AN: Please note that there is a reference to an attempted assault.

Thank you to everyone who is still with me and reading this story. I've also received some very kind reviews. I apologize for being behind on responding, but I really am grateful. I hope you will continue to enjoy this story as we go.

Much love,

~Rose


Chapter 4

"Stubborn" - Was a word they both could be.

...

Relena stuck to a fairly standard routine. Early morning workouts on Tuesdays and Thursdays meant she came home a bit later than the other days of the week. Saturdays, she often went out with friends. Sundays, she and Hilde hung out; the girls did things together like hot yoga or hiking - after attending church.

Heero, on the other hand, his work ruined any positive routines that might have carried over from the military - like rising early. With his clients based in various parts of the world, he often worked a split schedule. Something he could only manage from a virtual office, working from home.

His work schedule also meant Heero went through phases where he didn't leave his apartment as often as he wanted. The former Marine found that during these times, self-management became important - often making up a reason to leave. Like today: Heero wanted to price new shocks for his motorcycle - and what it would cost to have the tech at the custom bike shop "The Specials" do the work.

The former Marine found he spent more time there than he intended. Got a little distracted by a custom racing bike "Nataku" - the pet project of a motorcycle cop, and ex-Navy Seal: Wufei Chang.

Wufei built Nataku into a slick piece of machinery, with a shit ton of horse power. Heero found himself mildly interested in the other man's hobby. Unfortunately, the guy could talk like he took lessons from Duo. Heero learned a few things about the former Seal's last deployment, his live-in girlfriend, and the difficulties of raising a teenaged quasi-step-daughter.

...

"I'm constantly on her case: be alert. Watch your surroundings. Don't get caught off-guard. But, she has this disobedient streak - a mile wide. Just like her mother."

...

A half-hour later, Heero managed to extract himself from the conversation. He mounted his bike and headed home.

. . . . .

Heero pulled his motorcycle into his detached garage, turned off the bike and kicked down the stand. After pulling off his helmet and putting it away, the former Marine exited the standalone structure. He entered his code into a keypad mounted on the wall. The overhead door began its descent. He started towards the apartment building.

Heero pulled his phone from his pocket. No missed messages. Which meant, no response from his princess, today. He shrugged his jacket close and tucked his phone back in his jeans, then entered the building through the side door.

'Should I text her again?' He grumbled as he stepped into the stairwell. A familiar voice reached his ears. He stopped short. 'That's her.' He peered around the corner.

Relena strode in strappy heels towards the elevator. Some privileged-looking 'dude' in his mid-twenties slouched beside her. Sloucher's sandy-brown hair sat on top of his head in a man bun; he wore khaki pants and flip-flops. In November. The other man's eyes darted around, hands shoved in pants pockets. His lips twisted into a sly smile that Heero wanted to knock off his face.

'It's none of my business.' Heero took a deep breath and held it as he started up the steps.

He arrived on the second floor, took the few steps around the corner and stopped at his door. The elevator dinged and he heard her voice, again.

"It was really nice of you to walk me home."

"No problem. Can't have a pretty lady like you walking home by yourself."

Heero rolled his eyes; he twisted the key in the lock and shoved the door open.

"Um, so, yeah, thanks. I'm ok from here. I'll see you at work tomorrow. Same as usual. Right?"

Heero halted the door before it closed. 'That's a brush off.' He peered through a wedge-shaped crack in the door.

Relena gave Sloucher a quick hug where the two corridors intersected, and then turned away. Heero couldn't see her mouth to read her lips, but he read her body language: she wasn't interested. She was just nice. Too damned nice - all the time.

She walked the rest of the way to her door. Sloucher followed.

'You don't let them know where you live. Come on, Relena. This is how women go missing.' Heero gripped his doorknob and stepped out into the hallway. Not that Sloucher fit the bill, but the Marine Corps put them through an entire unit on how to recognize signs of human trafficking. The stories survivors told still chilled the blood in his veins...

He wanted to be visible. He wanted Sloucher to leave. He wanted to make sure she entered her apartment - safe, and alone. Then, he wanted to shake some sense into her!

Heero crossed his arms and waited. Relena turned and recoiled when she saw her escort behind her. She gave him a tight-lipped smile and waved. Sloucher remained rooted in place. She turned her back to him, again, and unlocked her door.

'And you definitely don't open the door until they leave. Fuck!' Alarm rose like so much acidic bile - moving the wrong way up his throat. Before Relena could set foot into her apartment, Sloucher grabbed her shoulders, and whirled her around!

A cry of surprise tore from her lips. "What are—"

He clamped his mouth over hers.

