April 8, A.C. 210

Late night

Brussels, Belgium

Relena laid in bed staring up at her dark ceiling, her heart beating too wildly to let her fall asleep. Heero was sequestered in the guest room down the hall, and it was taking all of her willpower to stay put. But, then, she knew if she were with him, they wouldn't be sleeping, either…

The temptation to join him was strong, but Relena was determined to stick to her principles. She truly wanted a fresh start with Heero, and that meant ending what she had begun with Quatre, as gently as possible.

While she didn't think Quatre was truly in love with her, he was still a sensitive soul, and Relena couldn't help but worry that her rejection would end up hurting him. It seemed someone would get hurt no matter what she decided, but Relena knew she had to do the right thing. Then and only then could she return to Heero with a clear conscience and give their relationship the clean slate it deserved.

Agonizing as it was trying to pretend Heero Yuy was anywhere but under the same roof as her, Relena hoped that getting through this momentary trial would only make their relationship stronger. She truly believed that open and honest communication would pave the way to even better sex. It would be worth the wait to find out.

The thought gave Relena a fresh wave of excitement. And if she wanted, she could let herself ride that wave all the way to sleep, imagining Heero beside her, holding her, guiding her… Wrapped in that peaceful reverie, she was starting to feel herself drift when a sudden vibration jolted her awake.

Her phone. Relena rolled over and blearily eyed the device, all lit up on her nightstand. It only sounded once, so it must have been a text or email alert. She reached for the mobile and, sure enough, the envelope icon was displayed on her lockscreen. She tapped out her PIN and opened the message.

It was from an unknown number that appeared as a series of jumbled numbers and letters, and it had an attachment. Relena frowned, knowing better than to open attachments from any unknown sender, but a series of thumbnail images in the text gave her pause. Because the images were of a man and woman kissing, and they looked an awful lot like…

No. Relena's blood went cold. Before she could try to reason with what she was seeing, her feet were swinging over the side of her bed, and sending her stamping out of her room and down the hall.

She halted outside of the guest room and rapped her fist against it. "Heero!" When the door didn't immediately open, she lost any remaining patience and opened it herself, flicking on the overhead light as she stormed into the room.

Heero rolled over in the bed, blinking awake. Of course, he was shirtless. Relena glared at him as he sat up and the blanket pooled around his well-toned torso.

"Huh? What is it?"

Without further preamble, Relena stomped over to the bed, her phone outstretched. "Why don't you tell me, Heero?!"

Frowning, he reached for the phone and began to scroll. His scowl deepened, and he handed it back to Relena.

"Bring me your laptop," he said, his voice thick with irritation. Relena stood gaping down at him.

"Why? What for?"

"I want to trace this number and see who sent this to you," he grumbled.

Relena planted her hands on her hips as she glared down at him. "Aren't you going to explain yourself?"

Heero rolled his eyes. "This isn't what it looks like. Do you honestly think I would do this on purpose, to hurt you?"

Relena's face was already burning, but grew even hotter as her anger flared. "Why should I believe you?"

"Because I love you." Heero reached for her, but she took a step back.

"Not now," she snapped. "I'm mad at you." She thrust the phone back at him. "You and Dorothy? Really?! She's my friend, Heero!"

"Some friend," Heero muttered, running a hand through his hair, which was mussed from sleep. Relena had to work to ignore how sexy he looked, along with the thought of how nice it would be to crawl in bed beside him… Wait, no. She was still furious.

"Clearly Dorothy sent you these," Heero added, pointing at the phone.

"And why would she do that?" Relena cried. "Why would she want me to know that you and her were… involved?" She spat out the last word, hating the way it sounded.

Heero's eyes rolled. "We are not involved. We never were. This is just some crazy stunt she pulled to make you jealous."

Relena's brows shot up. "Why would she want me to be jealous? I don't get it..." She sank down on the bed, forgetting her personal vow to steer clear of Heero for the time being. He took full advantage of their proximity, moving to sit behind her, wrapping those strong arms of his around her and pressing her back against his broad, bare chest. Relena's own chest tightened, and she drew in a shaky breath.

"Heero… please explain." She twisted around to look him in the eye, working to keep her resolve. Those midnight eyes of his were always her undoing, but she was determined not to fall under their spell… not this time. "What were you even doing with her?"

Heero sighed, his face inches from hers. "She asked me to meet with her to discuss you and Quatre. I agreed, only because I didn't have a way to get a hold of you at the time. I was waiting to get my new phone," he added.

Relena arched a brow. "Why didn't you just come to my office?"

"I didn't think you'd want to see me," Heero said. "I thought I should at least call you first."

"Well, you could have shown up, anyway. I'm surprised you didn't."

"I'm sorry." His face was earnest, his eyes sincere. Relena felt herself relenting, although she still had so many unanswered questions.

"But why… why were you kissing?" The words, and the image of the two of them - the love of her life, and her best friend - sent a fresh shudder coursing through her. She felt like she was about to vomit.

