It's My Life

Okay, as promised, here's Lena's side of 'For Rel' and 'Get Rel'.

Warning: short thing of lyrics, you can just skip over them of course.

Draca took her position behind the microphone, and took a deep breath before she turned on the microphone and spoke.

"We're back signoras and signores, now it's our final two songs."

Relena watched as the customers began to resume seats either at the tables or at the bar with expressions of anticipation.

"Before we begin, we would like to thank Giorgio for allowing us to play here for your entertainment. Thank you Giorgio, you handsome fellow you! Now, on with the music!" proclaimed Draca, adding a wink to the bartender.

Glancing over at Lynn, Relena caught her eye and nodded before starting up on her short keyboard solo. Then with another curt nod at Lynn, the girls began to sing the chorus.

"I WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD

Kaze wo kakenukete

Nanimo osorezu ni ima yuuki to egao no kakera daite

CHANGE MY MIND

Jounetsu tayasazu ni

Takanaru mirai e te wo nobaseba

Kagayakeru hazu sa IT'S WONDERLAND!"

Pounding on the keyboards, Relena closed her eyes and was transported into her little musical world where the song would enclose about her. In this little world Relena watched her mind's own music video for the song.

Opening her eyes, Relena recalled her attention to where the band was in the music. Fortunately she had done so at that moment or she would have completely missed her entrance with the chorus.

Having noted her lapse, Relena saw Adam give her a questioning look out of the corner of her eye. Inconspicuously, Adam approached Relena until he was right next to her.

"Are you alright?" he shouted over the amps.

"Yeah!" nodded Relena, causing the bass player to quirk an eyebrow. "Seriously Adam, I just got caught up in the music!"

Adam eyed his friend for a moment before he shrugged and returned to his usual spot on the stage. By that time, the song was coming to a close, having ended without Relena's voice occupying the other girls' voices.

The crowd erupted with applause, startling Relena a bit. She glanced about the bar with wide eyes. Relena saw Duo weaving in and out of the crowd asking for a sharpie.

A small smile touched the corners of her mouth. He really wants our autographs badly, that so amazing! Relena thought, her smile growing even broader. Good old Duo.

"Last song people, then it's closing time," announced Draca, pulling Relena's attention back to the band.

Many people from the crowd groaned in disappointment and Relena joined them, but for a different reason. She knew that the closing song was hers and she really didn't want to sing.

"Sorry," Draca apologized, "rules are rules, we can't do anything about them and neither can you, so please just bare with us."

The crowd started to calm down.

Smiling appreciative at the crowd, Draca continued, "Our last song, amazingly enough, is song in English by our keyboardist, Salimar Reigns! Give her a hand people, for she rarely ever sings!"

Relena wanted nothing more than to pound her head on the keyboard, but she suppressed the urge and instead gave a tight smile.

Sensing her discomfort, Adam gave her a thumbs-up while saying, "Take it away girlfriend."

Grinning at the gesture, Relena gave a quick nod, causing all of the instruments to start up the song. Later the music was united with the voices of everyone but Relena.

No, Relena used the time when she wasn't singing to take a few deep breathes to compose herself. Her song wasn't difficult and best of all it was in English, unlike most of 'For Rel's songs.

Taking one last breath, Relena began her solo.

"I kept racing down the stormy highway,

Searching for the whereabouts of my interrupted dream

Letting all my lied and bitter illusions

Blow my back, with the wind."

Leaning forward so that she could sing into the microphone, Relena kept her eyes closed and felt around on the keyboard for the chords. She never liked to have her eyes open and see peoples' reactions while she sang. After she was done, she would open her eyes for the reactions.

"We're all just lonely hearts in the...

Everyone a child lost in love.

Day by day in the big city

Tears only aggravate thoughts that won't rest.

"Tonight…Hurricane

…I want…Hurricane

…to tell you I love you.

…Tonight…Hurricane

…touch me…Hurricane

…like you mean it.

…Touch! Burning touch!"

Feeling the adrenaline rush taking over, Relena pulled away from the microphone and took a few deep, labored breaths while the rest of the band took over for a few lines.

