Thanks to all for their very kind reviews - you're were great to me so I worked really hard to get the next chapter finished. Please
R&R, and feel free to e-mail me if you want to talk about things. - Stella

The Formalities: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of these characters. I just love them a lot and thought they should go on.

Heero's Peace - Part 2

Quatre ran for help as Heero knelt down beside Duo and Relena. "She's still breathing," Duo managed to say. She looked so fragile,
as though even the softest breeze might shatter her into pieces. Despite the blast her pretty face was unblemished save for a few
smudges of ash and dirt. Heero was unable to find the ability to speak; it felt like all the breath had gone out of his body. He
leaned in to get a closer look at her and almost forgot where he was, his eyes fixed on her perfect face, his hand poised to brush
the hair away from her cheek. Duo's words snapped him back into the here and now. "God, where's all this blood coming from?" he
said as his raised a slippery wet hand. Together, they shifted Relena to her side and found where the damage had been done. The
back of her long honey colored hair was soaked in crimson from a bleeding wound on the back of her head. Several serious looking
cuts also covered her back and arms, leaving red pools on the white marble floor. "She's lost a lot of blood, Heero." He was still in a
state of shock and was able to answer Duo with only a vacant stare. 'This is not happening,' he thought as he noticed that his
shaking hands were red with Relena's blood as well.

Quatre returned with Luna at his side and a group of medics behind him. Three of them ran right to Relena while the rest spread out
to attend to the other injured. They rushed past, knocking Heero out of the way, examining Relena and lifting her onto the stretcher
all the while bellowing at their comrades that the Vice-Foreign Minister had to be taken to the hospital immediately. "Are you alright,
Duo?" Quatre asked, helping him to his feet.

"Nothing serious," mumbled Duo watching the medics while they dressed Relena's wounds as best they could and made for the door.

"We'll go to the hospital and stay with Relena." Quatre shouted as he and Luna followed the medics. "Find out what happened,
Heero and Duo." His voice echoed in the hall as he disappeared into the night in the waiting ambulance. The siren's wail filled the
air, growing fainter and fainter as the ambulance sped away. The sound was barely audible by the time Heero finally said anything.

"Duo..." he said darkly, looking like he wanted to say more but couldn't manage.

"I saw you during her speech, too," Duo said, brushing himself off and checking out a rather nasty gash on the back of his hand. His
forehead was bleeding as well and a small stream of blood careened down the side of his face. He sighed as he looked at his
tattered, blood soaked coat. He threw it aside and began to hunt through the debris, kicking the remnants of tables and chairs out
of the way, his eyes glued to the floor. The bomb had gone off just a few feet away, and the blast had scored the white floor with
gray and black scorches. Heero dumbly followed him, his eyes on the floor though he had no idea what he was supposed to be
looking for. "I thought it was just a rumor, but I came anyway.," Duo began. "I knew it had to be true when I saw them hand that
package to her. She set it down and walked away - but it wasn't far enough away. I ran for it, but it just ..." Duo raised his head and
fixed his gaze on Heero. "I have to admit I wasn't sure if I'd see you here, buddy. You've been kinda hard to get a hold of. Not that
I'm surprised."

"I've been here," Heero answered quietly.

"With Relena? Then you two...?" Duo half smiled at him. When Heero didn't answer right away, Duo knew what was coming next.

"She didn't know I was here." He said it as though he were talking to himself. 'And now she may never know...' He pushed the
thought from his mind. He had a mission now. "What are we looking for, Duo?

"Anything that's left of that package, and we need to track down anyone who had their hands on it before it got to your girl." He
resumed picking through the rubble.

"Who?" asked Heero. "Duo, do you know who did this?"

"Yes and no. I'd been hearing rumors that there's a new underground militia that wasn't happy with the outcome last year, when we
took down Barton and his granddaughter. About a month ago three guys came and bought heaps of scrap metal, everything we had.
Not too suspicious until Hilde told me she overheard one talking about getting plans for mobile suits, and getting their men up to
space to 'finish what they started.' I didn't want to stir things up making unfounded claims that something was going on. I've spent
the last couple of weeks tracking them down. I trailed a guy to an old OZ base yesterday and they were saying something about
stopping Relena's forum meeting tomorrow, and getting her out of the way." He pointed to a black eye and smile again. "I. uh, ran
into to some trouble so I didn't get the rest of the details..."

