Disclaimer: All Gundam Wing characters and references belong to their respective owners. The song You're Not Alone, which appears on the Escaflowne: The Movie soundtrack courtesy of Bandai, belongs to the artists and company that recorded it. It was used in this story with the best of intentions. Story elements © Hideki LaShae. No money was gained in the writing of this story.
Dedicated to my Heero.
The Marriage of Relena
Part Two: Choices of the Heart
By
Hideki LaShae
A lot of things can happen in just a few months. Since Relena's failed wedding attempt with Prince Jesse, Milliardo Peacecraft and Lucrezia Noin have married and begun to seriously think of starting a family.
Ania Winner and Trowa Barton have fallen in love and live together with Cathie and the circus.
Hilde Schbeiker and Duo Maxwell have returned to their colony and their junkyard business.
Quatre Winner has been spending all his time on the Winner Resource Satellite making sure that in his long absences his sisters can run everything.
Chang Wufei and Heero Yuy have kept their posts at Peacecraft Security, and their most important job is still that of protecting the Sanc Princess, Relena Darlian.
***
Relena, Heero, and Wufei wait at the airfield for the shuttle coming in from the Winner Resource Satellite.
Relena smiles as she sees Wufei waiting impatiently for the arrival of the man he's grown to care about.
The shuttle lands right on time, and the doors open.
Quatre Raberba Winner, the blond Arabian who was once the pilot of the Gundam Sandrock, walks out onto the airfield. His little sister, Ania, follows close behind him.
Ania's white-blond hair flutters gently in the wind, and her sapphire blue eyes look around quickly. She smiles when she sees the others waiting to greet them.
The brown haired Trowa Barton, former pilot of the Gundam Heavyarms, walks out of the shuttle smiling at Ania.
Hilde Schbeiker brushes a strand of her midnight black hair away from her face as she walks out of the shuttle with Duo Maxwell, the former pilot of the Gundam Deathscythe. Duo's waist-long chestnut brown braid flies behind him as he jumps down the stairs from the shuttle.
Chang Wufei, the Chinese former pilot of the Shenlong Gundam, smiles as he sees all his friends in one place. A black band ties his slicked back, black hair away from his face.
"Relena, did you know they were all coming together?" asks Heero Yuy, the young man who once piloted the Wing Gundam. His Prussian blue eyes look at his love questioningly.
Relena Darlian takes a hold of Heero's hand. Her golden-blond hair flies around her in the warm breeze. She smiles. "No, Heero. I didn't."
Hilde runs up and throws her arms around Relena's neck. "I can't believe you're getting married in a week!"
"Believe it, Hilde!" exclaims Heero as the others hurry over, "I'm not letting Relena get away this time!"
"So… how's the plans coming along?" asks Duo.
"The only thing left is to fit everyone into their attire," says Relena smiling. She moves to hug everyone in turn.
"So we're early?" asks Trowa.
"Yeah. Wufei and I will be leaving with Milliardo and Noin in the morning," says Heero looking from Quatre to Trowa and then to Duo, "I'll need the three of you to protect Relena for me."
"When will you be back?" asks Quatre as they all head to the limo.
"In two days," says Wufei.
They all climb into the stretch limo and talk all the way home.
"So, buddy, are you excited to be getting married?" asks Duo smiling.
"More than you'll ever know, Duo," says Heero, "I just wish Milliardo didn't insist on a diplomatic wedding!"
"What? You mean you don't want…?"
Heero kisses Relena quickly to shut her up. "You know he wants it to be a secret, Relena!"
"What's a secret?" asks Ania, "What are you two hiding?"
Relena smiles seductively at Heero.
Heero sighs and smiles. "We are having a royal wedding. Since Noin and Milliardo are the Queen and King, we will be Princess and Prince."
Hilde shrieks. "A royal wedding!"
"Heero's going to be a Prince!" exclaims Duo laughing.
"It isn't funny," says Wufei.
The limo pulls up in front of the Peacecraft Mansion.
Everyone climbs out of the limo and sees Sally Po standing beside Lucrezia Noin.
Noin rubs her bulging belly. Her brown eyes shine happily as she looks at everyone.
"Is the baby kicking again?" asks Relena.
Noin nods. "He has Milliardo's fighting spirit."
"Noin! You're pregnant? How long?" asks Quatre.
"Getting close to five months," says Noin. She smiles at Sally. "Sally has been staying here to give me my prenatal care."
"But that isn't why we're out here waiting for you," says Sally returning the smile. Her auburn hair falls in twin pigtails around her face and draw attention to her blue eyes. "Heero, Wufei, Milliardo wishes to speak to you about the security on the trip."
"Alright," says Heero. He kisses Relena's cheek quickly. "I'll see you all at dinner."
Wufei and Quatre exchange a quick glance before Wufei follows Heero into the mansion.
"Are you going with them on the trip, Sally?" asks Ania as everyone slowly heads into the house.
"No," says Sally, "I have some business to attend to here. Something I'm helping Relena with."
"A bill for congress," says Relena, "Something that could really mean a great deal to a lot of people."
"What's it about?" asks Trowa.
"Making same sex marriages legal in the Sanc Kingdom," says Relena smiling at Quatre.
"We're hopeful that it'll pass through congress. We know Milliardo will make it law if it does," says Noin, "He knows what it would mean to our people."
"Same sex marriages legal?" asks Quatre, "That would be wonderful! Everyone should have the right to marry the person they love!"
"I'm rather tired," says Ania, "I think I'll go rest before dinner."
"I'll take you upstairs," says Trowa holding out his arm for Ania.
Ania takes Trowa's arm, and they head upstairs together.
"Me too?" asks Hilde.
"Come on, Hilde. We'll go take a nap," says Duo leading her up the stairs with a knowing smile.
"I think you should rest as well, Noin," says Sally, "I'll take you to your room."
"Yes. This young boy does seem to make me tired," says Noin nodding her head as she rubs her belly. She allows Sally to lead her away.
Quatre and Relena head into the living room.
"Quatre, I have a favor to ask you," says Relena as they sit down.
"What is it, Relena?" asks Quatre.
"Well, I would like you to stay here instead of returning to your satellite," says Relena.
"Relena… I would like to stay to be near Wufei, but… I don't think I can work for Peacecraft Security," says Quatre, "I don't want to fight anymore!"
"No one said anything about fighting or Peacecraft Security!" exclaims Relena smiling, "Last time you were here you told me you really loved our garden. Well, our gardener is going to retire soon. Our friend from the hotel in Brussels, Tori, has agreed to come here and work as an assistant gardener, but he doesn't want to be in charge and I'm not sure if he could do it. He would be bringing his little sister, Sakura. I was hoping you would take the place of our head gardener!"
"A gardener!" exclaims Quatre quickly hugging Relena and kissing her cheek, "I'd love to stay!"
"Thank you, Quatre!" exclaims Relena squeezing him in her arms, "Wufei will be so happy!"
"I know… About the same sex marriage bill, why are you doing it? That's political suicide!" exclaims Quatre pulling back from their embrace.
"I want you and Wufei to have a chance at the kind of happiness I feel now, planning my wedding!" exclaims Relena, "And I'm doing it for Sally too."
"Sally?" asks Quatre. He raises his eyebrows inquisitively.
Relena covers her mouth with her hand.
"Relena?" asks Quatre, "What's this about Sally?"
Relena lowers her hands to her lap. "Sally is a lesbian, and she's in love with Noin. Please! Don't tell anyone! I'm not even supposed to know!"
Quatre smiles. "Your secret is safe."
Relena relaxes and quickly hugs Quatre.
"Does Noin love Sally?" whispers Quatre into Relena's ear.
"Yes. Noin loves Sally and Milliardo," whispers Relena in return, "She loves them both."
Wufei walks into the living room and smiles. "What are you two whispering about?"
Quatre stands up and moves to Wufei's side. He smiles. "We were talking about us, Wufei… you and me."
Wufei raises his eyebrows inquisitively as Quatre takes both of his hands.
"Relena has just asked me to move in as the resident gardener!" exclaims Quatre happily, "And I agreed!"
