A/N: No, you are not seeing things. I really am updating this nearly 10 years later. Yeah... long story. Stay tuned!

Chapter Seven:

The Warrior's Heart

Relena watched in fascination as the hibachi chef swiftly chopped up meat and vegetables on top of the flaming grill. The ingredients cooked quickly, and it wasn't long before he scooped everything onto plates, placing them in front of her and Wufei.

They smiled at one another over their steaming dishes and clinked their porcelain sake flasks together before taking sips of the sweet rice wine.

"This is fun." Relena's eyes danced over at her date. She was a little surprised, how much fun she was having. She had never imagined herself on a real, full-fledged date with anybody, let alone the enigmatic Chang Wufei.

Ok, that was a lie. She had imagined herself on dates with someone else, but for the time being, she was doing her utmost to scrub him from every corner of her mind. Especially after the rough way he had treated her earlier; her temper flared just thinking about it. Which, again, she was determined not to do...

"Maybe that's the wine talking." Wufei's tenor cut into her errant thoughts, and she laughed.

"I can't believe they're serving two teenagers alcohol," she whispered, leaning forward on her stool. "They didn't even bother checking our IDs. I could have this place shut down," she teased.

"I'm sure they only did it because they recognized you," Wufei pointed out. He lifted a pair of chopsticks and arched a brow. "That, or we really look that old, already."

Relena giggled. "Could be. I certainly feel older than sixteen. Don't you?"

Wufei snorted derisively. "Don't even get me started."

"That's right, you've already been married and everything," Relena sighed, shaking her head. "I find that so hard to believe. I mean, I understand that different cultures have different traditions, and all, but..."

"Right." Wufei gave her a sidelong glance. "I suppose it seems less unusual to me, although I certainly opposed the idea at the time. We were both still children. At any rate, we never consummated the marriage." He shrugged, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Ah." Relena felt her cheeks flaming. She wasn't prepared to broach the subject of losing one's virginity, even hinted at indirectly. Wufei instantly picked up on her discomfort.

"Anyway," he rushed on, "this is actually my first date, if we could call it that."

Relena's flush deepened. "Mine, too," she admitted. "Unless you count high school dances…" She had to fight her thoughts from flying out of orbit once more as memories came rushing back at her. She quickly waved them away.

"I'm not at all familiar." Wufei blinked at her. "Now that sounds like a strange ritual to me." Relena just laughed again.

"Something tells me our backgrounds couldn't be more different," she said, "other than apparently both coming from nobility..."

"I don't know, it sounds to me like we were both voracious readers as children," Wufei added, smirking. "A couple of little introverts…"

"Were?" Relena waggled a brow. "I still consider myself a bookworm, thank you very much."

"Yeah?" Wufei chuckled before taking another sip of his sake. "When do you ever get time to read?"

"Oh, you'd be surprised." Relena spread her hands. "I spend a lot of time on shuttles. You have to kill the time somehow. And I get pretty bored reading report after report…"

"So what do you read?" Wufei was genuinely curious.

"Fiction." A grin made its way across Relena's face. "I love romance, thrillers. Mysteries. Anything, really. As long as it's well-written and has an engaging plot, I'll read just about anything. Although cheesy beach bag paperbacks are my secret shame…"

Wufei was watching her closely as she spoke, his own smile tugging at his lips. "You really do fascinate me, Relena." She beamed at him before lowering her eyes to her lap.

"You're pretty fascinating yourself, Wufei."

As the conversation and the sake continued to flow, somehow the discussion wound its way back to relationships. And marriage.

"Would you ever marry again?" Relena asked Wufei, somewhat bashfully. That was definitely the booze talking, she thought.

"Sure. I'd like to." He shrugged. Relena was surprised he seemed so cavalier about the subject. "I mean, now I'm older and understand more; I'm more optimistic of how things would turn out this time around." He looked pointedly at Relena.

Now she was blushing furiously. She wasn't used to anyone being so forward with her, almost blatantly revealing his intentions. But so soon? It was all a little… much.

"What about children?" Relena cringed inwardly as she gulped her seemingly bottomless sake. She was only trying to make conversation, but realized she might have been egging him on.

"Naturally. I plan to carry on my bloodline. I'd like to have them sooner, rather than later." Wufei cocked his head to the side. "What about you?"

