April 11, A.C. 210

Evening

L4 Colony

Relena hurried out of the spaceport to the taxi awaiting her in the passenger pickup lane. She was supposed to be at her hotel an hour ago, but her shuttle had been delayed. She all but launched herself into the backseat as one of her bodyguards loaded her suitcase into the trunk, while the other climbed in with her.

Two bodyguards. It was a bit over the top, even for her, but then he had insisted.

Relena smiled to herself as she powered on her phone. She'd tried to protest, but there was little point in arguing. Heero Yuy had an annoying knack for getting his way…

Especially over the past few days… but, then, she'd enjoyed letting him have his way; he'd let her have hers, plenty of times… Heero was nothing if not giving. Relena's smile broadened as she opened her text messages. There were two waiting for her from the new number she'd saved as soon as he called her with it...

Call me when you land.

I love you.

Relena couldn't help it; she shivered at the sight of the words, even in text message form. No matter how much time went on, no matter how long they ended up being together, she knew she would never tire of hearing - or seeing - those words. Not when Heero Yuy was the one saying them.

She turned to look at each of her bodyguards on either side of her - one a burly man in his upper twenties, the other an enviably buff woman around the same age.

"You wouldn't mind if I made a phone call, would you?"

He answered on the second ring, probably trying not to seem overeager. But knowing him, he'd been watching his phone like a hawk.

"Hey," he said smoothly. "How was your flight?"

"Fine," she answered. "I'm glad to know this number is still in order."

Heero chuckled, a sound that made Relena ache with happiness. "You thought I'd ditch it already?"

"It wouldn't surprise me in the least…"

He laughed again. "Well, I figure some people need to be able to get a hold of me… 'some people' being my girlfriend."

His words thrilled her all over again, but Relena was determined to play it cool. "You? A girlfriend?"

"Yeah, well I'd like her to be more than that, but she's engaged to someone else at the moment…"

Relena sighed into the phone. "I'm sorry, Heero… I'm supposed to meet Quatre for dinner tonight. But it may take a while, so you'll have to be patient…"

"I know. I understand," he said, shocking Relena with his calm demeanor. "Let me know if there's anything I can do… maybe if I call Quatre myself and explain…"

"I think he'll be all right, like you said. And anyway, knowing Dorothy, she's already reached out to him by now…"

"Yeah, she didn't seem like she was going to waste any time," Heero said. "But if you need anything from me, let me know."

His words warmed her heart. "Oh, I do," she sighed. "But that will have to wait, too…"

Heero huffed into the phone. "Well, then. Hurry up and get back here so we can make up for lost time."

"I'll do my best." Relena closed her eyes, savoring their closeness, which she could feel across thousands of miles. It felt as if nothing could sever their bond, now. "I'll call you later tonight, all right?"

"I'll be here," he said. "I'm working, but you can call me whenever."

"And when will you be home so we can talk in private?"

By home, she was referring to her house, where Heero was currently staying. Once he'd returned to Brussels, she saw little point in him staying in the Preventers' dorms; not when she had plenty of space in her townhouse. But they'd only slept in the guest room that one night, and then Heero had moved his few possessions into her room. On the one hand, their relationship was escalating quickly, but that was a refreshing change from the glacial pace they'd taken over the past several years.

Heero chuckled again. "Should you be talking this way in front of your bodyguards?"

"Oh, it could be so much worse," Relena said breezily, getting another laugh out of Heero. "Call me later and see for yourself."

"Relena…" There was an edge to his voice, a possessiveness that thrilled her to no end. How she longed to hear him groan her name under far different circumstances… but they would get there. She couldn't wait, but she would be back in his arms soon enough, their love even better and stronger than before.

"I love you," she said softly, hoping he could sense exactly how much.

"I love you, too."

They ended the call, and Relena had a feeling that was going to be the easiest conversation she'd have all day...

Relena had just enough time to check into her hotel room and change for dinner, although she texted Quatre that she was running late, just in case. She did her best to quickly freshen up her makeup, twisted her hair into a chignon, and slipped on the one cocktail dress she'd brought with her, along with a coordinating pair of heels. She was just dressy enough for the undoubtedly expensive restaurant Quatre would have chosen, but not too dressy. She wanted to look nice, and her simple, classic black sheath accomplished that, but she certainly wasn't trying to turn heads.

After all, she was on her way to break up with someone.

It was the opposite of the dinner she'd had with Quatre just a few weeks ago, when he'd proposed. Relena's throat tightened at the still recent memory. She felt awful and was worried about hurting him, and she hadn't allowed herself to feel guilty until now. She'd pushed all those unpleasant feelings away while she and Heero were busy rekindling their relationship… Now, she had to go and end another one.

She knew it was for the best, but she was still anxious as she grabbed her clutch and a lightweight wrap sweater and left her room. Her two bodyguards were waiting in the hall, and followed her as she made her way through the hotel.

The restaurant Quatre had selected wasn't far from the hotel, but Relena had to take another cab to get there. She made it with a few minutes to spare and was happy, at least, to be on time for their reservation. But knowing Quatre and his staunch punctuality, she'd probably kept him waiting, anyway.

But as she was escorted to their table, she was surprised to learn that Quatre had yet to arrived. Perhaps his own flight had been delayed; then again, Relena thought he'd told her he was planning to be at the conference days ahead of her. Frowning, she pulled her phone from her purse, but she didn't have any missed calls or messages from him. He hadn't even responded to her earlier text; she opened it, but she hadn't received a "read" receipt, either.