"I cannot share the pain in your heart

With darting words that merely placate.

I want you to tell me what it is

That makes your eyes cloud over.

"In the big city, our hearts are all torn and tattered,

And we're tired of dancing around each other at night,

So in the big city's empty days,

We waited anxiously for a little warmth.

"Tonight…Hurricane

…I want…Hurricane

…to tell you I love you.

…Tonight…Hurricane

…I want…Hurricane

…to hold you once more.

Touch! Burning touch!"

Relena had only enough time to take a deep breath while Adam and Sage kept the tempo going.

"We're all just lonely hearts in the big city

Everyone a child lost in love.

Day by day in the big city

Tears only aggravate thoughts that won't rest.

"Tonight…Hurricane

…I want…Hurricane

…to tell you I love you.

…Tonight…Hurricane

…touch me…Hurricane

…like you mean it.

Touch! Give me touch!"

Repeating the chorus with the entire band, Relena slowly began to open her eyes.

"Give me touch!"

One last breath.

Burning touch!"

Everyone, literally everyone, stood up and roared in applause for the band. It wasn't a complete surprise to anyone in the band but it was no less exhilarating than when they had first performed for a crowd.

Being the lead vocalist and spokeswoman for the band, Draca was the first to speak to the crowd.

"Thank you all! We're glad we could entertain you tonight, and perhaps we made your evening a bit better," she told them. "As all good things have to come to an end, so do us. Good night folks, hope to see you all some other time."

The crowd began moving towards the doors at a very slow rate. Relena understood that it was closing time and it was going on to one in the morning, as normal so it was natural that not many people would stick around afterwards.

Everyone in the band immediately began taking down his and hers respectable instrument, with Draca assisting Sage since he had the most to take apart; it was a drum set after all.

"That was overwhelming," spoke up Lynn as she disconnected her guitar to the amp then pulled out her guitar case from behind the drum set.

This was another tradition for the band, sharing how they felt after a performance. It gave them a better understanding of each other, getting to know who was a nervous wreck, who thought they could have done better and where. Most other bands, especially instrumental bands, probably didn't have that kind of communication.

"Better than making speeches to a bunch of old men," added Adam teasingly, and Relena knew that was directed at her and Lynn.

The group knew that Lynn had been very vocal in local politics back in France; always making speeches to the old counsel members.

"How about you Draca, how are you doing?" Adam inquired.

"Very good, that was exhilarating! Unbelievable, it's so pressuring to do that for such a large crowd," she answered glancing towards Sage who was placing the bass drum and cymbals on a rolling cart that was off in the back of the bar.

Glancing up from packing her wires, Relena saw that Sage was ignoring Draca's invitation to voice his opinion. Shaking her head, Relena returned to disassembling the keyboard, she needed someone's help with the keyboard itself.

"What about you Sage?" Draca challenged. "Express how you feel after playing in front of such a large crowd."

"Relieved that I don't have to see anyone of them since I sit down the entire time, and just play the drums with my eyes closed," he replied taking the snare drum from Draca.

Passing by Relena as she and Lynn grabbed the keyboard, Sage smirked, "Your turn Salimar."

"Personally, I'm still flustered," admitted Relena, still feeling hot in cheeks from her solo. "God, I must still be blushing like mad!"

Putting the keyboard into its case and folding up the stand, Relena placed the items off to the side where she could keep an eye on them while rolling up the cord for the speakers.

"Nah, you're not blushing that badly," reassured a gentle, proper voice that Relena would have recognized anywhere.

Quatre…

Swallowing quickly, Relena turned around along with the other 'For Rel' band members to see the entire 'Preventer table' standing off the stage.

Wow, was all Relena could think before she recovered herself. You're playing the role of Salimar, Relena, don't forget that! "Good sir, I thank thee," she nodded in a playful manner, keeping an innocent tone to her voice. "What, pray tell, is thy name?"

"Quatre Rabera Winner."

Biting the inside of her lower lip, Relena fought hard against the dimple that threatened to appear on her face.

