Days later, Relena was happy to be back home in Brussels. Even though she had several therapy appointments on her calendar, life, for the most part, had gone back to normal. She was glad to be back to work and coming home to her townhouse every night and, best of all, sleeping in her own bed.

Especially on those nights when she had some pleasant company.

Smiling and stretching, Relena rolled over onto her side and looked at the handsome, naked man sleeping beside her. At least, she thought he was sleeping, but in the moonlight seeping through her curtains, she could see that one emerald eye was open.

"Can't sleep?" he murmured.

She shook her head and he reached for her. She snuggled into his bare chest.

"Tell me a bedtime story?" she whispered playfully. He chuckled.

"All my stories would give you nightmares," he teased, and she laughed lightly. He threaded his hands through her hair, which would take several appointments with her colorist to get back to her usual blonde. After several washes, her tresses had turned a faded shade of pink.

"I do know how to tire you out, though," Trowa murmured. Relena purred seductively in response. He chuckled before capturing her lips with his. He kissed her slowly and methodically, his tongue dancing with hers. Relena left out a soft moan as he caressed her back, then slid his hands up to fondle her breasts. She moaned a little louder when he tugged roughly on her nipples.

"That's right, Daddy's got you," Trowa teased. Relena burst out laughing.

"Stop it," she whispered through giggles.

"You started it." He enveloped her mouth with his and kissed her through her laughter.

Relena pushed his chest playfully. "Quiet, or you'll wake him."

Too late. From the other side of Relena, a snarky baritone muttered, "Could you keep it down over there? Some of us are trying to sleep."

Relena turned over to Heero with a huff. "Well, I'm not tired. So you can either go find another bed to sleep in, or stop being a grouch and help me out."

Heero grumbled something into his pillow, so Relena rolled back over to face Trowa. "I think it's just you and me," she said, looping her arms around his neck.

"Fine by me," Trowa murmured, brushing his lips against her. "Like I said… Daddy's got you."

That did it. Never one to be outdone, Heero snatched Relena by the waist and rolled her over to him, pressing her against his warm, hard naked body. He kissed her hungrily, sweeping his tongue into her mouth. Relena wrapped her body around Heero's, but then Trowa pulled her back over to him and kissed her with even more passion.

And Relena found herself caught in the middle of the most delicious game of tug of war.

Over the next hour or so, Heero and Trowa did their best to wear Relena out. Their efforts were, indeed, successful; by the time they were finished with her, Relena felt absolutely wrecked.

After both men had reached their releases, covering her with their juices, all Relena could do was fall into a deep, languid sleep. Nestled between her two Gundam pilots, her lovers and protectors, safe and warm and utterly satisfied.

Long after Relena and her other partner had fallen asleep, Heero laid awake. His body was exhausted, but his thoughts refused to stop racing.

To say he wasn't a fan of their current arrangement would be a vast understatement. Heero was doing his best to tolerate this far-from-ideal scenario, for the time being. After all, he and Relena had been through a lot together; she meant a great deal to him, and he wanted to make her happy. He figured after the way he'd hurt her in the past, he owed her that much. If it meant he had to share her with Barton now and then, so be it.

The problem was, in the days following Relena's capture, rescue, and return to Brussels, it had been happening far too frequently for his liking. Trowa had spent the past few nights at Relena's place, so Heero had done the same; even though he had his own apartment, the last thing he wanted was for another man to move in on his territory. Even if Relena had said she'd wanted to keep things casual...the way she and Trowa looked at one another while making love indicated that there was much more going on beneath the surface.

Heero wasn't having it. He'd loved Relena for too long, and exclusively, even when she'd told him he was free to see other people. No one could ever satisfy him the way she could; no one else could ever touch his soul. And she had his heart, soul, every piece of him on lockdown. At the same time, he'd told himself he was fine letting her explore her sexuality with others, because he loved her that much. He wanted to give her her freedom; she was more than willing to do the same for him.

But it wasn't enough. Not anymore. Heero needed more from her.

Pushing the duvet off of him, Heero got up from the bed and padded over to where he'd left his clothes, piled on the floor. He pulled on his jeans and left the room, wandering to the study down the hall, a room he used more often than Relena. His laptop was set up on the desk, so Heero sat down and got to work.

Something had been bothering him over the past few days. Something he couldn't readily express out loud, not to anyone. Not even himself.

If anything, it was more of an inkling. An annoying, nagging voice in the back of his mind, telling him that something wasn't right.

Heero typed in his credentials and wasted no time pulling up the dark web. He was certain that there was far more to the case of Aiden Wardwell than the Preventers had uncovered so far. Undoubtedly, the matter was multi-layered, and they had merely taken a stab at the surface.

For one thing, the man was obviously a clone. But the Preventers had yet to learn who had cloned him, and when. Not to mention why. And then, how did a clone end up forming his very own cult?

So many pieces were missing, still. Heero was surprised, frankly, that Barton seemed less interested than he was in putting it all together.

Maybe because he was too busy fucking Relena.

Heero sat glowering at his screen. It wasn't fair. Barton thought he could just waltz in and carry on with Relena like he'd been part of her life for years. But he hadn't. Heero had been the one to rescue her all those times, to share so many experiences with her; some harrowing, some pleasant, some downright heavenly. Heero and Relena had known one another for the better part of a decade, and while they'd had their ups and downs, he knew in his heart that they were, above all, devoted to one another.

So why didn't it feel that way? Why did it feel like Relena – his Relena – didn't love him any more? That she loved someone else more than him? How was that even possible?

