Relena tapped her pen on her desk, lost in thought. It had been a whole month since she'd accepted Donovan's proposal. One whole month since she'd agreed to become Mrs. Donovan Covington. She knew she should be ecstatic. She had a good man that loved her and wished to share his life with her, so why then, was she not happier? She cared about Donovan; cared about him a lot. He was a good man. Out of all the men that had tried to court her in the past he was the first one that wouldn't take "no" for an answer.

Ever since she first met him he tried to be both a friend and a confidant. Whenever she would be having a bad day he would go out of his way to make her feel better. Occasionally she would find a flower on her desk or a box of her favorite candies with a cheerful friendly note from him. Finally, after months of these friendly gestures she finally agreed to a single date. She had gotten along with him surprisingly well. The evening had been a pleasant one that had ended in him kissing her hand as he left her at her doorstep. He was a complete gentleman. He was witty and charming and seemed to have a strong passion for a lot of the same things that drove her from day to day. He was an amazing friend, a caring boyfriend and now an attentive fiancé. She sighed.

"Well, don't we look enthused?" The sarcastic voice broke her from her train of thought. She looked up to see the slightly older woman standing in the doorway of her office. Dorothy Catalonia had, over the years, gone from being a good frienemy to an actual friend. Their friendship was indeed a strange one that she, herself, did not fully understand. In spite of all that the taller blonde woman had become one of her closest friends as well as one of her strongest allies. She rose to greet her friend and they briefly embraced.

"Dorothy, what a pleasant surprise. I heard you were in the colonies with Quatre." The older woman ran a finger over her ridiculously long eyebrows. Once, those eyebrows had given her the creeps. Now, however, they were simply one of the many features that made Dorothy, well, Dorothy.

"I was, but I heard a bit of juicy gossip and became bored there. Quatre lets me come and go as I please. Only two years of marriage he still understands me better than anyone I have ever known." She walked over and poured herself a mug of coffee from Relena's coffee maker, added cream and sugar then took a sip, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Honestly Relena, can't you afford to get a better stash of coffee in here?" Relena laughed.

"That coffee is for my guards. I keep it in here because they refuse to leave me to get some but often need it. I drink tea. You know that."

"Yes, and more's the pity." She puts down the mug and turns to her smiling. "So, a little birdie told me that you, my dear princess are getting married."

"You heard correctly. Sorry I didn't call you about it myself. I have been so busy lately with everything and getting a hold of the colonies is still sometimes very difficult."

"Oh, I understand. I wasn't placing blame, merely stating the facts as to why I am here."

Dorothy paused for a moment and walked over to the desk, sitting on the edge. Relena shook her head. Dorothy always sat on her desk; it seemed to be a bad habit from their younger years. Relena shut the door and walked over to the window, opening it for some fresh air. She let the crisp, cold winter air caress her skin and closed her eyes momentarily. The smell of snow was in the air today. She had always found the smells of autumn and winter rather relaxing and if Dorothy were there to discuss her engagement then she would need the help of that relaxing afternoon breeze.

"So how is Mr. Perfect anyway?" She cast Relena one of her smirks and Relena found herself, not for the first time, feeling like a mouse cornered by a Cheshire cat.

"He's doing quite well. He'll be here soon to escort me to lunch. We haven't seen one another all week and he was quite adamant on us making time for each other. He's been rather busy trying to help push the suggestion of a new bill through. He's very persuasive."

"I see. I didn't realize Heero was such a talkative person." Relena found herself taken aback by Dorothy's statement.

"What?"

"Really, Relena, if I had meant Donovan I would have said his name." She ran a hand through her long, platinum locks and smirked yet again.

"I'm sure I have no idea how Heero has been lately. He hasn't really been around much." It was true. Shortly after she had accepted Donovan's marriage proposal Heero had taken to the shadows again. She rarely saw him and when she did he said hardly more than two words to her. She felt the familiar pang of hurt.

"Well, that is surprising. For the last several years he's hardly left your side. How odd. Perhaps something is bothering him. Some pressing engagement." Relena walked to her desk and began shuffling through her papers to help keep her mind off the statement her friend just made.

"I highly doubt that my engagement has anything to do with his disappearances. After all, he is the one that told me to say yes." Dorothy's eyes widened slightly as she processed this surprising piece of information.

