Routine

New Galveston, X-12553, L3 Colony Cluster

January 16th, AC 199

He had traveled through this spaceport countless times before. Each time, it conjured in him a sense of familiarity and inevitability. As if no matter how far he traveled, no matter what he accomplished, this place would always bring him back. This place would consume him.

The colony was built sometime in the 120s and was completed shortly before a general recession that hit the whole cluster and lasted for nearly a decade. Right from the start X-12553, along with the other colonies that were built during that construction boom the preceded the economic downturn, lagged both in terms of general economic outcomes and standard of living, as well as population growth and life expectancy.

Heavy industries and manufacturing were the largest sectors of the economy. It bled men dry and left retirees with a plethora of chronic health problems. As a result of the perpetual economic stagnation, crime had also become a constant fixture of colony life. With little support to be found from neighbouring colonies that were likewise suffering from the same general economic malaise, it was only natural that X-12553 would be one of the Alliance's first targets for expansion.

The ensuing cold war between what would later be known as the Barton Foundation, known in their heyday simply as the colonial rebels and the Alliance ravaged the landscape of the colony. The already modest public works and infrastructure of the colony fell into disrepair, construction projects went unfinished, and the colonial administration, faced with the might of the Alliance on one side and the shadowy tendrils of the Barton Foundation on the other side, found that they were powerless to affect change or better the conditions for the citizenry at large.

This was the environment that Trowa grew up in. And even with the Alliance gone and the colony finally starting to flourish (he could already see the new condos in the distance out of the murky smoke stained windows of the spaceport terminal), there was still an undeniable sense of fatalism about this place.

Or perhaps it was all in his head.

Vustgaarde, Sanc Kingdom

January 20th, AC 199

They fell into a comfortable routine.

It wasn't very difficult to adjust, although there were adjustments to be made. Their mornings were more or less the same as they had been before Dorothy's titanic reorganization of Relena's life, although a little more rushed. It was still just the two of them. And increasingly, this became the only time in their day when it was just the two of them.

Heero eagerly performed his boyfriend duties with alarming efficacy. He had always been a fast learner and that combined with his natural dexterity and his animal desires for Relena, meant that he quickly figured out the optimal way to use his tongue and his fingers to bring Relena over the edge. Sometimes, he was so successful that his efforts would induce a cramp in the height of her ecstasy, which Heero had to tenderly massage out. Which in turn would only heighten Relena's morning lust. This was a vicious cycle that Heero had to put an end to after a few days of them being late for everything. Henceforth, he intentionally lessened the intensity of his tongue and his fingers, still bringing her to orgasm but not with so much fervor that she would be a sex-crazed demon for the rest of the day.

The rest of the morning was rather more orderly, which was natural for them as they were both temperamentally orderly people. Heero tended to shower in the mornings whereas Relena preferred the nights. It was an efficient arrangement. Both understood that showering together led to more wasted time rather than water saved. Heero needed the precious few minutes to decompress and reorient himself, as well as tend to his own arousal. Relena needed the time alone to put together her outfit, particularly her shoes, which she always spent an embarrassing amount of time choosing. She quickly realized that she was shy about all of the girly stuff she did in front of him. His hard nosed, no-nonsense demeanour, while incredibly hot and alluring, also made plain how utterly basic she was. She was the frivolous rich girl, while he was the badass stoic tough guy from the streets. His stare that accompanied him as he got out of the steaming shower, often with only a towel wrapped around his waist, made her feel all the more self-conscious.

"What?" Relena asked finally, unable to crack of his enigmatic stare.

However, he was not judging her when he watched her get dressed in the mornings. In fact, he felt rather intimidated by her natural grace. It was in those minutes after his morning shower that he saw her from a certain remove. There was something about her, the way she walked around the bedroom in her pink or purple thong, her slender legs gracefully carrying her, that made him feel less than. But at the same time, incredibly lucky that he had in the end managed to snag this beauty.

Heero shook his head and looked away. "Nothing."

Breakfast became more streamlined as their schedules became more clear. Heero still cooked in the mornings, but the elaborate feasts of the early days were gone. They often ate standing up at the island, she going through her phone, answering emails, and reviewing both school work and state related business, he reading the news on his tablet and reviewing her itinerary for the day and planning her journeys.

"You said you have a meeting with the President today," Heero said without looking up from his tablet.

