Last Minute Wedding

by: Apol

The war was over as for now. He has defeated one of his greatest opponents, Zechs Merquise, the uncrowned king of the world. He was going back to earth to look for a place to start and he knew exactly where to go.

Peacecraft mansion:

A young woman with honey-blonde hair was walking around her bedroom. She knows that she is the Vice Foreign Minister and has everything but still there's something inside her that is still lacking. She stopped walking and started to think.

‘I have everything but why do I still envy my friends?’ Relena closed her eyes. ‘Oh I know Hilde has Duo, Catherine has Trowa, Dorothy has Quatre, and Sally has Wufei. And me?’

The door suddenly opened. Lady Une came in with a tray for Relena’s breakfast. "I believe that you feel like eating by yourself today." Une said setting the tray down at the table on the balcony.

"Thanks Lady Une." Relena replied smiling half-heartedly.

Lady Une approached her. "Honey, if something's bothering you right now, forget it for just for a day, at least. You're still too young to think too much. Everybody's rejoicing that the war is over, so please join us." she kissed Relena's forehead and left the room.

Relena sighed at what Une told her. ‘How can I be content if I'm empty?’ She walked towards the balcony and sat down at one of the chairs. ‘Maybe… she was right. I think I should better go somewhere else to help myself. The beach would be fine.’ She stood up forgetting all about her breakfast and went to her closet. She slipped out of her nightgown and put on a pink sleeveless dress and she went out.

**********

"I'm going to be all right, don't worry about me. I just need to be alone right now." Relena said standing outside the car.

Lady Une was sitting inside the vehicle. "All right, just call me if anything happens." The windows went up and the car slowly disappeared down the street.

Relena found herself alone again, but this time it was what she wanted. She went down the stairs slowly and breathed in the fresh air. Some children were playing along the shoreline but she noticed something else, a boy lying down on the sand not joining the other kids. A little girl went to him and started pulling the boy up. ‘Wait, I remember that scene! It was…our first encounter, here, at this very same beach.’ With the unmistakable furrows of sorrow etched on her face, she removed her sandals and started to walk.

"And where do you think you're going?" A voice, cold as the arctic wind, queried, and Relena instantly recalled the face that went along with it.

She turned around, expecting to see the person she had been thinking about lately. Looking at his cobalt blue eyes made her frightened her, for the icy blue fire that accompanied it seemed to be burning just a little brighter. "Heero…"

Heero reached for his pocket and pulled out his all too familiar pistol. Without even the slightest hint of hesitation, he trained it on Relena’s chest, right above the heart, a killing shot made all the more disturbing with its simplicity. "I came back for my promise. Omae o korosu!"

Relena stood frozen. She didn't know if she should be happy that she saw him or be sad because it's the last day of her life. "Do it, Heero, if that's what you want." she closed her eyes, allowing a tear to slide down her cheek. ‘If this is my fate, so be it.’ Her heart pounded fast. She waited for a gunshot but she didn't instead she felt something soft on her lips. Her eyes opened instantly, shocked that Heero was kissing her. She pulled away in surprise, then instantly regretted that she had broken off what she had wanted for so long.

"Is that for goodbye?"

"No, that's for hello." Heero smiled, an odd sight that was strangely more disturbing than the fact that he had pulled a gun on her just moments before, and pulled her close, slid his arms around her waist and kissed her again.

**********

"Ma'am we have heard that Mr. Yuy came back to earth yesterday." A butler said, approaching a woman in her early 50's.

"Is that so? Where is he staying?" Mrs. Noventa stood up, and approached the window.

The butler followed. "He's staying with Miss Relena at her mansion."

Mrs. Noventa smiled. "Thank you for the information. Before you leave, could you please call my grand daughter? Tell her that we have something important to talk about." she said, still looking outside. When the butler went out, she turned around waiting for her grand daughter to come.

The door flew open. "Grandma, the butler said you wanted to see me. Why?" A blond girl came in.

"Sylvia, come and sit down. I have something to tell you my that will make you very happy, my dear." Mrs. Noventa said sitting down at the long sofa once again.

‘Sounds interesting, what could it be?’ Sylvia sat down across her grandmother "What is it, grandma?"

"Well, Heero Yuy is already here on earth, my dear, since yesterday, as I understand. He is now staying with Miss Relena Peacecraft." Mrs. Noventa smiled at Sylvia.

