Shot in the Dark:

Chapter 3

For the longest time, she really truly believed that she was dreaming. This could not be real; Heero Yuy could not be standing above her, wreathed in shadows and darkness, yet with a hand hovering near her face. But then Relena heard the pounding of the rain, felt Case's soft breath just beside her, and little by little became aware of the fact that Heero was just inches away from her.

She drew a long, shaky breath, and repeated, "Heero?"

A leg moved slightly in the direction of the balcony, and his hand dropped, but - even though she couldn't see - Relena had the distinct impression that his eyes were locked on her face. As unnerving as that was, the astonishment and shock and unbelievable elation that saturated her whole being as she watched him, she had the presence of mind to realize that the Perfect Soldier was just seconds away from pulling another standard runaway.

She would not let that happen. Relena pushed the covers back and very slowly sat up, never taking her eyes from him. As soon as she was upright, she whispered into the darkness and drumming of the rain, "What are you doing here?"

Full moments passed, with both of them just staring at each other, before he finally whispered back, "I…don't know."

At the sound of his voice again, Relena's heart jumped into overdrive and goosebumps rose on her arms. The pulse was racing through her body; how long had she dreamed of this day? She didn't know what to say, what to do, what to tell him - where to start! - didn't want to scare him off, didn't want to be pushy, or forward, or -

"Thirsty?"

What? she yelled at herself. Thirsty? Where in the world did you -

He didn't move.

"Or hungry?" she continued, desperate to break the silence. "Anything at all, the kitchen's always open. Whatever you want…food, soda, water, coffee - well, that's Pagan's, but he won't mind. Oh, and lemonade and Kool-Aid, too..." Relena gave him an unsteady little smile, "I'm sure Case wouldn't mind either…" her voice trailed off into the darkness. He wasn't moving, and for every second that came without a reply, a piece of her heart broke off and crumbled into nothingness.

"Sounds…good."

The reply came so quietly and unexpectedly that Relena had to think for a moment before it registered in her brain; finally, realizing what he had said, she got out of the bed. "Oh - okay. Here, follow me…"

Very well aware of the fact that her hands were shaking, Relena moved towards the door and resisted the urge to glance behind and see if he was following. Slowly, still unable to believe that she was living out her most cherished and buried fantasy, she went downstairs. His light footsteps were just behind her, and as she flipped on the kitchen light, she felt him stop just in the doorway.

"Is water okay?" she asked, not ready to meet his gaze yet. Relena bowed her head slightly and kept her eyes on what she was doing as she got a cup from the cupboard and filled it with ice, then water. Then she took a deep, steadying breath, and turned, saying, "Here you - "

She was forced to stop. Relena had realized too late that the kitchen was brightly lit, and as a result she could see Heero clearly for the first time…and, quite frankly, the sight of him took her breath away. He was so much taller, and muscular, and more handsome than she had ever remembered; his eyes were burning with that same deep blue intensity that both haunted and graced her dreams; the perfectly messy locks of hair were still hanging in his eyes…eyes that were now looking at her, and blazing with emotion for the first time she had ever seen.

"Heero…" she whispered. He opened his mouth to speak, then apparently thought better of it; a strong hand stretched out, gripped the cup, and took it, then promptly turned and went to sit at the kitchen table.

Relena took a long, deep breath, and then poured herself a drink. Dropping a slice of lemon into the water - though she was seriously considering dropping a couple liters of vodka in there too, maybe that would steady her trembling body - she came to sit across from him. She drew a quick sip, and then put the glass down softly, carefully raising her gaze to study the young man - no; no, of course not, he was a man now - to study the man across from her. Eager to dispel the silence, she said quietly, "How've you been, Heero?"

He glanced up and met her eyes briefly, before looking down at his cup again. "Fine," he said, sounding perfectly calm.

Well, Relena thought, that makes one of us. She thought for a moment, realizing how utterly awkward it was to be near him again, and well aware of the fact that she had no idea what to say. Finally, she decided to plunge ahead. She would try not to scare him off, but some questions had to be answered.

"Where have you been?" she asked, keeping her gaze carefully on the table. At her question, his hands flinched slightly, but other than that he gave no sign that the inquiry was an offensive one. Silence stretched for a few moments, however, before he finally murmured, "Around."

"Around?"

Heero glanced up, met her eyes, and to her surprise and delight, a little smile played around his mouth. She hadn't seen him smile in so many years that the sight of it flat-out took her breath away. "Still able to find every hidden meaning, aren't you," he said softly. "Even when I don't say everything I feel, you can still read me like a book."

She had no response to that. "You've been here, haven't you, Heero?" Relena whispered. "You've been watching us, protecting us."

Relena watched him swallow and look down quickly. The silence now seemed to stretch for hours, and then he gave a barely perceptible nod of his head.

"But why didn't you let us know you were there?" Relena murmured, hearing the quaver in her voice and feeling the tears prick at her eyes. But no - she would not cry in front of him. For whatever reason he was sitting at her table, Relena couldn't help but believe he would be long gone by morning.

The fierce eyes were burning holes in her tabletop, she was sure. His muscles were tense, his back stiff…but, to her surprise, she heard him say quietly, "I couldn't."

"Why?" Relena whispered. She didn't want to press, didn't want to scare him off, but she just had to know…

Heero shook his head, swallowed visibly. "I just…"

Feeling concern, sympathy, and a million other emotions well up inside of her, Relena impulsively reached out and rested her hand lightly over his. At her touch, his head lifted, and their eyes met. She was drowning so fast she could hardly get the words out. "Why didn't you let anyone know where you were?"

Staring at her, eyes boring into hers, his mouth opened automatically. He would answer her, if only because those angelic sky-blue eyes were asking him to, and he could never, ever refuse her.

"I could never - "

He was cut off by a loud thump, directly above them.

AU: Uhh…so that was really short. Barely two pages. My apologies…I seem to have a subconscious love for cliffhangers. Well…if anyone wants more, they better review! heehee...wink! =) Luvs!