Author's Note: I usually don't give warnings to specific scenes. And I really like "getting" you guys the first time around. Those surprise reactions were the best. XD But since we've already done that, I'll just say that the second scene gets pretty raunchy and if you want to skip that, you shouldn't have any trouble making sense of the rest of the chapter without it. Go forth and you have been warned.

Dinner

Tristan frantically grasped for his gun. But the man that had knocked him down got to it first. He picked the weapon up, dismantled it, and tossed the pieces aside. Tristan stared at the silhouette of the man with the long braid in front of him, struggling to make put his features in the darkness of the hotel room. He heard his target shriek as woke up to the mayhem in his bedroom.

He had missed his opportunity.

Enraged and feeling a little stupid, Tristan leapt to his feet and charged at the man with the braid, knocking him over into the side of the couch in the living room. The man responded by wrapping his arm around Tristan's and wrenching him away then throwing him across the room. Tristan stumbled to his feet and put his hands up. The man walked towards him calmly. Disoriented from being thrown, Tristan threw several punches at the man but was easily parried. He returned with a stiff right hand that sent Tristan to the ground once again.

Dizzy, damaged, and apparently outmatched, Tristan took the knife from his boot and scrambled to his feet once more. He backed up into the kitchen, trying to give himself the precious seconds that he needed for his balance, vision, and timing to recover.

He could almost make out a smile on the man with the braid's face.

He grabbed a frying pan off of the stovetop and mirrored Tristan's stance. Insulted by this, Tristan charged the man with his knife only to be easily parried once again with the frying pan. The metal against his knuckles caused his grip to fail for a moment and the knife to slip out of his hands.

"Buddy," the man said, his voice much less menacing than his ability to fight would suggest. "You're a little out of your league. Let's all just calm down and talk about this."

Those condescending words sent Tristan into a fury once again letting loose a flurry of punches and kicks that the man calmly partied before returning with another kick to the chest dropping Tristan once again.

"I don't want to hurt you man," the man said.

But Tristan didn't listen. He forced himself back to his feet and charged at the man again. They clinched up, Tristan started throwing elbows. One of them even connected, snapping the man's head backwards.

"Okay, now I'm mad," the man said as he grabbed Tristan by the back of the neck and threw a series of knees into his stomach.

Tristan did the best he could to block but the force of the knees forced their way through the shield he had made with his forearms and into his sternum collapsing him. The man let go of Tristan's head too late and tore off his balaclava. Tristan crawled out of the kitchen and back into living room looking for something, anything, to use as a makeshift weapon. He found an empty bottle and shattered it against the coffee table as he stood up once again.

He turned to face the man. But as he did so the man paused, the expression on his face changed. It was as though he had seen a ghost.

"Tristan?"

Tristan stopped in his tracks. He thought for a second that he had misheard him. Tristan didn't recognize him. There was no way the man could possibly know who he was.

"Wait a second, hold on," the man said, his voice softening. "I know this is going to sound crazy but you have to trust me…"

Tristan panicked. He froze up. He wasn't sure what to do. The man approached slowly, cautiously, his stance no longer ready to fight but open but still he moved with hesitation and caution. Tristan backed up.

"Tristan, yes, that's your name isn't it?" The man said.

Tristan pulled back.

"How do you know my name?" Tristan asked.

The man hesitated. "I… work with your sister."

"You're a Preventer," Tristan said.

"So are the two men you took out to get in here," the man said. "And the guys in the lobby, and in the garage, and this whole fucking town."

Tristan's breathing grew heavier.

"You're surrounded," the man said. "You did well getting this far. But it's over. Now I suggest you stop this—"

Before the man could finish his sentence, Tristan rushed backwards and reached for a chair and with his last reserve of strength threw it at the window, shattering the glass and letting a furious gust of cold January air into the suite. The man sheltered his face. When he looked again, Tristan was gone.

He stepped forward and looked out into the open cavity but found nothing.

"Why does this keep happening to me?"

She felt her pulse quicken and her heartbeat intensify. The rising and falling of her chest made her tight fitting blouse feel all the more constricting. She wanted to take it off but she was mesmerized by his cock that waited for her mere inches away from her mouth. Hard and thick, like a great monster demanding her submission. The soft hint of his scent drove her crazy. She hadn't even touched it yet but she was already dripping wet. How odd it was to desire something, to need something so completely, that she had lived her entire life without.

