Disclaimer – I don't own anything but some old fast food receipts and the Body of War soundtrack.

AN: How long it's been. Thanks for sticking around. I don't know why I insist on writing an Author's Note when I have nothing to say but thanks. You'd think I have an agenda to push. All right, here's an agenda… listen to Led Zeppelin.

For Richer or Poorer

Now my body is starting to quiver,

And the palms of my hands getting wet, oh.

I've got no reason to doubt you, baby

It's all a terrible mess

Chapter Eight: Fool in the Rain

Gisborne was not looking forward to walking through that door. Not in the slightest. He buttoned his cufflinks on his white shirt in a play for more time. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

What met him wasn't exactly what he expected. He expected John Prince to be sitting in his desk, staring ominously, waiting for the exact amount of silence to pass before he opened his mouth and spewed violent words his way.

Gisborne wasn't totally off. John Prince was in fact sitting at his immaculate desk. However, his hazel eyes weren't piercing through Gisborne. And he wasn't frowning. He was smirking.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, sit down."

Gisborne sat, watching Prince carefully. He thought of Prince as a careful concoction of brilliant and insane, and if the medley was tampered with, the man just might explode. He gingerly rested his hands on the armrests of the chair, staring at Prince, looking for some sign of life.

A long moment of silence passed between them. "Gisborne, do you know what I was informed of this morning?"

"No sir."

A less than sublime expression crossed Prince's features but left quickly. "Is that so? I walked into my office this morning to find a sniveling officer at my door. The poor man, he nearly wet himself." His expression had lost most of his geniality. There was nothing to show that he felt any amount of pity for anyone. His mouth had sunk into a straight line. "and do you know what he told me?"

"No sir."

"You're not aware of what happened at the jail this morning."

"Yes, I was aware."

"And yet, you didn't think to inform me, Gisborne?"

"John-"

"Gisborne, Heero Yuy walked into my jail this morning. Walked in the back door, walked leisurely through the corridors into the high security wing, broke out his companion and left. Does that mean anything to you?" The longer he talked, the more intense his voice got, growing in volume.

Gisborne said nothing, obviously angering Prince. "You let this happen!" Prince hissed, color rising to his face.

"I wasn't there, John. I didn't let anything happen."

Prince glared. "I'd in no mood for your attitude, Guy." He tapped his fingers on the top of his desk. "We lost our bargaining chip."

"What do we do now?"

Prince looked up, a slight smirk had returned to his face. "Because you so miserably failed me, I had to come up with another plan. And this plan," Prince leaned forward as if he was divulging an incredible secret. "knocks out two birds with one stone."

Gisborne knew immediately which two birds this would be knocking out.

"John, we can't prove she had a connection to Heero Yuy."

Prince grimaced. "Not yet. But we can prove he has a connection to her. "

"Meaning?"

"We prove that she's his weakness."

V-v-v-v-v-v-v-v

It was late when Relena finally finished with the first draft of the newest colonial proposition. Knowing she had to finish the rest of the proposals before she went to bed, she took another out of the folder on her desk. She checked her watch, and mentally chastised herself for taking so long.

She tried concentrating on the new document. She started off strong. The title and the introduction were clear. However, making it to the first bullet point was hard. The words were all streaming together, blurring all over the page. She blinked them back in focus. They snapped back to attention, and she continued reading for another moment before they started to blur again. She rubbed her eyes, realizing she was much too tired for this.

Relena laid her head back, resting her neck on the back of her chair. It was incredibly uncomfortable, but a welcome reprieve. Letting her eyes slowly close, she let her mind wander, her consciousness slip a little.

A quiet creak made her open her eyes. She sat up and looked towards the front door. The noise she heard was usually reserved for her front door, which shouldn't have been making noise at 11 at night. She cautiously got up from her chair, suddenly aware of every sound she was making. The wooden floor groaned as she walked from her desk to the door to her study.

She opened her study door, turning the knob with precision, so to not make a noise. The knob made a small squeak as the metal gave away, unlocking the door. Relena closed her eyes, hoping that the intruder hadn't heard it.

She heard a very male-like cough from outside her door. Her heart raced. "Heero?" she whispered, loud enough for the sound to make it through the door.

"No." the foreign voice replied quietly.

Her heart began beating twice its normal speed. The voice on the other side of the door felt oddly familiar, however. She threw the door open to find the man she hoped was standing there.

Milliardo Peacecraft fulfilled her wish, standing regally in the foyer of her house. He was wearing olive green pants with a khaki shirt, both garments looked worn and dirty. He smiled gallantly at her. "Hello." He opened his arms.