"You're going to live here?" asks Wufei happily.
"Yes!" exclaims Quatre.
Wufei pulls Quatre into a warm embrace and kisses his lips quickly.
Relena smiles and looks away to give her two friends some privacy.
"Relena?" asks Wufei.
"Yes, Wufei," says Relena turning towards them again.
"Thank you, Relena, for being such a great friend!" exclaims Wufei still holding Quatre to him.
"Yes, thank you, Relena," says Quatre, "Come here!"
"You are most certainly welcome!" exclaims Relena walking close to them so they can pull her into a small group hug.
They separate with smiles on their faces.
"Heero and I will be leaving rather early in the morning, probably before you wake up," says Wufei, "but we'll be back as soon as we can be."
"Be careful, Wufei," says Quatre.
"I always am, Little One," says Wufei.
"Would you two like to be left alone?" asks Relena suddenly feeling very much like the third wheel on a bicycle.
"Actually, Heero is probably looking for one of us," says Wufei, "Me about our security detail or you to discuss the wedding."
"I'll go find Heero," says Relena smiling, "If you're not ready for the others to know, you should head up to one of your rooms."
"Relena! Does Heero know?" asks Quatre quickly.
Relena shakes her head. "It isn't my place to tell him."
Quatre smiles. "Thanks, Relena."
Relena nods her head and leaves to find Heero.
***
Heero leaves a red rose on Relena's nightstand before he joins Wufei, Milliardo, and Noin down in the limo. He buckles his seat belt and taps the glass behind his head. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we can return."
"I'm sorry this had to come up so close to your wedding day, Heero," says Milliardo holding Noin's hand gently, "but it couldn't be avoided."
"Where are you two going on your honeymoon?" asks Noin.
"We've decided to just disappear for two weeks," says Heero, "drop completely out of the picture… become invisible wherever we go."
"How do you plan to do that?" asks Milliardo.
"I'm a Gundam pilot," says Heero plainly.
Wufei chuckles. "We can disappear without a trace, taking along whatever passengers we wish."
Heero nods his head.
"What would you say to a change in plans?" asks Milliardo.
Heero glares angrily at Milliardo. "What do you mean?"
"He means… we were thinking of giving you a trip as a wedding present," says Noin. She gasps in pain. "Oh!… Oh… The baby's kicking again!"
"Are you alright, Noin?" asks Milliardo. He wraps his arms around her and holds her as she gasps again.
Noin clenches her teeth together and glares angrily at Milliardo. "Don't touch me, Milliardo! This is all your fault!"
"I didn't hear you complaining the night I got you pregnant, Noin," says Milliardo smiling, "and it's not like I'm going to ask you to do this again!"
"You better not!" exclaims Noin, "One child is my limit!"
Heero and Wufei laugh slightly.
"Just wait until you get Relena pregnant," says Milliardo.
Heero continues to laugh. "I can't wait!"
"So are you going to be actively trying to get her pregnant, Heero?" asks Wufei.
Heero sighs. "Not in the first year!"
"Unlike Milliardo!" exclaims Noin.
The limo pulls up beside the shuttle and stops.
Milliardo helps Noin into the shuttle as Heero stands guard.
Pagan and Wufei carry all the bags into the shuttle.
Pagan drives away in the limo as Heero heads into the shuttle.
***
Noin and Milliardo sit side by side in an open booth with Heero and Wufei standing on opposite sides of them.
Wufei scans the assembled crowds as Heero looks over the nearby buildings.
"Foreign Minister Peacecraft, you promote total pacifism. Yet you were the best pilot for OZ and later the leader of White Fang. What makes you think the world can live in total pacifism?" asks the foreign minister from one of the space colonies.
"I know the world can have peace through total pacifism as long as there are no weapons machines built. If we can learn to communicate and solve our problems rationally, then total pacifism can be achieved!" says Milliardo into his microphone.
"No weapons? But what about the anti-total pacifism rioters? What would you do about them?" asks the foreign minister from France, "They have weapons. They aren't about to give them up either!"
"We do not need to fight them in order to beat them," says Noin, "Haven't we done enough fighting? We can detain them and take away their weapons."
Milliardo nods his head in agreement. "Then when they have no weapons, they will need to listen and negotiate."
Heero sees a flash of light from a window on one of the buildings. He whispers so his voice won't reach the microphone, "Hey, 'Fei, keep your eyes peeled. I thought I saw something."
"From where?" whispers Wufei.
"Second building on the right. It could be a distraction though," whispers Heero.
"I'll keep a close look out," whispers Wufei.
Heero nods and lifts a small microphone to his lips. He keeps looking at the buildings as he speaks into it. "Yuy for Peacecraft Security. Suspicious activity spotted in the Liberty Bell."
Roger that, Peacecraft. Investigations team is on the way, comes the reply from the conference's security personnel.
"Lady Peacecraft, do you honestly believe you can communicate with the anti-total pacifism supporters?" asks the French Foreign Minister.
"Yes, I do," says Noin nodding her head, "Many of them were Oz soldiers, but before that they were my students in the pilot training program. If nothing else, they respect me!"
Heero spots the gun a second before it fires. "Gun!"
Milliardo ducks as Heero pushes him to the floor beneath his table.
Noin stands up, knocking her chair over.
Wufei grabs Noin and pulls her towards the floor, but he didn't move fast enough.
The bullet passes straight through Wufei's arm into Noin's protruding belly.
"Gunshots fired! Repeat. Gunshots fired from Liberty Bell!" exclaims Heero into his microphone.
"Heero! Noin's been hit!" exclaims Wufei seeing the blood coming from Noin.
"I don't want to lose my baby," whispers Noin.
"Send the medics to the Peacecraft booth!" exclaims Heero into his microphone.
Assailant captured, comes the voice of one of the security guards.
The EMS is being sent to you, Peacecraft, comes the dispatcher's voice again.
"Hang in there, Noin! Help is coming!" exclaims Heero. He holds Milliardo back so he can't get to her as the EMS people come running up.
"We need to get these two to the hospital," says the lead medic.
They lift Noin on a stretcher and carry her off quickly.
Heero makes a tourniquet for Wufei from his white shirt and ties it over the wound. "Now, Milliardo, we're going to the hospital."
Heero and Wufei run beside Milliardo after the medics, and Wufei climbs into the ambulance with Noin as Heero and Milliardo jump into a taxi. They all rush towards the hospital. They arrive at the emergency room quickly.
"Noin, how do you feel?" asks Milliardo running alongside Noin's stretcher as they enter the emergency room.
"Like part of me is dying," says Noin quietly.
"Don't say that!" exclaims Milliardo, "You're going to live!"
"Noin, why did you stand up?" asks Wufei quietly hurrying beside Milliardo.
"When I heard Heero yell gun, I had this sickening feeling in my gut that if I didn't stand up, I'd be dead," says Noin, "I knew I should have went down, but I didn't think I could get down."
"Don't worry about it now, Noin," says Heero touching her shoulder, "We'll figure out what happened later."
Noin nods her head slightly as her stretcher passes through a set of double doors into an operating room.
Heero and Milliardo sit down in the waiting room as Wufei heads off to get his arm fixed up properly.
"As soon as Noin can leave, we're going home," says Milliardo, "The hell with the conference!"
"Understood," says Heero.
Milliardo buries his head in his hands. His long blond hair falls around him as he trembles slightly. "She can't die first, Heero. She always comes in second. She can't die now."
Heero watches Milliardo knowing perfectly well that he would be acting the same way if anything ever happened to Relena.
After about a half-hour, Wufei comes into the waiting room with his arm bandaged and in a sling.
Heero shakes his head.
Wufei nods and sits down on the opposite side of Milliardo. "Have you called Relena yet, Heero? You promised to call her this afternoon."
"Dammit! I forgot!" exclaims Heero, "I'm going to call her now!" He stands up and heads away to find a payphone.
"There's no word on Noin," says Milliardo pulling on his long blond hair.
"I know. Heero told me," says Wufei, "Don't worry. She's strong. She'll be fine."
"Sometimes I forget that you boys don't have telepathy," says Milliardo.
