Chapter 1

Heero walked down the street back to Relena's place. He usually liked to walk when he had to run errands because it gave him a sense of peace and freedom. Besides, this time of day the traffic was horrible and it was faster to go on foot across town. Business was actually cut very short today. He went to the Preventer’s headquarters to help with a problem in the main computer. Turned out Hilde had been able to fix it last night before she left the office. She really was a computer genius. Now he had two hours to kill. He had told Relena he'd be back by 4. It was almost 2 o'clock. He supposed he would surprise her and take her out somewhere. He smiled, something he usually did when he was alone, but rarely ever in front of people. It just wasn't in his nature to be open to his emotions in front of people. He saw the luxury apartment complex looming a block over. Relena let Zechs and Noin take the mansion. Feeling she needed to have her privacy, and knowing that living with her overprotective brother she would never have that, Relena got her own apartment in a classy complex across town from her brother. Heero made his way over to her building, hoping she would be pleasantly surprised by his unexpected arrival.

            Relena was so nervous, but excited at the same time. "Duo, please don't stop." she moaned softly Duo was slowly unbuttoning her blouse while kissing her neck.  Relena's mind was reeling. She kept thinking about how something bad was going to happen, but she stomped it down. She and Duo had been having this affair for a few weeks and no one suspected a thing. Sure, she loved Heero, but she craved the passion and danger that Duo presented. He obviously thrived on the thrill as well and kept coming back for more. She figured what Heero and Hilde didn't know wouldn't hurt them. They'd stop as soon as this got old. She pulled him by his shirt over to her bed, her lips searching for his as they made their way over there. She gasped as his hot breath grazed by her ear and she made quick work of whipping off his shirt. She rubbed her hands on his chest. He had a bigger frame than Heero. A few years gave Duo added height and filled him out quite nicely. He crawled on top of her and continued to drive her insane with his mouth.

            The door to Relena's apartment was unlocked, which he found odd. Heero carefully crept across the apartment to her bedroom. The door was cracked open and he pushed it open slowly. He was afraid to see her hurt, or worse not there. He would have never opened that door if he knew what he would see. There was his best friend on top of his girlfriend, moving his hips against her, Relena moaning for more. Heero's grip on the doorknob tightened. He blinked, hoping that when he opened his eyes again, that the scene would vanish. It didn't. It was real. He heard Duo ask "Are you sure Heero won't come home?" She answered between kisses "He won't be home till 4. We have plenty of time." Heero felt his heart wrench. *They had planned to do this. It wasn’t a spur of the moment mistake.* Duo looked at Relena before continuing. "Are you sure?" Relena sighed "Yes, Duo, don't worry, he won't find out." Both of them heard a click of a gun and the soft voice, tinged with danger. "Wrong, on both accounts." Duo swung around incredulously, staring into the face of Heero Yuy, gun in one hand, his other still gripping the doorknob. Relena sat up. "Heero?!" She exclaimed. She wanted to run. His eyes were so cold and filled with pain and loathing for her. He was staring straight into her, as if his eyes were asking 'how could you?'. She felt like his eyes were searching in her soul for an answer. Heero straightened up. "Get dressed." Duo slowly got up and pulled his shirt back on. Relena quickly buttoned her blouse, thankful he didn't walk in after they had gotten all their clothes off. Heero pointed the gun at them both. "We're going for a ride. Let's go." Duo didn't budge. "Where are we going?" He asked. Heero stared into his eyes and Duo looked down, unable to look his friend in the eye. "For a ride. Get in the car." was Heero's reply. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have stood for that, but Heero looked like he was waiting for an opportunity to use that gun. Duo conceded and the three of them proceeded to Relena's limo and took off. Relena kept her eyes nervously lowered. She would look up at Heero and found him staring out the window. How could she say she regretted what he saw? If she could take back this day she would in a heartbeat. Duo was looking out the opposite window, his expression deep in thought. He hoped that Heero would calm down by the time they got to their destination. The car finally stopped and Duo paled. Heero pointed the gun back at Duo; sure he was going to run. Duo debated it, but realized he didn't stand a chance against Heero's accuracy. He gulped and got out of the car. They were in front of his and Hilde's apartment.

Chapter 2

 Hilde was walking up the walkway to her apartment. She had seen Relena's limo out front and wondered if she was in visiting. It's been a while since she had seen her good friend. It had been a slow day at the shop and she came home a bit early. Inside the apartment Duo couldn't contain his emotions any more. Heero was having a bit of trouble too. "Heero! Why do you want to hurt her like that?!" Duo hollered. Heero sneered. "Me?! Your the one in the doghouse, if anyone hurt her it's you!" Relena was crying. "Please Heero, don't do this!" She wailed. Duo tried to push past Heero to get to the door. Heero shoved him back and pulled out his gun again. "Your not running." He stated. "Your going to tell her when she gets here and you're not getting out of it." "Tell me what?" Hilde asked from the doorway, confused. Relena was sitting on the couch crying as if someone had died. Duo was standing a few feet away from Heero, looking at her with a worried expression. Heero had a gun pointed at Duo, and he looked like he was about to snap. Hilde turned a worried glance back at Duo. "Tell me what Duo? What’s going on?" Relena looked at Hilde and cried harder. "Hilde I’m so sorry!!" she wailed and buried her face in her hands again. "Tell her." Heero said calmly. "NO!!!!" Duo yelled. He was so afraid to tell her, so afraid to lose her. "TELL HER NOW!!!!!!" Heero yelled back, losing his patience with the whole incident. Hilde was really scared at this point. "Tell me what?!" She asked again, louder. Duo looked at her and started to shake. He had no choice. He was trapped. "Hilde I need to confess something. I want you to know that I love you. I love you so much and I don't want to lose you over this." Hilde was shaking and had to grip her arms to keep herself calm. "What Duo? What did you do" He looked into her eyes. "I-I've been sleeping with Relena." Hilde felt like a truck hit her. "What?" she whispered. Her eyes were wide and began to fill with tears. "Hilde I am so sorry." Duo started to cry, guilt and fear eating at him. "Why?" "I don't know! I don't know why I did it, I love you Hilde, please don't leave me!" Hilde's shock began to wear off and hurt and anger began to take over. "You love me?! How can you say you've slept with my best friend and tell me you love me in the same sentence!!?" She screamed. Duo kept his mouth shut. Hilde turned to Relena. "How long?" Relena just stared at her, not knowing what to say. "HOW LONG!?" Hilde screamed at her. Relena started to cry again. "About a month." Hilde mouthed 'a month' silently. She was desperately fighting back tears. Duo came forward to hold her. Before he could touch her she snapped on him. She punched him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. "How could you?!" she started to scream, tears falling freely. "How the fuck could you make love to me, tell me you love me, and fuck my best friend behind my back all this time." She ran a hand through her hair in agitation. Duo was on his knees. After catching his breath he turned to Heero. "This is your fault!" he yelled at Heero, guilt and anger making him unreasonable. "My fault." Heero repeated. He started walking towards Duo. "Do you think I wanted to walk in on my best friend and my girlfriend in bed together? That wasn't in the agenda for my day." Heero said sarcastically. Duo growled and lunged at Heero, knocking him on the ground. Hilde's mind was whirling. *Heero caught them. Heero SAW them together. So that's why Duo confessed. Heero made him.* She started to sob. "Get out." The two boys fighting on the floor didn't hear her. Relena just stared, too stunned at everything. "GET OUT!!!!!" Hilde screamed hysterically. All eyes were on Hilde as she picked up Heero's gun and pointed it towards them. "Get... out.... now." Duo stood and walked to her, but stopped a couple feet away. "Hilde please don't do this." He pleaded. She was shaking, but held her ground, tears falling unchecked down her face. "You can come back tomorrow, Duo, just get out." He looked at her for a long while before his shoulders drooped, defeated. "I love you Hilde, you know that right?" "Just get out." was her quiet reply. He conceded and walked out the front door. Relena followed, turning to Hilde, she started to apologize. The stinging slap she received cut short any apology she was going to make. "Save it." Hilde sneered. Wide eyed and holding her cheek, Relena turned and followed Duo. Hilde slammed the door shut, not aware that Heero didn't leave. His expression was soft. He wanted to get back at Duo and Relena by making them tell Hilde. He didn't think of how hurt she would be. He cursed himself for his thoughtlessness. He shrank away from the heartbreaking sobs. Hilde was curled up on the floor by the front door, crying her heart out and breaking his in the process. He didn't know how to react. He stood there for several seconds. Finally he walked over to her. She flinched when he put his arms around her to pick her up off the floor. She turned to him and buried her head in his chest. "Why Heero?" He put his arms around her, trying to offer some sort of comfort. "I don't know, Hilde." He realized then that he could use some comfort of his own and held her close, finding solace in her embrace, and feeling his hurt through her tears.