Relena realized then that this was actually only her second time ever being so close to it. She had had him inside of her countless times, bringing her to orgasm. But in those instances when it was deep inside of her, it was just pure magic, amorphous, hard, and hot. Now it was solid, definite, monstrous, intimidating, and indescribably beautiful.

Heero's breathing intensified. He watched as his princess knelt before him like a common slut, mesmerized by his cock. He was beginning to worry, his mind raced. He suddenly remembered all of the women he had used and dominated, in his futile quest to satisfy his desire for Relena. And now there she was, on her knees, not a replacement, but Relena herself. This is what he was trying to protect her from, his vile urges for her, that which had tried so desperately during the hardest years of war to purge from his being. This is what he feared the most. He was becoming the greatest threat to Relena.

She licked along the length of his shaft, feeling the warmth of his skin against her tongue. Every vein, every crevice, imprinted into her mind forever. She caught the drip of him at the tip and swallowed. How delicious. How desperately she wanted him in his mouth. How much she had missed him. She looked up at him as she pursed her lips and kissed the tip of his cock. It was time. She then opened her mouth and plunged down, enveloping him.

He watched her, as she slid him in and out of her mouth. He stiffened. His knuckles clenched. He was going crazy, he could feel his discipline slipping, his restraint slipping away. Relena didn't know what she was getting herself into. He had to stop it before it was too late.

"Ma'am, are you sure this is appropriate?" he panted, desperately trying to avoid what would inevitably happen if he lost control.

Her eyes widened and her jaw clenched a little when she heard those words. Ma'am?! What the fuck is that? Was he trying to be professional right now? Was she deliberately trying to create space between them? Why?! Suddenly her anger returned. But her desire for him did not abate.

Relena pulled her head back and off of his cock. She wrapped both her hands around his shaft and began to jerk him aggressively.

Alright, you want to be professional? You want to play that game? Let's play that game.

"Take off your shirt, I want to see those washboard abs while I suck your cock," Relena commanded in her most authoritative voice, that which she usually reserved for politicians and political adversaries.

Heero shuddered at her words. That's not exactly how he thought she would take his question. But he found it hard to disobey her. He rarely received such direct commands like that from her and it wasn't in him to fail a mission, even one that clearly wasn't a mission. So he did as what good little soldiers do. He obeyed.

Relena delighted as she watched her bodyguard complied. Each undone button revealed more of his skin underneath, the contours, valleys, and mounds that formed his hardened, battleworn, and sexy as fuck body, a body that was all hers. If this was an abuse of power, this would be the one abuse she would allow herself. And she was going to abuse him hard.

"Give me a bodyguard like that and what did they think I was going to do? Not suck his cock? Ridiculous!" Relena continued in her commanding voice before she returned her mouth to pleasuring him.

Her head rocked back and forth rhythmically as one hand worked in unison with her mouth while the other caressed his stomach. Heero's knees began to buckle at the combination of her firm grip and the softness of her tongue and the warmth of her mouth. She too was beginning to break under the erotic essense of the deed. She had only ever done it once before, the night that everything changed. Beyond that she had only ever seen girls do it in videos so she was essentially imitating them. But she understood it immediately and she much to her own surprise and shame loved it. She loved the feeling of submission, that exquisite feeling of being on her knees, and using herself to give pleasure to her man. Oddly and quite unexpectedly, she felt a sense of control, a sense and dominance over him. As if the more she surrendered herself to him, the more power she had over him. She began to understand that she was his pleasure, and she was what he wanted most. And that in turn gave her power, gave her strength.

She wondered how far she could take this. She wondered how far the dynamic of power would swing in her favour.

"Fuck my mouth," Relena commanded as she decided to test her theory. Still, she couldn't believe that those words just came out of her mouth. So wanton, so improper, so fucking hot.

"Relena…" he protested.

"That's an order, soldier," she continued.

Those words sent a shiver up his spine. He couldn't resist her like that. He couldn't resist her commanding voice. His worst fear was coming true. She had discovered what he had tried to keep hidden. She had discovered that that which he found most alluring about her was her gentle but firm displays of power.

