Chapter 4

Heero found himself walking in the forest. "Hello?" He called out. It was dark. He was cold and by himself. He looked in the near distance and saw a figure sitting under a large tree. He felt himself being pulled closer, even as he struggled not to. As he suspected, it was Hilde. She was sitting there, looking at the ground. He sat down in front of her, unsure of what to do. She looked up. She was pale, but not the sight of gore she had been in previous dreams. "Heero." She said simply. "What do you want from me?" He asked. She frowned, as if she realized for the first time how much she was disturbing him. "You're afraid of me." She stated. Heero just nodded. He couldn't lie and he had a feeling she'd see right through it if he tried. "I won't hurt you." She said softly. Heero knew that, he had always known that. She looked at his chest. "Is that mine?" He nodded and took the chain off, holding the ring in front of her. He watched her eyes fill with tears. "My ring. I want my ring back." He held it out closer to her. "Here." She looked at him, beseeching him with her intense blue eyes. "I want my ring back." He just sat there. "I don't know what you want." She frowned and cocked her head slightly. "My ring. I want my -"

/RRIIIIIINNNGGGG/ Heero jumped. The phone was ringing. He turned to reach for it and realized he had Hilde's gold band in his hand. He must have taken it off in his sleep. He grabbed the phone. "Hello." "Hey Heero, It's Trowa. I need to talk to you. Can I come by?" "Sure, come on by." Heero hung up with him and climbed out of bed. He jumped in to take a quick shower before Trowa came by. He ran his fingers through his tangled wet hair. Why was this dream different? What did she want? Why was she haunting him? He shook the water from his hair and turned off the water. He slipped on a pair of baggy jeans after drying off. "Why me? Why not Quatre, or Duo? Why are you haunting me?" He asked the foggy mirror. His hand reached out and slowly wiped the fog off. A flash of raven hair appeared in the reflection behind him. He yelled out in shock and swung around. No one... "What the fuck?!" Trowa called out as he burst into the bathroom. He found Heero dressed in a pair of jeans, leaning up against the sink counter, gasping for breath. "Trowa?" Heero asked, ignoring the drops of water falling on to his face and shoulders from his wild hair. Trowa scowled. "What the fuck is going on Heero?" Heero sighed and licked his lips. How could he explain this? "I thought there was someone there.... But there wasn't. It's just my imagination." Trowa scowled. "In all the years I’ve known you, nothing has ever scared you to the point of yelling out like that. The truth Heero. And it better be good." Heero sighed. Maybe Trowa would think he was crazy...Or maybe he could help. "I'll make some coffee." Heero sighed as he walked to the kitchen to do just that, Trowa trailing right behind him.