She returned his smile and ran into them. He held her close for a moment before speaking. "I'm glad that this time I'm seeing you on good terms."

Relena looked up. Even six years later, the height gap was intense. She smiled at him. "You could have told me you were coming." She let go of him and walked further into her house. He followed, letting his eyes wander.

"I couldn't ruin the surprise." They walked into the kitchen. Milliardo didn't really need to follow her to know where the kitchen was. The Peacecraft house was noticeably unchanged.

Relena smiled as she opened the cabinet and plucked two cups from its confines. "Everything with you is a surprise."

"That's not a fair assessment, Relena." He said, watching her put a pot of tea on the stove. "You still make it the old fashioned way?" he asked as she turned the stove onto its highest setting. He sat down at the table in the middle of her kitchen.

He could tell she was smiling even though her back was to him. "It tastes better." She defended herself. Satisfied with her job, she turned to face him, the small of her back resting on the counter. "I'm pleased to see you, Milliardo." He smiled. "But there has to be a reason you're here."

"I'm on vacation." He said good-naturedly, not expecting her to believe it.

She didn't, but decided not to press it. "How is the Terraformation going?"

She felt the mood change from jovial to somber as if it was a sudden change in temperature. Milliardo's elegant smile fell. "Not well."

Relena turned to check the tea. Finding it to be to her liking, she poured it into two cups. Gingerly, she made her way to the table where he sat, suddenly aware of his emotional state.

"I fear we went to Mars too soon with too little information." He said, accepting the cup of tea.

"When do you have to return?" she asked in between sips of tea.

"My flight is tomorrow morning."

Her eyebrows rose involuntarily. "Tomorrow morning?" she repeated.

He brought the cup to his lips, watching her reaction over the rim of the cup. "Yes."

"You had one night on earth and you chose to spend it with me?" The question came out more doubtful than she meant.

His mouth curved upwards as he took another sip of tea. "Yes." He replied. "It's been quite a while since I've seen my sister."

"Six years." She supplied.

"Then don't you agree that it was time for me to see you? There are duties that brothers must fulfill, you see."

She smiled, suddenly feeling very tired. "I see. Checking up on me is a brotherly duty?"

He nodded. "I can't be here on Earth, Relena. If I could help you here, I would." He watched her closely as she took a small sip of tea. "Very little news reaches Mars. But I know how much you're struggling. Your letters try and hide it."

Relena forced herself to look at her brother. He was a very strange sight to her eyes. But somehow, he was also a comforting presence. Perhaps she'd lived most of her life without knowing he existed, but upon the announcement that he did, something fell into place. With him sitting across from her in the kitchen, she felt safe. "If I truly told you what was happening in the letters I write you, and they were to be confiscated-"

"You would be put on trial." Milliardo finished for her. He nodded. "You take an awful risk writing to me as it is."

Relena had defense for that. "I'm aware."

Milliardo crossed his arms, fitting himself comfortably into the role of the older brother. "Are you also aware how dangerous it is to be living in this manor without a staff? It was much too easy to get onto the property."

"So I've been told." Relena replied, her confidence building a little more.

"Our father had this place surrounded by guards day and night. You couldn't get out of your bed for a drink without security being alerted. Our father, not to mention Peter Darlin, would have something say about you living alone on this compound."

Relena's heart sank and her voice lost the little confidence it had started with. "I'm sure many things I do aren't up to their standards."

Milliardo watched his sister for a moment before speaking. "Father and Peter lived in a different age." He nodded at her. "You do what you can."

"I'm failing, Milliardo."

The desperation in her voice made him look into her eyes. They were quickly filling with tears.

"John Prince is making my life miserable." The sentence lost steam while she was speaking it, the last of it coming out barely above a whisper.

"You're strong." Milliardo said with assurance. She looked up at him, blinking. A tear was forced from its resting place, falling quickly down her cheek, and cascading onto her lap. "I have faith in you."

"Milliardo," she started, beginning to gain more poise. "There's something I need you to do."

He silently waited for her request.

"I need you to tell Richards everything that's happening on Earth. Ask him to come back."

His silence was weighted with doubt. He thought of his words carefully before he spoke. "It will be a long time before President Richards makes his way back to the Earth."

"Milliardo, if you tell him what's happening to the people, to the government, he can at least help."

Milliardo turned his head away, looking down at the empty cup before him.

"Something has to change." Relena said quietly, suddenly embarrassed by her show of emotions. She struggled to regain her composure, but recovered quickly. "You may not live with the people here on Earth, Milliardo, but you know their struggle."

