember, Relena, that your real family is here. You can come to me with anything."
"I know."
"Just don't do anything stupid so that I'd have to disown you."
"Okay." Relena said with a laugh.
"And be careful."
"I am," she uttered almost inaudibly. But was she really being careful? What did she really know about Heero? Almost nothing. And yet she trusted him with her life – and most importantly, her heart.
{...}
April 17, 202 AC
Bella Devozione Banquet Hall
"Why did you keep this from me? What happened to faith and honesty?" she asked amidst a torrent of wretched tears.
Heero went over to the bathroom door and locked it. If she was thinking what he thought she was thinking, it could only end in a sorrowful death. He didn't want to have to kill her – not until he'd explained everything the way he needed to.
"What are you talking about?" he asked innocently.
"I'm talking about our relationship. I'm talking about what I've spent years trying to build. I'm talking about how you could just throw that all away." She answered dejectedly. How could he expect so much from her?
"I don't understand." He responded quietly. He didn't want to kill her when she was still in her wedding dress – that would be much too cruel. Besides, he was innocent until proven guilty.
"Why didn't you just tell me? I could have helped…I could have done something…"
"I didn't want to alarm you." Quick, simple, and easy. It was true – telling her that she was going to have to die at the hands of her husband would obviously frighten her. But it wasn't like he was trying to keep the truth from her. He would explain everything in due time.
"I want to know if someone's going to kill me the night of my wedding. Why didn't you tell me about the guerilla threats, Heero?"
Internally, Heero sighed. He could have said something he'd regret – and then where would he be? Dead in a back alley? Alone in the dark? Hiding like the coward he was? The Cause had a way of knowing these things. And if Relena had ever found out, there was no way he'd have been able to carry out his plans.
"Well?"
"If you had known, would you have had as much fun tonight?" he asked, placing a reassuring hand upon her forearm.
"Well…no. No, I wouldn't have. Just…just…I don't want to be excluded from anything. I don't want anything to separate us." She answered shakily. She loved him too much to let him bare the burden of a secret from her.
"Till death do us part."
"No, Heero. We'll never truly be apart."
{...}
Peacecraft Residence, London
August 21, 201 AC
"I rescheduled your meetings for today." He stated flatly.
"Why?" questioned Relena tiredly. She'd only woken a few minutes ago, and already he was advising her on her agenda for the day. Did it ever stop?
"We're going out." he replied while pouring out a cup of steaming tea and handing it to her. She'd been so stressed as of late – and so tired, too. It'd become his morning ritual to come see her in the morning. Sometimes he came early, and just watched her sleep. He could stay all day like that, watching her.
"Where?"
"Out."
"Okay." She answered warily. As she sipped the liquid, her mind finally awakened with her body and she felt a strong surge of energy. Today felt different. It wasn't something she could define or explain – simply different.
"And dress nicely." He added as she retreated back to her room.
Popping her head back into the small kitchenette, she smiled, "You don't like the clothes I usually wear?"
"I do, but we're in London." There was no real need to explain more. The pair rarely traveled to her ancestral home, but both knew the rules of civilized society. Relena merely prayed that he wasn't taking her to see her brother. He was still mad about incident with the NSA.
"Then you can't wear spandex, you know."
"I know."
"Just checking." She said jokingly. That had been one of the first things she'd insisted upon when they'd started dating. No spandex in public. Relena never fully understood what his connection with the ugly shorts was all about. But for Heero, they were a sort of security – a constant reminder of who really he was.
When both had returned, Relena clothed in a soft blue sundress and Heero in slacks and light shirt, they stared at each other. They'd been together ever since that one kiss, and hadn't been apart since. It sounded silly, but she never got tired of him. Sometimes a little frustrated, but she would apologize and he would grunt. Deep inside she'd always taken that as his best way of expressing his admission of guilt. But then, looking at each other, they felt that familiar tug of their hearts.
Of course, Heero snapped out of his quicksand of a reverie and said, "We going?"
