Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters. The only characters who belong to me in this story are Joaquin Remir and Arys Walker. This story takes place after Standing in the Moonlight.

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By Starling

Heero was sitting at his computer in the living room when the call came.

Arys walked into the living room, holding their cordless phone. She came up beside his chair, kissed his cheek, and handed him the phone.

"It's Colonel Une, Heero."

Heero looked up from the computer screen to glance at his wife. She winked at him and walked back into the kitchen. Heero put the phone to his ear.

"This is Yuy."

"Heero, I need to meet with you ASAP."

"Another mission?" Heero absently tapped the desk, watching the screen saver blink onto his screen. He smiled slightly at the images he saw there.

"Yes."

"Got it. I'll tell Arys."

"You must come alone."

Heero's eyes widened slightly and he glanced toward the kitchen doorway. He could hear Arys whistling as she moved about the kitchen. They had always gone on missions together. He wondered why Colonel Une needed to meet with only him.

"Why?" He asked shortly.

"You are the only one who will be going on this mission, Heero. " Une paused for a moment. "And Arys can't know anything about it."

Heero felt as if he had been slugged in the stomach. "What? I have to tell her! I can't just leave her..."

"This is too important a mission, Heero Yuy. If you wish to discuss it further, come to Preventer headquarters right now. I'll be waiting."

The dial tone came on, and Heero realized that Colonel Une had just hung up on him.

Arys came back into the living room, holding a dishtowel this time. She frowned at Heero when she saw the dark look he was giving the phone.

"What's wrong?"

Heero stood up, leaving the phone on the desk. He went to the coat closet and pulled out his black trenchcoat. Arys, confused, watched him as he put it on.

"Where are you going?" Arys put the dishtowel down on their small dining table and came toward him.

Heero turned toward her, fixing his collar as he did so. "I'll be out the rest of the night. Don't wait up."

He always told her that, but she never listened. Whenever he did come home late, he would find her asleep on the couch, and he would end up carrying her to bed.

Arys eyed him up and down, then she mischievously grinned at him. "Are you going to meet with Colonel Une dressed like that?" She motioned toward his jeans and T-shirt.

Heero sighed. Arys somehow always knew where he was going, although it was probably rather obvious for this situation since he had just spoken to Colonel Une. "She was pretty adamant that I meet with her now."

Arys loked at him curiously. "She didn't want me to come with you?"

Heero shook his head, that dark look returning to his eyes. "No, she didn't."

She drew close and slid her arms beneath his trenchcoat and around his waist. "Well, don't stay out too late."

"I won't." Heero lowered his lips to hers for a goodbye kiss.

Arys drew away as soon as the kiss ended, her gaze tenderly scanning his face. "I'll be here when you get back."

Heero walked to the door and stepped out onto the landing before replying. He turned in the doorway, his eyes filled with longing... and sadness. "I know." Then, he was gone.

Arys sat on the couch, wondering why she missed him so terribly when he would only be gone a few hours. She could not believe how close they had gotten since their marriage a few months before. Arys glanced at the locked front door and shook her head. Was it reasonable for her to love someone so much that his very presence was as natural to her as breathing and sleeping? Arys pushed away the troublesome thoughts and glanced around the room. She needed something to do, something to take her mind off of Heero. Her gaze settled on Heero's computer. She supposed she could finish his mission report for him. Their last mission had been a joint one and the two of them had worked together. Arys had jokingly told Heero that it was his turn to write the report, and he had grudgingly agreed. She would be nice this once and do it for him.

Arys sat down at the computer, and was about to punch a key on the keyboard when the screen saver caught her eye. He must have just put it on because she had never seen it before. The screen saver was a slideshow of pictures from their honeymoon in Europe. Arys smiled as a picture of Heero flashed onto the screen. She remembered taking it. They had been staying in a Mediterranean beach house for a few days, and she had taken a picture of Heero leaning against the wooden beams framing the porch entryway. He was dressed in an unbuttoned white collared shirt and jeans, and he was smiling at her roguishly with the sun setting into the ocean behind him. It had been one of the few times she had actually seen Heero truly relaxed. Arys propped her head on one hand and watched the slideshow, memories drifting through her mind, until she fell asleep at the desk, the mission report completely forgotten.

