Author's note:

This is an unofficial sequel to V is for Valentine's. You don't need to read that one to understand this one (not that either of them are all that deep!) but I do recommend checking it out if you haven't already. I hope you enjoy this! Happy hump day! ;)

-RFP

P.S. I haven't decided what year this takes place in, and I don't think I stated it in the previous story, so just know it's at least a few years post-Endless Waltz. Cheers!

P is for Password

Something is wrong with this picture.

It was an unseasonably warm early spring day, and Relena was confined to her office. She turned in her desk chair, often, to gaze out of her third-floor window, chin in hand. Save for the breeze ruffling her curtains, it was hot. The temperature had to be pushing 80, which, for early April in Brussels, was quite warm.

Relena longed to leave her piles of paperwork right where they were and go outside to do something. Anything. She needed to shed her light wool blazer, push up the sleeves of her silk blouse and, for goodness' sake, yank off her restricting nylons and crumple them in the trash. Actually, that sounded like a great idea. Relena reached up underneath her skirt and found the rim of her nylons, pulling them down in a rush of satisfaction. Thank goodness she had her own private office, where she could strip in peace...

Naturally, it was only during moments like these when someone would decide to barge in.

And not just anyone.

The office door sprang open and Heero Yuy stormed in, his face already in a scowl. Relena's hands froze under her desk, where her nylons were just about over her knees.

"Can I help you with something?" she said quickly, hoping Heero would stay where he was.

"Yes," he said tersely, striding over to her desk. Relena cursed inwardly as Heero stopped beside her. His eyes widened as they went from her face to her lap. "Did I… catch you at a bad time?"

"It's not what it looks like." Relena's cheeks burned, but she finished her task anyway, flinging her discarded nylons into the nearby wastebasket. "It's just so darn hot in here…"

Heero's eyes flickered, his frown dissipating as his lips curved into a smile. "Well, then. Don't let me interrupt…" Relena rolled her own eyes before continuing her clothing removal. At the very least, she had to get out of her blazer. She slung it over the back of her chair before unbuttoning the top few buttons of her blouse and pushing the sleeves up to her elbows, all under Heero's watchful gaze.

"Okay, then." Relena sighed as she pulled her long hair back into a ponytail. "Anyway. Where were we?" She wriggled her toes underneath her desk, relishing her freedom before pushing her feet back into her high-heeled shoes.

Heero's features fell back into his usually composed mask, as he folded his arms over his chest and leaned against Relena's desk. "We have a problem."

"Do we?" Relena arched a brow. "What is it?"

"You need to change your password," Heero growled. Her other brow shot up.

"My password?" Relena stifled a giggled. "That's what you're so riled up about?" She gestured toward her desktop computer. "I change it every thirty days, or whatever the requirement is, whenever I'm prompted. So what's the problem?"

Heero remained expressionless as he gazed down at her. "And what's your current password?"

Relena huffed and folded her arms as well. "I don't have to tell you that. You're the director of security, not IT."

"I oversee all departments in this organization," Heero said testily as he continued to glower at her.

"No, you don't," Relena retorted. "That's not in your job description."

"That's not the point," Heero snapped. He leaned over Relena in her chair and put his hand over her wireless mouse, his arm brushing hers. "This," he said as he brought up her start-up screen, and started typing on her keyboard, "is not an effective password."

Relena gasped as she saw Heero's fingers dart over the familiar keys, her flush darkening. "How did you-"

He pulled back from the computer and resumed his stance next to her chair. "Wasn't that hard to crack. You need something more difficult to guess."

Relena's face flamed even more. "It was just… random," she said, unable to think of a better excuse. But she wanted to sink into the floor.

He knew. Heero knew her password.

He knew she'd used his name.

Slowly, she brought her eyes back up to meet his. He was smiling. Relena gasped incredulously.

"You think this is funny, don't you?" She launched up from her desk chair so that they stood face to face. Almost. Except Heero stood a head taller than her, even with her heels on. "You know, it's pretty ridiculous to expect people to come up with a new password every month and be creative. I just needed something, Heero. For crying out loud!"

Relena planted her hands at her hips and waited, her chest heaving with emotional effort after yelling at him. She wasn't sure how Heero always managed to get a rise out of her, when he barely said a word. His smile widened, ever so slightly, as he placed his hands on both her shoulders.

"Calm down," he said in a flat voice, but his smile didn't waver. "We can change your password. I'll send you a reset link."

"Can't you just do that while you're here?" Relena didn't know as much about computers as Heero did, but she doubted a password reset was all that complicated. He shook his head once.