It was as if some other woman inhabited his girlfriend's body during the working hours of the day. A woman he could never have but desperately wanted. Until now. It felt as though he was cheating on Relena… with Relena. His hand reached out and grabbed her ponytail and one swift motion drove himself deep into her mouth immediately causing her to gag.

Relena was surprised by the force and the swiftness of his thrust. But that just made it all the hotter. What was she going to do? She asked him to do it? She had no choice but to wilt underneath his desires. And as soon as she did, she felt her throat open up for him, surprising even herself. Her body went slightly limp, her eyes rolled into the back of her head as he forcefully guided her head back and forth, using her as the little fucktoy she always secretly wanted to be.

He forced her to take all of him and if he an ounce of control left, it was watching weakly through his eyes, his mind unable to control the desires and actions of his body. His animal self delighted in her gag, his rational self, horrified at the monster he had become.

When he finally released her, he expected a look of shock and fear to appear upon her face. But instead he only saw raw determination and certain devious glint in her eyes. She stood up, grabbed him by his length and led him over to the bed. She hopped on, bent over, hiked up her skirt to reveal her perfect little ass. That which he had spent countless hours secretly admiring, whether in the gym, or in her work clothes, or even just at home.

"Fuck me from behind," she ordered.

Heero was hesitant about it. He had never fucked her in that position before. It was for good reason. It always brought out the animal in him. But again, he found it impossible to refuse an order from the Vice- Foreign Minister. So without a single word, he pulled aside the thin black strip of fabric, already drenched in her juices and plunged himself deep inside of her.

"Aaahhh!" she let out a low growling moan as she collapsed onto the bed, her back arching as he retracted himself only to drive himself deep into her once again.

They found themselves inhabiting roles that they previously thought sectioned off from sex. She, the bitchy demanding politician, abusing her power for sexual gratification. He, the dutiful bodyguard, both at once obey orders and punishing her with his cock for a week's worth of verbal abuse. It was as if they were roleplaying but roleplaying as themselves. As their outer selves were meeting their inner desires. Was this a template for future encounters? Had they no need for sexy nurses or naughty school teachers? Had they enough roles in themselves to never tire of each other? When would he get to fuck the princess? When would she get to ride the Gundam pilot? How many combinations of themselves could there be?

Such thoughts, ranging from the semi-coherent to the utterly nonsensical ran through their heads as Heero rhythmically imposed his male strength upon Relena's female pleasures. But whatever their minds were pondering, their bodies ignored. They were preoccupied with more immediate things. Heero tore her shirt open and explored her soft body with his rough hands. Relena gripped sheets as she bit into them, feebly trying to muffle her screams.

Even through the disorientation of the moment, Relena could feel his pace increasing, the power of his thrust growing.

"Come on, that's it, fuck me, fuck me harder! I can take it! I know you want to! I know what you want," Relena growled as she turned slightly to look him in the eye.

As their gaze met, it was though Relena offered a challenge. "I know you want to fuck me harder, harder than you've ever fucked me before. I know you want to break me. I know you want to rip my clothes, ruin my hair, and destroy my makeup. That's what you like it isn't it? You want to fuck the Vice-Foreign Minister? Well, here she is! Fuck me!"

Heero's eyes widened as Relena exposed him for who he was. Exposed him for what he truly wanted. And suddenly, he got angry. He grabbed her by the head pushed it down into the duvet.

"You uppity little bitch!" Heero growled as he thrusted deep into her.

His fury excited her. She had never experienced Heero's anger yet. Fuck it was hot. Relena's eyes rolled in the back of her head as he did so. She had never before felt such power. She wasn't sure she could take it. Perhaps it was a bad idea taunting him. Too late, she was cumming. And she was taking the whole world with her.

New Galveston, X-12553, L3 Colony Cluster

Trowa took another sip of his drink as he watched the news coverage of Relena's visit to L2 on the little TV mounted above the bar. He couldn't hear anything and naturally no one demanded for it to be turned up. It wasn't a sporting event after all and barely anyone was paying attention other than him.