"Mhmm," Relena acknowledged without averting her gaze either.

"It says here, he's meeting with the ambassador from North America," Heero said.

"Yeah, I'm hoping to catch him before that," Relena said. "Don't worry, none of that stuff is related to me."

"I still have to plan around it," Heero said.

"I swear to God, Heero. If you cancel my meeting with the president—" Relena began to say.

"If there's a genuine security risk, I have the authority to veto any of the plans you make," Heero said firmly.

Relena thin veneer of annoyance cracked. She smiled. She put down her phone, and wrapped her arms around his shoulder and pulled herself in close.

"You like having a bit of power over me, don't you," Relena said with a devious smile.

"I…" Heero began awkwardly. "I am… protecting you. That's my job."

"Mhmm, whatever you say Mr. Bodyguard," Relena's voice descended into a whisper as she brought her mouth to his and kissed him, slowly and gently.

Institut Saint-Thérèse de Lisieux, Brussels

"You didn't have to get out of the car," Mariemaia said as she slung her backpack over her left shoulder and looked down at the ground.-

"After getting a call from the administrator because you cut class. Absolutely I do," Une said tucking the tail of her scarf into her grey jacket.

It was a cold overcast day as so many January days were. A few intermittent flurries of snowfall were expected throughout the day but nothing so heavy as to be a major disruption. Escorting Mariemaia to school and making sure she got into the building, however, was a major disruption. But the girl had to learn that skipping school was utterly unacceptable and that there would be consequences for doing so. It was an expensive private school after all, one of the most prestigious in all of Western Europe. Mariemaia had to learn to not waste such opportunities, especially considering her past.

The austere construction and minimalist architecture qualities made the school look like a government building or perhaps even a museum rather than a school that had religious roots. It was a large grey rectangle stacked with another large grey rectangle on top of it at an angle. The main entrance was where the two rectangles met. Square windows of varying sizes dotted every face of the building. There was a black iron fence around the complex and a large gate to the north that funneled the children in.

Mariemaia let out a deep exhale before, without even looking back at Une, making her way towards the school. That was fine with Une. Her daughter was fast approaching teenagedom and the transition would be rough. She didn't need Mariemaia's affection for now, and probably not for the next few years. She just needed her respect and her obedience.

Une watched with a certain sense of satisfaction as Mariemaia disappeared into the building. This wasn't the life she had envisioned. If she was truthful with herself, she hadn't thought much beyond the war. She had certainly never considered starting a family with Treize. But she loved him. That much she could never deny. She loved him even in death. She loved him still.

Une took on Mariemaia as a duty she felt owed to him. But in time, and much to her own surprise, she came to love the girl as her own. Now Une genuinely worried about Mariemaia's prospect for the future and if there was anything within her power to ensure the girl a future, she could at least make sure she went to school.

The dark green leather trench coat of another parent caught Une's attention. It took her a moment, but of course Une could recognize her face anywhere. It was Ingrid. They locked eyes. They hadn't spoken to one another for weeks. Whenever the Justice Department needed some piece of information for the Campana trial, Une just passed it off to her secretary.

After sending her little one inside, a young boy no more than six years old, Une guessed, Ingrid came over.

"Hello," Ingrid said.

"Hi," Une replied.

"It's good to see you," Ingrid said.

"Likewise."

Une was just being polite. She was still quite upset about what Ingrid had said about Treize.

"Can we talk?" Ingrid asked earnestly. "Dinner perhaps."

Une said nothing for a moment. She only stared back at Ingrid, her hair partially obscuring her face as the brisk winter wind suddenly picked up.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Une answered.

"Please," Ingrid pressed. "I'm sorry about what I said. And we don't have to talk about that. But the Campana case is moving forward to trial soon. We should be on the same page about that at least."

Vustgaarde University, Sanc Kingdom

Something Dorothy said had stuck with Heero. He had always known on some level, but when Dorothy explicitly explained the multifaceted nature of Relena Peacecraft, he suddenly felt quite overwhelmed. There was a part of him that still saw her as the naïve little rich girl from their days at St. Gabriel. But watching her now, as she helped Tanya load up a bar with plates, at the on-campus gym, he realized how much he was missing.