"Uh, about marriage or children?" Relena wasn't sure what he was asking, exactly.

He shrugged one shoulder. "Either. Both."

"Well." She straightened up in her seat. "I'm not sure. On the one hand, I know I would like to fall in love and get married, someday. On the other hand, my work keeps me very busy, and I've devoted myself to that. So it would have to be someone who is not only tolerant, but accommodating of my demanding schedule. That's a lot to ask of anyone." She sighed. "But children? I suppose I like the idea, in theory, but I'd like to help secure the world I would be bringing any of my children into before actually having any. Does that make sense?"

Wufei's eyes had widened. "Interesting," was all he said. Silence fell for the first time since the date had started. Relena was perplexed, yet secretly relieved that they were obviously on different pages. It seemed they had come to an impasse. Perhaps even a deal-breaker.

"Well," she said after a waiter had cleared their plates. "The good news is we're both still young. We have plenty of time to figure out our futures." She shot him a nervous smile.

"Right," Wufei grumbled. Relena was taken aback by his abrupt change in demeanor. Did he really take such matters so seriously? But, then, he seemed to take most things seriously. She had thought, from the glimpses of humor she'd seen, that there was a lighter side to the dark, mysterious warrior. Perhaps there was, but it didn't seem to take much for a shadow to pass over and cloud his disposition. It was frustratingly similar to someone else she had been getting to know… Once again, Heero had firmly planted himself in her thoughts.

As the waiter brought over their check, both of their phones rang simultaneously. Relena's caller ID flashed DUO while Wufei's call was from Sally. The two looked at one another in puzzlement before they both tucked their heads and answered their phones.

"Duo?"

"Sally?"

The two sat in shellshocked silence as both received the news. Wufei looked solemn as Relena emitted a gasp.

"Oh, God!" Her eyes immediately brimmed. "We'll be right there!"

Wufei was nodding. "Understood," he said simply. "See you soon." He ended his conversation with Sally and beheld an ashen Relena. He frowned, placing his hand over hers. "Are you all right?"

"Heero's been shot," she whispered shakily. She swung worried, tearful eyes to Wufei. His frown deepened. He was as touched by her compassion and concern as he was troubled.

And jealous.

"He's going to be fine," he said a little too harshly. The look on her face told him everything he needed to know.

"We must go to him!" she cried, bolting out of her seat. "Come on…"

Wufei's expression went from bewildered to defeated in a matter of seconds. He opened his wallet and threw a few bills on the table. Relena had already slung her purse over her shoulder and was all but racing for the door.

"Some date," he muttered. He didn't see why they needed to end their evening, just because Yuy had gotten cocky showing off in front of the recruits. At least that's what it sounded like. Sally had seemed more amused recounting the story than anything else. It wasn't like he was hovering between life and death or something. Wufei wondered, as he strode after Relena back toward the spaceport, why she was so panicked.

Then he realized.

He quickened his pace to match hers, which wasn't that hard, given his longer stride. He was at least a few inches taller than the petite blonde, after all.

"Relena…"

She didn't look back at him as she hurried along. "Yes?"

"It's Heero, isn't it?"

She stopped in her tracks and turned. "What do you mean?"

Wufei drew in a breath as he looked down at her. "Heero's the one, isn't he?" Relena lowered her eyes. "The one you've been trying to forget."

She held his gaze for a beat but didn't answer, which was an answer in itself.

"We really should hurry," she said at last.

Wufei just grunted and followed along.

"Lucky bastard." Duo sat in the sick bay on the Aventinus, shaking his head, while Heero glowered at him from an exam table. Sally had just finished dressing his chest.

"Could've been worse," Sally agreed cheerily. "You only cracked the one rib. Good thing you had a vest on. This'll leave a nasty bruise, though..." Heero just rolled his eyes, wincing slightly as Sally tightly fastened her bandage. "Oh, right, like that really hurts, tough guy." The medic stuck out her tongue.

"Target practice wasn't part of tonight's training agenda, ya know…" Duo caught the pillow Heero lobbed at his head. "Hey!"

"You're lucky it wasn't something harder," Heero glowered.

They were interrupted by a light rap at the door.

"Come in," Sally sang.

