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By Starling

"Mom, the line’s shorter over here."

Arys turned to see Satoru standing a few lanes down, pointing at cashier number three. She sighed as she pushed the grocery cart toward him. She had always hated grocery shopping. It was so… unexciting. She supposed she should be grateful that she didn’t have to worry about having to blow up a few mobile dolls on her way to the store. Having Satoru along did make the experience more interesting, she had to admit.

Her ten-year-old son stood beside her, hand dutifully settled on the edge of the cart. Arys knew it would only last for a few minutes before something caught his attention that he would have to check out.

"One… two… three…" Arys counted to herself.

"Look! There’s a…"

Arys grabbed Satoru’s arm. "Now, hold on there, Satoru. You aren’t going anywhere." She hoped they would reach the cashier soon. Keeping her son’s energy in check was enough work for more than one person.

The line moved forward and that was enough to keep Satoru beside her for a few moments. Arys briefly wondered if Heero had been this much of a wiggleworm when he was young. Then, she laughed as she remembered that she had been very much like Satoru before her kidnapping by OZ. Yet, Satoru was most like his father, bright, introspective, usually quiet, and kind. Heero often told her that he was glad Satoru was getting the upbringing he had never had.

Just as something else caught Satoru’s eye, they made it to the cash register. The cashier greeted them with a tired smile and a quick greeting as she began to scan their items. Arys had only had to pick up a few things so she had brought cash to pay for them. She was surprised when the total rang up to a dollar over what she had with her. Heero was going to have a field day with this when she got back home. Trying to keep herself from showing any emotion, Arys turned to Satoru.

"Do you have a dollar with you, Satoru?"

He gave her a look that said she must be crazy for asking him for money and then shook his head. "Sorry, Mom."

"Here." A slender hand slid a dollar to the cashier.

Arys looked up at the cashier to see that she was flushed slightly and staring at Arys in confusion. She looked at the person who had handed the dollar to the cashier. Arys gasped and then nodded to the cashier before turning back to the person who had helped her.

"It’s been a long time, Relena."

The blond-haired woman smiled; it was a sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Hello, Arys." Her blue eyes focused on Satoru. "And you must be Satoru." She put a hand out to him. "My name is Relena."

Satoru shook her hand gravely. "It’s a pleasure."

Something in Relena’s eyes seemed to break when she heard those words. Arys did not want Relena to begin crying in the middle of the grocery store, so she said the first thing that came to her mind.

"Thank you for the dollar."

Relena started at the sound of Arys’ voice, as if she had forgotten that she was there. "I…I…" Relena regained her composure and ruffled Satoru’s hair. He frowned slightly but endured it. "He looks so much like Heero…"

Arys smiled at Satoru and then ruffled his hair more. Her son glared up at her and then sighed, shaking his head. He shifted his grip on the plastic bag in his hand. "Yes, he gets that a lot." Relena was still staring at Satoru, so Arys continued. "Listen, Relena, why don’t you pay for your things, and we’ll wait for you. Then, we can catch up a little bit."

Relena’s gaze finally focused on Arys. She nodded. "All right, it won’t take long."

A few minutes later, Arys led Relena out to the parking lot. Satoru lagged behind, his attention on the cars in the parking lot.

"What brings you to this place, Vice Foreign Minister Darlian?" Arys motioned to the store, a place where someone as important as Relena would not normally shop.

"I’ve been here for a few days attending a summit meeting at the embassy. I needed to get away for a few hours, so I went shopping there. I feel almost normal when I do."

Arys had to laugh. "You’re right. It does make me feel normal to shop at that store."

"Yes, you were a Gundam pilot, used to war, used to people dying around you. This must come as a welcome change of pace."

"What do you mean?" Arys eyed the other woman, wondering what was running through her mind.

Relena waved in Satoru’s direction with a slender hand. "Just… well, being a wife, a mother, taking care of children… grocery shopping." Relena’s shoulders lifted in a delicate shrug.