Sylvia suddenly was overjoyed at the news. She fell in love with Heero since the day he met her. Still fresh to her mind was how she met him. He was driving a truck and when he saw Sylvia, he did all his best to maneuver the truck and avoid her, and even went to the grave of her grandfather. When Heero asked her to kill him, she couldn't because she already loved him.

Her grandmother noticed that she was starting to blush. "Hmmm, its looks like you really love him."

"Uh, yes grandma but it's too impossible for us to see each other again. Besides he's with Miss Relena right now. He loves her." Sylvia began to frown.

Mrs. Noventa sat down beside her grand daughter. "Honey, don't let your spirits down. I have a perfect plan to get you together with your dark angel." she smiled and hugged Sylvia tightly.

**********

It was one of the most pleasant night’s sleep he had in his lifetime. Lying down in a soft bed with silk sheets. He opened his eyes and looked on the other side of the bed. Relena was still sleeping; the blanket slid down to her waist, exposing her arms. Heero placed back the strap of her nightgown that fell off her shoulder and pulled the blanket up. He stood up and put on a shirt. ‘The perfect soldier ends here.’ He kissed Relena and went out.

Relena rolled her back and opened her eyes slowly, as if trying to resist the urge to awaken. She began to stretch her arms and sat up. Her eyes fell on the other side of the bed, she saw it was empty. ‘It was just a dream. Just a dream.’ Tears began to swell up in her eyes. She laid her head down on her knees.

"You're already awake." Heero said, closing the door behind him. "What's wrong? Are you feeling all right?" he asked worriedly when he heard her small cry.

She sat up straight and wiped her tears away. ‘Oh my, he just went out. How embarrassing!’ Suddenly, she felt that she was turning red. "Uh, nothing my eye just hurts a little. I’m alright."

Heero placed down the tray containing their breakfast. "I was planning to cook but the servants already made one."

"It's all right, thank you for bringing our breakfast here." Relena said slipping in her robe and following Heero in the balcony. She sat down and looked at the food. ‘Hey, this is the food that Lady Une also served me yesterday.’ "Heero, where's Lady Une?"

Heero sat down across her. "I told her that she can have her vacation, I'll be the one who will be taking care of you." He poured milk in Relena's glass, then looked concerned. "Why don't you eat? After this we'll be strolling around the city. I want to see the changes and we're going to visit some friends."

Relena nodded and obeyed his commands. ‘You have changed too… but how?’

Sylvia Noventa watched from a distance as a red jaguar left the Peacecraft's mansion. She knew that it had to be the couple she was looking for. "Driver, follow that red car." she kept a watchful eye at the car while they are following them. 'Where could they be going?' The jaguar stopped at a park then she saw Heero went out of the driver's side and went to the other side of the car. He escorted Relena out of the car, offering his hand in a gentlemanly manner. ‘That bitch! He should be mine, he owes me a lot.’

"Ma'am, are we going to park?" The driver asked Sylvia.

"I'm going down first." Sylvia snapped. She got out of her car and followed the couple at a safe distance wherein they couldn't notice her. Suddenly, she saw another young man approaching them with a long braid and young woman with short black hair following him. After a short while, three sets of pairs approached them too. ‘I think they are his fellow comrades or fellow Gundam pilots. Hey, that's Trowa Barton. He was with Heero when we visited my grandfather's grave. Heero, enjoy the rest of the day with Relena, it might be the last.’ She smiled to herself sadistically, and started to run towards the parking lot.

Heero and Relena went into the mansion feeling exhausted due to the activities they had this afternoon, but at the same time they were happy to see their friends again. Relena went up ahead to her bedroom while Heero went to the kitchen to have a drink. The butler approached him.

"Sir, here's a letter I received this afternoon and it's for you." Pagan handled the letter to Heero and went out.

"Thank you." Heero accepted the letter and read the envelope. ‘Mrs. Noventa? What does she want now?’ With some trepidation, he tore the envelope at the side and opened the letter.

Dear Mr. Yuy,

Welcome back to earth. Peace has finally reigned and my husband's wish also came true. It was nice of you and your fellow comrades to fight for peace. With your constant struggle, war was conquered.