He couldn't help but crack a little smile as he watched Heero help Relena out of the car. How cute they looked together. It was about damn time. Still, he thought that Heero looked a little ridiculous in his "bodyguard" attire.

"Fuck the princess!"

A shout from the crowd behind him broke his train of thought. Trowa turned slowly to look over his shoulder. A rousing round of cheers erupted among the crowd. At the center of it was a man with long slicked back brown hair and a pair of sunglasses wearing a gaudy tan suit. That guy was definitely Barton Foundation. Trowa wasn't surprised. He hadn't been in touch with his home colony in years but the politics of this place had always been consistently anti-Earth, whether it was the Alliance, OZ, or Romefeller. It didn't matter to them that it was a new day and that the current administration was a far cry from the autocrats of the past. Earth was Earth, and this was Barton Foundation territory.

Trowa put down his drink, pulled out a few bills and tucked it underneath his glass. He got up, put on his jacket and headed for the exit. On his way out Trowa locked eyes with the man who had shouted the epithet at the television for a second before he disappeared from his line of sight.

The man got up, his attention still on Trowa. He didn't like the way that Trowa didn't look away when they locked eyes. He didn't like the way he didn't cheer with the rest of the bar at his comment. And he found it suspicious, that he got up and left so abruptly.

Shirking the half-hearted paws of his lady friend and the ramblings of his friend, he followed Trowa out of the bar. But once outside he found that Trowa wasn't there. But just as he was about to turn around and go back inside, he was violently pulled into the darkness of the alley, his mouth muffled before he could scream. He struggled desperately but he felt his limbs getting numb and his vision begin to fade as he felt a tightening around his neck. A few seconds later he was out.

Trowa held the choke for a few seconds longer just to be sure before he released it. It had been a few years since he had to do that and wasn't sure of his own technique. But evidently, he still remembered a thing or two from his soldiering days.

Trowa flipped the man over, undid his belt bucket, slid his pants down, and flipped him over again. He then pulled out a pair of rubber gloves and put them on. Taking it a little metal bead, no larger than a standard pearl, out of his pocket, he carefully shoved it up the anus of the unconscious man. After having completed that unpleasantness, Trowa pulled out a switchblade and cut the man several times on his arms, legs, and stomach. Not enough to make the man bleed to death but enough to keep him guessing. He then planted a listening device on the underside of the man's collar before pulling up his pants and tidying him up a bit.

Trowa then searched the man and eventually found his phone in his jacket pocket. Trowa then took it, cracked the password using his own phone, and began a recording.

"I believe you were looking for me. I'm sorry to say you've failed," Trowa said in his usual monotone voice. "The first thing you should know about me is that I'm not the good guy. I've planted a tracker somewhere on your body. Along within it is a small amount of C4, not enough to blow up a building, but enough to tear your body into a thousand different pieces at the press of a button. I can detonate this device from anywhere within this colony cluster. If you attempt to remove it, I will detonate it. If you tell anyone about it, I will detonate it. When you wake up, you will immediately go see your boss. After that, you will go directly to the location where the mobile suits are being stored. If you do not comply, I will detonate the device."

He reviewed the voice message and when he was satisfied with it. He tossed it down on the unconscious man and left.

Relena slid her heels off of her feet and kicked them off of the bed. With a couple of loud thuds, they crashed against the carpeted floor. She wiggled her toes, enjoying their long overdue freedom as she interlaced her sweat covered legs with his and slowly slid them up and down, enjoying the sensation of his muscular thighs against hers. She rested in his arms, her breasts against his chest as their lips locked together in one continuous dance of tongues. Her fingers traced the contours of his abs while his fingers explored the strands of her messy hair.

This was their reward. This is was their little treat for having purged themselves of long pent up desires and unspoken bitterness. They get to bask in the glow of their post-orgasmic ecstasy and enjoy each other's spent bodies at their own leisurely pace.

"Hey," Heero said softly as they finally broke their forever kiss.

Relena looked him deep in his eyes and smiled warmly.

"Hey."

"I'm sorry," Heero said. "I didn't meant to hurt you, I just… lost control, it won't happen again."

"It's fine, Heero," Relena said, trying to reassure him. "You didn't hurt me. And I don't want you to always be in control with me."

