So this took longer than usual... That's me trying to handle too many projects at one time. It came out with a Christmassy feeling though, which is quite appropriate considering Xmas' knocking on our doors. I actually liked it. Well, that being said... Happy holidays, everyone! I hope you'll enjoy this humble gift!

CHAPTER 9

She hadn't been able to sleep. As hard as she had tried, she could do nothing except lie in the dark, staring at the ceiling and listening to Trowa's almost imperceptible breaths as she replayed the conversation she had had with Catherine and all that had followed.

The way they looked at each other, she had said. Not the way her brother looked at Relena or the way Relena looked at him. She had been very specific in her phrasing and insinuated that they were lovers. No, she had not just insinuated. She had been certain of it. But, whether Catherine knew or not, a little seed had been planted in the young Foreign Minister's overworking brain…

The idea of Trowa and her…together. At first, Relena had not really known what to make of it so she had started watching him more closely, she had looked at him with new eyes, and what she had seen was extremely enticing. She had engaged him in conversation as they had dinner and a couple of drinks and the way he spoke about medicine, as if he already had a degree and with the passion of someone who likes what he does, had nearly taken her breath away. It had made her decide to follow her own path, a decision she had been postponing for a long time under what now looked like nothing but silly excuses.

Then, as the wine got to her brain, she started noticing other more physical aspects of him like how green his eyes were and how the smiles he graced her with were always warmer than the ones he gave other people. She followed the paths of the veins in his hands up to his arms and watched the muscles shift under the skin. It was all so strangely fascinating… She had wanted to see more of it, hence why she had asked him about the flute. A question that had ended in an undignified bout of alcohol induced giggles.

Showering had been good to clear her head and straighten her wayward thoughts. It had led to an important realisation though… The idea of being with Trowa was not repulsive as she had imagined it would be, but surprisingly exciting. That thought had made her take extra care with her appearance even though she knew she shouldn't and even though she knew he had already seen her at the worst state of dishevelment after a particularly stressful day at work.

He had not noticed, but she did not blame him. His mind was turning over its own problems and, apparently, tearing itself to pieces. She had offered him comfort then the only way she knew how, which was how her mother used to do for her, and had found that running her fingers through his hair was an extremely relaxing experience. Heero had never been the cuddly type. In fact, he was often almost paranoid around her, as if afraid he would slit her throat or she would slit his, Relena wasn't sure... They fought constantly over dominance and sometimes she even submitted because – as horrified as it made her feel – a part of her believed it was her place as the woman to do so.

With Trowa it was completely different though. She had called and he had come, he had trusted her completely and the mere thought warmed her up inside. There were so many things she wanted to do, to try out that she had given up on because of Heero… But if it was Trowa, she knew he would be there for her and with her. She wanted to explore this new treasure she had found, but… What if he did not want to? He had been willing to let her comfort him and let her know –through a misplaced compliment – that he felt attracted to her, but to be in an actual relationship… It was a completely different thing.

"We still have two hours before we have to catch our flight." He commented as they waited for the valet to bring their rented car back to the door of the hotel. She had been lost in thought again, but Trowa did not seem to have noticed. He looked relaxed, yet Relena knew by the way his eyes were misted over that he was still troubled. Maybe it was something Catherine had told him while they were in private… It wasn't her place to know. Not that she wasn't itching with curiosity, but still…

"May I drive?" she asked suddenly because when she had tried this once before it had been with Heero and it had earned her a sideways glance that meant something along the lines of 'you're kidding, right?'.

"Of course." Was Trowa's answer as he passed her the keys and opened the door wider for her, stepping aside.

"Thank you." Her grateful smile seemed to contaminate him, easing a little of his worries. She was glad. "I want to take you somewhere." She confessed as she stepped past him and into the car. Trowa raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised, but said nothing as he moved to get on the other side.

Relena had been to L3 for the first time when she was around twelve. It was when she had started accompanying her father through some of his less stressful business trips. She remembered being upset because she had expected more attention from the man and because she was confined to the hotel for long periods of time while her father attended his meetings. She had always been an energetic creature and easily bored. Despite her discomfort though, she had hesitated on breaking her promise to her father that she would 'behave'.

It was on the third day of meetings that Relena snuck out of the hotel and, in her wanderings, had ended up exactly where they were now. An animal shelter. She turned to her traveling companion with a smile. "Last time I was here I took a dog home with me." She relied remembering how furious her father had been and how her tears and his consequent guilt had convinced the man to let her take the fluffy sheepdog home.

