Chapter One

AC 200 (L4 Colony)

Relena winced as the new Prime Minister for the South Pacific Region hugged her tight for the nth time that afternoon. She could feel his hands moving further down her back. Seeing her predicament, Quatre cleared his throat and discreetly pulled her away from the Prime Minister's grasp. Sighing in relief, Relena snuggled closer to Quatre, one of his arms wrapped protectively around her waist.

Smiling sheepishly, the Prime Minister said, "You really have a very lovely wife, Mr. Winner."

Quatre smiled at him. "Yes, I know. I'm a very lucky man."

"Indeed," he answered, still ogling Relena. Relena smiled uneasily at him. Geez, it sure feels like he's undressing me with his gaze, she thought.

"Now I know why you found it necessary to elope with her. I have the urge myself to elope with her right this minute," the Prime Minister added. His words made Quatre and Relena cringe but both being good diplomats, they managed to hide their uneasiness and instead smiled good-naturedly at him. "What I don't understand are the rumors about you having an affair with that other Gundam Pilot turned head of the Preventer base here in L4. I can clearly see that you're very much a man such as myself. And that you're very happy with your wife."

Quatre's grip tightened around Relena's waist though his smile didn't waver. Sensing Quatre's discomfort, Relena jumped to the rescue. "You know how the media is Prime Minister. They always manage to either get things out of context or blow it out of proportion. But rumors aside, it has been a pleasure having you here. We hope that you visit us again," she said as graciously as she can, her mind chanting the opposite. God, you're the creepiest person I have ever met. Please go away and don't ever come back.

"Of course I wouldn't dream of refusing an invitation from such a vision of loveliness like you, Vice Foreign Minister," the old pervert answered, taking Relena's hand to kiss it. Quatre saw that he has no intention of letting Relena's hand go soon so he said, "I think your ride is waiting for you, Prime Minister. You better hurry or else you might miss your flight." Allah forbid that ever happens, he prayed silently.

Releasing her hand, the Prime Minister looked over his shoulder and saw the limo parked by the Winner mansion's driveway. He turned his head back to address the couple. "Thank you for your hospitality, Mr and Mrs Winner. Goodbye." After giving Relena one last kiss, he walked towards the limo and went in.

Quatre and Relena waved wholeheartedly at the departing limo, relief washing over them as they saw the limo exit the gate. Finally, they got rid of that nosy, perverted bastard. They went back inside the house, heading straight to the den.

Trowa looked up from his book when they came in. Quatre sat down beside him on the couch while Relena settled on a nearby loveseat. After glancing around, Relena asked, "Trowa, where's Heero?"

Trowa closed his book and placed it on top of the table. "He went outside saying that he just need to take care of something," he answered flatly but his one visible eye twinkled with mischief.

Both Relena and Quatre cocked an eyebrow. They didn't like the sound of that. Suddenly, they heard a loud popping noise followed by a crash coming from outside.

"What was that?" Quatre said as he ran to the window. But he didn't see anything. As if on cue, Heero strode casually inside the room. Quatre and Relena eyed him carefully as he sat down beside Relena, both not failing to notice the satisfied smirk on his face.

"Ok, Heero, spill it," Relena said. She knew well enough that unexplained loud noises and Heero smirking were not mere coincidences. "What was that all about?"

"The Prime Minister's limo blew a tire," Heero answered.

"Blew a tire? That didn't sound like a tire blowing up to me. And how in the world would his limo blow a tire?" Quatre asked incredulously.

"Oh, it was an accident. A stray bullet hit one of the tires and the limo skidded off then turned over."

"WHAT?! What did you do that for?!" Quatre yelled.

"He's fawning over my wife," he calmly stated as he put his arm around Relena's shoulders. Relena beamed at him.

Quatre sighed. "Yes, I know. And I tried my best to keep his hands off her. But as much as I wanted to shoot his limo too, didn't you realize that he might decide to spend the night here now that his limo is not going anywhere? Or worse he might get hurt and stay here longer. I couldn't stand another second with that scumbag. And how can we explain the bullet?"

"Don't worry. Nobody was hurt. And I already sent one of your limos with a medic to check up on him and his driver and to give him a ride to the spaceport. Besides, I called the spaceport and told them to wait for the Prime Minister because he'll be late. There was a failed assassination attempt on his life."

Quatre shook his head, smiling. It was like Heero to make a revenge as thorough as this one. And without getting anyone killed or suspicious too. Just rattled. "It's a good thing that I haven't fawned Relena over this course of time that we are supposedly married. Or else you might have killed me already."

"I don't believe you're capable of such actions, Quatre. They might call me the Perfect Soldier but you're the Perfect Gentleman."

"And we're all friends here. You wouldn't do anything that'll hurt your friends, would you?" Trowa amended.