Officers and guards started pouring in to survey the damage and make their reports. Duo eyed them warily, but then he bent down
and snatched a ragged piece of paper. "We gotta leave, buddy." He hurriedly shoved the paper in his coat pocket. "We don't belong
here and we don't need them holdin' us up for questioning." Heero nodded in agreement, and they left for the hospital to check on
Relena.

She woke up, but just for a moment. Strange sounds filled her ears, people shouting, steel clanging and the rhythmic beeps of
machines. She sensed bright lights, and tried to opened her eyes but all she could see was a fog. The back of her head was
throbbing and she started to slip right back into unconsciousness, but someone was walking towards her through the fog. "Heero,"
she whispered. "Please don't run away. Heero!" The doctors clambored to calm her, but it was unnecessary. Relena lay motionless,
lost in a coma, perhaps dreaming of Heero.

"How is she, Quatre?" Duo asked. Quatre stood in the pale blue waiting room, his arm around a still very shaken Luna. From the
look on their faces, Duo figured the news wouldn't be good.

"She's in a coma, Duo. The doctors just don't know yet; they said thee next 48 hours will tell, but she woke up, very briefly." Quatre
paused and his watery eyes looked past Duo and settled sorrowfully on Heero. She asked for you, Heero."

"I... can I... can I see her?" Heero stammered. 'He must be absolutely heartsick,' Quatre thought. 'Heero never stammers.' A
white-clad nurse led him to her bedside.

"Just for a minute, young man," she scolded. "I'm only letting you see her because Mr. Winner asked personally." Heero approached
the bed. He hardly recognized her under the jungle of tubes, and about a half dozen machines whirled, beeped and hummed,
singing their sickly symphony.

"Relena..." he said softly, and gently touched her cheek, as he had longed to do for years now. He was so close to her, after a year
of standing so far away. Had she sat here with him like this after the battle last year when he had slept for days? Was this the fear
she had felt for him when he was in risking his life in battle? He leaned in closer, avoiding the tubes. His lips brushed the softness of
her cheek as he whispered, "You will survive."

He returned to the waiting room and found Duo, Quatre and Luna examining the blackened piece of paper that Duo had retrieved
from the floor moments before they had rushed out of the auditorium. Apparently Duo had filled them in on everything he knew
about the would-be assassins. They all looked up as Heero approached, their faces radiating the sadness he felt. Luna now held the
bit of paper and was studying it carefully. "It's the lion crest, from the Kingdom of Lowen. I know it because it lies between my home
and the Sank Kingdom." Sure enough, the scrap of paper bore what looked like a postage stamp with a barely recognizable lion's
head and coat of arms. Heero could not figure out why this image seemed so familiar to him. 'Must've seen it while I was staying in
the Sank Kingdom,' he thought, and dismissed it.

Quatre stood up to address them all. "I've spoken to Zechs. He and Miss Noin are on their way, but don't think they'll reach us till
the day after tomorrow. Wufei and Sally Po are on their way as well. Zechs suggested that we have a look through Relena's
paperwork and see if we can get some names and locations. From what Duo told us, she may have had some idea that this was
going on. Zechs has called the guards in Relena's home to give us clearance. There isn't much we can do for her here. I've left my
own men to watch her room. She would want us to take care of this," Quatre finished. He stared at the floor for a moment, but
suddenly looked up to meet the eyes of his companions. "Mission accepted?" he asked, looking at Heero and Duo.

"Mission accepted," Duo replied.

"Mission accepted," repeated Heero.