After a pot of coffee and hours worth of explaining, Trowa seemed deep in thought. "It's strange Heero, but Quatre has had a couple dreams as well. He's woken up screaming, and he only remembers Hilde was in it and a couple minor details. Nothing as graphic as yours." Heero shook his head. "They aren't pleasant." Trowa smirked. "No, I doubt they would be." Heero stretched and yawned. "Heero, you look like shit." Trowa commented as he took in the bags under his eyes, the worn out exhausted look, the fact that he looked like he hadn't eaten a good meal in too long... Heero laughed. "You know, I’ve heard that a lot lately. You’re hurting my feelings here." Trowa shook his head. "I mean it Heero. You need to take better care of yourself." Heero scowled at Trowa for a few seconds and stood up. "Ok, how would YOU be, if every time you tried to sleep you see visions of the bloody decaying remains of a close friend trying to reach you, over and over and you can't see what she's trying to tell you? How, every time you eat, or try to relax, the thought that the person who did this is still running loose. I CAN'T rest, don't you get it? Not until this is over, I’ll never get any peace." Trowa shook his head. "Ok then. I think there's someone that can help you." That grabbed Heero's attention. "What?" Trowa stood and grabbed his coat. "I'll explain in the car. Let's get going." At this point Heero was ready to try anything. A half hour later, Heero found himself waiting in the lobby of Sally Po's office. He couldn't believe he was agreeing to this. Worse, he couldn't believe Trowa suggested it. He was a man of science, and it was hard for him to believe anything supernatural or paranormal... Not even Quatre could change his mind. Sally poked her head out of the door. "Come on in you guys." They entered her small office. She led them to the seats in front of her desk. "What seems to be the problem?" She asked in her 'doctor' voice. Heero looked at Trowa who motioned for him to tell her. Heero sighed. "It's a long story." He went on to tell the details he could remember from his dreams, how frequent and vivid they were. He realized if he were in her shoes, he'd think he was crazy. He was beginning to believe he was anyway. Sally cocked her head slightly. "So what do you think is causing this? Do you believe its stress from the problems you're having on the case? Or do you think she's trying to send you a message from beyond?" Trowa snorted, doubtful of the latter. Heero shook his head. "I don't know. And I doubt you believe the 'from beyond' thing anymore than Wufie or..." He paused. "Me.At least I used to think that.." He added softly. She continued. "So, Trowa said you two had an odd request. Let's hear it." Heero said nothing. Trowa cleared his throat. "You remember when Quatre had those bad dreams and he couldn't sleep?" Sally thought for a moment. "Yeah. I do remember that. We had to do hypnosis to get into his subconscious." Sally turned to Heero. "Are you having THAT bad of dreams Heero?" He smirked. "Understatement of the year." She frowned She'd expect this from Quatre. He had some sort of spiritual connection that was beyond her understanding. But Heero? He wasn't the type to let dreams bother him. Unless they were that severe. "If you’re willing to give it a shot so am I." "You can't tell anyone about this Sally." Heero warned. She nodded. "Patient confidentiality. Your secret's safe here." Heero nodded. "I'm willing to undergo hypnosis if you think it'll help me." Sally motioned for him to sit on the small couch in the corner. "Well it's worth a shot." She pulled up a chair and sat in front of him. "Hmmm. I need a pocket watch, or a paper clip on a string..." "Why?" Heero asked. "Something to distract your mind. Its part of the process." He pulled out the chain with the ring. "Will this work?" Sally took it. "Yes...It's a beautiful ring. Who's is it?" Heero panicked for a moment. "It's mine." He stated. Sally shrugged and asked no more as she began to sway the chain in front of him. "Focus on the ring Heero, relax..." Heero had his doubts, but he did as he was told, taking in long breaths and exhaling slowly as his eyes followed the ring swaying back and forth in front of his eyes. "Good. Now I want you to think of somewhere you feel safe, somewhere you'd go to think." He pictured the best place he could think of... "Now close your eyes and focus on that place. Picture yourself there. You're relaxed, safe. Now imagine a fog coming in, blocking your view. You're surrounded by this fog, engulfed in it." Heero followed everything she was saying. "Floating in the fog…. Gooood. Now when I count to three, your going to go to the place in your dreams, the place you've been seeing since the dreams started..." She gave Trowa a look and took a deep breath. "One...two...three." Heero opened his eyes and he was in the dark...It was too dark to see. He could still hear Sally's voice, distant, but clear. "Where are you?" She asked. He looked around. "I'm...I'm in the dark...I can't see. No wait..." He listened closely. "No.I'm in a car...But I can't see." Sally paused. "I thought he said his dreams took place in a forest?" Trowa shrugged. "What else is happening?" Heero struggled to see. "The car stopped.... Aggh!" He yelled as a pair of hands grabbed his shoulders and dragged him out. Sally was concerned but kept going. "Talk to me Heero. What's happening?" He jerked in his chair. "I'm...My hands are tied up. I'm being dragged...God I feel so scared." He looked down at the ground. His feet were bare...But they weren't his feet. His hands rubbed together to try to break free, but it was no use. "Who's dragging you?" Sally urged. Heero strained to look. "I can't see. I can't see anything... Wait we stopped." Heero's body jerked on the couch. "Knife there's a – arrgggh!" He yelled out as the knife plunged into his stomach. "Heero!" Sally hollered. Heero kept screaming as the pain dug itself through his entire midsection. He felt his head tilt back and hissed as he felt the searing pain across his throat. "No..No..God." He choked out, as blood pooled down the front of him. Sally was concerned at Heero's reactions. He was crying and moving his mouth, trying to speak. "I've got to bring him out of it." Trowa grabbed her hand and shook his head. "He's strong Sally, let it continue. This maybe something he needs to experience." Sally took a moment before finally relenting. If they were to get to the bottom of this, they needed more. "Heero, tell me, what do you see? Remember your surroundings, any details. You're still safe, Heero, speak to me." He winced as he tried to speak. "Throat....slit...Just left me here...To die...Why.....Why?" More tears fell down his cheeks, as he slumped down on the couch. "On the count of three, open your eyes....You'll be back in my office. You'll be safe. One....Two...Three." Heero's eyes flew open and his hands went immediately to his throat as he coughed and took in big gulps of air. He raised his hands to stare at them. Something wasn't right... "What are you looking at?" Trowa asked. Heero shook his head.. "I..... Don’t know...." He rubbed his wrists, remembering the feel of the ropes tearing at his flesh. He reached up and felt his cheeks, wet with hot tears. He laid his head in his hands and leaned forward. "I'm gonna be sick..." Sally rushed to get him some water. Trowa kneeled in front of him. "What do you remember?" Heero shook his head. "I wasn't me...I think I was Hilde. I experienced what happened to her...What she felt..." His head shot up and there was anger in his eyes. "I felt the fear, and the heartache.... She knew.... She knew who her killer was." Trowa nearly fell over. "How? And who? Any more clues?" Heero stood up. He thanked Sally for the water as he gulped it down. "I have to go." He started to leave. "Wait, Heero, did you find out anything?" Heero shook his head. "Only that I need to solve this case. Thank you Sally." Trowa and Sally watched him go. "What do you think about all this" Sally asked. Trowa was disturbed. "I don't know yet. But I’ll be keeping a close eye on him." He walked out of the office, leaving Sally standing alone.