Chapter 3

After the initial shock of what happened past, Hilde went numb. Heero sat on the couch, not wanting to leave her alone in her state of mind. She knew he felt guilty for how he handled things, but she couldn't blame him. He had to be hurting just as bad, if not worse. She was just happy she didn't end up seeing them together. Poor Heero. Hilde handed him a cup of hot chocolate. He accepted and said a quiet "thanks." He seemed to be lost in his thoughts. "Heero, you don't have to stay with me if you don't want." He didn't answer. Maybe he didn't want to be alone. "If you need me I’ll be in my room packing. That made him look up. "Packing for what?" She stood and turned to him. "I told Duo he can come back tomorrow. That doesn't leave me much time to get away." *She's running. Can't blame her. * "Where will you go?" He asked. She shrugged. "Anywhere but here. Somewhere he can't find me." Heero followed her to the bedroom where she began to dig in her closet, looking for some suitcase. She pulled out a big duffel bag. "You can come with me." She looked up. Heero was standing behind her, looking at her, waiting for an answer. "Where are you going?" She asked. He shrugged. "Somewhere I know I won't be found. If you want to really disappear, you can come with me." Hilde thought about it. "Why not, we're both hurting, we both need an outlet, and we can be there for each other." He nodded. She continued to throw stuff in her duffel bag in a hurry. "I'm going to get things arranged. I'll be back in a couple hours." He let himself out. Hilde continued to pack. She would only take things she needed. Finally she felt like she had packed enough. Two hours had passed and she was beginning to wonder what was taking Heero so long. She went over to the couch and plopped down, flipping through channels on the TV. The phone rang, startling her. "Must be Heero." She said to herself as she walked to get the phone. "Hello?" she asked. "Hilde its Heero." Her eyebrows furrowed in worry. He sounded out of breath. "Hilde, you have to leave now! Duo is coming, he's been drinking, get the fuck out of there." “God Heero, what did he do to you?” She knew how Duo could get when he was drunk. Hilde walked over to the window and gasped as she saw Duo coming around the corner. "Shit!!! He's here Heero! Oh god he's coming!" Heero yelled something to her, but she did not hear. She panicked and dropped the phone. Slinging her bag over her shoulders, she ran to lock the door. She then made a mad dash for the bedroom. She ran over to the window and tried to pry it open, but it was stuck. She jumped as she heard banging on the door. *Oh god please open, please open* she kept praying to herself as she struggled with the window. As if someone had heard her prayer the window finally gave way. She heard the sound of keys in the door. *Shit.* She swung her legs out the window and landed a few feet down on the fire exit. Quickly climbing down she managed to duck just in time so Duo, who had finally gotten in, didn't see her when he looked out the open window. When he turned to look back inside the room, Hilde bolted around the corner and took off towards Heero's apartment.

Hilde managed to stay out of view for most of the trek to Heero's on the other side of town. She couldn't shake Duo from her mind. *What was he going to do? Should I have ran from him? Why am I so scared of him all of a sudden?* She couldn't help the sadness she felt at the thought of having to fear Duo. She had never had to fear him before. She saw someone walking down the street towards her. She slid against the side of the building to stay in the shadows. Holding her breath, she waited for the other person to pass. When he did she got a better look. It was Heero. "Heero?" She called quietly after him. He stopped and turned. Hilde sighed in relief. It really was him. She came out of the shadows and came over to him. He was leaning to one side and holding his ribs. *Maybe he's just tired from walking* she thought. "How did you get here?" He asked her, surprised to see her. She let out a hollow laugh. "I ran." "Hn." was his reply. "Where were you going to?" asked Hilde. They started walking back down the street. "I was coming to help you. How did you know where I lived anyways?" Hilde blushed. "I didn't. I just took off and I knew you lived somewhere around here. I panicked." Forty minutes later they made it. Hilde was curious why Heero was walking so slowly. When they got in and he turned on the light, she gasped. His house looked like a hurricane had blown through. Heero didn't look much better in the light. He was still holding his side; his neck had bruises in the shape of fingers on it. Dried blood had matted itself in his hair and had dripped a little on to his face. "Duo did this?!" She asked, shocked at the state of him. "Hn." was his reply. Hilde forgot everything else. She led him over to the couch. Clearing it of books that had fallen onto it, She sat him down. She started to check for further injuries. He let her, staring curiously at her. "Let me see your ribs." She stated, motioning for him to take his shirt off. He reluctantly agreed. He tried to hold back a wince when she pushed on his ribs gently. He was already beginning to bruise, showing what Duo's fit of rage did to Heero's body. "Hmm. They're not broken, just badly bruised. You don't seem to have a concussion, but you've got a mean bloody bump on your head that needs tending." She led him to the bathroom and sat him down on the toilet. Digging through his cabinets she found some peroxide and gauze. He reached for them. "I can do it." He said stubbornly. She held them out of his reach. "I can see your head better than you, let me do it." He reached stubbornly for them again. She sighed, exasperated. "Will you just sit still and let me take care of you?" He looked up at her. "Take care of me?" He repeated, more to himself. He put his arms back down and Hilde took it as a sign that he had resigned. She worked gently, cleaning the gash on his head, wondering how it happened and most of all, why. *Why did Duo attack him like this? * It made her shiver, the thought that he might of done the same to her if she didn't get out of there. Finally she bandaged up his head and stood back. Heero was unusually quiet. He was always quiet, but over the years he had softened up and became a bit more sociable. This was like looking at the old Heero. Lost in thought, hiding, and confused. He probably didn't understand what was going on either. "Let's get you in bed." Heero shook himself out of his thoughts. "No. We need to leave tonight. Let's get going." He stood and winced. She ran to his side. "Heero, you can't travel in your condition." He smirked. "I'll be fine. I've gone through worse. Now let's get out of here. Our ride is waiting." She reluctantly agreed and followed him out of the bathroom. Picking up her bag, she waited for him. He came out of his room, a bag similar to hers in hand, and together they took their leave into the night.

