Final Mission Status 5/?, by Mizaya and Zapenstap [Lemon]

[zapenstap]

Final Mission Status

Chapter 5

Coauthored by Mizaya and Zapenstap



Noin rushed down the corridor at a steady clip, not even noticing her current and former students greeting her in the halls. The second Une had told her about Heero?s orders, and how Zechs was relaying them, Noin was on her way to Zechs?s office.

She didn?t even bother to stop and collect herself before she let herself in. She was too mad to take the time.

?I just heard,? she said, shutting the door for privacy. ?Zechs, is it true? Are we really going to make them sleep together? On camera??

?It can?t be avoided,? Zechs replied stoically, not appearing surprised in the slightest by her abrupt entry. The coolness in his tone took her aback. ?We talked about how this may come up before the mission was instigated, Noin.?

Noin watched Zechs sitting behind his desk with his hands folded on the table, watching her with an icy, steady gaze that looked way too forced for him to be as resigned as he made himself sound. She pursed her lips as she leaned back against the door.

?Relena?s a mature young woman,? Noin said, ?and I know Heero is a kind, considerate person, but have you thought about what this might do to them?? Her posture relaxed a bit as she managed to calm down to present her position, coolly and logically, but her voice was no less emphatic. ?They?re still so young, and Relena is at least half in love with Heero if not more. Don?t you think that complicates matters a bit??

Zech?s eyes narrowed a little. Noin knew why. It wasn?t that he disapproved of Heero, or even that he was that close to Relena, but he had always protected his sister from afar and Heero taking on that responsibility had caused some conflict over the years. Noin refused to believe that this new development wasn?t driving him crazy on some instinctual level. She knew him too well.

?It can?t be helped,? Zechs repeated. ?Don?t think this is what I would have chosen.? The latter came out in a bit of a growl.

?Isn?t there another way?? Noin pleaded. ?Can?t we arrange it so it just looks like they?ve had intimate relations??

Zechs was unwavering. His eyes were like ice, almost frighteningly devoid of emotion. ?Barton ran alternate scenarios in a simulation. Anything less than the real thing would look contrived and they would be on to us in a second. Most virtual cases resulted in the disaster we are trying to avoid.?

?But?? Noin began, and stopped.

Zechs stood up from his chair, always impressive at his full height. Coming around the table, he took Noin?s hand in his own and brought the backs of her fingers to his lips. ?It will be all right,? he told her, his tone gentler, more akin to how he talked to her outside the formalities of their job, when they forgot that they both wore uniforms.

?What did Heero say?? she asked. ?How did you tell him??

?I explained what needed to be done in terms of the mission,? Zechs replied with a straight face. ?He didn?t say anything except that he understood.?

Noin scoffed. She couldn?t help it. Angrily, she pulled her hand from Zech?s, feeling stiff from shoulders to knees. ?How could you?? she said sharply. ?How could you, Zechs? You can?t pretend this order is like any Heero has had before. This is personal. You can?t treat him like a machine, like he doesn?t have feelings or won?t get emotionally involved.?

?You think like a woman,? he said softly. ?You?ve always been sensitive. That?s a strength in its own way, but Heero doesn?t need that. He and I are both soldiers. We understand each other. Even in a situation like this, if it?s an order, it?s best to keep feelings out of it. He?ll perform the way he has to.?

Noin was offended, both as a woman and as a solider, but the lessons of her military career enabled her to see Zech?s point. Perhaps being sentimental would only make a difficult task harder for him, but still?

?Well what about Relena?? she said persistently. ?I suppose you?re going to tell her to sacrifice herself for the mission, too? She was never a soldier and you know how stubborn she is. She won?t understand on the same terms.?

?No, you?re right,? Zechs responded truthfully. ?She isn?t an operative. She might not be able to accept the situation. She won?t be able to separate her emotions from the task.?

?But then?? Realization dawned on Noin suddenly. ?You mean you?re not going to tell her?? She was flabbergasted, appalled. ?Are you insane? Zechs! She?s your sister!?

?She can?t know, Noin.?

?But the consequences on both their hearts may be disastrous! You?re teaching Heero to be emotionally detached in a situation where, if anywhere, he should be emotional. Especially with Relena! She loves him. How do you expect she?s going to feel when she finds out? How can you expect him to do that??

The quiet in Zech?s response was deafening. ?Heero Yuy will do what needs to be done,? Zechs said grimly. ?As for Relena, she?s strong, and it?s partially her attachment to that gundam pilot that makes this easier on my mind.?

Noin could only stare. ?You clearly don?t understand a woman?s heart,? she admonished him. ?I?m going to call her if you won?t.?