Wufei's cell phone rings, and he pulls it out of his inside jacket pocket. He suddenly wonders why Heero had to leave instead of calling Relena on his own cell phone. He pushes the talk button and raises it to his ear. "Chang here!"
Wufei, it's Sally! I got a call from a colleague saying Noin was shot! How is she?
"We don't know yet," says Wufei, "The doctor hasn't come out of the operating room yet."
Quatre is flying me in. I'll be there in about twenty minutes! Maybe I can help in surgery! exclaims Sally.
"Alright. I'll see you later," says Wufei before hanging up. "That was Sally. The nurse called her because she's Noin's primary health care provider."
Milliardo just nods.
Heero walks back up. "Relena's fine."
Wufei mouths the words, 'Sally is coming.'
Heero reads Wufei's lips and smiles. He mouths the words, 'I know.'
Wufei smiles as Heero sits down.
***
Sally runs into the emergency room's waiting area. She passes right past Milliardo, Heero, and Wufei and rushes up to the counter. "Dr. Sally Po, appearing as requested by Dr. Sara Proctor."
"Yes, Dr. Po. Dr. Proctor asked me to get you ready to assist in surgery as soon as you arrived," says the nurse leading Sally away to get into some scrubs and get cleaned up.
Milliardo raises his head and looks towards the vacated counter. "Was that Sally?"
"Yes, it was, Milliardo," says Quatre walking up, "The doctor asked her to come in. So I flew her over." He sits down beside Wufei. "Any word yet?"
"Nothing," says Milliardo resting his head on his hands again.
"Don't worry. She'll be fine," says Quatre looking over Wufei's bandages questioningly.
"The bullet that struck Noin went through me first," says Wufei noticing his boyfriend's gaze, "But I'm okay. I don't even feel any pain."
"You will when Relena sees it," says Quatre smiling.
"Ouch," says Wufei flinching, "I guess I just ruined the perfect wedding."
Quatre leans over and whispers into Wufei's ear, "Don't worry too much. I'll help you recover."
Wufei smiles and blushes slightly.
Milliardo stands up and starts pacing nervously.
"So are you planning on nursing me back to health?" whispers Wufei into Quatre's ear.
Quatre smiles and nods. His cheeks start to turn pink.
Heero stands and walks up to the counter to inquire about Noin.
Quatre's hand brushes alongside Wufei's knee. He tries to be discreet, but he really longs to touch Wufei and be close to him.
Wufei meets Quatre's gaze with a longing gaze of his own.
Heero walks back over. "Have a seat, Milliardo. Pacing isn't going to help."
"It didn't help when Relena was sick either," says Quatre finally breaking the contact he had with Wufei, "but that didn't stop you from doing it!"
"That was different!" snaps Heero. He sits down quickly.
Quatre and Wufei laugh, and Quatre sets his hand on Wufei's thigh.
Heero sees his two friends out of the corner of his eye. He stands up and moves to Milliardo's side to give them some privacy. "I'll pace with you."
"Thank you, Heero," says Milliardo as Heero starts to keep pace with his strides.
Heero and Milliardo pace side by side for a little more than an hour while Quatre and Wufei whisper back and forth to each other.
Sally walks into the waiting room with a tall woman.
The woman, dressed in her O.R. scrubs, has short blond hair and pretty blue green eyes. She is thin and rather pretty. She sees Quatre first and smiles, but then she sees Milliardo and Heero and her grin widens.
"Milliardo," says Sally trying to keep her voice constant.
The four men see Sally and quickly line up in front of her and the other woman.
"Milliardo, this is Dr. Sara Proctor. She is the doctor who lead the surgery on Lucrezia Noin Peacecraft," says Sally.
Milliardo nods and shakes Sara's hand. "How is my wife, Dr. Proctor?"
"Call me Sara, and she will be fine, Milliardo," says Sara, "but there were complications."
"What kind of complications?" asks Milliardo quickly.
Sara takes a deep breath. "The bullet was designed to explode on contact."
"What?" asks Wufei with wide eyes.
"You're very lucky to still have your arm, Wufei," says Sally moving to hug him quickly, "The bullet was supposed to explode and rip your arm off."
"Unfortunately, Lucrezia wasn't so lucky," says Sara.
"What happened?" asks Milliardo.
"The bullet punctured her womb and exploded," explains Sara, "We had to remove her uterus. The child she had been carrying was dead when she arrived here. She will never be able to have children. I'm sorry, Milliardo!"
"Never have children!" exclaims Milliardo in shock. He starts to fall.
Quatre and Heero quickly support Milliardo and take him to a seat.
Milliardo sits down. "When can I see Noin?"
"I can take you to see her now," says Sara, "If you think you can go. She'll be rather high on pain killers, but she is awake."
Milliardo nods. "I want to see her."
"We'll all go," says Sally firmly, "Heero, Quatre, do you think you can support him?"
"Of course," says Heero. He helps Quatre lift Milliardo, and he puts Milliardo's arm over his shoulders.
Milliardo puts his other arm over Quatre's shoulders and allows them to lead him down the hallway, following behind Sally, Sara, and Wufei.
Everyone enters a mid-sized hospital room.
Milliardo shakes off Heero and Quatre and hurries to Noin's side. He sits down in the chair beside her and quickly takes her hand.
"I'm sorry, Milliardo. I lost our baby," whispers Noin.
"I wanted you all here for this reunion because you all heard the announcement in the waiting room," says Sally, "Noin will never be able to carry a child, but she still can have children. She just needs me to carry it."
"Sally?" asks Noin trying to sit up.
"No, Lucrezia!" exclaims Sara moving to hold her down, "Don't move! You might rip out your stitches!"
Sally walks up and sits on the edge of Noin's bed. "Yes, Noin. I do know what I'm saying. I'm prepared to carry the child of Lucy and Millie Peacecraft!"
"Millie?" asks Milliardo angrily.
Noin and Sally laugh.
"Boys, come closer," says Sally.
Quatre, Wufei, and Heero walk up to the sides of the bed.
"My plan is for Sara and I to take eggs from Noin and sperm from Milliardo. Then using artificial insemination techniques, we'll make me the carrier. Neither Noin nor I will be seen for the complete nine months of the pregnancy," explains Sally, "We'll stay in the Peacecraft Manor, and Sara will come to the house for all her prenatal visits and the delivery itself. Then we'll put Noin's name on the birth certificate."
"Sally? Are you sure you want to do that?" asks Noin.
Sally looks at Noin lovingly and smiles. "I do."
"And I am more than willing to help," says Sara, "but the entire plan relies on secrecy. No one can know that Noin doesn't have her uterus anymore. I can forge the documents and say she had it removed after the birth of the child. But no one can know." She looks imploringly at Heero, Quatre, and Wufei.
"The only person I'd tell is Relena, and even if I didn't say, she'd figure it out," says Heero.
Quatre and Wufei nod.
"We won't tell anyone," says Wufei.
"What do you say, Noin, Milliardo?" asks Sally.
"Shall we start making the plans for a few months from now?" asks Sara.
Noin pulls Sally down into a hug and whispers into her ear, "Do you trust in this woman, Sally? Do you trust Sara?"
"As much as I trust in your love, Noin," whispers Sally in return. She sits back up as Noin releases her.
"Three or four months would be good," says Noin with a nod.
"Don't I get a say in this?" asks Milliardo.
"Well, Milliardo?" asks Sara, "What do you say?"
Milliardo looks from Sally to Noin. He smiles at their hopeful faces. "We'll give it six months for Noin to heal completely and recover from this pregnancy. Then we'll try again. Thank you, Sally."
Sally nods her welcome.
Milliardo pulls Sally into a warm embrace.
"Now, Sara, when will you be releasing Noin?" asks Heero, "We'll be leaving for home as soon as possible."
"I can release her tomorrow morning into Sally's care," says Sara, "I'm going to give her a wheelchair for a few weeks."
Heero nods.
"Maybe we should leave," says Quatre.
"Wufei, Quatre, you can go back to the hotel. Get our luggage packed and ready to go," says Heero, "I'll stay here with Noin and Milliardo. And get some rest."