But here in my home, we still can't feel the peace that is happening right now because of the death of my husband. I know that I have written to you before that it's not your fault that my husband died. Sorry to say that I have changed my mind. I need an exchange for the action that you did. I would like you to marry Sylvia, my grand daughter as an exchange for what you did.

I do hope that you'll agree with this in order to make my grand daughter happy again. Don't worry for Miss Relena, she can find another one easily with her fame.

Mrs. Noventa

Heero gripped the letter in his hand. He just couldn't believe with what he just read. All the memories during the war suddenly came into his head. The scene when he sliced the plane containing Mr. Noventa was one of the first to pop to his conscious mind. He bumped his head against the table. ‘But it was not really my fault! What am I going do, how am I going to explain this to Relena?’

For the first time in his life, Heero Yuy was totally unsure of how to proceed.

**********

Relena was walking around the mansion looking for Heero, worrying that he didn't sleep beside her last night. She continued to search and ended up in the garden. One of the servants approached her.

"You seem to be tensed, Madame. What can I do to help you?" The servant smiled at her sweetly, possibly trying to disarm Relena.

"Well, have you seen Heero?" Relena asked curiously.

"Yes, I've seen him leave this morning." The servant answered.

He had left, but Relena couldn’t figure out where he could have been going. He had seemed perfectly normal last night. ‘What could have happened?’ Relena smiled back at the servant. "Thank you for your help." She turned around to head back inside the mansion. Just as she was about to enter, she saw Heero walking up the driveway. "Heero!" she ran and embraced him.

"Relena." Heero's voice was soft.

She pulled back and touched his cheek gently, almost sensually. "What's wrong?" her voice was comforting and sweet.

Heero didn't look at her; his eyes were focused on the mansion. "Let's go in." he walked slowly and he didn't even care if Relena was following or not.

Relena just stood there and watched him walk away. Her worries got even stronger when she saw his condition. ‘What could have happened? Heero, please tell me, I need to know what's happening with you.’ She started to walk slowly towards the main door, not noticing that someone was watching them.

Sylvia's lips started to curve in a big smile. ‘So, everything's working out good. I guess Heero has received the letter and now its time for Relena to receive one too.’ She ran to her car at the corner of the street and went inside the car. "Driver let's go home."

"Where could Sylvia be?" Mrs. Noventa said as she came in Sylvia’s bedroom."There's no sign of her in here." she roamed around the bedroom and sat at the bed. Her eyes scanned the room and it stopped on the night table. One of the drawers was open. Out of curiosity, she opened the drawer and there she saw stolen pictures of Heero. ‘My God, she must have been following him.’ When she was about to take one picture, the door opened. Quickly, she closed the drawer and stood up from the bed.

"Grandma, what are you doing in here?" Sylvia asked, walking towards her bed.

Mrs. Noventa approached her. "Oh, I have already sent the letter to Heero."

Sylvia smiled. "I know."

"Honey, your wish is coming true." she placed her hands on Sylvia’s shoulders. "Now, you don't need to follow him anymore because he will be the one coming to you."

"I know grandma, I know." she embraced her grandmother and smiled once again.

**********

After one week…

"Hello, could I speak to Hilde?"

"Who's this?" a sleepy voice answered. Obviously, Hilde wasn’t used to receiving early morning calls.

"Relena." She smirked. People had said that her voice sounded different over the phone, but this was simply ridiculous.

"Relena! Oh hello, my dear friend. Is something wrong? You don't sound that happy, unlike before." Hilde said as she sat down on a chair.

Relena sighed. "I don't know what's happening. All of a sudden Heero changed. He stays too long outside and he doesn't talk to me that much." her voice was soft, tinted with a festering agony.

"Maybe he has a problem." Leave it to Hilde to state the obvious.

"Well, he doesn't tell me anything about it." Relena's sounded as if she was about to cry.

"Relena, maybe he doesn't want you to be in trouble. Try to understand him more." Hilde tried to comfort her friend.

"Thanks Hilde, I'd talk to you latter, Heero's here. I'll try to talk to him."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye." Relena placed the phone down. Heero walked towards her.

"Who are you talking to?" Heero asked.

She looked up. "Hilde. Why?" Staring in his eyes, she felt that Heero was confused.

"Nothing." his voice was flat. He turned around and went to the kitchen.

