"Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief."
--Proverbs 14:13

"Heero...is that you?"

Relena Peacecraft giggled through her tears at Duo's goggled expression as the American pilot stared at them from across the room. "Duo, you silly, who else do you think can get into my bedroom in the middle of the night with you four guys stalking around?"

"Heero...!" Duo Maxwell took a couple steps forward. "Does...does this mean you're back for good, pal?"

"I will stay with Relena," Heero Yuy replied, his voice as soft and even as ever. Relena's love had strengthened him again; now he knew where he belonged and his old resolve was returning.

Duo gaped at him for another few seconds before his wide, familiar smile slid into place. "Well, I'd never believe it if I hadn't seen it!" he said, crossing his arms to regard his old friend. "The prodigal father returns. So, how's paternity sitting with you, 'Daddy?'"

Heero shot him a glare, but Relena touched his arm, softening his face just a little. "Get lost, Duo," he said, his voice that same warning tone he used when he announced his intent to kill.

"Oh yeah! The Perfect Soldier has returned!" Duo crowed, as if Heero had just paid him a compliment instead of threatened his life. "Yeehaw! See ya, guys!"

With that, the pilot of Deathscythe Hell turned and bolted down the hall, hollering at the top of his lungs and raising every human being in the house--and probably most of them in the neighboring town.

Heero made a small displeased noise in the back of his throat, but Relena embraced him again. "You'd have to deal with them sooner or later. I'd prefer sooner," she purred, "so I can have you later."

Heero's eyes flew wider than she'd ever seen them. But Kanya picked that moment to awaken, probably due to the sudden flurry of noise downstairs, and began to cry. Relena hustled to his side.

"Oh, baby, come on now," she cooed, picking him up. "I just got you to sleep a couple hours ago, too. Come on, Kanya." She rocked him up and down, only dimming his cries a little.

Heero instinctively reached out. "Here...can I...?"

Relena looked at him, smiled, and handed Kanya to him. Hero held his son close for the second time, feeling those powerful emotions thrilling through him once more. Gently, he stroked Kanya's dark-haired little head, calming the infant with his touch.

"Well, what do you know?" Relena said, half relieved and half tearful. "You're a natural."

Her comment startled him. He glanced at her, then back at his son. "I don't know what I'm doing," he stated.

Relena smiled. "That makes two of us. But you're already doing just great."

Heero felt his cheeks warm slightly at her compliment. He felt clumsy with the child in his arms; he honestly had no earthly clue how to care for an infant.

The others finally arrived, flooding the room, an excited crowd of pajamaed young women and still-dressed young men--Duo and the other pilots, except for Wufei; Hilde and Sally and the other girls. They clustered around the two startled young parents, all chattering at once--with the exception of Trowa, who gave Heero a small understanding smile and a clasp on the shoulder by way of greeting.

Heero tensed at the rush of people that pressed around him, unsure with the baby he was holding and the incessant voices all about. Like a wild thing, he grew nervous from the press of humanity, but the reassurance of his friends helped to calm him.

Quatre Winner's smile could have reached from one end of a colony to the other--and yet was still dwarfed by Duo's enormous grin. Sally Po was practically crying from seeing Relena so happy. Hilde hugged her, while Catherine tried to hide her smile behind a reprimanding glare at Heero. However, the joyous, overwhelming reunion was interrupted by pounding feet coming up the hall.

"Where is he?" demanded a harsh voice from the doorway. Everyone drew back to give Chang Wufei the space he needed to storm into the room, straight at Heero. The Chinese pilot's eyes were dark and enraged. "Heero Yuy...!"

Wufei's fist shot out--but Heero's free hand stopped his strike cold a few inches from his face, gripping like a vice, leaving the other helpless and momentarily shocked. "One moment," he said levelly. With his other arm, he passed Kanya back to Relena, then released Wufei's hand. "You may continue."

Wufei drew back and stared at him incredulously for an instant. Then he lunged once again. Heero could have stopped him just as easily, but he let the other youth hit him. This time, Wufei's fist connected with Heero's jaw, sending the Perfect Soldier crashing backwards into the table and causing the baby to cry again.

"You bastard!" Wufei snarled. "You got her pregnant and then went off and left her! You should pay with your life for this injustice to your woman! If you ever do something so dishonorable to Relena again, I swear I will kill you with my own sword!" Wufei apparently didn't realize how much danger he could be in. He seemed to have forgotten that Heero had just allowed himself to be struck; his actually being able to kill Heero was second to the honor-driven need to demand restitution.

After lying still for a moment, Heero calmly stood up and gazed at him, unperturbed. "If I ever do something so dishonorable to Relena again, I will come and ask you to kill me."