Chapter 4

The cab took them to the spaceport, where Hilde was surprised to see Wufei. He had become the head counselor of the Justice of the Peace. He was a fair man and had strong beliefs in justice and honor. She always found it fitting for him to be in that line of work. Tonight, though, he looked like ordinary Wufei. But what was he doing here? "What took you so long?" He asked of Heero. Heero shrugged. "A few complications." Wufei just nodded. "The house is equipped with everything you will need, including a vidphone that cannot be traced. It's far off in the countryside so if you need anything its a good hour to the nearest town. I doubt anyone will find you out there." Heero reached out and clasped hands with him. "I owe you one." was all he said. Wufei smiled and shook his head. "Forget it, old friend. If you need me, you know how to reach me." He nodded at Hilde and took his leave back into his car. Hilde turned to Heero. "Where exactly are we going?" He stared at the shuttle they were about to board. "We are going to disappear."

            The shuttle ride was a good 3 days journey to reach its destination. They were on the last night of their journey. Heero looked down at Hilde, who had fallen asleep. Her head lay against his shoulder and he could see tears fall on to his shirt from time to time. She was putting up a good fight trying to remain calm. He knew she had to be scared, and most of all lost. He felt lost. He couldn't shake the image of Duo, laying on top of Relena, kissing each other and god knows what else. His world had been flipped upside down at that moment. He never saw it coming. He thought that she loved him. Hilde stirred in her sleep. She lifted her head up and wiped at her tear filled eyes. She looked down and saw the teardrops on Heero's shirt. "Oh, Heero I’m sorry." She said quietly, trying to stop the tears that threatened to fall again. He pulled her head gently back down to his chest and stroked her hair. "It's ok Hilde, you don't need to be strong right now, just let it out." She did, sobbing silently against his chest, thankful she wasn't alone and grateful that Heero knew exactly what she needed right now. She had her head buried in his shirt and so she never saw his own tears welling up in his eyes..

When Hilde had woken up again, there was light filling the shuttle. *We must be here* she thought and lifted her head up off her pillow, her pillow being Heero's chest. He was still fast asleep, holding her head in one hand, the other on her back. She grinned. She would never have thought to see Heero comfort someone while they were upset. He did a good job. She didn't remember when she fell asleep. He must have been uncomfortable all night like that. Poor guy. When she sat up, Heero opened his eyes. He looked around him with tired bleary eyes that stopped when they found Hilde. He leaned over and looked out her window. "We're here." He stated. The shuttle began its descent to the spaceport.

             Hilde looked around after they got out of the spaceport. She had no clue where they were. Heero was trying to flag down a cab. "Heero, do you mind letting me know where we are?" He turned to her. He'd totally forgotten that she still had no clue. "We're on colony L5b. Wufei was from L5 but it was destroyed. It was rebuilt, but there was another smaller colony built right next to it. A lot of people don't realize that this one is even here. Wufei prefers it. He use to come here to get away from everything. I asked him if we could stay here. Given the circumstances, he had no problem with it." *So that’s why he was at the spaceport earlier.* The scenery was beautiful. It was picturesque with tall lush trees. The sky was a vibrant blue, not yet tainted with the pollutants that most of the busier colonies acquire over the years. Heero managed to get a cab to stop and grabbed Hilde's bag to put in the trunk. Hilde climbed in the cab. She almost felt like she was on a vacation until she remembered why she was here. They were both silent for the ride into town. Once they got there Heero asked "Are you hungry?" She realized she had not eaten since early yesterday. Her stomach wasn't feeling up to it. "Not really. But we can stop if you’re hungry." He wasn't up to it either. They settled on buying some supplies and food before going all the way to their house. After an hour of shopping, they took yet another cab to the country. After another 15 minutes of walking, because the cab wouldn't go any farther, they made it to Wufei's hideaway. It was like a small woodland cottage, fit for one, two at the most. It was cute and Hilde fell in love with it, always dreaming of having a small cottage in the woods. The inside was furnished with comfy couches, a small TV, kitchen, and 1 bedroom and bathroom. Hilde figured she'd take the couch, since Heero was injured and this was technically his place now. Heero dropped the bags he was carrying on the counter and walked to the bedroom. He put his bag in the corner and came back out. "You can take the room, I’ll just leave my stuff in there." Heero stated and plopped on the couch. "No, Heero. You're injured. Take the bed, I'll be fine out here." Heero gave her a long stare. She sat silent, staring back. After several minutes she sighed. He had won an argument without even saying a word. She walked into the bedroom to put her bag in the corner, and then proceeded to dig through the closet for some pillows and blankets for Heero. She at least could make him comfortable out there. Finally finding what she was after, she went to give it to him. Heero was fast asleep on the couch already, exhaustion finally taking its toll. She lifted his head and put the pillow under it. She tucked him in with the blanket after that. Hilde sat staring at him while he slept. For such a tough man he had the face of an angel when he slept. The hard lines of his face were softened, making him look at utter peace. She gently brushed his bangs out of his face. He kept his hair the same over the years. At one time he had grown it out to his shoulders, but decided he liked it better the length it was at before. She thought he looked rather sexy with it long, considering she preferred men with long hair. She shook herself mentally. She shouldn't think about Heero in that sense. He was just a friend and someone who had his heart crushed. Then again so did she. She let it go for now and went into the bedroom, eager to catch up on some sleep as well. She couldn't help but think of Heero with his hair grown out again while she lay in bed. He was a real piece of art. She wondered if he knew that. She then started thinking about Duo. Her eyes welled up again. "Duo, why did you do it?" she whispered to herself. She cried herself to sleep, willing the pain in her heart to go away. She fell into blissful darkness.

