Chapter 8

Heero thinks about her future for a few more days, trying to ignore the boredom and not let it decide her mind for her. Her apartment gets a floor-to-ceiling cleaning that's probably more extensive than the one she did when she first moved in, but that still only takes two days.

Eventually, Une asks for a meeting with her to discuss what Internal Affairs said, which Heero assumes means her leisure time is up. It doesn't matter. She already knows what she's going to tell Une.

"I'm quitting."

Heero's sitting in front of Une's desk, again drinking a cup of the really excellent coffee that Une hoards. She'll miss that, if nothing else. No, that's not true. Heero might be upset with Preventers in general right now, and she definitely doesn't want to continue working here, or at another branch office branch, any longer, but she's enjoyed her time here. There's a part of her now that's very nostalgic about leaving.

Une's fingers are folded under her chin, and she's looking back at Heero calmly. Her expression doesn't change after Heero's declaration, so like she thought, Une was already aware of what Heero was going to say. Heero takes another sip of her coffee and waits.

Eventually, Une sits back with a sigh. "You're sure." It's not a question.

Heero nods. She wouldn't have said it out loud if she wasn't positive about quitting. "I've already emailed the Department of Human Resources about terminating my account, and I've sent you a letter of resignation that you can put in my file."

She's covered her bases, not that she's worried about Une trying to make her stay. She's sure they're both aware that this is the best possible outcome. Well, maybe not for Une. She likely wants Heero to stay on with Preventers, even in a limited capacity, but Une also has to know that Heero can't be happy here any longer.

She might be, for a little bit. Eventually, though, Heero would end up back in front of Une and quitting just because she's that desperate for something to do. Better that she just quit now.

Une stretches, and reaches beside her for a file. "Well, you seem to have everything handled, not that I expected anything less." What follows after that is some repetitive signing of paperwork and Heero handing in her badge and Preventers-issued weapon. It's no loss to her; she has plenty of others - both legal, and others that are decidedly not.

Still, this is the point of no return. Even though Heero's sure that Une would let her come back at any time, Heero doesn't want to deal with everyone else's reactions if she did that. She's not coming back. This part of her life is over now.

At least Heero doesn't regret her decision already. After even more paperwork signing, Une finally relaxes back in her chair and smiles at Heero. "Well, you're officially a civilian again. What are you going to do now?"

Heero shrugs as she stands up. "I'm not sure yet." She has some ideas, and wants to talk to a few people and get their opinions, but she'll figure it out.

Une laughs. "That I am surprised at. Usually, you're so certain about everything."

Allowing herself a small smile in return, Heero starts walking away. "I'll probably be around for a little while, just in case."

"That's comforting," Une admits. "Thank you, Heero."

As Heero leaves the office, she nods at Une in response and farewell both. When she passes through the outer office, Agent Kowoski raises his head as she passes. "Good-bye, Agent Yuy. You'll be missed."

Heero's surprised, but pleased. "Thanks."

She's in a surprisingly good mood when she finally leaves the building. Several other agents had stopped and asked if she was coming back to work or not, and when Heero admitted that she had just quit, they expressed dismay and displeasure. Honest upset, not false sympathy, which was really good to hear, although it didn't change Heero's mind in the slightest.

Perhaps Heero should have expected the delivery of flowers in front of her door when she gets back to her apartment. They're light pink carnations, and Heero picks them up and smiles as she lets herself in. The card with them says 'Congratulations!', and though it isn't signed, Heero knows they're from Relena.

She's glad they also came in a big vase, because Heero's almost positive that she doesn't own any herself. She sets it down in the middle of her kitchen table and just stands there for a minute, admiring how the flowers actually do brighten up the room like people claim they can.

Shaking her head, Heero sends Relena a text thanking her, and then sits down on her couch with a sigh. She's not a Preventers agent anymore. The idea of Heero being a civilian is amusing, but that's what she is now, technically.

Well then, time for Heero to decide who she wants to become now. Maybe she'll actually buy that tree. Or maybe she'll move back to space, or at least travel for a while and use the vacation to figure out what she's going to do next. Being on the move always seems to help Heero clear her head.

Whatever she ends up doing, Heero looks forward to the change. It's far past time.