"Relena, you don't understand—" Heero tried to say before being cut off by Relena again.

"I do understand," Relena said. "We all went through the war. We all have our hang ups. I'm supposed to be the lady, remember? I'm supposed to be the good girl. Sometimes, I don't want to be. Today, you made me… Well you made me bad. And you know what… that was so fucking hot."

Heero brought her in for another kiss before saying, "Relena I love you so much. This isn't the same thing. I'm… violent. Now I can control my violence on the battlefield. But this… this is different. This is… I just don't want to hurt you."

"You won't hurt me," Relena said.

"How do you know that?" Heero asked.

"I just do," Relena answered. "I trust you."

"I can't trust myself with you," Heero said.

"That's okay, you don't have to, that's for me to decide," Relena said, "Anyway, you shouldn't be apologizing. I'm the one that should be saying sorry."

"For what?" Heero asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"For being a such a bitch lately," Relena said, as if rebuking herself. "I'm screwing this up."

Again his lips met hers. He whispered, "no, you're not."

"You're so nice to me," Relena said in a trembling whisper.

"Yes, I get to be now," Heero said as he smiled. As if he were letting his guard down for the first time.

"What do you mean?" Relena asked, half surprised half curious.

"I couldn't afford it before," Heero explained." I've always wanted to be nice to you, to love you. I think you've always known that."

Relena relaxed into a familiar smile. She did know, but it melted her heart just to hear him say it. So much of Heero was hidden behind a veneer of stoicism and strength. She wanted nothing more for him to share his personal tragedies and fears with her.

"It was… the war, the mission, your safety," Heero continued. "You weren't just mine, obviously you still aren't, but back then… I couldn't distract you, and I couldn't be distracted either. But I always wanted to be nice to you."

She lunged in and pressed her lips against his once again. Her legs swept up and curled themselves around his. Her fingers gripped his sides as she tried to meld her naked body with his. His words were devastatingly sweet. She knew that he would never have voiced such truths if he hadn't just spent the last hour releasing all of that pent up aggression. That's what he didn't understand about his own desires. He may shut off the dark sides of himself, for her sake, for her safety but in doing so, he was also shutting off his tenderness too.

"Oh God, what did I do to deserve you?" Relena whispered into his mouth as they broke their kiss.

"It's the other way around," Heero said softly.

"No, we have to stop doing that," Relena said, suddenly sounding very stern. "We have to stop idolizing each other. It's getting in the way of us."

Heero's eyes pleaded with her as if to say, please don't make me give you up. It pained her to think that's how he thought about their relationship.

"Relena, it's harder for me…"

"But you have to," Relena insisted." I can't only be your princess. I want to be your partner. I want you to be able to talk to me, to argue with me, to rely on me. Heero, I'm not going to be reasonable all the time. I'm going to be irrational sometimes. And I can't have you just taking my abuse like that. I know you think you can take it. I know you think it's your duty to endure it. It's not. Please, I need us to find a way to be angry without you just letting me hit you."

"I'm never going to hit you back if that's what you're asking," Heero said sounding rather confused.

"That's not what I'm asking," Relena couldn't help but crack a smile, he's cute when he's confused. "But I need to know that you'll stand your ground and call me out when I'm being ridiculous. Because I will be sometimes."

"You're allowed to vent, Relena," Heero said. "Everyone else demands so much of you, already."

"Everyone else can wait."

Heero looked down. "I'm not used to being first in anyone's life. I'm used to be expendable. It's just hard for me to… ask for anything."

"You have always been my first," Relena replied as her voice broke a little.

Heero took Relena's hand from his stomach and laced his fingers in between hers. He looked up at her and smiled. "I like having a princess to protect, makes me feel useful."

Relena leaned in and touched her forehead to his and said softly, "you'll always be my knight in shining armour, babe."

She kissed him, long and passionately. Her lips danced on his, massaging them, easing him down, allowing him to shed his armour.

"But we can be so much more," she whispered.

The Whitmore Grand, Banquet Hall, Downtown Elgin

Originally the private house of the first elected mayor of the city of Elgin on G-17868, John Clarke Whitmore, the estate was purchased by the city some 30 years ago from the family. During the days of the Alliance, it was used as a permanent residence for the senior most officer in the colony. Afterwards it was converted into a museum that commemorated both the contributions of the first mayor and that detailed the stories of the original settler community.