"Are you sure, Heero? We can stay here," says Wufei.
"I'm going to stand guard on Noin all night," says Heero, "Do you really want that job?"
"You two can escort me back to the hotel," says Sally, "After that surgery, I could use a good night's sleep!"
"Alright, Sally," says Wufei, "Call if you need anything, Heero."
"I will," says Heero with a brisk nod.
Wufei, Quatre, and Sally head out of the room.
"Try to get some rest, Lucrezia, Milliardo," says Sara moving to the door, "I'll be here all night. I'll come check on you later. Heero, if you need anything, you can call the nurse. There's a button by the bathroom door and one on the phone."
Heero nods.
Sara walks out and closes the door.
Heero sits down in a chair by the door.
Milliardo kisses Noin quickly and allows her to fall asleep. He relaxes in his chair and also falls asleep.
Heero starts thinking about whatever he can to try to keep awake. It isn't long before his mind drifts to Relena and their upcoming wedding.
***
The nurse brings three breakfast trays into the room and smiles at Heero. "Have you been awake all night?"
"That is my job," says Heero taking a tray from her. He yawns and takes a sip of coffee.
The nurse wakes Milliardo and Noin and gives them their breakfast. She walks back to Heero. "Your friends called to say they'll be here in an hour."
"Thank you," says Heero. He slowly starts to eat his breakfast and watch Noin and Milliardo eat.
"Go ahead and rest, Heero," says Milliardo, "I can protect us until Wufei gets here."
Heero yawns and sets his empty tray on the floor beneath his chair. "That isn't what you're paying me for."
"You're right! I'm paying you to protect Relena, but you can't protect me or her or anyone if you're half asleep!" exclaims Noin.
"All right," says Heero. He relaxes in his chair and quickly falls asleep.
Within an hour's time, Quatre, Sally, and Wufei arrive, and everyone is soon on their way back to the Sanc Kingdom.
***
Relena sits in the living room with Ania, Hilde, Duo, Trowa, and the newly arrived Cathie.
"So when are the others to arrive?" asks Cathie, "It's rather hard to have a wedding without the groom."
"I don't know when they'll be here," says Relena, "Heero hasn't called me since yesterday afternoon."
"Yeah. Sorry about that, Relena," says Heero walking into the living room, "but it's been a long night!"
Relena jumps up from her chair. "Heero! You're home!"
Heero walks up and embraces Relena.
Milliardo wheels Noin into the living room in her wheelchair.
"Noin! Are you alright?" asks Ania.
Noin hangs her head sadly. "I lost my son."
"Oh, Noin! I'm so sorry!" exclaims Ania.
Sally enters the living room with Quatre and Wufei. "Well, we found everyone!"
"Heero, you should get to bed now," says Milliardo, "And that is an order!"
"I am the head of Peacecraft Security, Milliardo. I give orders. I don't take them," says Heero, "but I do take suggestions. Don't let me sleep too long, Relena." He kisses her lips quickly and leaves.
Relena blinks at Wufei as she sees his sling and bandages. "Wufei, what happened to your arm?"
"I was shot," says Wufei pulling Quatre to the couch to sit down.
"Well, then, you'll just have to be more careful from now on," says Relena.
"I'm going to take Noin to her room now," says Sally.
"We'll see you at your wedding shower, Relena," says Noin.
"What wedding shower?" asks Relena looking around at all her friends.
"The night before the wedding, we'll be giving Heero a bachelor's party," says Duo smiling.
"Then we'll be spending the night at the hotel," says Milliardo.
"So we've planned a wedding shower for you on the same night!" exclaims Hilde.
"Oh, you guys!" exclaims Relena smiling. "Thank you!"
Sally takes the wheelchair from Milliardo. She smiles at Relena as she pushes Noin out of the living room. She takes her friend to the elevator and up to her room. She helps Noin into bed.
"Sally?"
"Yes, Noin."
"I love you."
Sally brushes Noin's hair away from her face. She smiles and kisses Noin passionately. "Noin?"
"Yes, Sally."
"I love you."
Noin smiles and pulls Sally into her arms.
"Now, you can't have sex until I give you the all clear," says Sally gently caressing her best friend, "but I would very much like to be the first one after you've recovered."
"That'll be really easy since you're the person saying when I've recovered," says Noin, "But, I thought you didn't want to be with someone else's wife."
"I didn't… Things have changed. I almost lost you. I want to love you fully why I still can," says Sally, "and Milliardo understands. He has already given us his permission. He knows how we both feel."
Noin smiles. "I wish I was recovered now so I could make love to you."
"Soon," says Sally, "but now you need to rest." She pulls herself out of Noin's arms.
"Will you stay?" asks Noin.
Sally walks over and turns off the lights.
"Sally?" asks Noin.
"I'm right here, Noin," says Sally. She walks over to the bed and crawls in on the other side. She slides over and wraps her arms around Noin. "I'm right here."
***
Heero climbs into the limo with Duo. He smiles when he sees Trowa sitting beside Wufei and Quatre. He sits down next to Milliardo with Duo on his other side. "Where are we going?"
"We are going to hit every bar in town!" exclaims Duo slamming the door shut.
Trowa knocks on the glass behind his head, and the limo starts moving off.
"Then we're staying at the hotel tonight," says Milliardo, "I don't want you sleeping with Relena before you're married."
"I think it's a little late for that," says Trowa quietly.
Milliardo glares at Trowa. "What was that, Trowa?"
"Oh, nothing," says Trowa. He smiles.
"Our clothes have already been sent to the hotel," says Quatre, "So tonight is just for the boys!"
"So let's try not to argue, Heero, Milliardo," says Wufei.
"I won't argue if he won't," says Heero.
"Same here," says Milliardo.
"Alright! Now let's go party!" exclaims Duo.
***
Relena meets the girls in the living room. She smiles when she hears the song blaring on the stereo. She remembers the last time she heard it with Ania, and they danced before Heero swept her away. "I love this song!"
Ania smiles. She stands and walks over to Relena. "I know. That's why I bought the album! Shall we dance?"
Relena laughs. She holds up her right hand and waits for Ania's right hand to clasp it tightly.
It only takes a second for the music to work its way into their souls.
Relena and Ania dance the way they did at the conference, so uncaring of other's opinions, so wild and free. Their bodies move to the music as if the music was coming straight from their hearts.
Noin laughs from her wheelchair as Hilde gets up and starts to dance alone.
Sally and Cathie start clapping along with the beat of the music.
Three songs later, Ania, Relena, and Hilde fall into seats exhausted.
Sally pours up glasses of wine for everyone and passes them around. "You only get one glass, Noin. One today and one tomorrow."
"Yes, doctor," says Noin taking the glass from Sally, "If I was still pregnant, I wouldn't be having any."
"Well, that can't be helped," says Cathie taking a drink.
"Oh, by the way, Relena! I love this new dress design for the bridesmaids!" exclaims Hilde quickly downing her entire glass of wine, "And this new color is just precious!"
Relena giggles as she sips her wine. "I like them too!"
"We should probably give Relena her presents before Noin has to go to bed," says Ania drinking her glass of wine in two giant gulps.
"Presents?" asks Relena, "You didn't have to…!"
"Actually, we did," says Hilde smiling. She grabs a box from beneath her chair. She tosses it to Relena.
"That is something from me," says Noin, "Milliardo gave it to me before our wedding. It belonged to your mother…"
Relena slowly opens the box. She gasps when she sees the antique diamond bracelet. "Oh, Noin! It's beautiful! Are you sure…?"
"If you and Heero have a daughter, it will be given to her before her wedding," says Noin, "It should stay in the Peacecraft family."
"But you could have a daughter, Noin!" exclaims Relena.
Noin smiles at Sally. Then she turns her gaze to Relena and shakes her head. "I plan to give Milliardo a son."
"Alright," says Relena standing. She walks over to Noin and hands her the bracelet. "I'll take it, but you have to put it on me!"
Noin pulls the bracelet out of the box and fastens it around Relena's right wrist. "Something old."
Hilde pulls out another box from beneath her chair. She passes it to Relena as she returns to her chair.