The gym bunny version of Relena was the least of Heero's concerns. Oh sure, it was rather frustrating being at the gym with her day after day, watching her squat truly impressive weights, all the while restraining his desire to tear off that thin layer of fabric that separated him from her increasingly impressive ass. But that was easy to keep under control. He had already made a promise to himself that he would never hurt her. And that meant keeping his carnal desires in check and focusing on her pleasure in bed. That plan seemed to be going well. It was the other aspects of her that intimidated him.

He was a natural student but she was the most diligent person he had ever met. After that early morning gym session, they headed off to their first class. The notes they both took on Western Political Tradition class consistently betrayed their differences. Her notes were neat, tidy, and filled with detail. His were sparse and unintelligible to anyone other than himself. He wondered if she saw him as a slacker.

For her part, Relena found it frustrating the way Heero just naturally understood things. It felt like he wasn't ever really trying, which made her feel like her efforts were stupid. He always had some way to learn things quickly, some analogy, some way of contextualizing hard concepts from other equally obscure and hard concepts that he had already mastered. His body of knowledge seemed to spread across all subjects. And while he claimed that Doctor J had taught him a little about a lot, it seemed like his definition of a little differed greatly from hers.

In fact the general effortless manner in which he accomplished and did things was a great annoyance. While she and Tanya worked their butts off at the gym in the mornings, Heero seemed completely disinterested in working out, only forced to tag along because that was his job now. Instead, he confined himself to a brisk pace on the treadmill and working out some aggression on the heavy bags with his fists. He didn't even notice her cute gym outfit!

After their political science class, Heero and Relena parted ways for a few hours. Relena had her dance class and Heero used the time to do his other job. He found himself back in the Rolls-Royce as it was the quietest place he could find that he was reasonably sure that he wasn't being listened to. After establishing an encrypted connection, Heero waited for Trowa.

"This is Garnet, reporting in," Trowa's voice came through the speakers of Heero's laptop before the image was established.

"Copy, this is Ivory. Your connection is secure," Heero replied.

Trowa appeared on Heero's laptop screen.

"Status," Heero said.

"Same as before," Trowa said in his usual stoic tone. "There's definitely a Barton presence in this colony but they are much quieter than they used to be. It's much harder to find them."

"What about the street cams?" Heero asked.

"The coverage is spotty at best," Trowa answered. "You have to remember, these parts have been under Barton control far longer than any civilian government or the Alliance. L3 lacks many of the basic infrastructure you would take for granted on other colonies or earth."

"Hmmmm…"

"I'm trying to make some connections," Trowa said. "Although it's not that easy. The locals are suspicious and everyone from my era is gone."

"Alright, keep me posted," Heero said.

"Where are you right now?" Trowa asked.

Heero looked around for a moment before he realized that the image that Trowa was seeing was probably rather odd.

"Relena's car," Heero answered.

"Looks fancy."

Heero could almost make out a hint of a grin upon Trowa's otherwise stoic face.

"What of Relena's isn't?" Heero asked rhetorically.

"Well, the boyfriend for one," Trowa replied.

There was definitely a grin that time. Heero rolled his eyes.

"Hey," Trowa said, his voice sounding serious. "You're doing fine."

"What?" Heero asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"That thousand mile stare," Trowa said. "Do you let Relena see that?"

"I'm not sure…" Heero said.

"I know…" Trowa continued. "It's weird to be alive. It's weird to have survived."

"It's a little weirder for you," Heero said, silently referring to Trowa surviving the detonation of the Vayeate in space.

"I saw you blow yourself up in the middle of a battlefield," Trowa said. "Let's not pretend that mine was the only miraculous recovery of that war."

Heero cracked a smile.

"But remember," Trowa said. "It's not wrong to be alive. It's not wrong to have survived. And you didn't fail your mission because you ended up in a good place."

Mae Hong Son, Thailand

The lush forest that hid the Merchant's bunker turned mansion hideaway had its charm. Certainly the glimmer of tropical foliage in the moonlight and the majestic mountains in the distance made their little retreat feel like paradise on earth, even the periodic sound of boots stomping around and guns clanking against belts reminded them of the dangerous lives they were leading.

Vincent, Tristan, and Kerestina stood around a large glass table in the middle of the Merchant's private office, going over the plans of the Hotel Brussels they had procured. They had been told that Toro Campana was being held on the 19th floor and was under the protection of the Preventers. They carefully studied the plans of the hotel, from the underground parking and maintenance facilities all the way up to the penthouse and the spa on the top floor.