Wufei stared stiffly at the other pilot for a minute, surprised. Then he nodded shortly, turned on his heel, and strode away.

"Give the guy a break, Wufei, he just--ow! Okay, okay...!" Duo came to the front of the group again, rubbing his stomach. "Well, that went well. Considering how the Justice Avenger was vowing to carve you up into little pieces when you finally showed your...how did he put it? 'No-good, dishonorable, scum-sucking face.'"

"Duo!" Hilde hissed.

"Fortunately for you," Duo went on blithely, "Relena's little speeches about not killing the father of her child and all that must have made an impression. Wufei agreed--he thought the punishment should be left up to her."

Heero raised an eyebrow.

"Thank you, Duo," Relena said wryly.

The others clustered around Heero again, too. Hilde and Sally actually hugged him--he went rigid from the unexpected contact, surprised, but actually found himself a bit warmed by the affection. These people had actually missed him--and now that he was back, they wanted him to stay, and they wanted his friendship. He found that a difficult concept to grasp. He knew what it was like to be needed--his missions had needed him, the colonies had needed him, the Gundam team had needed him--but he'd never really been wanted before. Except for Relena and Duo, no one had ever seemed to want him around on a friendly basis.

"Hey, you guys, we need to celebrate!" Catherine said loudly, trying to get everyone's attention. "It's not too late for hot cocoa, is it?"

"Hell no!" Duo exclaimed, licking his lips. "Cath, you're a genius. Hot chocolate's the perfect celebratory beverage for this time of year."

"Are we out of cookies?" Sally asked with a sideways glare at Duo, the official Eating Machine of the household.

"That's not fair, Sal; I've got respect for Christmas cookies," Duo protested.

"Respect enough not to eat them?" Sally challenged.

"Let's go see what we can find," Quatre said before the argument could escalate, trying to draw Catherine and Sally with him. The three hurried downstairs, eager to prepare a sweet snack for their newly-returned comrade.

"You'll come on down and join us, won't you, Heero?" Hilde asked.

Heero hesitated a second, then nodded. Hilde smiled graciously and headed for the door after the others. She paused to glare over her shoulder at Duo and snap, "And you behave yourself!" before disappearing.

"They were enthusiastic," Heero said after a minute.

"Che!" Duo snorted, leaning on the bedpost. "That's an understatement."

Relena thought for a second. "Oh, by the way--Duo, what was it you needed?"

"Huh...?" Deathscythe Hell's pilot blinked for a second. "Oh... Um...Hilde swiped my laundry. My stuff's not in the dryer, and I need a new pair of...well..."

Relena giggled. "Hilde said she got tired of walking past your room and seeing the piles of clothes all over. She did your laundry for you--every bit of it."

"But where's my stuff? It's not in the laundry room."

"Didn't you look in your drawers?" Relena asked incredulously.

"I--" Duo broke off, reddening a little. "No."

"My God, a most unlikely place," Heero deadpanned, not twitching a bit.

Duo cleared his throat. "I'll be back..." Muttering something about Hilde and her neat-freak ways, he trotted off toward the stairs.

When he was gone, Relena laughed aloud and Heero actually smiled a little.

Trowa gave a soft snort that might have been the shadow of a chuckle. "For Duo, that is an unlikely place. Even if he's only visiting, he still keeps his stuff in his own personal organizing system."

Heero let out the ghost of a sigh, a breath of relief he didn't know he'd been holding since the day he'd left Relena alone. He was...home. Duo. Trowa. Quatre. The girls. Even Wufei. He was home, amongst friends.

The sound of voices from downstairs drew them to the bedroom doorway, hearing Quatre and Catherine calling out to them that the water was getting hot and the snacks were ready. They headed downstairs as one, Relena carrying Kanya and Heero walking close to her, with Trowa behind.

"Just what the hell is going on in this house?" demanded a sharp, commanding voice. "Why is everyone running about at this ungodly hour--?"

Heero was unprepared for the sight of Zechs Merquise standing there in the downstairs hallway, dressed in his nightrobe and looking quite perturbed with the situation. Then his eyes locked on to Heero, and his face shifted into a thunderous expression of rage. "You!"

Relena stepped between them, cradling Kanya. "Milli, no--stop it right now--Milliardo, you listen to me--!" The touch of Heero's hands cut her off; he was drawing her back, pushing her behind him, out of harm's way. His eyes never left her brother's. Danger crackled between them.

