Disclaimer: Characters within do not belong to me.
Author's Notes: Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter. I hope you had a great holiday, and since this will probably be the last time I update in 2003, have a very happy New Year celebration! Take care:)
****
Be My Downfall
by Kristen Elizabeth
****
Millardo saw his sister for the first time in eight years as she was being carried out of the Presidential Manor on a stretcher. It had taken a lot of time, a few credits and a flash of Noin's expired Preventer badge to get their rented car past security; just as they had been granted access, an ambulance had sped past them through the gates, heading for the main house.
Without hesitation, he'd floored it, racing after the emergency vehicle. But they weren't allowed to follow the paramedics inside the massive house. He wanted to shout at Relena's staff and security, to tell them exactly who he was, but that would have been foolish. Millardo Peacecraft was dead to the world and this was no time for a resurrection.
All he could think about when he finally saw her on the gurney was how beautifully she'd grown up. He barely saw the oxygen mask that covered half of her face, or the blood pressure cuff around her arm. His baby sister had turned into a woman and he'd missed it all. And now his worst fear was coming true…that it might really be too late for him to catch up.
Noin held him together in the next few minutes. It was she who found out what hospital Relena was being taken to, and it was she who drove them to the Preventer Medical Bay, a sub building of the main Headquarters complex, where in one of life's great ironies, Dr. Sally Po was on duty.
Sally, being a discreet officer and a good friend, drew no attention to the couple when she saw them waiting in the lobby after she finished her initial examination of the President. If she had questions about their sudden reappearance after so many years, she knew enough to realize they'd be better answered at another time.
"Is she going to be all right?" Noin asked her old friend when she approached them in her scrubs, a grave look on her face.
"She's in and out of consciousness, but when she is awake, she's in a lot of pain. A migraine, she says, but I think it's something more than that." She hesitated. "There are some signs of…sexual…um…trauma." Sally rushed on when Millardo's eyes flew open, enraged. "I'm really hesitant to say much more, though, until her medical records are transferred over from her private doctor, and I get a chance to talk to the President herself."
"What about the poison?" Noin asked, watching her lover with a worried eye.
Sally frowned. "Poison? What are you…?"
"Preventers Wind and Fire." Lady Une's voice cut through their conversation, and all three turned to see her. With her arms crossed over her crisp uniform, she nodded at them. "Welcome home. My sympathies are with your sister. Her illness is most unfortunate. But for the sake of interstellar security, could you please keep whatever information you think you have to yourselves?" She turned her attention to Sally. "Is the President stable enough for transport to another facility?"
"No," Sally replied, coolly.
"Make her stable then."
Millardo forehead gathered into a frown. "Wait just a minute here. I don't give a damn about who's got security clearance and who doesn't. My sister's life has been threatened and I…" He stopped short, staring at something just over Lady Une's shoulder.
Noin followed her lover's stare until she could see what had caught his attention. Heero Yuy had burst through the first set of sliding glass doors leading into the emergency room. He barged through the second and ran straight towards them.
"Where is she?" he demanded. "Where's Relena?"
No one had a chance to answer the frantic youth. Millardo's fist made direct impact with his face a few seconds later. The unexpected blow felled the Perfect Soldier.
****
"Shh! She's coming around."
Relena opened her eyes. The entire world was blurry, but she could just make out a few familiar faces hanging over her. "Dr. Po?" She blinked. "Millardo?"
The brother she hadn't seen in eight years, and hadn't even known existed for the first fifteen of her life looked down at her, his face unreadable. He seemed relieved, but at the same time, confused and furious. "How are you feeling?" he asked her.
She considered the question for a moment. Her head throbbed, her limbs ached and her mouth felt like she'd swallowed a cup of sawdust. "Fine," she replied. "Where am I?"
"Preventer med bay. You've been out for a couple of hours." Millardo cleared his throat. "Relena, you were found unconscious on your floor…and it seems like you might have been…" He stopped, unable to force out the word.
"Been what?" Relena looked around, searching for Sally. "Been what?"
The blonde doctor sighed, thoroughly exasperated with her patient's brother. "All right. I'm going to need a few minutes alone with the President. You should to go tell Lucrezia that she's awake. Also," she subdued a smirk. "Commander Yuy will probably be back from x-ray now. He might like to know, as well."
Relena frowned. "X-ray? What happened to Heero?"
Scowling, Millardo straightened up. "Nothing he didn't have coming for a long time." Awkwardly, he took his sister's hand and raised the back of it to his lips in a brotherly kiss. "Lu and I are here now. You're not alone anymore."
Unsure of how to respond, Relena gave him a small smile. He left a second later, and she let the smile drop. "I have no idea what's going on."