"Yeah. I'm very much confident that you'll never take advantage of me, Quatre," Relena told him. "And thank you for saving me many times from the claws of that dirty, old man."

"No need to thank me. You're my wife too, you know," Quatre answered. Seeing the way Heero was looking at him, he added, "My wife in front of the whole ESUN, I mean."

Relena sighed and snuggled closer to Heero. "Tomorrow will be our supposedly first year wedding anniversary. And to be honest, I'm getting tired of this situation. No offense, Quatre."

"None taken. I know what you mean. I'm getting tired of all this pretending too. It's hard to hide from everybody whom you really love," Quatre remarked, taking Trowa's hand in his. Trowa gave him a small smile. "And I know that it's harder for you, Relena. If only the rumors about me and Trowa didn't come out, jeopardizing not only my position as the head of the Colony Delegates but also the Winner Corporation's business deals and if my sisters weren't badgering me to get married and have an heir, I wouldn't have drag you into this mess."

"Don't be too hard on yourself. You didn't drag me into this mess, I dragged myself into this mess. The ESUN Council made a ruling for me to marry a Colony Delegate to secure an alliance between the colonies and the Earth. Even Milliardo couldn't do anything to change their minds. It was just pure luck that we both needed to trade favors --- you, looking for a fake wife and me looking for a fake Colony delegate husband. Not only did we make the Council and your sisters happy, we also came up with this brilliant 'arrangement'."

"I never thought that having Duo as a priest will come in handy," Trowa said. "With him, you and Quatre could pretend to elope, announcing that Duo married you secretly, having the rest of us as your witnesses and nobody will doubt the authenticity of your words."

"But in fact, Duo married us," Heero stated.

"Yes. Everything was neatly arranged. Still, we all know that we couldn't keep this charade forever. We just managed to delay the inevitable, to avoid getting married to a person someone else had chosen for us. Sooner or later, we have to tell Noin, Zechs and the whole ESUN the truth. And may Allah help us when that day comes," Quatre told them.

"Especially when Relena gets pregnant and gives birth to a child who has brown hair and Prussian blue eyes," Trowa commented. The four of them laughed at the thought though they didn't notice that Relena's laugh was a little bit forced and tensed.

Heero glanced at his watch then said, "Trowa, we better go. Lady Une will be calling the HQ within 30 minutes to hear our monthly report regarding the status of the Preventer base here."

Trowa nodded and kissed Quatre goodbye. Heero gave Relena a quick kiss on the mouth. "I'll be back before dinner," he promised. Relena and Quatre watched the love of their lives walked toward the door and leave.

The next morning…

"Master Quatre! Master Quatre! Wake up, Master Quatre!" Rashid said as he continued pounding on the door.

Quatre lifted his head from Trowa's shoulders and looked at the clock. 7:00 am. "What is it, Rashid?" he asked sleepily.

"Milliardo Peacecraft and his wife Noin are here to see you."

"Ok," Quatre answered groggily as he settled back to Trowa's arms. Then, Rashid's words sank to his brain. "WHAT?!"

Trowa was awakened by Quatre's outburst. "What's what, Quatre?" he inquired as he kissed his lover's golden head.

"Noin and Zechs are here."

Trowa immediately jumped out of bed and got dressed. "What will I say to them, Master Quatre?" Rashid asked behind the closed door.

"Tell them that we'll be down after a few minutes. We need to take a shower first," Quatre instructed. He then went to his vidphone and punched some keys.

Heero heard a beeping sound. He untangled himself from Relena and pressed a button on his laptop resting on the bedside table. Quatre's image appeared on the screen.

"Heero! Wake Relena up quick! Zechs and Noin are here."

"Huh?" Heero jerked into a sitting position. "Where's Trowa?"

"He's already back in his room. Get Relena in here, hurry!" The call was then terminated.

Heero turned his attention to his wife. "Relena, wake up. Noin and Zechs are here," he said while shaking her awake.

Relena rolled to the side and stood up. She sleepily started getting dressed. "Why would they visit without telling us? And why this early in the morning?"

"I don't know. But we'll find out soon."

After they both got dressed, they went to the bookshelf by the East wall. Heero pulled a book then put his thumb on a concealed thumbprint checker monitor. The shelf slid to the left revealing another wall. Heero knocked at the wall three times. They saw the wall parted as Trowa opened it from his side. The pair went in Trowa's room. Trowa then pushed a camouflaged button on the opposite wall, revealing an entrance to Quatre's room. Quatre approached them as Relena and Heero entered.

"I have to commend your foresight, Heero. Putting connecting doors in our rooms was really a good idea. It'll make sneaking around easier."

Thirty minutes later...

Noin and Zechs stood up as Quatre and Relena entered the drawing room. "Milliardo! Noin! It's nice of you to visit us," Relena said as she hugged her brother then Noin.