"Zechs," Trowa said warningly, not that it would do any good. "I wouldn't attack him right now." The acrobat and animal trainer knew that Heero was still emotionally unbalanced--he might not show it, but Trowa could sense it in his every movement. Newly bonded to his infant offspring and reunited with the girl he loved most, he was extremely protective right then and any possible confrontation--anything that could be perceived as a threat to Relena or Kanya--would be answered with deadly force.

Milliardo Peacecraft did not spare any of the others a single glance. He did not care now for warnings. His cold, ice-blue gaze was reserved only for Heero. "Yuy," he snarled, voice low, hands fisting. He seemed to be choking to find words foul enough to express himself. "You... You bastard freak...you...you honorless lowlife...you whorespawn halfbred loser...!"

"Milli!" Relena gasped from behind Heero.

"How dare you show your face in this house! After what you did to my sister--!"

Heero tensed even more, gathering himself. Zechs was going to try to lay him out, just like Wufei had.

But Zechs was not Wufei. Zechs was not his friend. Wufei was someone who, though angry at him, was mad out of concern rather than jealousy and dislike. Wufei would never hurl such pointed barbs at him, with the intent to cripple and injure--and those spiteful, half-true insults stung deep inside, though he did not show it on his face other than a tightening around his eyes.

Zechs had never liked him. Never welcomed him. Never tried to understand him or help him out of friendship--not like Relena and the pilots and the girls. Zechs merely tolerated him until the day he could finally achieve his grand, final battle--either to win great victory or go down in flaming glory. Zechs did not care about him. Zechs would give him no quarter, would try to hurt him--and above all else, would try to take Relena and Kanya away from him...

Zechs was an enemy.

Everyone that knew Heero knew the look in his eyes. Anyone that knew better would have taken a long step backward--except Zechs. Trowa took one look at the stricken expression on Relena's face--and it made his decision. He turned and sprinted for the kitchen to rouse the pilots to stop the confrontation. They might be Zechs' only hope of survival tonight.

The acrobatic pilot pulled into the kitchen so fast his feet screeched on the floor and he nearly overbalanced himself. "Get out here," he said, his voice terse and desperate. "Zechs found out Heero's back."

Although he had not spoken loudly, the tone of his voice caused an instant hush in the room. Few had ever heard Trowa speak above the level of a low monotone, and when he did raise his voice it brought them all instantly to attention.

"Damn!" Duo spat, and was off his chair and bolting for the hall in less than a second. Quatre followed, with Wufei--who had been standing in the kitchen corner--right on his tail.

Back in the hallway, Relena clutched Kanya to her chest, at the same time trying to get a firm enough hold on Heero's jacket that he wouldn't advance. He didn't pull against her, not resisting her grasp. However, Zechs took it upon himself to close the distance between them in a few rigid strides.

"Milli, stop!" Relena cried. But her brother had already fisted his hands in Heero's jacket, yanking him forward.

"You scum," Milliardo snarled, "I'll see you gone if I have to throw you out myself--!"

Relena gasped when Heero moved. He was abrupt, quick, and violent, like controlled lightning as he struck. Zechs wasn't prepared for the ironlike grip to take hold of his wrists and twist--with pressure he could tell was tempered, contained--and suddenly he was flying through the air, landing on the hall floor on his back, the breath knocked out of him. With a grunt, he rolled to his feet, teeth gritted as he prepared to come at Heero again.

The other pilots made it in time to see Heero throw the pilot of Epyon. Trowa and Duo went immediately to Heero, while Wufei and Quatre faced Zechs. Before Milliardo could rise, Wufei's hand gripped his shoulder. "Don't, Zechs," the Chinese pilot warned. "Do you really want to die tonight?"

"He held back," Quatre told the older man softly. "He didn't hurt you...for Miss Relena's sake. Please, stop this."

Meanwhile, Duo gripped Heero's arm, keeping hold in case he had to stop another row. "What's all this about, anyway?" he asked. "Why are you two at it again?"

"He started it," Heero stated, his voice low and intense. However childish the statement might have been, when spoken by the Perfect Soldier it was not petulant in the least.

"I don't doubt it," Trowa said, glancing from one to the other. Unlike Duo, he hadn't laid a finger on Wing Zero's pilot--he had reassessed the situation and determined that his earlier alarm had been unfounded. Heero would do no killing tonight.

Relena stepped in beside Heero, looking up at him. She knew the look in his eyes and what it meant--she understood how much of his strength and temper he was reigning in. She knew that Heero had just let her brother off infinitely easy. Just for grabbing his jacket, he could have broken Milliardo's wrists without effort. Heck, Heero could have pulled his arms out of their sockets, splintered his bones, broken his neck, crushed his ribs--any number of grisly fates. But all her brother had gotten was a toss to the floor and some bruised pride. Heero could have done much worse to him--but hadn't.

