But I was late for this, late for that

Late for the love of my life

And when I die alone, when I die alone

When I die I'll be on time

"Cleopatra," The Lumineers

"Relena…"

Even as Heero spoke her name, she didn't dare meet his eyes. Relena rose slowly from her spot on the floor, keeping her back to him.

"Ah," she stammered, "if you'll excuse me-"

"Miss Relena!" Her head snapped up at another male voice calling her name. But who else was in the castle? Who else could be?

Relena turned slowly to see a man approaching from the other side of the ballroom. Heero caught her eye and frowned. "Who is that?"

"Oh, it's our groundskeeper," she murmured, relief washing over her as she recognized the man. She waved at him from across the room. "Cornelius, hello!"

"Miss Relena, it's good to see you!" The man, who appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties, came to a stop in front of her and Heero, and his brown eyes seemed to swim in concern. "You're doing all right after recent… events? Of course, I saw what happened on the news." He reached over and touched Relena's arm. "That must have been awful."

"Oh, yes. I'm fine, thank you. It's all under control now, thank goodness." Relena bobbed her head and smiled, refraining from going into further detail on the current state of the world and its government. "And everything is going well here?"

"Absolutely!" He nodded vigorously. "But I'm sorry for barging in like this; I didn't realize you were here."

"Oh, no, I'm sorry." Relena flapped a hand. "I was planning to call you, but I got sidetracked, and then when I arrived, the place was empty."

"Ah, yes. I was snowed in at my in-laws'." The man shifted on his feet. "But please, pardon my rudeness. Cornelius Pagan." He extended his hand to Heero.

"Heero Yuy; it's a pleasure," Heero answered automatically as he shook the other man's hand. "Pagan?" He arched a brow. "As in-"

"Oh, yes." Relena smiled. "Of course, you remember Pagan…"

"I'm his nephew," Cornelius finished for her.

"And how is your uncle?" Relena asked.

"Enjoying his retirement," Cornelius answered with a boisterous laugh. "Probably too much… Anyway, he said he liked your Christmas card."

"Oh, good! I'm glad he got it." Relena clapped her hands together. "I hope he knows he is very missed."

"I'm sure he does. Now what brings you here? Anything I can help with?"

"Oh, not really. I just wanted to… get away from it all for a few days." Relena smiled wistfully. "But I don't mean to trouble you; please, feel free to go about your usual business. Pretend we're not even here."

"Nonsense! You're never any trouble, Miss Relena. Although my uncle has occasionally told me otherwise…" Cornelius smirked and made as though to elbow Heero, but the younger man did not return the gesture, merely shooting a wary glance toward Relena. "Anyway," Cornelius prattled on, "my wife is cooking up a storm for tonight; it's supposed to snow again. You should join us!"

"That sounds lovely, but we hate to impose." Relena glanced at Heero to try to gauge his thoughts, but his face had gone to stone. She frowned at him before returning her gaze to Cornelius.

"Don't be silly; there will be plenty of food," he was saying. "Too much, I'm sure; my wife always makes enough to feed an army." Cornelius chuckled at his own joke. "Besides, it's not like there's much else to do in this big old castle. Unless…" He looked from Heero to Relena, giving them a meaningful look that she didn't comprehend at first. Then it hit her like a tidal wave, and she turned scarlet.

"Oh, goodness, no! I mean-" Relena waved a hand in front of her face, as if that would make the redness disappear. Or make herself disappear. She wished she could do either, or both.

"Oh, I'm sorry. This isn't your boyfriend?" Cornelius turned to Heero.

"I'm her bodyguard," Heero said with a touch of annoyance in his tone. Relena wanted to sink through the floorboards. Of course, she hadn't expected him to say "boyfriend," but she had gone out on a limb and kissed him, just moments earlier. Even "friend" would have been nice...

Then again, maybe that would have been even worse.

"Ah, well. Sorry to be so presumptuous." Cornelius ducked his head. "Anyway, I won't intrude any further, but hope you will join us later."

"Yes, I'm sure we will." Relena did her best to recover from her embarrassment and gave the groundskeeper her sincerest smile. He turned to make his exit, but Heero followed after him.

"Relena tells me you're in charge of the security system here," he said without preamble. Both Cornelius's brows shot up.

