Relena smiled as she stared at the man sleeping next to her, the man that she loved with all of her heart, her husband. She felt her heart leap every time that she looked at him. They have been married for a year now, today being their one-year anniversary. 

It was in the spring of the year 198 that they married. May people said that they were too young, only turning eighteen that year, but they were wise beyond their years. And besides they loved each other. Their lives were brought together by fate and they grasped onto one another for strength throughout the war. It had taken a year after the Mariemaia coup d'Ètat for Heero to come back. He had opened his heart and had asked her to marry him. And the fact that he had already stolen her heart she couldn't refuse him.

She leaned up on her elbow and reached out and ran her fingers through his bangs. She loved his unruly hair. They way that it hung in his face gave him a mysterious appearance. She smiled at him as he opened his eyes. The corners of his mouth rose slightly, it was about as far as he would go for a smile. She ran her fingers across his lips then placed a light kiss on them before whispering good morning to him.

She collapsed slowly on his chest when his arms wrapped around her waist. He placed a kiss on her forehead and began to work his hands in a circular motion on her back causing her to moan softly at his touch. She loved the feeling of his hands on her back. She giggled as his hands began to travel down her sides tickling her then coming to a stop on her hips. She sighed remembering the things that they had did to each other last night, the wonders that he could do with his hands.

"So what do you have planned for us today." Heero finally spoke up.

"I thought that we could just plan the day as we go, but there is that dinner at my brothers tonight." She heard Heero groan.

"You had me actually looking forward to the day up until the dinner part."

Relena smiled at him. "Come on, having dinner with my brother isn't that bad."

"Maybe I can change you mind." He stared to kiss her neck.

Relena held back the moan that wanted to escape her lips. "Oh really, how do you plan on doing that?"

Heero flipped them over so he was on top. He pressed their hips together causing Relena to gasp. "We can do a lot more of what we did last night."

Relena like the idea of that but before she could answer him there was a knock on the door. 

"Yes." Heero snapped.

"Master Yuy there is a call from Mr. Maxwell for you sir." Pagan called from behind the door.

"Please don't take the call, itís our anniversary today." Relena pleaded.

Heero placed a finger on her lips. "I told him to only call if it was an emergency. I have to take the call." He removed his finger and kissed her. "I'll take it in my study Pagan."

"Very well sir." He left the two of them alone.

Heero climbed out of bed and pulled his boxers on and walked over to the closet to grab a change of clothes. He looked over his shoulder to see that Relena was still lying in bed watching him closely. "What?" He smirked as he slid on his jeans and put his shirt on.

"Nothing, I just love to watch you." She smiled then got out of bed and wrapped the sheet around herself and started to walk toward him. Heero stopped buttoning his shirt and watched her seductive little walk to him.  She stopped in front of him. "Perhaps I can change your mind about that call." She let the sheet fall to the floor.

Heero followed the sheet as it fell to the floor and he let his eyes travel slowly up taking in her curves and stopping at areas that he wanted to touch. He smirked and grabbed her hips and pulled her against his body. "What I would do to you, but I have to take the call." 

Relena gave out a frustrated sigh and rested her forehead against his chest. She ran her hands along his abdomen and started to slide one hand down his still unzipped pants.

Heero grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. "I'll make the call quick, keep that thought in mind." He finished getting dressed and left the room. 

Relena stood staring at the door for a few minutes. Then she went through her outfits until she found something suitable to ware for the day. She went into the bathroom to take a quick shower. Once she was done she quickly got dressed and walked out to see that Heero was still gone so she decided to go and find him. She walked downstairs and headed toward his study his voice could be heard as she walked toward the room. He was still talking to Duo. She smiled and was about to walk in the room to say hi but froze in her tracks when she heard what Heero was saying. 

"What should I say, that I married her because I had promised to protect her? Marring her made my task easier Duo. She listens to me and follows my plans precisely at every conference that she has been to, and because of that she is safe. She is happy that I am by her side and everything that I do is to keep her happy. I never failed a mission that I planned. I will not fail her and I will not fail the people that rely on her."

"So then your life with her has been nothing but a well laid out plan then huh?" Duo's voice sounded insulting. "But that's not what I was asking Heero. Did you love her when you married her?"

Relena's felt her heart shatter and turn to dust at the words that they were saying. Tears started to streak down her cheeks when Heero didn't reply to Duo's question.

