Disclaimer: I only thought of the idea, not the characters. They belong to people with lawyers and money.

Author's Notes: I sincerely apologize for the delay in updating this story. I hit a very stressful patch of the semester and had little free time to myself. I do appreciate all the reviews and emails about the story. I wish could reply to every single one. Just know that I am deeply grateful for everyone's interest in the story. I hope you continue to read and enjoy;) I'll try to close the gap between updates from now on.

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To Dance Beneath the Diamond Sky
by Kristen Elizabeth

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"Love is a lot like dancing; you just surrender to the music." -Pierce Brosnon

"To touch, to move, to inspire. This is the true gift of dance." -Aubrey Lynch

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The next week passed in a happy blur for Relena. From the moment she had woken up the morning after her romantic encounter with Heero in Central Park, a smile had graced her lips. Nothing, not her mother's insipid breakfast chatter, her brother's complaining about the company's budget, Lucrezia's attempt to get her to eat more, nothing had been able to wipe the smile away.

Ironically, only the thought of seeing Heero again had threatened to end her good mood. There had been a moment of panic when she had entered biology class that day. Would he close back up? Shut her out just when he had let her in? She wasn't sure she could take his rejection.

But she needn't have worried. When she slid into her seat next to him and allowed herself a small, sideways glance in his direction, he was already staring at her, a knowing look in the Prussian blue depths of his eyes. And when he smiled at her, not a dopey grin, but a sexy little affair meant only for her eyes, Relena's knees wobbled underneath the desk. A warmth spread through her body. It had taken all of her willpower to concentrate on that day's lesson.

It was amazing, Relena thought as she pulled on her toe shoes a week later, how much one kiss could change things. The most sought-after guy in their class was her boyfriend. The most sought-after role in the world was hers to dance. There was only one cloud that hung over her. Hilde.

"What are you thinking about over here?" Heero sat on the floor next to her, his black slippers in his hand.

"They're doing the real surgery today," she reminded him with a sigh.

"I thought things were quiet around this place. I should have noticed Maxwell's not here right away."

Relena allowed herself a small smile. "He wouldn't be anywhere else but by her side today. Oh, I hope they manage to fix everything. Even just enough to ensure that she can dance again....that would be enough."

Heero nodded. "I hope so, too." After only a moment of lingering hesitation, he leaned in and kissed her softly. It still amazed him, after only a week, that he was able to do it. Just lean in and kiss. Kiss his girlfriend. Drawing back, he touched her cheek. "Do you still want to come over tonight?"

"Oh, yes. We absolutely have to do the bio project before dress rehearsals start," Relena reminded him. She reached down and played with the loop of ribbons around her ankle. "I had to do a bit of...creative cover-up with my mother about it, though. I told her you were a girlfriend."

"I'm sorry you had to lie to her."

Relena lifted one shoulder, carelessly. "I'm not. If you ever meet my mother, you'll see why."

"All right, everyone!" Across the room, Treize clapped his hands. "If I don't see some dancers on the floor in two minutes..." He left the threat empty.

Heero tugged on his shoes, stood up and offered a hand to Relena. Rather than just pulling her to her feet, he pulled her into his arms. She laughed and hugged him for a brief moment. He smelled so good. Soap and something else. Something indefinable. Something entirely Heero.

"Get a fucking room," Dorothy snapped as she passed them on her way to join the rest of the corps.

Relena took a breath. "Green isn't a good color on you, Dorothy," she sweetly informed the girl.

Dorothy turned on her. "If you think for a moment that I'm jealous of..."

Glaring at Dorothy, Heero gently pulled on his girlfriend's hand. "Come on, Relena. We don't have time for her."

Relena let him lead her over to their starting place for their first pas de deux. "Remind me again why you kissed her."

"I was preoccupied at the time," he replied, positioning her arms while she was lost in her anger. "And really drunk." He took her hand and moved into his own starting position. "Someday you'll have to tell me about your first kiss."

For the first time in a week, Relena thought of Jean-Paul. On top of her, forcing his tongue into her mouth. She shuddered. If not for the warmth of Heero's hand, she would have been faint. "Why?" she asked. "You were there for it."

Heero had no time to be surprised by this new information. The pianist struck the first notes and the dance began.

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Hilde was aware of his presence beside her long before the general anesthesia wore off enough for her to open her eyes to see him. At the first flutter of her eyelashes, Duo was hovering over her, holding her pale hand in his.

"Hilde-baby," he whispered. "Can you hear me?" She nodded, though the effort to do so was great. His smile was wide and reassuring. "Are you thirsty, babe?" When she nodded again, he reached for the little pitcher of water beside her bed.

She swallowed a tiny amount from the cup he held to her lips. It wet her mouth enough to let her attempt talking. "Duo..." Her voice came out as little more than a whisper. "Thank you."

