I do not own Gundam Wing.  This fan fiction has no commercial value and I am not making any kind of profit or income off of this.  

Chapter 8

Jacob left her room, and ran straight into the guard detail. He had large violet eyes and a long braid down his back.  We was wearing a Preventers uniform, and he was laughing at Jacob. “Smooth move, Romeo.”

Jacob didn’t even acknowledge that the man named Duo Maxwell had spoken to him.

            Duo just watched him leave, anger blazing in his eyes. “Hurry up Heero, or you’ll miss your chance, buddy,” he said to himself.

*             *             *             *             *             *             *             *             *             *

“2:00 am,” Relena groaned. “I’m never going to get any sleep.” She rolled over, and pulled the plush pillow on top of her head. Her stomach growled, and a vision of hot chocolate danced in her head. “Yum… hot chocolate,” she thought.

She tossed the covers off, and went to the closet to put on her robe.

In the kitchen downstairs, Relena heated the water to prepare the instant hot chocolate. It was good, but not anywhere near as scrumptious as Pagan's homemade creamy milk chocolate.  She took a sip and smiled, then walked back upstairs to her favorite place – the balcony overlooking the garden. This night, there were guards posted at the entrance. And Jacob was standing there, looking as if he was waiting for her.

            Her heart beat faster when she saw him, and her first thought was to leave. She wasn’t quick enough.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” he said quietly, his face unreadable in the poor light.

“I guess you think you know so much about me…” she said angrily.

“No, I just had a hunch.”

“I suppose the guards here were your idea?”

“Of course.”

There was an awkward silence. Jacob walked towards her. He stopped only about an arm’s length away. She looked up at him and met eyes like glittering emeralds. She started to turn away from him, when his arm shot out and stopped her. She glared up at him angrily. He released her arm and said, “I’m sorry, Relena, for the way I behaved this evening. I had no right to question your feelings for that young man. From all accounts, he has proven to be honorable and brave. I’m so sorry I hurt you…” his voice trailed off as he turned away from her.

“Jacob,” she said. She put her mug hot chocolate down on the little patio table that always sat on the balcony, and then placed a hand gently on his shoulder. “It’s all right. I tend to get worked up over the subject to begin with, and with the wedding being only two days away, and the lack of sleep, I think the stress is getting to both of us.”

He looked at her; she was smiling her forgiveness. He suddenly couldn't help himself.  He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her in for a kiss. Relena was shocked; she didn't even have time to respond. It was brief, but gentle – his lips merely brushing against hers.

When she opened her eyes, he was at the door. “Goodnight,” he said softly before exiting. She sat down at the table, the world spinning around her. “Oh, God,” she thought. “What am I going to do?”

Jacob entered his room and collapsed onto his bed. “Stupid!” He scolded himself. “I shouldn’t have kissed her. What was I thinking? She probably hates me.” He closed his eyes, but he couldn’t shut her out of his mind. “Why does she always have this effect on me?”

Relena went back to her room. “Why did he kiss me? Why did I like it? I can’t start feeling this way about him… But why shouldn’t I? I’m marrying him; don’t I want to feel something? Don’t I want to love him?” She lay awake all night, wondering.

*             *          *          *         *          *         *          *         *          *         *

Jacob avoided her all the next day. But as the sun began to descend, he knew he couldn’t stay away much longer. The Winner family was throwing a party for the couple that night, the last one before the rehearsal dinner the next evening. Then, it was the wedding. Thinking of the wedding brought a weird sensation to the pit of his stomach. “Am I going to be able to go through with it?” he asked himself, again. “Of course I am, there is no other way,” he told himself. He went up to his room to go change into formal attire.

Relena floated down the stairs in a sparkling silver evening gown. “She’s so beautiful,” he said to himself. Feeling self-conscious all-of-a-sudden, he bowed, and offered the compliment out loud. “You look beautiful,” he said simply.

She smiled and flushed, taking the arm he offered her. “Thank you,” she said, not meeting his eyes. He escorted her to the car, joining her brother and sister-in-law on the way.