The door opened slowly as Relena stuck her head in. Heero could see from his seat that Wufei stood close behind. His eyes met Relena's briefly before darting away. He knew his unexpected injury had interrupted her little date with Wufei. Part of him felt vindicated for interfering; the other part of him felt like an ass. He knew he'd hurt Relena, and it shamed him. Now, he couldn't even look at her.

"Heero…"

He was aware of her standing beside him, so he forced himself to lift his head back up. The look in her eyes arrested him. It was the look she'd given him less than a year ago, after his plan to assassinate her had been interrupted by gunshots from none other than Duo. Relena's expression then had gone from fearing Heero as her potential executioner to seeing him as someone she was supposed to save. That look passed over her face now, and as usual, her compassion for him seemed to outweigh the fear.

She offered him her hand, and he took it.

"I'm glad you're all right," she whispered, giving his hand a squeeze.

"Yeah, the dummy," Duo groaned from his seat. Sally shot him a look.

"Why don't we give them a minute?" Her eyes went to Wufei, and stayed on him. She could see the hurt burning behind his obsidian orbs, but she knew he wasn't about to let on. He caught her gaze and grimaced.

"All right," he murmured. He was prepared to say something to Heero himself, to at least express condolences for his injury, but he realized that the other former Gundam pilot didn't care. He watched, transfixed, as Heero sat there holding hands with Relena, their heads bent together.

I can't interfere, he chided himself. He felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder and looked up to see Duo.

"You good, buddy?" Duo's gaze was steady, but Wufei saw something flicker in the other Preventer's eyes. He wondered how much the braided man knew, but then Wufei was aware that Heero and Duo were roommates. Suddenly he felt like a fool. When it came to Heero and Relena, and whatever their relationship was… was he really the last to know?

Wufei grudgingly followed Sally and Duo outside. Once the door was closed, Duo let out a low whistle. "I would not go back in there, if I were you." It was unclear who he was addressing.

"Why not?" Wufei snapped.

"I'll have to check on Heero again at some point, although I catch your drift, Duo." Sally gave him a not-so-subtle wink. Then she turned to Wufei. "Sorry about your, uh, dinner date, though. Did you guys get to eat?"

"Yeah," Wufei responded sullenly.

"How about we grab some beers?" Sally tilted her head and smiled. Wufei shrugged and followed her toward the mess hall.

"Woo, party!" Duo was right behind them.

"I can't believe I nearly killed him!" Keiko wailed into her beer can. She gave an exasperated moan before planting her forehead on the coffee table. "I'll never live this down…"

She and the other Preventer recruits were camped out in the lounge area. After grabbing some drinks of their own, Sally, Duo and Wufei had joined them. They all sat slumped in various positions; Sally and Wufei shared the sofa, where Duo perched on an arm, while Heath had procured one of the armchairs; the other was taken by Landon. Keiko and Kevin sat on the floor.

"You didn't come close to killing him." Sally leaned over and patted Keiko on the head. "It would take a lot more than that to take down Heero Yuy."

"Hm." Wufei chuckled darkly before taking a swig of beer. He knew that all too well.

"And, anyway," Sally added. "What happened was not your fault. Although you should maybe be more careful around dark alleys, from now on…"

"I know," Keiko sighed, lifting her head up. "I stopped to talk to this cute guy, but then this other, creepy guy just appeared out of nowhere, and… I'm a horrible Preventer!" she wailed, slamming her head down again. "Am I fired? I deserve to be fired. Ugh…"

She should be fired, Wufei thought. The whole thing was ridiculous. He shot a wary glance at his partner. She was already looking over at him, smiling sweetly. He shook his head morosely. She was a lot more forgiving than he was.

"You're not fired," Sally said to the younger girl. "Like I said, you just need to be careful from now on. I doubt Heero will blame you for this, either. I'm sure he's already over it."

"Poor Heero," Keiko sighed. "When can I go see him? I need to tell him how sorry I am…"

"Because the million times you told him on the shuttle ride wasn't enough?" Kevin grumbled beside her.

"Ooh, someone's jealous," Landon observed, grinning at his friends.

"Shut up," Kevin snarled. "I'm just sayin'..."

"Calm down, everyone," Sally interjected. "Now, don't worry about Heero, Keiko. He's honestly fine. I tended to him myself. Right now, he just needs to rest."