Relena awakened from her trance at his words and smiled. She'd been doing a lot more of that lately, smiling. It just seemed that when he was around, nothing could go wrong. There was always something to grin about, and even if he didn't always understand her content disposition, he never complained.
"Yes. So, Heero, where are you taking me today?"
"It's a surprise."
"I never thought of you as a "surprise" kind of guy."
"Well, surprise." He said. Relena laughed. Heero had never told a joke in his entire life – none that anyone actually understood, anyway. He felt strange to be a normal human being. When he was around her, all thoughts of his Cause were out of his mind. There was only Relena.
{...}
April 17, 202 AC
Bella Devozione Banquet Hall
Relena sighed tiredly – it had been a long day. She'd finally gotten married, had an enormous party, and found out people had wanted to kill her. In any case, they hadn't succeeded. Not yet, at least.
The near-empty banquet hall was an estranging quiet. Heero had left a few moments before, and all that was left were a few strangling strangers and the cleaning staff. Relena sat, her immaculate white dress bunched into her hands as she waited.
There had been no one to see her off – no one to whisper happy good-byes and smiles of encouragement. All her "friends" had left, most of them drunk, hours ago. She didn't mind. It was like every day – all those unfamiliar faces.
When Heero finally returned, he entered from the backdoor. Relena wondered what he'd been doing out there, but didn't ask. She was never one to pry.
"Ready?"
"Yes."
Relena remained a deadly silent, not sure if it was the appropriate time to talk to him or not. the time was nearing a late 2:00 AM, and sleepiness was starting to kick in. But she had something more to ask -- something of importance.
"What were you doing out there?"
"Recieving a call."
"From who?"
"No one important."
That was all. The car ride was almost surreal in a sense – Heero had returned to his quiet, intense phase. Relena didn't try to encourage any sort of conversation, her lips frozen shut with fear and anticipation.
They'd been together before, but this was different. Inwardly, Relena reprimanded herself for not waiting until she was married. Somehow, she couldn't help but think of how much more special it would be. But what was done was done. And with her suspicions and harmful thoughts out of her mind, she rested her golden head against the head rest and waited.
Heero was never one for talking – he had alwasy liked to express himself through his actions. So when the car stopped in front of their home, and he immediately connected his lips with hers, his true feeling were as clairvoyant as crystal.
His lips were soft, hard in pressure, but they had a genuine smoothness to them that made her body react in quiet satisfaction. It wasn't like their first kiss – desperate, careless – this was learned and willing. It seemed strange that she felt so free, even though, technically a vow and a ring tied them together.
Heero pulled away quickly, his breath heavy and ragged. His mind had been wandering – and though he loved Relena, whenever he thought his mind strayed from her, he remembered his real intentions. He'd put off these last moments for years. At first, he had made himself unlovable – hoping the Cause would give up their assignment. But then his need for achievement and sense of duty kicked in. That was the day of their kiss. And now that it was here – he wasn't quite sure what to do.
The choice was obvious – either he would kill her, or they would. Why they hadn't just sent in an assassin years ago, he didn't know. But then they'd have terrorists to blame – not an evil, dangerous husband.
But Heero knew something that they didn't – he knew that Relena's work would live on forever – no matter how they killed her. History would find some way to glorify her. Relena Darlain Peacecraft – the last fragrance of peace left in the perilous world. They'd write fancy words and build monuments – she wouldn't be lost.
Heero knew that Relena felt alone in the world – he knew she thought no one cared. But in truth, they did. They wanted peace, and madly so. But no one wanted to carry the burden – no one except Relena. So the task fell upon her, and she took it gratefully. She had no idea how much they all loved her – or how much even her enemy, a terrorist and murder – had a devotion unbreakable by death.
End Part 3
A/N- life has been beyond hectic lately -- I don't think I've been home before ten this past week. But this weekend I had time to write so I was happy. But I like, and I hope you enjoy also. And I'm so sorry about the last chapter (it really sucked, but I needed it) So, hope you liked! (And word of advice -- it you're a native Spanish speaker -- never take Spanish AP, just lots of pain...)