The ride to the hotel playing host to the party was mercifully short as the group rode in an awkward silence. Noin couldn’t help but notice Relena fidgeted constantly smoothing her dress and wringing her hands. Jacob was staring at Relena with an odd expression, but Relena only met his eyes once. She immediately blushed a deep red, and looked away. “Something is up,” Noin thought to herself with a smile.

*          *          *         *          *         *          *         *          *         *          *

The night and the hotel ballroom were beautiful. The chandeliers hung down in wide arcs and sparkled underneath the soft lighting.  The decorations reflected an exquisite and expensive taste. The band played classical music, and the couple dancing to it looked like they were made for each other.

The evening started off with Relena dancing with Quatre, the host of the affair. Then, Quatre gave her hand to Jacob. As the two danced, whispering voices were all asking the same question, “Were they together before the council approved the alliance with the Cinq Kingdom?” Milliardo was puzzled by the question, when it was asked of him. He told the truth, that Relena had only met Jacob once, briefly at a diplomatic affair. “Why?” he asked the lady who questioned him. She smiled, “They just make such a lovely couple.”

Milliardo arched an eyebrow and watched the two dance. She had nestled her head into his chest, and Jacob was resting his chin on her hair. His eyes were half-closed, as if all was right with the world. Relena’s eyes were completely closed, a slight smile on her lips. When the song ended, neither moved to part their embrace. Milliardo was stunned. He turned to his wife, “When did this happen?” he asked. Noin just shrugged, “I don’t know, but I’m not unhappy about it, are you?”

“Well, no, just a bit…surprised,” he answered.

At the end of the second song, Jacob regretfully pulled away. “Can we talk for a second?” he asked in a whisper. She nodded.

“You must resist…this…temptation,” he told himself as he led her away from the dance floor. They were instantly intercepted by a crowd of guests, all wanting to know things like: what were Relena’s plans for the future of peace? What were the couple’s plans? Where were they going to honeymoon? Jacob sighed inwardly, and held onto her elbow. He answered questions directed towards him before the crowd eventually separated the two.

Jacob ended up sitting at a table in the corner of the ballroom, watching Relena. Occasionally, his eyes would dart about the room before coming to rest back on her. Quatre, being the excellent host he was, found his errant guest of honor, and sat down next to him in one of the stiff-backed chairs provided by the posh hotel. “Quatre,” Jacob said and nodded in greeting, but his eyes never moved off of Relena.

“So, are you ready for the big day?” Quatre asked him.

“Do I have a choice?” Jacob asked blankly.

“No, but you knew that going in.”

“Yes,” Jacob sighed, “I did.”

“Have you told her, yet? I mean, how you feel?”

“No. I just haven’t found the right time, or the right words….or the right anything.”

“Don’t you think you should tell her before the wedding?”

“No, I think I’m going to wait. She has enough stress right now, Milliardo had to tell her about the kidnapping threat.”  “Maybe I’ll never tell her,” he added to himself.

Quatre eyed him warily, “You need to tell her.”

“I know,” he said flatly. “I know.”

*             *             *             *             *             *             *             *             *             *             *

The ride home was filled with Relena’s happy chattering. Jacob was silent, as usual, only talking when asked a direct question by his lively fiancée.

At the mansion, the group split up, Milliardo and his wife retiring to their room, while Jacob and Relena went upstairs to ‘their’ balcony.

“I’m sorry, we didn’t get a chance to have that talk,” she said meeting his impassive gaze.

He shrugged, “It’s all right, I understand.”

Silence. He was gazing out at the garden, while she looked up at him expectantly. “Well,” she finally said, “What did you want to talk about?”

“I think you know,” he said, his eyes still not meeting hers.

“I suppose I do,” she said softly.

Her voice sounded so sad, he looked at her in surprise. Their eyes met, and she was taken back by the emotion she saw in his gaze. “Jacob?” she questioned, putting her hand on his shoulder. He looked away.