While the original estate used to cover a whole city block but after years of being in the care of the city, large portions of the estate had been sold off to private developers. What was left now was just the original house and the guest house in the back. Despite its diminished size, the neo-Edwardian manor house was still quite a handsome piece of architecture.

A state dinner was being held at the location. The L2 colonial delegation wanted to make the circumstances of the visit as formal and grand as possible, partly to bolster public relations with the World Government, and partly to bind the Brussels delegation to the talks by the pomp and pageantry of the event. Negotiations over L2's sovereign debt has been a bone of contention between the cluster and Brussels since the end of the war and have seen little progress in that time and the colonial administration was eager to make some progress on the issue.

But before the formal negotiations begin, the colonial administration saw fit to hold a state dinner for the purposes of beginning the process on a more friendly note. Both Relena and Ainsley were the guests of honour.

Relena's arrival was met with the usual fanfare that surrounded her, although the intensity of the media attention was much heightened compared to what she was used to on Earth. Stepping out of her limousine, she appeared in a white mermaid gown with silver sequin accents. She wore her hair down and straight, at once complimenting her dress and covering up for the fact that Heero had utterly ruined her hair earlier and had absolutely no time to do anything but straighten it. Cindy helped redo her makeup as Relena hadn't brought, Laurie, her usual makeup artists for the trip. While it wasn't quite a work of art, Cindy did quite a good job all things considered. No one would have suspected that she had mascara smeared across her cheeks with her lipstick blasted off her lips by precum and drool just a few hours ago.

After getting a few photos with the mayor, the colony governor, and the L2 cluster senator, Relena headed inside. She was greeted by a swarm of colonial dignitaries, local socialites, and political operatives of every stripe. Heero faded into the background and watched her from the edge of the room. She had to do her work now and having him hover around her would be counterproductive. Still, he scanned the room to see if there was anyone out of place. There was nothing suspicious about the wait staff and every guest he saw, he could at least match to a name from memory, having studied and memorized the guest list beforehand.

After making her way around the room and having several conversations, some of them actually interesting, Relena finally got a moment to herself and pulled Heero aside into a dark hallway. She grabbed him by his jacket lapel and pressed him against the wall. She pressed her lips against his and melted slightly. He could taste the champagne on her lips.

"Hey stranger," she whispered into his lips.

"Hey beautiful," Heero replied.

"This is boring, let's get out of here and have some fun," Relena said.

"As much as I would love to, I can't let you do that. You have a job to do," Heero replied.

"Party pooper."

Heero and Relena heard the front doors swing open as the ambient music provided by the band was washed out by the hollering of the reporters and photographers outside. They turned to see who it was. But of course they knew who it was, who else could it have been? Ainsley entered, along with the mayor, the governor, and the senator. She wore a flaming red single shoulder dress with matching red heels. Her hair was perfect, with all of the volume and bounce that Relena's currently lacked thanks to Heero grubby hands from earlier.

"There she is," Relena sighed. "Duty calls."

"Don't worry, you got this," Heero said as he kissed her on the forehead.

Relena went and greeted Ainsley with all of the formality and fake smiling that the moment demanded. Ainsley was likewise, nothing but cordial to Relena. But what else could they do? They were surrounded and being closely watched by the top echelon of L2 society. They headed into the main dining hall along with the top brass. That's when Heero and Relena parted ways for a few hours. While Heero and Relena may not have been a secret anymore, they hadn't made any sort of official announcement and in any case, wasn't her husband. Therefore he didn't have a seat at the table. Which was fine with Heero, he'd rather remain in the shadows if it were up to him.

He went into the backroom where all of the other security personnel were and was served a plate by the kitchen staff. But Heero didn't eat with them. He took his plate and found an empty room and ate there. He quickly finished his meal and swung by the main hall to check on Relena. Peeking inside, he found Relena sitting at the center of the table next to Ainsley surrounded by the L2 leadership, doing her best not to look uncomfortable. Feeling satisfied that she was safe, he ducked outside around the back of the house and pulled out his phone.

He contacted Trowa.

