Thanks to everyone that reviewed! It gave me much motivation to continue. Anyhow, I will try to update as frequently as possible, but please be patient…I have finals this week.
Same disclaimer applies…Enjoy :)
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Seven months before…
Relena smiled cheerily to all the attendants who had lined up on the steps to welcome her back, all with their uniforms nicely pressed. She walked through the entrance and listened as the doorman closed the door with a clean click. Taking a deep breath, she sighed, glad to be back here again. She would always think of the place she grew up in as home, but this was her sanctuary, the place where she was at peace – the palace of the Sanq Kingdom.
Allowing one of the servants to take her bags for her, she made her way leisurely to her room. She looked at the paintings and portraits that hung on the wall, recalling the names of her ancestors and family. Relena had looked into her history and memorized each name and face, wanting to know where she came from; the former Vice Foreign Minister Dorlian and his wife were her parents, but these people were her blood.
The young Vice Foreign Minister stopped in front of a young boy's portrait. Milliardo, she thought wistfully. It had been a while since she had seen him and Noin. They were still partners in the more elusive branch of the Preventers and had been married two years ago. Relena had a suspicion that they would settle down sometime soon and start their own family, but you never knew with those two.
She continued down the hall until she came to the large door the led into her room. Smiling again, she pushed it open and stepped onto the plush carpet. With a sudden burst and a smothered giggle, she leapt onto her bed, landing softly on the down comforter with her hair spread around her. She sighed contentedly and smiled. It was good to be home.
Peace had come again after the incident with the Barton Foundation and the destruction of the Gundams. People seemed to have learned their lesson and had started standing up for themselves and their right to peace. That made Relena's job all the easier but not unnecessary. While most of the people of the earth sphere had decided to make a conscious effort at keeping peace, many of the leading countries still had problems getting along. That's where she came in.
The former Queen of the World had a knack for solving disputes between nations in a nonviolent way. Her skills for negotiating and conveying her own passion for peace were unmatched in the political realm, gaining her respect and admiration wherever she went. She was one of the most sought after political figures of the day, and she enjoyed her work. However, there was one thing missing from her world in the limelight.
She rolled over on her bed and reached for a certain stuffed bear. Her smile dimmed slightly and her eyes became s a bit distant as she thought about him. He had been gone so long; the last time she had seen him was when he had given her the bear, 3 years before. But still, she knew that he was out there watching out for her. She had never had a single security failure, not one threatening moment, and she had learned too much about the former pilot to think that was a coincidence.
Relena sighed and sat back up, placing the teddy bear back in its place on her pillows. There would be time enough for nostalgia later. Besides, if he was supposed to come back into her life then he would do so at the proper time. Placing her smile back on her face, she remembered another happy thought; dinner was about to be served.
Outside the palace, a figure roamed about the orchard in the twilight. It hadn't been noticed as it had crossed over the perimeter of the grounds, and it now wandered around completely unobserved. This, however, was no surprise to it, being as prolific in getting past security as it was.
The figure stopped at a tree grouping near a small clearing with a bench and a couple swings. As a few of the fading rays from the sun filtered through the trees, the figure was momentarily illuminated. It was a young man of about twenty years old with unruly brown hair who stood about 5 foot 8 inches tall. The light shown off of cobalt eyes just before the trees hid him in shadow. He knew she would come here tonight; she always did after a long trip.
A couple hours of patient waiting later, the predicted event came to play. The blonde headed young lady left the palace and found her way to the clearing and sat on the bench. It had always been a favorite spot of hers, a place where she could clear her mind completely of the most recent political squabble and let calm reign again in her mind. She never thought to ask why it was here that she felt so at peace, but if she had thought about it she might have remembered a time when she had shared this particular bench with a certain pilot.
Relena allowed herself to drift off into her own world of thoughts, filled with pleasant ideas of the present and wistful memories from the past. She never even noticed that someone was watching from just behind the trees, but then again she never did. He had watched her since the day he had shot Mariemeia to restore the peace they had all worked so hard to achieve.
The young pilot wondered if she knew he watched over her, but he soon concluded that it didn't matter. Whether she did or not wasn't going to change his decision; he had waited in the shadows long enough. Those that had sought him had for the most part been dealt with, and he had learned to live with himself one way or another. There was only one thing wrong with his life in this peaceful world now; something was missing.
He had always known that he needed her to be near him. Her strength had always infused him when he had wanted to give up, whether on life or a mission it hadn't mattered. He had always depended on her but had never admitted it much less known why.