Sally was sympathetic even as she adjusted Relena's IV. "Madam President, I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but before I answer them for you, I have a few of my own." She took a breath. "When you first came in, I had to give you a fairly thorough examination. And I found…evidence that you might have been raped. Can you remember anything at all about that?"
"Um…" Relena's face was on fire. "I wasn't raped. I've been…involved with…someone lately. And we…early this morning…" She paused. "He can be a little rough."
"I see. I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions," Sally apologized. **And for saying anything about it to your brother.**
Relena rubbed her pink cheek. "Please tell me if something's happened to Heero?"
Her curiosity about who had been sharing the President's bed was sated immediately. She never would have imagined Heero Yuy, the guerilla soldier, and Relena Peacecraft, the world's princess, finding that sort of relationship, but strangely, it seemed almost right.
"He's fine. He took a blow to the face, and we wanted to make sure nothing was broken, that's all. Now, if we could get back to the subject of your health…"
"A blow to the face?" Relena cut her off. "He was hit? By whom?"
Sally sighed. "Let's just say that your brother will never apologize for jumping to conclusions." Her patient put a pale hand to her mouth. "Madam President, I only have a few minutes. They're arranging for you to be transferred to your private facility within the hour. I want to help you, but there's a whole issue of security clearance. Now, I've found some interesting things when I looked at your blood work, but I can't make sense of it without knowing what I'm looking at."
"I can imagine." Taking a deep breath, even though it was hard, Relena closed her eyes and gave the doctor a brief overview of the situation. "Is all of this because of the poison?" she asked at the end, unsure of whether or not she really wanted an answer.
"I think so," Sally answered in a soft voice. "Madam President…from what I can tell, whatever agent was given to you, it's starting to affect numerous systems in your body, including your nervous system, which is why you've been having headaches and muscle weakness. Your immune system also is most likely under attack, which leaves you susceptible to all sorts of things. Colds, fevers, even diseases. Basically…"
"My body is breaking down."
Sally was hesitant, but agreed. "If there's an antidote to this supposedly innocuous half of the poison, it needs to be found soon."
"They're trying…Heero's trying." Relena opened her eyes, letting a few tears escape. "I don't think they've had much luck."
"Then something needs to be done." Sally leaned in. "I understand the reasons for keeping the public in the dark, but if anyone out there has any information, no matter what it might be, it could help us narrow down the pathogen and eliminate it."
"Are you suggesting I make some sort of announcement?"
"It could end up saving your life."
Relena nibbled on her lower lip; Sally's heart went out to her. Right then, the most powerful person in the world was just a frightened woman, too young for the death sentence hanging over her head. But she wasn't one to give into fear. Swallowing, she nodded. "I will. Do you have any suggestions until then?"
"Bed rest." Sally gave her a look. "And I mean actually rest, nothing else that happens in a bed."
"Of course," Relena murmured.
"I really don't know what else to tell you. I could order you to take an indefinite vacation, but I highly doubt you'd do it. I'd imagine I could order Commander Yuy to enforce the vacation, and you still wouldn't do it." The doctor sighed again. "So, all I can ask is that you at least take it easy. It might not seem like it, Madam President, but the world won't destroy itself if you take an hour's nap every day."
Relena smiled softly. "Let's hope not."
"All right, time for me to let you get that rest, because Lady Une is determined to have you moved. I don't think she trusts me."
"I do, Dr. Po. Thank you."
Sally patted Relena's arm. "You're going to get through this. If you ever need anything, you know how to contact me." With another smile, she moved towards the exam room door. "Oh and one more thing. If you do plan to continue having sex, I want you to make sure that you're protected. If you need any help in that arena, I'm here for you also."
Relena's hand drifted back up to her mouth as the doctor departed.
****
His jaw ached, but Heero was far too accustomed to pain to let it bother him. Zechs's punch had been powerful and well-timed, and it might have dropped him, but in the company of the pains he'd endured in his life, it was nothing.
It had taken both Wufei and the newly assigned Trowa to drag him off to x-ray upon Sally Po's command. He could have told them nothing was broken and stayed behind in case Relena woke up, but she'd issued the order as a medic, and he was subject to it. It was a great inconvenience, having to think about something so trivial as a punch from an old enemy while Relena was unconscious.
As he stalked back to the exam rooms with Wufei and Trowa just behind him, Heero balled up his fists. He hadn't spoken a word, except to inquire after Relena, since Lady Une had received the news that Relena had been taken to the med bay in the middle of their meeting. Without waiting for orders, he'd bolted out of the office. Relena had been hurt. And he hadn't been there to stop it.
