Disclaimer: Not mine!

Author's Note: I'M ON SPRING BREAK!!! *insane laughter* oh God, this feels good, thus I will be able to write morenow if that's a good thing or a bad thing, YOU'D have to tell ME! lol, luv ya lots!

"Ma, are you sure-"

"Yes."

"But two weeks-"

Rheumy turquoise eyes peered around, and a hand, still smooth despite the age that had worn the skin paper-thin, reached out to take the younger woman's hand. "Selena...I will be fine. You mustn't worry for me. I understand you have a heavy workload as the new Prime Minister of the Peacecraft Kingdom, am I not correct?"

"Well, yes but-"

"Then you should be well on your way."

A voice, once so strong and authoritative in its prime, had dwindled to a feeble whisper, showing little of its earlier vigor, but like all things, time took its toll. The elderly woman smiled, breathing in the faint scent of strawberries and lush gardens before carefully making her way up the road alone. The once-familiar cabin was lit from within, the glow of a crackling fire reflecting in the transparent glass windows. The wood of the door was almost satiny to touch, the rose-gold grains worn by the winds of winter and the heat of summer. With a shuddering sigh, the woman turned the burnished copper knob, stepping into a wealth of memories...

"Oh Heero, this is perfect!" A young bride, in all her silken finery, twirled in the middle of the room, clear azure wide with pleasure as she took in the homey feel of the one-roomed cabin. Hand knitted quilts adorned the old-fashioned four-poster bed and the pillows were lovingly embroidered with hearts and stars; instead of harsh florescent fixtures, the crackling warmth of oil lamps and the muted glow of the fireplace served both as warmth and light. In the farthest corner away from the bed, there was a small kitchenette with the usual mini-fridge and an oil-black stove that looked as if it should have been used in the book The Little House on the Prairie.

"Hn." The woman laughed, hugging her husband despite his usual reticence, even with her.

"Oh stop it, Heero! You're acting like an old fuddy-duddy!" A raven brow arched above Prussian blue eyes in distinct amusement as warm hands caught about her waist, pinning her to him.

"Am I, Relena?"

"Old." She confirmed, "And boring and taciturn and-" Whatever else she had to say was lost beneath the pressure of his mouth, warm and dry, stealing her breath away. When he finally lifted his head, she smiled with blinding joy, pulling him closer to whisper in his ear. "Did I also mention that I love you, Perfect Soldier?"

The cabin remained unchanged for the large part. The gold and pink quilts had been replaced with something less moth-eaten in shades of blue and deep green instead. The stove had been removed to make way for a shiny Regency VSA gas stove and there was a new microwave there too. But for the most part, it remained largely unchanged; the bronze shadows that the fire cast on the oak walls, the Home Sweet Home sign that adorned the mantle piece..no, it was no large effort to imagine herself here thirty-odd years ago with a husband by her side.

Relena laughed softly, feeling his presence everywhere around her. She knelt slowly to warming her hands in front of the fire, teasing quietly, "I never thought that I'd have to spend the winter here alone, Heero Yuy. Aie, it's been a long road for both of us, eh? Selena's making a fine Minister of the Peace, and her little boy Justin, ah Heero; he's just like you, so serious! With your eyes too! You would be so proud of him."

She straightened, feeling her joints cracking and shook her head, silvery platinum strands of hair escaping from her bun to fly about her face. "Sometimes, in cold weather I'll get an ache in my bonesI'm not as pretty as I once was, even though you used to tease me that I was the most beautiful woman on the Earth. If you saw me now, what would you say?"

Relena drew idle circles on her husband's chest before rising to prop her chin on her hand. "Heero..."

"Hn?"

"If you saw me forty years from now, what would you say? I mean four years ago, you saw me as a little girl with calf eyes following you everywhere. What about when I'm sixty?"

Warm fingers caught her chin, forcing Relena to look into sober Prussian eyes, so brooding, but to her, they spoke without him ever having to say a word. Perversely, she waited, wanting to hear those words instead. Finally he said quietly, "I wouldn't need to say anything and you'd still know I thought you were beautiful."

"But what if I wanted you to say something?"

He smiled tenderly, stroking the rich honey-gold hair back from her forehead. "I would say..."

"Hmmm?"

"Omae wa kuruso."

"Heero!"

Relena laughed aloud, "You wouldn't even need a gun now, Heero, if you wanted to kill me. Selena says you can knock me over with a breathbah. I'm not that old." She shivered and tossed a few more logs in the already crackling fire. "But truly, it's been wonderful not having to manage matters of state any longer. That gave me more gray hairs than you did, and you gave me enough, Heero."

There was a knock at the door and she lifted her voice enough to call, "It's open."

A maid stepped in, bobbing her head respectfully in Relena's direction. "Prime Minister Yuy..."

Relena shook her head in amusement. "That would be my daughter, child."

"Uh yes..." She appeared flustered for a second before ushering in the caterers who swiftly moved to set the table with flickering candles and a vase of pungent white roses as the centerpiece. The maid glanced at the table, then frowned. "Ma'amvit says that the table should be set for two but Mrs. Selena said that you were not expecting company. What should we do with the extra place setting?"