He glanced up at her, acknowledging her statement. He stood up from his chair, the wooden legs screeching across the hardwood floor. She matched his stance, standing as well. "I'll think about it." He replied. The turmoil etched into her features calmed for a moment. She knew he wasn't trying to placate her by telling her this, but it was a real commitment.

He walked around the table and gently hugged her.

"Will it be six years until I see you again, Milliardo?" Her words were muffled by his shirt, but he heard them.

"Of course not."

She knew, and he knew, that this time he was lying. The words reverberated in her heart as she felt the full weight of the meaning. It crashed into her, creating wave after wave of doubt. This certainly wouldn't be the last time she would see her brother. But the nagging feeling at the pit of her stomach ate away at her confidence as Milliardo's arms detached and he left the Peacecraft property.

v-v-v-v-v-v-v

As Duo coughed slightly, he became hyper aware of the silence that fell over the city at night. He suddenly noticed that everything in the alley he was currently stationed in had a sound. And unfortunately at this time of night, everything sounded like a mobile suit battle to him. He listened carefully for the steps of a young woman, who had planned to meet him there that night. Checking his watch again, he sighed. She was late.

The scurrying of footsteps coupled with unsure and ragged breathing pierced his ears and he leaned backwards into the wall, hoping that he was invisible to any passing eye. A young woman with a small child at her heel turned the corner into the alley. She strained her vision hoping to spot something that might have been invisible. Luckily for her, the man she was trying to find had already found her.

"I'm glad you could make it." Duo said quietly, although not trying to hide his smile, as he stepped out of the shadow, letting the moonlight show his identity. The young woman smiled back, hurrying towards him.

"I almost didn't. There are police everywhere." She said, holding on tightly to the hand of the little boy.

Duo reached in his pocket and quietly pulled out a small burlap bag. He gingerly handed it over to the young woman. "Here you go."

The woman handled the bag as if it contained something delicate. "Thank you so much." She gripped the little boy's hand harder. "Ever since his father left, it's been hard just to get day to day."

Duo pulled out a few bills from his pocket and handed them to the woman. She looked up in surprise. "But-" she started to protest.

"We're just trying to help. Just remember that Heero Yuy is doing the best he can. We all are. Just keep it in mind."

"I'll never forget this." The woman pledged. She gave Duo a grateful smile before heading out of the alley.

Duo stood in the darkness for a moment, watching the woman retreat out of the alley. She was the third person he'd helped that night. It was his turn that night to roam the streets, giving their gains to people who had nothing. He found that roaming New Port City at night was preferable to the day.

The deafening click of a gun disengaging its safety rang in his ear. He stood up straight, not daring to turn around. He tried keeping his breathing as even as possible.

"Well, aren't you just the luckiest son-of-a-bitch alive?"

The voice was oddly familiar, leaving his heart with a dull ache. He turned around, finding a short girl in a police uniform, her face hidden in shadow. She lowered the gun, stepping into the light, her smile as bright as the moonlight.

"Hilde," he murmured, his hands falling to his sides. He was suddenly very aware of every minuscule movement he was making. She smile grew wider and she ran the distance between them and flung her arms around him.

Tentatively, he closed his arms around her, his heart beating wildly in his chest.

"Relena told me you were home, but I wasn't sure how to find you! I thought maybe if I took the midnight shift, I'd run into you eventually, but you can never be too sure," she was going a mile a minute into his ear, her arms wrapped so tight around him, he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to pry her off.

Fortunately for him, she let go and looked him in the eyes. "I'm glad you're home." She said solemnly, her eyes shinning.

"Yeah," he replied, somehow out of breath. "I'm glad I'm home too."

She smirked. "That's all you've got to say to me?"

The entire English language was suddenly foreign to Duo. For the life of him he couldn't think of anything to say. The longer he fumbled for words, the more Hilde's smile turned into a knowing smirk.

He backed away from her and surveyed the woman in front of him. She had certainly grown into a woman while he was gone. She had stopped playing up the masculinity and grown into her feminine side. The uniform made her stop and reconnect with her gaze. "I thought you were done with uniforms. "He said, his statement laced with judgment.

Her smirk downgraded to a thin smile. "A lot's changed since you left."

"Yeah, that's what I keep hearing."

"But it's good to see some things don't change." Her hands rested on her hips. "You're still a sarcastic jerk."

Duo's lip jerked upwards. "Yeah, well, what can I say? I stick with what works."