Relena pushed her tears back; she doesn't want to cry anymore. ‘Is the perfect soldier back again? Go away, I don't need you.’ She stood up and went out towards the garden to gain some release. It was a beautiful day but she didn't feel it during the past few days. As she sat down on one of the benches, a butler approached her.

"Madame, here's a letter for you." The butler gave it to her.

"Thank you." Relena accepted the letter and starred at it. ‘This could be from Heero!’ She broke the seal and started to read the letter:

Dear Miss Relena,

It is every girl's fantasy to meet her prince charming one-day, get married and have her own family. Everyday that wish is coming true and it is already happening to me. How about you? I'm afraid not.

I would just like to inform you that Heero and I are getting along with each other these past few days. It was totally amazing that our relationship worked that easily, without any hardships. We are convinced that we were really made for each other and we have decided to get married.

Now that you know what is between us, I am advising you to stay away from my Heero. He doesn't need you anymore. Don't worry, we'll invite you to our wedding and maybe you could be the godmother of our children.

Sylvia Noventa

Relena was shocked at what she just read. The tears that she was pushed back flowed down to her cheeks like a fountain. ‘So, that's why Heero is acting so cold to me. How dare you treat me like trash?’ She stood up and went inside the mansion, searching for Heero. Then she saw him in the library.

"How dare you do this to me!" Relena shouted at the top of her lungs.

Heero stood up. "Do what?" he was scared, feeling that she already knew.

"This!" she threw a crumpled paper to Heero. "You should have told me so I could have at least sent you out of my house for you to stay with that girl!" her voice was still loud.

He picked up the crumpled paper and read the letter. "Relena, honey, let me explain…"

"Shut up!" she was now more furious than ever. "Don't you dare call me honey! And don't try to explain to me, everything is too clear, the letter was enough!" Relena ran away up to her bedroom, she closed the door and locked it.

Heero followed her but he was too late. He couldn't open the door. "Relena, Please, give me time to explain! This is not true, she's lying!"

"For the second time, shut up!" Relena shouted again. "Heero get lost, I don't need you! I don't want to see your face tomorrow morning, if I do, I'll kill myself." She said in between her tears.

A tear fell down his cheek. He backed out and went back to the library. The letter was still there, he picked it up and shred it into small pieces. ‘My life is over.’

**********

It was already morning and Relena was still awake, her mind and heart in a turmoil that rivaled the greatest storms of history. Her radio was on. She continued to stare outside the balcony. Her head turned to the radio as soon as she heard the song.

Why does the sun go on shining?

Why does the sea rush to shore?

Don't they know it's the end of the world?

'Cause you don't love me anymore.

Why do the birds go on singing?

Why do the stars glow above?

Don't they know it's the end of the world?

It ended when I lost you love.

I wake…

Relena suddenly stood up and turned the radio off. The longer she heard the song, the more depressed she got. She sighed heavily and looked at the door, wondering if she' should go out. She strengthened herself, steeling her heart from another attack by the harsh outside world, and opened the door. Heero's bag that she threw out last night was already gone.

‘I guess he already left.’ She felt empty again, like the way she had almost gotten used to…

**********

3 days have passed…

A girl with short black hair was waiting inside a restaurant. "She's kinda late today."

"Nah, don't worry." He answered her and took another bite at his burger. He hadn’t even finished the first mouthful.

"Duo, don't talk while chewing." Hilde chastised, and took a sip at her lemonade.

Duo placed his hand over Hilde's shoulders. "Hey, I have already improved! My words are much more clearer now than before while chewing."

She removed his hands testily. "Hey, I don't the people to see me with a pig. Oh, here she comes."

Relena walked towards Hilde and Duo and sat across them. "Sorry guys, did I make you wait long?"

"Oh, no, I already have 5 burgers." Duo said, grinning.

Hilde slapped him. "No, he's just too hungry to eat that fast and plenty. Do you want to order something to eat or drink?"

"I'm not hungry or anything." Relena rested her back on the chair and crossed her arms. "Any news from Heero?" she looked at the windows.

Hilde and Duo looked at each other. "Well…we…um, received an invitation." Hilde finally spoke up and looked at Relena. "A wedding invitation." her eyes fell on the table.

Duo's expression changed. "You know, Relena, I think everything about this is a foul play. Remember when we had a gathering before? He told me that he has plans to marry you. He was totally and madly in love with you…"

"Duo." Relena interrupted him. "People do change."

