A/N: Very late in coming…luckily I'm seeing an ending in sight, lol. Then I will have time to work on my medieval GW story and my Inuyasha story.

Disclaimer: I haven't owned it these past chapters, and I don't own it now.

'V' Is Very, Very Extraordinary

"Congratulations, Trowa! I heard about your engagement," Quatre greeted cheerfully, gazing over the top of his book to cast a warm glance upon the man in front of him. Trowa nodded in his direction, placing his hands in the pockets of his duster coat.

"Thank you."

Quatre's joyful demeanor fell for a minute, as he looked at Trowa in slight confusion, slight curiosity. "Don't you think it's a bit...sudden?" Was his query after a pause.

The brown-haired man gave him a small, almost rueful smile. He said, "Well, it's not like I had really planned it or anything..."

"Do you mean to tell me that you, Trowa Bloom, were the victim of a totally spur-of-the-moment, whimsical, and rash idea?" Quatre cried, but his smiling face belied his incredulousness. The other man, for his part, shrugged his shoulders.

"What can I say..." he told the tow-headed man enigmatically, his voice cool and neutral, as was usual. The Winner heir shook his head, gazing at the mechanic in wonder.

"Well, I think it's great!" he said, in an attempt at making amends with the other man.

Trowa was silent for a moment, before speaking up. "We're planning on a long engagement."

"Ah, so you're postponing the wedding until you've actually dated, right?" His tone was teasing, and there was a warmth that radiated from his aquamarine eyes.

"If you want to put it in so many words," Trowa responded wryly, quirking his lip slightly in a half-smile. Quatre grinned brightly in return. "I need to get going."

"All right, see you later! It was nice talking to you, " the blonde man called back. "Oh, and Trowa?" The emerald-eyed man paused at the apartment complex entryway. "I'll be invited to the wedding, right?" Even from the distance, Quatre could tell that the other man's countenance had grown much more serious, from their previous jovial attitudes.

"It's the least I can do," Trowa replied softly, before walking out the door into the bright sunshine. It was painfully obvious that he was referring to the apartment complex owner's support during the whole murder ordeal. Quatre smiled, before turning back to his book.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Relena Darlian made her way down the brightly lit corridor, her high-heels clacking rhythmically against the black tiles. She clutched a trio of manila folders in one hand, while her other worried the fabric of her skirt anxiously. It never ceased to amaze her how worked up she could get over a simple thing like taking information to officer Yuy. The door to his office was opened, so she walked in, standing within the doorway. His cool blue eyes glanced up quickly from his computer.

"Good day," the woman greeted with a smile, releasing her skirt and tucking a lock of golden hair behind her ear. Heero nodded in her direction. "I brought you the files for both Johnsons, and for Mr. Sprague." She held out the folders, taking a step forward. His eyebrows drew together in a small frown.

"Isn't all this in the computer's data files?" he queried, taking the folders from her and flipping through one absently.

Relena smiled, completely undeterred. "No. Duo compiled these and asked me to take them to you. He included the updated data retrieved from the recent interrogations." Heero was silent for a while, and she was about to turn and leave when he finally spoke up.

"And...what exactly does Duo want me to do with these?" Was his question. He raised an eyebrow until it disappeared beneath his choppy bangs. Relena couldn't resist giving a light laugh.

"He wants you to review them, and then enter the data into the computer for Sally and Wufei," she told him, and Heero was struck by the familiarity of their squad. Everyone called each other by their first names, dropping all titles and such. It was...kind of nice.

"Ah," Heero responded. "And what exactly is keeping Duo so preoccupied that he can't do this himself?"

"He said something about taking Hilde out to lunch." Relena's smile grew wistful. "They're officially dating now. Don't they make an adorable pair?" Heero was only half-listening. So Duo had left him with the work...he stole a glance at his watch; it was 12:07.

"Relena, would you like to go to lunch with me?" After all, there was no sense in letting Duo get away with all the work, right? The young intern smiled.

"I would love to."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~

'Why does everything have to be so confusing?' Sally asked herself ruefully, sitting silently on a wooden park bench, hands clutching onto a small bag. Crumbs of bread and biscuits were inside, and the young woman tossed the small bits out at the pond waters, feeding the ducks, geese, and carp. Her thoughts drifted back to the previous day, after Wufei and her had interrogated Johnson. Then…he had…kissed her; she kissed him back, and-the next thing she knew-she was shying away, only to be caught up in Wufei's apologetic glance. That's when she ran.

This morning, though the case was still in its prime, Sally had called Lady Une, telling the brunette she would be taking a sick day. The other woman had been sympathetic, though Sally gauged she didn't know her true intentions for avoiding work.

Throughout the duration of the investigation, Sally felt that she had grown up more than she ever had in her whole life. All these trying experiences, all these opportunities for growth, have deeply affected the young woman, and she found herself looking on life with a whole new pair of eyes.