"Why, yes, I suppose-"

"Show me."

Cornelius appeared to balk slightly under Heero's cool gaze. "Uh, sure. Right this way."

Heero left with Cornelius without another word to Relena. She stood gaping after him.

"Well," she muttered to herself. "I suppose I'll go find… something to do." With a huff, she spun on her heel and marched up the stairs.

After a much-needed shower, Relena changed into a cozy sweater and jeans and flopped down on her bed, reaching for her phone. She needed a distraction to keep her from obsessing over her embarrassing moment earlier. And anyway, she suspected she had some calls to catch up on, and she was right.

First, she returned a call from her adoptive mother, Mareen; they had spoken several times over the past few days, but Relena found herself once again reassuring her mother that she was, in fact, safe and unharmed following last week's incident. She made plans to visit her in Japan in the next few weeks, although she knew she would probably have to do some traveling for work first, to continue to reassure her constituents that the world and colonies were, once again, at peace.

Relena was surprised to see her brother had called; she had thought he and Noin would be headed to Mars, already. Their brief reunion a few days ago had also been a goodbye, or so she thought.

"Milliardo!" she exclaimed when he answered, beaming at his face on the small screen in her hand. "It's good to see you again. You're not in transit?"

"Not yet," he replied. "We still have a few arrangements to make. How is everything in Sanc?"

"Fine. I've just caught up with Cornelius, our groundskeeper. He's been keeping an eye on things. The castle is in good hands."

"That's good." Relena noticed her brother's silver-colored eyes appeared to glaze over. She could tell the state of their childhood home was no longer of particular interest to him; but, then, she supposed he had effectively washed his hands of the place. He had found his new home among the stars.

"And Heero is with you?"

Relena wasn't sure how Milliardo knew that, but she nodded. Why deny it? "Yes, he arrived last night."

"I see." From his tone, Relena guessed her brother wasn't particularly pleased by this fact, either. "Then he's told you?"

She frowned down at her phone. "Told me what?"

"Ah." Milliardo clucked his tongue. "I'm sorry. I thought he would have told you by now." There was no mistaking the concerned look on his face. It was more than that; her brother's eyes seemed to hold a mixture of pity, and… sorrow.

Relena shivered involuntarily. "Told me what?" she repeated.

"Maybe you should ask him," Milliardo answered. "It isn't my place to say."

"Why not?" Relena demanded, gripping her phone until her knuckles threatened to turn white permanently.

"Preventer orders."

"Preventer… orders?" Relena repeated in disbelief. "I… I don't understand." Was Heero a Preventer now? If he was, he hadn't mentioned it.

"I'm sure you'll hear all about it when you're back in Brussels," her brother added. "We shouldn't discuss such matters over the phone."

"And will I see you when I'm back in Brussels?" Relena asked with a sigh. "You're not going to leave me hanging, are you?"

"Of course. We're planning to stay a little longer. Let me know what your plans are. I'm sure we'll see you soon." Frustratingly, he didn't offer any further detail.

Relena ended the bizarre conversation with Milliardo, her mind desperately trying to stitch together what he could be talking about. The Preventers were a relatively new group borne out of the former Alliance and OZ militaries, and of course colony rebels, including some Gundam pilots, although Relena still didn't know which of the pilots had agreed to join. She had assumed Heero would be approached, but when he talked of possibly working as her bodyguard, she figured that meant he was unemployed, at the moment.

Apparently, she was wrong.

Later that evening, Relena and Heero joined Cornelius and his wife, Elaine, for dinner. Relena did her best to enjoy her time with the couple, although it was clear she and Heero had little in common with them. They were, after all, over two decades older, not to mention an established couple with a baby on the way. They explained how they had been waiting for the "situation in the world" to "calm down a bit" before attempting to start a family, and, well, now here they were. Relena was happy for them, and gratified to know that she and Heero had helped bring the war to an end so that families like theirs could live in peace, although Heero had done far more than she ever could. But she knew he wouldn't want her to mention that, and so she played along with the "bodyguard" charade to explain his presence at the castle.

Heero surprised Relena by making pleasant small talk with the couple, when she fully expected him to be taciturn throughout the meal. It dawned on her that his conversational skills were no doubt part of his training, so that he could potentially blend into any scenario. Tonight, he was playing the part of polite dining companion. And, frankly, he was doing just fine.