"I know Heero, we have been together for a long time. He is a loyal person or I can also say that he is a one-woman-man." Duo crossed his arms.

Relena looked at him. "How can you prove that to me? The things happening right now are clear. If the words you're telling me right now are correct, these things should not be happening to me."

Hilde looked at her. "Relena, I think that Duo is right. I don't think that Heero would do such things. Why don't we try to investigate or let him explain."

"It's too late. Their wedding is getting nearer, we don't have much time." Her voice was soft and restless.

"It's better late than never." Hilde smiled.

Relena nodded slowly. "Okay, Duo, could you tell Heero that we need to meet? Make sure that this Sylvia wouldn't know about it."

"Hai, Relena, your message will be delivered safely." Duo grinned.

"That's my friend! Wait, where will you meet?" Hilde asked.

"Tell him to meet me at Starbucks (wow, those things are still around?) tomorrow at twelve." Relena grabbed her bag. "I'm going, I still have a meeting to attend." she stood up, waving goodbye.

As soon as she was gone Hilde and Duo smiled at each other. "Finish your food, you have some work to do."

Heero was sitting on his table, staring at the picture of Relena. He traced her face slowly, and then he looked at the letter he just made for her. A loud bang on the door of his apartment distracted him from his concentration. He stood up and opened the door.

"Heero! Can I come in?" Duo said cheerfully.

Heero stepped back and allowed Duo to get in and closed the door. He walked towards his bed and sat. "Okay, what are you doing here?’ his voice was flat.

Duo grabbed a chair placed it in front of Heero and sat there. "I have news that would really interest you. So I hope you will listen."

"What is it? Is my wedding canceled? That would be the best news." Heero crossed his arms.

"No. Relena made me deliver a message for you." Duo smiled.

Heero's mood changed. His face lit up. "What did she say? Can I go back at the mansion and have her in my arms? Did she…"

"No." Duo smirked. "But I know this would still interest you."

"Then what is it?" he crossed his arms once again.

Duo cleared his throat. "She wants you to meet her tomorrow at Starbucks at twelve."

Heero smiled and stood up. "I'll be there." He walked to his desk and picked Relena's picture up. "Duo wish me luck, this might be my chance."

"You got it."

Relena was sitting in front of her desk contemplating the future. ‘Have I made the right decision? I'm going to make a scene first, and THEN give him this letter.’ She touched the envelope that had Heero's name and sprayed her perfume on it. Her eyes continued to stare at his name. She stood up, feeling drained. Her hand reached for her radio but she drew it back. ‘I might hear songs that could make my feelings heavier.’ She walked to her bed and jumped in. Her arms reached for a pillow and embraced it, but it simply couldn’t replace a warm human body, and one human body in particular. Finally, she closed her eyes and sleep overcame her.

**********

"Heero!" a girl's voice called outside his apartment.

He rushed towards the door, hoping it was Relena. Heero was disappointed it was Sylvia. She was carrying a box.

"Why don't we spend the whole day together?" she kissed him in the cheek and passed by Heero's side. "I brought a cake so we could have something to eat."

Heero closed the door. "I'm not hungry and I'm going somewhere else."

"Where are you going? Why didn't you tell me that you're leaving today." Sylvia's voice came from the kitchen.

"Do I have to tell you everything?" he said loudly.

Sylvia came out of the kitchen. "Of course, we're getting married so I have to know." She placed her hands on her hips and walked towards Heero. "Doesn't it honey?"

"We're not yet married, so all of my activities are none of your business." Heero walked to his desk and grabbed his keys. ‘And I don't have any plans marrying you!’ He grabbed his jacket and went to the door. "I'm going; you should better get out of here."

"I just came here!" she protested.

"I don't care." He opened the door and pointed out. "Leave."

Sylvia followed his orders. "Okay." She walked towards the door and looked at Heero before getting out. "Maybe, I should come with you, I have my car."

He closed the door and locked it. "No, I don't need company. Just go home and don't you dare follow me." Heero started to walk.

"Why? Are you hiding something?" she followed him.

He stopped and turned around. "Just do what I said. Stop following me or else I will…"

"Kill you? Just like what you did to my grandfather?" Sylvia raised her eyebrows and walked towards her car.

Heero watched her leave. ‘If I need to.’ He threatened, then turned and walked away.