"Not right now. I have other matters to attend to." As usual, he kept his activities vague. Relena rolled her eyes again.

"So you got me all worked up for nothing?" She sighed and turned her face away from him. "Sometimes, Heero, I swear-"

Her words evaporated as Heero's lips descended on hers. He kept a grip on her shoulders, rooting her to the spot as he kissed her. His tongue sought entry into her mouth, and Relena allowed his to swirl with hers as she brought her hands up to cup his face. She leaned into him, up against the desk, their hips meeting, and she quickly learned that she wasn't the only one who was hot and bothered, if the bulge in Heero's pants was any indication…

They stood kissing for another moment before Heero pulled his face away from hers. He was still smiling.

"I'm flattered," he murmured, reaching up to thumb her jawline, "that you chose me." His eyes flashed as he tipped up her chin and leaned in for another kiss. Relena gripped his jacket as the kiss deepened. She moaned softly as their lips parted, and Heero bent his head and planted a wet kiss to her neck, all while palming her clothed breasts.

"You do realize," Relena sighed, "that I'm going to be completely useless for the rest of the work day?" She forced herself to swat his hands away. "We have to stop, for now. I have a meeting in fifteen minutes…"

Heero dropped his hands, but she could see the flicker of disappointment in his eyes. "Yeah. I have stuff to do, too."

Relena chuckled softly. Heero and his "stuff."

"Maybe…" She smiled, reaching up to trace a line on his shirt. "We could try to cut out a little early?"

"Fine." Heero brushed Relena's bangs off of her forehead and placed a light kiss there before disentangling himself from her. "See you after the meeting." Relena watched him make for the door, her heart thumping wildly in protest. She didn't want him to go, much as he'd annoyed her, earlier… She cast another longing look out the window. If only they could go off somewhere, just the two of them, and enjoy the beautiful weather together…

"Hey." Heero's sharp tone cut through her reverie. She looked back to see him standing in the doorway, addressing her over his shoulder.

"Yes?"

"Don't forget to change your password." His prussian blue eyes glinted at her before he shut the door behind him.

Relena sighed and slumped back into her chair. "That man has some nerve…"

Relena couldn't stay angry with Heero for long. Especially whenever he proved willing to act as her partner in crime.

After a long, not-so-productive afternoon meeting, Relena practically sprinted back to her office and packed up her things. She was thrilled that Heero had done the same, and was waiting to escort her out of the ESUN building. It wasn't easy for either of them, in their management roles, to sneak out early, but if the Foreign Minister had somewhere to be, it was generally understood that the Security Director would be right there with her. Other than a brief grumbling about how "compromising" their mutual departure might appear to those who bothered paying them any attention, Heero didn't complain about their escape from the office.

Relena wanted nothing more than to relax with a glass or two of wine over pasta at one of her favorite sidewalk cafés, but Heero vetoed the idea.

"Too conspicuous," was all he said, and Relena knew he was right. But she could still look forward to a relaxing evening at home with Heero.

Just a few short months ago - after a surprisingly romantic Valentine's Day - Relena had successfully talked Heero into moving into her house on the outskirts of Brussels. He decided to keep his downtown apartment for appearance's sake, not to mention convenience; with his recent promotion within ESUN, Heero spent most of the week in his new office. And when the Preventers needed him, their headquarters was a short distance away. Sometimes, if they both happened to be working late, Heero and Relena would spend the night in his apartment instead. But tonight she told him she wanted to "get away" from the city, even if they didn't have the time to go that far.

"One of these days," Relena said over a glass of iced tea, "we need to go on a real vacation."

Heero grunted in what she took to be his agreement and sipped his own tea. They were relaxing together on the back porch. It wasn't a sidewalk café, but at least they were outside, basking in what was left of the sunshine. Relena closed her eyes behind her sunglasses and let bliss overtake her in her wicker lounge chair. Heero was stretched out on an identical chair beside her. She stirred only slightly when she felt his fingers trailing up her arm.

"Let's go have sex," he said simply. Relena laughed but didn't move from her spot.

"Heero, you old romantic," she teased. "Later. I'm enjoying this weather too much to go inside. And I know you don't want to do it out here…"

"What makes you so sure?" Relena lowered her sunglasses in time to see Heero reaching across to the arm of her lounge chair, yanking it over to his. And then his hands were grabbing her waist and pulling her toward him, so that Relena half-rolled onto his chair.

"We're going to break these things," she scolded, playfully pushing on Heero's chest. "Besides, aren't you always worrying about security? Are we even safe out here in the open?" She was teasing, but knew how seriously Heero took his job, and her safety.

