Hello everyone. Sorry about the long hiatus, but thank you for waiting. Thanks again to my reviewers, you know who are.

Chapter Fourteen

The small farm town disappeared in her passenger side mirror, as they made their way back to the big city. Relena stretched in her seat as she watched the emerald green fields zip past by. The open road stretched for miles with sporadic cars and trucks.

"I'm glad we went out this weekend."

"Same here."

She reached over to him and teased his arm. "I still can't believe you're here."

"Hn."

"Is there anything else I should know about you?"

"No." His eyes remained on the road.

She looked at him questioningly, "I mean do you ever get sick?"

"No."

"Do you have any past lives?"

"Not that I can recall."

Seeing that her questions lead to dead ends, she changed the subject. "How many kids have you looked over so far?"

"2,856."

"Interesting."

"Done with the questions?" He took a quick glance over her.

"Yeah I think so," she smiled back at him. "I swear, mum's the word."

…

There was something about Relena that always made his heart skip a beat. The way she looked at him to the way she walked. Truly he was a lucky imaginary friend to have her. With all her questions, it got him to think. This was the first time he was in love. Out of all of his assignments, she managed to wrap herself around his finger.

Flashes of lightning brought him out of his thoughts, and Relena woke up from her nap after hearing the loud booms rattling through.

"Do you think we should stop somewhere?" The threatening clouds coalesced in the distance and grew ominously. The white tops flattened at their peaks. The azure sky was quickly being devoured by ominous grey.

"Where would you like to?" He pointed out the open road. "I'm gunning it." The engine revved up in horsepower.

Relena whipped out her cell phone, but there wasn't a strong signal to pick up anything. Her internet was dead. As much as she liked rain and thunderstorms, this was one she didn't want to mess with.

"It's going to be fine."

"Hmph, I hope so." She threw the useless gadget back into her purse.

The rain began to pelt the windshield and the liquid clung to the sides of the windows, being dragged by the wind. Lightning flashes picked up in frequency, as they headed towards the heart of the storm.

"Another two hours and we'll be home."

…

Philip Olson rarely missed his Sunday meetings with his former college buddies. Each week it would be a different pub crawl. His buddies this time managed to rent out a trolley for three hours and it took them to any open bar in a 25 mile radius.

Out of the group of five, he was the one most responsible but today was different. It was his bachelor party and after downing several cokes with rum, he was down for the count. The trolley dropped them off at their designated spot and strolled away.

Philip stumbled here and there, but walked back to his apartment and tried to sober up in front of a cold shower and a pot of coffee. He had to work the third shift this week at a local packaging plant, but his job was easy as a security guard. Feeling the caffeine flowing through his veins, he grabbed his truck's keys and went out in the early damp morning.

The drive out of the city wasn't bad since there wasn't any traffic except for the steady rain. He leaned towards his glove compartment and for a split second, he saw stray dog cross his path. He swerved to avoid the damp critter and ended up in the lane of incoming traffic.

His brakes came to a screeching halt and thanked his lucky stars to be alive.

"Stupid dog," he muttered on his breath. The near accident was strong enough to wake him up from his drunken stupor.

His stick shift mutinied against his tries to reverse the car. "Just perfect," he banged his hands in frustration against the ancient steering wheel.

A semi truck with its horns blowing saw his black truck and applies its brakes. Yellow sparks marred underneath at full force.

Heero drove at a constant speed being mindful that the rain was finally coming to an end. A warning sign for a blind hill was coming up and he slowed down. As his car was rising up the hill, never would he thought a semi was flying towards them on its side.

"Hold on," he screamed.

"Heero!"

…

Sounds of saws and constant buzzing jarred her back to reality. Everything was a blur as she felt rough hands bring her out of the twisted metal. Unfamiliar voices shouted over her as her eyes caught one of their flashlights. She screamed for Heero only to fall back into her restless dreams.

