Symbol of Honor
Epilogue
By Lady Saffir

DISCLAIMER: Lemme check my notes...nope, still don't own them. *sigh*

AN - No, this isn't another chapter of Choosing Fate, but I hope this will appease the masses until I can crank another chapter out. I also don't ownt the song. It can be found on the 'Romeo and Juliet' soundtrack.

I was rereading 'SoH' the other day and realized something very important. I forgot to include somewhere in there the mystery gift that Noin and Zechs bought. Talk about feeling stupid. Anyhoo, it's in here, as well as sap and mush and fluff and everything else that makes we females wish there was a man out there that actually acted this way. *sigh* ^_~

Big thanks goes out to Fatima, RM, and Cindy for checking all of my stuff over. ~GLOMP~

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Relena felt as if the world was spinning out of control. She and Heero had finally married. Life was looking pretty good.

Her gown had a detachable train, so it only took Relena moments to prepare for the reception. Noin and Catherine helped to gather the yards of fabric up, leaving it in the small side room to be picked up later.

Opening the door, Relena caught Heero in the act of wincing as he checked his shoulder wound.

"I told you not to strain, but you wouldn't listen, so it's all your fault," she informed her new husband calmly.

Trowa, standing beside Heero, turned to regard his friend.

"You haven't been married ten minutes, and she's already nagging."

"I know. Is it too late to change my mind?" Heero deadpanned, earning a glare from Relena.

"Fine," she sniffed. "I was going to tell you I'd picked out where we're honeymooning, but now you'll just have to find out with everyone else."

Heero found himself desperately hoping she hadn't picked one of the worse ideas Duo had suggested.

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The cake had been served, complete with Relena mischievously smearing some icing across her husband's face. The toasts were finished, many of them being lengthy soliloquies by the older politicians. The young minister's friends had kept their speeches short, intending to rib their two friends in private.

Then came the moment many were waiting for.

Catching Sally's attention, Heero tilted his head towards the stage. The murmur of the crowd fell as they saw the Preventer physician mount the stairs to the stage and take the microphone. After speaking quietly to the piano player, Sally motioned Quatre to join her on stage, piquing the interest of the audience even more.

The two friends held a whispered conversation, then Quatre began to play, the haunting chords carrying well in the now silent room.

The start of the music was Heero's cue, and he gently pulled an unresisting Relena onto the dance floor. Catching her one hand in his, he allowed his left hand to settle on her waist, close to where Relena held the trailing edges of her gown up.

"Heero?"

Shaking his head, the young man simply kissed his wife softly on the forehead, then began to dance.

Sally smiled from her vantage point on the stage, happy the young boy she once knew had finally grown up and found love.

/For I can stand a thousand trials, the strong who never fall, but watching stars without you my soul cries/

Heero watched as Relena's eyes widened at the song's words. Many a night they had crept through a window to perch on the roof of the Peacecraft mansion, each content to simply lie there and stare into the dark heavens. Those were the moments were each confided in the other; where they puzzled through the events of their lives.

/every heart is full of pain
I'll, I'll be aching/

An audience gathered at the edge of the dancing floor, in awe of the picture the Foreign Minister and her lethal husband made. At that moment, it was hard to remember that the two young people before them had played a large role in bringing the current peace in to life.

/'Cause I'm kissing you, oh
I'm kissing you, oh/

The reception members sighed in approval as Heero dipped his head down, capturing Relena's mouth with his own.

/Touch me deep, pure and true
Gift to me, forever/

"You did that, you know. From the first moment I saw you, something in the area of my heart twinged, and I knew that no matter what the future held, I would always carry the memory of our first meeting with me."

Heero's voice, soft against Relena's ear, caused shivers to race down her back. His admission brought tears rushing forward, and she had to hastily blink to stop them from spilling over.