A few moments later, Trowa appeared on his own.

"This is Garnet," Trowa said.

"This is Ivory, your connection is secure," Heero said.

"Better make this quick, I'm onto something," Trowa said.

"What is it? I haven't heard from you in a few days," Heero asked.

"Could be something, could be nothing," Trowa replied. "I may have a lead to where the mobile suits are being kept."

"That's… quicker than I thought it would take," Heero remarked.

"Let's just say I got tired of waiting," Trowa said. "Are you wearing a suit?"

"Yeah," Heero said trying to hide his embarrassment. "I'm working tonight."

"Ah right, yes, Relena's trip," Trowa said, suddenly remembering the TV footage from earlier in the night. "What's it like being back in space?"

"Same as it ever was," Heero said. "New government, same as the old government."

"Tell me about it, the Barton Foundation may have been knocked down a peg, but they are doing what they've always been doing," Trowa said. "Speaking of. I heard some not-so-friendly sentiments being expressed about Relena earlier today at a bar I was scouting. I'd imagine the feeling is not exclusive to the L3 colonies. Better keep an eye out for political dissidents looking to make a name for themselves."

"I'm aware, but thanks for the heads up," Heero said.

"Alright, well I have to get back to this thing," Trowa said. "I'll let you know what I find."

"Okay, be careful," Heero said.

"I'm always careful, Garnet out."

Hotel Brussels, Brussels

January 29th, AC 199

"So then I was like, buddy, you're a little out of your league," Duo said enthusiastically as he threw a jab cross combination. "But then he wouldn't listen so I had to teach him a lesson!"

The two Preventers security officers listened and drank their coffee and even nodded along as Duo recounted his experience from the night before. But somehow Duo could tell that they weren't as interested as their polite demeanour would've suggested. Realizing this, Duo ended his story in a rather abrupt manner and the two walked away from the coffee cart that had been provided to the Preventers staff by hotel management.

"I didn't tell that right, you had to have been there," Duo said to himself as he stretched his arm out awkwardly.

Still feeling rather tired from staying up all night with the rest of the security team, combing every inch of the building looking for Tristan, Duo filled his paper cup with a second round of black coffee and took another big swig. Une still hadn't arrived despite the fact that he had alerted her minutes after Tristan jumped out of the window.

It had taken them hours, but eventually they found Tristan hiding in one of the boiler rooms in the basement, his arm and leg broken from the fall. How he managed to have survived a fall from the 19th floor and sneak his way into the boiler room to hide was a mystery to the whole security team and Tristan wasn't talking. They had locked him in a room and several members of the security team tried to get him to talk, including Duo. None of them could break him.

Duo stepped out of the lobby only to find squad cars and ambulances everywhere and that the whole scene building had been cordoned off by the Metropolitan Police. Behind the yellow tape perimeter was the press. The noises of the morning rush along with media frenzy and emergency workers was too much for his already sleep-deprived brain. But just as he was about to head inside, he heard his name being called. He looked around and found Une making her way through the mass of uniformed police officers and Preventers agents.

"Well it would seem, trouble seems to follow you wherever you go," Une said as she walked up the steps that led to the entrance of the hotel.

"What?! How is this my fault?" Duo exclaimed. "I didn't do this! I did my job. I stopped Toro from being murdered!"

"Relax, Duo. I'm kidding. You did good," Une said. "Although, this is one hell of a clusterfuck we got here."

"I mean the key witness is still alive, although he's talking about changing his mind and not testifying," Duo said.

"Yeah, good luck to him, I'll tie him up and drag him into that witness stand myself if I have to," Une said as she surveyed the ahem from atop the staircase. "So, where's our boy?"

"He's secure, a little roughed up, but he'll be fine. The boy's got heart. Jumped out of a window from the 19th floor and survived," Duo said.

"I heard a story about a couple of kids who pulled a similar stunt from an Alliance hospital back during the war and even managed to escape," Une said with a smirk.

"Well… it was a different time and those guys were of a different breed. You can't compare these youngins to them," Duo replied with a dumb grin on his face.

"Right," Une said with a deep sigh. "Well, we gotta get him out of here, move him to the Valknut, without the press seeing his face."

"We can move him through the underground garage," Duo suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Une said.