?Noin?? Zech?s eyes softened, and Noin saw for a brief moment just how hard it was for him to be strong in this. Noin paused, thinking about it, weighing the magnitude of calamity on either alternative. On one hand, Relena?s heart would suffer, and perhaps also Heero?s, and on the other hand, the catastrophic effects of nuclear waste on the North American continent could jeopardize the lives of thousands. To look at it in as bright a light as possible, Relena was going to avert disaster by losing her virginity to the man she loved. Standing beside Zechs, the love of her own life, Noin realized how hard he was trying to believe that the scenario would fall out in just that way.

?All right,? Noin said quietly. It was an effort not to clench her fists. ?I see the situation, but I don?t like it.?

Zechs didn?t say anything, but Noin could tell that he didn?t like it either.

Noin looked at his face and then at the floor. Schooling her face to stillness, she raised her head and nodded soberly. ?Okay, I won?t talk to Relena,? she said. It twisted her gut to say that, knowing what was to happen and not sure how she would face Relena after this was all over. Still, perhaps there was something she could do. Managing a small smile at Zechs, she saluted and turned to let herself out.

?Where are you going?? Zehcs asked.

She tried to make her face look innocent and her voice casual. ?To talk to Heero,? she said. She couldn?t lie to him. ?To give him some advice.?

?Noin, it?s only going to make it harder if you tell him about Relena?s feelings.?

?No,? she replied with a sly, secret smile, and enjoyed the perplexed look on his face. ?That isn?t the kind of advice I mean. I?m just going to give him a few?pointers.? After all, if Heero was forced into sharing his personal life with anyone who happened to be in the video room when the time came, the least she could do was return the favor.

She had just enough time to see Zech?s eyes widen before she shut the door and hurried away.

Wandering through Preventor Headquarters aimlessly didn?t help Noin locate Heero. Knowing Heero, he would stay out of the limelight as much as possible. Noin couldn?t imagine the pressure he must be feeling. Not surprisingly, no one in the halls seemed to have seen him or knew where he had gone, but as she passed the cafeteria she heard two familiar voices that she hoped might be of more assistance.

?That?s just what I heard,? Wufei was saying as Noin entered, peering around to see if Heero was also in there, but the room was empty at this hour except for two, not counting herself. Wufei was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his face as blank as a board.

?Hey there, Noin,? Duo greeted her from one of the tables, one arm flung casually over the back of his chair. His large eyes and childlike face made him seem a little startled. But then, if rumors were spreading already, perhaps he was. ?Are the rumors true??

Wufei turned to look at her too. It was difficult to read his expression.

?You know,? Duo probed none-too-subtlety. ?About Heero and Relena.? Duo had been gabbing nonstop about those two doing the mission together, hoping that it would ?spark? something. Noin fumbled for an answer.

?What he wants to know is if they?re really going to sleep together on camera,? Wufei said coolly. His smirk was even more difficult to read than his blank face. He had been on camera duty more often than anyone else due to a certain restraint and sense of propriety some of the other staff members lacked. Doubtless, he had been warned of the change in mission parameters, but if he had an interest in either Heero or Relena?s personal life, he never revealed it to anybody.

Duo, however, leaned forward expectantly, his eyes glued to Noin as if she were a strange alien creature in a zoo.

Noin sighed tellingly.

Duo gaped, his jaw dropping open as if he had been hit between the eyes with a brick. Then quite suddenly, he began to chuckle. Grinning absurdly, he leaned back in his chair and put one of his booted legs on the table. ?Heh. It?s about time.?

Wufei gave him a look that was half quizzical and half a scowl.

?Duo, it?s not like they?re in a real relationship,? Noin said, voicing her buried concerns. She knew she wasn?t supposed to think about it like that, that she and Zechs had agreed that keeping things in perspective was the only course to take, but the second the words were out of her mouth, she began contemplating the situation again.

?Did Heero accept?? Wufei asked calmly. The question diverted her train of thought, shifting things back into focus.

?Zechs says he did,? Noin confirmed. ?I?m trying to find Heero. Have you seen him??

?No, he didn?t come by here.?

?Of course he accepted,? Duo said, seemingly oblivious to any problem. ?They?re in love with each other. They just can?t do anything about it. You know Heero. It almost has to be a mission for him to do anything.? He grinned again. ?This will be worth seeing. The great Heero Yuy in love. And Relena in bed! Do you think we?ll get to watch??

Wufei harrumphed.

Noin gave them both a weak smile. ?Thanks anyway.?