Relena, however, struggled to devote herself to the social engagement, her mind drifting back to the cryptic conversation with her brother. She had hoped to confront Heero about it earlier, but he was off in random parts of the castle, doing whatever security upgrades he saw fit; which, frankly, she wasn't all that interested in at the moment. Not when, apparently, there was some secret Preventer mission afoot that she knew nothing about.

Relena was grateful when, eventually, Cornelius and Elaine politely excused themselves. Relena had been tempted to make up something about wanting to go to bed early, but then she was afraid she wouldn't get to talk to Heero at all that night. After helping Elaine clear the table, Relena said goodnight to her and Cornelius before retreating to the sitting room, looking pointedly at Heero. Luckily, he took the hint and joined her.

It dawned on Relena, as she settled into an armchair near the fireplace, that she and Heero hadn't spoken directly to one another since her rather bold proclamation earlier. She wanted to bring that up to him, too, but didn't know how. Instead she found herself staring at the flames as they danced, once again afraid to meet his eyes.

"Should we play?"

"Huh?" Relena raised her head abruptly, forcing herself to look at him, finally. "Play what?"

Heero tapped the table in front of them. Relena looked down and flushed. She had forgotten it was a chessboard.

"Oh. Right. Sure." Ignoring the bemused look he was giving her, Relena forced herself to focus. The last thing in the world she wanted to do was compete against Heero in anything, let alone chess. She was sure her defeat would be even more humiliating than her unreciprocated kiss earlier.

But maybe, just maybe, this was Heero's way of flirting? After all, she hadn't given him much of a chance to respond, had she? Relena's mind whirred as she thought back on their earlier encounter, but then she also had to remember to move her pawn. Heero immediately countered with one of his pawns, but the move left his king open. Relena worked to still her features, although she was surprised to realize she might be able to take his king so quickly. Heero moved to block her queen, but his king had nowhere to go.

"Checkmate," Relena announced triumphantly. Heero sat back in his chair, his face blank. Not that she expected him to say or do much, but some acknowledgement of her superior skill might have been nice, she thought. "Come on, Heero," she taunted. "Don't be a sore loser."

He held her gaze for a moment before leaning forward, resting his arms on the table.

"You distracted me," he muttered.

"I did not," Relena scoffed. "I won, fair and square."

Heero's eyes shifted to the side. "Earlier."

Relena's smile froze on her face. "Uh… what?"

Heero's face darkened, and he tore his eyes from hers. "Distractions can be deadly," he mumbled. Relena's face grew hot.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic." Heero's eyes snapped back to hers. "It's not like we were facing down actual attackers or something." Relena leveled him with a steely gaze of her own. "It was an innocent kiss. That's all."

Heero's expression appeared to change from irritated to amused. "I wouldn't call it innocent."

"No, you know what's not so innocent? Lying to your so-called friends." Relena sat back in her chair and folded her arms, glaring icily at Heero.

"Huh?" For once he looked genuinely baffled. Actually, Relena had seen that look once before, when she had informed him - after he threatened to kill her, naturally - that she was, in fact, on his side of the war. That boyishly confused expression was back, but this time, Relena wasn't buying it.

"You owe me an explanation," she said simply.

"For what?"

"For what you're actually doing here." She quirked a brow.

"I already told you," he said flatly.

"You didn't tell me everything, did you?"

Heero glared at her for a full moment, but this time, Relena didn't dare look away. Finally he dropped his gaze to the table.

"I don't know what you think you know, but-"

"My brother filled me in, earlier," Relena said. It was partially true, at least; she didn't have to tell Heero that Milliardo had, for the most part, left her in the dark about whatever cloak and dagger plot seemed to be underway.

Heero looked alarmed again before seemingly collecting himself. "And… you're angry I didn't tell you first?"

"Yes," Relena decided as she said it. "Because you said you came here to see me, just because. And you said we're friends. I don't appreciate your deceiving me like that."

His brow furrowed. "What if I planned to tell you later..."

"Did you?"

"Yes." Relena wasn't sure whether she should believe him or not. "I didn't want to upset you," he added. She shifted in her chair, uncertain of what she should ask him next. He was, after all, operating under the assumption that she knew more than she actually did.