"Big guy eh?" Lynn remarked in a tone that showed how impressed she was. "Wow, a rich colonist has come to…" There was hint of questioning in her tone.

"He's here for my birthday, and these other people are friends," explained Sylvia and Relena closed her eyes for a moment to keep from cringing.

Even as Sylvia began to introduce each of the preventers, Relena had to maintain a look of indifference and kept her eyes relaxed so that she wouldn't accidentally start glaring at the new Vice Foreign Minister.

Suddenly, Hilde spoke up, "Hilde Schibecker, I'm Duo's girlfriend."

Already aware of this, Relena couldn't help but giggle a bit. Then she covered it up by saying, "Of course you are, that would make perfect sense why you were jealous earlier when he was trying to flirt with us."

Duo put his hands up in the background and began to signal for Relena to not say anything about him trying to flirt with the girls.

"Plus," Relena added reassuringly, "none of us are really interested in having a boyfriend, so have no fear your man is safe from us."

"Yeah, yeah! Speaking of me, I got a marker so can you five sign my collar?" Duo butted in holding out a black sharpie and his collar.

"Sure thing, but who's that guy?!" Lynn inquired, gesturing to Heero despite the fact that she knew who he was.

Taking the marker and collar, Lynn signed her name on it while waiting for someone to answer her question. When no one did she sighed, "Come on, it's not that difficult of a question is it?"

"This is Heero Yuy, my boyfriend," introduced Sylvia with a challenging glare.

Relena wanted to snort, laugh out loud, say 'sure', do anything to Sylvia but she kept every temptation inside in fear that she might inadvertently give away her identity. The situation was even more hilarious to Relena since Sylvia was giving Lynn, of all people, the 'stay away from my man' glare.

Lynn noticed the glare and became quite defensive as she handed Draca the collar and marker. "Wipe that glare from your eyes please girly, I have no intention whatsoever of attempting to steal your man," she informed Sylvia in the Lynn-Draca fashion.

Draca began to sing the chorus of an old R&B song, 'Don't Mess With My Man,' until Relena playfully hit her above the head. Relena liked the song but their concert was over with, so there was to be no more singing until the 10 o'clock.

"Quiet you, you've had all the evening to sing, take a break. Also, hurry up, we got class tomorrow," she reminded Draca, even though it was actually for the preventer groups' benefit. "Do all of you want autographs or is there something else we can do for you all?"

"Could answer a few questions of ours," responded Sally, getting up on the platform and helping Relena put the amps on the floor. Those things were always heavy.

"Not now, we have to hurry up and get everything loaded into our vans. Though we could most likely meet somewhere and answer your questions, that is if you're staying in Verona," Adam elucidated as he began pushing the cart with most of the drum set on it out the back door.

Almost blessing Adam right then and there, Relena held her tongue and instead gave Adam a small wink.

"Heero is staying, so is Hilde and Duo I think," Sylvia countered, much to Relena's displeasure.

They just can't leave me be, can they? she thought, wanting to shake her head ruefully.

"Good luck trying to find us, unless you have a place set where you want to meet already," Draca snorted sounding a bit bitter.

"How about we meet at La Volta Celeste tomorrow for lunch?" suggested Sylvia.

Everyone in the band stopped whatever they were doing and turned to the Vice Foreign Minister with wide eyes, including Relena. Each of them were either shocked or horrified to hear the name 'La Volta Celeste' for it was well known to be a high priced restaurant where the customers would have to wear suites and dresses.

"What?" Sylvia inquired, seeing the questioning stares.

"Do you realize how expensive that place is?" asked Draca, her voice made the restaurant sound scandalous.

Not even I would go there to eat willingly, Relena mentally commented as she was handed the collar and marker.

Draca then suggested the band's favorite hang out place, "How about La Terra, a place we can afford to have lunch at?!"

"That's fine," Heero piped up finally.

Raising an eyebrow as she signed the collar, Relena tried hard not to look up with amused eyes. It had taken him that long to interrupt?! It was a tad bit on the pathetic side.

Instead, she looked up with a smile while beaming, "Great! Here's your collar, Duo."