Relena was sitting down and staring at the window. She could smell her Cappuccino; she looked at it, and the cup was still full. When she was about to sip at her coffee, Heero came.

He sat across Relena. "Um, Duo told me that you wanted to see me."

Relena looked at the window, unable to meet his gaze. "Heero, there's a guy courting me and I think that he loves me."

‘No way! Nobody loves you more than I do.’ Heero looked down at the table; his hands were under the table, gripping the letter. "Does he really love you?" his voice was silent.

‘Heero, defend your love for me.’ Relena nodded slowly.

"Do you love him?" Heero asked.

"Kind of." Relena answered, her mouth turning upward in a mischievous grin. Silence fell on both of them for a while, then she stood up pulling out a white envelope from her bag. "Here, read this after I have left." She placed it on the table and went off.

Heero stared at the envelope. He reached for it and opened it slowly. His eyes started to read the letter.

Dearest Heero,

From the moment that I saw you, I fell in love instantly. I was a princess without a knight before you came into my life, but you quickly became more than a knight to me.

When you left, I was greatly disturbed. I wasn't prepared for it, I had got used having you near. I felt so lonely and incomplete inside. But then you came back. Bringing back the sunshine, joy overcame my sadness. Everything was doing fine but suddenly a storm appeared, destroying all my dreams.

You have found the love that you needed and I'm sorry that you haven't found it in me. I'm also sorry if I have bothered you a lot. I just do hope that you will be happy with her.

I can't face you anymore. One last favor, please don't call or send me anything. It will be just a waste of time, resources and energy on your part, for I won't entertain any of them. Before this letter ends, I would like to tell you that no one's courting me. It was just a test.

Always,

Relena

Heero's hands started to form into fists. Indeed, he was starting to get angry to himself. ‘I'm so stupid! No, Relena, I'll never let you go. I'm going to end this situation.’ He stood up and went out.

**********

There was a loud bang on Duo's apartment. Hilde stopped reading the newspaper and opened the door. "Heero?!"

"Hi, Hilde, I need to talk to you guys." Heero said still standing outside. His voice seemed more like a demand than a request. ‘Same ol’ Heero.’ Hilde thought.

"Oh sure." Hilde led him to the kitchen. "Duo, Heero's here!" she looked at Heero. "Is there something that you want to eat?"

Heero sat on a chair, and shook his head. "No, I'm not hungry."

Suddenly Duo came into the kitchen. "So, why are you here?"

"I need you guys to help me fix this situation once and for all." Heero said cryptically.

Duo sat beside Heero. "Hey, I thought you were going to fix it yesterday?’

Heero pulled out a letter from his pocket and placed it on the table. "Read this."

Hilde sat closer to Duo and they both read the letter. "Oh, no this is getting worse. What do you want us to do? Your wedding will be tomorrow." Hilde asked.

"Well, I do have a plan…" Heero crossed his arms.

Duo and Hilde leaned forward in anticipation…

"Hilde, are you serious?!"

"Yup." Hilde said, sitting at Relena's bed.

Relena sighed heavily. She started to walk back and fourth in front of Hilde. "You know that I can't do that!"

"Hey, I'm not telling you to kill someone or anything. I want you to go to Heero's wedding. Just a final glance at him before he goes." Hilde said.

"You're not making me feel better. And that's not a good reason for me to go." Relena stopped walking and stood in front of Hilde.

Hilde crossed her arms. "Okay, look. You want to treat Heero now just like a brother, right? Then be a big sister and support him in his wedding. If this still won't convince you to go, I'll grab you all the way to the church!"

"All right, I'm going but I'll not stay for more than 5 minutes." Relena raised her right eyebrow and crossed her arms.

Hilde stood up. "Thank you, best friend! Let's go shopping."

"Shopping? What for?" Relena asked.

"We have to buy something we could wear in the wedding. We should look nice there." Hilde smiled and pulled Relena out of her bedroom. ‘You don't know what you're getting into.’

**********

Wedding day…

"Oh, my God, you look so beautiful honey!" Mrs. Noventa stared at grand daughter wearing a white off-the-shoulder wedding dress.

Sylvia smiled. "Thank you grandma. Without you, my wish could have not came true." She walked towards her grandmother and embraced her tenderly.