Chapter 5

Heero practically ran home. He would have to apologize to Trowa later..Right now, he needed to do something. He grabbed his car keys and started his car, taking off outside the city limits. He parked in the same spot he did on the day he came here after Hilde was found. He took a breath. There had to be something. Something he was missing. He stumbled down the mossy hills, through endless mazes of trees, but somehow he knew where he was going. He stopped at a familiar tree. He didn't pay much attention to it when he was here that day, but he recognized it. His dreams held this tree in them many times. He knelt under it. "I don't know...I can't see what your trying to show me." The trees stirred as a light breeze danced through them. He tried to recall the night Hilde was murdered. He...He was out with Duo...Wufie had met them later. Those two were with him that night. But Wufie left around midnight...Hilde was pronounced dead around 2:15... It was possible it was Wufie...He just couldn't picture Quatre, but it was possible....Trowa maybe? He only knew that it wasn't Duo. Everyone else was under suspicion. He shook his head. He couldn't think of his friends like this...Hilde was their friend too. He ran his hands through his hair and stared at the ground. This was driving him crazy...Crazy..His mind trailed back to Dorothy. Trowa said Quatre had been having dreams...Maybe Dorothy did too. Could that be why she was in there? His hand gripped a handful of soil. He squeezed the rich earth in his hand as he thought. Motive...There was always a motive...Unless the person was crazy....Did he KNOW anyone crazy? If he did they hid it well. He sighed and stood. There was nothing more to see here and if there had ever been anything, the months that had passed would of washed away any traces of evidence. He decided to try to talk to Dorothy again. Knowing she was monitored so closely, he'd choose his topics more carefully. He hopped back into his car and took off, unaware of the car following far behind him.