Leaving the two of them to fight it out (Duo would probably suggest placing bets. Wufei might even take him up on it) Noin hurried to through the rest of the wing, asking if anyone had even seen gundam pilot 01. After several inquiries, she was directed to the balcony overlooking the city where people often smoked during lunch breaks.

It was empty of smokers this time of day, but Heero was there, sitting on the wide stone railing in the corner with one leg bent and the other stretched out in front of him. His arm hung limply over his elbow. From his posture, she might have guessed that he was melancholy, but when he turned to look at her, his expression was devoid of any kind of emotion. This close, he seemed to just be appreciating the view.

?What do you want?? he asked quietly, not unkindly, but with no friendliness either.

She stopped, wondering what he was thinking and whether her intrusion on his thoughts was too much at the moment. He probably needed time to himself to process what he had to do. ?To see if you had any questions,? she replied. She paused, not sure what to say next. This was too personal to talk about directly. She felt uncomfortable and intrusive just standing there. Taking Zech?s advice, she tried to keep it as technical as possible. ?I just heard about the change in mission parameters.?

?It?s not a problem,? Heero said assuredly. ?I?m capable of performance.?

She was surprised. He seemed honest, as if he really did look at it technically and not as a sentimental thing. Noin wasn?t sure if that should make her feel relieved or upset. She tried to keep sympathy out of her voice. ?So you?ve accepted the mission??

?Yeah. I?ve thought about what I need to do. I can proceed tonight.? He looked down at his hands, rubbing his fingers in the cold, no expression on his face, before looking back up at her. ?Was there anything else??

?Well,? Noin began with more gravity than she felt, trying to match his mood about this whole thing. Technical. He wasn?t looking at her anymore, staring out over the city as if she wasn?t there. ?If you?re sure about going through with this, I may be able to offer some tips to help aid your performance.? Not that it would necessarily help him much, but she thought it might relax him a little bit.

She thought there might have been a little smirk on Heero?s face when he caught what she was saying, but it was difficult to be sure. Either way, she felt a little easier about going on, as if they were engaging in a strange form of locker room talk rather than a tutorial. When he didn?t say anything to stop her, still staring out over the city, she took a deep breath and just decided to launch into it. She kept it technical.


[Scene Change]


Relena was upset. One part of her mind wanted to strangle Heero Yuy for being cold and heartless and hurting her, but she knew that the one she was really upset with was herself. The whole ride back to her office she focused on what had transpired in the car only a few hours before. Sally, acting as her substitute guard, seemed to sense her pensiveness and remained silent at her side in the back of the limo.

It wasn?t that Relena didn?t believe that Heero had any feelings for her. A casual observer of the day?s events might see it that way, but she knew that Heero cared for her on some level. More likely, he was emotionally distancing himself on purpose. After all, this was a mission. Rubbing a hand under her eyes to make sure she had shed no tears, Relena took a deep breath and sat straighter.

No, she wasn?t really angry with Heero. She was angry with herself for thinking that pretending at marriage and feeling her lips pressed against his might alter the trajectory their relationship had taken for the last six years.

Heero was Heero and this mission was a mission. It wasn?t her chance to finally express how much she cared for Heero or vice versa. His actions, though they might be genuine, were for the camera, not for her. Once the cameras were gone, his feelings would be just as mysterious as they always had been. Once again he would be her watcher from the shadows and she would be the diplomat he couldn?t get close to. She understood. It was just a bitter realization after a taste of what it might have been like to wake up next to Heero as her husband, knowing that he was there for her in all the ways she wanted him to be, not just as her untiring protector.

?Are you sure you are all right, Relena?? Sally asked tentatively.

?I?m fine,? she replied, and was relieved to sound as calm as she was trying to feel.

Heero had been harsh with her to ground her idealism in reality. He had always done that for her. She could accept that she was being childish to think that a kiss would unlock his feelings and that he would embrace her love for him and carry her off into the sunset. Yet she still felt annoyed by his coldness, no matter how much she understood the reason or how ridiculous her daydreams had become. He had pushed her aside like she had never seen him push anyone away before. She didn?t know he could be that cruel. Cold, yes, but she had never thought of Heero as cruel. She suspected that he thought he was trying to protect her. She understood, but it still hurt.

When the limo pulled up outside her office building, Relena glanced back at Sally. ?Do you know what my brother wanted to talk to Heero about?? she asked.

?I haven?t heard anything,? Sally said with such ease Relena wondered if it was contrived. ?I?m sure it?s nothing you have to worry about. What about you? Is everything going okay with you and Heero??

?Everything is fine,? she said and tried to assess whether or not Sally sounded anxious. How much did everybody know about her and Heero? Were her feelings so transparent? She smiled and tried to sound lighthearted, as if making the whole thing into a joke. ?Heero is an excellent husband.?