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Heero walked into Colonel Une's office without preamble, his dark eyes full of rage.

"I want to know what's going on, and I want to know NOW." Heero's voice was not loud, but it startled even Colonel Une in its intensity.

Une quickly hid her discomfort and shuffled a few papers she had in her hand. She touched a hand to her glasses and finally looked up at the Japanese Gundam pilot. "Thank you for coming, Heero Yuy. Have a seat."

Heero remained standing and glared at the chief Preventer officer. "I'd prefer to stand."

Une chuckled under her breath. "Fine." She reached across the desk and handed him the bundle of papers she had in her hand. "Take a look at these."

Heero took them and began flipping through the pages. A few names caught his eye, along with a few low-quality photographs. "These are pictures of a colony."

"Colony Z91009 in the L-4 cluster to be exact. We've been monitoring the activities of a small chemical company located there."

"Why?"

"This chemical company has been working on a poisonous gas capable of leaking through a colony's air filtration system. If some madman gets a hold of such a dangerous weapon, the colonies are in trouble. It isn't very hard to get to the air filtration system."

Heero nodded.

"We need you to infiltrate the company somehow and get a sample of the gas for us."

Heero only had one question though. "How long?"

"One month. We need this infiltration to be discreet. Get in without anyone noticing, get out. But it'll take a while for you to..."

"Why do I have to go alone?"

Colonel Une sighed. "Heero, the head of the company is a madman. We've discovered evidence that he has sabotaged the air filtration system somehow. If anything goes wrong, the whole colony may go up in flames. That's the reason why we're not sending you and Arys on this mission. Your mission is subject to change."

"It may become a suicide mission," Heero stated flatly.

Colonel Une nodded. "We didn't want to risk both you and Arys if..."

"She hasn't said anything."

Colonel Une smiled. "But you never know, Heero."

A distant look touched Heero's eyes. "Yeah..."

"You have three days, Heero. I suggest you make good use of them." Colonel Une's blue eyes sparkled slightly through her glasses. "Remember, you can't tell her anything about this mission."

"Understood."

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Heero silently slid out of bed, careful not to wake Arys beside him. She responded to his slight movement by turning onto her other side, away from him, but she did not wake. Heero gave a soft sigh of relief as he stood to his feet and headed for the bathroom.

In a few minutes, he had one duffel bag packed. He carried it out into the living room and glanced at the laptop sitting on the desk. He wished he could bring it with him, but Colonel Une had said they would provide a computer for him. He set the duffel bag down by the couch and headed back to the bedroom. It was time for him to say goodbye to his wife.

Heero paused in the doorway to the bedroom, his gaze on the sleeping form in the bed. The moon was full and it cast silver beams across Arys' face. It had been difficult for him to hide from her what he had to do, and he had hated it. Every smile on her face, every movement, every touch became a cherished treasure to him. He had found himself just watching her the past few days, drinking in the sight of her. He had caught her confused glances at him for his intense stares, but she would just come over to him, smile, and kiss him on the cheek. Then, she would walk away and continue whatever she had been doing, leaving Heero to wish that he had refused the mission.

He went to the bedside and just looked down at his wife. He could not resist. He had to touch her one last time. He knelt down on one knee so that he could see into her face and brushed a finger across her cheek. She stirred slightly and Heero held his breath. Still, she did not wake. Heero covered a smile. Arys was not a light sleeper; Heero was.

"Oh, Arys... How I'll miss you," Heero whispered. He touched her hair and ran a hand across it, relishing the silky feel of it. Longing filled him, and he pulled his hand away. He had to leave, now, before he lost his resolve.

"Ai shiteru, Arys..." Heero said softly, brushing his lips across hers for a feathery kiss. But unexpectedly she reached out for him and pulled him closer. And Heero found himself caught in her grasp and in her loving response.

"Heero..." She whispered in her sleep, a slight smile touching her lips.

Heero carefully untangled himself from her arms, trying to still the pounding of his heart. He desperately wanted to cry, but he couldn't. He didn't know how. So instead, he stood to his feet, swallowed a few times, watched his wife sleep for a few moments more and then left the room. This time, he did not come back.