Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gundam Wing characters. I only own the bad guys. I couldn't make up characters as cool as Heero, I mean come on! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 1

Relena sat quietly as she leaned against the window of the plane. She could see so far from up here. The sky was a brilliant blue scattered with puffy white clouds and the sun was shining brightly for all to see. It was a perfect day...for most people. She didn't find it to be quite so amazing. She was tired. She had been to so many meetings and conferences that she couldn't even remember the last time she had just sat down and thought. The past two weeks had been a complete blur. She was only a teenage girl, wasn't she supposed to be having...what was that word again?...Fun?

She looked out the window and thought back about all the things that had happened to her in just the past few years. She had discovered her real identity as Relena Peacecraft for starters, then she had met all the Gundam pilots, and then she'd taken on the role of leader of the Peacecraft Foundation! Quite a lot for a young girl!

However, there was one thing that always stuck in her mind no matter what. That one thing was Heero Yuy. He had never actually shown any feelings towards her, but for some reason she couldn't forget him. At first she thought it was just a silly crush she had on him, but lately she'd really begun to question herself. The feelings she had seemed to be a lot stronger than just a crush.

Relena smiled to herself. It seemed so long ago that she had first met the infamous Heero. Those dark blue eyes, the messy hair that still looked cute, his muscular physique, and mostly that solemn expression he always wore. Even it seemed cute to her. He had come wanting to kill her and since then had completely devoted himself to protecting her. He was willing to die for her if that was what it would take. That one thing made her feel more strongly towards him than anyone she had ever known. No one had ever cared about her enough to risk their own life. Even after she tried to convince herself that Heero could never really care for her, her thoughts of him always came back to haunt her. Maybe it was possible, that somewhere deep down, he did care.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted. "Would everyone please fasten your seatbelts. We will be landing shortly. Will everyone please fasten your seat belts." She sighed. She was glad to be back home, but she still wasn't happy. There were still meetings to go to and papers to sign. She felt like a forty-year-old woman. She was always tired and never did anything fun. She knew there had to be more to life than this.

When the plane landed she was met at the gate by airport security. Someone was always watching over her no matter how much she hated it. "How was your flight Miss Relena?"

She put on a fake smile and replied, "It was lovely. Thank you." The security led her to another gate where she could pick up her luggage and she was pleasantly surprised to see all the Gundam pilots waiting on her. When they saw her coming they all jumped up..well, all of them except Duo. Quatre leaned over, "Duo...Duo! Wake up!"

"Wha..What? Oh!"

Relena smiled. Right as she was about to open her mouth a huge shout came from the five pilots. "Happy Birthday Relena!"

She gasped. "Aww, thank you! I'd almost completely forgotten!"

Duo looked at her with a weird grin. "Are you crazy?! How can you forget something like that? I mean you get cake, and presents, a party, and did I mention cake?" She laughed.

"Anyway," Quatre cut in, "We have a whole day of fun things planned for you so that you can relax. It's kind of a welcome home and birthday celebration!"

Relena's face lit up. "You have no idea how bad I need this." Heero grabbed Relena's bags and carried them out to her usual pink limo. Heero threw the bags into the back and then told the driver to take her things back to her house. She eyed him curiously. "Wh..Why did you send the driver away?" She turned to the pilots, but none of them said anything. Duo was, however, covering his mouth trying not to laugh.

Quatre walked up to Relena and gave his usual polite bow. "Miss Relena, will you please follow us?" They took off towards the parking lot with a bewildered Relena tagging along. They stopped when they came to five motorcycles.

Duo turned to her. "This will be our mode of transportation today. We hope that you will find it most enjoyable. You'll ride on the back, feel the wind on your face," he said with a dramatic toss of his head, "and the wind in your hair, and Ow!"

Trowa whacked him in the back of the head. "We get the idea!"

