Chapter Sixteen: Looks Like You Made Up Your Mind

Did sirens steal your heart when you weren't looking?

Where'd you learn to lie the way you do?

Looks like you made up your mind

I'd have to say I didn't see this coming, but who does?

You won't want to see me standing in the door, so go...

– The Civil Wars, "Go"

Relena sat with one hand pressed flat against her stomach throughout the entire drive home, although her nausea had effectively vanished. Amazing what a little pain reliever laced with a mild narcotic could do...

And yet nothing could stop the hollow ache pulsing in her core.

Relena hadn't expected to take a pregnancy test that night, even though she realized it was standard operating procedure for any woman of childbearing age. But after so many failed attempts, she had pushed that desire far from her mind; now, it was all she could think about.

The negative result should not have surprised her, but Relena felt thrown off-balance anyway. And all because for one tiny, fleeting moment, she'd allowed herself to hope. Which was silly. Did she really think a baby could repair her fractured marriage? If there was anything that could fix it, surely they would have come up with something by now. More than that… did she even want to?

Relena realized then that she had been rubbing her belly unconsciously. She stilled her hand, but only after she caught Heero giving her a sidelong glance. She forced her attention out the window.

"Almost there," he murmured, an effort, perhaps, to fill the awkward silence between them, or to calm her. Perhaps both.

"Mm-hmm." Relena didn't offer anything more than that, eager to avoid a long, drawn-out discussion with her estranged husband. At least Heero seemed to understand that, for a change.

Relena had come to learn over the years that Heero Yuy was not the strong silent type everyone else seemed to think he was; true, he was introverted to a fault, but when he felt passionately about something, he could argue like nobody's business. She was grateful, for now, that he was keeping that side of himself in check.

Heero didn't speak to her again until he'd parked his car inside the garage and turned off the engine. Relena sat numbly for a moment, knowing one of them needed to say something, but failing to find the words.

She could simply thank him for taking her to the hospital, promise to touch base tomorrow regarding Ellie, and let that be that. She doubted Heero would accept such a simple exchange, though. Not when she could feel the tension building inside the vehicle, like they were both trapped inside a bubble that was about to burst.

And she had no chance of springing herself from his car, dashing into the house and locking him out before he had a chance to catch her. Even with a head start, she'd never outrun him. And anyway, he'd already broken the lock.

So Relena decided to face her fears head on, and twisted in her seat to look directly at Heero. But he was speaking before she'd even opened her mouth.

"You seem to be doing better," he said, his eyes scanning her face.

Relena nodded. "Apparently the medication is working."

He nodded as well, his gaze still holding hers hostage. "Good."

Relena dipped her head. "All right, then… thank you for taking me. Even though I really didn't want to go."

Heero cracked a smile. "Yeah, well. I bet you're glad you did."

"Somewhat," Relena admitted. "I'm glad I'm no longer throwing up, at least. But…" She bit her lower lip, silencing herself. She didn't even have to say anything, she realized; he already knew.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Heero leaned forward, closing much of the distance between them. Relena felt her chest tighten and her cheeks start to burn.

"Not right now," she said, shaking her head firmly. "I'm too tired."

Heero nodded and turned away from her, his face a mask. "Then let's get you inside."

He was exiting his side of the car before Relena could open her mouth to protest; she could get herself inside, thank you very much. But once again, she allowed him to help her out of the vehicle, knowing she only had to endure a few more minutes with him, at least for that night.

They stepped into the mudroom together, Relena pausing to eye the door Heero had broken into. She looked back at him with one brow arched. He reached a hand up and scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah… I'll get on that," he answered her unspoken question. Relena bit back a smile.

"You'd better do it on your way out, so I won't have to wake up in the middle of the night worrying about serial killers breaking in," she teased.

"I'll do it right now," Heero said, bypassing her joking tone. "And I know you won't like this, but…"

Relena paused her steps, bracing herself. "What?"

"I think I should stay here tonight."

Relena's hackles shot up immediately. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"I know," Heero murmured. "But hear me out. You shouldn't should be alone right now."