"That's so cold Heero." Duo's voice sounded hurt and sad.

Duo's voice rang in her head as she took off running away from the room. She went back to her room slamming the door behind her. Once she collapsed on the bed she broke down crying hysterically. Heero's words stung. 'I married her to protect her.' He had said that he loved her but it was a mission to him. Then that meant that everything that he did or said to her was a lie. The sweet words that he whispered to her at night, the way that he held her in his arms, and the way that he made love to her was nothing but a mission to him, a mission to keep her happy so she would listen to him.

She thought about their honeymoon and their first time together. What she thought then was an act of love she now knew that it wasn't. She remembered that there was a look in his eyes that she clearly took as love, but now she knew what the look was, fulfillment.

She covered her head when she heard the door open a short while later. She knew that it was his quiet footsteps that crossed the floor to the bed. The bed creaked when his weight was added.

Heero slid under the covers and pressed his body up against Relena's. He felt her stiffen as he placed a hand on her hip and work his lips slowly up her neck. "What's wrong Relena?" He whispered in her ear then nibbled on the lobe. She didn't respond to him. "Are you upset that I took the call? I'll make it up to you." He reached his left arm over hers and started to undo the buttons to the blouse she was wearing. 

Relena smacked his hand away from her. "Don't touch me Heero."

He was confused by her actions. "Relena, what's the matter?"

She built up the courage that she had been looking for ever since he walked into the room. She wiped the tears from her eyes and turned around to faced him. "You, how could you?"

"What are you talking about?" Heero was even more confused. It was clear to him that she had been crying.

Relena didn't want to cry in front of Heero but she could feel the tears start to slide down her cheeks. "You...you never really loved me. Your marriage to me has been nothing but an obligation!"

Heero had a strange feeling, something that he had never experienced before, panic. "You overheard my conversation with Duo. How much did you hear?" 

"Enough for me to understand that you never really loved me."

'That's not...' Heero blocked his thought out and let his anger take over. He took her by the shoulders and shook her. "You shouldn't be nosey and listen to other peoples conversations Relena."

"Heero, Heero let go of me!" The force that he was shaking her by was causing her head to throb in pain.

"Doing stuff like that Relena is what gets you into trouble in the first place." His grip tightened on her shoulders.

"I said let me go!" She managed to reach up and slap him. 

Heero instantly let go, his eyes were wide in shock. Even she was in shocked at what she did. They both just stared at each other until she had to look away in fear from the look in Heero's eyes. Hatred, anger and something else was present, a side of him that she hadn't seen in a very long time. And even then it was never directed toward her like it was now. She tried to move to get off of the bed only to have Heero grab her wrist. The next thing that he did shattered the rest of her perfect world.

He pushed her down flat on the bed and grabbed both wrists and pinned them above her head with one hand. He then moved on top of her to keep her from squirming and with his free hand he slapped her back across the face. The blow was so hard that it brought instant tears to her eyes and she screamed out in pain. She then felt him move off of her and get off of the bed. She reached a hand up and touched her cheek. The feeling of her fingers on the newly bruised skin made her hiss in pain from the sting. She looked at Heero to see that he was standing in the middle of the room staring at the hand that slapped her across the face.

"Get out!" Relena pointed at their bedroom door.

Heero looked at her. "I....I'm sorry...I didn't mean..."

"Get out of my house Heero!"

'Get out of my house.' Those words were like another slap to his face. He stared at her in disbelief. His eyes rested on the mark that he gave her from slapping her, it would defiantly become a nasty bruise. 'How could I? How could I have done that to her?'

"Get out now Heero!"

He looked at the angry and hurt look on her face. His own heart was crying out, wanting to punish him for the pain that he caused her. He took one last look at her then walked out of the bedroom slamming the door behind him.  He closed his eyes and for the first time ever he felt something wet slide down his cheek. He reached up and wiped the tear away and opened his eyes to look at the wetness on his fingertip. This would be the last place ever that he would allow himself to shed a tear. He looked back at the door and listened to the sobbing of the young woman that he fell in love with. He then looked down the hallway that lead toward the staircase. He knew that if he were to walk out the front door he wouldn't turn back. He didn't deserve to be with her after the pain that he caused her. He took his first step and never looked back as he left her house.