He didn't have to ask what he was being thanked for; he knew what she meant. Duo lifted her hand to his lips. "I'm here as long as you need me."

There were so many questions she wanted to ask him. "Duo...my ankle..."

After a moment and a sip of the water for himself, he cleared his throat. "They were able to repair a lot of damage, babe." He squeezed her hand gently. "More than they expected. But...they won't know about dancing for sure until you start physical therapy."

It was enough to placate her fears for the moment. The sliver of hope that she might dance again one day...she clung to it like a flotation device. "My mom?"

"At work. You're still just stuck with me, babe." Duo winked.

Hilde closed her eyes, utterly exhausted and still heavily under the influence of the medication. "I really...really love you," she whispered before she slipped back into the comfort of unconsciousness.

Duo smoothed hair away from her forehead before pressing his lips to it. "You're the most important thing in the world to me, babe."

****

Heero let Relena into the apartment he shared with his father with more than a little apprehension. It was well after seven, rehearsals were running much later with the workshop looming in the near future; Ethan was sure to be passed out in his room by now. But to be on the safe side, Heero went inside first and scoped out the situation before he motioned for Relena to follow him.

"Sorry," he apologized.

Relena smiled. "It's all right. I still check in my closet for monsters every night. Well, okay, not *every* night, but..." She was cut off by Heero's lips on hers. When he broke the kiss a moment later, she kept her eyes closed. "A very effective way to keep me from babbling."

He chuckled, a deep, throaty sound that brought about that strange warmth in the center of her body. "Are you hungry?" She nodded. "I'll order pizza before we start the project." He left her in the living room and moved towards the kitchen.

Relena looked around at the spartan decor. The apartment was huge, but almost devoid of any personal touches, unlike her brother's home which was a showcase of his and Lucrezia's personalities and pasts. The only decorations, if you could even call them that, were a row of encyclopedias and the state of the art entertainment center. Relena couldn't locate a single picture of Heero at any point in his life anywhere.

A hallway just to her left caught her eye. Figuring it led to Heero's bedroom, she moved towards it. She had her hand on the only doorknob in the hallway when she heard her boyfriend's voice. "Relena, do you want mushrooms...oh, hey!" Catching sight of her outside his father's room, Heero dropped the phone and ran for her. "You can't go in there!"

Relena snatched her hand away from the doorknob. "I'm sorry..." She swallowed, playing off her embarrassment. "Is this where you keep the bodies of your other lab partners?"

Heero took her hand. "It's just...that's my dad's room."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Heero. I didn't realize."

"It's okay," he assured her. "He's just, um, a market analyzer. He has to be up at three in the morning when the London stocks open up."

Relena frowned. "You must not get to see much of him, then."

"It's not a problem." Heero entwined his fingers with hers. "Trust me. Now, mushrooms or peppers?"

After the pizza was ordered, they settled down to work. Forty minutes later, when the pizza arrived, they were no closer to a topic for the project than they were before. There was a loud knock on the door signaling the arrival of their dinner. Heero immediately tensed up. The knock was just loud enough to wake his father if he weren't completely drunk. To add to the problem, the delivery person began ringing the door chime.

He jumped up and pulled his wallet out of his abandoned dance bag. As quickly as possible, he paid the delivery man and returned to the table with the pizza. His stomach dropped when he heard the door to his father's room open.

"What the hell is all that racket?!"

Relena shot a quick glance at Heero. Her boyfriend had frozen, pizza in hand. "Heero?" she asked. The wood floor vibrated; she was reminded of a Godzilla movie just before the monster appeared.

Heero closed his eyes as Ethan rolled into the dining room, Prussian eyes ablaze, obviously at the homicidal threshold of his nightly binge. "Dad," he said quietly. "This is my girlfriend. Relena."

She squirmed ever so slightly as Heero's father looked her up and down. She had to admit to giving the older man a look herself. Heero had never mentioned that his father was paraplegic.

Or alcoholic. The smell of Scotch was overpowering.

"Hi," she said softly. "It's a pleasure to meet..."

"So, you're the slit who's managed to catch my little fag's eye," Ethan cut her off. He raised an eyebrow with drunken approval.

Heero's hands balled into tight fists. His eyes opened. "Call me whatever you want, Dad. But keep your fucking mouth shut about Relena." His girlfriend blinked rapidly. But there was nothing he could to do reassure her while his father was still present.

"Listen here, boy..."

Relena looked down at her hands. "Heero, maybe I should..."

"No!" He met her eyes, silently pleading with her not leave him alone. "I'll get rid of him."

"You fucking little queer. You couldn't get rid of me if..." Ethan's taunt abruptly ended when Heero sent his fist flying into his father's face. The man slumped over in his chair, out cold.