He licked the corner of his mouth and tasted dried blood. He hadn't seen her yet, but his imagination had drawn such horrible images while he held still for the x-rays that he almost jumped off the table in the middle of the scans. Only his partners just outside the door had kept him in check; he supposed he owed them somewhat. But neither of them could possibly understand the power of his guilt. His only job in the world was to keep Relena safe, and he'd failed.
"Yuy, she's under lock and key. You're not going to be able to see her, so what's the rush?" Wufei called out from behind him.
"I'll get in," he growled back.
"Not with Zechs holding that key." Trowa's voice was a strange addition, but Heero couldn't be upset that the man was there. The more experienced help they had finding the bastards who'd done this to Relena, the better. "He's her family; you're not."
Wufei added, "You're only her bodyguard, and not even officially that."
Heero stopped and turned on his partners. "I'm more than that. She sees me as more than that."
"She's a woman," the Chinese man dared to go on. "Fuck her a few times and she'll start picking out her wedding…"
Wrapping his hand around Wufei's throat, Heero pushed the other man up against the wall. "This is a warning. You only get one."
Completely un-intimidated, Wufei narrowed his eyes. "She's gotten to you, hasn't she?"
With a strangled snarl, Heero released him and continued on his way as though he didn't even exist anymore.
Trowa arched one eyebrow, although it wasn't visible under his curtain of hair. "I think that answers that. I never thought I'd see the day."
"Nothing will come of it. He could never handle the kind of life she'd want." Wufei rubbed his neck.
"I suppose that's…" Trowa trailed off as he caught sight of something down the hall.
Wufei frowned. "What?" He turned his head to follow his partner's gaze. Quatre Winner stood at the end of the hallway, a massive bouquet of flowers in his hands. He hadn't noticed them; he was apparently searching for a particular room. "Well. Looks like now all we'll need is Maxwell to drop by to have ourselves a reunion."
His voice caught Quatre's attention and the blonde man glanced over at them. When he froze in a similar position as Trowa, Wufei shook his head. "I'll be in our office. Doing actual work."
Trowa barely noticed him storm off. Something compelled him to move forward, and keep moving forward. Quatre did the same, but with even more hesitancy.
"Trowa," he broke the silence that had amassed between them. "It's been a long time."
"It has been."
Quatre cleared his throat. "You look good. I mean…you look…well."
"You too."
"You're back with the Preventers?" He shook his head. "Of course you are. The uniform. So…you left the circus?"
"It was time," Trowa said.
"And…Catherine didn't mind?"
Trowa lowered his eyes for a moment. "She's always been understanding." He paused. "She did understand, you know. It wasn't her who…"
"I know," Quatre interrupted. "It was you. Believe me, I got the message back then, and I haven't forgotten it."
He almost winced at the bitterness that had overcome the other man. "It was me. But it wasn't what you think. I wasn't…ashamed of…"
"Listen, this isn't the best place in the world to have this conversation." Quatre looked at the flowers in his arms. "I'm just here to visit a friend."
"Relena Peacecraft?"
The blond man nodded. "So, if you'll excuse me…"
"Quatre." Trowa reached out and caught the sleeve of his expensive suit before he could leave. "I never wanted to hurt you."
"Sleep easy, Trowa. You didn't." His smile was rueful. "You're not the only one who made a mistake back then." Extracting himself from the taller man's grip, Quatre turned and walked away, just as Trowa had four years earlier after a night neither of them could seem to forget.
****
It was true that Millardo had heavy security around Relena's exam room, but it was hardly sufficient to stave off a determined Heero. It only took one guard turning his back for one moment to give him plenty of time to slip into the room.
What he saw made him stop short. Relena was asleep, her hair brilliant gold against the crisp white hospital sheets. She was curled up on her side and attached to another IV; she didn't wake when he entered. His hard expression relaxed; she didn't appear to be in any pain at the moment. But he had no idea what she'd gone through after he'd left for his meeting, a mistake he never planned on making again. He'd been foolish to think that leaving her in the warmth of their shared bed for any amount of time would be all right. She wasn't glass and she wouldn't break without him, but she still needed him.
**And you need her.**
He walked to the bed and looked down at the woman who'd become such a huge part of his life. So much had changed since the last time they'd been in the hospital like this. He'd changed. She'd changed him.
"Relena," he whispered.
Her eyelashes fluttered and lifted. "Hi," she whispered back. "Is your face all right?"
"Don't worry about me. Tell me what's going on."
She lifted one shoulder slightly. "I fainted again. Dr. Po thinks it's the poison." Relena's eyes watered. "It's doing something to me, Heero. Something they didn't expect."
He held his tongue, not wanting to upset her further by suggesting that perhaps this was the perpetrator's intent all along. "Nothing is going to happen to you. They want you alive, Relena."