Heero took a step forward, only to have Duo lean into the grip on his arm. "Oh, no you don't, pal. Don't start somethin' in front of the ladies."

The Perfect Soldier flicked a glance down the hall. The other girls had finally made it in from the kitchen and were standing nearby in silence, nervously watching. Sally looked concerned, Catherine disappointed. Hilde had her hands on her hips, a pensive expression on her face, as if she weren't sure whether to go in and tell off the two combatants or just stay the hell out of the whole thing.

Heero's eyes narrowed. However much the others wanted to stop the violence, he had a few things he needed to get across to his longtime rival. He really wanted to reduce the arrogant pilot of Epyon to a pile of well-softened jelly on the floor--but that would hurt and upset Relena, so he had to use his only other option. "Let go, Duo," he warned.

"Like hell! We don't need this right now! Stop--oof!" With a shove from Heero--a shove that seemed almost gentle compared to the way he'd dealt with Zechs--Duo stumbled backwards to fall on his rear. "Hey!" He started to rise and go after him, but Trowa stopped him with a shake of his head. The acrobat had a knowing look in his green eyes.

The Perfect Soldier strode purposefully toward Zechs, only to be faced with Chang Wufei. The two "dragons" locked stares for a few tense moments before Wufei stiffly conceded the battle and stood aside. Quatre, kneeling beside Zechs, scooted backwards, his eyes alarmed.

Everyone nearly jumped in when Heero reached down to haul Zechs up by the robe collar, much the way the older man had tried to do with him. But nothing dangerous happened, so they waited with bated breath as Heero held his rival's face mere inches from his own, his voice low, dangerous, and for Zechs' ears alone.

"Listen, I don't give a damn what you think about me," he growled. "But I love Relena and that is my son. If you can't accept that, then stay the hell away from us."

With that, he hoisted Zechs, set him on his feet, and took three steps back. His gaze almost challenged the taller man to refute him, to attack him again. The hall remained deathly silent as the two stared each other down. Zechs looked as though he were about to take him up on his dare.

A shrill, rising whistle, like the sound of a falling bomb, made them all jump.

As the noise rose raucously from the direction of the kitchen, Relena stepped up to Heero and her brother, nearly coming between them. Her gaze was disappointed and reprimanding as she looked at Milliardo, but brightened as her eyes met Heero's. "Well, listen to that! The water's ready," she announced to the gathering, her voice forcibly cheerful, forcibly changing the subject. "Let's go have some cocoa and cider, shall we?" Her message to both of the men she loved was primly clear: Now is not the time for this.

"What a great idea!" Hilde gushed, picking up the cue--and her boyfriend, who was still sitting on the floor looking puzzled. She led him in the direction of the kitchen, trying to snag as many of the others as possible. Gradually, the tension began to ease, and the pilots and the girls began to drift toward the food.

Catherine clapped her hands, taking charge. "Okay, everybody to the kitchen! The mugs are on the table--and careful with the hot water!"

"Did you manage to find some cookies?" Relena asked her, still being cheerful. She turned to Heero with a sweet smile and carefully set Kanya in his arms. "Could you watch him for a bit? I'm going to help her serve out snacks. Hurry up, will you?" she said to his startled gaze.

Being handed his son took all the fight out of Heero. Apparently Relena had picked just the right thing to defuse the situation, because Zechs took a step back in surprise as well; he wouldn't--couldn't attack his rival now. Heero stared after her for a moment, bewildered and quite astonished. Cradling the baby, he spared one last warning glare at Zechs and headed off after her, with Quatre and Wufei bringing up the rear.

As they went, Duo shrugged. "I still have no idea what just happened."

"Nothing," Trowa replied. "Nothing we need to worry about. Heero won't kill Zechs--at least not right away."

Wufei snorted. "Feh. Saved by the women. How pathetic."

"I'm not complaining," Quatre replied, a wry, understanding smile on his gentle face as they turned into the kitchen.

Zechs was left standing alone in the hallway, ruffled, indignant, and fuming. Heero's terse, sincere words angered him for some unfathomable reason, but the hurt, disappointed look on Relena's face held his temper in check. He desperately wanted to inflict severe bodily harm on the scrawny bastard who had gotten his little sister pregnant and then run for the hills--but Relena was in love with said bastard, and said bastard was in love with her as well...

"...I love Relena and that is my son..."

Zechs gritted his teeth. "Damn him..."

"Zechs, why on earth are you so upset?" asked a familiar soft, wry female voice--wry, if a little sleepy.

"Lucrezia," he stated, turning to face her, a little startled that she'd come up on him. She gazed at him expectantly, dressed in her own nightrobe, her dark hair falling over her eyes. "Heero Yuy is back," he said angrily.

