I do not own Gundam Wing.  This fan fiction has no commercial value and I am not making any kind of profit or income off of this.  

Chapter 14

            Heero and Relena arrived at the host hotel the night before the wedding.  They were booked into separate rooms, but Relena didn’t bother settling in.  She knew she wouldn’t be staying there very long.  However, she did have something to take care of before she moved her things into Heero’s room.  She punched a few keys on the hotel-provided video-com and soon came face to face with an old friend.

            The next morning, Relena sat patiently in front of the mirror, wincing every so often as Carol of Carol’s Hair Bow-tique ran a comb through Relena’s tresses with all the delicacy of a farmer using a garden hoe.  She swept her honey hair up into a French twist, leaving the ends loose at the top.  The tips were then rolled into curlers and left for several minutes before being arranged into a nest of large, loose curls on top of her head.  Wisps of gold were formed into ringlets framing her heart-shaped face.

            A few hours later, the bridal party arrived at the church - dresses and shoes in tow.  A makeup artist carefully made up each girl’s face, before they pulled on black crepe dresses, each with a white satin bow that tied in the back.

After Relena finished dressing, she helped Hilde into her wedding gown.  It was a long, white silk off-the-shoulder dress that hugged her tiny waist before ending at her ankles.  A tiara sat on top of softly curled ebony locks, with a full veil attached – flowing down her back in a soft cloud of white mesh.  Her sapphire eyes danced with nervous excitement as she wrapped Relena in a vice-like but friendly hug. 

            “Thank you so much, Relena.  It means the world to us that you came,” she said with tears glittering in her eyes.

            “Oh, Hilde – you know that I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.  You two are going to be so happy together, I have no doubt,” Relena replied warmly.

            “Oh, I know – I’m not worried about that.  I knew the moment I saw him that I’d never love anyone else,” she sighed happily.

            Just then, a knock sounded on the door and Noin poked her head into the room.  “It’s time, ladies.”

            Hilde threw a last nervous glance at Relena, and then the bridesmaids left the blushing bride to take their places.

            The small assembly watched the procession of beautiful women as they floated down the aisle with a soft rustling of fabric lost in the overpowering sound of the church organ.  Heero realized he wasn’t the only man noticing how stunning Relena looked with her honey-colored tresses piled on top of her head as brilliant sunlight shining through stained glass windows cast colorful shadows on the small gathering of friends. 

            His musings were interrupted by the change in song as the Wedding March began to play and everyone stood to watch Hilde and Quatre make their way to the front of the church.  With both the bride and groom having been orphaned at an early age, Hilde was forced to turn to a good friend of the family for someone to give her away, instead of the usual father or brother.  The two had easily agreed on asking Quatre, who looked upon the opportunity as practice for some twenty-nine weddings that could be in his future – as well as a great honor.  Duo had joked that he should get married himself to take a break from giving brides away. 

As soon as his lovely bride came into Duo’s vision, all time seemed to stop.  Unfortunately, his breathing ceased as well, and he ended up gasping for air at the most amazingly beautiful creature he had ever seen.  A silly grin plastered itself to his features as he took her hand and stared at the woman that would soon become his wife.  He barely heard the hour-long mass; all he remembered was the way she looked at him and the kiss at the end.  “This is truly heaven on earth,” he sighed and marched the new Mrs. Maxwell across the hall towards the reception room.

            At the doorway, their ‘wedding coordinator’, a mousy character named Sean, with large square-shaped glasses and light brown hair evenly parted down the middle, stopped the happy couple. He directed them to a smaller room and informed them that once all their guests were out of the sanctuary, the photographer would take pictures of the wedding party before they joined the reception.  Duo grumbled under his breath something about being hungry, but smiled patiently at Hilde. 

            The seemingly endless amount of pictures finally taken, Relena and Heero stood in the hallway, about to enter the reception room, when Duo and Hilde called out to their best man.