/'Cause I'm kissing you, oh
I'm kissing you, oh/

The tempo sped up, and the steps of the dance leapt to match the pace. A wide circle had formed to enclose the two lovers, and it was within these confines that the Yuy's now whirled. Relena's gown began to flare outwards slightly, the white trimming lifting to skim the ground.

/Where are you now?
Where are you now?/

"I asked that every day you weren't with me. The silences were nerve wracking. I felt horrible for wishing you would blow something up, just so I would know it was you, and you were alive. You tried to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders and not ask for help, and I was so afraid for you. Afraid that you would burn out and hate life, or make a costly mistake because you grew weary. Most of all though, I was afraid that I would never know whether or not you had survived.

"Please, don't ever leave like that again. I'm not strong enough to stand it."

Relena's admissions brought for another bout of tears, and Heero could only thumb them away, and kiss her.

"I can't promise you that I won't leave again on a mission, but I swear to you that I will find my way back to you. I swear it," Heero vowed, crushing Relena to his chest, capturing her lips in a kiss that had Duo wolf whistling.

/'Cause I'm kissing you
I'm kissing you, oh/

The dance came to a close, and the couple went forward to hug and thank both Sally and Quatre for the wonderful song.

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Relena had danced with all of her friends, and was sharing the next to last dance with her brother. She found herself slightly wishing for the song to end. Milliardo had turned into a large sap as the wedding events wound down.

"The house is going to be so empty with you gone. You will visit often, won't you?"

Before she could stop herself, Relena rolled her eyes at Milliardo's words.

"I live ten minutes away. You can drive there, you can walk, run, jog, trot; ride a horse - any way you come, it won't take that long. You also have my cell, Heero's cell, both of our work numbers. For god's sake, you WORK with Heero and talk to him every day. I'm not going to drop off the face of the earth, you know."

A rueful smile graced Milliardo's lips at his sister's scathing words. Trust her to point out the blatantly obvious.

"You are right as always, sister mine. I hope you'll forgive me for indulging in a moment of nostalgic remembrance."

Heero appeared from the shadows at that moment, rescuing Relena. As her new husband whisked her away, she confided in a low tone,

"I think aliens abducted the real Milliardo Peacecraft and replaced him with a clone."

The surrounding guests, who just so happened to also be the former Gundam pilots, caught Relena's theatrical whisper.

Duo, who had been dancing with Noin, turned to give her a solemn look.

"Lieutenant, I charge you with the duty of explaining to one Zechs Merquise the concept of 'growing up'. Make your country proud, and may god be with you during the difficult mission."

Noin snapped into military mode, performing a sharp salute.

"Mission Acknowledged and accepted, cap'n."

Zechs glared at his wife with mock ire, as she settled into his arms.

"Traitor."

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The final dance concluded, the guests waited anxiously to hear the couple's honeymoon destination. Some speculated on a trip to the colonies, while others predicted some place both lavish and exotic.

Duo, who knew otherwise, grinned mentally and acted as curious as his other friends.

The sound of Relena tapping her crystal glass immediately caught the assembled's attention, and an expectant hush fell over the large room.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, both Heero and myself would like to thank you greatly for your generosity, your understanding, and your support throughout this wedding.

"And now, I would like to inform everyone of our intended honeymoon spot."

Heero was praying as hard as he could, while maintaining a slight smile as if privy to an inside joke.

Ah, the irony of life, since the joke was on Heero.

"Heero asked me to pick our destination, and I had to think long and hard, but in the end, I believe I found someplace that will both entertain and relax."

Heero almost died in during the dramatic pause Relena held out.

"We," she announced with a flourish, "are going to Disney World!"

At her words, Heero fancied that his stomach was turning sympathy flips for his plight.

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Two weeks later found Heero with a new appreciation of the female mind. Relena had found the one threat that would make him do her bidding. He wasn't sure he could live through another trip to that hideous, child stroller infested...place...known as Disney. It was enough to make him wish that Libra's beam cannon had been focused on the state of Florida, rather than the desert.