Arys realized that Relena was not experiencing any of the things she had just mentioned. In fact, Relena still performed the same duties she had during the war, while Arys had retired from being a Preventer agent after Araceli, her four-year-old daughter, had been born. Suddenly, Arys felt sorry for Relena, and impulsively, she made a decision.

"Relena, do you have plans for dinner?" Arys asked, watching the other woman’s eyes.

The look in Relena’s eyes changed quickly, from sadness to surprise to acceptance. "No, I don’t."

"Would you like to join us for dinner?" Arys could not believe she was saying those words. She was inviting a woman over to her home who used to be in love with her husband. There was even the possibility that Relena was still in love with her husband. Now, she would really hear it from Heero when she got home.

Relena nodded. "I would love to. Thank you."

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Relena had insisted on taking her car herself, without a chauffeur, so Relena soon found herself following Arys to her home. As she drove, various thoughts ran through her mind. She had not seen Heero for years. What would he be like now? Would he welcome her presence at his home, or would he turn her away? She had long ago, before Heero and Arys had even gotten married, realized that she had lost him, forever. But she knew that Heero would not have been able to handle her life now. She found herself constantly traveling, constantly surrounded by people, and constantly negotiating disputes.

Arys turned into the driveway of a small house in a middle-class neighborhood. Relena parked on the street and got out of the car. She could see Arys saying something to Satoru before they both got out of the car. Seeing Satoru had shocked her; he looked so much like Heero probably had at that age. He had even inherited his unusual blue eyes. But Satoru had Arys’ black hair, and if she looked closely, she could see a hint of Arys’ face around Satoru’s eyes. Relena stood on the sidewalk in front of the house, studying it thoughtfully. The house was small, but the lawn was well-kept, the housing trim painted a dark blue. Arys waved at her to come with them just as a little girl burst from the front door to latch onto Arys’ legs. Relena stared at the scene in front of her. They had a daughter too? The girl clinging to Arys’ legs had Heero’s dark brown hair. Arys picked up the girl as Relena approached.

"Araceli, say hi to Relena. She’s an old friend. She’s going to be eating dinner with us."

Relena smiled at the girl, who smiled back and then put out her hand. "Hi!"

Relena accepted the handshake. "It’s nice to meet you, Araceli." Both children had impeccable manners. And then she saw Araceli’s eyes. A mixture of Arys and Heero’s eye color resulting in a bluish-gray that was enchanting.

"Mom, I’m going to take this stuff inside, k?" Satoru was making a face at his mom, still holding the grocery bag.

"Go ahead, Satoru. We’ll be in in a second." Then, Arys turned to her daughter. "Where is your father, Araceli?"

The little girl pointed into the house. "He’s in there. He said something about having to clean the house."

Arys laughed. "Well, that’s helpful, isn’t it?" Arys winked at Relena. "Let’s go inside."

Relena followed Arys to the front door, trying to keep her nervousness down. Just as they reached the door, Heero appeared in the doorway. Relena tried to bite back a gasp. He still looked the same! He had matured of course, but the eyes, the face were still the same. At the moment, there was a slight look of panic in his eyes.

"You can’t come in yet." Heero barred the door with his arms.

And his voice was still the same, Relena thought.

Arys glanced at Relena and then at Heero. "Why?" She asked.

Heero crossed his arms over his chest; it was a gesture Relena had seen more times than she could count. "Well, Relena and Araceli can come in, but you…" Heero shook his head.

Arys set Araceli on her feet and then looked at Relena. "Honey, can you go inside with Relena?"

Araceli nodded then took Relena’s hand. "Come on, Miss Relena, I’ll show you my room."

As Relena followed the girl into the house, Araceli waved a hand at her, motioning her to lean down so she could whisper in her ear.

"What is it?"

Araceli grinned at her adorably. "They do this all the time. Don’t worry."

Relena nodded in understanding. "I see. Well, let’s see your room, Araceli."

"This way." The child led her down the hall, still tugging on Relena’s hand.