"Well, why don't you tell me your role in all of this?" Relena was discovering that her brief political experience was proving to be handy for interrogations.

"You mean you don't know?" Heero frowned.

Great, Relena thought. She had been caught. She couldn't force Heero into a confession when it was clear she really had no idea what was going on.

"I… I just don't understand why-" She watched, flabbergasted, as Heero rose from his seat and perched on the arm of her chair, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"It's all right," he murmured. "It's a lot to take in." Relena stared up at him, transfixed, as his hand moved to brush back her bangs. "That's why I'm going with you."

"You are?" she breathed. She no longer cared wherever they might be going.

"Of course." His eyes held hers. "I promised you I'd always protect you, no matter what. I intend to keep that promise."

Relena's breath caught. She knew she should ask him exactly what that meant, but she also didn't want to spoil the moment.

"These next few months will probably be difficult for you," Heero continued. "But you must stay focused."

"Right." Relena nodded, still pretending she knew what he was talking about.

"But earlier…" He frowned and turned his face away. "If we were to be… involved… it could compromise the mission."

Relena's heart plummeted. Compromise the mission?! She wanted to shriek. She decided that she wanted no part of whatever mission this was, if Heero was going to use it as an excuse to keep them apart. "But, Heero-"

"It's my fault." He raked a hand through his unruly bangs, turning his gaze to the fireplace. "I shouldn't have been so reckless during our exercises..."

"Is this what you were training me for?" Relena asked, her exasperation growing. Apparently, Heero had taken it upon himself to train her for some secret mission- without bothering to tell her what it was, first.

"What else?" Heero returned his gaze to her. "I want you to be prepared, in case you're awoken first. We have no idea what the state of the world will be, decades from now. We could be walking into something unknown-"

"What?!" Relena bolted up from her seat so quickly, she knocked herself into the chess table. She ignored the sudden shot of pain in her hip as she whirled on Heero, who also stood. "Awoken?! Decades from now?! But what- why?!"

"Calm down," he said, using both arms to steady her at the shoulders. "I thought you knew?"

"I…" Relena worked to slow her breathing. "I… when I talked to Milliardo, he… didn't mention... that."

"What did he say?" Heero frowned. Relena's lower lip trembled, and she realized too late that tears had sprung into her eyes.

Oh, no, she chided herself. Don't start crying…

With a gasp, Relena lifted her hands to cover her face as sobs escaped her. She wanted to shrink away from Heero, at the very least hide so that he couldn't see how pathetic she was. She took a step backward but stumbled against the table. And then she felt Heero's arms wrap around her, encircling her waist, pulling her into his chest.

"I know this doesn't make any sense right now," he murmured into her hair. "But it's the best way to protect you."

"But why?" Relena sniffled. "What do you mean, best way? Does that mean there are other ways?"

"No," Heero said firmly. "This the only way."

Relena realized she had gotten Heero's shirt damp with her tears. She backed away bashfully. "Well, if you want me to stop crying, you're going to have to explain better than that."

Heero released her from his hold, but reached a hand up to tug on her ponytail. "Come on," he murmured and took her hand, leading her to the couch that faced the fire.

A/N: Hello everyone, and happy FRIYAY! We made it! I realize that I say this at the end of every week, but it's so true... I hope wherever you are, you have some fun plans for the weekend, and I hope the weather is as glorious as it is here in New England, at long last! We seemed to have a never-ending winter this year, but today promises to be beautiful, and I can't wait to get out into the sunshine, if only for a little while. :)

But winter is in full swing in this story, which I meant to post during the same season, but life has its way of preventing our best intentions at times... AND speaking of Preventers, what do you think Heero and Zechs are up to in this story, anyway? I'm sure you figured out early on that there was more to Heero's visit than just mere pleasantries, but you'll have to wait and see what he's really trying to protect Relena from... I welcome your predictions, though! Let me know what you think!

As always, I appreciate your enthusiasm and support. So many of you have been so patient waiting for updates from me, and I know I have a lot of stories going, but I promise to continue updating them all as long as you continue to read them! And leaving your feedback is especially helpful as I decide which stories to focus on... but rest assured, they will all get done at some point... and more than one has a sequel in the works. :D Tee hee... Stay tuned!

Love love love,

- RFP