Trowa saw Heero and Relena enter the ballroom from the garden. So he found her, he said to himself. He smiled when he saw them holding hands. It's about time. As the two approach their table, Trowa glanced at Zechs, waiting for his reaction. Hmm, Zechs is handling this better than I thought. Instead of ranting like a madman, Zechs just stared at the pair's linked hands, blinked a few times then smiled.

"Finally. I thought this day wouldn't come," Zechs told them.

"Ditto. I thought Heero would keep on being stubborn. Good work, buddy," Duo saluted him. The girls and Quatre beamed at them. Even Wufei seemed to approve.

Relena looked at Heero. Heero nodded at her, giving her the go signal. "Umm, guys, there's something we want you to know," Relena said, slightly nervous.

Noin smiled at her. "What is it, Relena?"

Heero gave her hand a squeeze. Relena took a deep breath before replying, "Heero and I are getting married."

Silence.

Eleven pairs of eyes widened and eleven jaws dropped to the floor.

Silence still.

Heero and Relena carefully watched them. Suddenly, Hilde let out a shriek and started laughing. Everybody in the table followed suit, all laughing hysterically. Even the usually impassive Trowa is laughing his head off. Wufei even managed to fall off his chair. The other guests started to give them odd glances, many shook their heads disapprovingly. Heero and Relena stared at their friends, dumbfounded, one question ringing in their heads --- What's so funny about getting married?

They kept laughing. After a few minutes, Quatre was the first one to recover. "That's a good one," he said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "How did you manage to come up with that joke?"

Relena raised an eyebrow while Heero narrowed his eyes. Joke? What are they talking about?

"Yeah, do tell. And how did you get Heero to go along? He didn't even crack a smile," Wufei added as he lifted himself up from the floor and returned to his seat.

"You two almost got us fooled, you know," Dorothy commented, her face flushed from too much laughing.

"Yeah. With Relena looking flushed and nervous and Heero so serious, I almost believed that you're really getting married," Hilde told them, her voice quavering as she desperately tried to control her laughter.

"Dont forget the ring. It's so big and pretty, it looked quite real to me," Catherine said, chuckling.

Lady Une managed to compose herself. "I must admit that I was surprised that you two would come up with that kind of joke, or that you can even joke for that matter. But do you really think that we'll buy that?"

"You haven't even gone out on a single date yet. How in the world will it be possible for you two to get married?" Sally amended. She then put a hand on her mouth to stop herself from laughing again.

"I thought only Duo will pull a stunt like that," Trowa said. He's now back to his normal stoic self but the corners of his mouth kept twitching up once in a while.

Zechs' shoulders are shaking with controlled laughter. "Nice joke. I didn't know you both got it in you to be funny. My sister getting marriedÖ" he trailed off as he started laughing again.

"You mean to tell me that you spend all that time just planning that one joke?" Duo asked then shook his head. "You should have asked me for help, I could have given you tips on how to make it more realistic."

Noin tried to make a straight face and glared at her still laughing husband. "That's enough Zechs. Joke's over. You're scaring the other guests." Her serious face crumbled when she added, "It really was hilarious, though." She's on the verge of cracking up again when she saw Relena's face. She stopped herself and smiled apologetically at her sister-in-law. "Relena, I think it's time for your thank you speech."

Relena opened her mouth but her voice failed her. For the first time in her life she's at loss for words. She and Heero expected some kind of reaction, maybe even a scene, but not like this! She doesn't know how to react or to respond. How can she convince all of them that they're telling the truth? She looked up to Heero, her eyes silently asking her question. Heero just shrugged and whispered something in her ear. Her eyes lit up.

"You're right, Noin. Thanks for reminding me." Heero offered an arm and escorted her to the stage. As they made their way to the podium, murmurs echoed inside the ballroom. Who is that mysterious, handsome man? Sure, the frequent guests to Relena's birthdays had seen him before and their former classmates in St. Gabriel knew him but what is his relation to the Princess? Is he a suitor? Her boyfriend? Or just a friend? Relena's suitors are wondering if he's the reason why she wouldn't date any of them while the girls are wondering if she's the reason why he's so aloof and cold to them. The whispers quieted when Relena went up the stage and stood in front of the podium. Heero stood by her side, glaring at the whole assembly.

