Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Two Can Play ❯ Round Two ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: For the four *billionth* time, they all are not mine.

Author's Notes: Don't ask me where this story came from because I have
no idea. It's probably the after effect of breathing in all the bug
spray my brother and I perfumed my room with, trying to kill a
cockroach. That stuff is lethal. Anyways, I hope things in this story
aren't too wacky and that characters aren't too out of sync. We killed
the bug, by the way. One down, literally trillions to go. Orginally,
this story was posted as twelve parts at a different site. I hope you
like it.

Dedication: To my friends. My support system.

****

Two Can Play

Part Two

by Kristen Elizabeth

****

It was beginning to snow. Relena set down her pen and turned her chair
around to face the wall of windows behind her desk. Without a doubt,
winter was upon them. She smiled; most people's favorite season was
spring. Relena loved winter. Not just because of Christmas, but
because of all the memories the season held. Building snowmen, making
snow angels, even the snowball fight Duo had instigated two years
earlier.

There was a knock on her office door, abruptly breaking her thoughts.
"Come in", she called out.

Lucrezia Noin, her brother's fiancee, stepped inside. "Hey Relena. I
just got this fax from the Minister of the Interior. He will be at the
conference next week, but he won't be staying on for the ball."

Relena made a face. "That's too, too bad. I was so looking forward to
him stepping on my toes again."

"Well, you might still get that pleasure. He's sending his son,
Harold, in his place."

"Harold. Oh ick! This is the same Harold who tried to stick his tongue
down my throat at my fourteenth birthday party." Relena stood up.

Noin hid a smile behind the fax. "I suppose you'll just have to stay
close to Heero. Not that you wouldn't anyways..."

Relena blushed. "It'll be the first night we've been able to spend any
time together in nearly two weeks." She sighed. "At least his rash is
gone."

"His what?"

"Nothing! Um...Miss Noin...may I ask you a rather personal question?"
When Noin nodded, Relena continued. "Do you think it's wrong
to...sleep with someone before you're married?"

Noin bit her lip to hold back her laughter. So, the Perfect Soldier
was making headway... She cleared her throat and thought of an answer
that wouldn't make her fiancee too angry with her. "I think it's a
choice everyone has to make for themselves, Relena. There's certainly
something to be said for waiting."

Relena nodded. "I see."

"But on the other hand, if you know it's right, what's the point in
waiting? Life is short." Noin smiled; Millardo was going to have a
fit. She threw caution to the wind. Millardo had no right to be angry
with his sister for being a normal, healthy young woman. After all, he
certainly hadn't placed any restrictions on himself when persuing a
sexual relationship with her back in the Academy. "I say follow your
instincts. They rarely lead you astray."

The Vice Foriegn Minister smiled brightly. "Thank you, Miss Noin."

Noin returned the smile. "Relena...you're practically my sister. You
can call me Lucy."

Relena agreed easily. "One more question. What should I get Heero for
Christmas? Not surprisingly, he is the hardest person to shop for."

Laughing, Noin listed off a few items that would have made *Duo*
blush.

****

Heero watched the fresh snowfall with much different images than
snowmen and angels flitting through his head. He imagined burying Duo
in snow and no one finding him until the following spring... He fought
to curb his murderous instinct, but it was hard. True, his rash was
gone, but the memory lingered. And it was now two weeks closer to
Christmas, yet Heero had barely seen Relena in that time.

It was enough to make a normal man scream.

But Heero Yuy plotted. He slumped further into his chair and rolled a
pen between his fingers as he thought long and hard. He had to have
revenge. Duo could not go unpunished. His little stunt with the
cheesecake had only proved how serious he was about this bet. And
Heero had to match that seriousness...if not top it.

Food was out of the question. As far as he knew, Duo wasn't allergic
to anything. And he could down any horrible mixture of foods; his
stomach was made of cast iron. No...to really hurt Duo where it
counted, you had to hit him below the belt.

Below the belt. Heero sat up. What was the most important thing in the
whole world to Duo?

Hilde.

What did Duo take gleeful pleasure in reminding everyone that he had
that they did not.

A sex life.

A plan began to form itself in the back of Heero's mind. It was
wicked. It was evil. If he believed in such things, it would probably
send him straight to hell. But damnation would almost be worth it to
see the look on Duo's face. Tossing his pen aside, Heero reached for
his communicator.