            “Heero,” Hilde said sounding somewhat breathy from their whirlwind of activities. “Wait a second.”

            Heero and Relena stopped and turned to face their cheerful friends.  His left palm came to rest lightly at the small of Relena’s back as the two of them stood and chatted with the happy couple.

            “We wanted to thank both of you,” Hilde continued, not missing the tiny gesture of protectiveness that Heero displayed. “for participating in our wedding.  Especially you, Heero, it meant so much to Duo that you came.”

            Surprisingly, Heero’s impassive voice was heard replying, “It meant a lot to me that he asked.”  His free hand gently sought out Relena’s gloved right hand.  “Perhaps,” he said turning his head to gaze at her profile, “I can return the favor, someday.” He brought the delicate hand in the pristine white satin glove up to his lips in a gallant gesture.  Duo’s mouth dropped and Hilde’s eyes went wide.  Relena looked up at him, a mixture of surprise and sadness on her features as tears glittered in her light blue eyes.  Before she could reply, however, the wedding coordinator arrived on-scene to usher the bride, groom, and best man in for the traditional toast.

            “Okay everyone, get out the camcorders, I want copies of this – quite possibly the only time that Heero Yuy will say something nice about me!  Ow!  Watch the hair, Hilde!” Duo called out cheerfully as they made their way to the center table.  Relena followed a ways behind – not wanting to attract attention.  She was surprised when Trowa appeared by her side during the toast.

            “I trust things are going well between you two?” He asked, his one green eye visible beneath his bangs.

            “Yes, as well as can be expected,” she sighed, sadness evident in her facial expression.  A feeling of anxiety in the pit of her stomach erupted into full-blown nausea for a moment before she was able to gain control of it again.  Trowa watched her subtle changes of expression.  It only added to his own feeling of unease.  Suddenly, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the corner of the room. 

            “Relena,” he whispered in her ear.  “Something’s wrong, I can feel it.  Please, be on your guard – we’re going to find a way to get you out of here.  Just be prepared to leave.  It could happen any time.”

            Relena nodded and looked up at him.  There was so much concern in his eyes.  She hated that they were always worrying over her.

            The sound of a throat clearing was heard from somewhere behind Trowa, and he turned to face a somewhat angry-looking Heero Yuy.  “Trowa,” he said curtly, holding out his hand to Relena.  Before she accepted it, however, the young woman was overcome with an emotion none in the room would understand, save one – and hugged the young man whose green eyes glittered with such trepidation for her sake.  She kissed Trowa briefly on the cheek and then was gone.

            “Almost five o’clock,” Trowa thought, checking his watch for probably the hundredth time since the reception began – an hour ago.  That nervous feeling just would not leave the pit of his stomach as he watched Heero lead Relena onto the dance floor.  They looked good together, he had to admit, and he was happy that the young princess was with the man she loved – even if it wasn’t himself.

            No, he didn’t fancy himself in love with the young woman that had united the Earth and colonies in the last war only to become the new government’s enemy.  She only had eyes for the former Zero pilot, and so, despite his admiration, he had not ventured down the road of unrequited love, unlike his less fortunate comrade.

            Trowa’s eyes easily found Quatre across the room, deep in conversation with Zechs and Noin.  The young Mr. Winner had become like a brother to him, and it hurt to watch him fall for the princess, knowing it was never meant to be.  She was destined to be Heero’s and that was that. 

His gaze traveled over to Wu-fei, who was also glancing at his watch, and appearing somewhat anxious.  He wondered briefly if the Preventer perhaps was sensing that same unsettling feeling that something was wrong.  He sipped his champagne thoughtfully.

At two minutes until five, Catherine decided she’d had enough of her brother’s quiet moping and made her way over to his chosen post at the corner of the room.

“Trowa, come on.  You haven’t danced once.  You owe me,” she said smiling brightly.  She then proceeded to tell him all about where Hilde and Duo were going on their honeymoon, and various other details about the wedding….