Hilde nodded and smiled back at him. "Like saving the world?" her smile was present, but he could tell she was serious, almost grateful.

"I do what I can."

"So do I." she said, turning serious. She put the gun back in her side holster and avoided Duo's stare for a moment.

"So you're a cop?" he said, suddenly the most pressing thing on his mind.

She still didn't look up at him. "It was my only option."

"Your only option was to come to the Earth and enlist as a cop in the Sanc Kingdom?"

"Former Sanc Kingdom."

"Whatever." Duo rolled his eyes.

"What was I supposed to do? Stay in the colonies?" her friendly tone had lost its geniality, and had started to become defensive.

"You would have been safe there." Duo said, his tone matching hers. "Dammit Hilde," he turned away from her and put his hands on his hips. "I fought a war and labored on Mars to keep you safe. All of that was so that you could live a good life." He turned to her, willing her to make eye contact with him. She would not oblige. "And I find out that you've thrown yourself into the most dangerous place you could be?"

"You don't understand, Duo." She countered, either her rage or her willpower causing her to look up at him. "This is the safest place. I'm a police officer, so no one questions me. No one asks where I'm from, or if I know one of the Gundam pilots. Do you know how easily I could be traced back to you? This is the perfect disguise!"

Duo snorted in disgust. "Yeah well, be careful with your disguise. "

"That's not fair." Hilde insisted, her brow furrowed. "You can't just leave for five years and come back and start judging my actions."

"If you would have stayed on the colony, I wouldn't have to judge you."

"You always do this." She said, her voice getting lower. He wasn't sure if she was trying to be quiet or hide the emotion seeping through her voice. "You always put me aside like I'm fragile. I was in the Army before I met you, Duo. I can take care of myself."

In lieu of anything productive to do, Hilde folded her arms to her chest and avoided his stare. Duo watched her closely, her words washing over him. "They've traced me to you?" he asked quietly, guilt gnawing at him.

She didn't answer right away. "Relena's deleted my records from my time in the war. According to my data, I worked on the colony the entire time." She took a few deep breaths before she was able to look at him. He couldn't return the gesture. "But if they look hard enough, ask enough people, poke around in the colony, yeah. They could find out I knew you. And if you hadn't noticed, that's a felony."

"Yeah, I noticed." Duo's voice sounded far away.

"I had to find a way to hide." Her voice softened. "You have to believe me, Duo, this was the best place."

"And if you get caught?"

"It's nearly impossible."

He raised his eyebrows. "Nearly?"

"I'm pretty low on the food chain." Hilde admitted. "I get mostly patrol shifts. I drive around and make sure no one's breaking the law. As long as I do my work, no one bothers me."

"Not Gisborne?"

Hilde sighed. "He's not the problem. Yeah, he gives me the orders, but he's just a puppet. It's really Prince we've got to worry about."

"How can you stand him?" Duo asked, this time the judgment landing on Gisborne instead of Hilde. She welcomed the reprieve.

"What else do you suggest? Becoming an outlaw and fighting the system from the outside in?" there was the faintest hint of teasing in her voice, but she hid it well. Duo allowed himself a small smile, slipping into their familiar teasing pattern.

"It's not so bad."

Hilde shook her head. "You guys are too flashy. I prefer my way. Besides," Hilde looked cautiously around her. "this way I can give information to people who need it." Her eyes rested on Duo. "Like you."

"Isn't that a little risky?'

"Says the Gundam pilot."

Duo smiled in earnest now. "I get it."

"I've been giving Relena some of the information I've gotten, hoping she's been passing it on to you. I'll just keep doing it that way."

Duo nodded and opened his mouth to speak.

"Schbeiker?" the sound was distant, but Duo could hear footsteps nearing.

Who's that? He mouthed, his eyes darting around the alley.

My partner. She returned silently. "This one's all clear." She called out. The footsteps slowed. "Let's move on."

"Rodger that." The footsteps were getting quieter and Duo let out the breath he'd been holding.

"I should go." She whispered, looking up at him.

"Yeah." He said, not really knowing how to respond.

He watched her back out of the alley with the sinking feeling that she had grown up, that she didn't need him anymore. He didn't quite know what he had expected from her, but being her own independent woman was not it. Part of him relished in the thought that Hilde had matured so greatly, but he felt a small wave of panic wash over him as she turned the corner. He wasn't sure she wasn't diving headfirst into an incredible mess.

v-v-v

Milliardo stared upwards at the building in front of him. With the cover of night, the place before him looked no better than a two-story shack. He was sure that with the light of day it was no better. However, that sad little building was going above and beyond the call of duty. It was hiding the world's most notorious and beloved criminals.