After much deliberation, he had come to the conclusion that he needed her for more than that. She was the life that gave his meaning. No matter how many missions he had completed, no matter how many times he helped to bring peace to the world, nothing mattered to him until he knew it mattered to her. Because she strived for peace and the well being of other people, he made it his goal to fulfill those desires. It had only been recently that he had realized just how much in his life he did just to see her happy; her happiness meant the world to him.
And now he was here, hoping that what he was about to do would bring that happiness into her eyes again. He wasn't sure that it was the most logical or wisest thing to do, but it couldn't wait any longer; he couldn't wait any longer. He needed to hear her voice as she talked to him, teaching him all the things about life and contentment that he had never thought necessary until he met her; he was ready.
The young man made his way silently from the shadows that surrounded him to the bench and slowly slid into the seat next to her and watched as she turned and jumped slightly at the sight of someone next to her. Her eyes showed defense first, then she put on her usual smile and tried to look friendly. He opened his mouth to say something, but recognition suddenly flashed in her eyes and her entire expression changed to one of shock. The former pilot wasn't sure what to do, so he waited while she went from shocked to overwhelmed.
"He...Heero?" she asked quietly, afraid that speaking would cause him to vanish. Relief washed over her when he didn't.
"Relena, I," was all he could say before tears began to run down her face. She maintained her composure as much as possible, the tears only falling slowly; but she couldn't hold it all back. Relena reached out to touch him, proving to herself that he was real. Her hand pulled back slightly when it landed on his chest but soon was pressed against it again.
"Heero, you're really here." She wanted so much to just let herself believe it and to hope that he was back to stay, but experience had taught her not to jump to conclusions so fast. At the moment, she simply allowed herself to be content with his presence.
Heero tried to remember what it was he had settled on saying when he got here but couldn't. And so, they sat on the bench, staring at one another in a silence that seemed to make time stop around them. Neither one moved, they hardly breathed, fearing to break the moment. Relena finally braved motion as she reached up to touch his hair and his face before finally drawing her hand back to rest with the other in her lap. Taking a deep breath, the tranquil smile that she had always shown and actually felt at the present moment appeared on her face.
"It's getting cold out here; we should go inside. Don't you think so, Heero?" she asked politely, hoping with all her heart that he would agree and walk back to the house with her. To her delight, he nodded slightly with a quiet "hn" and stood. Relena followed suit and soon they found themselves at the side door to the palace.
Relena's heals clicked quietly on the hard floor as she led Heero through the large rooms and halls to the west wing where the bedrooms were situated. She slowed to a stop in front of a door and paused before looking back at him. Smiling, she opened it and ushered him inside.
"If you would like, you may stay in this room. I believe you used it once before." The young girl watched as he entered and took in his surroundings, most likely calculating the quickest exit and best defensive locations. Finally, he nodded and turned to her.
"Thank you." Two simple words, yet they made her almost lightheaded. Maybe he did intend on staying this time, at least for a while. But at the moment, all she cared was that he was there and would be staying until tomorrow. Heero….
She turned to walk back out into the hallway but stopped short at the door. Her gaze swept back over her shoulder as she gave him one last smile. "I'm glad that you're here, Heero." After that, the door clicked shut softly and he footsteps could be heard fading off down the hall.
Heero let out an almost contented sigh and walked over to the bed. The bed boards creaked slightly under his weight as he sat on it, slightly cautious about the comfort it offered. Even after the past few years, he couldn't erase his military oriented mind set; and comfort had never been a necessity for completing missions.
The room smelled just like he remembered, bringing back memories of a time long past. There was, however, a hint of something different, a scent that Relena had left behind. It was comforting knowing she was here and he could finally have her back in his life. Something akin to a smile flitted rapidly across his lips.
He shook his head; he would have to put those thoughts off until tomorrow, when they could be more than just thoughts. They would be reality. Slowly, he took off his shoes, belt, and shirt and slid under the covers of the bed. Not a necessity, no; but certainly a nicety as the chill from outside had crept in through the window. Soon, he was in a restful sleep, devoid of the usual dreams that troubled his sleep.
After Relena found her room, she took down her hair and ran a brush through it before slipping out of her clothes and into her pajamas. Once in bed, she tried her hardest to fall asleep but found that she couldn't. Her heart had picked up its pace since she left Heero's room and would not slow down to allow her the rest she needed.
It was exhilarating and frightening at the same time having him back in her life. She wanted to jump for joy, but just when she was about to let herself go her mind reminded her of the many times he had shown up just to leave again. He had never said goodbye before he left; he had simply vanished. She wasn't sure that she could go through that again, but she was willing to try again.
Finally choosing the give it another whole-hearted chance, she closed her eyes and allowed sleep to claim her. A smile graced her features as she dreamed. They were good dreams, dreams of a peaceful life and of a certain former pilot sleeping down the hall.