"I think so, too." Her voice was stronger now. "Which is why…I've decided to announce my condition to the public." Before he could protest, she held up her hand as much as she could. "If they think I'm dying, it might make them speak up. And that would give you more to go on. The investigation…it's at a standstill, isn't it?"
"Yeah," he replied, unable to lie to her. "The trail is cold."
Relena closed her eyes for a moment. "This is the best way, Heero. I can't hide from this forever."
"All right," he said after a moment. "I don't like it, but you're right."
"Will you be with me when I give the speech?"
He nodded, and then, realizing her eyes were still closed, gave her a simple, "Yes."
"My brother is here now. Once the press finds out, they'll be permanently camped on my doorstep, even more so than they usually are. There won't be much time for us to…" She opened her eyes and sought his hand. "I feel like I'll be losing something I just found."
"You won't." Heero held her hand within both of his. "I'm not going anywhere. I don't care what anyone thinks or says."
"I don't want to care either." She looked straight at him without reserve. "I love you, Heero. And that's enough for now." Relena settled back into the stiff pillow, her eyes drooping once more. "We can make it enough for now."
Her breathing evened out after only a few moments and Heero laid her hand back down onto the bed. He could watch her sleep forever. With more tenderness than he'd ever exercised in his life, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss onto her forehead.
"Unless you want matching bruises, I suggest you get away from my sister."
Heero straightened up, but didn't turn around. "I owe you for the first, but this isn't the time or the place."
"I said get away from her. You're not good enough to be around her." Millardo's voice was low and cutting.
"And I say, who are you to give orders where Relena is concerned?" Heero glanced over his shoulder, his eyes gleaming dangerously. "You gave up the right to brotherly protectiveness when you tried to kill everything she stands for."
Millardo folded his arms across his grey shirt. "I can make up for my past mistakes."
"And I'll just keep making more?" Heero shrugged. "Probably. She doesn't seem to mind."
"You've always interrupted the flow of her common sense," he replied through gritted teeth. "What else have you done to her?" Heero said nothing. "Have you wormed your way into her bed? Made her fall even more in love with you? Built her up with all sorts of promises you have absolutely no intention of keeping?"
"What happens between me and Relena stays between me and Relena."
Millardo shook his head. "You have no idea how much you could fuck up her life and her career, do you? All it takes is one reporter getting a clue, or god forbid, snapping a picture of you two even looking at each other…and that's it. They'd eat her alive. The soiled golden princess." Snorting, Heero looked away. "If there's any small piece of your black heart that cares about her, you'll end it. Before she winds up paying for it for the rest of her life."
He looked down at Relena. The shiny strands of her hair, the pale rose of her lips, the cream of her complexion…she was everyone's vision of an angel. If her brother was right, and it was found out that she'd let him have her like a whore in a gutter, that image would be gone forever. He wanted to touch her, but there were already too many stains from his hands.
Heero's palms curled up before he gave in and reached for her anyway. He released them and wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. "She loves me. And I…"
There was a hesitant knock on the door. A moment later it opened, revealing Quatre, half hidden behind a mass of orchids. "Have I come at a bad time?" he asked.
"Not at all," Millardo said, not entirely pleasantly. "Commander Yuy was just going."
As Quatre entered, Heero looked at him before shaking his head, thoroughly disgusted. "I've had just about all I can take from…"
The door opened again and Noin appeared. "They're coming to transfer Relena. Have you all managed to keep from spilling any blood?"
"Barely, from the look of things," Quatre replied.
Millardo took his girlfriend's hand. "Everything's fine."
She pursed her lips. "I don't believe you."
The door opened again and Lady Une entered along with Sally and an orderly pushing a wheelchair. "Is the President asleep?" she asked, unnecessarily as all she had to do was look at her to find out. Une's eyes narrowed. "Why are there so many people in here? Does security mean nothing to anyone?"
"There's no point in it anymore," Heero told her. "Relena is going to make a public announcement about her condition."
"Oh, she is, is she?" Une looked at Sally as the woman removed Relena's IV. Her patient frowned and flinched in pain, but didn't wake up. "I wonder where she got an idea like that."
Sally began bandaging the President's wrist. "I have no idea, ma'am."
"Never mind for now. There are already reporters out there who followed the ambulance from the mansion. We need to get her out of here without making the evening news. Can everyone handle that?"
In response to his commanding officer, Heero gently scooped Relena up from the bed. She stirred, nestling her cheek against his shoulder. "There's a back entrance. Bring her car around." He walked straight past the wheelchair and stopped at the door, waiting for it to be opened.
Quatre reached for the door's handle. "You've got her?" he asked softly. The question had nothing to do with the other man's grip on the President.
Heero inclined his head. "I've got her."