"That's something Sally and I picked out," says Cathie, "We hope it'll work with your dress."
"But since your dress is so secretive, we don't know how it'll look," says Sally filling the empty glasses with more wine.
Relena smiles as she opens the box. "I wanted my dress to be a surprise," she says looking at the necklace, "Oh, but it's beautiful! This will look perfect with my dress! Thank you!"
Cathie stands up. "Let me help you with that!"
Relena pulls her hair to the side and turns her back to Cathie.
Cathie takes the gold and rose quartz necklace from the box and unclasps it. She wraps it around Relena's neck and fastens it.
The small ruby heart pendant dangles just beneath Relena's collarbone.
"It's perfect! I love it, Cathie! Thank you, Sally!" exclaims Relena.
"Something new," says Sally smiling.
Hilde tosses Relena another box. "That one's from me. I'll expect it back."
"Oh, so that makes this…"
"Something borrowed," chimes Hilde.
Relena opens the box. She lifts out one of the solid gold rose earrings. "Hilde!"
"I know! It's beautiful!" exclaims Hilde, "I hope you'll wear them tomorrow."
"I wouldn't think of wearing anything else!" exclaims Relena.
"One thing left," says Hilde tossing Relena the last box.
"That's from me," says Ania.
Relena opens the box and pulls out a blue garter. She giggles.
"It's tradition, Relena," says Noin.
"Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue," says Cathie.
"Now you have it all since that garter's definitely blue!" exclaims Ania happily.
Relena quickly moves to give everyone a hug. "I love it all! Thanks so much, everyone!"
"Sally, I should go to bed now," says Noin.
"Yes, you're right," says Sally, "Don't stay up past midnight. I'm going to put Noin to bed and turn in myself."
"I'll also be turning in for the night," says Cathie standing.
"Good night," says Relena, "We'll try to be quiet."
"Don't worry about that too much," says Noin, "Just be in bed before midnight. You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow."
Sally, Cathie, and Noin all leave to go to bed.
Ania turns the stereo down. "Shall we listen to that song again?"
"Hold on!" exclaims Relena pulling out a drawer in the stereo cabinet. She pulls out a small circular disc. "We'll record that song on here, then we can play it as much as we want without having to worry about ruining your album!"
"Great idea!" exclaims Ania as Relena gets the stereo set up to make the recording.
They sit in silence for a moment as the stereo makes a fast recording.
Relena puts the disc into the player and hits the repeat button. She grabs one of Ania's hands and one of Hilde's hands, and together they all start to dance to the music.
"Let's make this a real party and try singing too!" exclaims Hilde giggling.
Relena giggles happily.
"When moonlight crawls along the street, chasing away the summer heat, footsteps outside somewhere below, the world revolves, I've let it go. We build our church above this street, we practice love between these sheets," sings Ania dancing happily.
"The candy sweetness scent of you, it bathes my skin, I'm stained by you. And all I have to do is hold you, there's a racing within my heart, and I am barely touching you," sings Hilde. She bursts out laughing.
Relena laughs. She closes her eyes and sings straight from her heart, "Turn the lights down low, take it off, let me show my love for you, insatiable. Turn me on, never stop, wanna taste every drop, my love for you, insatiable."
Hilde grabs Ania's other hand so they all dance in an odd circle. She starts to sing again, "The moonlight plays upon your skin, a kiss that lingers takes me in, I fall asleep inside of you, there are no words, there's only truth. Breathe in, breathe out, there is no sound, we move together, up and down…"
"We levitate, our bodies soar," sings Ania taking up where Hilde left off, "our feet don't even touch the floor. And nobody knows you like I do, coz the world, they don't understand, but I grow stronger in your hands."
"Insatiable, insatiable for you," sings Relena adlibbing a little.
***
"So… Heero, are you looking forward to tomorrow night?" asks Duo spilling his drink on himself in his attempt to get it in his mouth.
"I'm looking forward to tomorrow in general," says Heero looking at his watch, "or should I say today? I think it's about time we head to the hotel. I don't want to be tired later."
Milliardo looks at his watch. "You're right, Heero. Finish your drinks. I'll call Pagan."
Trowa waits until Milliardo walks away before he asks his question, "Are you planning on slipping into the mansion tonight, Heero?"
Heero smiles. "Are you?"
"Ania and I haven't been apart," says Trowa.
"Izzzn't that sssssweet!" exclaims Duo resting his head on the table.
"I think it's sweet," says Quatre holding Wufei's hand beneath the table. He smiles at his friends.
"I'm sure one night won't kill her," says Wufei smiling, "but we'll help you sneak in if you want."
Trowa smiles.
Milliardo walks back up.
"Is Pagan on his way?" asks Wufei.
Milliardo nods. "He'll be here in a few minutes."
"Duo?" asks Quatre, "Are you going to make it? You had a lot more to drink than the rest of us!"
Trowa shakes Duo roughly when he doesn't answer. "Wake up, Duo!"
"Come on, Tro'. I was having a nice dream!" exclaims Duo, "Hilde was waiting for me…"
"We don't want to know, Maxwell!" exclaims Wufei.
Heero stands up and yanks Duo to his feet. "We'll wait for the car outside, buddy."
Quatre and Wufei stand and lead the way outside.
Trowa helps Heero drag Duo out of the bar, and Milliardo walks along behind them.
***
Relena paces back and forth in her bedroom. She takes several deep breaths just trying to calm her heart. She looks at the white dress on her bed and smiles.
In a short time, Relena will be Mrs. Heero Yuy.
Relena lifts her dress and slips it over her head. She pulls it down onto her body and smoothes out a few wrinkles. She neglects the zipper in the back and starts to fix her hair, hoping that Hilde joins her soon.
***
Milliardo walks onto the patio with an elderly priest.
The priest wears loose black pants, a long-sleeved black shirt, and a white collar. He smiles warmly at the small crowd.
Milliardo wears the typical dress suit of the Sanc Kingdom with the high-collared white shirt and ruffled cuffs with the white jacket and pants. His long blond hair falls loosely down past his shoulders.
"Um… I'm not seeing any guests out there," says Duo, "Are we early?" He wears a standard black tuxedo with a black cummerbund and a black bowtie. His violet eyes twinkle in the sunlight as he looks out at the nine chairs in the garden. His chestnut brown braid extends all the way down his back.
"Actually, there are no guests," says Milliardo, "This is not a political wedding. This is a personal affair. The only people who need to be present are the family…"
Heero smiles. "And assuming the girls ever show up, the entire family is here."
"So, Heero. If we're family, what exactly are we? Cousins? Brothers?" asks Quatre trying to loosen up his tense friend. He wears a black tuxedo with a purple bowtie and a matching cummerbund. His bright blue eyes look over Heero, and his blond hair falls gently around his boyish face.
Heero looks at Quatre with his Prussian blue eyes. His unruly dark brown hair hangs down in front of his eyes. He smiles at Quatre. "Brothers, of course. That's what comes from being Gundam pilots."
"If you're the one who's getting married, why is it I feel like I'm about to tie the knot?" asks Wufei smoothing out his black tuxedo. His bowtie and cummerbund are both deep, navy blue. A black sling supports his injured arm. His black hair is slicked back and tied in a ponytail at the base of his neck. His black eyes look around at all his friends.
"I'm sorry about that, Wufei," says Heero simply.
Trowa looks out at the garden. His brown hair covers half his face, but his green eyes shine with happiness. He wears a black tuxedo with an emerald green cummerbund and an emerald green bowtie.
"Just be thankful you don't have to wear my outfit, guys," says Heero starting to pace nervously. He wears white dress pants with matching shoes and a high-necked ruffled shirt much like the one Milliardo wears. He also wears a white tuxedo jacket with the long tails in the back. He wears a rose red bowtie and matching cummerbund.
"I don't see anything wrong with it," says Trowa turning towards Heero.
"Just wait. It isn't complete," says Heero, "I don't get the last part until we're out there in the garden."
