April 8, A.C. 210

Evening

Brussels, Belgium

For the second time that day, Relena found herself at the mercy of her mixed emotions.

Heero was with her in her townhouse, as promised; in fact, he had met her at her office at the end of the day and escorted her home, like he normally would. As if they hadn't recently suffered the biggest miscommunication of their entire relationship, and tentatively reconciled over coffee and croissants earlier that afternoon.

Despite feeling a little better about the situation, Relena was still a bundle of nerves as she watched Heero from her spot in the kitchen. He sat on the sofa in the adjacent living room, looking far less anxious than she felt. But, then, Heero was rarely one to look ruffled. Rather, he looked quite comfortable sitting in the spot he usually occupied when he was at her place, like this was just any other night. Relena couldn't help but shake her head in amusement. Leave it to Heero Yuy to send her world reeling, then waltz back in as if nothing was askew.

Relena did her best to focus her thoughts as she uncorked a bottle of wine. While she knew alcohol was probably the last thing they should be drinking together - given what usually happened after they imbibed - she hoped it would help calm her nerves. She wondered if he, too, was nervous at all, even if he didn't look it.

She finished pouring their beverages - a nice, crisp Chardonnay, nothing fancy - and carried the half-full glasses carefully to the living room. Heero turned in his seat as she approached, and accepted the glass she held out for him. Relena perched on the couch beside him, although she left a good amount of space between them. Just in case.

They both seemed to be taking their time sipping, but Heero was the first to set his glass down on the end table next to him.

"Are you all right?" he asked as Relena continued gulping her wine. She flushed and leaned forward to place her glass on the coffee table in front of them, brushing a loose strand of hair back with her fingers as it fell in front of her face.

"I'm fine," she lied, righting herself and turning to face Heero. She could tell from his expression that he saw right through her fib.

"You're nervous," he observed, his eyes narrowing in on her. "Why?" He leaned forward, and Relena found herself arching back.

"I don't know," she said, hating how tongue-tied she felt all of a sudden. "Maybe because… we have a lot of issues to resolve."

Heero frowned. "There's no need to hash it all out now…"

"Isn't there?" Relena countered, leaning forward again unconsciously. "We have several years' worth of angst to untangle."

"Yeah? Then we should probably save it for therapy." Heero's eyes glinted at her. Relena gaped at him in return.

"You'd go to therapy?"

Heero gave a single nod. "If that's what it takes."

Relena's brows lifted. "For what, exactly?"

"For you to forgive me. And give me another chance." Ever so slowly, Heero moved closer toward her and reached for her hands. Relena sucked in a breath, hesitating for a beat before gingerly placing her hands in his. As she did so, she met his firm gaze unblinkingly, although it was difficult not to waver under its intensity. For a brief moment, she felt like the girl from long ago, so small and helpless, staring up at the killing machine with the deadly pilot inside who she knew, deep down, could never hurt her.

"I forgive you," she said quietly, squeezing his hands. "But you already apologized. Now, it's my turn."

Heero shook his head to the side. "There's no need."

"Sure there is," Relena protested. "I went and got engaged behind your back."

"Yeah, well. I kind of had it coming." Heero's lips curved upward. "It's partially my fault, for failing to act on my feelings for you."

Relena's heart was doing somersaults in her chest. "You did say that you would have proposed to me, eventually… did you really mean that?"

Heero's voice came out steady as his gaze. "I wouldn't have said it otherwise."

Relena took a slow, calming breath as she mulled this over. "Then I just have to know, Heero… what took you so long?"

Heero frowned, then sighed a bit uncharacteristically, shifting in his seat. It was clear Relena's question had made him uncomfortable, but she still felt she had every right to ask it.

"Relena, I…" Heero opened his mouth, then closed it, his frown creasing his features. He let go one of her hands to rake his hand through his long, unruly bangs. Relena had to fight the urge to do it for him. And anyway, she was more focused what he was trying to say. She only hoped he wasn't about to clam up on her again, not after she'd worked so hard to get him to open up, at last.

"Please, Heero…" she prodded him, squeezing the hand that remained curled around hers.

Heero appeared to take in a steadying breath, and leaned in toward her.

"Do you know why I never told you I loved you?" he asked, and his words immediately threw her. Relena had never heard Heero Yuy use "love" and "you" in the same sentence. In fact, he never said "love" at all. Her whole body tensed, and she feared whatever he was about to say next.

"Why?" she whispered, unable to resist voicing the question. After all this time, she had to know.

Heero's eyes bored into hers for what felt like a full minute before he dropped his gaze.

"Because I didn't think I was enough."

Relena felt her throat tighten at his words, but this time she didn't dare interrupt. Instead she sat watching him, transfixed, as the man she'd long known as the perfect soldier was effectively unraveling before her.

"I didn't think I had anything to offer you," Heero continued, his voice a harsh whisper. "I still don't." Relena swallowed against the lump forming in her throat, wanting to reach out to him, pull him into her arms. For now she kept a tight grip on his hand as he slowly raised his head to meet her eyes.

"All I have… is everything I am. And that's yours."