Mrs. Noventa fixed Sylvia's veil. "You know what, I'm going to miss you so much. It reminds me of your mother when she was getting married. If she was still alive right now, I know that she'd also be proud of you."

"Grandma, don't make me cry." Sylvia picked up the bouquet of white roses.

"I'm sorry, my dear. We should go now; we wouldn't want to make your groom wait too long. I'll wait for you downstairs." Mrs. Noventa kissed Sylvia's forehead and left the room.

Sylvia sat down at her bed. ‘I should be happy but why is it I'm feeling that something's not right?’ She stood up and looked at the full-length mirror. ‘It's just my imagination.’ Her lips began to curve in a smile.

She went out of her bedroom, there was the butler waiting for her. As she went down the stairs, all the servants praised her. Mrs. Noventa was waiting for her at the car. The butler escorted her to the car.

"I love you." Mrs. Noventa said.

"I love you too." Sylvia smiled and got into the car. The butler closed the door and the car went off.

Mrs. Noventa's cell phone rang. She picked it up and answered. "Hello?"

"Ma'am, the groom is not here yet." One of the servants called.

"What? He should be there already! Maybe he was stuck in traffic. I'm going there now, try to call Heero." Mrs. Noventa closed her phone. ‘I hope that he'll appear at the church.’ She got into the car and went off.

"I want to go home." Relena murmured.

Hilde looked at her, and replied adamantly, "No you're not." She grabbed Relena's hand to make sure that she wasn't going anywhere.

They were both silent sitting at the back of the car until they reached a church. Hilde finally spoke up "Here we are!" she said excitedly.

They both got out of the car and walked towards the entrance of the church. It was decorated with white roses. The doors of the church were still closed. "Are you sure that we are in the right church?" Relena asked, walking towards the door. She was wearing a long, strapless white gown with a slit about three inches above her knees.

Hilde stood in front of her. "I want you to be beautiful today."

"Why? This isn't my wedding. Come on, I'm leaving early." Relena grabbed Hilde's hand.

Catherine suddenly came out. "Relena! You look so lovely today." One of her hands was behind her back. She went behind Relena and fixed her hair, and then she placed a long veil with flowers. "There, it matches your gown. Trowa! She's ready."

Trowa went out and offered his hand to Relena. "Let's go in."

Relena was starting to get confused. "Guys, what in the world are you doing? Why am I wearing this veil and…"

"Your flowers!" Dorothy came out with a bouquet of white orchids. She handed it to Relena. "Everything's ready." She shouted.

The doors suddenly opened. Inside the church there were only few people. The orchestra started playing. Dorothy, Hilde and Catherine marched down the isle. After they reached their destination, Trowa and Relena followed.

"Trowa, where's the bride?" Relena asked in a low voice.

Trowa smiled. "I'm escorting her to the groom right now."

Relena was surprised and looked at him. "Me?"

Trowa nodded.

Relena started to look around. She saw on her left side the three girls giggling as they look at her. On her left side were Quatre and Wu Fei in the second pew. Heero was standing in front with Duo at his back. As they reached the front, Trowa went to the side of Duo.

Heero walked to the dumbstruck Relena. He fell on his knees and withdrew a small red box. Inside, a glittering in a bed of blue velvet was a simple yet elegant diamond ring. Relena gaped at it in astonishment. He began to speak. "Relena, I know I’ve made a botch out of things and I don’t deserve you at all. But I still have to try. I never loved anyone but you, and never intended or wanted to be wed to anyone else but you. Please believe me: Sylvia was nothing to me. So, I humbly ask that you consent to marry me." He bowed his head.

Relena looked at him. She smiled tearfully, and surprised that she was able to say anything at all, answered "Yes. Oh, god, yes." Tears rolled down her cheeks, taking all the pain of the last few weeks with them, leaving only joy.

Heero stood up and placed the ring at her right ring finger. He took her hand and guided her to the altar. A tear fell from Relena’s cheek.

Heero wiped it away. "Don’t cry honey, our wedding is about to start."

Relena nodded and both of them looked at the priest.

Sylvia was crying loudly. She couldn't believe that Heero wasn't in the church yet, four hours had already passed. The day was almost over.

"Sylvia, shhh, don't cry." Her grandmother didn't know how to comfort her grand daughter. ‘Where's Heero? How dare he do this to my grand daughter!’

"Ma'am, we can't contact his phone." The driver informed Mrs. Noventa.