"Did he now?"

"Yes. He quite impassively told me that I should say yes if it would make me happy." The memory of his emotionless stare as he uttered those words sent a stabbing pain through her chest.

"I see…" Dorothy stood up and walked around the room, pausing by the window. "He told you to say yes if it will make you happy. The question is, my dear friend, is it going to make you happy? The woman I saw when I entered this office seemed nowhere near as giddy as a bride to be should be."

"Of course I'll be happy. I am happy. I have a good man that loves me and I'm going to have the life I always dreamed of." She felt the doubt in her mind even as she said these things.

"I see. You want to get married, have a family and grow old with someone. Am I correct?"

"Well yes, that typically is what most women dream of."

"You mentioned that he loves you but you know what I didn't hear?" She walked over to her and Relena felt her breath catch, nervous about the older woman's next remark. "I didn't hear you say that you love him."

"Dorothy…"

"But what do I know? It is your life, after all. You can do as you please." She picked up one of Relena's few knick-knacks and rolled it around in her hands for a moment. "You know something though?" She stopped fiddling with it and looked Relena in the eyes. "You said Heero told you to marry him if it would make you happy, not if you want, not because you can, but if it will make you happy. You know what that tells me?" She puts the knick-knack down and smiles triumphantly. "I think it means he only wants you to be happy."

Relena watched as Dorothy began to walk towards the door. Heero wanted her to be happy? Did that mean he did care? Had she read his reaction incorrectly? He had never really given any indication that he felt anything more for her than a mild friendship at best. There had been only a few times, a long time ago when he had displayed even the slightest bit of a romantic interest in her. Just before he left to fight Zechs in the final battle he had pulled her close and looked her in the eyes. Had it not been for their helmets he would have been close enough to kiss her. The second had been when he had kissed her after the revised White Fang had fallen.

She touched her finger to her lips unconsciously at the memory. It had been a short kiss, one where his lips had barely brushed hers but it had been a kiss. She remembered the feeling she got the moment their lips met, she felt a shiver run down her spine to her toes as it had then. That had been so many years ago. She hated that the memory still had an effect on her. She had thought that after the kiss, things might change between them but they didn't. Until he became part of her security he had spent his time drifting in and out of her life. She sighed. No, Heero did not care about her, not like that… did he? Remembering that Dorothy was still in the room she looked up to find the other blonde woman staring at her rather intently.

"Daydreaming at work? Tsk tsk, Relena. How very unprofessional." The sarcasm in her voice made Relena want to snap at her. Dorothy was her friend, but it was the kind of friendship that had to be taken in stride, one day at a time.

"I'm sorry Dorothy. I didn't mean to be neglectful of your company."

"No, I understand entirely. Daydreaming about a certain Gundam pilot I know is so much more fun. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I don't have time for you to patronize me Dorothy. If you are trying to make a point, then please do."

"I believe I already have." She smirked and Relena found herself wanting to wipe it off her face. "But I'd better be going now. I have a few appointments that I must attend to." She walks to the door but turns back to her smiling. "Until later, Relena." Dorothy walked out leaving Relena alone once again. She closed her eyes, Dorothy's many words running through her mind. Was Dorothy right? She sighed. It hardly mattered. She was engaged to Donovan. She gave her word that she would marry him. She couldn't back out… could she? She shook her head, mentally chastising herself for even considering it. She was so lost in thought again that she hardly heard him knock on her door frame. She turned around and offered him as genuine of a smile as possible, a smile he fully returned.

"Hello honey. Are you ready for lunch?" Relena looked at him. The look of admiration in his eyes made her nearly forget the earlier conversation.

"Yes, just give me a moment." She walked to her desk and grabbed her handbag, then turned back to him. He was leaning in the doorway, one hand in his pocket and one against his temple as he watched her. His blue blazer was undone as were the first few buttons of his white shirt revealing just the top of his muscular chest. His hazel eyes were focused solely on her. Add on his charming smile and it would be enough to make any girl swoon. She smiled at him again as he offered his arm. She linked her arm with his and they walked out together. Try as she might, however, she just couldn't get the earlier conversation from her mind or the certain individual it had pertained to. Determined to enjoy her lunch date she tried to push all other thoughts aside, focusing solely on the moment at hand.