Frozen Waves

Chapter 2

by Scarlet Eve

A/N: This one goes back in the GW timeline to Episode 6 - Party Night. It's a part I always wished had been shown.

Heero

She walked ahead of him, her shoulders back, a confident tilt to her chin. Heero stared hard at the back of her head - any more and he'd burn holes in her skull. But his glares no longer affected her. She simply matched him, challenging him. It made him uncomfortable, to see this swift change in her from the first time he met her. Her gaze was harder now, and a world of responsibility had settled on her shoulders.

All because OZ had killed her father.

He lessened his gaze. Was he supposed to feel sorry for her?

Relena Darlian, now Peacecraft, slowed her pace and stopped in front of a large portrait hanging on the wall. Heero halted.

"I'm sure you'd appreciate some discretion," she said, a smile on her face. Heero raised a brow, waiting. Relena slipped her fingers behind the gilded frame, until he heard a click. The portrait opened away from the wall, and Relena pulled it open all the way, revealing a darkened stair.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Servant passages. It'll lead us into the ballroom without making a grand entrance," she replied. The corner of Heero's mouth twitched into a tiny smile. Without another word, Relena whisked down the steps, her skirts rustling together. Heero followed and carefully closed the portrait door behind them.

The hall was plain, lit by recessed lighting in the ceiling. The heels of their shoes clicked on the cement floor. Heero's glare returned automatically. The press of his pistol against his back reminded him that right now, he could finish her off, and no one would know. And his problems with her would be over.

Trust her.

The brief message from Dr. J swam before his eyes. It had been hidden within the details of his next mission. She met him in the colonies. Heero frowned. What could Dr. J have possibly seen in this girl? She's rich, but how could that make her useful?

Heero wanted to growl, but he held it back. The hall was too quiet. What was once supposed to be a simple mission has gotten more and more complicated. If Heero was completely honest, however, he'd know that nothing happening now was ever supposed to happen. He was supposed to be dead.

He squeezed and released his fists, attempting to dispel extra energy coursing through his body. As the end of the hall grew closer, Heero felt more and more like a dog cornered, baring his fangs. But then she... Relena... she threw him a look over her shoulder, a smile, and his tension released. It was a startling feeling, so suddenly feel calm. Heero recited in his mind the bit of a news article he'd read about her-

Vice Minister Darlian, just before he passed, is said to have revealed to his daughter, Relena Darlian, that she is the blood daughter of King Marticus Rex Peacecraft, former leader of the Sanc Kingdom. The lost Princess has been found, so where is the Prince?

She's a natural born leader, raised in politics, with royal blood in her veins. She could end up being a powerful player in this war, now that everyone knows her secret. Perhaps that's the reason Dr. J said to trust her.

But that still didn't explain why he'd been so unable to destroy her, even when he had the chance. Something in his mind told him "no," and held back the trigger finger. Nothing in his training prepared him to deal with this type of situation… or rather, this type of person. A woman. There had been a few women who had trained in the same places as he, but they were just as disinterested in him as he'd been in them. They were brutal and harsh - he'd had more in common with them as fellow soldiers. But Relena was something different. She was softer, kinder, and more interested in him as a person. And he wasn't sure how to interpret the feelings that fact elicited. It was, however, very distracting.

They'd reached the door. Relena placed her hand on the knob and turned it slowly. The sounds of music began to fill the air, and the smell of bodies and food wafted into the hall. Heero grimaced once more before Relena grabbed his wrist and drew him out into the party.

Relena

As Relena promised, she brought Heero out from the servant passage, behind a heavy curtain, where they were able to slip into the throng of people without being noticed. It was like they'd been there all along.

It couldn't be helped that they'd eventually stand out- Relena and Heero both still wore their school uniform. Relena told her friends that her dress hadn't been ready, but in reality, she wasn't planning on attending this party. It was at her mother's urging that she not stay home and dwell on her father's death, that Relena finally relented, and chose to use this as an opportunity to talk to Heero.

She could feel how his body tensed when she pulled him out into the ballroom. A smile crossed her face.

Once among the group of people along one side of the wall, Relena released her hold on his wrist and chanced a glance at him. He was glaring out at the party. He turned his head and met her eyes, and to Relena's immense surprise, he held a hand to her.

"Heero?"

"Come on," he said in a rather demanding voice. Relena rested her hand in his, and he closed his fingers. With a gentle tug, he led her through the crowd and out onto the dance floor. The current song was ending, so when Heero stopped in the middle of the floor, they waited until the next song began.

Already, Relena could feel the eyes and hear the whispers, and she knew Heero could to. He didn't seem to care.

"We cannot be overheard here," he said, as if she'd asked for an explanation. The orchestra swelled into another waltz, and Heero stepped towards her, taking one hand roughly in his, while circling her waist with the other. Still caught off guard, Relena responded automatically by placing her hand on his shoulder, and he stepped towards her, leading the way into the three-beat waltz. Relena released her impulse to control the dance, and Heero easily took the lead.

"You can dance," Relena said. He nodded, his eyes staring into her's; she felt like he was trying to read her mind. Relena pushed back by giving him her own stare, pairing it with a smirk.

They danced. Other guests followed with their eyes. Relena was at ease among the stares- it was something she'd dealt with for as long as she could remember. However, she could detect that Heero was uncomfortable, by the nearly imperceptible ways his eyes darted around the room. Or perhaps he wasn't uncomfortable, and he was just checking for all the exits, or making sure no one was attacking.

The stretch of silence between them went on for far too long. Relena broke it.

"Heero, I know too much about you. Are you still gonna kill me?" she asked. Heero's eyes flicked towards hers. He nodded slightly.

"Yeah." Relena shrugged her shoulders.

"I didn't want to die with no answers. But now it's different. Now I know how you feel when you fight," Relena replied. She closed her eyes, trusting Heero to continue to lead her through the dance. She pulled up the anger she's been squashing since the explosion that ultimately killed her father. It crawled through her body, touching every nerve until her body hummed. Heero's hand, the one that held her's, flinched.

"Huh? On my side?"

A rumbling began to shake the building, and screams of the students filled the air. Heero released Relena, and in an instant, disappeared. Relena watched until she realized that her classmates have no idea how to respond in an emergency. She dashed off to be of help.

A/N: If you want my overly romantic/mushy "missing scenes," check out my fic "Interlude." Thanks for reading!

-Scarlet Eve