Disclaimer: Just because I want it to be mine, doesn't mean it is.

I'm a lazy… well, lazy. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Took me long enough, didn't it? Would you believe me if I said it was another ploy to build suspense and not because I'm the laziest person alive? Didn't think so.

Chapter Seven: The Morning After

Sirens rang throughout the castle. As the cameras flashed, Heero felt Relena squeeze his hand. She was about to give her official statement, and he could tell she was nervous. He rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand, just to reassure her that he was there. Because he was there, and he intended to stay.

She squeezed his hand again, took a deep breath and began. The chatter from the crowd gathered at her front door stopped, and they all listened, preparing their questions. He wasn't listening to her though, well not entirely. He was thinking and trying to ignore the voices in his earpiece, particularly Duo and Wufei, who were still going at it. Apparently, Duo was still tied up in that bathroom, and they couldn't figure out which one it was. Or so they said. As amusing as it was to hear Maxwell whine, he removed his earpiece and glanced at Relena as she began squeezing his hand again. The reporters were going to start asking questions next.

He felt strangely at ease standing there next to her. Like it was right. Like he belonged there. He'd always stood off to the side, but this was where he'd always wanted to be: at her side. And now, he felt like he could. He could stand in front of the world as her… well, whatever he was to her, and not worry about what they would think about it. About his past. About how scandalous it was. About anything. He knew that it felt right and that was all that mattered. His thoughts were interrupted by a much harder squeeze. Apparently, someone asked something that she didn't want to answer.

"Yes… yes, it is true that the leader of my security team did quit."

'Ah, that's what it was,' he thought. He looked to find the owner of the question.

"And do you feel that this is a direct result of that?"

Who the hell did that punk think he was? Heero wanted to go knock him out. What right did he have to ask that? Well, okay, so he did have the right. He still shouldn't have asked it. It wasn't that he thought he was wrong; he just didn't want to hear it. He felt bad enough about the whole situation. He sure as hell didn't need anyone to remind him.

Relena did her best to keep her composure, but, it was obvious to anyone that she was a little shaken by the question. Another reported piped up before she could regurgitate some response, but he was cut off by the first. "Miss Darlian, you didn't answer my question. I'm sure everyone here would like to know your thoughts."

Heero really wanted to punch him now.

Relena began to tense up. He knew why she didn't want to answer: this was his fault. If he hadn't left, there'd been no chance of this happening. No one ever slipped through his security plans: they were perfect. Suddenly, this didn't feel so right. He didn't belong there. He didn't deserve to stand beside her.

"I… I, um, no," she paused and her voice became more steady and firm. "No, I don't."

'Don't lie, Relena…' She didn't need to lie on his behalf. She knew it was his fault.

"I do not feel that his absence caused this."

'Liar.'

"Are you sure?" the reporter continued. "Every attempt prior to this to cause any bit of chaos has been prevented. His presence is the only factor--"

"That's enough."

Heero glanced over to Relena. She was actually showing her frustration. Her cheeks were flushed and she was almost glaring.

"Miss Darlian, it's--"

"It's been a long day. I won't be answering any more questions right now. Excuse me."

The sea of reporters shouted questions but they were all ignored as the door closed behind the fuming blonde and her body guard.

------

Heero dropped Relena off at her room, promising to return shortly, and left to find the other pilots. Duo had been "found" and let out now, and they were all meeting in the hangar out in the forest. They were going to begin interrogating some of the terrorists, and Duo thought that maybe Heero wanted to be a part of it. He'd thrown in some stupid comment, involving that words "lovebirds" and "cute." Following it was an irritating "aww." Heero made a mental note to give braid-boy a friendly punch to the gut when he saw him.

Heero made it there fairly quickly, after making a quick stop to get the fake Gundam situated on a trailer. Once there, he was met with Sally and Quatre. Amused that Duo didn't have the guts to meet him, he greeted the two with a nod.

"Before you ask, it's going directly to the junk yard to be scrapped. Duo's having his guys take care of it. That way, no one will be able to try to do anything with it."

Heero nodded a second time. It was the logical thing to do; Quatre must have thought of it. "So, where are they?"

"We have the terrorists in a holding room in the back," Sally continued. "The others have already starting questioning."

"We've also begun I.D.ing them and running profile checks."

Heero again nodded in approval. "Good."

"Alright, let's go then. They're expecting us."

------

Heero rubbed his eyes and cracked his neck before pouring his coffee. It was now a quarter passed three. He'd been up since… he couldn't remember: It'd been a while, that he did know. After taking in the sweet aroma, he took a sip and returned to the hall where Trowa was standing. There, he looked through the glass into the questioning room.

"Is he having any luck with that one?"

Trowa shook his head. "Doesn't look that way."