"Actually no." A familiar voice ripped through the ambient noise of the scene.

Both Une and Duo turned to look. It was Ingrid, walking up the stairs. She was dressed in a dark grey pantsuit, with her matching trench coat draped around her shoulder. Behind her was the Major Tenam Dumont, Metropolitan Police, head of the Counterterrorism Unit. Une recognized him from a conference she attended a year ago.

"He's coming with us," Ingrid said.

"What are you talking about?" Une asked defensively.

"Don't push this, Katerina. It's already been decided," Ingrid said calmly but aggressively. "You'll hand over the suspect to police custody and we're taking over this investigation."

"You must be joking," Une said.

"I tried to warn you," Ingrid said, almost sounding earnest for a moment. "I asked you to be reasonable. But you wouldn't listen."

"Ingrid, if you do this, you are jeopardizing my whole operation!" Une said as she got in Ingrid's face.

"Your lack of cooperation with the Justice Department has already jeopardized my case! And you almost let a state's witness get assassinated?!" Ingrid shot back. "Tell me Katerina, if you were in my position, what would you do?"

St. James's Palace, London

Mareen woke up bright and early. While her night at the royal residence was quite enjoyable, she didn't want to out stay her welcome. She got dressed with the help of a lady's maid that had been provided to her by the house. She wrote a little note and left it on the vanity in her room thanking the princess for her accommodating her. She asked for her car to be brought around and thanked here lady's maid as well as any other servants who had personally waited on her during her stay and asked them to pass on her gratitude to the princess.

Mareen waited for her car to arrive by the main entrance. But just as her ride pulled up, she saw Princess Olivia come down the main staircase. Mareen, feeling a little embarrassed as if she were some kind of delinquent sneaking out, she curtsied as the princess approached.

"Leaving so soon?" Princess Olivia asked. "I hope I haven't done something to offend you."

"Not at all, your Royal Highness," Mareen replied. "You humble me with your hospitality, I don't know how I will ever be able to repay you. I just didn't want to take advantage of your generosity."

"Nonsense!" The Princess said with a hearty laugh. "And you may call me Olivia. I think, and least I hope, we are friends enough for that."

"I would like nothing more," Mareen said. "So long as you call me Mareen from now on."

"Well, it gladdens my heart to know that we are friends," Princess Olivia said. "Now won't you stay for breakfast at least?"

"I hope you don't take any offense, indeed I would much rather stay for breakfast than go to my next appointment, but it's hard to refuse a summon from a mother-in-law. I hope you understand," Mareen explained.

"Ahh yes, Lady Northampton. Such a lovely woman. I hope she is well," Princess Olivia said. "I'm very glad to have heard that you two are reconciled. It's been far too long. I'm rather excited for her party this year."

"I didn't know that you were coming," Mareen said trying to suppress the surprise in her voice. "How exciting!"

"Oh yes, I go every year," Princess Olivia said. "Don't tell my brother I said this but her party is the highlight of the season."

"I'm glad that you are coming," Mareen said with a genuine smile.

"Speaking of," Princess Olivia said. "Do you know if Lady Relena will be attending this year? I know she's actively distanced herself from the social scene in favour of her political career since the end of the war and trust me when I say, I admire her deeply for her commitment to politics and her career. But things are getting back to normal and I dare say it would be lovely to see her again."

"You know, I was thinking the same thing," Mareen said with a sudden jolt of joy. "I've asked to her to come. Her assistant told me that she would, so here's hoping that she doesn't change her mind."

"Lovely!" Princess Olivia exclaimed. "And you know, I think I can convince that nephew of mine to come."

"Prince Theodore? Well, we would be honoured to have His Royal Highness," Mareen said.

"And perhaps, Lady Relena and he could meet again after all of these years," Princess Olivia said.

"Perhaps, they could even be friends," Mareen said, again trying to suppress her excitement at the prospect.

"Absolutely! Close friends even, perhaps even more," Princess Olivia said with a quizzically raised eyebrow.

"Oh, they would be a fantastic match!" Mareen said as her restraint began to slip as Princess Olivia's machinations became more and more clear to her.

"I agree completely," Princess Olivia said. "A match made in heaven!"