Chapter 5

When Hilde awoke from her nap, she smelled something cooking. Curious, she went into the kitchen. There was Heero in the kitchen, cooking what seemed to be spaghetti. She smiled. She would never have guessed Heero could cook. She walked up behind him. "Dinner will be ready soon. If you want, you can go watch TV or something. I'll call you when it's done." Hilde's mouth dropped open. She felt as if she could die of shock. *Someone actually cooking for me?!* Heero turned around when he didn't hear her respond. "What's wrong?" he asked, alarmed. Hilde clamped her mouth back shut. "Nothing! It's just, I’ve never had someone make dinner for me before." Heero's eyes widened. "Duo never tried to make you dinner?" She just shook her head sadly. He instantly regretted mentioning Duo. *I should try to cheer her up. * "Ummm, I should make garlic bread, huh?" Hilde looked up at him. Somehow, she knew he was trying to make up for mentioning Duo. Seeing Mr. perfect soldier cooking in the kitchen, and holding up a loaf of bread with that questioning look on his face. If it were anyone else it wouldn't have worked. She burst out laughing. Heero's look turned more questioning, because he wasn't sure what was so funny. Whatever it was, it made her laugh. *Mission accomplished* he thought to himself before turning back to the food. Hilde managed to crawl over and plop down on one of the chairs at the table. She didn't feel like watching TV. She felt like getting Heero to open up to her. *Relena did it, and if that snob could get him to love her, then I can get him to converse with me at least* "Heero, when did you learn how to cook?" He put the bread in the oven and turned around. "I always had an interest in it. It's like necessary art. It's creative, but it's also nutrition. It's something that can make you feel good, but is also good for you." He looked slightly embarrassed as if he had said too much. Hilde smiled. She never knew Heero could be artistic. He seemed so mechanical. Finally his masterpiece was finished and she helped him set the table. It turned out to be fantastic. Hilde was pleasantly surprised by what a good chef Heero was. "Heero this is really good!" She exclaimed between bites. He beamed proudly. Hilde got up and fetched a bottle of wine. Heero looked at her curiously as she poured two glasses. When she caught him staring at her she grinned. "Hey, I haven't had a meal like this in forever! We're going all out with the wine too. Italian food always goes well with wine!" He smirked. "Isn't it 'wine always goes well with Italian food'?" she grinned back. "I like my way better." He conceded and they enjoyed the rest of the meal and each others company. Hilde decided to wash the dishes since Heero cooked. He stayed to help dry them. She smiled at how helpful he was. She could tell he wasn't the guy she thought he was. Maybe he was just misunderstood. After the kitchen was put right again Hilde dragged Heero to the couch with the bottle of wine, pouring two more glasses. Heero sipped his silently. He wasn't much of a drinker. "Heero, thank you for bringing me with you." He looked up at her. Hilde was staring at him, her blue eyes sparkling happily. Her cheeks were a bit pink from the wine. He gulped and reached for his wine, quickly downing it. He had to speak. *Say something, moron* “No problem.” He squeaked out quickly. *Great job.... moron* He grimaced. Hilde continued. "Really Heero. I know we're both here because of horrible circumstances, but I have to admit I’m enjoying myself. Thank you." He blushed. She looked at him wide eyed. *Did Heero Yuy just blush?! That was too cute!* "Do you think you'll go back to Relena, Heero?" He was stunned by the sudden subject change. "No." was his only answer. He looked down and asked, "Will you go back to Duo?" She sighed. "Not this time." He looked up. "What do you mean ‘this’ time?" Her eyes narrowed at the memory. "Meaning this wasn't the first time he cheated on me." Heero was incredulous. "With who?!" he asked. "No one I knew. He felt guilty and confessed it to me. He said he'd never do it again." "Why did you believe him?" *good question* she thought to herself.  She looked him in the eye. "When he told me I wasn't his enemy when I first met him, I believed him. When he told me he'd come back from the war alive, I believed him. When he told me he loved me more than anyone else, I believed him. Then he came up to me one day and admitted he slept with someone else. He swore it would never happen again and I believed him. He has always come through with everything he has ever said. Except this. He couldn't live up to this one I guess, and I know that now. I can't stay with someone I can't believe in." Heero nodded. He never knew Duo cheated on her. It made him wonder if Relena had ever done the same..."Heero, what happened when Duo came to your apartment?" His wounds had mostly healed during the trip over here. "Duo must have went out drinking. He came over in a rage. I didn't think he'd actually attack me." Hilde kept silent, waiting for him to continue. "He says it was my fault that this all happened and you would of never found out if I kept out of it. I realize he was just drunk and angry, but I was mad as hell so I pushed him out the door. He came barging back in unexpectedly, got me in the ribs a few times and proceeded to strangle me." She was shocked that he could say all that so calmly. "He said he wanted to settle things with you and for me to stay out of it. After he left I called you. I guess he got me pretty good in the head cause I woke up a couple hours later and started to come after you. That's when I met you on the streets." "Heero, I’m sorry all this has happened to you." He snorted. "I deserved it. I should have handled my reaction better than I did." She smacked him on the arm, startling him. "Shut up. You were hurting! You reacted with pure emotion with no forethought. Don't blame yourself." He looked up at her and smiled. She was stunned at the brilliance of that smile. She doubted many people have seen him smile so genuine and she was pleased she was one of the few. He took her hand in his and looked into her eyes. "Hilde, thank you for coming with me." She smiled back. "Not a problem Heero, not at all. " They talked all through the night, finding out things about each other they never knew. Hilde found out that Heero loved art. He found out that she could play the guitar, but left hers behind when she ran from Duo. He was fond of ice cream and they shared the same favorite flavor, mint chocolate chip. "Who's your idol, Heero?" He thought a moment and answered. "Superman." She burst out laughing and he joined her. "Why superman?" He shrugged. "I've always liked superman, ever since I was a kid. Dr J had a bunch of old tapes and since that’s all I had access to I watched superman all the time." She giggled. "Who's yours?" "Guess." she teased. He thought a moment. "Batman?" She rolled her eyes. "Wonder woman!" He could see that. They talked until they could no longer keep their eyes open. Hilde fell asleep using Heero as her pillow again. He grinned sleepily. "Night Hilde." he whispered before sleep took over him as well.

Chapter 6

The weeks were flying by and soon more than a month had passed. Hilde loved the life she had with Heero. He never asked for anything. She found out he had a great sense of humor and laughed more than she had ever heard before She was beginning to realize that she wanted more than this. She wanted him. She dug into his shell and pulled out the real Heero, hiding behind many walls. She didn't want to admit it, not even to herself, but she was falling in love with him. She appreciated the way he'd surprise her with something when he came back from town. He hated being idle and so found a part time job in town to earn a little extra money. She stayed out here and relaxed. It was the first time she didn't have to take care of someone, plus work, and she was enjoying it immensely. Still, she found herself practically waiting at the door for him to come home sometimes. She told herself it was because she was lonely, but she knew inside it was because she didn't like to be without him. She had grown so fond of him. She sighed. *I wonder if he knows how I feel. Maybe someday he'll forget Relena and care about me.* She went over to the couch and plopped down. *Any minute now* She told herself, till Heero walked through the door. She got up again to look out the window. When she didn't see any sign of him she pouted. Realizing what she was doing, she smacked herself on the head. *What am I doing? If he sees this he's going to think I’m pathetic. Hilde get a grip!* she stood straight and went to pick up a book, determined to sit back and read it. She opened it up and started to read. Her eyes kept wandering to the window and finally she put the book down. A few seconds later she found herself at the window again.

            Heero was walking in town on his way to Wufei’s motorbike. The streets were busy today and so he parked in the small parking garage at the end. He had a bag of candy he had picked up from the store in his hand. He grinned as he imagined Hilde pigging out on her favorite pieces. He had been thinking about her a lot. He couldn't help but open his heart to her. She was so open, so free spirited, so unrestrained. She was so different than what he knew before. He never knew friendship could be so wonderful. She had done so much for him. The problem was she was in love with Duo, and no matter how much he cared; he could never be what Duo was. He stopped in front of one particular shop when something caught his eye in the window. It was a dress. *Hilde would look so great in that dress!* he thought. Suddenly he grinned. He would do something extra nice for her tonight, just to say thank you. He went into the shop. Leaving with a bag in his other hand, he strolled down to get his bike.