****

Hilde pulled her coat tighter around her slender body. The snow had
started without warning and she was caught unprepared in the garden,
pulling up the last of the fall's vegetables, with only a light
jacket. In fact, the whole winter season had come without warning.
Only two weeks earlier, it was jeans and t-shirt weather. Now she
would have to drag out her entire winter wardrobe.

Of course, winter also brought good things like snuggling under the
covers with Duo in front of a blazing fireplace. She closed her eyes
and smiled. The carrots in her arms were forgotten as she indulged in
a little daydreaming. The sound of the communicator beeping from just
inside the open sliding glass door to the apartment she and Duo shared
broke through the fantasy. Sighing, she went inside to answer it.

"Hello", she greeted the caller.

Heero Yuy looked back at her through the screen. "Hello, Hilde." He
pointed to the vegetables. "How's the garden?"

"Covered in a light layer of snow", she replied. "Fortunately, I got
to it before the ground froze." She dropped the armful of carrots.
"What can I do for you, Heero?"

He took a breath. "Hilde...I probably shouldn't be making this call.
But I'm afraid my conscience just won't let me look the other way this
time."

She raised an eyebrow. Heero had a conscience? "Um...okay", she
replied. "What's wrong? Is Duo okay?"

"Well, to be honest....he's not." Heero paused. "He told me something
today and I feel that I need to pass it on to you, since you obviously
care a lot about him."

Hilde's forehead crinkled in worry. "He's not in trouble, is he? Sick
or something?"

"No, no. Not sick. Not really in trouble either", Heero assured her.
"He told me today..." He stopped. "How do I say this without seeming
crude? He told me that he's had trouble...." Heero made a hand
gesture. "....getting *things* up and...running. If you know what I
mean."

"Oh." Hilde's eyes widened. "Oh!!"

"Yeah. I debated whether to tell you or not, but I thought if you
knew, it might save you both a bit of embarassment. It's not a huge
problem....a lot of guys go through this every now and then." Heero
shook his head. "But you know Duo. He's convinced you'll think it's
something you did wrong, when that's not the case and..." He trailed
off. "I hope I wasn't wrong in letting you know."

Duo's girlfriend covered her mouth with her hand as she took in the
news. "He has been...avoiding me lately. He says he's really busy at
work, but we haven't....done anything in days." She looked at Heero.
"Poor Duo! Going through this all alone!"

Heero shook his head, sadly. "I know. Now listen, don't mention this
to Duo. He'll deny it up and down rather than admit to having a
problem."

She nodded. "But what can I do to help him?"

"Be patient with him. He'll try to start something, trying to prove
than he can do it, but it will only lead to frustration. Give him a
few days of celibacy and the problem will most likely clear up."

Hilde nodded once again. "I understand." She smiled at him. "You know,
Heero....Duo is very lucky to have a friend like you."

Heero grinned. "I feel the same way about him."

****

"Man, oh man I hate snow." Duo pulled his jacket up around his ears as
he stepped out of his car. It was well past midnight and he was just
arriving home after a long, cold day. He warmed up a bit in
anticapation. Hilde would probably be in their bed, all curled up in
blankets. They could get naked and warm up the place entirely on their
own. It had been a few days since they had last made love. All the
extra paperwork Wufei had piled onto him was taking its toll. He'd
been so busy, he'd hardly even had time to think about sex. Tonight,
however, it was the only thing on his mind.

He pulled his keys out of his pocket and entered the apartment. All
the lights were off; she was definitely already in bed. Eagerly, Duo
shut the door and shed his jacket, leaving it in a wet, snowy pile on
the floor.

"Hilde", he called out, lowly. "I'm home."

She was sitting up in their bed, reading a book by the low light of a
lamp. He couldn't hide the curtain of disppointment on his face.
Instead of the tiny silk teddy he had imagined she'd be wearing, she
had on what Duo referred to as the "no-sex-tonight" outfit. Flannel,
long sleeved, high collared pajamas. He sighed. At least it would be
fun to get her out of it.

"Duo...you're home." She set her book aside. "How was your day?"

"Busy", he replied. Quickly, he crossed the room and sat on the edge
of the bed. "I could really use some special time..."

Hilde gave him a look that almost seemed...sympathetic. "I don't think
we should try anything tonight."

He blinked. "Um...why not?"

"Well...you know..." She picked at a loose thread on the comforter.

"No, I don't."

Hilde sighed. "Look, Duo...you don't have to keep up this pretense
with me. I know all about your problem." Before he could reply, she
put a finger against his lips. "Please don't deny it. It's nothing to
be ashamed of."

"What the...." He was cut off by her fingers pressing tighter against
his mouth.