She couldn?t detect anything in Sally?s return smile. It seemed sincere, if a little sad. The other woman spoke with her usual steadiness, full of the arrow-straight conviction Wufei seemed to like in people. ?Heero does everything with his whole heart so that doesn?t surprise me. Maybe it?s a little foolish to say so, but I trust him completely. I?m sure that he will take good care of you.?

For some reason, Relena felt relieved. It comforted her to have her own beliefs confirmed by someone else, someone who seemed to perceive the world in a much clearer light than she did. ?Thank you,? she said.

?Take care,? Sally said as Relena nodded her goodbye and walked on her own to the office building.

At work, Relena kept her thoughts on her job as much as possible, but she couldn?t help the way they drifted in the direction of the kiss earlier in the day, comparing it to the way Heero had behaved when she saw him away from their house and also what Sally had said. She frowned down at her papers, wondering what was going through Heero?s mind.

All he had said was that he didn?t think they should behave like a couple off site. Was that just professionalism or did that mean that he did love her but just didn?t want her to get too close? Or did he not love her and was trying to be professional in order to spare her feelings? Perhaps he wasn?t sure of his feelings for her?

She wished she knew, but his deeper emotions were none of her business unless he chose to express them. Even so, she couldn?t stamp out the feelings of agitation and rejection she felt when he told her to stick to the mission. He may be trying his best to protect her, but she felt vulnerable, not knowing what to say or how far to go, on or off camera. She loved Heero, and it was difficult for her to fake anything.

Well then, nothing had changed. She smiled to herself. Whether he returned it or not, she loved Heero Yuy the same way she always had. Because of that, she could do this mission. She could even use it as a means of expressing herself. She had already told Heero that she loved him. Perhaps she could say it again once the mission was over; maybe she could even expect an answer! But until then she shouldn?t expect Heero to look at this situation as a chance to confess his undying love. He might not feel that way about her after all.

Still, he needn?t have been mean.

Pushing Heero out of her mind and trying not to consider how agitated his maybe not loving her made her feel, Relena poured herself into her work. By the time Julie came in to tell her that her evening driver had arrived, she had actually managed to get a large amount of work done. It eased her worries, at least a while.

The ride home was less tense than the ride over. Those hours of concentrating on the thing she knew best, politics, had helped simmer her emotions a bit. The nagging preoccupation with what exactly Heero had been thinking was almost quashed, though she just couldn?t shake the disappointment it left behind. With a resigned sigh, she turned her key in her lock and opened the door to her house, ready to play the wife again, true to her own emotions at least.

She wasn?t sure exactly what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn?t what she saw.

The crystal vase that she kept on the foyer table?something Duo hadn?t thrown out with her frilly rugs and curtains?had flowers in it for once. Lillies, her favorite, in beautiful yellows and pinks, sprayed lightly with water so that they glistened with life. Around the vase, tiny white candles lit the room with a soft glow, and she could see more candlelight emanating from the kitchen and her living room. Before she even had time to wonder, Heero appeared in the kitchen doorway, approaching her with a languid but precise stride.

She fumbled for something to say.

He was dressed up more than she was used to seeing him. Black fitted trousers offset the crisp white of his collared shirt, and his dark blue, unblinking eyes caught all the candlelight in the room. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up a bit, the top buttons undone, but even those little imperfections seemed calculated. Glancing down, she noticed that he even had nice black shoes on. She had seen Heero dressed up before, but never for her benefit. She felt her heart beat speed up and a flush creeping into her cheeks.

?Heero, what is this for?? Her voice sounded strange to her; strained.

His hand rose to her face, pushing back the strands of hair that had fallen across her eyes. For a brief moment she wondered what she must look like after a long day at work, and then promptly forgot about it as Heero?s eyes seemed to soften at the sight of her. Nothing in his expression changed, but she could see something in his face she wasn?t sure she had ever seen before. There was a searching look in his expression, and an openness, a vulnerability deep behind his eyes that made her heart accelerate so that she felt slightly dizzy. She could smell cologne on his skin, a scent that made her stomach drop when he smoothly wrapped his hands around her back and pulled her against his chest and shoulders in an embrace that left her knees weak.

She didn?t know what to say. His shoulder felt?right?against her cheek, and she was afraid to look at his face and see an expression that either contradicted the feeling or was a lie to match it. It was a welcome home hug, nothing more, but being this close just made her want to be closer. Was she trembling?

?I made you dinner,? he said quietly as he pulled back. His hands grasped her about the waist, and she felt suddenly how small she was, aware that he could pick her up and toss her across the room if he wanted. Instead he took her hand, unfreezing her from her place by the door and urging her forward with what Relena could only call fierce determination.