****
To Be Continued
Author's Notes: Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter. I hope you had a great holiday, and since this will probably be the last time I update in 2003, have a very happy New Year celebration! Take care:)
****
Be My Downfall
by Kristen Elizabeth
****
Millardo saw his sister for the first time in eight years as she was being carried out of the Presidential Manor on a stretcher. It had taken a lot of time, a few credits and a flash of Noin's expired Preventer badge to get their rented car past security; just as they had been granted access, an ambulance had sped past them through the gates, heading for the main house.
Without hesitation, he'd floored it, racing after the emergency vehicle. But they weren't allowed to follow the paramedics inside the massive house. He wanted to shout at Relena's staff and security, to tell them exactly who he was, but that would have been foolish. Millardo Peacecraft was dead to the world and this was no time for a resurrection.
All he could think about when he finally saw her on the gurney was how beautifully she'd grown up. He barely saw the oxygen mask that covered half of her face, or the blood pressure cuff around her arm. His baby sister had turned into a woman and he'd missed it all. And now his worst fear was coming true…that it might really be too late for him to catch up.
Noin held him together in the next few minutes. It was she who found out what hospital Relena was being taken to, and it was she who drove them to the Preventer Medical Bay, a sub building of the main Headquarters complex, where in one of life's great ironies, Dr. Sally Po was on duty.
Sally, being a discreet officer and a good friend, drew no attention to the couple when she saw them waiting in the lobby after she finished her initial examination of the President. If she had questions about their sudden reappearance after so many years, she knew enough to realize they'd be better answered at another time.
"Is she going to be all right?" Noin asked her old friend when she approached them in her scrubs, a grave look on her face.
"She's in and out of consciousness, but when she is awake, she's in a lot of pain. A migraine, she says, but I think it's something more than that." She hesitated. "There are some signs of…sexual…um…trauma." Sally rushed on when Millardo's eyes flew open, enraged. "I'm really hesitant to say much more, though, until her medical records are transferred over from her private doctor, and I get a chance to talk to the President herself."
"What about the poison?" Noin asked, watching her lover with a worried eye.
Sally frowned. "Poison? What are you…?"
"Preventers Wind and Fire." Lady Une's voice cut through their conversation, and all three turned to see her. With her arms crossed over her crisp uniform, she nodded at them. "Welcome home. My sympathies are with your sister. Her illness is most unfortunate. But for the sake of interstellar security, could you please keep whatever information you think you have to yourselves?" She turned her attention to Sally. "Is the President stable enough for transport to another facility?"
"No," Sally replied, coolly.
"Make her stable then."
Millardo forehead gathered into a frown. "Wait just a minute here. I don't give a damn about who's got security clearance and who doesn't. My sister's life has been threatened and I…" He stopped short, staring at something just over Lady Une's shoulder.
Noin followed her lover's stare until she could see what had caught his attention. Heero Yuy had burst through the first set of sliding glass doors leading into the emergency room. He barged through the second and ran straight towards them.
"Where is she?" he demanded. "Where's Relena?"
No one had a chance to answer the frantic youth. Millardo's fist made direct impact with his face a few seconds later. The unexpected blow felled the Perfect Soldier.
****
"Shh! She's coming around."
Relena opened her eyes. The entire world was blurry, but she could just make out a few familiar faces hanging over her. "Dr. Po?" She blinked. "Millardo?"
The brother she hadn't seen in eight years, and hadn't even known existed for the first fifteen of her life looked down at her, his face unreadable. He seemed relieved, but at the same time, confused and furious. "How are you feeling?" he asked her.
She considered the question for a moment. Her head throbbed, her limbs ached and her mouth felt like she'd swallowed a cup of sawdust. "Fine," she replied. "Where am I?"
"Preventer med bay. You've been out for a couple of hours." Millardo cleared his throat. "Relena, you were found unconscious on your floor…and it seems like you might have been…" He stopped, unable to force out the word.
"Been what?" Relena looked around, searching for Sally. "Been what?"
The blonde doctor sighed, thoroughly exasperated with her patient's brother. "All right. I'm going to need a few minutes alone with the President. You should to go tell Lucrezia that she's awake. Also," she subdued a smirk. "Commander Yuy will probably be back from x-ray now. He might like to know, as well."
Relena frowned. "X-ray? What happened to Heero?"
Scowling, Millardo straightened up. "Nothing he didn't have coming for a long time." Awkwardly, he took his sister's hand and raised the back of it to his lips in a brotherly kiss. "Lu and I are here now. You're not alone anymore."
Unsure of how to respond, Relena gave him a small smile. He left a second later, and she let the smile drop. "I have no idea what's going on."
