Arys hunched over the laptop keyboard, eyeing the screen in disgust. She had managed to find a way to get to Heero's mission profile, but so far, there was no evidence of his needing help. His daily mission reports were in his usual style of writing, short and to the point. Arys sighed as she read Heero's report from the day before. Apparently, Joaquin Remir had taken a liking to her husband and was constantly asking him for advice. At least, she knew what he was up to. Colonel Une had not forbidden her to find out but Arys knew that the Preventer chief would have preferred that Arys remain in the dark about Heero's mission.

Arys sat back in her chair, hearing it complain under her weight. She still went to Preventer headquarters during the day to work, but the nights were her time to catch up on what Heero was doing. She glanced at her watch. Midnight. Whenever she was at the computer, time seemed to disappear until she left the keyboard.

A mug of cold coffee sat next to the keyboard. Arys picked it up and took a sip, grimacing as she did so. She put the mug back down and glanced around at the dimly lit apartment. The couch had become her bed. She had tried sleeping the first night in the bedroom, but she had felt so lonely that the next night she had moved to the living room and taken up residence on the couch. Arys staggered to her feet and plodded over to the couch. With a groan, she flopped onto it. For a moment, she stared at the dark ceiling above her.

"I don't know if I can stand this for two more weeks, Heero..." She murmured. "I'm coming whether you like it or not..." Her voice trailed off as she slipped into a fitful sleep.

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Heero tiredly walked into his hotel room, not bothering to flip on the light. He had stayed late at work that day because Remir had wanted him to finish up a piece of his pet project. Heero rubbed his eyes as he walked into the bathroom to get ready for bed. He stared at himself in the mirror. A haunted face stared back at him. Heero had gotten so caught up in his work that he constantly had to remind himself of what his mission was. He hardly slept at night, and he knew that his mission reports were probably fraught with spelling errors. After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he left the bathroom and headed for the easy chair by the window. He stopped short.

There was someone sleeping in his chair already. Heero thought he recognized the form, but he had to make sure. He pulled a gun from underneath the mattress of the bed and stalked toward the chair. He knelt down beside the chair, wanting to get a look at the form's face. Trembling slightly, he raised a hand to turn the person's face toward his. If it was who he thought it was, Heero did not know if he would yell at her or kiss her first. Finally, he saw her face and recognized it. He would have recognized her face anywhere.

"Arys?" He whispered softly, tempted to gather her up in his arms and embrace her desperately. "What are you doing here?"

At his voice, she stirred slightly and her gray eyes flickered open to regard him sleepily. "Heero... you're home." She reached a hand out to his face. He took it, dropping his gun to the floor, and pressed her hand to his face, kissing her palm. "I've been waiting..." A sob choked her and she stopped, just gazing into his eyes.

Heero took both her hands in his and pulled her to her feet. She continued to gaze up at him, her eyes never leaving his face. Heero put his arms around his wife and drew her close against him. Then, she seemed to break out of her trance. With a sob, she flung her arms around him and leaned against his chest, tears running down her cheeks. Heero hugged her, placing a comforting hand on the back of her head, holding her as she cried. He gently stroked her hair, waiting for the emotional outburst to end. Finally, Arys stopped shaking and calmed down, her body relaxing against his. She looked up at Heero, her gray eyes wide.

"I'm sor..."

Heero stopped her, putting a finger to her lips. Then, he kissed her, deeply. Arys responded with reckless abandon as Heero's arms tightened around her. She clung to him as if afraid that if she let him go, he would leave her again. In her desperate response, Heero read that she had missed him, that she had been on the verge of breaking before she had come to find him, and that her whole world had come crashing down on her when he had left. Heero's heart hurt for her. He had not realized how much their parting had taken a toll on her.

For him, the feeling of having her in his arms again was almost overwhelming. Memories of their first few months together flooded into his mind as he held her. He could not stop touching her, kissing her, relishing the feel of her hair tangled in his fingers. It was then that he realized that he had missed the woman he now embraced in his arms. It was then he realized how much he adored her and how much she had given him of his humanity.

As he kissed her again and again, Heero whispered repeatedly, "Arys, I'm sorry, so sorry..."

Arys silenced his apologies with kisses of her own. "Ai shiteru. Don't ever leave me again, Heero Yuy... not like that," She whispered softly, her eyes searching his.

Heero bent his head until their foreheads were touching. He smiled. "Never again."

_____________________

"Arys?" Heero snapped his fingers in front of his wife's face. She was curled up in the easy chair, gazing out the window dreamily. "Arys?" Heero gave up and gently placed a cup of coffee in her hands.

"Hmm?" She turned to glance up at him, a smile touching her lips as she searched his face. Heero could tell she was remembering the night before. She tore her gaze away from his face to look down at the coffee cup in her hands. "Oh, thanks, Heero." She took a sip.

Heero sat down across from her, studying her thoughtfully. "How did you get in here last night?"

Arys grinned. She pointed to the window. "Fire escape. A closed window is no barrier for me."

Heero shook his head. Only Arys.

Arys placed her cup on the table between them and turned away from the window to regard her husband somberly. "Heero, I've known about your mission for the past two weeks."

Heero nodded. He had almost forgotten that his wife was an expert computer hacker. "Why did you come now?"

She looked away from him then. "I couldn't stand it anymore, Heero. I just couldn't." She glanced at him, ashamed. "I missed you so much, I literally felt as if I were losing my mind."

Heero stared at her for a few moments, mulling over her words and wishing she had never had to say them. Then, he came to her and pulled her to her feet. "Oh, Arys..."

She shook her head and pulled away from his hands. Tears were welling up in her eyes again. "Please, don't touch me, Heero.... I'll burst into tears again. I need to tell you why I came."

Heero looked at her, confused.

"Remir is looking for a demolitions expert. I'm going to apply."

"What?"

"Heero, I'm here on a mission. To defuse the bomb Remir has set into the air circulation system. I managed to convince Colonel Une to let me come."

"She let you come?"

"After much persuasion, yes." Arys backed away from Heero slightly.

Heero stared at her, worried. "Arys, do you realize that if Remir finds out about your tolerance for pain, he might decide to use you for his experiments?"

"That's why he isn't going to find out."