He headed down the hall to Dorothy's cell, trying to think of what to say. The door swung open slowly. He frowned as he saw the state she was in. From across the room he could see the burn marks where they stuck the electrocution pads on her arms. Bruises and burns covered her hands and arms. Her hair was still long and braided, but pieces fell in loose tangles covering her face. "You came back." She whispered. Heero walked closer. "Yes." He whispered back. "Good. I feel like dancing." He frowned. "What?" She laughed. "Dancing like a little girl. like a princess. Have you ever danced before?" He thought....What was wrong with her? Had they really driven her crazy? No..no she was trying to say something...code...He'd play along. Dance...Last time..Quatre's party, 3 years ago. Before he could speak, she had already registered the thought in his eyes. "I wrote him a letter. My prince. I hope he got it. You will ask him for me won't you?" He nodded, playing along. "Yes of course. So... Princess, what are you doing here, locked up in this tower?" She grinned and looked up. "Waiting for my knight to save me." He stared at her...Quatre had a letter. She must have written something in it. He eyed her arms again. She noticed. There was so much she needed to say but this little game of theirs would take far too long. Could she handle another session of shock therapy? She bit her lip. If she said too much, they'd kill her outright...Maybe she could just say enough... It could help her get out of here...Yes. "Now that that's out of the way... Heero, what have you found so far? And hurry cause you have 5 seconds." "Only that Hilde knew her killer." She nodded. "Closer, but not close enough. It's there, I’ve had dreams Heero, Your so close." The guards burst in again, just like before. Dorothy stood up against the wall and kept talking. "If I told you anything they'd kill me on the spot. Hell they might anyway." Heero swung to the guards. "She ends up dead or maimed and I’ll throw you all in prison." He warned. She started struggling again, the thought of the stinging pain she'd experience again making tears spill down her face. " You’re not seeing the killer. You’re too close. Open your mind, you'll see it! Don't let anyone read that letter but you; they'll try to take it! You can't trust anyone, Heero, remember that. Solve this case Yuy and get me out of here!" She screamed as she was dragged out. His heart wrenched. She said all she could and she was going to hurt for it. He had to make sure it wasn't for nothing. He ran out of the cell and out into the parking lot. He dialed Quatre on his cell. "Hi." Quatre answered cheerfully. "Did you get a letter from Dorothy?" He asked quickly? "Yeah, a little while ago, but it didn't make much sense-" "Quatre listen to me. Don't let anyone touch that letter til I get there. ANYONE Quatre. I mean it." There was silence. "Umm ok Heero. What's going on?" "I'll tell you when I get there." He hung up as he was turning towards his car. He ran smack into Trowa. "What are you doing here?" Heero asked. Trowa scowled. "What are YOU doing here?" Trowa returned. Heero tried to push Trowa out of the way. "I don't have time for this." Trowa grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "Yes you do. What are you doing?" "I have to get to Quatre's NOW!" Trowa paled. "Has something happened to him?" Heero shook his head. "No, but its important. Now get out of my way." Trowa let him go only to jump in his own car and head to Quatres. "Shit!" Heero yelled as he did the same. If Trowa got there.... Quatre trusted him. The letter. He had to get the letter. He sped off to Quatre's in hopes of getting there first. No such luck. There was already a car there, although it wasn't Trowa's. Two men stood in front of Quatre. They turned to look at him. "Quatre." Heero asked menacingly. Quatre flashed him a guilty look. "They came for Dorothy's letter. I guess she wasn't supposed to write mail.... They...They said she would be severely punished if I didn't give it back...I'm sorry Heero, but I couldn't let that happen to her." Heero clenched his fists. "Whom are you working for?" One of the men sneered. "None of your business." Heero was about to throw a punch when he heard a gun click. "Give him back the letter." Came Trowa's smooth threat. Heero let out a small smile. He had said "Him." Not "Give ME the letter." Trowa wasn't interested. Perhaps he was wrong in assuming Trowa could do something like that.... Trowa caught glance at Quatre's expression and put down the gun. "Get out of here." He told them and the two men rushed to their cars. Heero stood there, shocked. He didn't get the letter...Dorothy would suffer for nothing. "Why?!" Heero started to holler at Trowa but stopped when he read his expression. "Get in the house." Trowa warned quietly. Heero's doubts came out. "No. No get away from me." Quatre put a hand on his shoulder, which he shrugged off quickly. "Don't touch me!" Trowa stopped Quatre from trying again. "What's wrong with you?" He asked, irritated. Heero started to walk away. "You! You just let them go! Dorothy might have died to write that letter and you let it slip through your hands just like that!" He shook his head and walked back to his car. "Heero wait!" Quatre called out frantically. Heero ignored him. As far as he was concerned it could have been either one of them who killed Hilde. He took off towards his house, leaving the two to stare at the fading car in the distance. "What's wrong with him?" Quatre asked. Trowa shook his head. "I don't know. What is it you were trying to signal to me?" Quatre motioned for him to come inside. "I made a false note to give to those guys." Trowa nodded. "I thought you'd do something like that." Quatre continued into the kitchen. "That was what I was trying to tell him, but he just stormed off.... Anyways, maybe you can make some sense out of it." Quatre reached in the drawer and handed him the letter. "I put my fake letter in the real envelope. I doubt they'd really know the difference." Trowa took the letter and read the short sentences. "It doesn't make sense." Trowa said. Quatre sighed. "I wonder if they put her on medications or something. She was always such a grammar freak. She misspells Camel, Her sentences have no meaning, no structure. Why would she write this to me?" Trowa folded the letter and stuck it in his pocket. "It wasn't for you. I have to go." Quatre followed him out. "Are you going after Heero?" Trowa snorted and shook his head. "Nah. He needs to cool off. I'm going to find out what this means." Quatre watched as the third car from the day sped off in the distance. "Something’s not right." He whispered as he closed the door behind him.