"Yeah," Duo snorted from his perch. "Not to mention Relena's already taking good care of him…"

"Duo…" Sally shot him a reprimanding look. Wufei shifted in his seat before standing up.

"I'm going for more beer," he announced. "Who else needs a refill?" Nearly everyone shot up their hands.

"I'll go, too," Heath offered.

Wufei just shrugged and headed back toward the kitchen. The errand didn't necessarily require assistance, but then they would be able to carry more alcohol between the two of them.

"Hey, man." Heath jogged after him. Wufei turned his head to look at the Preventer-in-training, who was clearly older and more experienced than the other recruits. But, then, Wufei understood that Heath was a seasoned colony police officer. He hadn't had many conversations with the man, though.

"Yeah?" He asked as he rummaged through the fridge, foraging for beer.

"Just wanted to ask you something..." Heath paused, clearing his throat. "You and Sally an item?"

Wufei's head jerked up involuntarily. He tipped his chin, sizing up the other man, who was quite a bit taller. "Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering. I can tell you two are close, but is it more of a work thing, or…?" Heath let the question hang in the air.

Wufei frowned. "She's your superior, you know."

"I know." The muscular man shrugged. "But this isn't the military or anything. I assume that sort of thing is more relaxed around here. Right?"

Wufei wasn't sure. As far as he knew, there was no policy in place about dating coworkers; he didn't recall seeing a Preventers employee handbook back when Sally first recruited him.

Sally. They had been through a lot together, hadn't they? Even though they were often at one another's throats, Wufei knew he wouldn't trade his carefree banter with her for anything. His mind flicked over to her in her bathrobe the other day, and he felt his jaw tighten.

"It's none of your business," he growled, perhaps a tad too forcefully. Heath instantly recoiled.

"Sheesh man, I get it." He raised both his hands. "I know when to back off. Besides, that girl Keiko's pretty cute. A little young, but…"

I know when to back off.

Heath's words replayed in Wufei's mind as he sat back down next to Sally. She beamed at him gratefully when he handed her an iced cold can of beer. Although he'd seen Relena drink wine, he doubted she'd ever touch beer. She didn't seem the type. Not that that should matter to him, any more.

He reached over and gave one of Sally's braids a tug. "Hey! What gives?" she snapped. But her eyes seemed to laugh at him as she raised her can to her lips.

"Nothing." Wufei popped the tab of his own beer. "You lush," he added with a smirk.

Sally returned the insult with a wallop on his arm. "You're one to talk. You can easily drink me under the table."

"Ha!" Wufei released a staccato laugh, arching a brow. "Is that a challenge?" Sally just smiled demurely.

"Oh, this is gonna be good." Duo grinned over at both of them. "I am so refereeing this contest! Ready? On the count of three…"

Wufei and Sally both hoisted their beers, prepared to chug.

"You must hate me."

"I don't hate you," Relena said softly. "I'm still angry with you, although less than I was." She frowned, looking down at their joined hands. "You frightened me, Heero. I mean, it's not like you put a gun to my head…" She tilted her head, smiling slightly. "But still. The war is over now… I thought you'd changed?"

"I have changed." He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. "You helped me change. I'm sorry I hurt you, Relena." Guilt twisted at him like a steely knife in his gut. His cobalt eyes searched hers, begging forgiveness. "Nothing like that will ever happen again. I promise."

Relena's eyes closed as she sighed. "Mmm. I hope not."

"How about I give you a gun? If you ever feel I'm out of line, feel free to use it on me."

Her eyes opened wide at the suggestion. "Are you kidding me? Heero, I wouldn't go that far."

His gaze remained serious. "I would never do anything to compromise your safety or well-being, Relena. Believe me. Please," he added imploringly.

"I believe you." She released one of her hands to ruffle his hair, and gave him another smile. "And I forgive you. But, from now on, perhaps you should ask me before initiating anything physical… just to be sure we're on the same page."

"Agreed." Heero nodded firmly. "But, Relena, I need to know…" He frowned. "What is going on with you and Wufei? Are you dating him?"

Relena tapped a finger to her chin. "Well, I did go on a date with him. I suppose that constitutes as dating. But he didn't ask me to be his girlfriend, or anything…"

"And if he had?" Heero's brow arched in question.