Relena cleared her throat before proceeding. "I want to thank all of you for coming tonight and sharing this special evening with me. I know that most of you had shared similar evenings like this with me for the past years but I'm happy to say that this night is more special than the rest. Because tonight is the night that I got engaged to the only man that I'll ever love, the man that captured my heart even from the first time I saw him when I was 15." She took Heero's hand in hers and smiled brightly. "Heero and I are getting married. And I hope that you'll all be there to share our happiness in our wedding day. Thank you."

The whole assembly was stunned. They were so stunned that they didn't notice the commotion in one of the tables. Wufei unintentionally spat out his drink, Quatre fell off his chair, Trowa dropped his glass and Duo choked on whatever he is eating. As for Zechs, well, his eyes rolled up and he fainted to the floor. The girls would have remained gaping if they hadn't realized that their respective counterparts needed their help.

Everyone was back to normal when Heero and Relena approached their table. After the initial shock, they all managed to calm down and accept the fact that Heero and Relena were not joking. They're really getting married. And when this realization sank in their brains, they can't help but feel excited and happy for the couple. Aside from being the last ones in the group to hook up but the first couple to be getting married (excluding Zechs and Noin), they've been waiting for this for a long time. They have to admit that at the back of their minds, they expected something like this. Heero has a knack for being unpredictable and in getting away from doing impossible things. That's why they're all smiling at the approaching couple, openly conveying their approval and support. Except for one. Zechs is bright red and fuming, you can almost see the smoke coming out of his ears. When the pair got nearer, he stood up and lunged at Heero. "WHY YOU SONOVABITCH---"

Zechs sullenly put an icepack on his black-eye, all the while glaring daggers at the couple dancing a few feet away from them. "That bastard! I approve of him dating my sister but not marriage! She's still very young."

"Come now, Zechs. She's 21. She's old enough to make her own decisions. You know that this will happen soon. And you know that Heero is the only one who could make her happy," Noin said consolingly.

Zechs sat back on his seat and sighed. "You're right," he said dejectedly. "Even from the first time that I saw them together in the South Pole when I battled Heero and Relena interfered, I have known that this will happen. And after seeing them again in Libra, then hearing Heero's reason for not killing me, I have accepted the possibility of him marrying my sister. But it just came too soon."

Noin smiled at him. "Your big-brotherly instincts getting the better of you, huh? But you can't do anything now. They already made their decision. Just be happy that finally they found their way towards each other. "

"Yeah. I guess that's the only thing I could do right now. The good thing about this is that I'm sure that Heero will take good care of her and Relena will be happy for the rest of her life," Zechs said as he continued staring at the two. But now, instead of glaring, he's watching them with wistful eyes. They look perfect together. Congratulations, little sister. You finally got your wish. You're marrying the man of your dreams.

Relena rested her head contentedly at Heero's chest as they sway with the music. She never felt this whole before. She finally confirmed that she really belongs here, in Heero's arms.

She looked up to him and saw him gazing down tenderly at her. "That was quite a scene huh?" she said.

"Hn. But we expected as much. Though their first reaction was a bit unnerving."

Relena chuckled. "Yeah. Did they really think that us getting together is impossible?"

"No. You saw their reaction when they first saw us holding hands, right? They're happy for us. They just didn't expect that I'll propose this soon." His eyes twinkled mischievously as he suddenly twirled her once then continued sweet dancing. "Are you mad at me for hurting Zechs?"

Relena shook her head. "I'll be mad if you're the one who started the fight. But he did. He attacked you first so I guess you only defended yourself. Come to think of it, he's always the one who attacks you first huh?" Heero snorted. "Oh well, that's Milliasrdo Peacecraft for you. Or should I say, Zechs Merquise. Anyways, he really needed a good whacking to clear his head."

Heero couldn't help chuckling with her remark. They continued dancing. After a while, Relena asked him, "Are you sure about this, Heero?"

"Sure about what?"

"Us getting married. They have a point, you know. We haven't even gone out on a single date but here we are planning to get married," she replied.

"Why? Are you having second thoughts?"

"No. I always wanted to marry you. What I'm worried about is you. Are you ready to take this commitment head-on? Maybe we should take things slow first."