    Hilde heard the bike pull up and was giddy with relief. He was late today, and she was beginning to worry. When he came through the door she practically threw herself at him and almost knocked him down. She hugged him tight, so happy he was there and was all right. He looked down at her, amused by her antics. "What was that about?" He asked. She looked up at him and grinned. "You were gone longer than usual and I was worried." "Did you miss me?" he asked, half jokingly. She couldn't answer that. If she did, he might get scared off and things would be different between them. "Did you miss me?" She countered. Heero just stared. They never answered each other when it came to that question. When ever either one asked, the other would answer with the same question. Then it would get dropped for a different subject. Today was no different. "My boss wasn't feeling well, so I stayed to cover for him." was his reply. She looked down, disappointed. *What did I expect, a declaration of love?* She shook it off and smiled at him. "So what do you want for dinner, I can whip something up real quick." She started to walk away as she spoke and was surprised when he caught her hand and stopped her, turning her back around to face him. "No, you're not cooking tonight." he stated. She noticed he was still holding her hand. "But you cooked yesterday, and cereal doesn't count as a meal so it’s my turn." He noticed he was still holding her hand too. He blushed and let go, regretfully. She sighed, disappointed again. "No tonight we're going out. I'm taking you out." She looked at him skeptically. "Heero, you don't need to take me out. Besides, I don't have any nice clothes to wear to a restaurant." He grinned knowingly and held out a bag to her. She took it, looking at it curiously. She looked up at him again. He laughed. "It's not going to bite you, open it." She grinned and went to sit on the couch. There was a large, flat box inside the bag. She lifted the top and gasped, pulling out a beautiful dress made of sheer elegance. It was dark blue silk under a light blue fabric that was see-through, giving it a wispy look. The bodice of the dress was outlined in dark blue ribbon. She fingered the material lightly. She turned to look at Heero, who had come up to stand next to her. "Heero this is beautiful!" She exclaimed. He smiled, pleased she liked it. "Go try it on." he suggested. She shook her head. "This must have cost you a fortune Heero, you should take it back." He put on his cold stubborn look. "No." was all he said. She grinned, not intimidated in the least. "Heero, you're too good to me." She stood up and without thinking kissed him on the cheek. He blushed, not knowing how to take that. She blushed after she realized what she did. "Umm, I’ll go try this on." she hurried into the bedroom. Heero, stared after her, then went to hop into the shower. He turned it on cold and rushed through it to get dressed. Wrapping a towel around his waist he went over to the bedroom. He knocked and heard Hilde tell him to enter. She was putting some pins in her hair. She looked up at him and grinned. "Want me to leave?" She offered. He gave a curt nod and she gathered the hair pins on the bed and proceeded to the bathroom. When she was in the bathroom she leaned against the door and started to subconsciously fan her self with her hand. No matter how many times she saw it, she would never get used to a half naked Heero in front of her. Too many fantasies ran through her head at moments like that. She went to the mirror and continued to get ready.

                        Heero was digging through the closets for something of Wufei’s. Finally he found a decent white shirt that buttoned up along with some dark gray slacks. *There I’m set.* He thought and went to wait in the living room for Hilde. She arrived out moments later, her hair pinned up in little sections giving her a pixie-like hairstyle. Heero just stared at her, stunned. He noticed that Hilde was not into making an appearance. He remembered being aggravated to take Relena anywhere, since she would not leave until she looked absolutely perfect. With Hilde, she just threw on some comfy clothes that happened to look very sexy in their disguising way. The Hilde standing before him was more beautiful than he first pictured. She suited the finer things in life well. The delicate dress fit her like a glove. The blue made her eyes stand out and went so well with her dark black hair. "You look amazing.” he said breathlessly. She blushed sheepishly. "I was going to say the same about you." He cleaned up well, his white dress shirt clinging to parts of his body. The slacks were a bit loose, but the way the shirt hung down low on his body instead of being tucked in made it look good. His hair remained the same. 'Bedroom hair' she had called it once, jokingly. It gave him a laid back rakish look she found incredibly sexy. He took her hand and kissed it gently. "Ready to go?" He asked. She nodded, speechless. The only vehicle they had was the motorbike. Hilde threw on a big long coat to shelter her from the wind. She didn't mind though, she kind of liked the bike. "Step on it Heero, I'm starved!" She exclaimed happily. He laughed and started the bike. They sped off towards town.

Chapter 7 Lemon Warning

Heero seated Hilde and then took the seat across from her. Hilde was awed by the elegance of the restaurant. She couldn't remember eating in such a fancy place. After ordering, Heero leaned on one elbow and rested his chin on his palm. "So what do you think?" He asked her. She stared back and smiled. "You've really outdone yourself here." He laughed. She always made him laugh. It was something he was getting used to fast. Hilde sipped her wine. She had never been treated so well. Heero was too good. More than good. He was fantastic in both mind and body. She couldn't stop undressing him with her eyes. She blushed every time he'd look at her, afraid he knew. Finally the food came. Hilde was famished and was practically drooling over her plate. Chicken Parmesan with pasta and mixed vegetables. She never had it and decided to try something new. Taking a small bite she found it exquisite, savoring the different spices. Heero had ordered sushi, also wanting to try something new. He picked at his with chopsticks. She watched as he carefully put a roll into his mouth and chewed slowly. He looked at her and nodded, signaling he liked it. "Do you wanna try some of mine?" She offered. He looked at her plate and then nodded again. She smiled as she held out a fork with a bite of her chicken on it. He leaned in and took the piece with his mouth. "Mmmm. It's good." he said and grinned. She was still too stunned by the sensual way he took the food off her fork. She shook it off. He picked up a piece of his sushi with his chopsticks and held it out to her. She hesitated, not sure whether she should take it with her hand or her mouth. She leaned in and took it with her mouth. It was a unique taste and she decided that she would try more sushi someday. Heero grinned. "What do you think?" She looked at him. "About what?" He grinned at her question. "The sushi." She blushed. "OH! It was interesting. I liked it." He wondered what else she could have been thinking about. After dinner they were both too full to get dessert. They headed home. Hilde wrapped her arms around Heero and sighed. He felt so good to hold. She prayed for the chance to hold him closer, without the bulky jacket or other materials in the way. He helped her off the bike and they entered the house. Once they were inside, she turned to face him. "I had a great night Heero. Thank you." He blushed slightly. "Don't mention it." He said curtly. He was staring at her lips as if he wanted to kiss her. Hilde's mind raced. *Should I go for it? Should I ignore it? What if I’m just seeing what I want to see* He slowly walked up to her. Lifting her chin with his fingers he gazed into her eyes, trying to read the fleeting questions there. "Would it be wrong for me to kiss you?" He asked, still gazing into her eyes. He really didn't mean to ask that out loud, but he didn't notice. She looked up to him, eyes half closed and pulled his head down to her. His lips were gentle as he pressed them against hers. He seemed so calm but on the inside his heart was doing somersaults. Hilde's breathing increased tenfold. She was so nervous. If she wasn't holding on to his neck she felt she would dissolve into a puddle of nerves on the floor. He picked her up and cradled her in his arms, carrying her into the bedroom. He laid her gently on the bed. He gazed at her for a moment before lying next to her. Hilde started to slowly unbutton his shirt, revealing his skin inch by inch. She moaned softly into his mouth as he kneaded one of her breasts through her dress. She leaned towards him so he could take it off. As he reached behind her to get the zipper, he noticed that his hands were shaking. He ignored his nerves and carefully unzipped the dress, pulling it down to her waist. She pushed it down the rest of the way and kicked it off the bed. She slipped Heero's shirt off his shoulders and let him push it down and off his body. Hilde ran her fingers over his chest, marveling at the heat radiating off of him. Her touches sent chills through him and he slowly pushed her down on her back and crawled on top of her. He was relieved to see she happened to be wearing a bra that fastened in the front. He quickly stripped her of it and bent his head to take one breast into his mouth, sucking softly. Hilde threw her head back and moaned at the warmth of his mouth, his tongue circling round her nipple. She threaded her fingers through his hair, feeling the softness of it. "Take off your pants." she whispered to him. He did as she commanded, kicking them off his feet. They were both stripped to their underwear, and Heero had to know before he went any further. "Hilde" He whispered in her ear. "Are you sure this is what you want?" She held his face in her hands and made him look at her. "Heero, I’ve wanted this for a long time. I'm sure." He smiled and bent down to kiss her, his hands working their way down, stripping them both of their last pieces of clothing. Hilde pressed against him, feeling his skin against hers and molding the strong muscles of his back into her hands. He was beautiful, and she couldn't stop touching him. When her hand wandered lower and grabbed on to him, he let out a soft moan. She grinned and continued to pump him while he thrust his fingers into her, bringing them back up to rub her most sensitive area. She closed her eyes and buried her face into his neck. He stopped and pushed himself up, not wanting to come too quick. He bent his hips down to hers and teased her, making her think he was going to enter her and then stopping. She growled her protest. "Heero!" He chuckled at her impatience. He slowly entered her, till he was buried in the core of her. He stayed there for a second and then began a slow steady thrust. Hilde couldn't believe how good he felt and raised her hips to meet his every thrust. Heero picked up the pace, thrusting harder and faster into her. When he felt he was almost there he would slow down, extending her pleasure and his as well. Finally Hilde couldn't wait anymore and began to move her hips against his will, making them both go over the edge. His body jerked at the intensity of his climax. Hilde gasped softly until the pulsing subsided. Heero was still on top of her, panting. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his forehead. He laid to his side and pulled her close to him. She snuggled against his chest; thankful he managed to get the blanket over them. He had his arms around her, his hand playing in her hair. Hilde grinned as she started to fall asleep. She wished that they could stay like this forever. Heero was ready for sleep as well. He bent down to kiss her lips tenderly, saying "Thank you." She grinned, her eyes closed. "No, no, Heero. Thank you." He smiled and drifted to sleep, Hilde cradled in his arms.