Trowa's eyes widened a fraction as he turned to her. "You don't mean… Quatre would gut me."

Relena chuckled as she took his arm. "If it's love at first sight, Quatre will understand."

She dragged him with her into the building and soon a young keeper had left them in a long corridor flanked by white metal cages. They gave the expectant canines sad looks as they walked past them and into a different corridor where Trowa's greatest weakness resided… Felines. "Have you ever had a cat?" he asked as he kneeled by one of the cages to pet an eager tabby through the bars. The cat purred, thrusting its head against the offered hand and staring up at them with love filled green eyes.

"No." she answered, watching in awe as the same tender smile she had seen on his face at the circus blossomed on his lips once again. Her heart sped up as she tried to imagine how it would feel to have that smile bestowed on herself. "I think they are a little intimidating…and it unnerves me that they ignore their owners' commands."

He actually snickered and Relena could practically see the words 'control' and 'freak' run through his head, but he was still smiling so she did not care. She had never realised just how close they had grown and how well he truly knew her. "I think cats are more suspicious. Dogs trust blindly and consequently love blindly, but cats… They need proof that they can trust you and only then will they slowly grow to love you. It is the love of equals though, so they test your limits to know that they can get away with things and still be cherished. You learn a lot from them since, in a way, they are much more similar to people than dogs."

Throughout that little speech, Relena too had crouched down to try her luck at petting the cat. It seemed wary of her at first, probably recognising her uncertainties in contrast with Trowa's ready acceptance, but after a minute it was already rubbing against her hand as well. She felt a strange happiness fill her and a wide smile lit up her face. When she turned back to Trowa he was watching her… and there it was. That smile. It took her breath away, forcing her to focus once again on the cat as a blush warmed her cheeks. How long had they been falling in love without realising? Or maybe he knew… Did he know? Why hadn't he said something? Did Heero know? What was she going to do?

"Let's take her." Relena heard her own voice say.

"Are you sure?" Trowa frowned preoccupied. "She isn't a kitten anymore. She's already 2."

"She's the first cat that actually likes me." And he was the first man who actually loved her if this was what love looked like.

"We have to be at the spaceport in an hour…"

"There'll be plenty of time." She stood up, the bright smile back on her face. Despite all the questions that were still unanswered she felt happier than she had ever been. It was like she was 15 again only this time for real, not 15 with the responsibilities of a much older woman. Her heart felt light, beating rapidly like a little bird's. She did feel like she could do anything at that moment… Even fly, but she was adopting a cat instead.

"What are we going to name her?"

Trowa's question only made her smile widen.

OxOxO

He could not remember the last time he had had such a good night's rest and especially not the last time he had woken up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee, French toast and pancakes. It all seemed so perfect he had to wonder if maybe he wasn't still sleeping and it wasn't all just a dream, a trick of his imagination. The clock on the nightstand marked 10:24. Could he really have slept for nearly 10 hours without a single interruption? No nightmares, no crying babies, no phone calls… He could not stop the bright smile that lit up his face as he allowed himself to fall back against the pillows. No hurry to get up… Except, perhaps, if he wanted to check on that wonderfully smelling breakfast, which he did. His stomach growled eagerly in acquiescence and he forced himself out of his bed, not bothering to put on his robe as he left for the kitchen.

"You made breakfast…" he did not bother hiding his awe when his eyes fell on the food placed on the isle.

"I was…" Heero frowned as he turned from the sink where he had been washing the dishes to his host. "Bored."

Quatre smiled. It was anxiety he felt coming from the other man, a restlessness that was clearly making him uncomfortable, but the blonde would not remark on it and, if it was their pending conversation that Heero was worried about, Quatre would make sure to distract him. Now was not the time nor the place, he realised. "Are Duo and Wufei up yet?" he asked as he took a seat and seized a plate of French toasts with no small amount of avidness.

"It was nearly dawn when they arrived. I wouldn't expect to see them up so soon."

"Would you join me?" he asked, unable to rid himself of his delightful smile. It wasn't every day that he woke up feeling elated. This reminded of his childhood, of sleeping in and waking up to a colourful breakfast table, despite the fact that it was almost noon and his father would be in for lunch soon. The maids and cooks would be running around frantically, trying to rush him so they could set the table for the next meal while Rashid tried to ease their worries. Despite the stress and the tension there was never a lack of smiles during those late mornings.