Sally was sympathetic even as she adjusted Relena's IV. "Madam President, I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but before I answer them for you, I have a few of my own." She took a breath. "When you first came in, I had to give you a fairly thorough examination. And I found…evidence that you might have been raped. Can you remember anything at all about that?"
"Um…" Relena's face was on fire. "I wasn't raped. I've been…involved with…someone lately. And we…early this morning…" She paused. "He can be a little rough."
"I see. I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions," Sally apologized. **And for saying anything about it to your brother.**
Relena rubbed her pink cheek. "Please tell me if something's happened to Heero?"
Her curiosity about who had been sharing the President's bed was sated immediately. She never would have imagined Heero Yuy, the guerilla soldier, and Relena Peacecraft, the world's princess, finding that sort of relationship, but strangely, it seemed almost right.
"He's fine. He took a blow to the face, and we wanted to make sure nothing was broken, that's all. Now, if we could get back to the subject of your health…"
"A blow to the face?" Relena cut her off. "He was hit? By whom?"
Sally sighed. "Let's just say that your brother will never apologize for jumping to conclusions." Her patient put a pale hand to her mouth. "Madam President, I only have a few minutes. They're arranging for you to be transferred to your private facility within the hour. I want to help you, but there's a whole issue of security clearance. Now, I've found some interesting things when I looked at your blood work, but I can't make sense of it without knowing what I'm looking at."
"I can imagine." Taking a deep breath, even though it was hard, Relena closed her eyes and gave the doctor a brief overview of the situation. "Is all of this because of the poison?" she asked at the end, unsure of whether or not she really wanted an answer.
"I think so," Sally answered in a soft voice. "Madam President…from what I can tell, whatever agent was given to you, it's starting to affect numerous systems in your body, including your nervous system, which is why you've been having headaches and muscle weakness. Your immune system also is most likely under attack, which leaves you susceptible to all sorts of things. Colds, fevers, even diseases. Basically…"
"My body is breaking down."
Sally was hesitant, but agreed. "If there's an antidote to this supposedly innocuous half of the poison, it needs to be found soon."
"They're trying…Heero's trying." Relena opened her eyes, letting a few tears escape. "I don't think they've had much luck."
"Then something needs to be done." Sally leaned in. "I understand the reasons for keeping the public in the dark, but if anyone out there has any information, no matter what it might be, it could help us narrow down the pathogen and eliminate it."
"Are you suggesting I make some sort of announcement?"
"It could end up saving your life."
Relena nibbled on her lower lip; Sally's heart went out to her. Right then, the most powerful person in the world was just a frightened woman, too young for the death sentence hanging over her head. But she wasn't one to give into fear. Swallowing, she nodded. "I will. Do you have any suggestions until then?"
"Bed rest." Sally gave her a look. "And I mean actually rest, nothing else that happens in a bed."
"Of course," Relena murmured.
"I really don't know what else to tell you. I could order you to take an indefinite vacation, but I highly doubt you'd do it. I'd imagine I could order Commander Yuy to enforce the vacation, and you still wouldn't do it." The doctor sighed again. "So, all I can ask is that you at least take it easy. It might not seem like it, Madam President, but the world won't destroy itself if you take an hour's nap every day."
Relena smiled softly. "Let's hope not."
"All right, time for me to let you get that rest, because Lady Une is determined to have you moved. I don't think she trusts me."
"I do, Dr. Po. Thank you."
Sally patted Relena's arm. "You're going to get through this. If you ever need anything, you know how to contact me." With another smile, she moved towards the exam room door. "Oh and one more thing. If you do plan to continue having sex, I want you to make sure that you're protected. If you need any help in that arena, I'm here for you also."
Relena's hand drifted back up to her mouth as the doctor departed.
****
His jaw ached, but Heero was far too accustomed to pain to let it bother him. Zechs's punch had been powerful and well-timed, and it might have dropped him, but in the company of the pains he'd endured in his life, it was nothing.
It had taken both Wufei and the newly assigned Trowa to drag him off to x-ray upon Sally Po's command. He could have told them nothing was broken and stayed behind in case Relena woke up, but she'd issued the order as a medic, and he was subject to it. It was a great inconvenience, having to think about something so trivial as a punch from an old enemy while Relena was unconscious.
As he stalked back to the exam rooms with Wufei and Trowa just behind him, Heero balled up his fists. He hadn't spoken a word, except to inquire after Relena, since Lady Une had received the news that Relena had been taken to the med bay in the middle of their meeting. Without waiting for orders, he'd bolted out of the office. Relena had been hurt. And he hadn't been there to stop it.