Heero's whole body bristled. 'But,' he swallowed. 'She can handle this.' He breathed and waited. 'She said she takes self-defense classes. I'm just here for backup.'

Relena pushed at Sloucher's chest. She kicked him in the shins. He broke the kiss and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, picking her up, and stepping forward - like he meant to haul her inside the apartment.

A red haze fell over Heero's vision.

She must have bit him. Her attacker recoiled, but didn't drop her. Just uttered an exclamation that sounded like: "You bitch!" And tried to swing the squirming, kicking, woman into her residence.

Relena landed an elbow to the guy's face. Her attacker held tight.

Heero leapt across the hall! He pulled Relena free and shoved her roughly into her apartment. "Lock the fucking door!" He slammed the panel shut and turned.

"You should run." Heero gave Sloucher one warning more than the piece of excrement deserved.

"I'm her boyfriend. She likes to roleplay like I'm—"

A satisfying 'crunch' filled his ears. The thrill of landing a solid punch sang through his muscles. His veins.

Sloucher cried out and sunk to the floor. Heero picked him up by his polo shirt collar and growled.

"Heero! Stop! Please!" Relena's voice filtered into his ear. Another voice: his, yelled something about killing animals who treated women like shit.

Relena grabbed Heero from behind, locking her arms around his chest. He blinked. Sloucher sagged against the wall, sniveling. Blood trickled from his nose and his eye started to swell.

"Please, Heero."

"Get. Back. Inside, Relena."

He snarled at Sloucher. "You, get out of here. Now."


"Relena! Let me in." Heero yelled at her apartment door. He slammed his fist against the metal.

"No. Not until you calm down."

"Not until I— God dammit!" He kicked at it; the thing jarred. Metal scraped against metal, but the door held. One of the lower panels dented. "Open this door."

Relena inched her door open; her eyes peeked out over the safety chain. She met his gaze and slammed it shut. "No," she yelled again.

He rested his forehead against the door and gulped breaths of air. "At least tell me whether you're ok."

"Am I ok? How am I supposed to know if I'm ok?" Her voice trembled. The sound provoked him all over again. He needed to see her. He needed to know she wasn't hurt. He needed to make sure this never happened again.

"I will call the police myself. You need to turn him in. He deserves to be locked in a pen like an animal!"

"He's a coworker. He offered to walk me home. I thought he was being nice! I'm just supposed to have him arrested? And then what? How do I explain anything at work?"

"I don't care - what happens to him. What people think. I'll dial 911 if you don't come out, right now!"

"You're a jerk, Yuy." A couple of light thuds - possibly the sound of her smaller fists against the other side of her door. "You've always been a jerk, and you're too stubborn to change!"

He ground his teeth sound of her cry still echoed in his ears. "I'm stubborn? I'm not the stubborn one. How many times have I told you?" His voice cracked as he continued to shout. His throat reminded him he'd been yelling for a while.

"You're too trusting. We don't live in some fairytale where you get to flit about like a princess."

He continued to pound on the door. "We live in the middle of a city, Relena. With crime. And the human equivalent of rats!"

"Is there anyone I can trust in your world? Or is everyone some kind of predator?"

"You can't blindly trust anyone." He fell back against her door and ran a hand through his hair. Heero took a shaking breath. She was right: he needed to calm the fuck down.

"Not even you?"

A deep breath. Hold it in. Count to ten. Let it out. "Not even me."

More thuds. Vibrations coursed through the door at his back. A sniffle. A sob.

He clenched his jaw.

Then a soft: "You don't have to yell at me. What happened was already bad enough."

She had a point. He continued his breathing; his heartbeat slowed from a blind rush to a gallop.

"But you can't just show up and be some nice guy hero and still push me away all the time. You're confusing and I hate it!"

He whirled around. "I'm confusing? Then let me spell it out for you: it's a God damned full time job just protecting you!" He fought back the urge to actually break down her door. "Anything more, and you'd be the death of me."

Heero beat on the metal panel; pain sank into his knuckles. It throbbed through his arm and reverberated in his chest. "Relena!"

"Protecting me?" She yanked open the door. Her eyes looked puffy and red. The fight left his body with just a glance.

"I really need a, what, a bodyguard? Because I'm too dumb to fend for myself?" Her complexion heated from pale to mottled red. "Too helpless? Clearly, I'm just a little girl, right?" She took a step towards him; light flashed in her eyes. In fact, it clung to her - flaring around her skin, her hair, her whole body. It was a trick of the eyes, his mind, when adrenaline hit his system. But she glowed.

Vivid. Alive.

And for a moment, he'd have given anything to be like her….