Chapter 8

Hilde was having the most wonderful dream. She finally got Heero in bed and it was incredible. She slowly awoke and realized her cheek was resting against warm, bare skin. Her eyes crept slowly upwards and widened as she stared at Heero Yuy, fast asleep. *So I wasn't dreaming.* A grin crept on her face. It was rare to see Heero with all his guards down. The only time you could catch it was while he slept. She still was shocked over the fact that she slept with Heero. She never thought it possible. And then came the deep impending question. *Now what?* She'd never have the guts to tell him how she felt. "Such a stern face so early in the morning." she jumped as she heard Heero’s soft voice. She looked up and saw him staring sleepily down at her. She put a smile on her face. "Just thinking." She felt his body tense. "Are you having regrets?" He asked slowly. Hilde shook her head. "My only regret is not doing this sooner." She felt him relax back into the bed. He pulled her on top of him so that she was laying on him. *Now would be the perfect time to tell her I love her* Heero thought. He opened his mouth to speak. She looked at him, expecting him to say something profound. "I-I-" Hilde stared. "'I' what Heero?" He faltered. "I- I'm gonna go make some breakfast." He quickly got up and pulled on his boxers. "Stupid, stupid, stupid." He mumbled to himself as he walked down the hall. Hilde stared after him, disappointment evident on her face. Slowly she got out of bed and pulled on a shirt and her underwear and walked out. Heero was digging around in the fridge, unaware she was in the kitchen. It was too perfect to pass up. She crept up behind him and when he least expected, she pounced on his back, scaring him. He jumped and let out a yelp, before he caught on to her and walked into the living room, Hilde still clinging to his back. He swung around in circles making them both dizzy. Hilde's tinkling laughter filled the room. They both heard the vidphone ringing in the back room. Heero walked to it, Hilde still clinging to his back. Both were expecting Wufei to call, since he hadn't called in a while and he usually did. It was Trowa's face that appeared on the vidscreen. Heero froze. Hilde slowly slipped off his back and hid behind him. Trowa smirked, shaking his head. "You guys aren't fooling me, Hilde you can stop hiding." Hilde's face turned bright red and she came to stand next to Heero. Heero found his voice. "How were you able to call us? Wufei said this was a private line." Trowa's smirk faded. "I have my ways." He continued. "What I want to know is why you decided to drop off the face of the universe and not tell me." Heero felt a chord of guilt. Trowa was right. He should have contacted him. Trowa let it go for now and continued. "Well there is a reason I called, besides to let you know you were being rude." Heero snorted and Hilde's face turned a deeper shade of red. "Quatre is planning on his usual get together at his house next week. You know, the one he has every year, in case you've forgotten." Heero didn't want to admit it, but he had indeed forgotten. It was the day the war ended, and Quatre made sure to celebrate their victory and survival every year around the same time. He had been so distracted with Hilde, he had completely forgotten. "I expect you two to be there as well. I'd hate to see Quatre disappointed." Heero and Hilde looked at each other for a moment, the same question in their eyes. Trowa sensed the question and answered aloud. "Yes they will be there too. I thought I’d warn you first. I expect to see you there anyway. You can't run from them forever. Face them and get on with your lives." Heero nodded. Trowa finally smiled. "It was good to talk to you again. I will see you next week. Oh and Hilde?" Hilde looked to the screen. "Yes?" Trowa grinned again. "Put on some pants." and Trowa ended their conversation. Hilde looked down to see that she was only wearing a small shirt and some undies. She didn't think her face could get any redder. It did. Heero was still staring at the blank screen. *Relena and Duo. What if Hilde goes back to Duo?* He shuddered. He didn't think he could handle another love lost to that braided idiot. He glanced over at the beet red Hilde and shuddered. He shouldn't have gotten so attached to her. She was never his to begin with. She finally looked up at him and saw his pale, stern face. She was instantly worried. "Heero! What's wrong?" He just walked out of the room and went into the bedroom, closing the door. She stared after him. *It must be Relena* she thought sadly. *He'll never forget her. I was a fool to think he'd ever care for me. I'm just a temporary relief.* She walked silently to the bathroom and closed the door. Leaning against the door, she slid down till she was sitting on the floor, letting the tears of regret and sorrow spill down her cheeks. She had one week. One more week to enjoy with Heero and then after the party she would walk away, and disappear on her own.

Chapter 9 Lemon Warning

The week had passed quickly for Hilde. She tried to enjoy her last days with Heero, knowing that she would be utterly alone after that. Heero had been avoiding her for the week. It was as if the old Heero had been able to rebuild some of those walls around him again. Tomorrow they would leave for L4 and this would all be a memory. Hilde turned over in the bed. Heero wasn't asleep either, laying on his back and staring at the ceiling. His expression was blank, except once in a while she could swear he would start to grin and then stop himself.  She wished she had the nerve to say something, to stop this from ending. Her voice had been strangely absent. Maybe she was building some walls as well. She continued to stare at Heero, burning his image into her memory.