Heero hesitated, but it was only for a moment. "Hn."

"How did you know I liked French toast?"

The answer would have amounted to a shrug if he had not stared long enough to let his friend know he was waiting for a real answer. "I didn't." Heero replied after a small, frustrated sigh.

"Liar." Quatre rebuked with a smirk of amusement.

Surprisingly, the other man chuckled at the accusation. "You were always happiest when there was French toast for breakfast during our time in Sanc."

The blonde felt the warmth spread over his face and he knew he was blushing. He had always known Heero to be particularly attentive to detail, but to realise the perfect soldier had been paying such close attention to him even during the war was… Well, it was disturbing in a way, but it was also flattering and that was certainly the reason behind his unwanted blush. He felt giddy. "My own personal stalker." He smiled cheekily, making Heero raise an eyebrow. "What other irrelevant information have you stored about me?"

A second eyebrow shot up to join the first. "It is a waste of time to store irrelevant information."

Quatre smiled, secretly wondering at the relevance of French toast and, as his friend seemed unwilling to answer his question, he decided – around a mouthful of toast – to give a little push. "My favourite colour."

Heero's eyes wondered around them. "Beige?"

"Uh…" was what came out when he opened his mouth to reply. "His eyes followed the same path as the other man's. Then he thought about the decorations in the bedrooms and the living room… He thought about the desert, about home, and realised his mind was instantly filled with various tones of, well…beige. "I would have said white, but I think you may be right." He commented still looking around. It was as if he were seeing his kitchen for the first time, seeing it with someone else's eyes, and he found out he actually liked this new perspective. Quatre smiled so brightly it made Heero blink in surprise. "You really are something."

Holding back a chuckle, Quatre watched as the former pilot 01 immersed himself in his own breakfast to hide his sudden self-consciousness. Who would have thought that a smile could accomplish something a glare couldn't? He wondered what else was hidden under the mask of indifference and stoicism. How many other faces did Heero have? He was like a very complex puzzle and the blonde could not wait to start putting the pieces together. Quatre had a hidden face himself, a competitive challenge-loving daredevil kind of face, and it was exactly what he needed to take on the challenge of figuring out Heero Yuy.

For now though there was another puzzle he had been trying to solve or perhaps it was more of a riddle… Either ways he figured the brown haired man sitting across from him held some essential information. "Are Duo and Wufei dating?"

Heero cleared his throat after nearly choking on his food, but still managed to look undisturbed as he met the blonde's eye. Quatre smiled knowingly. "I thought you had said yourself that Maxwell was dating. As for Chang… I would suggest you asked him."

"You can't lie to me, Heero." He informed, amused at the other's attempt.

"I promised I would not say a word." He offered as an explanation to his pointless excuses after releasing a long breath in a near-sigh.

"And how did you find out?"

"The same way I found out you liked French toast. Observation."

"How long?"

"A couple months ago. I saw them in a restaurant during a trip with Relena. Not only were they there together, but they were acting quite civilly around each other. I decided not to approach. Relena did not notice them and they did not seem to have noticed us either. I received a message from Wufei as soon as we returned to the hotel though, threatening me into silence."

"But…" Quatre frowned painfully. Why would their friends not want them to know? Were they ashamed? Why didn't they trust them? They were like family after all… And it seemed it was only amongst themselves that they could find any sense of belonging and any kind of peace. "Why would they want to hide it? Why keep up with the bickering? To deceive us?"

"I don't know."

"I even understand Wufei being secretive… After all, he's nothing, but discreet, especially when it comes to his personal life and, working for Preventers, with all the risks involved… But Duo?" he shook his head. It just did not make sense. Not that the braided man could not be discreet when he wanted to, but he knew he could trust Quatre with discretion so why not tell?

"I don't know." Heero repeated. He leaned back in his chair as he finished, pushing aside his empty plate, and crossed his arms. "And that has long ceased to be bickering… It's foreplay."

How he hated blushing… And yet his mind could not help providing him with the images to go with what he had just discovered, intensifying his blush in return. His friend must have been reading his mind for when he looked up again there was an amused smirk on his face. Quatre gave him his 2 seconds worth of death glare, or as close as he could get to it, and decided to change the subject before things got any more awkward. "I'm thinking about taking a cooking course." He commented regaining his cheerful smile. "It's only one evening. To learn the basics."