Heero frowned and grumbled something under his breath.

"Yes?" Relena prodded him. She didn't like it when she couldn't understand what he was saying.

"I said you're probably right." Heero released her waist and stood up from his seat. "Let's go inside."

Relena gaped up at him. "Heero, I was kidding…"

He held down his hands to hers. With an eye roll Relena accepted, and let Heero pull her to her feet.

"I was having fun," she lamented with a pout. Heero chuckled as he led her through the glass French doors, into the living room.

"We can still have fun." He flashed a smile at her over his shoulder and headed toward the staircase, continuing to hold her hands in his. Relena sputtered words of protest that she didn't really mean. In reality, her heart was doing somersaults. It had taken a few years to get to this comfortable stage with Heero, and she was loving every minute of it.

As they tumbled into bed together, Relena couldn't imagine things ever getting any better between them. On the surface, they were two young government professionals, dedicated to doing their part to keep the Earth and colonies in peace. Behind closed doors, they were… this. Although they hadn't defined it with cheesy pet names or official terms, Relena knew, without a doubt, they were on the exact same page. They loved, trusted, and just plain enjoyed each other. Their relationship had blossomed naturally from the friendship they fostered during the war, and what started out as an already deep and meaningful connection had formed an unbreakable bond.

And, even though Heero could be a tad… overbearing, at times, when it came to her personal safety, Relena truly had no complaints.

Especially in moments like these, when he was so eager to get her alone and get his hands on her, he was willing to break protocol and kiss her in the office. Even help her sneak out early. They were co-conspirators on that summerlike day. Relena wished every day could be like that. As Heero leveled her with tender looks and kisses, she thought she could die right then and there, and be known simply as the happiest woman who ever lived.

After what felt like hours of rather athletic lovemaking, the two finally untangled themselves and fell back against the pillows, both exhausted. Relena panted heavily as she flung an arm over her sweat-drenched forehead.

"What time is it?" she gasped. The sunlight had long faded and their bedroom was dark, save for the moonlight that filtered through the curtains.

"Late," Heero quipped. "I'm starving."

"Takeout?" she suggested.

"I'll make something." That was another perk about living with Heero; unlike Relena, he could actually cook. Before they'd moved in together, she'd relied far too much on her takeout menus.

He rose from the bed and strode over to the dresser, and Relena admired his naked backside in the moonlight. Over the years he had grown taller and packed on more muscle, but he was still boyishly handsome in a way that made her feel every bit the giddy school girl. Even if they were a fully-functioning adult couple now, living in the same house and all.

Relena watched as Heero opened a drawer, pulled out some clothes and dressed, ending up in a tank top and pair of sweatpants. He sidled back over to the bed and leaned over Relena long enough to brush a kiss to her lips. His eyes roamed over her body and he gave her a sly grin before standing up fully and turning toward the door.

"Anything you want in particular, or…" Heero let the question hang as he looked back at Relena. She smiled gratefully at him.

"I'll have whatever you want," she said breezily. "As long as there's wine." Heero chuckled from the doorway.

"That can be arranged."

Relena sighed and snuggled into the duvet. "And that's one of the many reasons I love you..."

"Hn." Heero said nothing else as he slipped out the door, but Relena had come to expect as much. As they had gotten to know one another on a more intimate level over the past few years, she had come to realize that the phrase "I love you" simply wasn't in Heero's vocabulary. She had learned as much during her time in Japan as a teenager, that it was a cultural matter. Besides, the Japanese had their own phrases that were every bit as romantic; their true equivalent of "I love you," however, was reserved for special occasions. Like weddings, or deathbed confessions.

None of that mattered because Relena knew in her heart that Heero loved her, whether he said the words or not; she could see it in his eyes. Sure, plenty of times he still looked at her with his usual blank expression; but there were also times when his lips would curl into a smile that touched his eyes. And those impossibly blue eyes of his would glimmer to the point that they seemed to smile as well.

Now that they spent much of their days and nights together, Relena got to see those previously rare smiles far more often. It was like having an all-access pass to Heero's soul. And she was the only one who knew the code.

That reminded Relena of her dreaded work computer password, which she hadn't had a chance to change. She laughed out loud at how ludicrous it was that Heero wanted her to change it again, already. She would just worry about that again next month, when it was time.

Relena should have known that Heero Yuy wasn't one to forget...

Bright and early the following morning, Relena was in the office hard at work on her neglected paperwork from the day before when an email notification popped up on her screen. She was only mildly surprised to see that it was from Heero.

The subject line was, simply, "Password."