She didn't regret going back on her vow of silence; if anything, her newfound knowledge supported this choice. She had saved Wufei, the man who had come to mean more to her than she ever thought possible. He was worth the sacrifice, and so much more. Perhaps, though she had never perceived it, her promise not to speak was keeping her from letting go; it was keeping her from putting the painful occurrences of the past behind her, making her relive and reopen the wounds daily, with every word she signed. When she first met the young Chinese man, she had thought him callous, and more than a little bit pompous. She had always deemed it would be her changing him. But these alterations within her mind greatly opposed this original hypothesis. He had changed her, and in so many ways.

It had hurt her, to see he was sorry for kissing her. She had kissed him back! The last thing she wanted was for it to be a mistake. She cared for him, deeply, and she had wanted to believe that he felt the same. Maybe she hadn't grown as much as she thought…maybe she was still foolish.

Silently berating herself, Sally missed the light treading footsteps that signified the arrival of another person. She turned to the presence that sat beside her, eyes widening.

Wufei…

"Why weren't you at work today?" the young man questioned, his deep eyes gazing out at the pond waters. Somewhere from the waters, a duck quacked noisily.

"I-I was sick," Sally told him after a pause, pulling out a breadcrumb and throwing it out into the pond. Before the ducks could snap it up, a large carp emerged its head and snatched the morsel with its lips. She turned to look at Wufei, noticing his scowl. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't!" she commanded forcefully. "Stop telling me that you're sorry!"

"But I am sorry," he stated ardently, his voice a harsh whisper. "Damnit, how many times do I have to say it before you believe me?" She believed it, but she didn't want to.

Sally changed keys. "Why are you sorry, Wufei?"

"Why?"

"Yes. Why?"

He was silent for a moment, running a hand through the top of his ponytail wearily. "I'm sorry that you have to lie to me. I'm sorry for--…that the way I acted…caused you to lose trust in me."

"I still trust you," Sally reasoned, tilting her head to the side slightly. Her unbound hair fell over one shoulder with the action.

"Then why did you call in sick today?" Wufei queried, turning towards the pond once more. "You're perfectly healthy, Sally."

"I just-" Honesty is the best policy. "I didn't want to see you."

Wufei raised an eyebrow, as if to say, I told you so. Sally shook her head, continuing.

"I didn't want you to be sorry," she said quietly, before he could interrupt. "I wanted to think that you…you thought of me as-as more than a partner. That's why I didn't want you to be sorry…for kissing me."

Wufei blinked, watching as the woman before him lower her head. "But-you were the one who pulled away."

Sally froze. "I did…"

Wufei continued. "I was only sorry because I figured my actions offended you. I don't regret my actions." At this he turned to her, his stare intense and penetrating. His gaze broke when he heard something he had not expected…

Sally was laughing. Her arms were wrapped around her torso, and she was bent over, her laughter ringing through the once still air.

"Sally?" Wufei grew frustrated. "Woman, what the hell is so funny?!"

"We are," Sally said, glancing up with a brilliant smile on her face. Wufei felt his heart stop. "We had a misunderstanding, but we were both too stubborn to admit it." Wufei smiled ever so slightly. Encouraged by the gesture, the young woman leaned into his side, resting her head against his shoulder. Raising his eyebrows as high as they would go, Wufei wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her warm body closer to his. In the pond, the ducks continued to quack, but the bread was long forgotten.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Relena gazed at the man across from her, leaning her arms against the wooden table and taking a sip of her lemonade. Heero was leaning back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, a casual gesture. The two were having a quiet conversation, regarding the case, of course.

"Do you think he'll plead insanity?" Relena queried lightly, referring to Lester Johnson.

"It's highly probable," Heero admitted. "My guess is that's the route his lawyer will want to take. Especially given the interrogation." Relena appeared interested by this.

"Why? What happened?"

Heero closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and staring at the woman in front of him. "Chang and Sally were questioning Johnson, and were able to get a clean confession out of him." His neutral expression turned to one of anger. "The little fucker was actually proud of what he did!" His gaze turned apologetic. "Excuse me."

Relena shook off his apology for his language. "So there really is something wrong with him?"

Heero nodded. "Quite a bit."

Their discussion was halted as a waiter arrived with their food. The server placed a plate with a cheeseburger on it in front of Heero, and a bowl with a chicken salad in front of Relena. The pair ate in silence for a while, before Relena spoke up:

"Let's talk about something else."

Heero paused mid-bite. "Like what?"

Relena suddenly became interested in her fork. "Um…I don't know." She looked up. "I just don't want to talk about the case anymore."

The chocolate-haired man was quiet for a moment, his expression impartial, but inside he was in deep contemplation. "Does talking about the case make you feel…sad?" Relena's bright blue eyes widened in surprise. This young officer had hit the nail right on the head.

"Yes," Relena confirmed, gazing at Heero in amazement. She was even more surprised when he continued.

"You don't like it when people get hurt, do you?"

She shook her head. "No. Not at all."

"Then why choose the police force as a place for your secretarial skills?" he wondered, tapping his fingers against the table lightly, soundlessly.

Relena smiled. "I like it here," she told him, wondering silently if he caught the double meaning in her words.

He must have, for he replied, "I like it here, too."

A/N: Zechs, Noin, Duo, and Hilde next chapter. Hopefully the next chapter will be the last one, and then the epilogue. Again, sorry for the long wait. I was going to add more, but I wanted to get it out quickly. Please review!!