Chapter 6

Heero sat at his desk, going through the pictures in Hilde's file. He took a sip of his coffee as his eyes scanned the photos of the death scene. There were things he didn't pick up in his earlier searches. Why was she barefoot? She had no shoes in any of the pictures. He came up on one with a close up of her face. He frowned as he saw the tear streaks through the mud on her cheeks. "God Hilde, I'm so sorry." He whispered. He felt like a failure. He had no leads, nothing to go on. Just dreams. Dreams that weren't making sense to him. He needed to sort them out. He set the picture down and started to fiddle with the ring on his chain. He played with it, letting it slip between his fingers. He felt a wave of dizziness hit him all of the sudden. As he was falling to the floor he saw a flash of light. Suddenly he was in his dream again...No wait. He still felt awake.... It was like it was when he was under hypnosis. But this time it was different. He could observe more. He felt something on his hand...But he wasn't sure if it was the rope or not. He was thrown to the ground again, just like before. He anticipated the stab in the stomach. Knowing it was coming made it no less painful. He tried to focus through the pain. He was barefooted. He could feel that. His throat was slit in another instance. He felt himself falling forward. His mind was fighting to return to consciousness but he wouldn't let it. Not until he saw something. His head hit the ground, the cool soft soil rubbing onto his cheeks. He could feel his hot tears over his cold face. He forced his head to turn slightly. His eyes widened. Shoes. He never saw that before. Boots. But whose shoes were they? He heard a mumble of a woman's voice, but couldn't make out the words. He felt some sort of struggle behind him and the object on his hand was gone. He heard the footsteps trail off in the distance. He struggled to move, but the loss of blood was overwhelming. He choked as blood filled in his throat. Through all the physical pain, nothing hurt him worse than the pain in his chest. It felt like his heart was breaking, slowly draining along with the rest of him.*So much pain* He cried to himself. He stared at the shoe print on the ground next to his head.... Suddenly his head shot up...He was back in his apartment, lying on the floor. *Must of fell out of my seat* He thought. His coffee mug was shattered in pieces, lying in a pool of coffee. He sat up slowly. His head hurt from the impact of the floor. He reached out and stared at his hand...What was it about his hand? His head shot up as realization hit. He clamored through the pictures on the table, finally spotting the one he was searching for. It was a shot of Hilde from behind, leaving a clear, close shot of her hands tied behind her back. He grabbed his magnifying glass and stared closely..."There." Her left ring finger, there was some sort of marking there. She had a ring on...."Her ring...The killer took the ring." He said out loud. He jumped up and grabbed his keys. It was getting late, but he had to get answers. He could only think of one woman that had boots like that. Standard issued military boots. "Was it really you Sally?" He asked himself as he sped off to her office building.

Once there he cursed it being so late. They locked up the office. "Damn it!" He slammed his fist against the door. He was startled when a young woman came to the door. "We're closed" She said loud enough for him to hear. "I know, but can you tell me where i can find Dr Po? It's important." The girl nodded. "There's some banquet tonight. She was supposed to attend with Ms Noin, and Ms, Dorlian." Heero shouted his thanks as he rushed to Relena's house. She might be in danger. Her and Duo both. He pulled up to the darkened house. "Oh god please let them be ok." He knocked and looked in the window on the door. No one. Not even the housekeeper. He had to check for himself. He walked around the back of the house and picked the lock on the back door. The door swung quietly open. He crept inside, in case someone was still here. So far, no sign of anyone. He walked upstairs.... No one. He checked Relena's bedroom. "She must be at the banquet. Duo too." He almost turned to leave when something caught his eye. Relena's jewelry box was out and sitting on the dresser. She never left it out because she kept all her mother's heirlooms tucked away inside.. He didn't know why but he was compelled to look inside. Scanning the area once more, he quickly made his was to the other end of the room. Relena must have been in a hurry, she left the top open. He looked inside. There had to be over a dozen rings, bracelets and earrings inside. He smirked. Relena was always a jewelry hog. He turned to leave but was stopped by a sight of a picture frame faced down on the dresser. He picked it up. It was of Relena, Hilde and Duo. He remembered taking the picture the day Duo proposed. "So long ago." He sighed and went to put it back when he stopped. Hide's arm was around Relena's shoulder. It showed off her engagement ring...The ring! He looked closer and froze. Wait a minute. He just saw that ring.......