Candles filled every counter in the kitchen, and two tall white candles set in polished, silver candlesticks were lit on the white tablecloth-covered dining table. The warm smell of flaky, buttered roles and lamb came to her and she had to force herself to blink several times. ?Heero?.? She pulled her hand from his, stopping to look about, her eyes sweeping from his face to the table to the candles and back again. ?What is all of this for??

He pulled out a chair at the end of the table and waited for her to sit before gently pushing it in. ?I?m trying to do better,? he said quietly.

?What do you mean?? she asked, genuinely confused. ?You?ve been wonderful to me.?

He moved around from behind her back and his hand landed on her shoulder as he sat down beside her. Her lips parted as his fingers trailed down her arm to her wrist until he took her hand in his. His hands were soft, massaging her fingers and palm as his eyes met hers intently. She suddenly had the impression he was trying to communicate with her beyond the words he was speaking.

?Relena, you?re very important to me and I don?t want to see you hurt. This Cole situation has us both a little on edge. If I?ve been less than?sensitive, I want to apologize.?

She stared at him, not sure what she had just heard or what he meant by it. ?You don?t have to apologize,? she said, and looked down at her plate. ?I?I?ve been in my head a lot lately. Thinking about how I wish?? She took a deep breath, trying not to look at Heero like something she could have in her life all the time. She had to make this sound like it was about Cole. ?This isn?t easy for me either.?

He nodded, releasing her fingers, and she felt herself flushing again. Something about his proximity drove out all her rationality.

The dinner he had made for her previously was simple; a typical home-style dinner. Tonight was obviously catered. Fresh rosemary sprigs trimmed the tender lamb, and seasonal vegetables were dressed with a succulent looking sauce. The rolls were warm and seemed to be held together by a light spread of butter. While Heero served her a bit of everything, she watched his face, hoping for some expression that might tell her what he was really thinking.

Why was he doing this? They would have appeared as a normal married couple if they had just dined modestly all week and gone about their normal lives. He had no reason to surprise her with a romantic dinner unless he really meant it as an apology. But why say what he had said to her in the car if he was only going to apologize for it? Was it something more? She was important to him. He didn?t want to see her hurt. What did that mean?

She watched him negotiating his silverware, tracing his expression and trying to dig out the meaning behind his eyes. Reaching out, she put a hand on his arm. Her touch made him start. She stared, fascinated to see surprise in Heero?s eyes. Her fingers lingered on his wrist. He turned to look at her and she smiled.

?Thank you,? she murmured. ?This is just what I needed.?

He nodded slowly, blinking, and pulled the bottle of wine from its sweating bucket of ice. Uncorking the bottle, he poured a glass for her and one for himself. As he handed her the glass, his eyes met hers so directly she almost flinched. His gaze cut deep, right to her soul, and she felt her breath catch as she felt something inside her give way under that midnight blue-eyed stare. Heero was a man of few words, but she could forgo any amount of talking for one look from those piercing eyes.

?Relena,? he began as he took a generous swallow from his own glass, both elbows on the table and his head turned toward the window now. ?We need to talk about this Cole affair.?

Relena listened intently as she ate, not paying too much attention to the food, knowing that most of this conversation was feigned, but keeping an ear open for anything that might be a message for her.

?I know how important this is to you,? Heero continued, ?and what?s at stake. I?m trying to be supportive, to help you feel your way through this without your having to worry about my reaction, but?? He turned to look at her and Relena felt as if her heart had stopped. ?I also know how you feel about me.?

?I?? She had a sudden urge to touch his face and couldn?t explain it. She schooled her hand to stillness, not wanting to break the conversation, reminding herself that Heero was acting. Wasn?t he? If only she knew what was real?

?I love you,? Heero said, and she felt her heart thump, ?but I don't want to pressure you. I don't want to get in the way when so many people are depending on you. For now, I can only love you as I am able."

She lowered her silverware. He said it almost impassively, his tones smooth and cool. If he had been anyone else she would have thought he lacked sincerity, but the look in his eyes and the choice of words made her stomach flutter. She took a sip of wine because she needed it. Did he mean any of what he said beyond a script? If any of it was true, she wanted to ask him why he couldn?t love her all the time, forever, but if she did, it wouldn?t fit with the situation with Cole. She was supposed to be spending this week determining whether or not to leave Heero to marry Cole. Obviously that would change their relationship. By ?now? did Heero mean what remained of this week before she had to ?choose,? or before the end this charade when they returned to their individual lives?