Heero held her gaze, his eyes boring intently at her. "Do you think that we still need to go through all those conventional courting rituals before tying the knot? We've been through a lot together, we already know what the other is feeling or thinking, what is in each others' hearts. Besides, I honestly think that we have been taking it slow for the past years. So if we take it slow now, we'll just be delaying the inevitable. Whichever way you look at it, the end result will still be us getting married."

Relena was shocked. This was the first time she heard him talk like that, or talk that long for that matter. But his words made her warm all over. Heero smiled at her. "I love you and you love me, isn't that enough of a reason to get married? I have never been this ready or this sure in my entire life." He lifted his chin with his fingers. "So what do you say?"

Relena smiled at him. "I do," she said mischievously. Heero's eyes danced as he leaned closer and captured her lips, sealing their promise of eternity with a kiss.

**************************

"ÖAnd so after rescuing the princess from the Libra, the soldier readied himself to fight off the princess' evil brother. The princess didn't want him to fight, her brother has already lost, she reasoned. But the soldier knew that the battle has not been won yet. The soldier went inside Wing Zero but before leaving he told the princess to believe in him. And the princess told him that she does. The soldier defeated the evil brother and managed to make him see the error of his ways. But a piece of the Libra continued to fall to the Earth. Even if it's a small piece, it will make the Earth inhabitable so the soldier tried to blast it to pieces as it falls in the Earth's atmosphere. Many thought that it was impossible, that the soldier has no chance of accomplishing that task and survive. But the princess believed in him, he always had given her hope. And he succeeded. At the end, he saved the whole world and survived."

Aiko yawned sleepily. "That soldier is really great, isn't he, Kaa-san. Next time I want to hear again the story when the soldier fell into the princess' arms, promising not to kill again."

Relena smiled at the miniature, 3-yr old version of her. "Ok. Maybe tomorrow night." She then leaned down and kissed her. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

She stood up and gazed lovingly at her daughter. She looks exactly like her, from the golden hair, the sky blue eyes to the easy smile. And when Heero first saw her, he immediately named her Aiko, meaning 'beloved' in Japanese.

She felt a familiar prickling sensation at the back of her neck. She turned around and saw Heero standing by the door, watching them. He made his way to the bed and kissed Aiko on the forehead. Heero then put his arms around Relena's shoulders. She looked up to him and smiled. "How's Yasuo?" she asked.

"Fast asleep. I just tucked him in."

"Let's go to his room so I can give him a goodnight kiss," Relena said.

They went out of Aiko's room and headed to their 5-yr old son's room. Heero remained at the door while Relena went straight to the bed. Yasuo smiled in his sleep as Relena kissed him goodnight. She then returned to Heero's side.

"He looks exactly like you," Relena told Heero as she watched their son sleep.

"Hn. The resemblance is uncanny. It frightens me sometimes."

Relena reached up to ruffle his hair. "Why?"

"The resemblance might not be just skin deep."

Relena pondered his words. "Well you're right. The resemblance runs deeper. He's just like you, quiet, reserved. Though he inherited your 'not-so-sunny' personality he smiles more often than you." She sneaked a sideways glance at him and studied his reaction. He just smiled. "But when pissed off, he can do that death glare of yours with precision. Aside from that, he's physically stronger and mentally advanced than any kid his age. And as young as he is, he's becoming more protective of me and Aiko."

Heero regarded her seriously. "Are you disappointed that he's like me?"

Relena wrapped her arms around his neck. "Of course not. I always wished for our son to be just like you. I want him to have your purity, your strength, your dedication. So I guess, I just got my wish."

"And I got mine. Aiko inherited every facet of your personality," he replied. "I just hope that Yasuo's name will cling to him. I don't want him to inherit my soldier side. I don't want him to fight like I did."

"He won't. You already did the fighting for him, remember? We are already at peace so don't worry about him. Yasuo will be Yasuo, the peaceful one."

He pulled her closer and stared into her eyes. "I don't know what I did to deserve you or your love," he told her tenderly.

"You want to know?" Relena asked. Heero nodded solemnly. She smiled at him. "You loved me," she answered simply.

His eyes flickered with unspoken emotion as he leaned down and kissed her. When they broke apart, Heero whispered something in her ear. "Do you think we can try making Aiko another playmate? And this time we'll try to make him or her a cross of our best of qualities," he said huskily.

Relena's lips curled into a smile. With one last look at Yasuo, Heero and Relena walked out of the room, gently closing the door behind them.