"Don't worry about it, Duo. We'll give it a couple of days. We don't
have to rush little Duo into doing anything that he's not ready to
do."

Duo blinked again and then looked down at his lap. Okay, so he wasn't
completely ready yet, but she hadn't even kissed him!! He looked back
into her sympathetic blue eyes. "Babe...I swear....there's nothing
wrong with me!!"

She shook her head. "He said you'd say that."

"Who said I'd say what??"

"Don't be angry with Heero. He was just doing what any best friend
would do. I, for one, really appreciate it. I mean, who knows how long
this might have gone on? Now that I know, I can help by not putting
any pressure on you." She patted his lap affectionately. "Or little
Duo."

Duo's eyes had narrowed into dangerous slits. "I can't believe he
would stoop this low..."

Her lips were warm against his cheek. "I think you ought to sleep in
the guest room for the next few nights, sweetie. It'll be better that
way."

"But...but...", he spluttered.

"Goodnight Duo."

He had no choice. And his brain was too confused and too enraged to
think of any way out of the situation. Reluctantly, he stood up and
started for the guest room. He laid down on the cold, hard mattress in
a stupor. As he stared up at the white-washed ceiling, a plan of his
own began to form.

"Heero...you're going down."

****

****

Relena was in ecstasy. A low moan escaped her lips. "Heero..."

His fingers worked their magic below the covers, teasing the very
center of her body with maddening delicacy. His hot lips played with
hers as he murmured words of encouragement. "Come on, Relena....open
up for me..."

She threw her head back as another sweet wave of pleasure washed over
her. "Heero!"

"Come on, Relena....Relena....come on...open up!"

The wonderful dream began to fade. Heero's fingers disappeared from
her body as she opened her eyes. There was a loud pounding on her
bedroom door.

"Relena! Come on....open up this door! You're going to be late!!"

The Vice Foriegn Minister bolted upright in bed. "Millardo?" She put a
hand to her flushed cheek. "What time is it??"

"Nearly eight", her brother replied through the door. "The opening
speeches begin in an hour and if you don't get up this minute, you're
going to miss them."

She scrambled out of bed, straightened her twisted nightdress and ran
for the door. Her brother stood in the hallway, impatience flashing in
his blue eyes. "I overslept?"

"Just a little bit." He pointed to her nightclothes. "Get dressed.
Quickly."

Giving him a weak smile, Relena closed the door and ran for her
private bathroom. Twenty minutes later, she emerged in her bathrobe, a
thick towel wrapped around her wet hair. She was starting for her
closet when her communicator beeped. She frowned; if she answered it,
she was going to be late. But then....only a handful of people had her
private communicator number.

And Heero was one of them.

She sat at her desk and punched up the call. "Heero?", she said
hopefully.

As if the gods were listening to her, his familiar, handsome face
appeared on the screen. "Morning", he greeted her. "Did I get you at a
bad time?"

Relena put a hand to the towel around her head. "I just got out of the
shower."

Heero's eyes flickered hungrily. "You realize I'll be thinking about
that all day now."

"Oh really?", she replied, coyly.

He nodded. "Trust me." Blinking, he tried to focus. "I just called to
remind you to wear your bulletproof vest today."

Her mood cooled. "Heero...do I really have to?"

"Relena, I'm not going to get into this again. You agreed to wear it,
discussion over."

"But...it's so heavy", she complained. "I feel like my breasts are
being crushed."

He shook his head. "I'd rather you had flat breasts than a bullet
through your heart."

Relena's lower lip protruded. "Isn't there anything I can say to
change your mind?"

"No."

"Fine then." She stood up and reached for the heavy, metal-lined vest.
"Do you want to watch me put it on?" Before he could reply, she yanked
on the ties holding her robe closed. The silk garment parted, baring
her breasts.

Heero's jaw dropped. "Relena..." His body tightened in reaction. "What
are you...doing?"

She pushed the robe off her shoulders, leaving her completely naked in
front of the communicator screen. "What you told me to do." Relena
turned the vest around her hands, studying it. "It goes on this
way...right?"

"Um....yeah", he nodded as she stuck her hands through the vest's
sleeves. She fitted it around her torso, covering her body again.
"No...wait....you've got it on backwards." He watched as she removed
the vest and her breasts came into his sight again. He smiled until
she put it back on. "Damn...I'm sorry. You had it right the first
time. Take it off and try it again."

Relena gave him a knowing smile. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Immensely", he replied.