Meanwhile, Relena shifted nervously in Heero’s arms as Wu-fei tapped her dance partner’s shoulder.  The Preventer nodded at her briefly, and she acquiesced, stepping back from Heero’s embrace.  Without a word, she stood up on tiptoe and kissed him lightly on the lips, then turned to go.  Prussian blue eyes filled with pain, and he reached out to stop her.  He grabbed her wrist, pulling her back for a passionate good-bye that she would remember, and that would perhaps sustain him a while longer.  “Relena,” he breathed when it was over.  “I promise…”

Relena’s finger came up to rest on his lips.  “Shhhh….” She said softly.  “We can’t make promises we have no control over whether they can be fulfilled.  Just know that I love you, Heero – and that I always will.”  And with that, she let Wu-fei lead her to the door of the reception hall, and then out of the church.  Heero watched them for a moment, then walked away from the dance floor - alone, once again.

Trowa glanced up from his sister’s lively chatter and saw Heero walking towards the buffet table, hands jammed in the pockets of his dress pants and looking like he was ready to kill someone.  He quickly scanned the room for Relena, but didn’t see her anywhere.  Also missing was Wu-fei.  Something gnawed at the back of his mind, and he interrupted Catherine to go talk to Heero.

“Where is she?” Trowa asked quietly, trying to keep his nerves under control.

Heero glared at him.  “Where do you think?”

Trowa grabbed his collar, “I don’t know, tell me!”

            Heero’s eyes widened with alarm.  “She’s with Wu-fei…going back to L4?” He replied, his blood turning to ice in his veins.  He shook his head in denial as realization set in.  “No….” He whispered softly.  Trowa released him and they ran for the door. 

Duo and Hilde were chatting with guests, making the rounds before it was time to leave.  Duo looked up from his audience as he took a sip of champagne, and froze when he saw the two men running for the door. He felt his heart catch in his throat.  There was only one thing that would spur his friends into that kind of action.  His smile quickly faded and his voice trailed off mid sentence.  He dropped his champagne glass, with a loud crash and sprinted after them.  Blond hair tossed about wildly, as Quatre and Zechs weren’t far behind.

The five men stopped short at the top of the white stone steps located immediately outside the entrance to St. Patrick’s church.  They could only watch in horror the scene unfolding before them. 

Around the perimeter of the churchyard, stood approximately fifteen uniformed Preventers with assault rifles trained upwards, sighted on the group of tuxedo-clad men.  At the bottom of the long flight of stairs leading from the church, Colonel Une was reading Relena her rights, as Wu-fei snapped a pair of handcuffs on delicate wrists.  The helicopter sitting behind the troops suddenly came to life, as if sensing its precious cargo was nearby – creating a brutal breeze that swept through the courtyard with the smell of gasoline and the remembrance of death.  But the five men stood their ground. 

Relena didn’t look up, but she knew they were there.  The resounding clicks of the rifles announced their arrival as her captors came to full attention. She hadn’t meant it to be this way, but Trowa had told her he sensed something was wrong. And so they were quicker than she had anticipated, and had arrived too soon - thus having to bear witness to the terrible scene she had sought to save them from. 

Two soldiers came forward on command, grabbing her arms and shoving her roughly towards the helicopter, causing Relena to cry out in surprise.  Heero heard her voice and instinctively stepped forward with one clear purpose in mind, but Trowa and Quatre fought to hold him back.  They watched helplessly as Wu-fei angrily strode over and pushed the two insolent guards away, taking her elbow and gently steering her to the vehicle that would begin her journey back to the planet she once called her home, alight with the promises of life, love, and a future.  But she was not going home, today. Instead, she was being taken into captivity, and brought to her prison.  The blue green orb that looked so harmless from space held only the promise of death for its wayward child.

The five young men she left behind could do nothing for her.  They could only watch in saddened silence, as the Preventers managed to capture and take away the woman that was in her own way special to each one of them - an angel, a friend, a sister, a confidante, and a lover.