"I… would have had to think about it," Relena answered honestly. "I'm not sure I'm ready for that just yet."

"What if I'd asked you?" He thumbed her other hand gently.

"To be your girlfriend?" Relena grinned and gave his chest a playful poke. "You'd have to ask me on a date, first."

"Fine." Heero cautiously took her other hand in his. "Will you go out with me?" She nodded, smiling. "Exclusively?" he added.

"Well… we'll have to see how the first date goes." Her eyes danced at his.

"Fair enough." Heero's lips twitched. "Can I kiss you now?"

"Yes," Relena said decidedly. "On one condition." She held up a finger.

"Hn?"

"It needs to be a real kiss, Heero Yuy." She inched closer to him. "Soft. Slow. Gentle, yet firm..."

Heero shifted uncomfortably. Her words were having a stiffening effect on his… nether region. "I, uh… That's a very… specific description, Relena." His face burned.

"Well, it seems to me you could use some guidelines." She looked at him pointedly. "Kiss me," she said, "like we're standing before a hundred people in church on our wedding day. Understand?" One of her brows arched, as if daring him to question her.

"I do." He nodded firmly. She grinned.

"An apt choice of words…" Her eyes fluttered closed as he brought his face closer.

"Relena," Heero murmured as he closed the distance between them, "do you take this man as your lawfully wedded husband?"

"Ha, ha…" She gave his bandaged chest a playful poke, steering clear of his wound, as his mouth closed over hers. Gently, but firmly. Just as she'd instructed. Heero stayed still, waiting until Relena's lips parted before deepening the contact. He gradually brought his hands up to cup her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb before planting a second, softer kiss. He broke away slowly, keeping his eyes on hers.

"Well?" he asked.

"Better," Relena sighed, shaking herself out of her daze. "Much better. I might even let you do that again…"

"If that's what you want," his low voice rumbled. Relena nodded as she brought her hands back up to his chest and carefully rested them there.

"Yes," she whispered.

Heero smiled and bent his head toward hers again. "As you wish..."

Wufei groaned as he rolled over and realized it was morning. Checking his alarm clock, he found he'd slept well past his usual early wake-up time. He rubbed the back of his head gingerly as he sat up. He could barely remember what had transpired, but it all started coming back to him as he rose and dressed in his Preventers uniform.

Something to do with beer. Lots of beer.

And Relena… He frowned, remembering how their date had been interrupted. And how he had reluctantly left her with an injured Heero, and he hadn't spoken to either of them since. He wasn't sure he wanted to, anyway.

He staggered his way into the kitchen, where he found an equally hungover Sally, who had also managed to put on her uniform. She had also made a pot of coffee. Wufei merely grunted in greeting as he fumbled around for a mug and filled it with the steaming black liquid.

"What a night," she moaned from her spot at the kitchen table. "From now on, we should probably refrain from drinking with our new recruits…"

"Yeah," Wufei agreed as he sipped his coffee. "Might be a good idea."

"Do you even remember what happened?" Sally sat up in her seat and stretched. "It's all a blur to me…"

"Same here." Wufei frowned. "I'm pretty sure you passed out before it got too wild, though…"

"Oh, no." Sally tucked her chin into her chest and placed both hands on her head. "I don't even want to know…"

"Hey, at least no one drew on your face," Wufei pointed out with a smirk.

"Ugh, this is why Preventer shouldn't give a nineteen-year-old her own unit…" Sally sighed. "Not that I was acting my age last night, or anything…"

"Well, neither was I." Wufei sat and joined Sally at the table. "Don't be too hard on yourself. Everyone has to blow off a little steam. We'll just have to make sure to crack the whip a little harder with the new kids today." His dark eyes glinted.

"Ooh, yes, sir," Sally teased.

Their banter ceased as Relena appeared at the kitchen door, followed closely by Heero. Wufei automatically lowered his eyes.

"Heero! You're looking well." Sally smiled and tipped her head, eyeing his chest. "How's that bandage holding up? Sorry my supplies are somewhat limited here. You may want to have someone else look at that after a few days…"

"It's fine." Heero shrugged, helping himself to coffee. "Thank you for doing that. I'd prefer to avoid hospitals."

