Arys sleepily reached out to the other side of the bed, hoping to touch Heero, but her hand hit cold, empty air. Arys' eyes flew open and she sat up, rubbing her eyes. She glanced at Heero's side of the bed, trying to remember what day it was. Saturday. It was Saturday. Their one day off. But Heero was gone. Then, she saw the note sitting on Heero's pillow.

Arys snatched it up and read it in confusion.

Dear Arys,

Arys held the note to her heart, a poor substitute for Heero himself, but the paper lent her a small measure of comfort. She desperately wanted to cry. She could hardly live without her husband for a few hours, how would she live through one month without him? She needed some answers and she knew exactly where to get them.

____________________

Colonel Une was expecting an enraged dark-haired Preventer agent to come barging into her office any moment. Une smiled to herself. It was amazing how much Heero and Arys were alike. No wonder they had gotten married. Une looked down at her watch, wondering where Arys was. She must have gotten up late.

"I want to know what's going on, and I want to know NOW." Arys burst through the office door, her steel-gray eyes blazing.

Colonel Une grinned at her. "Right on time, Arys Yuy. And that's exactly what your husband said when he came in here last."

Arys looked ready to explode. "This is no time for teasing, Colonel Une. My husband is gone, I don't know where he is,..." Arys' voice cracked slightly with emotion. "...and I... I..." She lost her momentum and instead, just gave the colonel a defeated look.

"You miss him and you're worried about him." Colonel Une nodded. "I understand." She brushed back a strand of brown hair that had fallen onto her cheek. "Unfortunately, I'm sorry, Arys. I can't tell you anything that you want to know."

"Why?"

"It would endanger Heero. You would go after him, and as a result, both of you may be killed."

At that statement, Arys' anger deflated. "He's undercover, isn't he?"

Colonel Une stood to her feet. "Yes, he is."

"What happens if he's caught?"

"Then, he'll be the only one to suffer the consequences." Colonel Une came around the desk and looked down at Arys pointedly.

"My life means nothing without him, Colonel Une." Arys gazed up at her, and Colonel Une was struck by the maturity she saw in that gaze. "If he's going to suffer, I want to suffer with him. Isn't that the way a married couple is supposed to act?"

"You may want to suffer with him, but Heero would want to protect you, keep you from harm."

Arys looked down at the floor. "Yes, you're right." She raised her head. "But if I hear anything about his capture, I'm going after him, no matter what you say, what Heero says."

"I can't stop you from doing anything, Arys." Colonel Une had to grin inwardly at the girl's persistence. "But you'll have a hard time finding out where he is."

Arys turned on her heel and walked toward the door. "I'm a computer hacker, Colonel Une, a good one. I'll find out where he is. Goodbye, Colonel Une."

Arys left the office, the door closing behind her.

Colonel Une shook her head in wonderment. "Goodbye, Arys Yuy. And indeed, you are Heero Yuy's wife."

_____________________

Arys walked through the city streets, her mind elsewhere, out amongst the millions of stars hovering faintly in the sky above her. She did not know what to do next. Her life for the past few months had revolved around one person, and that person was gone. As a result, she felt disconnected, lost, and lonely.

She stopped on a dimly lit street corner, her senses still attuned to the world around her. All dark places instantly put her on alert. She sensed no danger around her and looked up at the artificial sky.

"Heero," She whispered. "I hope you're all right, wherever you are." Arys leaned against the street lamp behind her and closed her eyes, hugging her arms around herself, wishing Heero were there with her, warming her in his strong embrace. "Do you miss me as much as I miss you?"

____________________

Heero tossed his duffel bag onto the bed in his hotel room. He glanced around the room, disliking the stark generic decor. He wished he were back in his and Arys' apartment. Arys had slowly turned their tiny apartment into a home, the first home Heero had ever really had. But most of all, Heero missed Arys herself.

Heero flopped onto the bed and pulled out a photograph of Arys. He had taken it during one of their jaunts to Earth after their honeymoon. They had gone to visit Quatre in his desert estate. Quatre kept up spectacular gardens at his estate and Heero and Arys had gone for a romantic walk in the gardens after a dinner. It had been romantic, until Heero had left Arys alone in the garden maze area for a few minutes. Heero had taken a camera with him on the walk and had left Arys alone to get a candid picture of her. And he had gotten close enough without her seeing him to take a picture of her tiptoeing through an ivy-lined archway, looking for him, gazing over her shoulder as she did so. The picture had turned out beautifully, and Arys had no idea that he had taken it. Heero sighed as he touched the picture tenderly.

"I wish you were here with me, Arys, but Colonel Une is right. This is a dangerous mission, and I swore to protect you. This is the only way I know how."

Heero tucked the picture away in the nightstand drawer standing beside the bed. Tomorrow, he was to go to Remco and attend his scheduled job interview, hopefuly to acquire his cover for the mission. He quickly unpacked his duffel bag and stored everything away so that he could either make a fast getaway if needed or find something in the dark. Once everything was put away, Heero sat down in one of the easy chairs by the window. He glanced at the bed tiredly. It had been a long day and a long trip, but he had no desire to sleep. He didn't know how he was going to fall asleep in such an empty bed anyway. Every night, he and Arys fell asleep in each other's arms, even when Heero came home late. Heero settled back into the easy chair and closed his eyes. He thought of his wife, of her smile, of her laugh, of her love. In a few minutes, he fell asleep, still thinking about Arys.