It was over though, and Heero was pulling into the driveway of their home. He had one more surprise left for Relena, and it had taken ten days for the workers to complete the last wedding gift.

"Heero?"

The sound of Relena's sleepy voice made Heero's stomach to a lazy flip. He didn't think he would ever grow tired of hearing her say his name like that.

"We're home," he answered her unspoken question, pulling his car into the large garage. As Relena stumbled from the passenger side, Heero pulled several bags from the trunk, depositing them by the inner doorway. They could wait, but for now he had something else to do.

Relena 'eeped' in surprise when Heero swung her into his arms. Smiling and allowing himself a small kiss, Heero kicked the door open, announcing,

"Princess, your new home awaits."

Giggling at his pompous tone, Relena blinked back tears as Heero carried her through the open doorway and gently set her feet to the ground.

"Home," she breathed, laughing for sheer joy at the sound of the word.

"Home," Heero affirmed, taking her hand to guide her through the darkened interior.

"Heero?"

Without looking backwards, Heero answered her.

"You ask too many questions. Just wait," he counseled.

"You should let me finish my questions, and besides, I wasn't going to ask where you were leading me. I was going to ask if you knew how much I loved you."

That stopped Heero. Unable to help himself, he turned and pulled her unresisting form closer, capturing her lips with his own.

"I think I have a pretty good idea," he answered huskily, drawing out another kiss.

"Mmmm. That was nice. Now what's got your panties in a twist?" Relena teased, trying to slip past his body.

"No, I don't think so. Be patient and you'll see.

"Close your eyes."

About to protest, Relena finally decided against it. Heero wasn't jumping up and down, but she could feel the energy dancing through his skin. Piqued as to what would make Heero so antsy, Relena simply shook her head and did as he asked.

Heero guided her through a doorway and a far ways into a room before stopping her. Touching her face, he retreated behind her, with a terse, 'wait until I say so'.

Relena was almost ready to start teasing him about his bossiness when light flooded the room. Involuntarily she opened her eyes, unsure what to expect.

It certainly wasn't the view she was presented with, she decided. The room they were in was at the back corner of the house, over-looking a small garden. A large grand piano resided in one corner of the room, backed by floor to ceiling windows. The windows in fact took up two walls, the solid sheets of glass allowing the bright moonlight to filter through. Gauzy curtains, pulled back as not to hide the night sky, fell lazily to the ground.

Several chairs were scattered about the open area, and two large seats that looked as if a love seat had been split in two flanked a small sofa and coffee table. Behind the sofa, a wall shelving multiple books and trinkets rose to the ceiling.

The room reeked of coziness, and all in all it was simply,

"Beautiful," Relena sighed, turning her delighted gaze over the room. The last area she looked at also contained the smiling form of one Heero Yuy, and it was in that direction she launched herself.

Heero found his arms suddenly full of an exuberant Relena, questions flying a mile a minute.

"Slow down and let me explain.

"While we were honeymooning, I had some contractors come in and knock the walls out. This large areas was supposed to be our offices, and I also had them take out one of the downstairs bathrooms, since I doubt we need three anyway.

"The piano is a wedding gift from Zechs and Noin. Noin saw you eyeing it one day, and they asked my opinion. And since you have been going on forever," he teased, "about learning how to play the piano, Quatre contacted one of his former teachers, who will be giving you lessons once a week.

"The windows," Heero gestured, "were Noin's idea as well. She said they reminded her of the school you ran in the Sanq Kingdom. Everyone else pitched in, and I think they came up with something a bit more cozy and family like than the formal living room, don't you think?"

Throughout his speech, Relena's eyes were drinking in the sights before her, unable to believe that Heero and their friends had gone to such lengths.

Eyes shining, Relena gazed up at Heero, a smile gracing her features.

"I love it. It's perfect. Now come here and let me thank you," she ordered, pulling his head down to hers.

Home. So this is what the word truly meant, she mused.