"Our man says there are only two guards on the the floor where he is being held," Vincent explained as he pulled the holographic image of the hotel up, focusing in on the 19th floor, and dismissing the other floors with a wave of the hand.

"There is always one guarding the door," Kerestina said. "Unlike the guards in the lobby and in the parking garage, you won't get passed them without being seen. You'll have to take them out."

"What about his food?" Tristan asked.

"Tested for poisons, prepared by a different chef everyday," Kerestina answered. "There's no way but through."

"Fine by me," Tristan said as he furrowed his brow and stared intently at the holographic projection of the floor plan.

Vincent smiled and shook his head silently.

This OZ toy soldier doesn't know what he's in for. But let him try.

Kerestina stared at Vincent out of the corner of her eye as he left the room. Tristan was still focused on memorizing the steps of the plan. Kerestina hoisted herself up to sit on the table. She spun herself around to face Tristan from the other side of the hologram.

"Have you ever killed anyone before?" Kerestina asked.

"Course I have," Tristan answered dismissively.

"No, I mean really killed someone," Kerestina said. "Not just shooting down mobile suits. I mean, seen the whites of their eyes as you end their life."

Suddenly, Tristan snapped up. His eyes locked with hers. She stared back at him, trying to read into his intentions. He was young, at least, he didn't have quite as much experience as her, on the battlefield or otherwise. He was confident, probably more confident than he ought to be. There was also something wild, something intense about him. Perhaps that was enough to get him through this.

"Just remember," Kerestina said. "When the time comes… don't hesitate. You've come that far already. Finish it."

Brussels, Belgium

Traffic ground to a halt as they approached the city. But neither Heero nor Relena were worried. They had planned for this eventuality. Heero had read about the North American delegation's visit to the capital and expected the delays and scheduled their trip into the capital accordingly.

It was just the two of them in that car, him in the front, and her in the back. They spoke very little. He could've turned on the autodrive and hopped in the backseat for some very unprofessional fun. But that was just it, he didn't want to be unprofessional, especially considering how his last assignment went. Heero was a man who prided himself on his competency. And it wounded him whenever he failed at an assigned task. He made a mess of the Buenos Aires mission. And he didn't want to fuck up this most important of assignments.

Still, he couldn't help but peak at her in the rear view mirror while she changed out of her school clothes and into her signature pantsuit. Again, Dorothy's words crept back into his mind. He was watching her transform into another version of herself. And in his opinion, professional diplomat Relena was the sexiest Relena. She was confident and bold, charismatic and passionate. Too bad that wasn't the version of her he got to fuck. That version of Relena was the one he had to be the most professional with. In public, he even called her ma'am, which never failed to make Relena roll her eyes and giggle at the same time. But he didn't care how much she teased him, he was going to protect her. And he was going to do it well.

They arrived at the Presidential Palace just in time. Relena was immediately led into the president's office while Heero waited outside in the drawing room with the other protection officers. He looked around at high ceilings and the dark red curtains that framed the tall windows in turn framed a spectacular view of the city. He noticed the old men in charcoal grey suits standing around conversing with one another, all of whom scheming and playing a game that he didn't understand but apparently Relena was a master of. It all felt so strange. No one noticed him. No one knew who he was. And yet just two years ago he had pointed a weapon of mass destruction at this very building and fired. There was even a painting of his anonymous triumph over Libra hanging above him. Yet no one knew who he was.

"Did I miss her?" He heard Dorothy's voice, sounding slightly out of breath.

She approached with a brisk pace, her yellow heels sending echoes down the marble hall from which she emerged. She had a matching overcoat and an oversized handbag. In a sea of greys and blacks, she certainly stood out.

"Yes, she just went in," Heero said.

"How're you settling in?" Dorothy asked as she took her place beside him and pulled out her phone.

"Fine," Heero answered.

"Don't you just love the rush of activity around here?" Dorothy asked as her fingers tapped away on her phone. "It's not war, but politics is the next best thing."

"You know, we don't have to talk," Heero said.

Dorothy looked up from her phone with an expression of surprise.

"Frosty!" Dorothy remarked as she returned her attention back to her phone after giving him an amused look. "What's gotten into you today?"

"I don't know what you want from me, Relena," President Hoch said.