She let her arm drop down, and grasped his hand, entwining her fingers with his. He closed his eyes, and brought her hand to his lips. “Don’t kiss her,” he said to himself, and tried again to fight off the feelings that somehow seemed to overcome him whenever she was near.

She put his arm around her waist and released his hand. She could feel the heat from his palm through the thin fabric of her dress. He pulled her close, embracing her lithe form, and closed his eyes as he breathed in the scent of her hair. He felt like he was drowning, losing himself to her.

Through his closed eyes, he became suddenly aware of her breath on his cheek. Instinctively, he moved so that his lips met hers in a gentle kiss.  It quickly deepened. His arms moved up to her back, pulling her closer, caressing the skin left bare by the backless gown. He moved his mouth down to her neck, his body lost in the passion and desire she had awakened in him, his mind screaming at him to stop. “Heero…” she moaned softly. He froze.

When he stopped, she opened her eyes and glanced at him. He looked dazed for a moment before he released her, and turned away. His eyes closed as he fought to control the emotions that swirled around him, thick in the air.

At first, she didn’t understand why he broke the kiss. Then realization dawned on her, “Jacob, I’m so sorry.” Tears leapt to her eyes.

“It’s, it’s okay, Relena,” he said fighting for air, and trying to keep his voice steady.

“No,” she exclaimed, tears coursing down her face. “It’s not okay. It’s absolutely inexcusable,” she sobbed.

He turned around at the sound of her crying, and had to fight another wave of emotion. He moved to her, and held her while she cried. “It’s all right,” he murmured softly in her ear.

            She only sobbed harder. “Sometimes,” she gasped between sobs, “it just hurts so much.”

“I know,” he whispered, fighting back his own tears. “I know.”

When she had composed herself sufficiently, he walked her to her room. “Goodnight, Jacob,” she said with a sad smile, unable to meet his eyes.

“Goodnight, Relena. Please, get some rest.”

She nodded, then let herself in her room. Numbly, she undressed before throwing herself onto the bed, and crying herself to sleep.

*          *          *             *             *             *             *             *             *             *             *

The next day went by in a blur. The whole mansion was alive with activity. The morning was filled with the final fittings of tuxedos, Relena’s wedding dress, and the bridesmaid dresses. Jacob’s grandfather and Milliardo were drinking mimosas to calm the nerves frazzled by panicky females. The wedding dress was too loose; the tailor accused Relena of losing weight. The florist called, they ran out of gardenias, and wanted to substitute daisies. Relena, with last night’s incident fresh on her mind, and the lack of sleep taking its toll, she was finally starting to crumble under the pressure.

When he saw the distress clearly etched on her face, Jacob stepped in, and made the necessary decisions efficiently. He quieted the argument with the tailor and sent him back in to do the alterations. A little while later, he brought Relena her lunch. When she protested, he firmly insisted she eat something, as she hadn’t been eating well. She smiled and gave in, quietly chewing the sandwich he had so thoughtfully made for her.

She asked him to sit with her, and he complied. His face was set in its usual impassive expression, his cold eyes watching her. A tinge of guilt tugged at her heart when she thought of how she had treated him the night before. “He must hate me,” she said to herself.

“Thank you,” she said when she finished her sandwich. “It’s been so hectic this morning,” she laughed nervously. He nodded, still watching her. “Jacob,” she began softly, tears glistening in her sapphire eyes.

“It’s okay, Relena,” he interrupted. “Now’s not the time,” he said as he picked up her plate and walked out.

As the morning gave way to afternoon, rum and coke replaced the mimosas. Milliardo and the Ambassador were telling stories and laughing boisterously. The caterers showed up, taking over the kitchen, and causing another round of headaches. Jacob and Quatre sat quietly on the couch, calmly observing the whole scene.

“Gosh, so this is what it’s like to get married…” Quatre said quietly.

“No, I have a feeling this is just a preview of the state of utter confusion tomorrow will turn out to be,” Jacob replied wryly.