"Leave it." The older woman smiled sadly as she allowed one of the caterers to tuck her into her chair, fingers brushing the smooth resin of the wooden armrests. She closed her eyes for a moment to stifle the tears before she said in a low voice, "My company is right here, I need no other." She touched the place above her heart and then her temple before allowing her hand to drop. When the girl only looked puzzled, Relena shook her head, waving her away. "Never mind, I'll be fine."

Soon, she was alone again with a slice of veal and wine on her plate. For a while, she stared at it before her hands slid to the cool metal of her silverware. She raised her knife to cut into the meat, before saying quietly, "Cheers, love. It's our thirty-eighth anniversary. Better eat up." For a long time afterwards, there was no noise but the occasional chink of pewter on porcelain and the slight chime of the glass champagne flute being set back on the table.

Relena peeked at Heero as he moved with effortless grace around the small kitchen, suppressing a small smile at the sight of the Perfect Soldier in an apron with the large words What the chef says, goes printed boldly on it in red letters.

"You're laughing." He didn't even bother to turn around as he stated that fact monotonously. Sliding a knife from it's holder, he began to chop the vegetables on the wooden cutting board. "Why?"

Unable to keep the amusement out of her voice, Relena admitted, "I never knew you could cook."

"And?"

"And I never expected you to wear that apron."

"Hn." He absently took the teakettle off the stove as it began to whistle shrill, setting it on the table before reaching to grab the curried chicken that was bubbling away cheerfully in the pan, giving off an exotic aroma of spices and baked potato. "Dinner's ready."

Pulling on an over robe, Relena hopped into her furry pink sandals before joining him at the table. "Yum." She teased, "Smells good, but are you sure that because you haven't been able to pull a gun on me yet, you put arsenic in here instead?"

He raised a dark brow in askance but he said nothing, spearing a potato slice and offering it to her instead. "Eat before it gets cold. It tastes better warm."

After dinner was finished, Relena leaned back her chair, standing up. She spotted the bookcase, and gently picked up one of the books, gently turning yellowed pages worn by the creasing of so many fingers, lips silently moving as she read the words that were so familiar to her. She flipped through a couple more pages before carefully placing the book back in its place on the shelf. She turned away but not before she spotted a small leather bound journal that she didn't remember putting there. Her brow creased as she slipped the book out, then a slow smile creased her lips, causing the wrinkles around her eyes and mouth to deepen.

"So...I've been wondering where this was." She mused, tracing the elegant curves of her own handwriting. "The journal belongs to Relena Dorlain Yuy of her nineteenth year after colony 196..."

She sat on the edge of the sofa, reading the first entry.

Today, the Council convened...they are a bunch of idiots.

Relena muffled a laugh at the first exasperated entry.

They have three times asked me my opinion on the new peace plan. Three times, I have given them the go ahead, told them that it must be done, and three times, they have ignored my suggestions in favor of bickering back and forth. The only reason why the bill passed was because Heero calmly told them that the Gundam pilots believed it necessary that peace be reached in all possible haste. The thing that he didn't say, that everybody knew anyway, was that he was also saying the Gundam pilots were going to wreck havoc on whichever party refused to sign the accord. Thank God for him, or else we wouldn't have gotten anywhere this year. He's been like my guardian angel, always there, even if he does think of me as a friend rather than as a potential lover. Some thingswere just not meant to be, I guess

~ RELENA DORLAIN, March 18

War has become "outlawed" but I can only wonder for how long. The Eastern diplomats have broken off all relations, and the colonists themselves are tired of war...if fighting sparks again, the next time, we won't have any world to come back home to

~ RELENA DORLAIN, April 2

I don't know how he managed it, but he pulled it off...I can only wonder what kinds of threats he used to get their ascent. Who knew that Heero would make a good diplomat rather than just a bodyguard? He insists that he must be sent to stay there until everything's ironed out, but truthfully, I don't really feel safe without him there protecting me. Unfortunately, he is correct; it is imperative that he stay until a full agreement can be met, but I don't like it. I think I'll miss him...sometimes, when I'm alone, I'll think of his face and I'll be fine. He has...wonderful...blue eyes. I really didn't notice before, but he's grown awfully handsome...well, I knew he was good-looking at fifteen, but there's something there in his eyes when he looks at me...blah, what am I thinking?? Damn imagination! Must be stress catching up on me...

~ RELENA DORLAIN, May 17

He's back! He came back today and tossed me a copy of the agreements like it was nothing. Actually, he said simply, "Here." and walked away. I don't understand him! He is the most.most autocratic...stubborn...untalkative man alive! Why can't he act normal????

~ RELENA DORLAIN, July 15

Heero invited...no...he ordered me to go out to dinner with him tomorrow. Something about spies and paparazzi. Why can't he be a normal guy and just ask me out? He says "Do this" and I follow him around like a dog on a leash. Well, I don't think so. He can buy himself french fries and take himself out. That's the only way that he won't get on his date's nerves!