"Yes, I do recall you're not much of a fan of medical facilities." Sally snorted a giggle. "Anyway, I'm glad you're on the mend."

"Yes, thank you." Relena nodded toward Sally, who quirked a brow in response. It was interesting to hear Relena speaking on Heero's behalf, but then this was the girl who'd lied to her last year in order to see Heero when he was being held in said facility. Sally suppressed another chuckle.

"Ugh, so fucking cute," she muttered under her breath. Wufei heard her and frowned, still avoiding Heero's gaze.

"Well, I have to head back this morning," Relena was saying. That got Wufei's attention. He swung his eyes over to her, taking in her gray business suit and perfectly styled hair. She looked lovely, but much more formal and guarded than she had when they'd embarked to the colony for their date the night before.

"So soon?" Sally stood and went over to Relena, grasping the other woman's hand. "Well, thank you for the visit, and for securing that grant. We really appreciate it."

"Thank you for having me." Relena smiled and pulled Sally into a light embrace. "And Wufei…" He stayed seated but lifted a brow, waiting for her to speak. "Thank you… for last night. I had a nice time." Wufei thought he saw Heero stiffen before relaxing his stance.

"You're welcome." Wufei stood and moved cautiously toward Relena. "Thank you for accompanying me. I'm sorry things didn't go quite as planned." He nodded toward Heero. "And I'm sorry about your… injury."

Heero just shrugged. "I'm fine. Thanks, though."

Silence fell over the group for a moment. Relena quickly busied herself assembling some breakfast while Sally poured herself another cup of coffee. Heero cocked his head toward Wufei.

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

Wufei's jaw tightened, but he nodded and followed Heero out of the kitchen. The other man didn't waste any time getting to the point.

"Wufei, what is your intention with Relena?"

Even though he was expecting the question in some form, it still caught Wufei off guard. He held up his coffee mug, almost as a shield. "Well…" he started. "I'm not sure. I intended to court her, but that depends on what she wants."

"Hm." Heero nodded while holding Wufei's gaze. "Then you should know I asked her out as well." There was no malice or challenge in his tone, just a simple exchange of information. Wufei took a sip of his coffee, also nodding.

"Then I guess it's up to Relena to decide. But I have no intention of pursuing her further, at this point." Wufei lowered the nearly empty mug to his side.

"Oh?" He was surprised to see one of Heero's brows rise. He wasn't used to seeing the perfect soldier make such a blatant display of emotion. But Heero's surprised reaction faded just as quickly as it appeared, and his face was a mask once more. "I see."

"So, then, we have no further qualms here, do we?" Wufei folded his arms over his chest.

"Guess not." Heero shrugged one shoulder before turning back toward the kitchen, and Wufei followed.

"Good luck," the black-haired man offered. Heero grunted in thanks.

"I packed us some breakfast to go," Relena said to Heero when both men were back in the room. The gleam in her eyes made it obvious something had transpired between the two. Once again, Wufei didn't want to know.

"You're going with Relena, then?" Nosy Sally, Wufei thought grumpily.

"I'm meeting with some representatives from L2," Relena explained, once again answering for the both of them. "Heero offered to accompany me to the colony..." Her cheeks were flushed, but Wufei wasn't sure why. They were talking about innocent enough things. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"You shouldn't have come here alone." Heero's eyes were focused on Relena, his deep baritone mildly scolding.

"But I'm surrounded by Preventers," Relena protested, holding up her hands. "It seemed perfectly safe…"

Heero shook his head firmly. "At this point, you should have a full-time bodyguard."

"Oh, I should, should I?" Relena's eyes danced up at him, and he smirked in response.

Wufei couldn't help but feel as though he and Sally were intruding on a private moment, even though this was their ship. He cleared his throat and both Heero and Relena backed away from one another, the spell seemingly broken.

"Right." Relena turned back to the counter and gathered up the food containers she'd packed. "We really should be going."

"What about Duo?" Sally asked. "He going with you guys?"

The look Heero gave Relena was unmistakable. "Maxwell can get his own shuttle."

Relena's blush crept up to her bangs. She recovered long enough to pull Sally in for another hug goodbye. Then she came to Wufei, and hesitated. He managed to keep his features impassive as he stepped forward and gave her a quick embrace, all under Heero's watchful eye.