"Shoot," Relena muttered, a stronger curse poised on her lips. She had completely forgotten. She quickly opened up the email.

Relena,

As promised, here is your password reset link. Please do this sooner rather than later. Let me know if you have any questions.

Please enter the following access code: 13-1-18-18-25-13-5.

No, it won't work if you copy and paste.

Thanks,

Heero

Relena quirked a brow at the message. "Really, Heero? This is that important, I have to do it right now?" She sighed and clicked on the link he'd provided, and started typing in the code, grumbling about why she couldn't just copy and paste. He knew her too well. "But why all the stupid dashes?" It looked like a code for Wi-Fi or something.

After spending a minute coming up with a new, less obvious password, the task was complete. Relena dashed off a quick email to Heero.

Re: Password

Heero, all set. Happy? - Relena

His reply was almost instant.

Are you?

Relena's brow furrowed. What was that supposed to mean? Was Heero messing with her? She decided to send a sarcastic response of her own.

Ecstatic, she wrote, and hit send.

Good, came Heero's rapid reply. We can pick out a ring later. See you tonight.

Relena's hands froze mid-air over her keyboard.

"Ring?!" she shrieked. "What ring?!"

Did Heero mean what she thought he meant? Relena's mind whirred. But… how? When?!

Had he proposed to her sometime in the night, and she'd somehow forgotten? She would have had to have been in a deep sleep to miss something like that. But then why would he bother asking her while she was sleeping? Or was this Heero's idea of a joke?

Relena's fingers trembled as she tried to craft another message. Are you kidding? She changed her mind and typed and backspaced several times before deciding on, What do you mean? She hit send and waited.

Several agonizing minutes ticked by. Relena was lowering her head to her desk, tempted to bash it against the keyboard, when Heero's reply popped up. Her heart pounded as she opened the email. This one simply contained a link.

Relena followed it to a simple-looking looking web page, with just a white background and table of black letters and numbers. Her eyes skimmed over the table and she realized it was a puzzle decoder of sorts.

"He sent me a code to decipher?" Relena rolled her eyes. "Only Heero…" She opened up his original email in a smaller window and looked at each separate number in the table, assuming each number separated by dashes was supposed to correspond with a single letter. For the hell of it, she jotted each letter down on a sticky note.

"M… A… R… R, again." Relena stopped cold, her heart pounding more furiously. "He's not serious?!" She finished the exercise and beheld the decoded message in her own sloppy handwriting.

MARRY ME.

Relena didn't have much time to process the revelation. Her office door creaked open. She shot her head up to see Heero stepping inside. She flushed scarlet and tucked the note behind her back, in case it was a joke, or some kind of mistake, or… who knows what. She peered up at Heero cautiously, too afraid and hopeful to even dare to dream that he would ever…

But he was looking at her with an earnest expression, and, for once, he actually seemed nervous. He stopped next to her desk and jerked his head toward her computer.

"Did you get my message?" he asked, a smile playing on his lips. Relena took her time composing herself before withdrawing the note with shaky hands.

"You mean this?" She unfolded the small piece of paper and held it up so that Heero could see the letters. To her surprise, he smiled more fully.

"That's the one."

Relena felt her eyes widen as she looked up at him. This was real. It was happening. After all this time, and…

Wait, she scolded herself before she could get too swept up in her emotions. Not like this…

She smiled back at him before ripping the note in two, letting the pieces flutter to the floor.

"Next time, ask me in person." She raised triumphant eyes to Heero. His eyes sparked, and she could tell he appreciated her resurrecting their little inside joke.

"Fine," he said, coming over to her side of the desk. Everything stilled to slow motion as Heero dropped to one knee before Relena and took both of her hands in his. She drew in a shaky breath as he raised her hands and kissed them.

"You know how I feel about you, Relena," he said, his low voice strong and sure. Relena swallowed around a sudden lump forming in her throat, and nodded. His handsome face was quickly obscured by her tears. She blinked them back as best she could, but at that point it was clear; she was going to need a tissue. Heero noticed and reached up to thumb her tears away, as he always did.

"I love you." His voice was soft, reverent. Relena couldn't help but gasp. Even if she had been sure, for a while now, of how he felt, it didn't make the moment any less surreal. Heero's eyes held hers captive as he spoke those world-upending words.

"Relena...will you marry me?"

She had to fight not to scream out loud, the shock of his proposal slamming into her like a tidal wave. Instead she just nodded eagerly. Heero smiled in apparent relief, and pulled her into an embrace. Relena wrapped her arms around his neck and tried not to burst out sobbing.