Trowa rubbed his eyes as he stared at the cryptic message from Dorothy. He was one of the best code crackers on the force. This shouldn't be too hard. But he was still having problems deciphering the pattern. He had been working on it for hours and he couldn't come up with anything that made sense. It must be something simple. She wouldn't have time to write something huge, and she wouldn't have time to make an elaborate code. Simple. Think Simple......

Princesses get all men in Cairo.

I see Kamels In long lost Egyptian ruins.

Til we meet again, my Prince

Dorothy C.

He stared at the word "Kamel". Was it spelt wrong on purpose? He continued to stare...He caught on to an idea. "Kamel...K. First letter of each word. Kamels In Long Lost Egyptian Ruins." He sat back to study his handy work. "Ok now to finish. Princesses Get All Men In Cairo. I See Kamels In Long Lost Egyptian Ruins..."He frowned. pgamic??? That made no sense. "Someone is killer. Someone...What can it be?" He went for the second letter of each word. When he finished he froze with fear. "Oh...... my........ god......." He grabbed his gun and sprinted out the door without a second thought...

PRINCESSES GET ALL MEN IN CAIRO.

I SEE KAMELS IN LONG LOST EGYPTIAN RUINS.

TIL WE MEET AGAIN, MY PRINCE

DOROTHY C.

Chapter 7

Heero rummaged through the jewelry box frantically. His hand froze when he spotted what he was afraid to find. Lying at the bottom of the box was the same ring in the picture. One small round smooth diamond set in white gold. Hilde cherished that ring. Duo had it special made for her so there was no way it could be a duplicate. Heero felt sick. He slowly picked up the ring....

Instantly there was a flash. He was in the car again. But he wasn't him. He felt small heels on his feet. *Oh god it's happening again* He thought. He observed everything through her eyes and voice. He kicked off the shoes as he tried to resist being pulled from the car. He could see everything now. Honey blonde hair tied in a tight bun, she was wearing boots. He didn't think she even owned a pair. "Why are you doing this?" He heard himself ask. "Shut up." Came a cold reply. "Let me go let me go!!" she stumbled and started to move away. Hilde started to scream, hoping desperately for someone to hear her. "Stop it." Relena hissed. He saw the blade unsheathe. "No..please no.." *No...I can't watch this again* he thought to himself as the scene unfolded in front of him. "Why? Why would you do this?" Hilde cried. "Your my best friend." She whispered. Relena scowled. "Because you're in my way." Heero cringed as the knife imbedded itself in her stomach. The cries echoed like thunder in his ears until a slice across the throat silenced her. He felt the ring being wrestled off her hand. "With any luck, Duo will get me a ring someday. One a lot better than this. But I'll keep this one just in case." Relena clutched it in her hand and headed back for the car, leaving Hilde's life to drain away in the silence....*Why...For Duo??? This was because of Duo?* he kept asking. He opened his eyes and stared at the ring clutched in his fingers. He knew everything now, even though it was hard for him to comprehend. Relena....How could she? "I've got to call -" "You're not calling anybody." Came a familiar voice. Heero swung around. "Relena." He said. She stared coldly at him. "What are you doing here?" She asked. He returned her scowl. "Staring at a murderer." He spat. She frowned. "You weren't supposed to know, Heero. You don't understand. I love Duo. I'd never stand a chance if Hilde was in the picture." He shook his head, bewildered at the thought of her logic. "So you murder you best friend, just to try to win Duo. You'll never win Duo. His heart is with her, even in death." Her face turned to a mask of anger. "Your wrong! He feels for me I know he does! If you tell him you'll just hurt him more. Don't you think he's suffered enough?" Heero took a step forward. "He's suffered because of you! Dorothy knew. Is that why you had her locked up?" She snorted. "Dorothy found out my plot, the nosey bitch.. I had to get rid of her or she would have warned everybody. She deserves to be in there anyway. She's always been psychotic." Heero took another step forward. "You won't get away with this." Too late did he see the gun in her hand. "Oh. I think I will Heero." His gun was in his car. He had been so worried about her safety he had forgotten it. Relena fired the gun, slugging him in the chest. Heero tumbled backwards from the force. He looked down and saw the blood already covering his chest. She shot him. He could swear she shot him right in the heart. He closed his eyes tight against the pain. His chest was unbearably tight and it was hard to breathe. "You should have just stayed out of it. You and your sense of loyalty. To HER. She could never have loved you Heero. You couldn't win her, just like I couldn't win Duo's love with her in the way. If you could feel how I felt, you would of done the same thing." Heero felt his head hit the floor as the pain and loss of blood overwhelmed him. He took a last struggle to look up at her. "Never...Would I...stoop like...YOU. Never..." He saw the gun pointed in his face, the girl he had always protected itching to pull the trigger on him. How did this all happen? "Well I guess it doesn't matter now, does it? Goodbye Heero." He heard a 'thunk' and watched Relena crumble to the floor. Behind her was Trowa, holding a small statue in one hand, which he dropped immediately. "Heero." He was instantly at his side, trying to hold off the bleeding. Heero tried to focus. Guilt tore through him for even considering that Trowa could murder someone, least of all his friend. "T..Tr." Heero tried to speak, to apologize, anything. He could barely breathe at this point. Trowa looked at the wound. It may have punctured his heart. Trowa didn't know how long he could hold on like this. The loss of blood was too much. "Heero. Heero hang on. I called the force and help is coming. Just hang in there." Heero let his head hit the floor again as he struggled to breathe. "I'm....Sorry." He whispered before his body went limp. "Heero? No! Heero!" Trowa hollered to try to bring him back.