If there was an uncomfortable tension in the room between the President and the Vice-Foreign Minister, Relena certainly wasn't feeling it. She had just sat in traffic for nearly two hours just to see him before his meeting with the North American delegation and wasn't about to waste that opportunity with his attempts to stall.

Dorothy was right. Relena had been distracted for the last few weeks. And she wasn't exactly consistent the months before either. It was lucky that no major crises occurred during that time and that Une had taken all of the heat for the Argentine incident. But she had him back, he was safe, he was healthy, and he was with her. It was time for her to kick some ass.

"It's not that complicated, Lucius," Relena said calmly but still sounding rather determined. "I want to know what the government's position on this matter is. Because from where I'm sitting, it looks as though you want to play both sides."

"Well we do have more than one constituency. The bond holders are citizens too," President Hoch said. "Running a government for the whole world and space can be complicated you know."

"I'm not disputing that," Relena said. "I'm just asking for some clarification."

She had gone over all of the relevant documents with Dorothy and Cindy over the last few days in preparation for her upcoming trip to outer space. She had issue with the government rhetoric conflicting with the proposals sent to her office from the Finance Ministry. This was the kind of thing the government did all the time with a wide variety of issues but when it came to the debts of the formerly independent colonies, she knew how volatile these things could get.

"On a matter of sovereign debt restructuring?" President Hoch let out a hearty belly laugh. "You'd have better luck figuring out how to get us to Mars. How's that going by the way."

"Don't change the subject," Relena growled.

President Hoch let out a sigh. "Look, you know as well as anyone that the wars took a big chunk out of everyone and everywhere. Dermail thought that he could wipe it all away with his political chicanery. We want the colonies to survive and flourish. We are looking to right the wrongs of the Alliance era. The government is not the enemy here, Relena. But the bond holders aren't either. And frankly, you don't want to piss off these people."

"I don't think I can piss off the Aristocracy any further," Relena commented blithely.

"It's not just old money you're dealing with now," President Hoch.

"80 percent is not reasonable," Relena said. "Entire colonies were destroyed in the war, not to mention the massive waste that was Libra."

"That you're going to have to discuss with the Vice-Finance Minister," President Hoch said.

The Valknut, Preventers Headquarters

Over the course of a few weeks Duo had gotten used to desk duty. In the end, he figured out that it wasn't that he couldn't focus. It wasn't even that he was a bad student, a diligent programmer, or capable digital investigator. It was just that he was easily bored. He remembered back to that moment on X-18999 when he had to compete with Heero and Trowa and prove that he wasn't the idiot among them when it came to programming. Sure, his code was always a little more crude than Heero's when it came to making modifications and adjustments to their Gundam, but he never bricked his machine. He just needed the right motivation.

Perhaps she was the right motivation. Duo had been digging through every piece of data he could get his hands on, including things outside of the Preventers Archives to try and piece together a timeline on the whereabouts of Hope's brother and perhaps determine where he was. Progress was slow and arduous, as he had zero support on this endeavour and all work had to be conducted on off hours.

But it kept him busy, and gave him a reason not to drink as much. Although he did still have a few flasks of whiskey tucked in the bottom drawer of the tiny little file cabinet that sat underneath his desk. And whenever a database search took more than ten minutes he would sneak a sip here or there.

There was a knock on the metal frame on his little cubicle. Duo scrambled and exited out of all of his programs. He turned around awkwardly to find Hope there, giving him an funny but ultimately amused look.

"Didn't think I could sneak up on a legendary Gundam Pilot," Hope said.

"You didn't sneak up on me, I was…" Duo scrambled for an excuse. "Testing the balance on this chair."

Hope giggled. "And how is it?"

"It's okay for you know… Standard issue government grade office furniture," Duo said as he pumped the height adjustment stick. "A little stiff, a little rickety but gets the job done."

"Like the 06MS Leo, right?" Hope said.

"Never thought of that," Duo said. "But you're right."

Hope let out a definite laugh. "I'm surprised you're still here. The office is almost empty."

"Well you know me, eager beaver," Duo flashed a wide grin.

"You gonna start wearing a tie to work now?" Hope giggled.

"You know I've been thinking about it," Duo said. "And I'm pretty sure I'd look pretty slick if I paired my Preventers jacket with one of those skinny ties."