She watched Heero eat and swallowed her own food without tasting it, hoping the agony on her face would be taken for the dilemma she faced over this supposed choice between Heero and Cole. What she really wanted she couldn?t explain, but it involved tackling him in some way, if just to beat the truth out of him?if just to be that close.

When they finished eating, Heero cleared the dishes while Relena sipped at her wine. Heero?s glass was empty, and when she offered to leave hers for later and help him clean up he only smiled at her and told her to relax. He kept busy in the kitchen, but every time he came near the table, she saw him stop and look at her through his reflection in the window. When he passed by her, she would feel a soft brush against her shoulder or a finger caught in her hair. She was glad she had a glass of wine.

When everything was done, Relena left her wine half finished on the table and rose from her seat. She found Heero in the kitchen, leaning against the counter and staring at the wall with a second glass of wine in his hand.

?Did you have work to do tonight?? he asked quietly.

She shook her head. She wanted to convey to him that she forgave him for what he said in the car this morning, to somehow communicate that she loved him and wanted to know how he felt about her. Was this really all just pretend? Didn?t he see how she was trembling?

They stared at each other, but neither of them said anything.

?I?m going to go change,? she said at last. ?I?ve had a long day.?

He nodded.

As she trudged upstairs, she thought about how long a day it had been. This morning Heero had kissed her in the threshold of their room as if he meant to consume her. Then he told her in the car to stick to the script and remember their professional relationship outside this wired house. And now these long looks and lingering touches. His speech was so full of holes and riddles she didn?t know what to think or believe. He said it was an apology, but what did that mean? She wished he would express himself more clearly.

There were lilies in their room as well. She smelled the fragrance before she looked around and inhaled delightedly. The lights had been left half on, the main lights switched off but the reading lamp on her nightstand and heat lamp in the corner of the room still burning, as if Heero had forgot to turn them off when he brought the lilies up. It gave the room a softer, warmer feel, almost romantic. Shrugging, Relena ran a comb through her hair and then began to undress. She had kicked off her shoes and unbuttoned the first few buttons on her blouse when Heero came in.

It took her a moment to register the determination in his stride. He had a slightly predatory gaze in his eye as he approached her. She didn?t have time to open her mouth, move or protest as his arms came gently around her waist and his lips sought hers hungrily. The slight taste of wine on his tongue blended with the cologne on his skin, and felt her body respond in a way that almost made her jerk back before she remembered where she was.

?Heero?? she whispered into his kiss.

He pulled back and she found herself staring into his eyes with his hands on either side of her head, crushing her hair against her ears. His grip was rock steady, and his eyes neither wavered nor blinked, but she sensed something both urgent and hesitant in his touch.

?Relena, listen to me. I don?t feel like I?m explaining myself well. I care about you. More than anyone in the world. I love you. Me.? She stared at him, listening to him breathe deeply. ?The time we have together is valuable. I don?t want to waste it. I want??

She couldn?t help it. ?Heero, I?m so confused. I don?t know what??

Heero?s lips touched to her neck and in short order she found herself speechless and staring over his shoulder at the wall, her wrists on his shoulders as he kissed her neck and aligned his body with hers. When his mouth moved up to her ear, she trembled. He drew her close, one arm wrapped around her shoulders as his lips crushed against her hair. ?Relena,? he whispered. ?I?.? He didn?t have to finish. She felt something pushing against her stomach that she didn?t think was a gun.

She stiffened in surprise, not sure how to process what she felt. Heero pulled back a little, smoothing her hair around her face, giving no outward indication that anything was amiss. He looked different to her suddenly. There was a look in his eye she had never seen before, a sort of question that was masked by a blank face and aggressive, confident body posture. She felt herself responding, caving under the pleasurable pressure of his proximity. Conscious of the cameras, she closed her eyes and guided his head back down to hers, kissing him the way she had been dreaming about since this morning. If this was what she would get, she would take it.

When Heero was kissing her, Relena forgot about the camera. She forgot about everything. She felt his lips on hers and his body responding to hers and didn?t think about anything else. Heero?s hands ran over her body in roaming, widening circles. She touched back and hardly noticed when his hands started working at the buttons on her blouse.


[Scene Change]



?He?s taking off her clothes!? Duo exclaimed.

Everyone gathered around the screen was starring as if compelled. Even Une felt her eyes widening as Heero?s hands worked the buttons of Relena?s shirt undone, his lips on her collar bone. Une wasn?t really sure why she was allowing everyone to gather around and watch. She wasn?t even sure when they came in. She had assigned Wufei to monitor and then had joined him for her own reasons. Trowa had come looking for her to relay a message and just started watching. After that they just kept coming in, but with the explosive image in front of her muddling her thinking, she couldn?t muster the concentration to order them out.