With the vest still in her hands, she sat down. Heero's eyes never
left her breasts as they bounced with her every movement. "Heero, look
up for just a minute." His gaze lifted. "I'm glad you called....even
though I'm going to be late now."

His eyes flickered back down to her breasts, then back up to her face.
"I'm glad I called too."

"I was dreaming about you..." Her fingers absentmindedly touched her
throat. As she spoke, they slid down her chest until she was playing
with one peaked nipple. "It was just getting good when I had a most
unwelcome wake up call."

Heero's mouth was dry as he watched her. Right then, he would have
done anything, killed anyone to be in her room. "Funny...I had a dream
about you too."

Relena let her hand drop away from her breast. "I want us to make
love, Heero. And I don't feel like waiting for the ball. Three days is
just too long to wait."

He swallowed. "What are you suggesting?"

"After the speeches today, we have a three hour break before the
meetings begin." She blushed. "I was hoping we could meet somewhere
and..."

"Yes", he interrupted her. "Yes, absolutely."

She smiled. "Find us a quiet place. Quatre and I are seated next to
each other for the speeches; get a message to him and he'll pass it on
to me." She touched her screen as though it was his face. "I love you,
Heero."

He nodded. The words weren't always necessary. One of the things he
loved about Relena was that she didn't need to constantly hear the
words. She could tell just by looking at him. "I'll expect to have to
take that vest off today", he warned her.

Relena groaned. "A promise is a promise. I will wear it, Heero."

Nodding again, Heero ended the call. He sat at his desk for several
minutes, but the image of Relena's breasts refused to budge.
Eventually, he stopped trying to get it out of his head. There were
worse mental images to be stuck with all day, he supposed.

And one of them popped his head through Heero's office door. Without
waiting to be invited in, Duo stepped into the office, two cups of
coffee in his hands. "I come in peace."

Heero stood up and eyed his friend warily. "Why would you do that?"

"Cause..." He held out one coffee cup to Heero. "I'm still your best
friend." When Heero didn't reach for the cup, he sighed. "I promise
it's not laced with raspberry flavoring."

"Oh, I know it's not. Because you know that if you ever do that again,
you will experience pain beyond anything you have ever known." Heero
took the coffee. "I only spared you last time for Hilde's sake."

"Speaking of Hilde..." Duo sipped his coffee. "I have to give you
snaps for the whole impotancy thing. Even I would never have thought
of that."

Heero raised his cup. "One good turn deserves another."

"Yes it does." There was a pause. "So, how's Relena?"

"Busy. The conference." Heero sniffed his coffee before taking a
hesitant sip.

Duo shook his head. "That's too bad. It's getting kinda close to
Christmas..."

"Yes, about that. I've been thinking....since you're going to be
cutting your hair, why not go all the way and shave it off? Hilde
might like it."

His braided friend laughed and shook a finger at him. "Don't be too
confidant, Yuy. You're running out of time and you know it." He
reached back to touch his hair. "Have you started thinking about what
pair of Relena's underwear you're going to wear to work? I'd avoid the
thongs if I were you."

"Now who's too confidant?" Heero took another sip of coffee. "We'll
see who's laughing by the end of..." He smiled. "...today."

Duo was instantly on guard. "Why is that? Do you and Relena
have...plans?"

"You must really think I'm stupid, Maxwell." He set his coffee down.
"Say Relena and I did have plans. Do you honestly think I'd tell you
so you could burst in on us and stop things?"

"You're right", Duo gave in. "My bad. What was I thinking? It's not
like you'd just..." The coffee in Duo's hand seemed to take on a life
of it's own. Without warning, it fell, splattering a wide stain across
the carpet. "Oh geez! I'm such a fucking klutz."

Heero sighed. "Damn it, Duo. How old are you?"

Duo bent down and started rubbing at the stain, succeeding only in
spreading it further and deeper into the cream colored carpet. "Don't
worry...I'll take care of it."

"You're making matters worse." Heero started for the door. "Stop what
you're doing. *I'll* take care of it." He left the office, heading
towards the bathrooms.

A wicked grin spread on Duo's face. Quickly, he reached into his
pocket and pulled out a small, metal device. After checking to make
sure it was working, he went to Heero's desk and attached it just
underneath the wooden surface. He managed to straighten up and move
away from the desk just as Heero came back with a handful of paper
towels.

"Guess I should be more careful in the future", he apologized.

Heero glared at him. "I guess so. Now, is there anything else in my
office you'd like to destroy before you go?"