"C'mon, Sylvia, let's go home, I'll try to look for him. An accident could have happened to him or whatsoever. We can continue your wedding tomorrow." Mrs. Noventa guided her to the car and stopped in front of one of their servants. "Please tell the people that the wedding is cancelled." Then they both got into the car and went home.

"…And I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

"For the second time!" Duo shouted.

Heero glared at Duo. He faced Relena and kissed her tenderly, wrapping his arms around her. When he pulled away, he saw Relena blushing and smiled.

Relena was speechless, she didn't know what else to say. It was the happiest day of her life, knowing that Heero really loved her and not Sylvia.

Duo whispered at Trowa. "Do you think Heero will pay us for those rings? Sheesh, the diamond ring was almost a fortune."

Trowa glared at him. "Is your money all you can think of right now?! Look, we just made a friend really happy! Besides, Quatre covered most of the expenses."

"Hey, look here, I'm going to take a picture of you guys." Wu Fei shouted, "I figured one of us should make a record of this mistake waiting to happen."

Relena gasped for a second, then realized that it was just Wu Fei being Wu Fei, and he was making an attack on marriage in general, not the two being joined on this day.

Heero and Relena looked at Wu Fei and then finally smiled for the camera.

Quatre went to Heero and Relena. "Why don't we have a picture with them?" All of them went beside the couple. " Then who's going to take the picture?" Wu Fei asked. He hadn’t even really wanted to come in the first place, let alone be recognized as being a part of the charade.

"I can do that." The priest volunteered. Wu Fei handed him the camera, albeit reluctantly. The priest stood in front of them. "Okay. 1,2,3… smile!"

It was twelve already in the midnight and Mrs. Noventa wasn't asleep yet. She was wondering where Heero could be. She kept on calling Heero's phone, but it couldn't be reached. ‘Maybe he went back to the colonies to escape the wedding.’ Her mind started to wonder. ‘Could he be…?’ "George, prepare my car. I'm going to find Mr.Yuy."

"Grandma, I'm going with you!" Sylvia shouted, running down the stairs.

"No honey, stay here and sleep. Wait for me." Mrs. Noventa took her coat and headed towards the door.

Sylvia ran faster and grabbed her grandmother's arm. "No, I'm going with you. I can't sleep until Heero is found."

Mrs. Noventa sighed. "All right, let's go."

They both went out. "Grandma, do you know where we will find him?" Sylvia said, sitting in the passengers' side of the car.

"Yes, my dear." Mrs. Noventa started the car and drove out of their driveway.

There was a loud knock on Relena's bedroom. Heero opened it.

"Sir, someone wants to see you." The butler said.

Heero rubbed his neck. "Tell that person that I'll talk to him in the morning."

"Sir, it's a girl."

‘Its Sylvia, what the hell does she want?’ "Relena, I'm going downstairs for a while." Heero closed the door behind him and followed the butler to the guestroom. He saw Sylvia with her grandmother.

"What the hell are you doing in here? You were supposed to be in the church!" Sylvia shouted at him.

"For your information, I don't want to marry you and I don't owe you anything at all." Heero said in a cold voice.

Mrs. Noventa stood up. "Where did you go while we were waiting for you at the church?"

Heero lifted his left hand. "See this ring, I got married in a different church, and to a beautiful girl." He smiled.

Sylvia stood in front of him. "You married Relena and left me in the church, you asshole!" she was about to slap Heero but he blocked her hand. Heero pushed her away.

Mrs. Noventa catched Sylvia. "How dare you hurt her so much!"

"Look ladies, if you don't have anything else important to say, get out of here so I can still continue what I was doing three hours ago." Heero gave them both a glare. "Guards, get these ladies out."

Two guards went in and escorted Sylvia and Mrs. Noventa out of the mansion.

Heero smiled. ‘At last, its over.’ He went upstairs and entered the bedroom. Relena was lying down in the bed, waiting for him.

"Where have you been?" she pushed the blanket to her chest.

Heero went near the bed and removed his robe. He slid into the blanket and moved closer to Relena. "I just fixed something."

"What did you fix?" Relena asked.

Heero embraced her tightly, feeling the warmth of her body. "Never mind… let's continue what we were doing." He turned the lamp off.

THE END

Any comments? Please write to me at heerorelena@edsamail.com.ph