?Did you see him pound that glass of wine in the kitchen?? Sally whispered. They all had, but no one responded to her question. Duo chuckled. Noin swallowed. Zechs ground his teeth. Wufei shook his head. Trowa stood impossibly straight at Une?s side, arms crossed and expression too carefully blank to be the true reflection of his thoughts.

It was when they were in the bedroom together and Heero finally started acting as the aggressor that the tension in the room of watchers became tangible. Before that, it was more of a shared curiosity between everyone who had been observing the soldier and princess dance around each other for years. Duo started having conniptions as soon as Relena walked upstairs and unbuttoned the first button of her blouse. He kept shouting what was happening as if commentating a sports event. The half-strangled ?he?s going up!? accompanied by an over-excited pounding of his fist against the desk still reverberated in the room. Now it was like everyone was processing the scene slower than it was actually happening.

On screen, Heero moved Relena to the bed. He laid her down upon it and climbed over her, knees between her legs, never breaking the kiss, hands pulling her blouse apart. She was whispering something to him, but it was unintelligible. Heero?s hands dipped to grasp her breasts, still covered by a lacy nude colored bra, holding them firmly as he trailed kissed down from her mouth to her newly exposed skin.

Duo?s eyes looked like they were going to fall out of his head. ?Oh my god! Can I send a copy of this to Hilde??

Despite his stony face, Zechs could have had steam coming out of his ears. Noin showed an uncharacteristic display of affection by slipping her hand around one of his clenched fists, but it didn?t appear to help. He had come in to chase the others out and had become absorbed by the scene. His jaw was locked so tight, Une was afraid it would forever change to contours of his face. Any second she expected to see him develop a twitch.

Relena moved her legs slightly apart to allow Heero to settle between them and pin her to the bed. The way her hands delved into his hair, Une wasn?t sure the girl was minding all that much.

?Does he really love her?? Sally asked.

It was the question they were all thinking and couldn?t ask. Heero had said he loved Relena repeatedly on camera, but no one in the room had ever heard him indicate that it was otherwise real.

Glancing back at the screen, she wondered if either Heero or Relena remembered the cameras at this point. Heero might not have cared, but Relena certainly wouldn?t want to be seen naked, doing this in front of everybody she knew. Une hoped they wouldn?t say or do anything stupid. Relena was getting braver. She had Heero?s shirt over his head now and was working at his trouser buttons. Une thought that was quite brazen until she noticed that Heero?s hand was covertly under the girl?s skirt. This was going quickly, evidence that the two were either extremely sexually frustrated, the girl was genuinely in love with him, or both.

Une breathed a sigh of relief when Heero gathered Relena in one arm and used the others to pull back the blanket and hide her under it decently. Heero?s bare back was the most prominent thing in view now, framed on either side by Relena?s hair splayed out on the sheets, but it wasn?t more than seconds before undergarments were flung over the side of the bed. Heero began moving over Relena more zealously, his hands diving under the sheets, eliciting soft sounds from her throat. Then he stopped, poised over her, supporting himself on his elbows.

?It?s all right,? Heero?s voice came through the transmission in a soft whisper. ?I?ve always protected you, Relena. I won?t let anything happen to you.? He held her head between his hands, smoothing her hair around her face. Maybe he was comforting her because she was a virgin, or reassuring her again of his feelings, but it could have doubled just as easily for calming her about Cole.

?I know,? Relena replied. ?I trust you.?

Une felt a rush of air as Zechs?s pulled his eyes away from the screen and marched out of the room. Noin followed worriedly on his heels. Une supposed it was better that he didn?t stay to see more. Seeing his sister in bed with Heero, on a camera, with all of his colleagues and a terrorist watching, was probably more than enough to evoke some kind of negative emotion. Une would let Noin take care of it. There wasn?t much Zechs could do at this point. They had agreed this was necessary; he had already had his chance to be angry about it.

Everyone watched, enraptured as Heero?s body moved tellingly under the blankets. He kissed Relena?s face and then closed his eyes, his hands diving under the blankets to roam Relena?s body. She arched at his touch, as if he were controlling her through minute cues and caresses.

?This is indecent!? Wufei bellowed, scraping his chair back as he leaped to his feet.

Une snapped out of her thoughts, realizing suddenly how stoically she had been observing things.

?We should give them privacy,? Trowa said slowly with his usual, calculating, characteristic calm. ?It would be the right thing to do.? He said it, but his eyes hadn?t moved away from the scene. Neither had Wufei?s.

?They look like they?re in love,? Sally whispered.