"But Trowa gets the last part of his outfit right now," says Ania from the doorway. She wears a forget-me-not blue floor-length dress. The neckline is a slight oval that goes off her shoulders. The sleeves, which begin just below her shoulders on her upper arm, end at her elbows. The top of her pretty blue dress is form fitting, accentuating her frail womanish body, and it flares out at the hips for ease of movement. She wears white pumps that peak out from beneath the hem of the dress.
Hanging loosely from the back neckline of Ania's dress is a waist-length emerald green cape. Her pale blond hair is braided up into a crown on her head with a few pale pink roses intertwined in the braids. She moves over to Trowa and kisses his lips quickly before tucking a red rose bud into his lapel. "You look wonderful, Trowa."
"You look amazing, Angel," says Trowa smiling at her.
"Ania! You do look just like an angel!" exclaims Quatre.
Ania giggles and turns towards Quatre. "Don't let Relena hear you say that! This is supposed to be her day!"
"Have you seen her, Ania?" asks Heero turning towards her quickly, "What's she wearing?"
"I'm sorry, Heero. Only Hilde gets to see her until she comes down here!" exclaims Ania.
"You mean to say, even you don't know what she's wearing?" asks Duo, "This dress must really be some sort of surprise!"
"It is," says Milliardo, "She picked it out alone, and all she's said about it is that it fits in with the theme of the wedding."
"I'm sure that she will look drop dead gorgeous," says Noin as Sally wheels her in.
Sally wears the same forget-me-not blue dress as Ania with the off-the-shoulder neckline and flared skirt. She too wears white pumps. The only true difference between her dress and Ania's dress is that the cape attached to the back neckline is navy blue instead of the emerald green Ania wears. Her auburn hair is braided in a crown about her head with a few pale pink roses intertwined in her hair. She takes a red rose bud from Noin and approaches Wufei. She places the rose in his lapel. Then she straightens his tie. "You look well, Wufei."
"As do you, Sally," says Wufei smiling at her.
"You forgot something, Milliardo," says Noin smiling at him seductively, "Kneel."
Milliardo kneels down beside Noin's wheelchair.
Noin places a red rose bud in Milliardo's lapel before placing a gold jewel-encrusted crown on his head. "Did you at least get the others?"
"On the table," says Milliardo waving his arm toward the patio table and the decorative box on top of it.
Noin smiles. She wears a high-necked white dress with a lace-up bodice. Her long sleeves end in ruffled cuffs. Her dress flares at her waist into a multitude of gathers brought on by the wheelchair she sits upon, and she wears white pumps. On top of her short black hair, she wears a golden crown with a four-pointed diamond star configuration at the tip of the highest point. She truly has the air of nobility, and it's easy to believe that she is the Queen of the Sanc Kingdom.
Milliardo stands up. He kisses Noin and smiles at her. "You're quite lovely."
"Thank you, Milliardo," says Noin taking his hand.
The priest sits down and smiles. He happily awaits the arrival of the rest of the party.
Cathie is the next to arrive in her forget-me-not blue gown. The cape hanging from the neckline of her off-the-shoulder top is a rich shade of purple. She wears white pumps beneath the bottom of her flared skirt. She tugs lightly on the tight sleeves as she walks up to Quatre. She places a red rose bud in Quatre's lapel and smiles. Her brown curls fall onto her shoulders, and she bears a crown of pale pink and white roses.
"Cathie!" exclaims Trowa smiling.
"Thank you, Trowa," says Cathie turning. She sees Heero pacing impatiently and giggles. "Hilde and Relena should be down in a minute."
"I don't know about Relena, but I'm here now!" exclaims Hilde walking onto the patio, "Relena's just admiring her dress in the mirror. She'll be down shortly." She walks up to Duo and kisses him before slipping a red rose bud into his lapel. "I like this look on you, Duo."
"I like that dress on you, Hilde. Spin around so I can get a better look," says Duo smiling.
Hilde takes a step backwards and spins in a complete circle. She wears the forget-me-not blue floor-length dress that the other girls wear. The neckline, barely an oval, goes off her shoulders, and the sleeves that begin just below her shoulders extend to her elbows. The top of the blue dress fits tightly to her, and it flares out at the hips. Her white pumps barely stick out beneath the hem.
Hanging on the back of Hilde's dress is a waist-length black cape to match Duo's bowtie and cumber cummerbund. A crown of pale pink and white roses presses her short raven-black hair down upon her head.
"Now all we need is the bride," says the priest.
"She'll be here soon," says Sally.
Everyone waits, staring at the doorway in anticipation.
Heero stops his pacing and stands in between Milliardo and Duo, staring at the doorway waiting for his bride to appear.
They hear the footsteps long before they see her.
Relena walks out onto the patio in a brilliance of white.
Heero's jaw drops as he sees Relena, and Duo has to support him to keep him from falling over.
"Relena!" exclaims Ania, "You're gorgeous!"
Relena's dress consists of two main parts, an outer dress and an under dress. The under dress is a silky-white sleeveless piece with a low oval neckline that partially reveals the delicate mounds of her breasts. The top of her dress hugs her body, conforming to every curve, but the dress relaxes and flares at her hips into an ankle-length loose skirt. She wears white pumps beneath her dress.
The overdress is made completely of a white floral lace that reveals her flesh and the under dress. The neckline of the overdress is an oval raised higher that that of the under dress to reach up just below her collarbone. The sleeves of the overdress embrace Relena's arms down to her elbows where they start to flare out drastically. When her arms are held down at her sides as they are now, the ends of the sleeves touch her wrists, but the lace flows downward into a point almost touching the hemline of the dress.
The lace overdress conforms to the under dress, flowing smoothly side-by-side. However in the front, the lace peaks at her knee-height to reveal the silky-white under dress completely. A floral lace cape hangs loosely from Relena's shoulders in the back and hangs down to the middle of her calf.
Around her waist, Relena wears a belt made of fully bloomed red roses that have been braided together. Her golden-blond hair has been braided into a crown about her head. A delicate lace veil has been pinned into her braided crown and hangs down in the back to lightly touch her shoulders, but it doesn't even touch her face, much less cover it.
Relena slowly moves up to Heero and smiles. She puts the red rose bud she carries into his lapel. She wears the antique diamond bracelet on her right wrist and the gold rose earrings in her ears. Around her neck is the rose quartz and gold necklace with the ruby heart pendant. "Heero."
"Relena," says Heero still in shock over her beauty, "Ania's understating the obvious. You're more that just gorgeous." He reaches up to touch her face thankful that both Duo and Milliardo are helping him stand at that moment. "I love you, Relena."
"I love you, Heero," says Relena, "I'm ready to get married."
Heero nods. He shakes Milliardo and Duo off and stands on his own. "Then let's begin."
Milliardo gets the decorative box from the table and sets it in Noin's lap. He nods to the priest.
The priest stands and starts to walk down the path to the garden.
Milliardo starts down the path pushing Noin.
"Sally has agreed to hold the box while you crown Relena and Heero," whispers Noin once they're away from the others.
"Alright. I was wondering how I'd hold the box and crown them at the same time," whispers Milliardo. He wheels Noin over to the left side and parks her wheelchair just beyond the four folding chairs. Then he walks over and stands in front of the folding chair to the far right.
Wufei and Sally walk down the path side by side. When they reach the two lines of chairs, they separate.
Sally goes to the left and stands in front of the chair beside Noin, and Wufei goes to the right to stand beside Milliardo.
Cathie and Quatre walk down the path together and separate so that Cathie stands next to Sally and Quatre stands close to Wufei.
The next couple to walk down the path is Ania and Trowa. They make their way up to the line of chairs and part. Ania stands beside Cathie while Trowa stands next to his best friend, Quatre.
Hilde and Duo slowly walk down the path and take up their positions in front of the last two chairs.
Everyone smiles proudly as they watch Relena and Heero walk down the path together.
Relena and Heero pass the chairs and approach two soft cushions in front of the priest.
"Sit," says the priest.
Relena and Heero kneel down on the cushions as their friends take their seats.
"We are gathered here today to bear witness to the joining of two hearts, of two lives. We are gathered here before this company, beneath the eyes of God, to witness the marriage of Relena Darlian Peacecraft and Heero Yuy. The act of marriage is a serious decision and not to be taken lightly. Do you understand?" says the priest smiling.