Relena sighed and crossed her arms around her middle. "But, honestly, I'm fine. I'm already feeling much better. It's just food poisoning," she added pointedly.

Heero mimicked her stance, folding his arms over his chest. "That's what the doctor said, but we don't know for sure."

Relena rolled her eyes. "If you won't trust what a medical professional tells you, what's the point of even going to the hospital?"

Heero shrugged. "I trust the doctor, to an extent. I'd still prefer to keep an eye on you myself."

"Of course you would." Relena gave a huff and spun on her heel, turning her back to him. She proceeded to the foyer, where she stopped long enough to remove her coat and drape it over the banister. She plopped her purse on the floor, then bent down to remove her heels, one at a time. She was fully aware of Heero lingering behind her all the while.

"Don't worry, I'll stay out of your hair," he murmured.

Relena all but snorted as she started making her way up the stairs. "Is that a promise?"

Heero nodded once. "I'll just… be downstairs if you need me."

Relena glanced down at him over her shoulder. He looked back up at her morosely. She felt a twinge of pity, but quickly pushed it down. He didn't deserve her pity; not after what he did to her. He was clearly trying to make up for it now, but Relena wasn't about to fall for it.

At the same time, she no longer had the strength to argue. So if he wanted to mope around downstairs… fine. She was done for the night. They could pick up where they left off in the morning, when Relena knew they would need to discuss Ellie…

Shoot.

Her eyes jerked wide. Heero frowned at her.

"What's wrong?"

Relena groaned and ran a hand over her bangs. "I forgot to let Noin and Milliardo know I wouldn't be coming over tonight…" She turned around and quickly descended the steps, stooping to pick up her purse, which she began rummaging through frantically.

"Where did I put my stupid phone?" she muttered aloud. She hadn't even checked it in hours…

Heero started looking around as well. "Were you supposed to pick up Ellie tonight?"

"No… but I was going to spend the night so Noin and I could go out together in the morning." Relena sighed. "I can't find–"

Heero strode over to her, brandishing her phone. Relena's mouth dropped open. "Where was it?!"

"In your coat pocket," he said, handing it over. Relena rolled her eyes, this time at herself.

"God. I'm such a spaz right now."

"You're sick," Heero said simply.

Relena sighed and punched in her PIN to unlock her phone, only to find a slew of missed calls and unopened text messages. "Oh, God," she moaned. "Look at all these…"

"Do you want me to call them?" Heero asked. "It'll take two seconds."

Relena must have looked as exhausted as she felt. She nodded gratefully, stashing her phone in her purse. She didn't even want to look at it until tomorrow. "I suppose you'll want to speak to Ellie," she sighed.

"Of course I do," Heero said, his gaze softening.

"Well, then you should." Relena lowered her eyes. She couldn't bear the tender way he was looking at her.

"It's all right," he said slowly. "It can wait."

Relena snapped her head back up. "Really?"

"I'm going to see her tomorrow." He looked at her expectantly. "Right?"

"Right." Relena began twisting a long lock of hair around her fingers. "About that. We should discuss the best way to approach this…"

"I agree," Heero said, taking a few steps toward her. "We can talk in the morning, after you've had a good night's sleep."

Relena nodded, her chest tightening. "Okay."

Heero smiled, looking more relaxed than she'd seen him in a long while. "How about some tea?"

Tea sounded good, but Relena didn't want Heero doing her any more favors. The sooner they parted for the night, the better, she told herself.

"No, thank you," Relena said quietly. "I'll just have some water if I get thirsty." She was feeling parched, all of a sudden.

Heero nodded and stepped away from the staircase. "All right. Get some rest." Relena nodded her thanks and began to turn away, too. But his eyes clung to hers.

It would be all too easy to cower under such intensity, but Relena forced herself to break eye contact. She wasn't up for a staring contest.

She wasn't up for much at all.

At last, Heero traipsed off to another part of the house, and Relena retreated upstairs to their bedroom. Only after she was safely inside, with the door closed behind her, did she allow the tears to fall freely.

A/N: Thank you for all the feedback on the last chapter! Hope you enjoyed this one and that you're having a great start to your week. See you again soon!

- RFP