A/N: Here we are! The last chapter! A longer note will be at the bottom for those want to read it, but I was asked why Meiran was so powerful and able to defeat Une so easily when the GW boys couldn't. The answer? Meiran was in her goddess form which is much stronger; even though the GW boys can access the god parts of them they are still very much restricted by being in mortal form. Meiran would have been the same had she been mortal. Now, enjoy!

Zechs, surprisingly, took over once Une and Meiran had disappeared. He stepped forward and told us to get out, said that he would take care of the bomb scare and make up something to tell everyone about Une's death. We took him up on his offer and vacated the building quickly, leaving him with the body. The city was still in a panic and we were able to get lost in the crowd pretty easily. I ended up with Heero, who still didn't look all that steady on his feet. I kept his hand in mine so that we wouldn't be separated and led him back to that café where I'd sat waiting for Trowa's signal. Most of the tables were empty, the majority of the customers having fled, but it was still open. I made Heero sit down at a table and then went inside.

It wasn't until I saw the somewhat horrified looks being directed at me that I realized I still had blood on me from Une. I made a quick detour into the bathroom and grabbed a fistful of paper towels, scrubbing uselessly at the stains. All I really succeeded in doing was smearing it across my shirt. I sighed and threw the mess into the garbage, then leaned over the sink and splashed water on my face. In some ways it was hard to believe that Une was really gone. The war was over and we didn't have to worry about anything anymore. That was... well, I couldn't remember the last time I'd been able to say that with any confidence. As long as Zechs kept up his part and didn't drag our names into this we might actually come out of this alright.

The bathroom door swung open behind me and Heero came in. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the state of my shirt and I gave him a sheepish smile in the mirror. "I tried but it didn't work out so well."

"That's alright. We're going home soon anyway," he said. I could see the moment when it struck him that he had no idea where home was. He tried to hide it but I could see that the idea upset him and the truth was I wasn't sure what to say to comfort him. We'd been staying at one of the safe houses but it wasn't really a home. I liked the idea of having one but at the same time I didn't want to be separated from the others, especially Heero.

"It will be okay," I said lamely, turning around to face him. "At least we don't have to worry about Une anymore."

Heero snorted. "Or Relena," he said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. My stomach tightened when he gave the lock a quick twist and looked across at me. The heat in his eyes was hard to miss but I wasn't expecting what came out of his mouth. "Duo, I want to apologize. I never should have opened the door to Relena that day. I let myself believe that she was harmless and I should have known better. I'm sorry that I made you worry all these months."

I swallowed. "She was a good actress," I said softly. He wasn't the only one who had been taken in by Relena, after all. We'd foolishly believed her story about Une and allowed her to lead us right into a trap. It was sheer luck that Trowa and I had gotten away after the explosion. I didn't even want to think about where we'd be if we hadn't. Probably dead.

"Yes, she was, but that doesn't excuse my actions," he pointed out, moving across the room towards me. He reached for my hand and I allowed him to take it. Now that we weren't in danger I could appreciate how it felt to be able to touch him again and have him respond. His thumb rubbed gently over the pulse point in my wrist and I saw a familiar glint in his eyes. I knew what it meant and if we'd been anywhere but a bathroom in some cafe I would've gladly pinned him to the wall. But I refused to have my first time in a place that probably hadn't been cleaned since it was built.

"No, but I forgive you anyway," I said, looking up into his face. I wanted him to know that my words were sincere and that I wasn't trying to tell him a half-truth. "Relena fooled all of us, Heero. We were foolish enough to believe her just like you were. Don't beat yourself up about it. Une is dead and Relena won't be bothering us anymore. Zechs said he would take care of everything." I hoped that he'd been telling the truth. "Let's get out of here, okay? I don't want to run the risk of being recognized." I paused, remembering why we'd stopped in the first place. "If you feel well enough, that is."

"I'm fine," he said with a shrug.

I studied him closely. His face was still a little pale and though he seemed to be steady on his feet I didn't want to take any chances. "We'll get a drink on our way out," I said. I had a little bit of cash in my pocket, enough to buy something with sugar that would keep Heero on his feet long enough to get a safe distance away. "Go wait for me out front, okay?"