            Heero was aware of her eyes on him. He couldn't sleep. He kept playing images of Hilde and Duo reuniting, trying to prepare himself. Sometimes he would let his imagination run wild and picture knocking Duo out, professing his love to Hilde, and running off together. After realizing what he was doing he would shake it off, finding too much hope in those daydreams, hope that was sadly misplaced. He wanted Hilde to be happy, he really did. But he wanted her to be happy with him. He looked to the clock. It was 1:30 in the morning. He mentally kicked himself. This was his last night with her and he was lying next to her, pretending she wasn't there. He stole a glance at her and found her staring at him. She was within an arms reach and yet she seemed so far away. He turned on his side to face her. She looked up and gazed into his eyes, searching. She was searching for something in his eyes. *What is she trying to find?* he asked himself. Hope perked up. *Maybe she does care for me after all!* His heart started to beat faster as his mind played with the thought. He slowly brought his hand to her cheek, caressing her soft face gently. She covered his hand with her own and closed her eyes against the tears that threatened to spill. His look was full of concern. "Hilde whats-" She put her finger to his lips to silence him. She opened her eyes again, blue pools of crystal water, sparkling. "Lets just have this one night, please Heero." She whispered. He stared into her eyes. Finally he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. She reached up and ran her hands through his wild untamed hair, memorizing the soft thickness of it. He deepened the kiss, pulling her close to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on as if her life depended on it. He moved on top of her and pressed his body into her, molding to fit her every curve. She pushed back slightly and pulled her top over her head. Heero took the initiative to do the same. He laid back down on her, feeling her skin on his, the hot electrifying feel of her breasts pressed into his chest. She moaned softly, enjoying the feel of his soft skin pressed warmly against her. She tugged at his boxers, wanting more from him, desperate for his touch. He complied, pulling his boxers off and then pulling off her bottoms as well. He took a moment to stare at her in admiration. She looked up at his face. "God you're beautiful" She blushed. He pulled her up to him, positioning her to sit on him. Slowly he started to move his hips, rubbing against her wetness. She held his head and kissed him with everything she had, enjoying every movement, every moan and whimper he made. She decided she couldn't wait any longer and pushed him down so he was lying on his back. She climbed on top of him and slowly positioned the tip pf him at her entrance. He was gripping the sheets in anticipation, waiting for her to relieve him of his torment. She smiled at him and slowly started to push down, letting him fill her slow. She was so wet and hot. He bit his bottom lip at the feel, trying to control the urge to buck his hips. Finally he filled her completely. She rode him slowly at first, coming up so he was barley in her and then sheathing him in her all the way again. It was slow torture and blissful ecstasy all at once and Heero couldn't stop the moans escaping from his lips. He was so close to the edge, yet he didn't want to end this. Hilde felt herself slip towards the edge. Her mind told her to slow down, but her body urged her further, riding Heero harder and faster with each thrust. Soon his own hips joined her, thrusting up with such force and need that it nearly unseated her. She let her head fall back as she felt the waves of pleasure coarse through her body. Heero continued to thrust into her a few more times before he too gave in to his release, feeling her still throbbing around him. She moved to get off him, but he stopped her. He slowly rubbed his hand up her stomach to her breasts, caressing the peaks softly before his hands slid down to her sides, resting at her hips. She looked down at him warmly. He was spent, hair tousled from her fingers, a lazy, relaxed smile on his lips. "Thank you." was all he said. In those two words there was more meaning than she knew. She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "For what?" she whispered back. He gently pulled her down to his side and she cuddled closer, loving the feel of his soft skin, glistening with a light coat of sweat. He pressed his lips to her forehead and buried his face in her neck. "For everything." he whispered back, holding on to her tightly. He was trying to hold back his own tears. One escaped his eyes and fell onto Hilde's neck. She felt the warm wet droplet, felt him straining to not let it happen again.

She felt tears starting to well in her eyes, but she smiled through them. She would never forget this night or Heero Yuy, for giving her the greatest love of her life.

Chapter 10

            The flight to L4 was quick, more quick than either one would want. When they stepped off the plane, Trowa was there to meet them. Hilde blushed when she saw him, remembering the last time she heard from him. Trowa walked up and took them to the awaiting limo. After they all crawled inside, Trowa spoke. "Look, I don't know what's going on with all of you. Why did you two run off? Relena was frantic with worry and Duo?" he shuddered at his name. "Let's say he didn't handle things too well." Hilde sat up. "What did he do?" she asked nervously. He looked her in the eyes. "This isn't going to be easy to say.... He lost the scrap yard." Hilde sank back against her seat. "How?" was all she could manage to get out. Trowa shrugged. "He let it go to shit. He figured if you weren't there to run it then it wasn't worth it." Hilde looked down. *That scrap yard was all I had left! Now what?* She pushed the thought from her mind. Trowa looked at her again. "I have to say that I feel bad for you two. Tonight won't be easy. I'm glad you both came and I’m sure Quatre will be even more thrilled." Heero just nodded. He didn't feel like saying much.

Finally they arrived at Quatre's estate. Once inside they were greeted by Quatre, who babbled on and on how he was happy to see him. Heero still was silent, giving curt nods and short one-word answers. Hilde tried to be as pleasant as possible. Finally she escaped to her room. She flopped down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She dreaded the hours to come. Finally she dozed off, escaping her tortured thoughts.

            It was evening and everyone had arrived for the party. Hilde was clinging to the corners of the room, trying to avoid everyone. She did run into a few people she wanted to see such as Catherine and Sally. She saw Wufei too, and promised to find him later to speak. Heero was searching for Hilde. He couldn't take it anymore. He would tell her how he felt. If she felt the same, great. If not, then he'd think of something. He finally spotted her and she was alone. He started to walk up to her until he heard a familiar shout. "Hilde!" she turned around and froze as Duo rushed up to her. He immediately took her into his arms and held her close. Hilde was too stunned to push away. Heero saw their embrace and felt his heart wrench. He turned to walk away, crushed. *So much for hoping* he thought to himself and proceeded to leave. That is, until another obstacle stood in his way. "Heero! I'm so glad you're here!" Relena walked up to him. He stood still, not sure how to react to the different emotions raging in him. She took his hand. "C'mon, let's go somewhere less crowded." He let her lead him upstairs, desperate to get away from Hilde and Duo's happy reunion. Hilde turned in time to see Relena holding Heero's hand and leading him upstairs. Her heart sank. She was hoping she would be wrong. Sometimes it was a bitch to know it all. When she snapped out of her thoughts she saw that Duo had led her outside in the back. He looked good, dressed in his semi formal black attire, the signature braid hanging neatly down his back. His eyes still sparkled with life and humor. When she looked into them she almost could forget everything that happened between them. Almost. What she kept seeing was deep Prussian blue eyes, deep with hidden pain and sparkling with laughter, deep like the blue waters of the Atlantic. Duo's eyes were not the eyes she wanted to look into. He moved to hold her again and she backed away. He eyed her curiously. "Babe, you're coming back to me right?" He reached out and held her hand, but did not pull her close again, sensing she was uncomfortable. "Duo, I’m not coming back." she stated, her voice a bit shaky. He looked surprised. "Babe, I love you. I know I did wrong and I can never make up for it, but I’ll try. If it takes the rest of my life I’ll do it. Whatever it takes, Hilde, I’ll make it right again.” This time he pulled her close. She let him, not sure of how she felt.

            All the while Heero and Relena were upstairs. Heero was watching the scene below him with regret. *Maybe if I said something, things could be different.* "Heero did you miss me?" Relena asked and smiled. He frowned. Not answering, he turned to watch Hilde and Duo, half wishing he could hear what they were saying, and half glad he couldn't. Relena wandered over to him to see what was distracting him. She looked pleased. "Oh I hope everything’s ok now between them. They belong together." she lifted her hand and tilted his face towards her. "Just like we belong together Heero. We always have." He stared at her, waiting for a moment of revelation. Nothing but confusion set in. He shook it off and stepped away scowling. "Do you think I forgot about you and Duo?" Her eyes widened giving her a doe eyed innocent look. "Heero it was a big mistake! I'm sorry for what happened. Its over now and you and Hilde got us back. We're even Heero. Can't we just move on?" He was stunned again. *Was that what it boils down to? Hilde and I were just getting even?* Relena took the chance and moved closer to him. "Its us Heero. You and me. It always has been."