As he drank some more, Heero began getting frustrated. Not only was this taking entirely too long, they weren't getting any new information. It was the same story: They were tired of being ignored. They wanted to be heard. And the nuclear weapon? A bunch of bs. They claimed they never intended to harm anyone. They were just desperate to be heard. Heero smirked. 'Right…' It was a likely story. He wished one of them would just spill it so he could get back to Relena. He had a promise to fulfill; they were going to make him break it. He took another sip from the mug and looked back into the room. Duo was slamming his fist on the table. "He won't get anywhere doing that."

Trowa smirked. "Yeah."

Heero then glanced to the terrorist. He was still in uniform, but his sunglasses and bandana had been removed. Standard procedure. As he scanned over the criminal, he felt a sense of familiarity. And then, then the man turned his head and Heero saw his face.

------

Surprised by the clatter, Trowa turned to where Heero had been standing to find a broken coffee mug on the floor. Another noise caught his attention. He looked back to the one-sided mirror to find the prisoner up against the wall by his collar, courtesy of Heero.

------

Heero was past the point of simply being angry: he was enraged. Duo couldn't pull him off. Trowa's assistance couldn't stop him either. He didn't even care that the person he had against the wall couldn't breath. He didn't deserve to.

"You fucking prick! You'd better start talking! And don't give me that bullshit you've all been reciting!"

Duo desperately pulled at Heero. "Maybe if you gave him some AIR!" He continued in vain. "Damn it, Heero! Get off of him! He's no use dead!"

It took several moments for the words to register and for him to let go. Hesitantly, Heero loosened his grip from the man's collar and let him drop to the floor.

The man, purple in complexion, gasped for air and retreated to the other side of the small room. "Maniac!"

"Maniac?" Heero clenched his fists. It was taking everything he had to hold himself back. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Duo picked up the folder on the desk and responded in a matter-of-fact way. "Derrick Walbridge. He was an OZ foot soldier."

Heero's death glare still shot at the man. "So, I suppose Larry's just an alias then?"

------

Relena let out an exasperated sigh. She couldn't sleep. She didn't feel safe or secure enough to sleep. Sure, she was exhausted and her body was telling her that she should lie down, but she couldn't. She wanted him to come back. To reassure her that he wasn't going to go anywhere. He said he'd be back shortly. It was almost four in the morning. 'He's just gotten caught up with things. There's a lot of take care of right now. He'll be back when he's done.' She told herself that, but a part of her couldn't accept it. He'd begun acting distant after the reporter had made that comment, not that he was ever very close, but he just seemed further away. She couldn't remember him even looking her in the eye. Did he really think that this was his fault?

Yes. But, she didn't think it was. He wouldn't have left if he knew something like this would happen. So, what did happen wasn't something he couldn't have prevented. It wasn't his fault. It happened. He fixed it. End story. Why didn't he see it that way?

She started thinking about his reason for leaving again. She stopped a long time ago, convinced it was a waste of time, but it was eating away at her again. Just why did he leave in the first place?

Lost in thought, she rose from her spot on the window seal and walked across the room. Here she was, waiting for him to come back again. She felt like she'd been doing this all her life. She stopped near the wall by her closet and stooped down to pick something up. She returned to the window with a tiny, brown stuffed bear tightly nestled in her arms.

'Come back to me this time, Heero Yuy…'

------

Heero had calmed his rage enough now to convince Duo and Trowa that they could leave the room. They did so, hesitantly, and left him to take care of business.

He glared at "Larry." He knew what he wanted to do, but Larry wouldn't be much help to him that way. Also, he'd promised not to. It was the first condition he agreed to when his partners consented to leaving the room. He paced around the room, angrily staring at the man sitting at the card table set up in the center. He was trying to find the words. 'Kicking his ass would be so much easier…' How was he going to do this? He was supposed to be finding out details of the terrorist group, but he just wanted to know about Larry's association with them. What were his motives? How long had he been involved? What the fuck was his problem?

"Are you going to ask me questions or not? Because if all you're going to do is stare at me, I'd like to be taken off to wherever now."

Heero stopped pacing and took the seat across from Larry. He would stay level-headed about this, no matter how much this guy pushed his buttons. He would stay clam. "Fine. Start talking."

"You haven't asked me a question."

'Calm. Calm. Stay calm…' Heero leaned back into his chair. "How'd you get involved? And when?"

"Why does it matter when?"

"Answer the question."

Larry gave a smirk. "Alright. A few months back--"

"When?"

He shot an annoyed look. "January. In January, I got a call from an old friend, asking if I could help him out with something."

Now we're getting somewhere, he thought. "What did he ask?"

Larry sighed. "They knew I worked on her security team. From the inside, they figured I could help. Put a hole in one of the plans. Allow them to slip through. I owed the guy a favor, so, I agreed." He paused and reached into his pocket to get a cigarette. "I had one hell of a time though, with you around. And when you left," he lit the cigarette and blew the smoke across the table into Heero's face. "I had my chance. Your resignation was the perfect opportunity."

Knuckles white, Heero fought to stay on his side of the table.