~ RELENA DORLAIN, July 21

Yes, I went. Shut up shut up shut up....I don't need to listen to this. It was a purely political...who am I kidding. It was a date. I went on a...my adolescent mind is catching up with me. I can't write. Heck, how can I write it down when _I_ don't even believe it???

~ RELENA DORLAIN, July 22

I never knew Heero had a sense of humor...he and Duo decided that I was working too hard...and they "kidnapped" me. They kidnapped me! I was supposed to meet with the Council for the annual state report, but they burst into the meeting and cool as you pleased, straight-faced Mr. Yuy pulled a gun on them and said, "Omae o kuruso"...and then Duo gagged me and dragged me out of the COUNCIL ROOM!!! GOD IN HEAVEN!! Those two are driving me absolutely insane! I mean, there the Preventer office was, swarming with Preventers, all looking for me, and the radio and TV stations were all blaring my name, and where was I? On a carousal at the carnival!!! That's enough. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight...maybe this is all a bad dream and when I open my eyes, it'll go away.

~ RELENA DORLAIN, August 4

We went to the opera. He kissed me. I'm in shock. Goodnight.

~ RELENA DORLAIN, August 30

I think I'm falling in love, or maybe, I was already in love and I just forgot...no. No one can forget how it is to be in love, so I can only assume that I've just found love. He's wonderful...Does he know how much he matters to me? He acts like a gentleman in every way, escorting me to parties, taking me out on walks in the park. He acts like a boyfriend...or a lover...in every way, but he hasn't actually confirmed it then again, I haven't the courage to ask. I'm too afraid of the answer, I think...but the uncertainty is worse. Does he love me? Does he not? I might as well be pulling petals from a rose and wishing upon a star for all this is going to help meI need to resolve this, I need to ask him.vGod give me the right words...God willing that my courage doesn't fail me...

~ RELENA DORLAIN, September 27

She sat there, turning the pages, one by one, rereading the passages she had written so long ago, page by page, even after the fireplace had been reduced to glowing embers and the lamps had dimmed into warm golden glows, she kept on reading. And as she read, she felt tears trickled down her papery cheeks as her own words mapped out her life with the man she had loved to distraction.

Quietly, she folded the book shut, pressing it close to her heart as she curled into a ball. "Heero, aishiteru...God, Heero...I miss you."

***

At the age of sixty-one, Mrs. Relena Dorlain Yuy, former Queen of the World and later, Foreign Minister, died peacefully in her sleep in the Himalayan Mountain retreat that she had shared with her husband, former Gundam pilot Heero Yuy. Doctors say she felt no pain in passing. Selena Yuy Whitefield, Relena's daughter, says simply, "It was her time to go. She never felt quite right when my father passed away, she always felt so lonely despite the fact that John and I have tried to make her feel welcome in our house. She couldn't bear it when Dad died; the only thing that kept her on this Earth for that much longer was the commitment that she had to her people. But now, she's free, and I think she's a whole lot happier."

***

Relena sat up slowly, rubbing the snow from her cheek as she glanced around, dazed. "Where am I?" before the echoes of her voice had fully died away, she gasped, hand going to her throat, then to her face. Her voice was young again; her face...there wasn't a single wrinkle on it. She got up, and noticed, despite the icicles that adorned the pine trees, she didn't feel overly cold at all. In fact, she felt warm, peaceful

Relena...

"Heero?" She glanced around, barely making out the main path, so covered with snow.

Relena...

She stumbled along the path, something in the back of her mind urging her to go faster, that something beautiful, something, something, was happening, although she didn't quite know what. A flicker of light played over her cheekbones, and she looked up, startledand a warm smile touched her eyes, stretching across her lips, before she broke into a run, slipping occasionally on the slushy ice.

The once-familiar cabin was lit from within, the glow of a crackling fire reflecting in the transparent glass windows. The wood of the door was almost satiny to touch, the rose-gold grains worn by the winds of winter and the heat of summer. With a shuddering sigh, Relena turned the burnished copper knob, stepping into a room of reality. By the stove, Heero was cooking curried chicken, the savory smell of spices warming her as she stood in the doorway, taking in the pink and gold quilts, the old-fashioned black iron stove.

Without turning, Heero took the teapot off the fire, saying monotonously, "You're late."

Relena laughed, running to Heero, and throwing her arms around him. Burrowing her face into his chest, she whispered, "On the contrary, you left too early. But it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter now. I have a lot to tell you about; things that you don't know about since you left...but that can wait to. All that matters is we're together...and you aren't leaving this room without my say so, Heero Yuy!"

Unnoticed by the embracing couple, the door closed quietly behind them, sealing their memories, their souls, into the room. And if you walk on the path of towards that same cabin, walk inside the room with the homey fireplace and the cast iron stove, you will hear the sounds of laughter, sounds of hope, and most of all, the love that never did die.

~owari

*cheerful smile* what do you think? r&r minna-sans, or I'm going to set my dustbunnies on you, and THEN where will you be??

Duo: Uh...In a lot of...dust?

Shut up Duo...