Duo began shaking his head in disbelief. His former enthusiasm seemed to have diminished somewhat. He stared as transfixed as anyone else, but the grin on his face had slipped. He swallowed. The bag of chips he had brought in with him remained untouched.

This change in Duo signified to Une that perhaps they had watched long enough. The events on the screen were no longer incredulous actions between two people that everyone assumed would never get beyond their own pride and duty to express how they felt. What was going on now was an immediate precursor to a girl losing her virginity to a man she had loved for years. It was time to turn it off.

Relena?s hand wrapped around Heero?s neck. ?I love you,? she whispered. ?Heero?? She was having trouble speaking, but the words were clear. ?I love you.? It was difficult to see much of her, but from Heero?s movements, it was clear what they were doing and why it was hard for her to talk.

Trowa shifted his gaze down at his feet. Une knew he was too much of a gentleman to gape at things no one should be seeing. Sally was grimacing in a concerned fashion; Wufei was nearly squirming beside her. Duo, who had been more adamant about this than all the rest put together, was now beet red and appearing a little sick at the invasion of privacy. It was time to end it.

?All right, I think we?ve all seen enough.? Her voice was like a thunderclap in the uncomfortable silence, silent except for what sounds came through from Relena?s bedroom, but it shocked everyone from their moods. They turned to look at her, waiting for orders. She realized she couldn?t make any of them take night watch. Even Wufei and Trowa seemed unable to look at the screen. Sometimes being in charge meant doing the job that no one else wanted to do, and the job of observing the respected Relena Darlian who had waited so long and so patiently for love have her heart broken and her privacy invaded by this mission seemed a lot less appealing than it had earlier in the day. ?I?ll stay,? she said resolutely.

They filed out of the room without speaking. When they were gone, Une settled into the desk chair and frowned at Heero and Relena, watching as passively as she could will herself to as they continued to make love.



TBC



Zapenstap: Yay! Finally finished!
Mizaya: Took us long enough!
Zapenstap: Sorry for the delay, faithful readers. It was a busy time in Real Life for Mizaya and I, but we did not forget.
Mizaya: We have been planning lots and lots!
Zapenstap: Yes, we like to hash things out down to the details. We had great fun deciding things like? what kind of flowers Heero would buy to decorate the living room.
Mizaya: And what colors. ^_^
Zapenstap: Though we doubt that was the most exciting part of this chapter?
Mizaya: One would hope not.
Zapenstap: *chuckle.* So, uh, what was the most exciting part of the chapter?
Mizaya: T_T

[Morrighan]

OMG. Oh man....I never thought of it that way. Aw hell this is going to mess things up so bad....

Write more, you two!!

[Tomorrow]

Speechless... so good... can't type coherent sentences... the story is so great... the power of the written words... holding my fingers back from the keyboard.

So emotional... beautiful... suspenseful... genius.

::Falls out of chair::

~Tomorrow

[Andrea]

I second Tomorrow, here.

Wow. Simply beautiful. You girls are doing an excellent job here, I'm loving this story!

[Wingnut]

Yikes. As I suspected, things are unfolding according to plan. It is the aftermath that concerns me. Exactly where in the week are they, and how long before they meet with Cole?

?You think like a woman,? he said softly

Newsflash Zechs, she is a woman.
I guess I have no choice, BRING IN THE DRILL PROBE! Since you will not let us into Heero's head and enlighten us as to what he is thinking during all of this, I'll just have to get in there myself, the hard way if need be.
I do hope that with the end of the school year there will not be such a delay between chapters.

[Mandaba]

ahhhhh wonderful, you two do a great job (i find the author convo at the end of these chapters amusing,btw) keep up the good work! *sits and waits for the next chapter impatiently* ^^()

[bluefire]

OMG! This was worth waiting. After I finished reading, I can't stop keep thinking this story. I love it so much. However, I feel really sorry for Relena and I really want to know how Heero feels.

Is he in love with Relena or was he just completing his mission? Please update soon.

[heeroyuy135]

I second Tomorrow, here.

Wow. Simply beautiful. You girls are doing an excellent job here, I'm loving this story!

This is one of the best fanfics that I have read in awhile...I love this!!! Keep it up girls!!!

[AnShino]

nicely done. hvnt read anything lke this before, 'tis truly wonderful

[takisha16]

OK...
GREAT!! wow, we've certainly waited long for this!
man, wahta can I say, you girls rock..and I've been a long hard fan of Zapenstaps stories for a while...hey remember me?...jajajja.
please continue.
tip: include later on Heero's feeling about what happened and Relena's...pleasee!!!!
love it..waited long for it...now that its finally here...I want more!!!!
keep up the good work!