"Then, they pulled some strings, and I was on top. And there you have it."

Heero was fuming. He was trying his patience to dangerously thin levels. If he said one more word, Heero was going to break his neck.

Larry chuckled and took another drag off his cigarette. "So, I guess… this was just as much my fault as yours. Ha. How ironic?"

------

The ambulance pulled away from the hanger.

"Was that really necessary, Heero?" Trowa asked as he watched the flashing lights fade.

"You remember when I told you to follow your feelings?" He paused and turned to walk back inside. "It was after I self-destructed."

Trowa nodded. He remembered that clearly. "Yeah."

"I felt like punching him."

Trowa turned to follow Heero back inside with a chuckle. "That was a little more than a punch, but I suppose it works."

------

Relena woke up the following morning… in her bed? She was puzzled. She clearly remembered falling asleep at her window around five, but now she was lying comfortably in her bed. Comfortably. It didn't take long for her to give up on the thought. She really didn't want to get up yet anyway. She wondered if anyone expected her to do much today. She hoped not. Finding out would require moving. Moving meant caring. She didn't care. She was too tired to care.

As she began to drift back to sleep, she felt a stir in the bed, but she knew it wasn't her that moved. 'Time to care!' She cautiously turned her head to the side. A sleeping face of a man met her. Heero. Suddenly, she wasn't so tired. Thoughts began to dance in her mind. What was he doing in her bed? And why didn't she remember?

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AN: I have a flash-back fetish. Learn to love.

Heero was the last of the five pilots to leave. He had been exhausted, but he also wanted to make sure that everything was taken care of. Things like, where the prisoners were being taken to, and making sure their escorts knew what they were doing. Basic stuff. They knew what was going on: he was just being extra careful. This thing with Larry, or Derrick rather, had him on edge. How could he not have seen that? And how the hell did he let him slip into his team? Into his system? How'd he do it?

Heero signed the last couple pieces of paper and left to return to the Peacecraft Mansion. He entered her room without a sound. The sun had just began to rise. What time was it? Not "shortly," he thought. She'd understand. He looked to the bed. The empty bed? He had expected to find her sound asleep there, but instead, he found her sleeping in a most uncomfortable looking position on the little cushion on her window seal. He shook his head and silently walked to her. He wondered how long she'd been there? In her arms, he found a familiar stuffed object. He smiled as he removed the bear and lifted her from her resting spot. Careful not to wake her, he placed her into the bed and pulled the sheets over her. He simply watched her for a few moments. She looked so peaceful. So calm. So… beautiful.

During his reflection, he had the urge to lie down next to her. And so, without a second thought, he crawled onto the bed and watched her with his head propped up on his hand. He hadn't originally planned on falling asleep there, but the supreme comfyness of the comforter and feather mattress coaxed him into staying, and he was soon sound asleep next to her.

It was the first time in a months that Heero Yuy slept longer than four hours and free of nightmares. He didn't wake in a cold sweat. He wasn't anxious. He was calm and relaxed. Until he woke up and realized he'd fallen asleep in her bed, that is. How was he going to explain? Did he really need to? Would she care?

He glanced over to find the covers pushed back: she was already awake. He took a look at the clock on the nightstand to find it was noon. Noon? He sat up and ran his hand through his hair. He'd slept too long. He should be at Preventor HQ by now. The others were supposed to be waiting on him. He was holding things up staying here. He should be gone. And more importantly, he should not by lying in the Vice Foreign Minister's bed.

From the bathroom, he heard the shower turn on. He could slip out now and she wouldn't notice. He could avoid any and all questions right now if he left. No admitting feelings would have to take place. Nothing. He just had to get up. 'This bed sure is comfortable…' He lied back down, with the back of his head resting on his hands. Should he leave? Or stay? Obligation and duty? Or what he felt like doing? He thought on in for a few minutes before getting up and collecting his keys and jacket. Duty won again. He made a silent promise that it wouldn't happen again.

------

Relena returned to her bedroom with plans and thought-out conversations to get the answers she wanted out of Heero Yuy. All these plans, however, fell to pieces: he was gone. Again. All her effort down the drain. All she wanted was to ask him a few simple questions. That's all she wanted, but she couldn't even get that out of him. He kept disappearing on her.

She sighed and walked to the bed. 'Might as well make it..' she thought. As she pulled the sheets back, she found a small scrap of paper folded and sitting on the pillow, next to a certain stuffed animal.

I'll be back in a few hours. Promise this time.

She wanted to roll her eyes. To scream "yeah right!" Something to let out her frustration with him. But, a small smile spread across her face instead. How could she not smile at that? She picked up the bear and sat down on the unfinished bed. Hugging the bear tightly, she fell back and looked up at the ceiling. Maybe he'd keep this promise? Maybe he was staying this time? It'd be a nice change.

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End chapter seven.

And there it is. Now, why'd that take so long? Good question. All that matters: I posted it. nn;; Please review!