Duo frowned, but then he looked up at her and smiled again. "You may ride with me fair maiden." Suddenly his face changed to a scowl. "Actually I think you should ride with Heero." She turned towards Heero and noticed him glaring at Duo. "He is a much better driver after all." Heero noticed her looking at him and quickly put on his usual melancholy face. He did manage to give her a small smile as he handed her a helmet. She gently took it from him and slightly brushed his hand as she did. His face changed for just an instant and then he looked at her. She smiled and put on the helmet. As she was climbing on behind him she thought she saw a smirk on his face, but she couldn't be sure. She placed her arms around his waist and held on tight. Heero smiled secretly beneath his helmet. He revved the engine, hit the throttle, and then they were off.

Their first stop for the afternoon was a pizza place for lunch. As they got off their bikes and took off their helmets, Relena glanced over at Heero. She could be wrong, but she could have sworn she saw a smile on his face. Duo came over and poked him in the ribs. "Hey!" he said with a huge grin. "Ya havin fun buddy?" Heero almost seemed to blush at the comment for just a split second, but it was hardly noticeable because he quickly covered it up. She giggled to herself, "Maybe he does care more than I think."

They walked into the pizza place and sat down at a booth. Quatre was about to slide in next to Relena, but Heero grabbed his arm. Quatre spun around and was met with a death glare. He quickly moved out of the way and sat down on the other side of the booth. Heero then quickly slipped in beside her. She smiled at him. He was just staring straight ahead. He looked like something was on his mind.

"What's wrong with me? Why am I acting like this? I've never felt like this before. I always feel like this when I'm near her. What is it about her? She is the only person who has ever been able to defeat me. I couldn't kill her before and now I can't even keep my thoughts straight! How can she do this to me? I'm the perfect soldier! We are just friends...we are just friends....or....are we?"

Suddenly he was shocked back into reality when he heard Duo laughing unreasonably loud at something. Knowing Duo it probably wasn't even all that funny. But that's what made Duo...well...Duo! The waiter came to their table and they ordered their food. They finished it off easily between the six of them. They headed back out to continue the afternoon of fun. Relena jumped back on behind Heero and before they took off she asked, "Where are we going next?"

Heero turned around and looked at her. The corners of his mouth twitched as he gave a small grin. "You'll just have to wait and see."

"Heero, please tell me."

He shook his head. "Now, now Princess Relena. You're just going to have to be patient. Now hold on tight!" Just as he said the last few words he revved the engine and they took off.

Relena watched all the scenery go flying by as they rode along. They slowly left the city and everything was getting greener and prettier. She loved it! All around her there were trees and wildflowers. It was just like a painting. A small creek even ran beside them for a good distance. The water trickled over stones and splashed down small waterfalls. It was beautiful. She even saw some deer drinking from the creek until they were scared away by the motorcycles. She raised her head up to the sky and took a deep breath. This is what life should be like. Even the air smelled different. She felt the wind blowing through her hair and the sun beating down on her skin. Everything was just so perfect!

After just a little more riding she noticed a small clearing coming into view. In the middle of the clearing there was a cute looking, old cottage. It was sort of run down now, but you could tell that years ago it was absolutely gorgeous. It still had its shutters on the windows and a rail around the porch. The paint was peeling off and a few of the windows were broken, but for the most part it was still in good condition. There was even a huge lake right behind the house! It was just beautiful here!

They pulled up to the front of the house and they all dismounted. Everyone began to race inside except for Heero and Relena. He grabbed her hand and spun her around to face him. They were only about a foot apart. She looked right into his eyes just as he was staring into hers. There was something different about him. Usually when she looked at him she couldn't see anything except hatred or anger. But this time was different. There was something else hiding behind his eyes. It was a kindness and gentleness. There was also sadness. She could suddenly read him so well. He was letting her in. She could actually see his soul when she looked at him, not just a mask.

He suddenly broke the stare and pulled a blindfold out of his pocket. He smiled at her and then reached up to tie it over her eyes. She felt his hand brush lightly across her cheek and it sent a tingling sensation all over her body. She then felt him take hold of her hand once more and he began leading her towards the house.

