The men were interrupted by a soft knock on the door.
"Is Heero here?" Relena's small voice asked as she crept into the library with Trowa not far behind as always. Quatre looked over at Heero quickly who hadn't moved from beside the window and he sighed.
"We were just going to check on the girls," Quatre said jerking his head towards Duo and Wufei who both nodded.
"Yeah we were just leaving," Duo repeated backing out of the door, he and Wufei went to find the girls. Quatre followed last stopping beside Trowa.
"Trowa, I wondered in we might have a few words," Quatre asked politely and Trowa seemed surprised but please Quatre wanted to speak with him. After all it had been a long time since the two friends had talked together.
"Of course Quatre, anything for a friend and comrade," Trowa agreed looking to Relena for permission and Relena nodded at him.
"I'll be all right," she assured him and throwing Heero a look Trowa left the room closing the door softly behind him.
Relena wasn't sure what she could possibly say. She just needed to speak to him, to hear his voice.
"Heero, I wanted to talk to you I wanted…" Relena tried speaking but the words faded from her lips when Heero turned to face her, his facial expression impossible to read.
"I heard you, when you tried to get Lady Une to send Rei back to the laboratory," the accusation in Heero's voice was more than Relena could bear. She knew he was disappointed in her and it killed her to know he thought of her so poorly.
"I thought it would be best…" Relena tried to excuse herself, embarrassed at being caught out but Heero wouldn't let her finish.
"For whom? Rei or yourself?"
"Heero I…" Relena didn't know what else she could say to make it better. Heero stared at her with those clear blue eyes, so intensely focused upon her and Relena stepped closer towards him, reaching out for him, but Heero deliberately avoided her hand stepping away from her.
"I don't love you Relena, I could never love you," Heero told her abruptly and coldly and at his words Relena pressed a hand to her mouth to smother her cry of pain. She had never expected him to say anything to her like that, even though deep down she knew he only spoke the truth, that didn't make it hurt any less. The tears were falling before she knew it but Relena made no move to brush them away, she merely stared at him. At his impassive, unforgiving features.
"But I love you Heero," Relena cried burying her face in her hands and she felt Heero touch the side of her face and she looked up to face him hoping against hope that he would tell her he loved her too. But she knew deep inside that wasn't what he was about to say. She knew his words before he said them.
"No you don't," Heero told her certainly and then he turned and strode from the room leaving Relena to cry by herself as she realised that she would never have Heero as her own.
Wufei went searching for Mako with a mission on his mind. Talking with Quatre, and after what happened with Heero and Rei, Wufei was starting to think that living in the Mansion wasn't going to be enough to keep the girls safe. It was the time now for desperate measures. Wufei would do anything to make sure Mako would be safe, even consider commitment. He met Mako coming out of the library and she threw her arms around his neck giggling happily. Wufei was surprised to find he didn't mind her clinging to him as she did and he manoeuvred them so that they were heading towards the gazebo where they could be alone.
"Wufei how exciting, imagine getting married!" Mako breathed delirious with joy and Wufei observed her with a half smile.
"Don't turn into a sappy weak onna on me," he joked with her, a smirk on his face and Mako turned to him her eyes wide with shock.
"Was that a joke?" Mako asked him incredulously and Wufei realised he had let down his guard. And in front of Mako no less.
"No," Wufei snorted, tyring to cover his mistake but Mako wouldn't hear of it.
"Yes it was, it was a joke, I don't believe it," Mako laughed at him bestowing on him a kiss so luscious Wufei forgot all about hiding his smiles.
"Don't tell anyone," he winked at her when they parted and Mako admired him a few moments in wonder.
"You've changed so much," Mako told him in wonder and Wufei knew it was now that he needed to tell Mako, to tell her just how he felt.
"Mako, I…the way I feel about you…I…" Wufei wasn't exactly sure how to say it, he had never told anyone this before. Not even his wife for although he admired his late wife, Wufei never really loved her. But Mako, Mako he was sure he loved.
"I love you too Wufei," Mako said easily and Wufei stared at her with admiration showing in his eyes.
"How do you know what I am thinking all the time?" he questioned her shaking his head in wonder and Mako smiled kissing him quickly.
"Because I love you, you crazy oaf, isn't that obvious?"
"Mako, I…I love…you," Wufei managed to force out and Mako stroked the side of his face lovingly.
"I know you do," she replied sweetly and Wufei grasped her two hands in his squeezing them more tightly than he meant to but Mako didn't complain.
"Marry me Mako," Wufei proposed much to Mako's apparent disbelief.
"What?"
"Marry me," Wufei repeated and Mako let out a loud chuckle.
"As you command it," she accepted willingly and Wufei pulled her into his arms and kissed her roughly, Mako giggling the whole time.
The same sort of thoughts were running through Duo's head when he ran into Minako later that night when he was pacing the halls.
"What are you doing out here my love?" she asked him lovingly coming out of her room, a worried look on her face as she tapped him under the chin, "is something wrong"
"No nothing," Duo told her a little preoccupied with his thoughts but Minako knew something was wrong.
"Duo," her voice lowered considerably, telling him she was loosing her patience with him and Duo recognised it turning to actually look at her.
Seeing her in her nightgown, her hair hanging freely about her face, her blue eyes so worried for him and on impulse Duo pulled her to him closely kissing the top of her head.
"I love you Minako, you know that don't you?" Duo asked her and Minako smiled at how strange he was acting.
"Of course," she said smiling and Duo hugged her again.
"Then marry me, I want to look after you forever," he whispered in her ear and Minako's eyes widened with surprise.
"Oh Duo, yes I will marry you!" she exclaimed and Duo wrapped her into his arms spinning her around.
"Minako, you make me the happiest man alive," Duo swore and Minako didn't need to speak. Instead she bequeathed him a kiss that Duo gratefully accepted.
When Heero had made sure the Rei had made it to her bedroom safely and was sleeping quietly in her bed, he retreated to his room and opened up his laptop to find there was a video message waiting for him. It was from Lady Une and Heero sat down across from his screen and pressed the play button.
"Heero I have a mission for you and you alone. Your mission is to marry Princess Relena, do you accept?" the image of Lady Une gave him this mission and Heero viewed the screen for a long while then typed out an e-mail to Lady Une.
"Mission accepted," Heero agreed pressing send on the e-mail and closing the lid to his laptop with a decisive snap.
AN: Please don't hate me! I know Heero marrying Relena wasn't part of the vision of this story but hey, it suits me just fine!