Nothing about their current situation made any sense in Heero's mind. And the more he thought about it, the more it bothered him. Maybe it was all his fault for fucking up what they had in the first place. He should have taken more care, treated her better. He knew he'd broken her heart, years ago, and the guilt ate at him every day. He would do anything to go back and undo it all, prevent her pain, and shield her from any and every danger. Including himself.

There had been a part of him that worried he didn't deserve her, but the deeper he fell in love with her, the more that desolate part of him faded into the background. She had loved him unreservedly; and now, whether or not he was worthy of her goodness, all he wanted was to bask in it.

She was his light, his hope. Without her, life was meaningless. How could he possibly share her?

He had to put a stop to it, somehow. He just didn't know how to go about doing that while preserving his relationship with Relena. She could very well tell him that he was free to leave any time. In fact, she pretty much had, earlier, when she told him he could find another bed to sleep in.

The truth was, Heero was afraid. Afraid of losing her forever.

He dragged his thoughts back to his research, determined to find the missing thread and see wherever it might lead.

Aiden was a clone, but...what about the other cult members?

After a while, Heero came across some group chatter about ritual sacrifices. There was specific language being used, all a guise to make the discussion sound like it was something else entirely. Heero noticed the patterns and jotted a few things down in a notebook, which he planned to burn later. For now, he logged all of the code words and symbols he came across, determined to crack the code.

And that alarm in the back of his mind blared even louder. What if…

Heero paused his reading and ran a hand over his face. He told himself he was losing it. And yet, he couldn't ignore that funny feeling that refused to leave him alone.

Something...wasn't right with Relena. It hadn't been since he found her in that church–– naked, beneath an equally-naked Trowa. Heero knew his anguish over the scenario came from more than mere jealousy. There was just something different about Relena. Like she wasn't his Relena.

What if… Relena…

"Heero?"

He jerked his head up at the sound of her voice. He turned to see her lingering in the doorway, bathed in the soft glow of the hallway light. She was wearing his shirt, which briefly made him smile. Even with her strange pink hair, she was a sight for sore eyes.

"Hey," he said softly, then turned back to his laptop. He heard her sidling up behind him.

"What are you up to?"

"Working."

"This time of night?" She sighed and laced her arms around his neck, peering over his shoulder. "Care to divulge what you're working on?"

"It's classified," he quipped, knowing she would probably roll her eyes at him.

"Hmm," she murmured. And then she came around to one side of the chair, and climbed onto his lap. Heero let her, but kept his eyes glued to the screen. She pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"You and I haven't gotten much alone time lately," she sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder.

Whose fault is that? Heero wanted to say. Instead, he just muttered, "Hm," and continued his reading.

Relena traced her pointer finger over his bare chest. "Maybe...we could have a little one on one session now?" She kissed him again, this time on the side of his mouth.

Heero groaned inwardly as his jeans tightened.

"Some other time." Heero gently picked Relena up off his lap, and placed her on her feet beside his chair. Then he stood up himself and snapped his laptop shut, picking it up along with his notebook, and stuffing both into the messenger bag he'd slung over the chair.

Relena gaped at him. "Where are you going?"

"HQ."

"Right now?"

"I have a lot of work to do," he muttered, avoiding her gaze. He heard her sigh deeply.

"Well, then. If you are going out, I suppose you'll need your shirt?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Heero saw Relena strip off his shirt, revealing her bare body beneath. He salivated at the mere sight of her. No matter how many times he'd seen her naked, his body never failed to react, his heart racing into overdrive.

She sauntered up to him with a confident sway of her hips, her lithe yet shapely form begging to be touched. He couldn't avoid looking at her any more than he could resist placing his hands on her hips, drawing her to him. She smiled wickedly at him as he glided his hands up her sides and palmed her breasts, her perfect pink nipples hardening as soon as he touched them.

She parted her lips for a kiss, and Heero obliged her. He kissed her lips and then lowered his head to her breasts, tonguing each nipple. He considered kissing her elsewhere, but… Did he really want to start this, if he wasn't sure?

Relena was writhing in place already, and he'd barely even done anything. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her head lolled back. "Fuck me, Heero," she whimpered.

She grabbed one of his hands and placed it on top of her smooth pubic area. Heero sucked in a breath and closed his eyes as he kissed her lips again, while teasing her entrance with his fingertips. She was so wet; his mouth watered to taste her. She moaned appreciatively into his mouth as he sunk a finger into her warmth.

God, he wanted her. All to himself. But that nagging voice in his head refused to stay silent.

Heero…

Come find me, Heero.

Heero's eyes snapped open.

"I have to go," he said abruptly, breaking away from her. Relena's face fell.

"But, Heero…"

He snatched up his shirt and bolted from the room without bothering to put it on, slinging his laptop bag over his shoulder.

And the voice in his mind grew louder.

The end… or is it?

A/N: Well, friends, the end of CoL is nigh. We did it! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and review all the fics I submitted during this crazy month. Now, I don't know about you, but I seriously need a nap...

I want to thank JenJenGundamFan once again for organizing this epic event and keeping everyone on schedule all month; it's a big task but she handled it with aplomb. Also, thank you to my friends, cheerleaders, and beta readers, Scarlet Eve and Mistaken Miracles, for reading my work in its very early stages and always providing helpful feedback and suggestions. You all have MM to thank for this "bonus" chapter; I was going to end the story after the previous chapter, but MM talked me into an ending where Relena ends up with Heero and Trowa, for once (although I just couldn't resist adding a little twist at the end).

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one... it was really different fare for me, and it was fun to let myself go off the rails. I don't know if I'll be writing anything else like this any time soon, but I do appreciate those of you who gave it a shot!

So, that's a wrap. See you next month! ;)

Love love love,

- RFP