The news about Vice-Foreign Minister Relena Darlian spread throughout the earth and to the colonies. It was all the people who were
waiting in line talked about. She got very nervous as she heard them, knowing what it meant. He'd go again. More than likely he was
on his way already. Maybe he hadn't heard them, but she knew that wasn't likely. He heard everything. If he hadn't gotten the news
here, one of those friends of his would come here to tell him, and he'd leave. She crossed the grounds, passing the tents and
animals, the dust of the yard billowing in the wind. Her costume made a swishing sound as she walked. "Trowa, are you here? Trowa?
Show time in 10 minutes! Trowa?" Catherine peeked around the doorway of the trailer. "Trowa?" She looked around the empty room
and spied a piece of paper sitting on the table. She knew what it said before she read it. "Well, at least he left a note this time," she
sighed.

"She's organized, I'll give her that," said Duo as the four of them began to search through the files. Relena's office was a light and
airy room with large windows that overlooked a garden, and farther out, the sea. They rummaged through the cabinets for the better
part of an hour finding nothing but meeting records and memos from colony representatives and secretaries. Luna finally stood up
and walked to the center of the room.

Addressing them all, she looked up and said, "I'm beginning to think that she wouldn't put sensitive information like that in her
regular files." She looked toward Relena's large wooden desk. There were three deep drawers on either side and a smaller one
spanning the middle. The feeling that they were invading Relena's privacy pervaded them all, but after a few minutes, Duo began by
pulling out one of the large side drawers. They sifted through family photographs, writing paper, stamps, seals, feeling that the
search was hopeless when Quatre found a file on Dekim Barton and the reports on the original Operation Meteor. But that was last
year. They had found nothing more recent, and nothing that they didn't know, but Quatre set the Barton file aside anyway Heero
stood up and moved to the drawer in the center, finding it locked. He gave a sharper tug, but it still wouldn't give. Scanning the desk
for keys and finding none, he advised everyone to stand back. He gave the drawer a forceful pull, and the wood cracked and
splintered. A pile of papers flew out and floated gently to the floor. They all knelt down and began looking through them.

"Reports from Wufei and Sally," Quatre announced. "They'd been sent to a supply satellite in the L cluster to investigate sightings of
unregistered mobile suits.

"Is that where we should go? wondered Duo out loud.

"I don't think so," said Heero, holding a small file folder. They gathered around him and read the lone sheet of paper that was in
the folder. It was an intelligence report dated earlier that day. It was comprised of just a few cryptic words, but it was enough.

"Lowen Faction confirmed. Possible HQ at 112 Oleander. Arms and mobile suits. Please advise. General Hydek."

"We have to get to the country of Lowen!" said Quatre, his expression was fierce, "And whatever is starting has to be stopped." The
three men headed quickly for the door leaving Luna to pick up the broken drawer and the other papers.

"Wait!" she called out. They stopped, all looking at her questioningly. She held a small envelope at arm's length. "Heero," she said
in an unsure tone, "this is addressed to you." Heero walked slowly back towards her. She met him halfway and handed him the
letter. The envelope was covered in pale blue flowers, sealed, with just his first name written in Relena's hand on the back. He stared
at it for a few seconds, the room deafeningly quiet. everyone's eyes were on him. He tightened his grip on it and quickly moved back
to the door, rejoining Quatre and Duo.

"Let's get ready to leave," Quatre stated, "Luna's going back to the hospital to stay with Relena. Duo, you need some fresh clothes,
and we have to do something about that hand. I'll contact Zechs and Wufei and let them know where we're headed. I think it's best
if we go by train so we can sleep. Heero, we'll meet you at the station in an hour."

With that Heero was left alone, letter in hand. He wandered down the dark corridor, headed nowhere in particular. He came to a
deserted sitting room at the end of the hall where the moonlight shone through a large window, lighting up the room and hall before
him. He walked to the window, staring at the moon's reflection on the sea, and his eyes moved to the sky and stars. He thought
back to the first time he'd seen the night sky from earth. That was the day he had first seen her, when she had found him on the
beach and he had run away from her... the first time he had run away from her... Fate kept putting them back together, so why did
he fight it so?

He studied the letter in his had, turning it over an over, searching for the courage to open it. What did she want to tell him - what on
earth could she possibly want to say to him when he'd left her so many times? Taking a deep breath he turned it over a final time
and slipped his finger under the flap, tearing the paper gently.

End chapter 2 - more to come