Interlude 1: Forever, pt 2/10
Relative disclaimers apply.

Baby Heero napped near Relena's chest while his parents lay side-to-side on a large, waterproof pad with the first three letters of the alphabet colorfully printed all over it watching the television in the living room area of Heero's sparsely furnished apartment.

Heero raised the remote and turned the volume down a notch, but that did little to mask the noise from the crowds shown in various points-of-view from both Earth and the Colonies.

As the vote count increased, the points-of-view changed a bit more frequently until, at ninety-nine percent, the view settled on mediaperson Porter Silas, who was surrounded by so many people that nothing else besides himself was visible.

"WE"RE ALMOST THERE!" he screamed above the noise of the crowd.

Heero scowled and turned the volume down another notch.

"AND WE'RE LIVING IN THE MOMENT!" Silas screamed, his excitement making it hard for him to keep still.

Heero moved a finger towards the OFF button.

"Wait," Relena said.

Heero lowered the remote.

"You really want to see more of this guy?"

"Shut him up, I just want to see when the vote reaches one hundred percent."

Heero shrugged and pressed the MUTE button.

But even muted, the television still broadcast a faint amount of sound when the vote reached one hundred percent. All of the points of view showed the crowds going insane with joy, mediapeople actually weeping, tons of multicolored confetti literally pouring down from the sky (from unseen helicopters) and massive parties in both Earth and the Colonies.

Relena smiled at the banners some people were waving around. In various arrangements of words, these banners thanked her, Quatre and the rest of those involved in the peace process.

And to add a significant, nice touch to all of this, the voters in each hall were shaking hands with each other under THANK YOU EVERYONE banners suspended from the ceilings.

Heero wondered why Relena wasn't in tears.

"It's over," she said softly.

"You should be proud," he gently chided her. "You played a big part in this."

"All in a millenium's work," she joked.

He shook his head slowly.

She grinned lazily.

"Now I can live a somewhat normal life."

He scowled.

"Not until after the reception. What are you going to do until then?"

She frowned. Heero thought that any time that they spent together was only temporary, and why not? How else had they been living?

She took a deep breath, held it, let it out slowly.

"We could get married," she suggested.

But it wasn't really a suggestion.

Heero froze. He hadn't quite believed what he had just heard.

"What?"

"We could run away. Just the three of us."

"Are you crazy? And besides, you have to be at the reception."

She scowled.

"Says who?"

"Relena," he said warningly.

"My job is over," she pointed out.

"Not until after the reception," he said firmly.

She frowned.

"So your answer is no."

He rolled his eyes.

"I didn't say that. In fact, I didn't say anything."

"I think I can handle it if I got into trouble for skipping the reception. I have something more important to attend to. My life. With you and the baby."

"Relena, you just can't drop out of the public eye."

"Oh yes I can. This isn't my moment any more. In fact, it stopped being mine the instant the vote count started. Maybe it was over when the various heads of states decided to agree upon the treaty. My job is over, Heero."

"But—"

"My job is over."

In other words, the next move was his.

"Dammit."

"I'm not asking you to move into my house, or sign your life over to me. Both of us have made great sacrifices to be here like this. I don't want to force you into doing something that you don't want to do. And stop cursing in front of the baby."

"You cursed enough during his birth."

"Don't start."

He exhaled. Relena run away? That was an uncharacteristic move for her. And for him to even be considering running away with her...

I'm considering it?

"You're crazy," he said again, but he meant both of them this time. "This is crazy."

"What's wrong, don't you like challenges?" she challenged him, knowing full well that he loved challenges.

He aimed a glare at one of the biggest challenges of his entire life.

"I would have to move into your house. But I want to be left alone for the most part, and I want to remain able to come and go as I please."

"Oh, of course."

"Don't make promises you don't intend to keep," he warned her.

She ignored the tone of voice.

He's weakening.

"I'm not. You'll have your own office. You can even be in charge of estate security. How's that for a dowry?"

"That's not funny," he grumbled. "I have nothing to offer you—"

"Yourself has suited me fine so far."

He didn't want to start an argument. Not now, anyhow. Later he might make an attempt, when they were alone...in her bed.

"Dammit."

"It'd be an exchanging of vows, nothing more. Your life is still your own. I just want you to not feel like an intruder whenever you're in the house."

"You don't want to be a hit-and-run victim anymore."

She gasped. Her eyes blazed.

"Heero!"

She would have gotten up, scooped the baby up and stormed out, but he stopped her by grabbing one of her ankles.

"Listen to me. If I marry someone it wouldn't be to make them look good. Understand?"

She exhaled.

"I want us to be able to be together without any restrictions."

He grimaced.

And yet I'm still considering it.

She shrugged and wriggled out of his grip while reaching for Baby Heero.

"I understand your hesitation. Like I said, I don't want to force you. It was just something that...would be nice."

He exhaled.

"That's true, at least."

"It would be an unpublicized secret."

"I know that," he snapped, annoyed with himself that he was still considering it.

Relena sat up cross-legged and snuggled the baby against her chest.

"I know that you know. I was just saying..."

She exhaled.

"Fine. Dammit. I love you. I like being with you like this. I'd like it if we could be together like this for the rest of our lives. That's my argument for this."

He couldn't help it. He grinned s-l-o-w-l-y.

She deliberately ignored the grin.

"But if you don't want us to exchange vows, then I guess that we'll have to go on the same way that we have been, because I'm not letting you go—"

That was what he wanted to hear. He gripped her shoulders and leaned in for a long kiss, then snatched his mouth away and briefly pressed it to Baby Heero's head.

Breathlessly, she asked: "And what was that?"

He kissed her forehead.

"You got yourself a deal, lady."

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