Rose: **dons asbestos suit** There!  Flame retardant. 

Kristine: You spelled it wrong – it’s r-e-t-a-r-d-e-d.  There.  But what does that have to do with fire?

Rose: NOT RETARDED -  RETARDANT!  **glowers fiercely at Kristine**

Readers: **brandishing torches** THERE SHE IS!  GET HER!!!!!

Rose: NOOOO!  See, this is why I haven’t been posting. I got this far and knew you would all hate me if I left you here.  But I’m going to have to anyway….I’m NOT going to do the 3 part series, though.  I’m going to try to go forward with a one-part series after all, it’s just that I’m operating without my usual safety net. 

Oracle at Delphi: **torch in hand, in a mocking tone**  Blah blah blah.  Produce chapter 15, or we’re going to fry you!

Rose: **points to asbestos suit** That’s okay, I’m prepared.

Preventer Wind: Fine, but you can’t hide from my poking stick! **jabs it into Rose’s stomach**

Rose: OUCH! Hey stop that!

Readers: **pick up poking sticks conveniently lying nearby (Rose: HEY, where did those come from?????)** GET HER!!!!

            Relena walked into the dark room lit with a strange bluish glow.  “Heero, what are you doing on the computer at this hour?  I thought you were coming to bed,” she said and walked up behind where he was sitting and typing furiously on his laptop.

            “Hn.  I’ll be there in a minute,” Heero growled, not looking up.

            “'The incensed group moved toward the cowering girl, sticks raised overhead and a vicious gleam in their collective eyes’.  Heero what on earth are you writing?” Relena asked reading over his shoulder as he typed.  She put her hands on her hips and glared at his back.  “You’re not writing another one of those stories are you?” Her voice dropped into an accusing tone.

            “Hn.” Heero said not looking up from the active matrix screen.

            “Leave poor Rose alone.  What did she ever do to you?” Relena scolded lightly, bending forward to wrap her arms around him from behind.

            Heero stopped typing and turned his head to speak to her.  “Well, she made me see a shrink in ‘To Honor and Protect’, not to mention the fact that she bleached my hair and made me cut it.  She almost had you running off with Trowa in ‘Dangerous Games’, and she had you arrested for being a traitor in ‘Traitor to the Cause’.  Not only that, but she’s got me playing the emotionally clueless jerk in her ‘Missing by a Mile’ fic.  I’d say she’s done enough.  It’s my turn to play,” he said the last sentence with a slight pout and then turned back to his laptop.

            Relena sighed.  “So what horrible thing do you have planned for her next?”  She could see the smirk cross his face in the reflection off the laptop screen.  She shook her head.

            “Well, I’m going to have her job-hunting because she hates her boss.  Then her husband’s going to take apart her computer to ‘upgrade’ it – and run into all sorts of problems.  That way she won’t be able to write – or send out her resume,” Heero said with a malicious grin.

            “Hmmm…well, do you think that you can put that off until tomorrow?  I got you a Valentine’s gift,” Relena said and kissed his cheek.

            “Wasn’t Valentine’s two days ago?” He asked, a small frown appearing on his face.

            “Yes, but you were away on a mission, remember?” Relena pouted.  “Besides, I think you’ll like it.”

            “Hn.” He replied, no longer focused on the laptop in front of him.  “What is it?”

            “Well, close your eyes and think….think red…think silky…”

            A smile started to creep onto his features.

            “Think really really small.”

            A grin lit up his face.

            “Okay, stand up and turn around.  Now open your eyes,” Relena said holding up the item in question.

            “A THONG!  You bought me a red silk thong with little white hearts and you expect me to wear it?” He cried incredulously.

            Relena giggled at his expression.  “Well, actually, I fibbed a little.  This is MY Valentine’s present.  Yours is back in our room.  If you were coming to bed now…” her voice trailed off with a mischievous grin.

            He bent down and scooped her up in his arms.  She laughed as he carried her down the hallway towards their room.