Several minutes went by, and the waiter brought Relena a glass of water. She sipped and waited. She wasn't about to bombard Quatre with calls or texts, giving him the benefit of the doubt, even if it was unlike him to be tardy for anything. A half-hour passed, and she caved and ordered a glass of wine. Her waiter continued to check on her, and after an hour Relena got the sense that she would be asked to give up her table. She'd long ago finished her drink and contemplated having a second, but she wanted to keep a clear head. She didn't know whether to be worried or furious that Quatre had, intentionally or not, stood her up.

Relena looked about the restaurant, taking in the ornate surroundings as she watched for a familiar mop of blond hair. The entire room was so clean and serene and lovely, from the glittering chandeliers overhead to the crisp white table linens. And in the corner of the room, a jazz pianist had taken up residence, gliding over the ivories with effortless precision, filling the space with soothing melodies that were completely at odds with Relena's frayed nerves. It would have been the perfect setting for a romantic evening, and Relena almost wanted to laugh at the irony of her situation. It was to be the stage for the very opposite of a romantic date… if her soon-to-be ex-fiance had even bothered showing up.

After checking her phone for what felt like the thousandth time, Relena conceded her defeat. On the one hand, she was relieved their inevitably awkward conversation had been put on hold; on the other, she'd wanted to get it over with. Well, she would just have to wait some more, and try to keep her anxiety at bay while she did.

Rather than sit and eat all alone, Relena gathered up what dignity she had left, paid for her single glass of wine, and swept out of the restaurant, her bodyguards in tow.

Even though she was determined not to pester Quatre - oh, she would have called Heero dozens of times by now, if he'd been the one to leave her hanging - once she was in the back of another cab, Relena finally dialed Quatre's number.

The call immediately went to voicemail.

"His phone isn't even on," Relena groaned, catching the eye of her male bodyguard.

"Calling the boss again?" He cocked a brow. On the other side of Relena, the female bodyguard shot a glare at her counterpart, as if to remind him whatever their client was doing was none of their business. Relena flushed and pocketed her mobile.

"No, just a friend," she said, not wanting or needing to explain herself any further. But now she was really starting to worry about Quatre… all of this was so unlike the courteous businessman she'd come to know. What if something had really happened to him? Something terrible?

By the time Relena arrived back at her hotel, her heart was in her throat. Quatre had given her his room number earlier, and she was determined to go check on him. If she didn't find him there, she was going to have to think of some other way to track him down. She could start checking flights, or… She swallowed around the tight lump in her throat and scrubbed at the tears that had formed in the corners of her eyes. She couldn't think straight, didn't even know where to start. She may not have been in love with Quatre, but she did love him as a friend. She couldn't bear to think of anything happening to him. She had to find him. But how?

Heero… Heero will know what to do.

Relena was dialing his number again before she even got out of the cab, half-stumbling in her heels as she made her less-than-graceful exit.

"Quatre wasn't at the restaurant," she blurted as soon as Heero answered.

"No?" He sounded as baffled as she felt. "How long were you there?"

"Over an hour… he never showed."

"Hm. That's not like him."

"I know… I'm really starting to worry."

"Have you checked his room?"

"That's what I'm going to do now…" Relena pushed her way through the revolving glass door and stepped into the glistening hotel foyer. The door only slowed her steps a little, and she was racing across the smooth marble floor so quickly she knew she was just asking to have an accident of her own. She was also giving her bodyguards a bit of a workout trying to keep up with her.

"Well, try to stay calm," Heero said smoothly. "You don't know that anything's happened. There's no need for you to panic now."

"I know," she sighed. "But if he's not in his room… then what?"

"I'll check his flight information," Heero said, reading her mind, as always. "Maybe he was delayed."

"Okay," Relena said breathlessly as she caught the elevator just before the doors slid shut. "I can send it to you right after I check his room."

"No need." And Relena thought she could hear the sound of Heero's fingers clacking over a keyboard. The mental image of him bent over his laptop, already starting the search for their friend was comforting. She would have smiled if she didn't feel so stressed.

"Okay," she said again, working to remain calm, especially when there were other people sharing the elevator ride with her - including her slightly winded bodyguards. "Thank you," she added more softly.

"Just try not to worry. I'm sure Quatre is fine. Something probably just came up with his business. I'm sure this sort of thing happens now and then, even to him."

"Sure. Right. Uh-huh." Relena paused to take a slow, deep breath, the calming kind she'd learned in yoga. The elevator came to a stop on the floor where Quatre was staying, and the doors slid open.

"Okay, I'm on my way to his room now. I'll call you back, all right?"

"Roger that."

Relena hung up the phone, then started counting down the room numbers she passed in the hallway before locating the one Quatre had given her. She paused at the door and drew in a shaky breath before raising her hand and knocking sharply. Her bodyguards lingered nearby, watching.

A beat passed. No answer.

Relena stared at the solid wood door, her anxiety spiking. Don't panic. She waited another beat, then knocked again. Still nothing.

She turned and glanced warily over her shoulder, back at her bodyguards, about to ask them to go get help - surely the hotel manager or staff or security could get the door open, and then she could make sure Quatre wasn't really in there, or if he was and he was sick or injured, they could help him - when the door was flung open.

Relena whirled back around, and gasped to see who stood before her. Not Quatre, but… Dorothy. In a silk robe that left disturbingly little to the imagination.

And later on, Relena would remind herself that the sight shouldn't have surprised her in the least - not after what Heero had shared of Dorothy's plotting - but in the moment, the shock of seeing her was enough to knock Relena over.

"Dorothy!"

A/N: GASP!

The end is near... stay tuned!

- RFP