"I can see that married life suits you well, Relena," Noin replied, hugging her back. The older woman could see Relena glowing with happiness.

Quatre shook hands with Zechs then hugged Noin. "You should have told us you're coming. We could have picked you up from the spaceport," Quatre told them.

The four of them sat down. Quatre and Relena sat on the left couch while Zechs and Noin sat opposite them. "Well, we wanted to surprise both of you so we didn't call. Sorry if we came too early in the morning. Noin and I are just excited to share with you your first year wedding anniversary," Zechs explained.

Relena reached out to squeeze Quatre's hand. "Thank you for remembering. It means a lot to us."

"Aside from that, we also thought that this would be a good opportunity for a family get together. We haven't seen each other since you two eloped. So we decided to stay here for a week, if that's ok with you," Noin said.

Quatre and Relena looked at each other, both having one thought in their heads. Uh-oh, this spells trouble.

"Of course it's ok with us. You're family. You can stay for as long as you like," Quatre offered.

"What about the twins? And the Sanc Kingdom? How can the Kingdom function without it's Chief Representative?" Relena asked.

"We left Zoe and Laird with Mrs. Darlian. You know how much she loves those two-yr old monsters," Noin answered with affection.

"As for the Kingdom, I left Viceroy Dariñas in-charge for the duration of my stay here. And I told him to call me immediately if ever a problem brews. Though I doubt that'll happen," Zechs added.

A knock interrupted their conversation. "Come in," Quatre called out. The butler entered the room and announced, "Breakfast is served, Master Quatre."

"Good," he answered as he helped Relena up. Noin and Zechs followed suit. "Are Trowa and Heero in the dining room yet?"

"No, sir. But we already informed them of breakfast. They'll be down any minute."

"Thanks, Ray." Quatre offered an arm to Relena and the four of them followed Ray to the dining room.

After breakfast Quatre, Relena, Zechs, Noin, Trowa and Heero went to the drawing room to continue their conversation, updating each other with what was happening in their respective lives. An hour passed by when suddenly Noin asked, "Don't you have any meetings today, Relena?"

"Nope. Great isn't it? And just in time for my wedding anniversary," Relena replied and without thinking, beamed at Heero who was sitting across her beside Noin. Noin and Zechs gave her a funny look while Heero glared at her. Quatre tried to salvage the situation.

"Alright, dear, I know you asked Heero for help in picking out my anniversary gift so where is it?"

Relena sighed in relief. "I can't hide anything from you, huh? Well, we're just going to get it, aren't we, Heero?"

Heero shot her a questioning look before nodding. Relena stood up and kissed Quatre on the cheek. "I'll just go upstairs and get my purse. We'll be back soon," she told everyone before walking out of the room, Heero trailing behind her.

After the two left, Quatre and Trowa felt uncomfortable. They didn't know if they should scoot closer to each other since there was a big space between them left by Relena. But before they could decide, they heard Zechs speak. "Pardon me for asking this but isn't it risky to have Heero around here? I mean, you're friends and all and I don't have anything against the guy but you know how crazy Relena was with him and he with Relena. It's true that they broke up a week before you eloped but they might… well, be tempted, so to speak."

Trowa blinked while Quatre tried to stifle a laugh and make a straight face. Zechs was concerned that Relena might cheat on Quatre? And with Heero too, who was actually her husband? Everything was so funny and they would had laughed out loud if not for the consequences they had to face later.

"Don't worry, Zechs. I trust both my wife and my friend. Besides, you know the fact that Heero is the only person capable of protecting Relena. I was also a Gundam pilot but I couldn't be with her every moment because of my job. And I wouldn't jeopardize her safety by firing Heero as her bodyguard just because he was her ex-boyfriend."

"You're right," Zechs agreed. But I still think it's risky. Heero spends more time with Relena than Quatre. I better keep an eye on those two.

"Speaking of gifts, what is your anniversary present for Relena, hmm?" Noin asked Quatre.

Quatre stiffened. They forgot to arrange for fake gifts. "Oh, it's a secret, Noin. I helped Quatre find the perfect gift for Relena. She'll definitely like it," Trowa answered quietly.

Relena entered the master's bedroom, Heero closing the door behind them. "That was a close one," Relena said as she looked for her purse.

Heero snaked his arms around her waist. "Hn. Be careful next time."

Relena sighed. "They'll be here for the whole week. Can we keep up this act that long? Any of us might slip."

"Maybe it's a sign. Maybe it's time for the four of us to come clean."

Relena looked at him. "I know that you're getting tired of this too, Heero. And as much as I like to tell them the truth right this minute, I can't. We have to talk to Trowa and Quatre first. They have more to lose than us."