Duo thought for a moment. "No, not really." His friend pointed to the
door, indicating that he was free to leave. "Fine, fine. I'm going."
He stopped in the doorway, turned and gave Heero a broad smile. "Have
a nice day."

****

Relena fidgeted all throughout the conference's opening speech, given
by the newly elected President of the Earth Space Alliance. Beside
her, Quatre noticed her anxiety. He leaned a bit towards her. "Is
everything all right?", he asked.

She flashed him a smile. "My feet are falling asleep."

"Really? It couldn't have anything to do with what Heero just told me
through the com link?" Quatre laughed softly at seeing her confusion.
He touched his ear and the small device placed just inside it. "He's
telling me..." Quatre paused, listening. "...that he can't stop
thinking about your bulletproof vest."

Relena hid a wide grin behind her hand. "Can he hear what I'm saying?"

"Only if you speak up."

She leaned closer to Quatre and brought her lips just up to his ear.
To anyone else, it merely looked like she was telling him a secret.
"Heero", she whispered. "Have you found us a place yet?"

Quatre blinked. There was a long pause. Finally, he replied. "He says
to meet him in the third floor ballroom as soon as the speeches are
over."

"I'm looking foward to it." She sat back in her seat and focused on
the President's speech.

Taking the device out of his ear, Quatre shook his head, amused. It
looked as though Duo was getting a hair cut.

And Trowa was getting laid.

****

Two floors below, in the basement security headquarters, Duo Maxwell
turned down the volume on his radio link and congratulated himself,
once again, for having had the amazing idea, as well as the technical
smarts, to bug Heero's office.

"So...the third floor ballroom", he mused. "Quiet, private....a great
place to spend some quality time with the one you love." He reached
for his communicator. "And a great place for assassins to camp out. I
had better warn Millardo..."

****

Relena listened to the applause filling the conference hall, a sign
that she hadn't lost her touch when it came to speeches. She flashed
the world leaders a brilliant smile before stepping down from the
podium. Now that the opening speeches were over, it would be three
hours before the meetings began.

She had attended the speeches as a virgin. She was determined not to
attend the meetings as one.

Trowa Barton was waiting for her as she started out of the hall.
"Heero told me to take you directly to the third floor."

"You know, I am capable of walking up a flight of stairs", she
informed him, hands on her hips.

"Of course you are." He gently took her arm and steered her towards
the stairs. "But Heero didn't want anything or anyone to distract you.
I'm here to ensure that nothing will."

She sighed, exasperated, but touched at the same time. This obviously
meant a lot to Heero and it wasn't just the promise of getting laid.
"Thank you, Trowa."

"Really....it's my pleasure." When they emerged from the stairwell
into the empty third floor hallway, Trowa pointed towards the
ballroom. "He's waiting."

Her heart thudded in her chest. She placed a hand over it, feeling the
hard metal of her vest underneath the silk of her blouse. In a second,
Trowa was gone and she was all alone as she walked towards the
ballroom. She let herself in tentatively. The room was dark.

"Heero?", she called out softly.

The sound of a match being struck. A small, but bright light flared to
life, illuminating part of the room. The man holding the match lit a
candle. "You're right on time."

"Well, Trowa is a very good bodyguard." She closed the ballroom door.

Heero took a step towards her. "Come here." She walked foward until
she was only a few inches away from him. Before he touched her, before
he even kissed her, he reached behind her head and undid the thick bun
her hair was wrapped in, letting it spill around her shoulders. She
swallowed. "Are you nervous?", he asked softly.

"A little. But I want this." She cupped his face in her hands and
brought his lips down on hers. The kiss moved from gentle to ravenous
in no time at all. Their tongues met and entwined as their arms folded
around each other. Heero's hands slid up and down her back. Before she
quite knew it, he had pulled her blouse out of her skirt and was
working on the buttons. She helped him by pulling her arms out of the
sleeves.

In return, she tugged his shirt over his head until the only thing
separating them was her bulletproof vest. He reached for the velcro
straps. "You wore it", he murmured between kisses.

"A promise...is a promise", she whispered. There was a ripping sound
as he pulled the vest apart. It dropped to the floor with a loud,
metallic clank.

Heero leaned back to study her bare torso in the candlelight. Her skin
was smooth and pale. Her breasts were perfectly shaped; their rosy
peaks tempted him. "You're beautiful", he said simply.

Relena's eyes misted. She pulled him back for a kiss; the tips of her
breasts brushed against his muscled chest. She gasped at the
sensation. Heero pulled his lips away from hers and kissed her jaw,
dropping tiny kisses all the way down her throat.