He didn't seem pleased about leaving me alone but I insisted, and I watched him as he made his way outside into the sunlight. I wondered how he felt, waking up after all those months. It had to be disorienting to know that you had missed out on so much. I didn't feel like much had changed but I was aware enough to know that a lot probably had. The war was over and Heero hadn't even been a part of it, not really. It must have been so difficult, missing out on the one thing that he had been in training for, for most of his life. I wondered if he would get into trouble with J for falling for Relena's ruse.

I purchased a couple of glasses of lemonade, the cheapest thing they had, and walked out to join him. He was fiddling with a phone and I realized it was mine. He must have lifted it from me when I wasn't paying attention. I handed him one of the drinks and took a sip of mine. The sweet, tart liquid was refreshing. "Who were you texting?" I asked curiously.

"Trowa. He and Quatre have found a car and they're coming to pick us up," he said. "Wufei went off on his own. I think he needed some time to think."

I nodded and we sat down at one of the tables to wait. We didn't talk much but it wasn't really necessary. It felt good just to be there with him. I couldn't resist reaching over and putting my hand on his, and a thrill went through me when he turned his hand over and laced our fingers together. I remembered all those months when I hadn't been sure if I would ever see Heero again and at that moment I was so relieved that he was there with me that I had to take a long drink to calm myself down.

Trowa and Quatre took about fifteen minutes to get to us and by that time, in spite of Heero's protests that he was fine, I could tell he was fading fast. His eyes were heavily lidded as we got into the back of the car and within a couple of minutes he was out, his head tilted onto my shoulder, one arm slung lazily across my waist, like he was trying to make sure that I wasn't going to jump out of the car and run away. There was no chance of that happening and to prove it I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and started stroking his hair. I liked having my own hair played with and I thought he might appreciate the touch.

"What's going to happen now?" I asked once I was sure that Heero was really asleep.

Quatre turned around to look at me. He looked tired and there was a cut across his right cheek I hadn't noticed before. "We're not sure, Duo," he said quietly. "We're going to lay low for a couple of days and see how Zechs does in covering things up. If he's successful then we won't have to worry about it. If he's not..." He trailed off and shrugged one shoulder and I knew that it was bothering him that he didn't know what was going to happen. Quat liked being able to plan for the future.

"But we'll stay together," Trowa said, watching me in the mirror. He sounded serious enough that I could believe him.

If the war had ended differently the five of us might have spread out and lost touch with each other. I leaned against Heero and tried to imagine a world where he and I and Wufei were Preventers while Quatre went to work for his family and Trowa either went with Quat or back to the circus. It could have worked. I thought that we might have been happy that way. But it wouldn't work now. I wasn't even sure what our purpose on Earth was anymore. Were we supposed to be trying to help keep the peace, loathe as I was to use that word? Or were we supposed to be keeping a low profile? Meiran hadn't really said; she'd made it sound like we ought to act like normal people. But that was easier said than done.

At some point I must have drifted off because I woke up to find that the car had stopped. It was getting dark and we were parked in front of the cabin. Trowa and Quatre were gone and through the windows I could see that there was blue light flickering in the room where the television was. Heero was still beside me but now I was curled up on him, using his chest as a pillow. Every breath he took caused my head to move up and down a little bit. It was comforting and I closed my eyes again. I might have fallen back asleep but Heero's hand came down on my shoulder and tightened just enough to keep me awake.

"Duo," he said gently. "I know you're awake."

"I'm not. I'm sleeping," I said without opening my eyes.

"No you're not, Baka," he said and I knew he was smiling. "Come on. I don't know how long we've been out here for but it's been a while. My back has gone stiff from sitting in one position for so long and your stomach has been growling so loud that I'm shocked it didn't wake you up an hour ago."

Now that he mentioned it I realized I was pretty hungry. Reluctantly I sat up and muffled a yawn. I still felt exhausted, though probably not as much as Heero did. It was like his body was trying to catch up on months of lost sleep all at once. "You must be hungry too," I said, rubbing my eyes. The tip of my braid was stuck to the back of my neck. I pulled it free absently and let it fall against my chest. "Trowa probably cooked something. We can - " I was going to say we could eat and shower and then go to bed but Heero cut me off.