Again, Hope let out a hearty laugh. "Alright Mr. Fashionista. Do you want to go get food or not?"

Duo immediately lit up. "Yeah, definitely."

Vustgaarde University, Sanc Kingdom

Later that night

Relena wasn't the least bit interested in Judo. In fact she had a distaste for any sort of combat art, being the committed pacifist that she was. But she also recognized that sports, even combat sports, weren't the same thing as actual combat and to conflate the two would only serve to delegitimize her own ideological position. She also understood that Heero had some residual aggression left in him and mostly likely always would. You don't go through your formative years in a state of constant combat and training and not have it leave a few permanent scars along the way. Judo seemed like as good an outlet as any for his indomitable warrior spirit.

His classes were on Tuesday and Thursday nights. For the first week Relena didn't bother going with him. It sounded incredibly boring and she figured it was good for him to have some time to himself. But Heero mentioned offhandedly that Tanya was taking the class with him, as if it were no big deal. From then on, Relena attended classes with him and sat in the back.

Heero looked cute in his white kimono and his white belt with a blue stripe through the centre. Apparently it meant that while he was technically a white belt, his skill level was considerably higher and for the purposes of sparring, his classmates should be aware of his skill. It fit him well, and the opening in the front displayed his pecks perfectly and made her horny for him.

She was less thrilled to see Tanya there though. Every time, Relena secretly wished that her friend would be sick or busy and not show up. But she always did. And in true Tanya fashion, she wore her long black hair in a messy ponytail that made her look effortlessly dishevelled in a sporty sexy way. She never put on her gi top until the last minute, preferring to stretch, warm up, and hangout in her black sports bra with her toned stomach exposed, making her seem that much cooler and sexier than everyone else there.

And she always hung around with Heero in a way that made Relena irrationally angry. She tried to tell herself that this was just class and they had to partner up. But why couldn't they have switch partners for a change? The giggling and fooling around didn't help either. Tanya should just pay closer attention and take it more seriously. She was bad. But all of the white belts except Heero were bad. But at least they were trying! She constantly asked him about positions and throws. Relena was learning more Judo by just watching than Tanya was by doing. She was definitely more handy than she needed to be. One time, when they were practicing something called a sankaku-jime on Heero, she actually took off her gi pants to do the technique! She claimed that the pants were getting in the way of ceiling the choke. She wore her skin tight yoga pants underneath but still! It was a ridiculous and shameless excuse!

Sparring was no better but at then they rotated partners are Heero had to work with some of the other students in the class. He was a gentleman with her. Letting her get a few throws, allowing her to advance her position, even though at any moment he could make quick work of her and choke her senseless. Naturally, Tanya took things too far. Every time she mounted him or took her into her guard, she would just stall and rub her body against his.

Luckily, they eventually had to switch and Heero got paired up with other people. There were plenty of all newbies that Heero was gentle with when sparring. But when it came to the senior students, they went to war. There were slams and throws all over the place. Heero eating one, his opponent eating the next. Relena hated the sight of her man being tossed. But she also knew that all of this was fun for him. And he beat some truly deadly looking specimens, guys that were taller, more muscular than he was. If the belts meant anything, Heero should have been a brown belt.

After class, when he was sweaty and sometimes bloody, Heero returned to Relena with a look of exaltation upon his face. It made her happy to see him happy but it also hurt her to see him like that only after something that approximated battle. He always made sure to at least towel himself off before letting Relena hug him. And he would often apologize for Tanya had gotten a little too handsy with him. At least he was aware. But it really wasn't his fault, Heero was just being nice. Relena refused to play the part of the jealous ball and chain. Instead she just laughed it off and pretended to be the cool girlfriend who was super chill and down for anything, even if it made her fume on the inside.

On those nights, she would take him home, stick him in the shower and the ride his fucking brains out.

"Where are you?"

Her voice crackled with concern and frustration.

"Around," Trowa answered cryptically.

"You're staying safe," Catherine said, rather than asked. But undoubtedly if was a question.

"I am," he assured her.

"Trowa…" Her voice trembled.

"I have to go," Trowa said before terminating the call.

He hated worrying her. But she couldn't keep him contained forever and she was beginning to realize that. Catherine had an idea that she could shield him from his past and therefore he would never go looking for it. To his credit, Trowa desperately tried.