"Be safe," he murmured against her hair before breaking away.

"Thank you." She gave him a sincere smile before turning back toward Sally. "Thank you both. I hope we'll see each other again soon."

Heero raised his hand as a parting gesture, then rested it against the small of Relena's back as both swept out of the room.

Wufei sank back down in his chair.

"You ok?" Sally came over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Fine," he muttered. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe 'cause Heero moved in on your turf?" Sally gave his back a supportive rub. Wufei instantly relaxed under her touch.

"She wasn't 'my turf,'" he said flatly. "Nor is she his, either. That woman is free to make her own decisions and, well. Her decision is clear." He looked up at Sally and shrugged. "At least I got to know her a little better. She was… different than I imagined. But I have no complaints, nor regrets."

"Aw, Wufei," Sally drew out his name a little, giving him a final pat on the back before taking a seat beside him. "That's mature of you..."

"Yeah man, put it in your spank bank and move on." Wufei hadn't noticed Duo's presence, and he glowered over at the braided man, who was grabbing donuts off the kitchen counter. He'd forgotten how stealthy the former Deathscythe pilot could be, when he wanted to be.

"Gross," said Sally.

"What? We're men, Sally. It's what we do." Duo crammed a powdered donut in his mouth.

"No, I mean that." The doctor pointed at his breakfast. "How can you subsist on nothing but carbs and sugar? Here." She picked up an orange from the fruit bowl on the table and tossed it his way. Duo caught it with his free hand. "Eat that before you die of scurvy or something."

"Thanks." He polished off the donut and started peeling the orange. "So where're the two lovebirds, anyway?"

"Heading to L2," said Wufei, "without you."

"What?" Duo's eyes bulged. "Those traitors! Hilde'll kill me if I stay here alone with…"

"Who?" Sally's eyes gleamed. "A certain young, pretty Preventer-in-training, maybe?" Her eyebrows waggled suggestively.

Duo's eyes squeezed shut. "Sally. Tell me I didn't do anything last night..."

She shrugged. "Only thing I can remember is you doing karaoke with a lampshade on your head…"

"Not helpful," Duo moaned, clutching his head. "I'd better get the hell out of here… How long ago did they leave?"

"Just now," said Wufei. "You might catch them if you hurry."

"Sweet! 'Bye, guys! Don't be strangers, 'k?" Duo darted out of the kitchen, but not before snatching a second donut.

"Did he really?" Wufei asked Sally once the other man was gone.

"What?" She hid a smile behind her coffee cup. "Hook up with Keiko?" Wufei nodded and she shook her head. "No, I saw her slink off with her friend Kevin toward the end of the night."

"So why didn't you say something?"

Sally just smirked. "Too funny not to. Besides, Duo owes it to Hilde to keep his flirtations in check. Maybe this'll teach him a lesson."

Wufei shook his head at her. "You're trouble."

"Sure am!" Sally grinned at him. "And speaking of trouble, we should probably both be careful with the new recruits. Like I said, partying with them sets a bad precedent. Wouldn't want either of us to end up in a compromising position…"

"Such as?" Wufei shot her a sidelong glance.

"Well, you know…" Her face flushed. "It pretty much goes without saying, doesn't it? They're our subordinates."

Wufei turned toward Sally. "What about us, then?"

Both of her eyebrows shot up. "What about us?"

"Are we peers, or am I still your subordinate?" Wufei gave her a little smirk of his own. Sally's flush darkened, but she laughed off his question.

"Well, well." Her green eyes seemed to taunt him as a smile played on her lips. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Actually…" Wufei edged his chair closer to hers. "I would."

Fin

A/N: At last, dear readers, at last! Once upon a time I decided to write a 5xR. Why, do you ask? Because I knew writing Wufei and Relena together would be a challenge, and I figured it would be fun. It was. Then life got in the way and I forgot about this little story. Then I lost my log-in info. Long story short, I found it and decided to give this story the ending that I hope it deserves. I hope you enjoyed it! If you're new to this fic and/or this fandom, welcome! Thank you so much to all of the readers and reviewers. If any of you were around when I started this story, I hope you came back for the end. I hope you're still active on this site! And if you decide to read any of my other unfinished works, please do, and rest assured that I will finish them someday. Thank you!