Literally. He pounced across the seats and pinned me down, pressing his mouth against mine before I could do much more than blink at the sudden change in position. His lips moved against mine insistently and suddenly there were hands roaming underneath my shirt. I gasped and arched up without thinking when he thumbed my nipples, pinching them gently. He was almost moving too fast for me to process; suddenly my shirt was gone and my hair was untied and Heero was unzipping my pants. I stared up at him, shocked, and he looked up with lust-blown eyes that had darkened to a deep blue, the heated look from before mesmerizing me.

"Alright?" he asked me.

"Y-yes," I stammered. "But what… why so suddenly?"

"I've been dreaming about this since I woke up," he said, sliding his hand into my jeans. I stifled a gasp with the back of my hand when he wrapped his fingers around me. A few quick strokes and I was hard and aching for him. He said, "I couldn't wait any longer. I'm tired of being interrupted and I know the next few weeks are going to be busy. We might not have much time together." He was watching me closely and there was something urgent in his face that I couldn't identify. "Will you? For me?"

"Heero…" I moaned and threw my head back. He seemed to know just how to touch me and I squirmed under his weight, not sure whether I should be trying to move closer to get more or away because it was starting to be too much. I tried to reach for his jeans, wanting him to know what it was like, but he caught my hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing it gently.

"Not now," he said quietly, tightening his grip just a little bit. He moved his thumb and a choked groan came out of me in spite of my best efforts to hold it back. And when he leaned down and kissed me again that was it. I came apart under his hands and found myself gasping for breath through a blur of white pleasure. Heero slipped his hand out of my jeans and pressed his face against my stomach, wrapping his arms around me and holding on so tightly that it hurt. I reached down and slipped my hand into his hair and he shivered under my touch. I thought I knew what was wrong then.

"Heero," I said again, more quietly this time. My heart was still pounding. "You don't have to apologize to me or try to make it up to me. I told you, you weren't the only person that Relena fooled. You couldn't have known that she would go that far."

He muttered something into my stomach. I couldn't hear what he said but I didn't have to, not really. I knew that it would be a while before he'd forgive himself and I couldn't help with that. Heero had always held himself to a standard of perfection that far surpassed the rest of us. I sighed and tilted my head back, looking out through the top of the window. Relena would probably never know how much her actions had actually ended up hurting him. Part of me wanted to explain it to her in vivid detail but I knew that wouldn't do any good.

After a while I started getting cold. I tugged lightly on Heero's hair until he got the hint and slipped up to meet me. He was heavy but he was taking most of his weight on his elbows so it was alright. I leaned up and kissed him, remembering the last time I'd done it when he was half-dead. Now he was warm and gentle, the passion from before still present but muted, waiting for a time when we were alone and not in the backseat of a rental car. I kissed him again and then reluctantly pulled back.

"Come on," I said to him. "Before Kitty-Quat gets curious enough to wander out here and see what we're up to."

Heero smiled and sat up. He pushed the door open and climbed out. I got out after him and re-fastened my jeans, making a disgusted face. I'd need to change my clothes and maybe shower before I did anything else; I was all sticky and my hair was probably a mess thanks to Heero's incessant need to un-braid it. I combed it down my shoulder with my fingers and started walking towards the house but Heero caught my hand and stopped me. I turned around and looked at him, raising my eyebrows.

"I love you," he said.

My jaw dropped and for about a minute I just stared at him in shocked silence. I'd imagined Heero saying that to me a few times, but I hadn't thought he would say it first. He just smiled again, clearly enjoying my surprise, and waited patiently until I recovered, his fingers warm around mine. "I love you too," I said at last, knowing it was true. This soldier, this man who had alternately fascinated and annoyed me since we met, had somehow become my partner in more ways than one.

He squeezed my hand tight and we walked back into the safe house together.

Well, it's hard to believe this story is over. I didn't watch Gundam Wing for a long time because I knew I'd get obsessed with it and sure enough, I did! But I'll tell you a secret… I've only watched about eleven episodes. Yup, I know. Most of what you see here is an amalgamation of fanfiction, research and those eleven episodes. And for the record, I'd like to say that writing a fanfiction when you haven't seen all the anime/read the manga is really hard and I do not recommend it. There are loads of little details that make it difficult. This is why I have never explicitly stated where this story would be in the GW timeline.

Thank you to everyone who stuck with me through the story; every review pushed me to keep going. I'm not sure if I'll ever do another GW story but this one was certainly an experience. For one last time, please review!