When they got inside the house he let go of her hand and in one swift motion ripped the blind fold away from her eyes. "Surprise!" Everyone was in there and the whole place was decorated. There were balloons, cake, presents, confetti, and everything!

A huge grin crossed her face. "Thank you so much! This is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me!"

Trowa smiled back at her. "You should be thanking Heero. It was all his idea."

She turned around and gave him a big hug. "Thank you Heero. This is the best birthday ever!" She was very surprised when she felt his arms go around her waist and return the hug. Her smile got even bigger. It felt so good to have his strong arms around her. Duo raised an eyebrow. When they let go everyone was staring at them.

Heero glared. "What are you guys looking at?"

Duo chuckled slightly. "Nothing...nothing at all."

After they'd all had some cake and just hung out for a little while, Duo ran to the table and announced that it was time for gifts. One by one the each gave Relena their gift. So far she'd gotten a pair of earrings from Trowa, a pearl bracelet from Quatre, and a little stuffed puppy from Wufei. The next person in line to give his gift was Duo. He had two boxes in his hand. He handed her the first one and she slowly began opening it. She tore off the paper and just as she was lifting the lid, tons of fake snakes and spiders all jumped out at her. She threw the box in the air and screamed. Heero instinctively jumped up, ready protect her. Duo burst out laughing and Relena glared at him. "Typical Duo," she thought as she shook her head at him. Heero sat down with a groan and rolled his eyes. After the laughing had subsided, Duo handed her his last gift. She looked at him questioningly. "Should I be scared of this one?"

He grinned. "No, this one is the real thing. I promise." She pulled off the paper and lifted the lid. Inside there was a huge bath set. It had lotion, bubble bath, a body scrub, and a body spray. It was beautiful and it smelled great!

She gave Duo a quizzical look. "You picked this out?"

Duo gave a lop-sided grin. "Well, actually Hilde helped me cause I had no idea what to get you."

She laughed. "Well remind me to thank her later then too."

The last person to give his gift was Heero. She couldn't wait to see what he'd gotten her. He handed her a blue bag and actually smiled as he did so. "I hope you like it." She smiled sweetly and began to pull away the tissue paper. Inside she found the cutest little teddy bear! She yanked it out and hugged it close to her. "It's adorable!" Then she noticed a black, velvet box at the bottom of the bag. She reached in and opened it slowly. She gasped when she saw it. It was a 14K gold chain that had a little heart shaped locket attached to it. She carefully pulled it out of the box and started to put it on.

Heero walked over to her and gently took it from her. "Let me help you." She silently obeyed. She felt his touch once again. His hands brushed ever so lightly against the back of her neck. She felt the same tingling sensation go up and down her spine.

After he successfully clasped the locket around her neck he went around and stood directly in front of her. She smiled lovingly at him. "I love it," she said quietly as she rubbed the locket between her fingers. Heero smiled at her. This time it was a real smile. His whole heart seemed to go into this one. His eyes even seemed to sparkle at her.

Just then Duo turned the radio on and began running around the room dancing and singing. "Let's party!" Everyone laughed at him. Relena didn't want him to feel bad so she got up and started to dance too. Soon everyone was dancing. Even Heero! She smiled as she watched him. He looked almost like a normal teenage boy.

The music soon changed to a slow song and everyone immediately stood still. Relena took in a deep breath and walked over to Heero. She smiled at him and he nodded and smiled back. He stood up and took her hand and led her to the center of the room. He put his arms around her waist and she put her arms around his neck. She rested her chin on his shoulder and they slowly began rocking back and forth to the beat. Everyone stood back and watched them. They were in awe at the fact that Heero was actually dancing with her. They knew he liked her, but he'd never shown it before. Heero and Relena just looked right into each other's eyes. Nothing else mattered to them. This was the first time they'd ever held each other and they were going to treasure it. They were in a world all their own.