He licked the corner of his mouth and tasted dried blood. He hadn't seen her yet, but his imagination had drawn such horrible images while he held still for the x-rays that he almost jumped off the table in the middle of the scans. Only his partners just outside the door had kept him in check; he supposed he owed them somewhat. But neither of them could possibly understand the power of his guilt. His only job in the world was to keep Relena safe, and he'd failed.
"Yuy, she's under lock and key. You're not going to be able to see her, so what's the rush?" Wufei called out from behind him.
"I'll get in," he growled back.
"Not with Zechs holding that key." Trowa's voice was a strange addition, but Heero couldn't be upset that the man was there. The more experienced help they had finding the bastards who'd done this to Relena, the better. "He's her family; you're not."
Wufei added, "You're only her bodyguard, and not even officially that."
Heero stopped and turned on his partners. "I'm more than that. She sees me as more than that."
"She's a woman," the Chinese man dared to go on. "Fuck her a few times and she'll start picking out her wedding…"
Wrapping his hand around Wufei's throat, Heero pushed the other man up against the wall. "This is a warning. You only get one."
Completely un-intimidated, Wufei narrowed his eyes. "She's gotten to you, hasn't she?"
With a strangled snarl, Heero released him and continued on his way as though he didn't even exist anymore.
Trowa arched one eyebrow, although it wasn't visible under his curtain of hair. "I think that answers that. I never thought I'd see the day."
"Nothing will come of it. He could never handle the kind of life she'd want." Wufei rubbed his neck.
"I suppose that's…" Trowa trailed off as he caught sight of something down the hall.
Wufei frowned. "What?" He turned his head to follow his partner's gaze. Quatre Winner stood at the end of the hallway, a massive bouquet of flowers in his hands. He hadn't noticed them; he was apparently searching for a particular room. "Well. Looks like now all we'll need is Maxwell to drop by to have ourselves a reunion."
His voice caught Quatre's attention and the blonde man glanced over at them. When he froze in a similar position as Trowa, Wufei shook his head. "I'll be in our office. Doing actual work."
Trowa barely noticed him storm off. Something compelled him to move forward, and keep moving forward. Quatre did the same, but with even more hesitancy.
"Trowa," he broke the silence that had amassed between them. "It's been a long time."
"It has been."
Quatre cleared his throat. "You look good. I mean…you look…well."
"You too."
"You're back with the Preventers?" He shook his head. "Of course you are. The uniform. So…you left the circus?"
"It was time," Trowa said.
"And…Catherine didn't mind?"
Trowa lowered his eyes for a moment. "She's always been understanding." He paused. "She did understand, you know. It wasn't her who…"
"I know," Quatre interrupted. "It was you. Believe me, I got the message back then, and I haven't forgotten it."
He almost winced at the bitterness that had overcome the other man. "It was me. But it wasn't what you think. I wasn't…ashamed of…"
"Listen, this isn't the best place in the world to have this conversation." Quatre looked at the flowers in his arms. "I'm just here to visit a friend."
"Relena Peacecraft?"
The blond man nodded. "So, if you'll excuse me…"
"Quatre." Trowa reached out and caught the sleeve of his expensive suit before he could leave. "I never wanted to hurt you."
"Sleep easy, Trowa. You didn't." His smile was rueful. "You're not the only one who made a mistake back then." Extracting himself from the taller man's grip, Quatre turned and walked away, just as Trowa had four years earlier after a night neither of them could seem to forget.
****
It was true that Millardo had heavy security around Relena's exam room, but it was hardly sufficient to stave off a determined Heero. It only took one guard turning his back for one moment to give him plenty of time to slip into the room.
What he saw made him stop short. Relena was asleep, her hair brilliant gold against the crisp white hospital sheets. She was curled up on her side and attached to another IV; she didn't wake when he entered. His hard expression relaxed; she didn't appear to be in any pain at the moment. But he had no idea what she'd gone through after he'd left for his meeting, a mistake he never planned on making again. He'd been foolish to think that leaving her in the warmth of their shared bed for any amount of time would be all right. She wasn't glass and she wouldn't break without him, but she still needed him.
**And you need her.**
He walked to the bed and looked down at the woman who'd become such a huge part of his life. So much had changed since the last time they'd been in the hospital like this. He'd changed. She'd changed him.
"Relena," he whispered.
Her eyelashes fluttered and lifted. "Hi," she whispered back. "Is your face all right?"
"Don't worry about me. Tell me what's going on."
She lifted one shoulder slightly. "I fainted again. Dr. Po thinks it's the poison." Relena's eyes watered. "It's doing something to me, Heero. Something they didn't expect."
He held his tongue, not wanting to upset her further by suggesting that perhaps this was the perpetrator's intent all along. "Nothing is going to happen to you. They want you alive, Relena."