"That's a start." Heero nodded encouragingly.

"I thought maybe you could accompany me." He waited forever for an answer, but all Wing's pilot seemed able to do was stare at him as if he had grown a second head. Against his better judgment, Quatre found himself chuckling. "Come on, Heero. It's a start for you as well. Maybe you'll discover you actually like cooking?"

"I can't cook."

"You made breakfast."

"Yes…" he admitted however reluctantly. "After hours of extensive research."

"Huh?"

Heero sighed, unwilling to elaborate, but knowing he would have to do so. "Do you have any idea how many recipes for pancakes and French toast you can find online? Thousands. How can you decide which one is the best then? Comparison. Necessary ingredients and utensils, preparation time, difficulty level, expected results and actual results…" he raised an eyebrow when the blonde succumbed to his mirthful laughter.

"You really did all that? Compare recipes and all?"

"Hn."

"You turned cooking breakfast into a mission. You truly are something."

The confused nearly annoyed look on Heero's face only added to Quatre's mirth and soon his laughter had dragged a sleepy Duo into the kitchen. The braided man yawned, opening his mouth widely and rubbing at his eyes as they filled with tears. He looked so much like a little boy, the blonde man almost expected to see a stuffed bear hanging from his hand. "What's the joke?"

"Sorry, Duo. You'd have to have been there." Quatre smiled apologetically. "Come have some breakfast."

"Whoa! Someone woke up feeling inspired." He commented glancing at the display. The blonde chuckled at the delighted look on his friend's face, but decided to hold on to his – and Heero's – little secret a few more minutes as the former pilot 02 took a seat and started filling his plate. "Did 'Dija finally give you a break?"

"We took her to the hospital last night." Duo turned to him wide-eyed and Quatre shook his head, smiling reassuringly. "It's just a mild infection, but my sister, Sa'ida, decided to keep her in for observation anyways." He added a small frown at the end, though he did not bother to enlighten his braided friend as to its significance. He could see Heero was hiding his amusement, always listening quietly, paying close attention to everything. The blonde was glad he did not work for any of the local tabloids or his private life would have already been all over the place. It might not be a good idea to suggest that line of career either.

"It's a good thing you took her to the hospital then."

"Yes, but I can't wait to go get her." Quatre smiled, realising the truth in his words. Though he had been more than happy to get a full night's sleep, he missed his little niece. After all, life was pointless without her. Without Khadija things would go back to the way they had been for the last 9 years… Work, work, work and more work. Sometimes he felt sorry for himself too so he went looking for more work to make those times less frequent. Yes, he missed Khadija because she had turned his world upside down and now he could see how that would end up making things better. In the light of a brand new day, he found his doubts gone and his smile brightened. "In fact, I think I'm going to go get her right now." He stood up. "Could you get Trowa and Relena at the spaceport at 2? I promised I would, but it's almost noon and I don't want to be late. Sa'ida always keeps me for a while…"

"Won't they rent a car?" Duo asked confused.

"To drive 15 minutes? It's hardly worth it."

"Then why don't they get a taxi?" Quatre glared at him. It seemed he was actually getting better since he could almost see his friend gulp. Maybe Heero was rubbing off on him. "Okay, okay. I'll be there." The braided man conceded.

"Thanks, Duo." He turned to leave then.

"Wait! Why doesn't Heero go? It's his woman after all…"

"Heero's already cooked breakfast." The blonde explained casually, hiding a devilish smirk as he left the kitchen.

"You cooked breakfast?" Duo's incredulous voice followed him.

"Hn." Was Heero's answer, and Quatre could feel the former pilot 01's annoyed glare burn into his back just as he stepped out of view.

"You?" the American asked nothing short of surprised. There was a long pause. "Why would you make us breakfast? Is it poisoned?" he still heard Duo asked before he locked himself in his bedroom.

Quatre allowed himself a victorious chuckle. It had been a long time since he had felt so happy, so light and bold. He found himself suddenly looking forward to seeing all his friends reunited once again. It did not matter that most of their lives were a mess or that the future was nothing but uncertain. For now, he wanted to be in the present and enjoy his euphoria while it lasted. Or until Heero decided to make him pay for what he'd just done… Actually, he was sort of looking forward to that too.