okee, here's chapter 2! I'm so hella excited that ppl are actually reading this, and i thank all who take the time to. enjoy!

Beep, Beep, Beep….SMACK!

Such was the sequence of noises when Relena woke up. She had to restrain herself from throwing the alarm clock across the room.

She had been in a very deep sleep. For the first time since the attack.

Glancing at the clock, her eyes widened as they adjusted to the light in the room.

'Seven-thirty? No, impossible. I set it for six, I know it!'

Jumping from the bed, she purposely ignored the pain that shot through her bruised leg as she landed.

In a near panic she snatched some clothes from her closet and rushed into the bathroom. Five minutes later she re-emerged, fully clothed, her hair still damp from the shower.

Grabbing a stack of documents from her desk, she zipped out of the room, not bothering to notice the shadow that followed her.

Slowly Relena crept downstairs, unsure of whether or not her bother and Noin were awake. Seeing all was clear, she reached the door and began to turn the knob.

She suddenly froze as a hand landed firmly on her shoulder.

"And where exactly are you going?"

At first she judged it was Milliardo by the deep voice, but ruled it out as the warm body behind her pressed closer.

And the gentleness of the grip told her it wasn't her attacker.

She sighed as realization sunk in.

"Hello Heero, what brings you here?"

She spoke softly, turning to face him. Soft Cerulean eyes met cold Prussian ones, and she felt a strange twinge in her chest at his blunt, unusual reply.

"You."

At this Relena remained silent, thinking of exactly what to say. She looked up from the floor as he continued.

"Une has assigned me to protect you. Everyone else will be joining us shortly. I've been given the duty of guarding you, and keeping up your physical AND emotional health. So, Relena, I order you to return to bed immediately. You need rest."

She was completely taken aback by his words. Not just what he'd said, but the fact that he'd actually spoken on full sentences to her.

Nevertheless, he was mistaken.

She took a defiant stance against him.

"Heero, I must go to work. It's my duty to the people to---"

He again shocked her by interrupting.

"I don't care. The people are well aware of your position. Zechs will take over your duties for the next two weeks. During that time you need to enjoy your vacation. Now, I believe I told you got back to bed."

Even at his words Relena continued to object.

"No, Heero, I have to go to work. I have to fulfill my duties as…..HEERO! What on earth are you doing?"

She screamed as Heero picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder, and headed up the staircase towards her room. He completely ignored her loud protests and the pounding of her fists against his back.

Heero sat in the chair behind Relena's desk, staring at her sleeping form on the bed. He gave a small smirk at the thought of winning his earlier argument with her; he'd almost forgotten how stubborn she could be when it came to her beliefs and duties.

Leaning back in the chair a bit, he listened with advanced hearing to her labored breathing, wondering in the recesses of his mind what it would be like to be in there beside her.

'Where the hell did that come from?'

He shook the thought away. This was no time for distractions, he had a mission to concentrate on.

Switching his thoughts to other matters, he quickly glanced at the clock beside Relena's bed.

'Eight-fifty…the others should be arriving soon.'

As if on cue, the doorbell rang loudly from downstairs, breaking the silence.

Heero stood and padded as quietly as possible to the bedroom, careful not wake Relena. But he quickly found there was no sense in it.

With speed that left him in a temporary daze, Relena jumped out of bed, wide awake, and ran down the hall, calling "I'll get it!" back to him.

His well-known death glare was planted on his face as he walked up behind her, and stopped her before she reached the door.

Turning her around by her arm, he attempted to stare daggers into her.

"You were never really asleep, were you."

He stated, rather than asked, and she looked up at him with devious innocence.

"You actually think I could sleep with you staring at me from across the room?"

With that she pulled from his grip, and answered the door.

Before she could react, she was tackled to the floor by Duo, who was, as always, over dramatizing things.

"Relena! We were so worried! I'm so glad your not still traumatized! And your black eye looks better too!"

He was suddenly jerked up by the back of the shirt, and found himself facing blazing blue eyes. Slinking back, he put his hands up as a sign of mock surrender.

"Okay, I get the point Heero, chill. I'll stop touching your girl."

He then raised his fists to block any punches he were to receive, none came.

Heero stared at Relena, a barely visible blush on his face.

Yet as quickly as it had appeared, it was replaced by the usual stone-statue look.

As the guests began to pile in, Duo whispered to Relena from behind, "At least he's capable of embarrassment, that's one good sign."

Relena merely nodded in agreement and motioned for them to follow her upstairs.

As she showed everyone to their rooms, Heero tried hard to ignore the looks given to him by Dorothy and Catherine. They pointed at Relena, glancing at him while doing so, smiling and truly annoying him.

Purposely avoiding hearing range, he growled at their display of typical girlishness, and walked further ahead of them.

"And this will be Wufei and Sally's room. Unless you would rather not sleep with a 'weak onna'. Hm?"

Relena smiled as Wufei turned a shade of red, and neither he or Sally objected.

She felt Hilde nudge her side, and she flashed a thumbs-up.

"Nice one, Relena. Who knew you could be so teasing? I guess even the Foreign Minister has her secrets."

At this Heero stared at the floor, knowing that Relena was now looking at him.

"And Heero, if you plan on sleeping at all while you're here, which I recommend you do, this is your room."

Looking up, he found himself into the room directly across from hers.

Although well lit with a chandelier, it was quaint for a room in such a large home.

A four-post bed lay in the right side of the room, with a table on either side, and a desk in the corner with a television. Two doors were on the left side, one leading to a personal bathroom, the other a closet.

The simplicity fit his style, although he'd never say it aloud.

Instead, he merely shrugged and turned to look at them, showing no expression of rejection or acceptance.

"I'm going downstairs to get my stuff. Afterwards, I'll be working on my laptop. No-one is to bother me. Understand?"

Content with the various nods he received, along with a scowl from Wufei, he headed down the hall to the stairs.

Stopping as he passed Relena, he placed his mouth next to her ear.

"If you need me, you know where I'll be."

Not looking to see her reaction, he continued walking, leaving the group gawking behind him.