Mission Accepted: Thoughts
Relative disclaimers apply.

The blinking, circling lights on top of the three ambulances and five police cars were blinding, so Relena closed her eyes as three Emergency Medical Assistants helped her and Quatre get into one of the ambulances.

Nearby, two somber-faced policemen were taking statements from Duo, Wufei and Trowa, who had put their personality clashes aside for the moment.

Relena snuck a glance at them just before one of the EMAs stepped into the ambulance and pulled the doors closed before sitting down opposite her and Quatre.

She could imagine what the young men were saying. All of them had come up with a "self-defense" story some time ago, before Duo had run out of the warehouse to find a pay phone, using a high-pitched, fake voice and pretending to be in a panic.

"It's simple," Trowa had said to her once they had finally agreed upon what to say and do. "Briggs invited Quatre to the warehouse to discuss, ahem, 'rehabilitating' Datarese, but once we got there, he kidnapped you and Quatre instead. When we found you guys, Quatre was bruised and battered and Briggs was trying to kill you, thinking that he'd killed Quatre already. But before we could do anything you got his gun away from him and shot him."

It was almost believable. But Relena didn't like the story, mainly because she wanted to accept any punishment that she would get for her crime.

"They'll find out that I shot him from a few feet away," she'd pointed out.

All five of the young men had shrugged.

"And they'll figure out that the story isn't true. Don't shrug your shoulders again. I'm serious. I'm going to go to jail. Why not tell them the truth?"

They all glared at her and she had understood that they wanted her to keep her mouth shut, but she refused to be silent.

"I just think that-"

"You're no longer involved in this," Heero had quietly insisted, and for some reason that had closed the subject.

But the others understood that he had meant that if anyone was going to go to jail for the incident, it was going to be himself, regardless of how anyone felt about it.

They also understood that Heero had found a way to express how he felt about Relena, and were secretly proud of him.

Very secretly.

"Miss Relena," Quatre whispered, bringing her attention back to the present moment.

"Don't talk," she said soothingly, knowing that speaking made his face hurt even more.

He shook his head.

"I must. I have to tell you...it'll be okay, Miss Relena. Don't worry."

She winced.

"But he could be...in trouble."

He shook his head again.

"Trust him."

That was the problem. She always had.

Heero, perched on the edge of Brigg's desk, glared at the young gum-chewing Officer Howard Demison, who was poking around the office for the umpteeth time.

"Yes, I'm sure," he said irritably.

"Just making sure," Demison replied, and bent to look at an area of floor that his leather loafered-feet had already been in.

Heero strongly suspected that Demison, who appeared to be in his early twenties, hadn't been an officer of the law for very long. Perhaps a week - but that was pushing it.

He exhaled.

"I told you, Quatre was tied to the chair when the rest of us got here, and Briggs was struggling with Relena."

If that were true, Briggs would be dead instead of unconscious because I would have—

Demison glared at Heero. He wasn't afraid of the younger man, but he made him nervous.

"She your girlfriend?"

The glare Heero gave him made him even more nervous.

"No," Heero said, and his eyes seemed to penetrate straight through to Demison's bones.

Demison swallowed hard.

"I'm just asking because you're pretty protective of her. All of you guys are, but you especially, and I know she isn't your sister."

One of Heero's eyebrows went up, but the glare remained.

"How do you know that? People don't have to look alike to be related."

Demison shook his head slowly.

"You're not convincing me, man."

Heero shrugged.

"Suit yourself."

Demison exhaled.

"What, she's just a very good friend? Give me a break."

Heero hopped off the desk.

"Why don't you stick to your legal line of questioning?"

"But you guys are on trial here. I got a bleeding guy in the ambulance, one good-looking girl and five guys and nothing to go on but the gun and your words. And she isn't saying much for some reason."

"She's stressed and doesn't trust herself," Heero said dryly.

"Nope. Don't believe it."

Demison rose and faced Heero.

"You guys're hiding something."

"I've already told you what happened. You'll hear the same from the other guys."

Demison wiggled his eyebrows.

"Too convenient and consistent for me."

"This is going nowhere."

Heero walked towards the open doorway.

Demison hurried to block his path.

"Ohhhhh, no. I'm not finished here."

Heero's eyes promised him great harm if he didn't move.

Demison tried to reply to that look with a verbal promise, but couldn't find the words to say to plant it within Heero's mind.

A few seconds later he sighed and stepped aside.

"I'll be watching you. All of you."

Heero shrugged.

"You're the law around here," he said, and walked out of the office.

You owe me one, Relena. You'd better be prepared to pay me back when I come to collect.

Relena's head jerked. She'd been dozing off and something had woken her up.

Heero.

No answer.

She half-smiled.

I'm not walking away. I'm staying whether you like it or not. And even if I did walk away, you'd come after me. Don't deny it.

That was a brazen thought and she felt her cheeks redden, but she didn't care. You couldn't say those precious three words to someone and then act as though you hadn't. And you couldn't walk into someone's heart, someone's life, and then simply walk back out again.

But he was making it so hard for both of them. Why wouldn't he just relax, and come to her?

She frowned and shook her head.

Maybe it's himself that he doesn't trust.

Quatre grabbed her hand. She gasped.

"You should be resting."

He grimaced.

"Never mind me. Miss Relena...you have to have faith in him as well. He never said so, and might have killed us if we had asked him, but that helped him carry out his missions during the war. You...."

He yawned.

"...need to believe in him."

He fell asleep.

"Quatre...."

Does he still believe in me?

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