After calling her, as he promised he would do, he stepped back inside the dingy bar on the corner of the street that marked the official edge of the industrial sector of the city. The inside of the establishment glowed bright orange as the ancient incandescent lights, still manufactured in the colony, crashed against the omnipresent cloud of smoke that hung about. There was technically a city ordinance against smoking indoors but such things meant little in New Galveston, and even less in that part of the city.

He sat down at the bar and signalled silently to the bartender. The burly man with a thick mustache came by and refilled his empty tumbler with a mixture of tonic water and whiskey.

"How much longer?" Trowa asked as he took a dip of his drink.

The bartender of the breathed heavily and put his hands down on the bar and stared at Trowa. Trowa, undaunted, stared back at him.

"I told you, they'll be here," the bartender finally said. "They come every night."

It was another half hour before the rowdy crew of five or six men showed up to the bar. Trowa immediately knew it was them. These group of men were significantly younger than the rest of the patrons. They were much too well for this kind of bar. But everyone, including the bartender seemed to know them a duly paid homage with a least a nod, if not a handshake or an actual verbal greeting. They also had women on their arms, girlfriends perhaps, women that wouldn't be caught dead in an establishment like this one otherwise.

Trowa did not recognize any of them. But he recognized the swagger, the sense that these men were princes in these parts. These men were definitely Barton Foundation, even if they were a little less refined than the previous generation. They were less freedom fighters than gangsters. But that made sense, at least to Trowa, who always thought the Foundation's ideological propaganda poorly covered up their rather obvious hunger for power.

Trowa made a mental note of all of their faces. He stayed a little while longer, ordered a third drink as to not seem suspicious. He then paid for his drink and quietly slipped out of the bar.

Vustgaarde, Sanc Kingdom

Their routine was broken on that day.

Relena had her period. She was already a few days late so it was a relief at first when it finally came. At first, she ignored it, chalking it up to hormonal changes and the stress of a new relationship. Then she just put it out of her mind and tried to ignore it. And just as it was really starting to worry her it came and she breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

She stepped out of the bathroom attached her bedroom and found Heero sitting at her desk, doing some work. He wasn't a bed worker, which was just as well as they only had one desk in the room and they both often needed to do some work at night and she preferred the bed. He looked at her. She smiled back at him warmly.

"What?" Heero asked.

Relena walked over to him and sat down on his lap.

"We can't have sex tonight," she whispered to him.

Heero seemed confused. Was she happy that they couldn't have sex? And why couldn't she?

"But we can do other stuff," a devilish glint appeared in her eye as her crept down his pants and grabbed his manhood.

Heero put his hand on top of hers and moved it away. "Why can't we have sex?"

"I'm on my period," Relena said.

It took him a second to realize the implications of what she was saying. "Oh okay. Were you worried?"

"Well yeah…" Relena said. It was she that now sounded a bit confused. "Did you want a baby already?"

"No," Heero answered. "It's just that. I'm on birth control. I figured you knew. I would never be so careless as to impregnate you without planning for it first."

Relena stared back at Heero for a moment, her expression oscillating between relief and confusion. Why was he on birth control? When did this happen? Why didn't he tell her about it? How long exactly had he been on it?

"Are you okay?" Heero asked as he brought her closer.

"Yeah," Relena answered somewhat absently.

He closed the lid on his laptop and scooped her legs up. "Come on, it's late. Let's go to bed."

He carried her over to the bed and gently set her down on her side. He took the phone out of her hand and put it on his night stand and handed her his. He then took off his shirt to reveal his heavily exercised body. He had a few light bruises on his collarbone from sparring that night. He got into bed and wrapped his arms around her.

"Do you still want to…" Relena began to ask.

He kissed her neck and nuzzled her. "Babe, you're on your period, you have the right to relax. Let's just cuddle. Princesses don't give blowjobs."

Relena felt a little rejected even though she was sure he didn't mean it like that. She settled into his arms. She felt him kiss her back of her shoulder and rub her stomach gently. It felt good. He knew just how to take care of her. But now she was wondering how he knew to do that. She supposed that he must have been with other women before. The thought had occurred to her before and it didn't bother her then. But now it felt real. Suddenly, she didn't quite want to accept his gentleness.

Author's Note: It's the future, let's just assume male birth control is a thing and is no big deal. Frankly, it's ridiculous that it still doesn't exist yet.