Handing the collar to Duo, Relena made certain not to meet his eyes, just in case there was something in them that even someone like Duo would recognize.

"It was great meeting you all, hopefully the rest of you will decide to stick around a little bit and we'll all meet up again," added Relena, being more polite than what she felt, especially toward Sylvia and Heero.

Exchanging farewells and hand shakes, 'For Rel' watched the preventer group exit the bar before speaking up again.

"That was interesting," noted Sage, he had kept out of the conversation as much as possible so that he could see how Sylvia would behave toward his friends.

"Interesting or "interesting"?" questioned Lynn adding in quotations around the second interesting.

"The latter," answered Sage, looking around to see that everything was packed and had been moved out to the vans. "Well, we better get going, no?"

"Agreed," approved the group and they exited out the back door, saying good night to Giorgio.

Inside van number two with Adam and Draca, Relena banged her head against the back of Adam's seat. "I can't believe this! I can't believe this!" she began to chant.

Adjusting her mirror, Draca watched Relena with a look of confusion. "Believe it hon, and you handled yourself quite well for your first encounter with your friends," she said. "So, it can't all be that bad."

"Actually," Adam piped up, "it can be. Sage and I left that box of goodies with photos and Lena's ID bracelets back at the old house in hopes of one day returning. Plus we kind of forgot that we had hidden it hopes that no thief would steal them."

"Idiot!" Draca scolded while Relena groaned in the backseat.

"I'm doomed! Heero's bound to figure it out if he ever returns to that house, and trust me, he will as soon as he realizes that Adam's car was a dead end," Relena reasoned.

Adam sighed in defeat. "Damn, all our fun and games have to end soon."

Relena's eyes snapped open and she bolted into a sitting position. "Adam," she muttered, making Adam veer around in his seat to face her, "you're a genius!"

"Uh?" was all Adam could say before Relena gave him a quick hug and pulled out a mobile cellular phone. She dialed a long distance phone number and waited as the phone began to ring.

Someone answered the phone.

"Frankie? I need a favor, do know anyone who is currently in London?" Relena inquired and listened intently to her cousin's reply. "Jackson? Really…? Do you happen to have his contact number?"

Even from the front seat Adam could hear Frankie's outraged accusations and assumptions.

"Touchy," he remarked.

"No Frankie, I'm not suggesting or hinting that you and Jackson might be a couple. You have made it very clear to me that you will most likely never think of him as anything but a friend, and maybe not even that. I'm only asking because I need him to do me a favor," explained Relena, catching Frankie's curiosity. "I need him to help put in motion a little game I have in mind for Heero Yuy, who, by the way, I just saw tonight as Salimar Reigns."

More outrage yells were heard.

"He was in Verona with my other friends to celebrate his girlfriend, Sylvia Noventa's, birthday. They happened to be at the bar we perform at…" Frankie interrupted with questions of how Relena handled herself, did Heero notice it was her, ect. "I doubt he knew it was me, after all, I do wear a wig and I just got some new contacts and some new clothes."

"Nice clothes too!" Draca added, raising her voice so that Frankie could hear her.

"Yes, that was Draca," Relena nodded with a grin as she pulled out a pen and paper. "Uh-huh, uh-huh…thank you so much Frankie, I owe you big for this." Her cousin seconded that notation. "Yeah, I'll make it up to you at Christmas time. Love you…bye."

Adam turned around in his seat and gave his friend an inquiring eyebrow. "What is your plan Lena and what are going to have Jackson do?"

Putting a finger to her lips, Relena put the phone to her ear again as it began to ring. "Jackson? Hi, this is Frankie's cousin Relena Darlian." The young man seemed to take a couple of minutes to remember Relena before he replied enthusiastic.

"Yeah, the former Vice Foreign Minister," she clarified. "Listen, I need a favor of you, if it's not too much trouble…"

Thank you to: Ulitheal, Lynn-Minmay, Morrighan of Crimson and Sable, and Lil Dev G. You know what, this is really fun writing 'For Rel' and 'Get Rel' from Relena's POV. It really is!