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As soon as the two were inside the house, Heero stepped closer, taking Arys in his arms. It had become one of his habits. Always welcoming her home from anywhere by not letting her in the house until he had greeted her. Arys smiled at him, knowing exactly what would come next.

"I figured we couldn’t break tradition just because we have a guest." Heero gazed down at her seriously.

Arys put a hand on his cheek. "Really? Well, you’d better get to it because we’ve got three hungry people in the house."

"Better make that four." Heero kissed her gently and then embraced her tightly. "I already made dinner so you don’t have to worry about it."

Heero had cooked? Now, that was a first. She hoped the dinner was edible. He pulled back and chucked her on the chin.

"Hey, I do know how to cook… slightly."

Arys laughed and linked arms with him. "Well, hopefully it won’t scare our guest away."

"Where did you meet her, Arys?" Heero asked.

"At the grocery store, she was behind us in the checkout line. We started talking and I just decided to invite her home for dinner."

"Relena at a grocery store. Who would’ve thought?"

"It makes her feel normal, Heero. I thought having dinner with us would help her."

Heero nodded. "As long as it doesn’t bother you."

This time it was Arys’ turn to step close. She wrapped her arms around his waist and grinned up at him. "You’re mine, Heero Yuy, and I’m not letting anyone take you away from me." Then, she lifted her face to his and kissed him. She felt his arms come around her again as she slipped into a mist of familiar feelings.

After a few more moments, Arys pulled away. Heero looked at her, disappointment in his eyes as she left his arms. She laughed at the expression on his face and then poked him in the chest with one finger. "Later, flyboy."

Heero nodded in agreement, something flashing in his eyes. "Later…"

***************

Relena stood at the door, needing to leave, yet wanting to stay. The children had captured her heart and she had enjoyed talking with them. Heero and Arys stood behind the children bidding her goodbye, holding hands. At first, she had been a little envious of their life, seeing the way the family interacted at dinner, the way they loved each other. She would always love Heero, but he seemed so happy that she could not wish anything else for him. As the children stepped aside, Heero and Arys came forward to say their own goodbyes.

Arys spoke first. "Thank you for coming, Relena." Relena knew what the other woman was thinking. I’m sure it was hard for you. And Arys would have been right. It had been difficult to see Heero in love with someone else, but she had had more than ten years to get used to the idea.

Relena shook her head. "No, thank you for inviting me. It has been a long time since I’ve eaten in a home such as this one. The food was delicious."

She saw Heero throw a satisfied glance at his wife, who just made a face at him. Arys then turned to Relena and smiled. "Heero cooked, believe it or not."

Now, Relena was truly surprised. The former emotionless Gundam pilot had been domesticated? That was an interesting outcome.

"It was good to see you again, Relena," Heero said solemnly.

Relena favored him with a smile she was sure had a tinge of regret to it. "I’m glad that you’re happy, Heero."

Heero nodded. "I don’t think I could be any happier with my life." The glance he gave Arys was tender, and Relena was tempted to look away, but she watched and felt something inside her accept it.

Arys released Heero’s hand and stepped forward to give Relena a hug. "We hope you’ll come see us again, Relena. You would be welcome."

Relena returned the hug awkwardly and then walked out onto the porch. "Perhaps, Arys. Whenever we meet in the grocery checkout line, I’ll accept an invitation to your home."

Arys nodded. "Deal."

As Relena walked away, somehow she knew that she would never meet Arys again. Why, she did not know. Perhaps it was a premonition, perhaps she would never walk into another grocery store. Or perhaps there were more dire experiences in store than she wanted to think about. For now, she held the image of the family she had just eaten dinner with deep in her heart. A happy family, gently teasing, gently loving, seated around a table during a time of peace, exchanging stories of everyday happenings that had nothing to do with war. That was when Relena knew that everything she worked for had a purpose. She helped prevent families such as theirs from being separated, from experiencing the pain of losing a loved one, from living in fear for their lives.

Relena raised her eyes to the starlit sky above her, feeling a sense of peace wash over her. "So it really is worth it all…"