Heero felt weightless. *Where am I* He wondered as he stared into nothing. Blackness. Total encompassing darkness. "Heero." He swung around. He knew that voice "Hilde?" He called out. "Where are you?" She appeared out of the dark, looking radiant like she used to when she was alive. He just stood there, watching her come closer. He remembered Relena's words. He did love her, more than he should. He couldn't hide that from himself any longer. Soon they were eye to eye. "Heero. Thank you." Heero felt his heart tighten. "Hilde I’m so sorry - " She put her fingers to his lips to silence him and shook her head. "You did nothing wrong." He just nodded. "But I did. I fell in love with you....I would never of stood between you and Duo, but it's true. Relena was right. I did love you." She smiled. "I love you too, Heero. You always had a special place in my heart. And I knew I could count on you always, even after death." He pulled her close to him, for the first time, letting his feelings show. "Remember that. Take care of Duo for me. He needs you now more than ever." Heero nodded. Hilde ignored her own tears falling from her face as she reached up to wipe his from his cheeks. "You set me free." She whispered. He closed his eyes as she brought his face close to hers and softly kissed his lips. He felt so at peace. He never wanted to leave.... *Take care of Duo* He replayed in his head. He slowly opened his eyes. He was in a white room. He looked around and frowned. He was in a hospital. He wasn't dead. He tried to sit up and winced as the sharp pain shot up in his chest. "Hey, don't move." Came a soft voice. He settled back down and slowly looked to his side. Trowa was sitting there, a book in his lap. "How are you feeling?" He asked. Heero smirked. "Like shit. What happened?" Trowa scooted closer. "I called back up while I was on my way to Relena's. I wish I had gotten there sooner." Heero shook his head. "I was lucky you showed up when you did. But how did you know?" Trowa smiled. "Dorothy's letter. What Quatre was trying to tell you was that he gave those people a phony copy. I figured out the code. That’s how I knew Relena was the killer." Heero closed his eyes, ashamed. "I'm sorry. I acted badly...I just didn't know who I could trust." Trowa put a hand up to stop him. "Obviously, no one knew who they could trust so I don't blame you. I just hope you can trust me now." Heero clasped his hand in Trowa's in agreement. The doctor came in at that moment. "Well Mr. Yuy, it looks like you'll live. The bullet came very close to your heart. You're really lucky to be alive." After checking the patient over the doctor left. "How are you Yuy?" Heero looked up to see Wufie enter the room. "I'll live." Wufie nodded. "Relena is in a holding cell for now until her trial. I have to say, with her influence, I don't know how severe her punishment will be...." Trowa nodded in agreement. "We'll just have to hope for the best." Wufie walked up and gently patted Heero's shoulder, which was very out of character for the stern man. "You did it. It's over." Heero lay back in his bed. Yes...It was finally over. There was just one thing left to do...