“Maybe Milliardo and the Ambassador have the right idea,” Quatre said after another outbreak of raucous laughter erupted from the dining room.

The two sat there for another half-hour or so, when suddenly an angry female voice cut into their thoughts. Jacob hurried toward the dining room, where Noin was yelling at Milliardo, standing over an upset Relena crying on the floor. Jacob frowned at the scene. He could guess what had happened. He quickly intercepted Noin, and picked Relena up from the floor. Having bodily removed the two ladies from the dining room, he promised to take care of Milliardo. Relena’s sobs quieted as the three neared her room. He carefully put her down on her feet, and opened the door. “You two finish getting ready,” he said quietly. He reached over and brushed away a lone tear still trickling down Relena’s cheek. “You’re much prettier when you smile,” he said solemnly. Then he kissed her forehead and made his way back downstairs.

Noin watched the exchange and smiled to herself. Closing the door, she laughingly exclaimed, “All right, Miss Relena, out with it! What is going on between you two?” Instead of the blushing smile she expected from the young girl, Relena started to cry.

Jacob went into the dining room, the two men were still laughing and drinking. An evil smile formed on his face as he thought of the best way to handle the situation. Not wanting to upset Relena, the smirk vanished, and he sighed. He picked up the bottle of alcohol and placed it back in the cupboard. Then he locked it, and put the key in his pocket. He threw out the drinks that they held in their hands, and had Quatre help him half-carry the intoxicated men to the backseat of the limo. Quatre climbed in the driver’s seat, and Jacob sat in the back.

Noin made a face, “Ouch,” she said. “You called him….”

“Yes,” Relena wailed and buried her face in her hands.

“And then what?”

“He turned away from me. I told him I was sorry; I felt so awful. I just started crying.”

“Oh, honey, it’s all right,” Noin said, giving the poor girl a hug.

“It gets worse,” Relena said sobbing.

“Worse?”

“Yes. A few days ago, we were talking. And he asked me about ‘him’. So, I told him the condensed version, and he got all upset. I didn’t know why at the time….” She gulped for air in between sobs. “Anyway, I got angry and blurted out how much I love Heero. And he asked me why I am marrying him, if I love someone else. And I said…” Relena breathed, trying to finish the sentence. “I don’t know what I said. But the gist was that I was marrying Jacob so that Heero wouldn’t have to fight anymore.”

“Is that why you’re marrying him?”

“It’s one of the reasons, yes.”

“Oh,” Noin said a sad look on her face.

“But then, I started to feel something for Jacob. And I think he cares for me, too. So, then to add insult to injury, he kisses me, and I call him by the other man’s name!” With that, she buried her face into the covers on her bed, weeping.

Quatre drove the car to the hotel, then made a call from the cell phone. A few moments later, two guys in suits came out to the car, and dragged the unconscious men out of the backseat. Quatre accompanied them to the penthouse suite where Sally was running what looked like a mini-military base. She gave him a look when the five of them arrived.

“There’s only a couple of hours until the rehearsal dinner. There’s a press conference immediately afterwards. Can you fix them up?” Quatre asked politely.

“Sure thing, Quatre. I’ve got a couple of IV’s here that should sober them right up,” she said with a smile.

“Thanks, Sally. Jacob and I will be back with their change of clothes for the evening in about an hour.”

As Quatre drove back to the mansion, he asked Jacob, “So, did you tell her?”

“No,” he replied in a cold voice.

“Why not?”

“I kissed her instead.”

“And…”

“Then she called me Heero,” he said bitterly.

Quatre almost lost control of the car. “She what!” he exclaimed.

“I’m not going to repeat it.”

“So she…”

“Yes,” he said quickly. “She’s in love with Heero. She told me that a couple of days ago.”

“But…” then realization dawned on his face. “You have to tell her,” Quatre said, looking over at Jacob.

“Keep your eyes on the road, Quatre,” he said as they drifted across lanes.