Relena's hand flew to cover her mouth as she gasped, and the tears welling in her eyes sprang free. Heero's gaze softened, and the look he gave her melted her heart all over again as he lifted a hand up to her face. And with the gentlest precision, he ran his thumb under her lash line, drying her tears.

"You are the best part of me," Heero said softly, his eyes holding hers hostage. Relena didn't dare move, didn't breathe, as he spoke the words she had waited half a lifetime to hear.

"You are my soul, Relena. And I will love you till I die."

The dam broke then, the remaining tears Relena had held back flowing unchecked down her cheeks. And any doubts she'd had were cast aside as she flung her arms around Heero's neck and buried her face against his chest, unable to stand being apart from him for another moment.

Heero wrapped his arms around Relena and held her tightly to his chest. And for a moment, time seemed to stand still. He couldn't remember the last time he'd held her like that, but knew it had been a long, long time. Usually their coupling had an intensity and urgency to it; rarely did they do… this. Whatever this was. It reminded him of more youthful, innocent times, when they first began to circle one another. It was only a matter of time before they came together and discovered what awaited them on the other side of innocence.

Absolute, utter ecstasy.

He craved it then like he always craved her, an addict counting down the seconds to his next hit. He wanted all of her, all at once, but for now he would be content with just a taste.

Heero pulled back from Relena just enough so that he could look her in the eye, and see if she wanted the same. Her eyes flitted up to his, her lips parted, and she pressed her palms flat against his chest.

And kissed him before he even had a chance.

Heero returned the kiss with passion, needing to express the feelings that threatened to overwhelm him. He held Relena close as he deepened their kiss, losing his hands in her long hair, his heart at last unburdening itself.

They kissed for a long while, and when they finally parted, they were both out of breath.

"Heero… that was…" Relena appeared to be at a loss for words.

"Yeah," he agreed, pressing his forehead against hers. "We should do that again sometime."

Relena laughed and pushed against his chest lightly. "Well, I was just thinking… we should probably wait to resume our physical relationship a while. At least until I've talked to Quatre."

Heero nodded, although he felt a bit deflated. Relena rested a hand on his arm. "It's just… I think it's only fair, since I dragged him into this whole mess," she continued.

Heero didn't think it was all her fault - Quatre did ask her to marry him - but merely nodded again. Relena was looking at him expectantly, so he cleared his throat.

"I'm sure Quatre will understand," he said, trying to sound reassuring.

"Right." Relena sighed and sat back against the couch. "I certainly hope so." Her eyes were far away as her shoulders heaved. "He really wants to get married."

"To you in particular?" Heero found himself asking. "Or in general?"

Is he in love with you? He wanted to ask. For once he hoped that Dorothy was right, and there was nothing romantic between them.

"I don't know…" Relena sank her cheek into her palm, resting her elbow on her knee. "I thought just in general, but I also think he really liked the idea of the two of us ending up together, because we want all the same things." She sighed again.

Once again, Heero thought of Dorothy and her rather bold proclamation. "I happen to know Quatre is in love with me, and always has been…"

"I'm sure he'll find someone else," Heero said with a shrug, deciding to leave Dorothy out of the conversation, for now. "Unless you think he's stuck on you…"

"I sure hope not." Relena's eyes widened, and Heero had to wonder if there was more going on than Dorothy thought.

"I didn't even realize you were seeing him." Heero shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Relena's eyes went even wider.

"Not like that!" she gasped. "We were only ever just friends. Honest." She reached over and squeezed Heero's hand, and he immediately believed her. "And actually, Quatre's the one who came up with this whole arrangement. I agreed to it years ago thinking it would never come to fruition… of course, I was hoping you and I would be married by now." Her eyes danced up at him, and Heero felt a wash of guilt.

"So when he asked you again... you said yes because you were pissed at me?" Heero surmised. Relena flushed.

"Pretty much," she sighed. "Very mature of me, huh?"

Heero shrugged. "We've all done things out of anger that we end up regretting." He reached up to brush a lock of her hair behind her ear, and her flush deepened. "I'm just glad you're not going through with it."

Relena shook her head fervently, loosening her hair once more. "I don't know that I could have, even if I was really angry with you." She leaned her back against the couch, nestling against his shoulder. "It's that silly agreement we had… it just made everything so confusing."

Heero let out a staccato laugh. "No shit."

Relena rolled her eyes beside him. "Well, I had to think of a way to keep you interested, you know…"

Heero sat up straighter, turning to face her with a frown. "What do you mean?"

"I suppose I feared that if I tried to get you to commit too early on, you would bolt." Her shoulders sagged. "So I thought if we kept things loose and easy, you might actually stick around…"

He was trying to see the logic in such a notion. "You mean… like reverse psychology?"

"Exactly." Relena nodded.

Heero's frown deepened. "I wish you'd just talked to me."

"I tried!" Relena threw her hands up. "But you know talking about your feelings makes you uncomfortable. Whenever I get overly emotional, you clam up."