Relena and Heero smile at each other and nod.
"Very well, then let's begin," says the priest.
Relena and Heero slide their hands together and intertwine their fingers. They look at the priest expectantly.
"Is there anyone who has any reason why these two should not be wed? If so, please speak now," says the priest.
Everyone looks towards Milliardo.
Milliardo smiles and says, "You will get no objections from this crowd. Please continue."
The priest nods. "When two lives are joined in marriage, part of them gets left behind… the part that was happy and content to be alone… the part of them that didn't wish to be married is replaced by the part of them that wishes to be with the other for all time. In this manner, who here will give away this lovely bride?"
Milliardo stands up. He bows regally to the priest. "On behalf of the Sanc Kingdom, I consent to this marriage."
Milliardo sits down again.
"And in that manner, who here will give away this handsome groom?" asks the priest.
Duo stands up and bows mockingly, much in the same fashion as Milliardo did. "On behalf of the Gundam pilots, I consent to this marriage."
Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei nod their agreement as Duo sits down again.
"On behalf of the Sanc Kingdom and the Gundam pilots, we will now commence the wedding," says the priest, "Love is something you can not hide. Love is something you can't deny. Love is something you keep inside so deep within your heart you'll find. No matter what the question is, love will always be the answer. Never again just hers and his, everything will be for them."
Heero squeezes Relena's hand firmly and whispers, "That sounds wonderful to me."
Relena smiles happily and whispers in return, "Me too."
"Surrender to your hearts. Let them guide you along your path, for even when your heart is wrong it will always take you on an adventure that's worth a lifetime," says the priest, "Relena Darlian Peacecraft, Princess of the Sanc Kingdom, would you renounce your throne and give up all your claims in the Sanc Kingdom in order for his marriage to succeed?"
Relena squeezes Heero's hand. She nods her head. "I am Princess Relena Darlian Peacecraft of the Sanc Kingdom, but I am more than willing to give up my title simply to be Relena Yuy. I am ready and prepared to renounce my throne and give up all my claims in the Sanc Kingdom in order for this marriage to succeed."
The priest smiles and nods. "Heero Yuy, Gundam pilot, would you give up your Gundam and all your fighting skills to live a life of total pacifism in order for this marriage to succeed? Heero Yuy, Gundam pilot, would you accept the crown of the Sanc Kingdom and rule the kingdom in peace?"
Heero smiles at Relena. He nods his head. "I am Heero Yuy, the pilot of Wing Gundam and Gundam Wing Zero, but I am more than willing to give up my Gundam and my desire to fight in order to live a life of peace with Relena and make this marriage work. I am ready and prepared to take on the crown of the Sanc Kingdom and rule with Relena at my side in total pacifism."
"Milliardo, does it matter that the Gundams have already been destroyed?" whispers Wufei.
"This is merely a test, mostly for show," whispers Milliardo, "but it's to see if they love each other enough to give up everything to be together."
Wufei nods.
"Princess Relena Darlian Peacecraft, will you take this man into your life, care for him in sickness, stand by him in times of financial trouble, and love him until death forces you to part?" asks the priest.
"I will love him long after death. I will stand by him even when there is no hope. I will care for him for all time, no matter whether he is sick or injured or in perfect health," says Relena confidently, "I happily accept Heero into my life. I do."
"Heero Yuy, will you take this woman into your life, care for her in sickness, stand by her in times of financial trouble, and love her until death forces you to part?" asks the priest.
"I will care for her as if she were my entire life, in sickness or health. I will protect her always. I will stand beside her forever no matter what happens in our lives. Nothing pleases me more than accepting Relena into my life. I will love her long after death," says Heero with an excited confidence, "I do."
"Very well… King Milliardo, it is time," says the priest.
Milliardo nods and stands. "Sally, if you would please?"
Sally stands up and takes the decorative box from Noin.
The priest steps backwards.
Milliardo and Sally walk up in front of Relena and Heero as they kneel on their cushions.
Sally opens the box.
Milliardo lifts a beautiful gold tiara out of the decorative box, and he stands in front of Relena. He raises the tiara high into the air with both of his hands. "Relena Darlian Peacecraft, I now crown you Princess Relena of the Sanc Kingdom!"
Milliardo lowers the tiara onto Relena's head and sets it on top of the lace veil. "Arise, Sanc Princess."
Relena stands up and curtseys to Milliardo. "Your Majesty."
Milliardo kisses Relena's cheek.
Relena walks over and curtseys to Noin. "Your Majesty."
Noin pulls Relena close to her and kisses her cheek. "Sanc Princess."
Relena smiles at all her friends as she returns to kneel on her cushion beside Heero.
Milliardo lifts a plain gold crown out of the box, and he stands in front of Heero. He raises the crown high into the air in both of his hands. "Heero Yuy, I now crown you Prince Heero of the Sanc Kingdom!"
Sally closes the box and waits for her cue to sit down again.
Milliardo lowers the crown onto Heero's head and secures it gently. "Arise, Sanc Prince."
Heero stands up and bows to Milliardo. "Your Majesty."
Milliardo pulls Heero into a brotherly hug. He whispers quickly, "If you ever hurt Relena, I will kill you."
"Same to you, Milliardo," whispers Heero in return. He walks over and bows to Noin. "Your Majesty."
Noin hugs Heero quickly and kisses his cheek. "Sanc Prince."
Heero looks at his friends proudly as he moves back to kneel on his cushion beside Relena. He takes her hand once again.
"By the power of the Sanc Kingdom, I now proclaim you to be Princess and Prince of the Sanc Kingdom. May you fulfill your duties well," says Milliardo. He escorts Sally back to her seat before returning to his own chair.
"May we have the rings?" asks the priest.
Duo pulls a small black velvet box from his pocket. He opens it and pulls out two rings. He tucks the box back into his pocket and stands.
Hilde stands up and takes Duo's hand, allowing him to slip her the larger of the two rings.
"Princess," says the priest.
Relena takes the ring from Hilde. Her blue eyes shine in the light making her beauty unmatched. She smiles at Heero and slips the gold ring with the small diamond onto his left hand. "With this ring, my life alone comes to an end. With this ring, our life together begins. I love you, Heero! I will always protect you."
"Prince," says the priest.
Heero takes the ring from Duo. He pats his best friend lightly on the hand. He smiles at Relena and slips the solid gold ring onto her left hand to rest beside the diamond solitaire engagement ring. "With this ring, my life alone comes to an end. With this ring, our life together begins. I will always protect you. I love you, Relena!"
Hilde and Duo return to their seats.
"Arise, husband and wife," says the priest smiling happily.
Relena and Heero stand up together.
Heero pulls Relena into his arms. He pulls her as close to him as he can without mashing her rose belt. Then he gives her a kiss just like the very first kiss he ever gave her, a long and passionate, full-mouthed kiss.
Relena's knees weaken again, and she falls into Heero as he holds her into their kiss.
Heero pulls out of their long kiss with several shorter kisses. "Relena, I love you so very much."
"I love you too, Heero, just as much," says Relena. She turns to the priest and asks, "Father, will you be joining us for the reception?"
"Thank you for the invitation, but I'm sorry, Princess," says the priest, "I have a christening to get to. I wish both of you the utmost happiness!"
"Thank you, Father," says Heero shaking his hand.
Heero escorts Relena back down the path towards the house, and all their friends follow behind as the priest heads directly for the front gate.
Everyone gathers in the dining room, which has been creatively transformed into a beautiful reception hall.
"Before anything else happens, we would all like to present you with your wedding gift," says Milliardo.
Heero and Relena hold hands as Ania and Trowa bring them a small box.
Heero opens the box after taking it from his two friends. He lifts out a brochure for a resort in Hawaii.
"What is this?" asks Relena.
"We all went in together to get you a two week trip to Hawaii," says Quatre smiling, "It's open ended, so you can leave whenever you want."
"But if you're not leaving in the morning, we'll need to call the travel agency to postpone your reservations," says Wufei.
"You guys are great!" exclaims Heero.
"Yeah, we know," says Sally smiling.
***
The party lasts for hours.