"You really mean it?" she couldn't help but ask. Of course he does, you dummy, she scolded herself. She pulled her face back to look at him, reaching up to wipe more tears from her already damp cheeks.

Heero gave her a single nod before pressing his lips to hers in a firm, yet gentle kiss.

"I'm sorry," he murmured as their lips parted a moment later. "I was going to wait and get you a ring but… I couldn't."

"No?" Relena beamed at him, reaching up to ruffle his hair. She couldn't care less about a ring; she had his heart, and that meant more than any piece of jewelry ever could. But still, she couldn't resist asking. "How come?"

Heero smiled as his fingers twisted around her ponytail. "After last night, I just didn't want to wait any longer to make you mine." Relena laughed happily before kissing his face.

"I'm already yours." She gave his cheek a playful tug. "But if you want to make things official… I certainly wouldn't mind."

"I didn't think you would." Heero's eyes twinkled as he rose to his full height, but he kept his hands on hers. "Come on." He squeezed her hands before raising her from her seat. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" It was another warm day, so Relena wasn't about to say no to the idea of fleeing the confines of her office way ahead of schedule. Even if she would have to make up for it later…

Some things were worth it.

"We'll go look at rings," Heero said casually, as if they discussed that sort of thing all the time. His eyes glimmered. "We'll call it a coffee run."

Relena grinned up at her new fiancé as she reached for her purse. "Can we actually get coffee, too?"

Heero chuckled. "We can get whatever you want." He placed a hand at the small of Relena's back and followed her out the office door.

"Hmm… anything?" Relena tossed over her shoulder. Visions of diamonds were already dancing through her mind.

"Within reason," came Heero's stern voice behind her. Relena giggled.

"I'm always reasonable," she said.

"Uh-huh." She looked back to see Heero smirking as they walked toward the elevators. "We have an under a million dollar budget…"

Relena's brows shot up. "Seriously?"

"No," Heero quipped, jamming his finger against the down button. Relena waited until they had stepped inside the elevator and the doors clamped shut before grasping his arm. She could see he was suppressing a smile. "This is going to look suspicious, you know," he murmured.

"I know," she sighed, dropping his arm. "But can't a girl be excited for a minute?"

"Plenty of time for that later," Heero said warily, his eyes darting about as the elevator doors opened and they stepped into the lobby together. Relena rolled her eyes beside him.

"Yet you're the one suggesting we make a break for it." She caught a brief flicker in his eyes before his face went to stone.

"I understand you've been working hard on your latest terraformation presentation?" he said loudly enough for other employees to hear as they strode through the lobby, toward the glass doors separating them from freedom.

"Oh, yes," Relena said with a little too much enthusiasm. "Very hard…" She stifled a giggle as Heero's eyes snapped to hers in warning. It was too easy to get a rise out of him…

He waited until they were alone in his black SUV before addressing her little outburst in the lobby. "You think you're cute, don't you?" he muttered tersely as he started the car and backed it out of his reserved parking space.

"Apparently you do, too," Relena shot back, trailing her fingers up his forearm. "You want to marry me, after all."

Heero swung his eyes over to hers, and she could see he wasn't annoyed. Not in the slightest. Even in the car, the air around them seemed to crackle with excitement.

"Yeah," Heero said with a smile. "I do."

Relena sighed happily and leaned her head against his shoulder as he guided the car from the basement lot to the outside world. She sat up as they burst into the sunshine, all too aware of the decorum they were supposed to adhere to. But, still…

She rested her hand on his knee as he drove further downtown. Heero glanced briefly down at her hand before returning his eyes to the road. But his right hand drifted down to cover her left, and he gently massaged her ring finger. Which, soon, would no longer be bare.

Relena shot Heero another smile, fighting the urge to fling her arms around his neck and kiss him as he drove. Instead she just squeezed his hand and whispered.

"I can't wait."

I cannot live without you

I told you this is true

I'll take pieces of you with me

I'll take parts you never knew

And one day you will wake up

Without warning or a clue

And start to notice little things

That are missing parts of you

Oh, I need you here

Oh, you will always be my dear

The freckle on your shoulder

And the creases on your cheeks

The scar upon your forehead

And your whisper when you speak

I took them 'cause I need you

I took them to be mine

I took them so you'd miss them

So you'd want them back in time

Oh, I need you here

Oh, you will always be my dear

If I hold onto you

Don't let me go

Will you feel me, need me

Don't let me go

Oh, I need you here

Oh, you will always be my dear

- My Dear, Kina Grannis

"P" is also for proposal... Thank you for reading! Please be a doll and review!

Hugs!

RFP