Heero's face fell into a scowl. "She kissed me. I didn't want her to. She just… did it. Then I got the hell out of there." He looked as disgusted as Relena felt. "You can ask her, although knowing her, she'll probably just lie. She wanted me to pretend to be dating her so you'd get jealous."

Relena's eyes bulged. "But why? What's in it for her?"

"Quatre."

"Huh?" Now Relena was even more confused. "Quatre?!"

"Yeah. Apparently she's in love with him. Figured she could make him jealous, too." Heero shrugged his shoulders. "She was under the impression that you and Quatre orchestrated a phony engagement to rile up the both of us."

"What?" Relena twisted in Heero's arms, ready to bolt up from the bed. "I have to call her. This is ridiculous…"

Heero tightened his hold. "Call her tomorrow," he murmured, his lips brushing her neck, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Uh-uh." Relena twisted out of his grasp. "I'm not going to let you kiss your way out of this…"

Heero's eyes glimmered. "I can do better than that, if you'll let me."

"No." Relena shot to her feet before Heero had a chance to grab her again. "We will discuss this after I talk to Dorothy. And Quatre."

The sly smile he'd given her vanished. "You don't believe me?"

Relena sighed. "I want to… but you have to admit this looks bad, Heero."

His eyes narrowed to cobalt slits. "You got engaged to another man- who happens to be a friend of mine. But you're acting like I cheated on you. How is that fair?"

Relena crossed her arms over her chest. "It's not. But I already explained myself to you, and this is new information."

"And I chose to believe you, but you won't do me the same courtesy," Heero growled. His face darkened, but Relena could detect the hurt beneath his stormy expression. "I was honest with you, Relena. Why don't you trust me?"

Relena's throat tightened, her heart pounding. How badly she wanted to believe him, but the trust between them was still so fragile. "I want to," she whispered through the tears that had an annoying way of showing up whenever she felt vulnerable, even if she was more angry than anything else. "But I'm afraid," she admitted.

"Of what?" Heero asked. Relena lowered her gaze to the floor, her cheeks growing hotter along with the rapid thrum of her heartbeat. Now she was too afraid to even explain why she felt that way… too afraid of losing what they had only just started to rebuild.

She heard Heero moving from the bed, coming to stand in front of her, before she could put any more distance between them. She raised her eyes slowly, taking in his near-naked form, clad only in his familiar black boxers. His face was gentle, questioning, mirroring her own fears.

He opened his arms, and she took a tentative step forward before allowing herself to fall against his hard chest.

"I'm sorry," she murmured against his bare skin. He was so warm…

He hugged her tightly to him. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone anywhere near Dorothy. I always knew she was trouble…"

Relena laughed drily. "Ugh, this is such a mess…" She sighed and tilted her face to look up at Heero. "Where do we go from here?"

He reached a hand up to her face, cupping it in his palm. "You can call Quatre and Dorothy, if you want. Clear the air. Then let them do whatever the hell they want, and we can do the same."

Relena nodded. This situation had gotten far enough out of hand. She just wanted to let the dust settle so she could move on… she and Heero.

He was looking at her like he wanted to kiss her. So Relena closed her eyes, parted her lips, and let him. His mouth enveloped hers in an instant, and he crushed her against him. Relena looped her arms around his neck, pulling him even nearer.

And that was all it took for him to lift her in his arms and carry her back to the bed.

Relena broke their kiss and leveled him with a stare as he laid her down. "Remember what I said earlier, Heero…"

"No sex," he said gruffly. "I remember." His eyes glittered as he hovered above her. "You can stop me anytime," he said. And then he leaned down and captured her lips in another kiss, even hungrier than the last.

"I don't want you to stop…" Relena sighed against his lips, already breathless.

Heero paused to rest his forehead against hers, his deep blue eyes drawing her into their depths. "Are you sure?"

Relena nodded eagerly, casting any lingering doubts away. "I've missed you."

Heero chuckled, his breath tickling her skin. "It's only been a few weeks…"

And those had been a hell of a few weeks, Relena thought wryly. But she wasn't about to dwell on that now…

"Shut up and kiss me, Heero," she commanded, pulling him down to do just that. Heero's chuckle was lost as his lips greedily fed on hers. And when they parted, his smile was positively wicked.

"Anywhere in particular, or…?"

Relena gasped as Heero trailed more kisses down her neck and chest, hitching up her nightgown as he made his descent. She wasn't wearing anything beneath it, a fact he quickly discovered. And the growl of pleasure he made at the sight was enough to send her reeling, before his mouth even reached her center…

And when he did, Relena's eyes fluttered closed, her back arched, and she moaned and writhed against his touch, losing herself to the bliss only he could give her.

A/N: Ok, I lied... this story is almost done! ALMOST! Can you feel it?!

I really am writing the last chapter, you guys... I just have so much more material, I have to split it up a little... but you'll forgive me, won't you?

Stayed tuned for the actual - no really, no, like, I'm totally serious - conclusion of The Agreement!

Thank you for all of your support! If you like this, you know what to do... please favorite/follow/review! Tell me what you'd like to see next!

Love always,

- RFP