The wooden beams defied against her weight, as she took a few steps in the dimly lit hallway. Her fingers traced the barren walls. She knew where she was. It was her childhood home. The smell of dried roses and vanilla clung to her. The hallway finally led her into the main living room, but again, she was met with the same feeling. Everything was gone.

"Hello?" Her voice echoed throughout the vast space. "Anyone here?"

She went over to the window, and outside, a steady rain began to fall against the cold shudders. A chill crept over her spine. She looked over to the fireplace, but there was no wood to start a fire. On the mantle, a rusty picture frame caught her attention and it was a picture of Milliardo standing in front of the house in his kindergarten uniform. His two front teeth were missing, but it was a rare time that he smiled.

It was a rare time in her family that she could remember that everyone was happy for a moment. If someone had warned her about what would happen, she would've called them liars. Maybe it was the reason why she hated the rain so much. There was just too much pain.

A flashback got a hold of her. Her whole family was returning from a camping trip from Steven's Point. It was a perfect ending for the summer before she would start school again. Milliardo would've started seventh grade. The two started a game, and somehow it an escalated into an argument for no apparent reasons. And it just happened in a blink of the eye.

The tires screeched on the damp jet black road, as the metal scraped against the guardrails, sending yellow sparks out in the air. She remembered voices calling out for them, as they were still strapped in the backseat.

"What's happening?" Her small voice traveled over to him. "I'm scared."

"It will be alright." He reached over and unbuckled her from her car seat. She landed head first onto the ceiling, as she reoriented herself. "Get out now," he growled. He could smell the gasoline fumes rising.

"But Milliardo," she sniffed, trying to hold back tears.

"I said now."

She crawled on her hands and knees, as she saw men in black suits yank her out. "My brother!" She screamed and kicked, as she was carried away.

She was placed in both of her parents' arms, as she watched the others try to rescue him. Before they could get back to the wreck, an orange light engulfed the wreckage. Her parents quickly sheltered her as she kicked and screamed for him.

That school year was rough for her. She had lost her best friend, and she closed herself off to the world. Every time, it would rain or there was a thunderstorm, it would trigger her nightmare.

But then something happened, she met Heero one afternoon on her way to school. At first, she ignored him, but then noticed that none of the other adults could see him. He had come to help her, and little by little, he managed to bring her back. Her parents saw a change in their only child, and eventually some normalcy came back to the Peacecraft family, even though hardly anyone mentioned Milliardo's name.

Her eyes stared on the colored photo. She knew she wasn't related to him by blood, but he saved her life that summer night. Her eyes clung to the photo until one of the windows cracked against the onslaught of hail and wind. Her hands lost the grip on the picture frame, and in slow motion, she watched the glass shatter on concrete mantle.

She felt her heartbeat rise as she started to remember the accident, "Heero!" The harsh winds swallowed her voice in the maelstrom and it was useless. There was still no response.

You need to wake up, Relena. Wake up!

The furious winds raced throughout her empty home as tried to find a way to end her nightmare. Lightning flashed throughout as she made her way about.

"Relena," the voice was barely audible, but she knew it was from Heero.

"Where are you?" She screamed against the wind and waited. "Heero…"

"Over here," the voice called out from the patio door.

She raced throughout the rooms, as the winds whipped around her. She could feel the rain sting on her skin as she pressed further. In the early darkness, she saw the faint outline of the patio doors that were thrashing about in the storm.

Her hands grabbed the frame as the storm increased its intensity. "Where are you, Heero?" Her voice was becoming raw, as she continued to defy the winds and rain.

Out of nowhere, she felt a pair of hands grab her own and she was thrown into the backyard, as a new wave of lightning unleashed its fury.

…

"Do you have a rhythm yet?" The driver shouted out to the back.

The monitor didn't lie to her. The green line was slow and steady. It truly was something to behold for being absent. "Yes, it's weak." The female paramedic removed the syringe cap from her mouth.

She heard her partner radio in their information, "ETA eight minutes."