His arm shaking with effort, Heero glanced at his girlfriend. Her hands covered her mouth; her lovely eyes were wide. "I'm sorry," he said, wiping his forehead. "I'll understand if you're not here when I get back." Before she could say anything, he walked to his father and hauled him out of his chair. With the older man draped over his shoulder, Heero left the room.

When he returned ten minutes later after dumping Ethan in a pile on his Scotch-soaked bed, she was still sitting at the table. He blinked, utterly surprised. "Relena, I said I'd understand if..."

Relena stood up. "Do you think I'm going to abandon you just because you have to put up with...with that, Heero?" She shook her head. "It's not going to happen. I don't run that easily." There was a long pause. "How long has he been drinking?"

"Since before my mother died," Heero replied.

"How did she die?" Relena's question was quiet. Reverent.

"She..." His throat closed up. "She killed herself."

Relena's eyes misted over. "Oh, Heero..."

Heero's chin dropped to his chest, the first tears he had shed since his mother's death springing upon him. "I'm so tired..." he began, his voice choked. "...of fighting him."

She was at his side in a instant, wrapping her soft arms around him. Her lips touched his wet cheeks. "Shhh..." Her words, whispered in his ear, soothed him like nothing else. "It's all right, Heero. You don't have to fight when you're with me."

He grasped her, folding her up in his arms and burying his face in her neck. He had already given up one fight, he realized. The fight to keep from loving her. There was nothing left to do but show her. His head lifted and he looked into her worried eyes. After an intense moment, he kissed her.

It was different than their other kisses. Relena closed her eyes and relaxed her lips to his demanding tongue. He was kissing her like she was water in the desert. His last hope for survival. She moaned involuntarily when his hands slid from her back down over her bottom. The material of the flowered skirt she had changed into after rehearsal was thin. His fingers pressed into her flesh as he ravaged her mouth with his.

"Heero," she broke off the kiss for air. "What..."

"I'm sorry," he breathed against her throat before flicking out his tongue to taste her skin. "Should I stop?"

Her head rolled back in pleasure; her senses clouded over. The feeling was like nothing she had ever experienced. It was so sudden, but so overwhelming. The absolute need to have him, to feel him, touch him, take him into her body... "No," she finally managed to gasp. "Don't stop...don't ever stop..."

He picked her up like she weighed nothing and carried her down a second hallway to his bedroom. Setting her down on her feet, he quickly stripped her down to her modest pink panties and bra. Heero smiled appreciatively before removing his own clothes. Everything was going so fast...Relena hardly had time to keep up. There was too much excitement in the air. Too much desire. Need.

Before things went any further, Heero retreated to fumble in his dresser drawer for something. Relena blushed when he pulled out the little square package, but she was more than grateful for his presence of mind. "Thank you," she said giving his shoulder a soft kiss.

"I'll always take care of you," he replied with so much honesty. If she had any doubts about loving him before, they all disappeared in that moment. Relena grabbed him and pulled him down onto his bed. They landed, legs and arms tangled, laughing and kissing at the same time. As they kept kissing, the mood became drastically different. It wasn't too long until the rest of their clothes disappeared.

After ensuring they were protected, Heero settled himself between her silky thighs. He looked down at the girl...the woman he was about to enter. She was watching him, no fear or hesitation in her eyes. Her fingers dug into his muscled shoulders, encouraging him. His breath caught in the back of his throat. She was the most beautiful thing in his life.

"Relena, I..." Heero licked his lips. "I love you."

There was little pain at his entry, something she could only attribute to twelve years of dancing lessons and, more than that, eight years of horseback riding. Her nails dug into his back. "Ohh..."

Unaware, Heero continued until he was entirely buried within her warmth. His lips sought hers as he began to make love to her.

Much later, after the intense pleasure they brought each other had faded, Relena curled her body around his. "By the way..." she murmured into his ear. "I love you, too."

For the first time since he was six years old, Heero fell asleep with a smile on his face. It was still there three hours later when Relena reluctantly pulled herself out of his embrace. She dressed and scribbled a little love note, leaving it in a prime spot. After dropping a final kiss on his cheek, Relena gathered her things and slipped out of the apartment.

She hailed a cab and rode the few blocks to home with a sappy smile of her own. Upon reaching her building, she gave the driver a very generous tip and climbed out. Martin held the door open for her. "Did you have a nice evening, Miss Relena?"

"Martin..." Relena threw her arms around the kind man, squeezing him in a huge hug. "I've never had a nicer one in my whole life."

So great was her euphoria as she let herself into the penthouse apartments, that she didn't even notice her mother sitting in the dark of the living room. Helen's eyes narrowed as she watched her only daughter skip towards her room. The grandfather clock struck midnight as the door to Relena's room shut.

"Just where the hell have you been?" Helen wondered out loud, her voice low and deadly. "And who the hell have you been with?"

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To Be Continued