Heero knew she was right, and wished he'd done more to reassure her how deeply he had always felt for her. Maybe part of him thought she'd always known, and they didn't need so many words. But, clearly, he'd taken her for granted. It was up to him to make it up to her, now.

He slipped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her back into an embrace, resting his head atop hers. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I should have tried harder."

"Well, I'm glad we're on the same page now," Relena said softly. "Now, we just have to make up for lost time…"

Heero smiled, trailing his fingers up her arm. "Yeah? Where would you like to begin?"

"Not with sex," Relena said sharply, pushing away from him slightly. Her gaze was hard and serious. Heero got the sense he was in for a lecture.

"Why not?"

"Because, Heero. Our relationship has been all about that… We need to start focusing on everything else."

His brow furrowed. "Like what?"

"Like what?!" He was worried Relena might explode on him. "Like other things we have in common, for starters… and… and our emotional connection."

"We love each other," Heero said simply. "What else do we need to have in common?" Relena looked aghast, but didn't immediately respond. "Anyway," he added, "you were about to marry someone you weren't in love with, or even sleeping with…"

"And that would have been a mistake," Relena countered. "I don't want us making a similar one."

Heero chuckled drily. "I'm willing to bet you and I know each other a hell of a lot better than you and Quatre do."

"Be that as it may, I still think you and I need to get back to basics. We need to prove to ourselves that we can have a relationship that isn't centered on sex." Her earnest expression dared him to disagree with her.

"If that's what you want," Heero said. "Although frankly, I see nothing wrong with having a healthy sex life."

Relena gaped at him. "You call this healthy?"

He cocked his head to the side. "How many couples do you suppose have this much sex after fifteen years?"

"I don't know." She knocked her shoulder against his. "This agreement of ours probably just made things way more exciting than they would've been, otherwise."

"I don't think so. I think it's just how we are together. That should tell you something," he added pointedly.

"Maybe you're right." Relena tipped up her chin. "We'll know for sure if we're able to rebuild our relationship successfully. And for that, I think we need a fresh start."

"All right," Heero said. "Just tell me what you want me to do." He was more than ready to move on from this misunderstanding and start anew, on whatever terms she decided.

"I want you... to take me on a date," Relena said, smiling broadly. "A real date."

"All right," Heero said again, thinking he must have taken her on plenty of dates before, but not wanting to argue with her. He supposed that since they were starting over, nothing he'd done in the past mattered, and he was going to have to step it up. "And when do you want this 'real date' to take place?"

"After I get back from my conference," Relena said. "I'll have talked to Quatre by then. So… maybe sometime next week, if you're around?"

He was determined to be around, one way or another. "That works," he said.

Relena smiled and moved to hug him. Heero pulled her into his arms and held her tightly again, grateful their talk had gone much better than he'd thought it would. Even though he'd have to let go of her in a moment and put any further physical bliss on pause… Heero knew things could have ended much worse. Relena could still be wearing Quatre's ring, and telling Heero to get lost. He smiled wryly at the thought.

Soon, she'd be wearing his ring instead. But first he needed to pick one out… or propose and let her choose. But before all that, he needed to plan their first "official" date. Something he already knew he was lousy at. Heero groaned inwardly, realizing he might have to call in some reinforcements, and dreading who his romance consultant might turn out to be…

At length, they broke apart, although Heero thought he sensed reluctance on Relena's part. Hell, he was reluctant, too. He wanted nothing more than to keep touching and kissing her until they both blacked out from pleasure…

"Are you staying tonight?" Relena's words took him aback, after everything she'd said earlier.

"I thought you said you didn't want to have sex," he said flatly. Relena rolled her eyes.

"I didn't mean it like that. But you shouldn't be driving back to HQ after drinking." Her eyes fell on his empty wine glass. "You can stay in the guest room."

"I had one drink," Heero said with a shrug. "I'm fine. I can go whenever you want." Not that he wanted to go…

"Oh, but you're about to have another…" Relena's eyes were full of teasing as she rose from the couch, picking up both of their glasses and sauntering toward the kitchen. Heero's eyes followed her out of the room.

"So you're planning to torture me," he murmured as he continued to admire her shapely backside.

"Mm-hmm…" Relena purred. "But you do deserve it." She returned with the newly-filled glasses of wine and handed one to Heero. He took it from her even though he knew he shouldn't; it was probably going to get him in trouble.

Relena's eyes were gleaming. "Cheers," she sang, clinking her glass against his.

Heero shook his head at her before taking a sip. "Dangerous woman..."

A/N: Well lovelies, we really are approaching the end of this story. Hard to believe, but I did promise you I would stick with this one till the end!

I'd like to take time to sincerely thank each one of you who has reviewed... your comments really helped shape this story. I don't always let reviews steer me - and I will stick to my guns if I'm really determined to do something - but this was a story I didn't have much of a road map for, so I was more than happy to take a few detours :) I could have ended it a totally different way... who knows? So thank you again for gifting me with your feedback. Each comment is precious to me because I love fangirling over my forever OTP with all of you!

Once again, I would love for you to share your thoughts as we sprint to the finish line. I really hope you've enjoyed this journey... detours and all.

Love love love,

- RFP