He took another look at the derelict neighborhood before opening the door and walking in. The inside was just as shabby as the outside. What was left of the wallpaper was peeling off the walls. Milliardo stood the base of the stairs for a moment, listening intently. He heard hushed voices coming from the second floor. He quietly ascended the stairs, almost vainly hoping to catch them off guard. He kept his gaze low, looking at his boots, making sure they weren't making too much noise. Had he been paying attention to the sounds upstairs, however, he would have noticed that the lull of conversation had stopped, and the building had gone quiet, except for the soft creaking of the stairs.

As soon as he reached the top stair, he looked up. Four boys – no, men- were pointing their guns at him, all four of them stoic.

"What an appropriate greeting." He said dryly.

Quatre, Trowa and Duo lowered the weapons at the recognition of who it was. Heero, however, took a little longer to lower his gun. "Zechs." At his monosyllabic answer, he finally put his gun away, but didn't take his eyes off of Milliardo.

"Good to see your reflexes are still sharp." Milliardo said, eying each one of them individually before settling on Heero.

"What are you doing here, Zechs?" Duo asked, his tone not angry, but clearly not welcoming.

Milliardo ignored him and narrowed his eyes at Heero. "Is there a reason that when someone visits my sister in the middle of the night, she assumes it's you?" The air seemed to be sucked out of the room. Duo, Quatre and Trowa suddenly felt like they were intruding on the conversation.

Heero didn't say anything, but didn't look away.

"Why would that be, Heero?" This time, Milliardo was more goading. The two stared at each other in silence for a moment before Heero answered.

"You've traveled back to Earth to inquire about her personal life?" The remark was biting, and every bit as defensive as Milliardo assumed it would be. Heero, however, let no emotion show on his face.

Milliardo couldn't fight the smirk. "Of course not. But she is my responsibility, and at the moment, I don't quite approve of the company she's keeping. You boys can get her into lot of trouble." Milliardo finally looked away and surveyed the entire room.

"Are you on Earth permanently?" Quatre spoke up, arms crossed. Quatre might have been good-natured, but he wasn't stupid. He watched the older man with an expression of doubt and caution.

"No, I leave tomorrow morning. I'm only on Earth for the night. The Earth and Mars are moving away from each other. In a few weeks time, Mars will be on the other side of the solar system."

"Then why have you decided to make the trip to Earth?"

"My sister." He answered plainly, his gaze drifting back to Heero.

"Zechs, Mars is almost a four day journey at this point in the year. You came all the way back just to hustle Heero?" Duo asked.

Milliardo turned from Heero and looked at Duo. "No, I came to deliver a message to you."

"Oh ho. Messenger boy. What a demotion." Duo said wryly.

Milliardo ignored him and looked at Heero. "It's from Richards."

"You have a message from President Richards?" Quatre asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yes. He says you're on your own. That he can't come back. At least not for a year."

"A year?" Quatre echoed, disbelievingly.

Milliardo nodded. Even though Heero was silently glaring at him, he delivered most of his answers to his rival. The

"He has to come back. Prince has turned this into a dictatorship. That's something you should be familiar with, Zechs." Heero said, letting the disdain slip into his voice.

"Richards has faith that you can handle it." He said, turning to Heero, letting the insult go unchecked. "That's why he sent you back. " Heero looked away for a moment in frustration. Seeing this, Milliardo continued. "Don't you see? He can't come back. His mission is too important. He has to make Mars work."

"So all of us on Earth, we're doomed then?" Duo spat.

"You have plenty of resources to help you." Milliardo said, defensively. "If Richards leaves Mars, the project will fall through. All of the time and money, the blood and the sweat we've poured into Mars… we can't just abandon it."

"The Earth needs him." Quatre protested. "Prince has seized power, and Richards is the only one who can take it back."

"He isn't coming home." Milliardo said, an edge of finality to his voice. "Not any time soon." He folded his arms across his chest, looking much like a father who had just ordered his children to bed.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room.

"Tell him that the Earth needs him." Heero said.

"He won't come." Milliardo responded.

"Tell him anyway." Heero said, turning his back on Milliardo and walking out of the room.

V-v-v-v-v-v-v-v

I apologize for the length of time in between my chapters. As some of you know, I'm in college for film editing, and it's quite the workload, so I don't have as much time for my writing as I'd like. But here's chapter 8, and I hope you enjoy. Comments are always welcome. I hope all my American readers have a nice Thanksgiving holiday, and to the rest of the world, have a nice week!