Milliardo and Noin leave halfway through.
As the night nears its end, Duo pulls Quatre and Wufei over to a group of instruments in the corner of the dining room.
"Attention, ladies! We boys would like to give you all a very special gift on this very special day," says Duo into the microphone, "That is if we can get Trowa and Heero over here!"
"Excuse me, Relena," says Heero kissing her cheek quickly.
Trowa runs over to the instruments with Heero.
Wufei sits down behind the drums and spins the drumstick in his hand feeling lucky that he only really needs one hand for this song.
Quatre stands in front of the keyboard and turns it on.
Heero lifts the lead guitar from its stand and pulls the support strap over his head and right shoulder.
Trowa takes up the bass guitar and slides the support strap into place.
"Do we have to call you Your Highness now, Prince Heero?" jokes Duo.
"Here's an idea, Duo… if you do," says Heero, "I'll hurt you!"
"Okay! That's a no!" exclaims Duo happily, "Hit it, 'Fei-man!"
Wufei holds his drumstick up above his head. He strikes the drum four times as he exclaims, "One… two… three… four!"
Quatre starts playing the soft melody, but none of the others begin.
Duo holds the microphone up and sings, "I've walked so long I can't remember- - Where was my home? Their distant faces fade away. I'm always on my own. I can show a smile, it's not hard to do. I can have the strength to go on but sometimes I wanna let go of everything."
Wufei's drumming signals Heero and Trowa to start playing as well.
The music of the two guitars and the drums blend together with the melody coming from the keyboard.
"When thoughtfulness is not their game, I teach by giving love. High mountains seem higher endlessly when they're pebbles at your feet. And if you should still fall into despair, there is one thing left to believe I lie in your heart always," sings Duo.
Heero steps up beside Duo and speaks into the microphone, "Nothing is braver that honesty, my life is your faith in me."
Heero steps back to his former position.
Relena starts clapping her hands in time with Wufei's drumbeat. She smiles when she sees Ania start to dance.
"I'll be there when you need, you don't have to hide from me what you are feeling now. I fill your soul," sings Duo, "We will seek together destiny, troubles have an end. We'll carry on hand in hand, you're not alone."
Hilde starts dancing with Ania.
Sally starts clapping along with Relena. She also begins to tap her foot in time with the music.
"People searching desperately outside themselves, caught up in thinking of what never helped. And I'd forgotten too that love exists inside me as in those I wanted from- - I feel you now," sings Duo.
"I feel you now," sing Quatre and Heero acting as the back-up singers for Duo.
The normally uptight Cathie smiles and joins Hilde and Ania in their dance.
Relena grabs Sally's hands and pulls her forward to dance as well.
"I'll be there," sings Duo.
"I'll be there," sing Quatre and Heero.
"When you need we will live together. Nothing is in our way," sings Duo.
"Nothing is in our way," sing Heero and Quatre at the exact same time as Duo sings, "With trust in our soul."
The girls giggle and dance never taking their eyes off the five young men before them.
"We will seek together destiny, troubles have an end. We will carry on hand in hand, we won't forget we have each other," sings Duo.
Wufei, Trowa, and Heero stop playing leaving only Quatre on the keyboard to accompany Duo.
"Love is in the hearts of all men," sings Duo. He nods his head quickly.
"You're not alone," sing all five young men.
Quatre plays for another few seconds before letting the music fade.
The girls all stop dancing and applaud quickly.
"That was amazing, you guys!" exclaims Cathie.
"How long have you been practicing that?" asks Hilde smiling.
"Ever since Relena didn't marry Jesse!" exclaims Wufei smiling.
"Yes, now I think it's getting close to the time I take my lovely wife up to bed," says Heero taking off the guitar and setting it down.
Relena takes off her rose belt as the boys put down their instruments and move away from them. "The woman who catches the flowers is the next one to get married!"
Ania blushes as she smiles at Trowa.
Relena throws the rose belt high into the air. She laughs as she sees all her girl friends reaching up into the air to catch it.
The hand that clamps tightly around the belt could only belong to Hilde because she shrieks as soon as she catches it.
"I'm glad there's nothing for us to catch!" exclaims Wufei.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that!" exclaims Cathie, "Don't you know the tradition? The bride tosses the bouquet, and the groom tosses the bride's garter."
"Which, thanks to Ania, I do have," says Relena, "Now line up and be nice!"
The boys all blush as Heero kneels down beside Relena and runs his hand up her leg beneath her skirt.
Heero pulls the blue garter down and removes it from Relena's leg. He stands up and smiles at his four friends before tossing it their way.
Trowa, the tallest of the boys, catches the garter easily.
"Does that mean Trowa has to marry Hilde?" jokes Duo.
Trowa shoves the garter into Duo's hand. "One more wisecrack, and I'll stake you out on an anthill, Maxwell!"
"Sorry, Trowa! Hilde's mine!" exclaims Duo moving to Hilde's side and kissing her.
"Good. She's not my type. No offense, Hilde," says Trowa moving to put his arms around Ania.
"None taken, Trowa!" exclaims Hilde between kissing Duo, "We're going to bed now! See you in the morning!" She pulls Duo from the room at a run.
"It's a good thing those two don't multiply like rabbits! We'd be up to our ears in Maxwells!" exclaims Wufei.
"Wufei!" exclaims Relena bursting into laughter.
Everyone laughs for several minutes.
"Come on, Relena. It's getting late, and we're leaving early in the morning," says Heero, "Good night, everyone."
"Good night, everyone," says Relena.
Relena and Heero leave the dining room holding each other's hand.
"We should probably all turn in," says Sally.
"In case I don't see you tomorrow, Trowa, Ania, good-bye. My shuttle leaves rather early," says Cathie.
"We'll be home in a few days, Cathie," says Ania smiling.
Cathie nods and heads out.
Sally slowly follows.
Trowa looks over his shoulder at his two close friends. "We'll see you in the morning."
"Sleep well, Trowa, Ania," says Quatre smiling.
"Same to you, big brother," says Ania.
Trowa and Ania head off.
"Quatre, would you help me out of this monkey suit? It was hard enough getting into it with this injured arm," says Wufei.
Quatre smiles and nods. "Of course, Wufei."
Quatre and Wufei walk side by side up to Wufei's room and enter together.
Wufei closes the door and turns towards Quatre. He pulls his smaller friend to him and kisses him passionately.
"Wufei," says Quatre when they separate, "What exactly do you expect to happen tonight?"
"Besides kissing, I haven't really thought about it," says Wufei smiling, "It's just that seeing everyone else kissing made me really want to kiss you."
Quatre smiles. "Let's get you out of these clothes."
Wufei sits down on the edge of his bed.
Quatre gently removes the sling and helps Wufei out of his black tuxedo jacket. He drops the sling on the floor and tosses the jacket into a chair near the bathroom door. He unties the bowtie and removes the cummerbund, also tossing them into the chair. Then he slowly unbuttons Wufei's shirt.
Wufei flinches slightly as Quatre helps him out of the shirt.
"Did that hurt?" asks Quatre tossing the shirt into the chair.
"Only a little," says Wufei as Quatre removes his shoes and socks, "but I'm lucky to have the arm, remember? I can handle the pain."
"Yeah. You could have lost your arm," says Quatre unbuttoning Wufei's pants and lowering the zipper. He helps Wufei stand up. He rubs his hands along his friend's skin as he lowers the pants to the floor and removes them one leg at a time. He kneels before Wufei and reaches up to pull his underwear off. He tosses the pants and underwear into the chair and stares at Wufei's nude body.
"Quatre, what exactly do you expect to happen tonight?" asks Wufei sitting down on the bed again.
"Besides kissing, I haven't really thought about it," says Quatre smiling. He kisses Wufei to emphasize his point.
Wufei's eyes widen and he smiles in return.
Quatre quickly removes his own tuxedo while staring at Wufei. He helps Wufei into bed once he is also nude. He turns the lights off and climbs into bed with Wufei.
Quatre and Wufei kiss as their hands actively explore the other's body.
***
Heero and Relena say their good-byes to everyone in the morning and head off to Hawaii for their two-week honeymoon.