From Broken Strings
by heavensgirl

Short one-shot.

The still and silent night was suddenly disturbed as a young man bolted up from his slumber, his breaths coming in short gasps and forehead glistening with sweat. His eyes roamed the dim room.

It was only a bad dream, he thought. To comfort himself, he searched around the bed and felt a body snuggled comfortably next to him under the quilt.

He inhaled deeply to steady his breathing before padding in the kitchen on bare feet. As he poured himself a glass of water, he shook his head to forget the scene in his nightmare. It almost felt real...

A pair of soft arms snaked its way on his stomach for an embrace. "Can't sleep again?"

Heero placed the empty glass in the sink and turned around to face the sleepy and beautiful face of his wife. The sight of her smiling face relaxed the tense muscles in his body.

Wordlessly, he lifted her small form and placed her on the table, burying his face in the crook of her neck. A frown of worry replaced Relena's smiling expression as she heard Heero's irregular breathing.

"Please… tell me about it," she pleaded. For the three months that she and Heero had been married, her husband would always wake up in the middle of the night. Heero's breathing would be uneven; sometimes, he would even scream in terror. She would always ask, but Heero would quietly brush off her query, saying 'it was nothing.'

You can trust me, Heero.

It always bothered her that he kept his problems to himself. Relena knew Heero was fighting an inner battle - an internal struggle dating back to his piloting days. Relena stroked the hairs on the nape of his neck as Heero tightened his embrace.

She listened intently as Heero's strained voice reached her ears. "They were calling me... they wanted me to go with them…"

Relena nodded her head and urged him to continue. "The people I've killed… I can see them… I can hear their screams… I want them to stop. I just want them to leave me alone."

Relena bit back a sob at Heero's admission. The guilt of killing thousands of people tortured her husband's soul...

"But you're okay now. You're all right," Relena assured him with a kiss on his forehead. Heero exhaled and looked at her with the same intensity that always made Relena felt weak in the knees. She smoothed the bangs from his sweaty forehead before tugging his hand and guiding him back to their room.

As they walked in the empty hallway, Heero continued talking to his wife. "But you were always there in my dreams, Relena. You were always there at the end. You were the light among the shadows. It's the only thing that would wake me up in my nightmares."

Relena smiled and opened the door while Heero kept talking. "I was trained not to have emotions. I didn't feel anything. I didn't feel happiness, pain, or love. I was hollow.

"But it all changed when I met you. You filled the emptiness with your love. Sometimes, I still wonder why you chose me." Heero caressed her cheek as they stood face-to-face at the foot of the bed. "You're always there."

Heero gently placed Relena on the bed and settled himself on top of her, his arms supporting his weight so he would not hurt her. He stared fondly at Relena, eyes burning with a passion he only showed to his wife.

"Go back to sleep... I'll be here," Relena said, beaming at him. Heero closed the remaining gap and pressed his lips to hers. Heero savored the feeling as Relena sighed contentedly.

He settled himself next to Relena, pulling her close as she linked their hands together. As Relena drifted off to sleep, Heero kept talking. "Before I met you, I was a broken man. The strings of my life were torn... damaged... ripped apart. I thought no one can ever save me. But you proved me wrong..."

Heero lifted his left hand, staring at the silver band on his finger, the one that matched Relena's. "I was drowning, but you rescued me. In you, I found redemption. You are my lifeline..."

Heero smiled as Relena nestled closer to his warm body while she slept. "I don't feel broken or empty anymore. You're here now, and I know you'll stay."

He closed his eyes.

"I would never ask for more."

This fic inspired me after I watched GW: Endless Waltz lately after Heero remembered the little girl and her dog. I knew that incident stayed in Heero's mind for a long time, so it helped me create this story.

Please don't forget to review.

Yours truly, HG

Edited: 2/19/18