            "Hilde babe, we're meant to be." She was dazed from all this. Here was Duo, the man she swore was her soul mate and all she wanted to do was run. This time she couldn't run. "No Duo." she finally stated. Her eyes kept wandering towards the balcony. Duo's eyes narrowed. "What’s going on between you and him?" She turned back towards Duo. "I-I love him." Duo's eyes grew wide. Then he started to laugh. "Hilde don't be stupid! You?! In love with the Perfect Soldier?" She blushed, embarrassed at his teasing. When she didn't answer, Duo's smile faded. "How can you love Heero Yuy?!" he asked bewildered. "How can you do this to me!? To us?!" Her head snapped up to look at him, angered. "ME?!" she hollered. "I didn't cheat on you with your best friend and then planned on not telling you! How could you do that to me?! After you swore you wouldn't again! You LIED to me!!! You're saying the same things now that you did before and I don't have enough faith in you anymore to go back." She came up and jabbed her finger in his chest. “You and Relena crossed the line. You crossed the line to the point where I didn't see how it could be fixed. Heero, he and I uncrossed those lines you two crossed. He gave me an out, showed me a side of him I don't think you've ever bothered to see and shown me love in a different light." she began to raise her voice again. "And you stand out here and ask me now, How can I do this to you?! How could you do this to me?!" Tears started to form in her eyes, finally able to let out the pain she held in so long. Duo stood there, tears in his eyes as well. "Hilde." he whispered. "If you don't love me, fine, but don't break up Relena and Heero's happiness over this." He walked over to her again. "Please stay with me Hilde. I'll do right by you." She shook her head, letting the tears run down her cheeks. "No." she whispered brokenly. "No I won't go back to this. I don't want this anymore." She looked up at his tear stained face. "I'm sorry Duo, I can't do this anymore." She turned around and ran, spilling tears along the way, leaving Duo to watch her leave.

            Heero pulled away from Relena. He held on to her arms and scowled. "Don't" was all he said. She looked at him stunned. "Heero?" she asked, bewildered. He got angry. "You hurt me!" he said venomously. Her eyes widened in fear. "Heero I didn't mean to!" she wailed. He shoved her away from him. "I need to find Hilde." He said and proceeded to the door. Relena wasn't giving up that easy. "What does she have that I don't?" she asked arrogantly. He scowled. "Class. A good heart." Relena's face crumpled. Heero continued. "To you I’ve always been Mr. perfect soldier, silent and beckoning to your every need. You never searched beyond that. The war is over and yet you expected me to be the same person. I'm not. Hilde at least looked beyond that and knows who I really am. I'm not going to settle on being your beck and call boy anymore." And he pushed past her to leave.

            When Heero made it down to the yard, Duo and Hilde were gone. He sagged his shoulders in defeat. *I'm too late* he thought to himself. "She didn't leave with him, you know." Heero looked up to see Trowa leaning against a tree. "Where is she?" Heero asked, hopeful Trowa would know. "She took off that way." He pointed to the left. "You can catch her if you hurry." Heero nodded his thanks and treated Trowa to the sight of the usually calm Heero running like his ass was on fire. Trowa smirked. "Crazy lovebirds." He muttered before going back to the house.

Chapter 11

Hilde wandered aimlessly through Quatre's grounds. Swiping away the tears that were blinding her she took a good look around. She had wandered far from the house and was wondering where the hell she was. *All I want is to be somewhere to catch a cab and I’m stuck in some damn open field!* She kept walking, her small heels poking holes in the grass. One finally made her stumble. She growled and took off her shoe, hurling it into the air. "Why is everything against me?!" she shouted to the sky. She stared up at the night sky, as if she was waiting for an answer. She really didn't expect one anyway. She kept walking. Her mind kept wandering back to the events of the evening. When she wanted Duo, he cheats on her. She got handed Heero instead. Then she wants Heero, and he gets put back with Relena. Now Duo wanted her back and she didn't want Duo anymore. She snapped again. "It's not fair!!!" she shouted. She needed something to throw. She took off her other heel and chucked it across the lawn. "When are things going to go my way!!!?" She then thought of Heero. Sweet Heero, bringing her candy, taking her out, making her laugh. Her Superman. Tears welled in her eyes as she sank to her knees. Holding her hand to her heart she sobbed out. "Why does it have to hurt so much?” After a while she shook it off. She needed to get away. She continued to wander aimlessly through the grass, hoping to find a cab sometime this evening.

            Heero had no idea what way she went. Left, Trowa said. *How far left?* He continued to run, hoping to catch her before she got too far. Something got caught on his foot and he fell face first onto the grass. Scowling he turned around to see what it was. He picked up a nice heeled shoe. He eyed it curiously. "What on earth is this doing out here?" He realized it must have been one of the shoes Hilde was wearing. He continued on in the direction he was going when he spotted another shoe. He picked that one up too, wondering what he would find next. *Is she leaving a trail of clothes for me to find?* He continued in the same direction. When he felt like his legs were going to give out from under him he spotted a figure in front of him. "Hilde?!" He hollered, trying to catch his breath before he could take off running again.

            Hilde slowed her pace. *I could have sworn someone called my name* She looked around, but didn't see anyone. When she started walking again she heard it. "HILDE WAIT!" She swung around. *I knew someone was calling me!* She took off running in the direction of the voice. She spotted the figure coming towards her. Her eyes welled up with tears as the figure became clear to her. "Oh god, Heero!" She threw herself into his arms and hugged him fiercely. He crushed her in his arms, scared that if he let go she'd slip through his fingers again. "Where were you going?!" he asked. She looked up at him, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I was going to disappear." He looked hurt. "Why?" he croaked out. She held back her sobs. "Because I didn't want to stay here and watch you be with Relena. I needed to get away." He crushed her into a hug again. "I was so scared to lose you. When I saw you with Duo I thought we were over." *But your with me now.* She thought to herself. She looked up at him and grinned through her tears. "Did you miss me?” She asked in her usual teasing manner. His look turned soft as he held her face in his hands. "Yes." he answered, bringing his lips down to hers. "Yes I missed you. Don't run away from me ever." She smiled as she planted kisses on his face, making him stumble. They both laughed as they fell on the grass, she still in Heero's arms, still planting sweet kisses on his face and neck. She looked up to his eyes, hers twinkling with happiness. She leaned in close to him. "I love you Heero." He looked stunned for a moment, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, for you. Just how you are." His smile was radiant after hearing those words. "I love you too Hilde. I wouldn't have you any other way." He looked into her eyes, lighted by the moon, sparkling pools of starlight. He bent down to kiss her again, knowing he had made the right choice and he would not let this one get away again.

(1 year later)

            Duo leaned against the gate watching the couple dance around the ice rink. Well, one was dancing. The other was stiff as a board trying to keep balance. He had long given up on Hilde and resigned to being friends. His two best friends. It took quite a while to mend the relationship between the three, but he was determined, wanting to right the wrongs he had caused. Hilde laughed and held on to Heero's waist as he wobbled on his skates. She skated circles around him and grabbed him by the waist, swinging him around. Duo sighed. He supposed he would always regret letting her get away, but he couldn't help but smile at the happy couple. They needed each other. Heero could offer her the security and love she needed and she could give Heero the laughter and passion he deserved. He sauntered away, leaving the couple alone for a while.

            Heero watched as Hilde tilted her head to the sky, mouth opened to catch the falling snowflakes. Heero stared curiously. She looked at him and smiled. He had so much to learn, her Heero. And she would be there to teach him everything. She'd be there every step of the way. He grabbed hold of her hand and swung her around. She laughed excitedly, enjoying the little game. Finally he swung her back into his arms and smiled. She had changed him. He never knew he could reach this level of happiness. He'd have to thank her someday. But he had plenty of time for that. "So what now Superman?" she asked. He grinned. "Lets go home, ok?" She smiled and nodded. They headed for their home they shared, a place that belonged to them both, where they would never have to worry about crossing any lines. Somewhere they could go to be themselves, and love each other for the rest of their lives .

The end.