Jacob and Quatre changed quickly, picked up the Ambassador’s suit, then went to Noin’s room to get Milliardo’s clothes. After she listened to their explanation of what they had done with the two gentlemen, she gave them her husband’s suit. Before the two could leave, however, Noin was overcome with a strange urge to hug Jacob. He stiffened, then returned the friendly gesture. When she pulled away, there were tears in her eyes as she welcomed him to the family. He nodded, and then left with Quatre.

As they walked to the car, Jacob asked Quatre, “What was that all about?”

“She was giving you her blessing to marry Relena,” Quatre replied smiling.

“Was that necessary?”

“No, but it’s nice. It means she approves of you.”

“Hn…”

When they arrived back at the hotel, Milliardo and Ambassador Quincy were looking much more like their old selves. They accompanied the two older men to Quatre’s hotel room to shower and change. When everyone was ready, the four left to meet the rest of the party at the church.

The rehearsal, the dinner, and the press conference detailing the wedding events for the next day went off without a hitch. Relena looked radiant. Jacob couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. As the last of the guests departed, Milliardo took Jacob aside and thanked him, also welcoming him to the family. Jacob nodded and shook the hand that his future brother-in-law held out to him.

It was late, and Relena looked tired. Jacob noticed this, and offered to escort her to her room. She smiled up at him, amazed by his strength. He had gone through this whole exhausting day and still looked fresh and alert, even though everyone else was spent. When they arrived at her room, he insisted on going in first while she waited outside with the guards. He was taking no chances, he decided. Jacob checked the locks on the windows, and the bathroom that adjoined her room before deciding it was safe.

She looked puzzled when he came out. “I feel better knowing you’re safe,” he said quietly.

She nodded, and then hugged him, burying her face into his neck. His eyes shut as he held her close. She whispered something in his ear, and he pulled away, stunned.

“Shh…” she put a finger to his lips, before tugging him inside with her.

“Relena,” he said, but the rest of his sentence was cut off by a kiss.

“Mmmm…?” She asked as the kiss ended.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” he said trying to disentangle himself from her.

“Why not?” she asked with a mischievous grin. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his face down for another kiss.

He remembered feeling that drowning sensation again, his hands and lips moving over her body as if with a mind of their own. Then the next thing that registered was her leading him to the bed. “No,” his mind said. His body grudgingly obeyed. He stopped. She looked up at him through heavy lids. “Jacob?” she asked softly.

“Relena, this isn’t right. Not tonight, okay?”

Her eyes snapped open in surprise. “But….but why?”

“Tomorrow,” he whispered. “I’ll tell you everything tomorrow, okay? Just trust me.”

Tears were glistening in her eyes, “You don’t want me?”

“Of course I want you. More than anything, Relena. It’s just… there are some things we need to talk about, and I won’t feel right about this until we do. I know it’s hard, but try to understand – I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want you to do something you might regret. Please…” his eyes betrayed the emotions that were waging war on his heart.

“Okay,” she nodded. “I don’t understand, but I’ll trust you.”

He kissed her lightly on the lips, and said, “Good night, Relena.” Then he walked out, closing the door behind him.

A few hours later, cold feet set in, and he felt the urge to talk to her right then. He couldn’t dismiss the feeling of panic that had his heart racing. Jacob jumped out of bed, and pulled some clothes on. He covered the short distance to her room, trying not to look like a wild man, but when he went to knock on the door, the guards stopped him. “No one is to disturb her tonight.”

“I have to talk to her. It’s important,” Jacob replied, shooting the man a cold glare.

“We have our orders.”

Jacob sighed, and turned to go back to his room. Suddenly, a wave of nausea swept through him, and he knew something was wrong.

He turned back, his eyes blazing, “Open the door.”

“I’m sorry sir…”

The rest of his sentence was cut off by Jacob’s fist smashing into his face. The other guard pulled a gun, but that was wrested away from him with little effort. Jacob broke down the door and let out a strangled cry. Her bed was empty, her room was empty, and there was a perfect hole cut out of the open window. He ran to the window, but the temperature of the room gave evidence that it had been open for some time.