"I know--I saw your little, er, conversation." Surprisingly, Lucrezia Noin smiled widely. "It's wonderful that he's returned! Relena must be so happy..."

"She is," Zechs said, bitterness evident in his voice.

"And you went and picked a fight with Heero, even after all the talks you've had with Relena," she said pointedly. "Oh, Zechs, when are you ever going to learn to leave well enough alone?" Softly frustrated, she embraced his rigid form.

Zechs grimaced, still angry. "I just can't understand how she can still have feelings for a selfish boy who ran away the moment he found out--"

Noin's fingers on his mouth silenced him. "They're just kids, Zechs--kids who made a mistake and now they're trying their best to live with it. They love each other. They've obviously worked things out between themselves...why can't you just let them be?"

"If he up and leaves every time things get difficult--"

"If he's come back now...I don't think you have to worry any more." Noin regarded him sternly. "You and I both know Heero is incapable of harming Relena. I know we all tend to think of them both as adults--a Gundam pilot and a world leader--but we have to remember that they're still just kids."

"Yuy is a coward!" Zechs hissed. "A coward and a cur!"

"He's just a boy, Zechs," Lucrezia replied, a bit sharply, as they began to walk slowly towards the kitchen. "A young boy in love with a young girl, and they got a little wild. Don't you think it scared him to death to find out she was pregnant? Put yourself in his shoes. I know Heero's got guts of steel when it comes to war, but with something like this..." She drew a deep breath. "What if it had happened to us? We were lucky enough not to have to face these kinds of consequences at that age. Heero and Relena just...didn't have our luck."

"Luck had nothing to do with it," Zechs replied, a bit haughtily. "We were responsible about our relationship."

Noin chuckled softly, exhasperatedly amused. Just outside the kitchen door, she halted, Zechs stopping beside her. "Look," she whispered, gazing in the door, staying where the others couldn't see them. With a gesture, she directed the other's line of sight to where Heero stood close beside Relena at the counter. The younger Peacecraft was smiling and laughing as she doled out the decorated sugar cookies. Heero had an astonishingly gentle expression directed towards her as he remained at her side, cradling his son--a gentle expression that would not have been there had Zechs been in the room.

"Look at them," Noin whispered softly. "Look at him. Just look how much he loves that baby. Look how much he loves your little sister."

Zechs looked, and saw--something he didn't want to see. "But..."

"You can't always have her, darling," Lucrezia said gently, putting her arm around him. "You're going to have to let her go someday. Let him protect her now. There's no one better for the job--not even you."

Zechs found that he had nothing to say. His anger at Yuy still bubbled and frothed, but it was a slow boil now, not the volcanic eruption it had been before. He could hold himself in check, for now. He still didn't like the idea of Heero staying anywhere near his sister, but there was nothing he could do about it. Not without hurting the one he wanted to save.

"There's no pleasing you, is there?" Noin said, seeing the frown on his face. "If he stays away, he's a coward, but if he comes back you won't let up on him. Make up your mind, Zechs. Would you rather Relena be safe and happy or lonely and miserable?"

"That's unfair," he growled.

"Try to remember who's being unfair to who when you say that." Noin regarded him firmly for a few moments. "Well, I for one don't want to miss the welcome-home party," she said, smiling again. "Are you coming with me? If you are, you'd darn well better be civil or..."

"Or what?"

"Or you're sleeping on the couch."

Zechs scowled thunderously, as close to pouting as he ever got, but followed her through the door. The warmth and light of the kitchen, along with the smiles of their friends, bade them welcome. Pleasant voices greeted Noin as she entered the room, and everyone tiptoed carefully around Zechs as he seated himself. But the cocoa was hot and the cookies tasty, and everyone soon forgot the tension that had previously enveloped them. Even Heero, who had long thought he'd never need such weak emotional trivialities, found himself enjoying the love and laughter, and the light of friendship.

"I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow."
--Jeremiah 31:13b

Well, I finally got it done! I hope nobody was completely gagged by this chapter. This is kind of the reunion part, not too much WAFF but enough to keep it fuzzy. I know Zechs is being a meanie, but Shattered Harmony will help change his attitude. And besides, there's no love lost between him and Heero, anyway. Zechs fans, don't get me wrong--I like Zechs! He's cool! It's just part of the story.

Part 5 is coming soon, and as far as I know that will be the end of Promise of Peace, unless it becomes too long and I have to break #5 into two parts. Beware of sugary-sweetness coming up. I've gotta make it as WAFFy as possible so the bad turn will shock you! Be prepared! See ya then, folks!