"Just a little girl who needs her God damned next-door-neighbor-turned-overgrown-Boy-Scout to take care of her!"

She trembled all over, but whether it was from anger or fear, he didn't know. But, he could see her, now. The rage fled his body, and his training kicked in.

'Comfort, don't blame. Support. Be 'safe'. Get them to report the attack.'

He straightened his shoulders and inhaled. "Not dumb. Not helpless."

The rush of adrenaline leached from his body. Ice cold water swirled around him and assaulted his chest. Heero felt like he'd been treading water past his limit. He started to sink.

"You're," Heero tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, "too kind. Beautiful." He tilted her head to make Relena look at him. A shudder ran through her; she met his gaze.

Warm, aquamarine eyes stared into him - providing a lifeline to shore. And he wondered if she was the one who needed saving...

"Too many missing people." His palm cupped the back of her head. He moved pieces of wet hair from where they stuck to her cheek. "I've seen too many. Terrible things…."

'And it almost happened to you.' A distant pang. A feeling of loss. How could she make him feel…

Heero leaned forward and kissed her. Her mouth curved up, and then she pressed her lips against his. He moved them out of the hallway into her apartment and shut the door with his foot. Heero wrapped his arms around her waist and brought his mouth down over hers, again.

He held her close; the tears on her cheek wetting his face, her lips warm and sweet. A trace of perfume wafted from her neck. She smelled of cinnamon and citrus. He brought his hands up to cup her face as his mouth left hers to kiss her cheeks, her eyes, her forehead. He pulled her into his chest.

Relena's arms slid up his back; her hands clutched his shirt between his shoulder blades. He held her while she sobbed.

A couple of minutes passed. The tremors coursing through her…lessened.

"Did he hurt you?"

"No. He just— He scared me." She shuddered. "And then you. You looked like you were going to really hurt him. And that's not like you…." A watery smile. "He must have scared you, too."

"Why are you so angry with me?"

"I just... You kept yelling at me. Like I did this. Like I would ever want...that. And if you, who saw what he did. If you saw it and thought I was somehow to blame. What would anyone else think?"

"It's not your fault." He shook his head. "It's not your fault."

"I don't know what I'm going to do. At work, tomorrow."

"He'll probably call in sick. Monday's another story, but. We'll figure it out by then."

"I've never seen you...angry before." She lifted her head. "Were you? Were you afraid for me, Heero?"

The room shrunk; the oxygen evaporated and left only heated, unbreathable air. He did the only thing he could think of - and kissed her, again.

He tasted the salt of her tears as their lips met in a slow, languid kiss. The kind that made him wish they were in her bed and he had all day - to just kiss her. Every inch of her; starting at her toes and working his way up her body.

Strands of hair slipped through his fingers. Relena broke away. She pressed her forehead against his neck. Her breath warmed his skin and breathed life into his chest.

A couple of minutes crawled by.

"Do you really think I'm beautiful?" She said in a hoarse whisper.

"Hn." His voice rumbled. "You already know the answer to that."

"I didn't. Until you said it, Heero." She raised her head and met his gaze. "Women don't know what goes on in men's heads, you know."

'Clearly.'

Relena's hands moved to the front of his chest. She toyed with the Saint Michael medallion that hung around his neck. "A big, bad Marine like you could think I'm a charitable cause. Or something."

He kissed the top of her head. "You think I'm big and bad, now?" He tried to smile at his own, weak joke.

"Oh?" One eyebrow rose. "So, now, we're advertising our sexual prowess?" She pressed her lips together and shook her head.

"No. I am. Yours is," he tilted his head and took in the blush coloring her features. "I'm guessing non-existent."

She glared up at him; her whole face contorted into a scowl. "It is, now. As far as you're concerned." She twisted from his grip. "And you've graduated from jerk to certified ass." She pointed at the door. "Go."

Heero chuckled. He liked getting a rise out of her. "Maybe so," he said and crossed his arms. "But, I decided a while ago, you're the only one who suits me."

Relena's eyes went wide. "I suit you?"

"And, do you know what my specialty was? In the Marine Corps?" He leaned down and into her personal space.

She drew back and her face turned a few degrees to her left. "No?"

He met her gaze and held it. Heero stared at her, into her. Through her. "Sniper."

Princess or not, that should tell her everything she needed to know. He would wait. Patiently. Unmoving. Vigilant. For his target - for her. As she was now the Mission Objective. Heero turned around and let himself out into the hallway.

"Snipers are the overgrown Boy Scouts of stalkers!" Relena called out after him.

He paused, turned his head and shot her a look. "I think that's the motto on the insignia."

Heero closed the door, but not before he heard her say: "You're still a jerk."