"Heero..." She tilted her head back.

Still kissing her slender neck, he walked her back towards the candle.
A blanket and several cushions were lying on the ballroom floor. Her
heart lept into her throat. This was really going to happen. She and
Heero were going to make love.

Seeming to sense her sudden apprehension, he drew back. "Relena, tell
me now if you want to stop."

"No. No, I don't want to stop. I just..." Relena bit her lip. "I don't
have any sort of..." A blush spread on her cheeks.

Heero reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small
package. "Did you think I wouldn't take care of you?" She smiled in
relief; the Perfect Soldier had thought of everything. Heero kissed
her again and together they knelt onto the waiting blanket.

Taking a breath, Relena pulled back and shifted her body until she was
lying down. Heero gazed at her for a second before moving over her,
supporting his weight on his elbow. Relena's arms pulled him down for
another kiss. As his tongue explored her mouth, his hand moved down
her body. He worked his fingers under her skirt, sliding them up her
thigh. The silk stocking gave way to bare flesh. Heero grinned.
Nothing was more exciting than a garter belt.

The skirt was too tight for him to maneuver much underneath it. He
withdrew his hand and reached under her for the zipper. As he did, his
kisses trailed down to her breasts.

Completely without warning, the ballroom door flew open. A bright
shaft of harsh light hit the lovers, shadowed only by the man who
stepped into the room. Heero and Relena's heads instantly swung over
to see the intruder. As soon as Heero realized who it was, he pulled
Relena up and twisted her around so her back was facing the door.

Millardo Peacecraft had never been so shocked in his entire life as he
was to open the ballroom door and find his sister and Heero Yuy
half-naked and entangled on the floor. His shock gave way to rage. In
his hand was his gun, already drawn and ready to go. He pointed it
straight at the man holding his little sister.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Humiliated, but determined not to show it, Relena laid her head on
Heero's shoulder. Millardo couldn't see her face, but he could hear
the wobble in her voice. "I don't think I need to explain myself", she
replied.

Her brother's eyes widened. After a moment, he began to laugh. It was
a dangerous sound. "You don't think you have to explain yourself? I
find you like this and you don't think you have to explain yourself??"

Heero's eyes were narrow. He held his girlfriend tighter. "Just what
are you doing here?"

"I recieved an anonymous tip that assassins might have set up in here.
Before I got the Preventers involved, I thought I'd check it out
myself." Millardo shook his head. "You had better be glad I did,
Relena, or this might have been a lot more embarassing."

She drew in a breath. "I think...the most embarassed person here is
you, Millardo. I have nothing to be ashamed about. Neither does
Heero."

"Relena..."

Her head turned just enough to see him. "I refuse to have a
conversation with someone who is pointing a gun at me."

He lowered his weapon. "Relena, I realize that that you are twenty
years old. And I realize that you're in love. Or at least that you
*think* you are."

Relena's eyes flashed. "Don't you dare condescend to..."

"What I don't think *you* realize is that you are one of the most
important figures in current politics. That is your responsibility,
first and foremost. My god..." He spread his arms. "Can you imagine if
someone else had found you? Another minister or the President himself?
Not to mention some reporter....Relena, this could have ruined your
entire political career!! Would it really have been worth it?"

"Yes", she whispered into Heero's shoulder.

Millardo apparently didn't hear her. "I expect to see you downstairs,
getting ready for your first meeting in fifteen minutes. If you care
about your career...if you care about me, you'll be there." He backed
up and reached for the door. "Fifteen minutes."

As soon as he was gone, Relena picked up a cushion and hurtled it
towards the door. Tears of anger and frustration slipped down her
cheeks. "I'm not a politician first and foremost!!", she screamed.
"That's not all I am!!"

Heero drew her towards him. She fought him, but he held on until she
gave up and let herself cry against his shoulder. "I know it's not all
you are."

"It's not fair", she cried. "It's just not fair." Her sobs began to
quiet after several minutes. "Heero...I'm so sorry."

Swallowing back his disappointment and sexual frustration, Heero shook
his head. "Relena, we have all the time in the world." *Even though
there's only two weeks until Christmas....* "This can wait."

She gave him a soft, salty kiss. "I don't know why you put up with
me."

"Simple. Because you put up with me." He pulled her to her feet. "Come
on. I'll walk down with you. If you want me to."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

As Heero watched her redress, one question ran through his mind, over
and over.

How the hell had Duo done it?

****

To Be Continued