"I think so, too." Her voice was stronger now. "Which is why…I've decided to announce my condition to the public." Before he could protest, she held up her hand as much as she could. "If they think I'm dying, it might make them speak up. And that would give you more to go on. The investigation…it's at a standstill, isn't it?"
"Yeah," he replied, unable to lie to her. "The trail is cold."
Relena closed her eyes for a moment. "This is the best way, Heero. I can't hide from this forever."
"All right," he said after a moment. "I don't like it, but you're right."
"Will you be with me when I give the speech?"
He nodded, and then, realizing her eyes were still closed, gave her a simple, "Yes."
"My brother is here now. Once the press finds out, they'll be permanently camped on my doorstep, even more so than they usually are. There won't be much time for us to…" She opened her eyes and sought his hand. "I feel like I'll be losing something I just found."
"You won't." Heero held her hand within both of his. "I'm not going anywhere. I don't care what anyone thinks or says."
"I don't want to care either." She looked straight at him without reserve. "I love you, Heero. And that's enough for now." Relena settled back into the stiff pillow, her eyes drooping once more. "We can make it enough for now."
Her breathing evened out after only a few moments and Heero laid her hand back down onto the bed. He could watch her sleep forever. With more tenderness than he'd ever exercised in his life, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss onto her forehead.
"Unless you want matching bruises, I suggest you get away from my sister."
Heero straightened up, but didn't turn around. "I owe you for the first, but this isn't the time or the place."
"I said get away from her. You're not good enough to be around her." Millardo's voice was low and cutting.
"And I say, who are you to give orders where Relena is concerned?" Heero glanced over his shoulder, his eyes gleaming dangerously. "You gave up the right to brotherly protectiveness when you tried to kill everything she stands for."
Millardo folded his arms across his grey shirt. "I can make up for my past mistakes."
"And I'll just keep making more?" Heero shrugged. "Probably. She doesn't seem to mind."
"You've always interrupted the flow of her common sense," he replied through gritted teeth. "What else have you done to her?" Heero said nothing. "Have you wormed your way into her bed? Made her fall even more in love with you? Built her up with all sorts of promises you have absolutely no intention of keeping?"
"What happens between me and Relena stays between me and Relena."
Millardo shook his head. "You have no idea how much you could fuck up her life and her career, do you? All it takes is one reporter getting a clue, or god forbid, snapping a picture of you two even looking at each other…and that's it. They'd eat her alive. The soiled golden princess." Snorting, Heero looked away. "If there's any small piece of your black heart that cares about her, you'll end it. Before she winds up paying for it for the rest of her life."
He looked down at Relena. The shiny strands of her hair, the pale rose of her lips, the cream of her complexion…she was everyone's vision of an angel. If her brother was right, and it was found out that she'd let him have her like a whore in a gutter, that image would be gone forever. He wanted to touch her, but there were already too many stains from his hands.
Heero's palms curled up before he gave in and reached for her anyway. He released them and wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. "She loves me. And I…"
There was a hesitant knock on the door. A moment later it opened, revealing Quatre, half hidden behind a mass of orchids. "Have I come at a bad time?" he asked.
"Not at all," Millardo said, not entirely pleasantly. "Commander Yuy was just going."
As Quatre entered, Heero looked at him before shaking his head, thoroughly disgusted. "I've had just about all I can take from…"
The door opened again and Noin appeared. "They're coming to transfer Relena. Have you all managed to keep from spilling any blood?"
"Barely, from the look of things," Quatre replied.
Millardo took his girlfriend's hand. "Everything's fine."
She pursed her lips. "I don't believe you."
The door opened again and Lady Une entered along with Sally and an orderly pushing a wheelchair. "Is the President asleep?" she asked, unnecessarily as all she had to do was look at her to find out. Une's eyes narrowed. "Why are there so many people in here? Does security mean nothing to anyone?"
"There's no point in it anymore," Heero told her. "Relena is going to make a public announcement about her condition."
"Oh, she is, is she?" Une looked at Sally as the woman removed Relena's IV. Her patient frowned and flinched in pain, but didn't wake up. "I wonder where she got an idea like that."
Sally began bandaging the President's wrist. "I have no idea, ma'am."
"Never mind for now. There are already reporters out there who followed the ambulance from the mansion. We need to get her out of here without making the evening news. Can everyone handle that?"
In response to his commanding officer, Heero gently scooped Relena up from the bed. She stirred, nestling her cheek against his shoulder. "There's a back entrance. Bring her car around." He walked straight past the wheelchair and stopped at the door, waiting for it to be opened.
Quatre reached for the door's handle. "You've got her?" he asked softly. The question had nothing to do with the other man's grip on the President.
Heero inclined his head. "I've got her."
****
To Be Continued