"I understand. Don't think that I'm pressuring you," he told her gently, his Prussian blue eyes looking right into her sky blue ones. He then leaned down and captured her lips for a passionate kiss. When they pulled apart, Heero smiled at her. "Happy Anniversary, Relena."

"Happy Anniversary to you too," Relena answered. A frown suddenly appeared on her face. "So we have to scrap the romantic dinner huh? Since Noin and Milliardo are here."

"I'm afraid so. But don't worry, we have all night to celebrate," Heero told her huskily.

She coyly smiled. "I'm looking forward to that and your present, Mr. Yuy. But I think we should better go now and get Quatre his present."

The two proceeded to go down the stairs. Heero was about to open the main door for Relena when the doorbell rang. Heero's hand on the knob stilled, his other hand gripped the gun on his waist. He then slowly opened the door.

"SURPRISE!!!"

Relena and Heero stood frozen on spot when they saw Duo, Hilde, Catherine, Dorothy, Sally and Wufei by the doorway.

"Happy Anniversary!" Hilde said as she hugged Relena. Dorothy, Sally and Catherine did the same.

"Hey, leave some for me," Duo said as he hugged Relena. "Looking good, Jousan. I can see that my buddy has been taking good care of you." He gave Heero a sly grin. Heero just nodded at him.

"Heero," Wufei greeted.

"Wufei," Heero responded.

"Sorry if we came unexpectedly. We want to surprise you since it's your anniversary," Dorothy explained.

"Yeah. We thought that we could do something fun. That's why we'll be staying for the whole week," Sally added.

Relena and Heero remained staring at them.

"Heero? Relena? Aren't you glad to see us?" Hilde asked.

Relena snapped out of her trance and smiled at her friends. "Oh sorry. Don't get us wrong. We're really glad that you're here. It's just that this is the second surprise we got this morning."

"Come inside," Heero told them.

Catherine smiled at him. She felt comfortable with Heero, maybe because he and her brother were so alike. "And I thought you've changed. Don't be so uptight, Heero. Afterall, it's your anniv---" she trailed off as she saw Quatre, Trowa, Noin and Zechs emerged from the drawing room.

"Hey, Noin! Zechs! So you're here too for Relena and Heer---" he stopped in midsentence when he felt Heero's foot stomped on his. Wincing he continued, "I mean her husband, Quatre's first year wedding anniversary." Nice recovery, baka, Duo told himself. Everybody who knew about the secret sighed in relief.

Noin and Zechs looked at each other, puzzled with what was going on. Noin then smiled at them. "Yes. And we'll be staying here for a whole week."

"Great! We'll be staying here for the whole week too. Lady Une gave Wufei and me a week off," Sally informed them.

"How about the circus, Cathy? Don't you have any shows? And your parish in L2 too, Duo. How can it function without its priest?" Quatre asked.

"Well, the manager gave me the week off too. Sort of a vacation," Catherine replied.

"Don't worry about my parish, Q-man. I'm not the only priest there. I need the vacation too you know."

"I thought priests don't have vacations," Trowa said.

"What do you expect from Maxwell, Trowa? He's the only priest in the whole ESUN who'll ask for a vacation or enjoy drinking the wine during communion," Wufei remarked.

Duo nodded his head solemnly. "What can I say? I'm the most special and unique priest in the whole galaxy." Everybody shook their heads, smiling. They hate to admit it but it's true. And it's comforting to know that there are some things that will never change.

"What about you, Dorothy? How did you manage to take the week off?" Relena inquired.

"Simple. I just told my Board of Directors that I'll go on a vacation and if they won't let me I'll go crazy and attack them with my fencing foil," Dorothy answered with amusement. "Besides, I own the company, I can do whatever I want." She then remembered that Heero and Relena were the ones who opened the door, not the butler. "Are you two going somewhere, Relena?"

"Uh-huh. Heero and I are going to get my present for Quatre."

"We better go, Relena," Heero told her.

Quatre looked at the grandfather clock. "I think I should go too. I have an important board meeting. And I have to pick up Relena's present."

"So you don't hide presents from each other nowadays." Dorothy commented.

"They intended it to be a secret but Quatre just discovered Relena's plan for him this morning so there's no use hiding anymore," Zechs answered.

Trowa addressed Quatre. "I'll come with you. I need to go to the Preventers HQ to check up on things."

"Speaking of which, Lady Une instructed me to give you this," Wufei said, handing Trowa a disk.

"What? You're all going to leave us here?" Hilde asked.

"Sorry but we have to. In the meantime, make yourselves at home. You can pass time in the recreation room, entertainment room, or in the pool house. You can also do combat practice in the training room. We'll be back just in time for lunch," Quatre said.

"Bye! See you guys later," Relena called out as she, Heero and Quatre went out of the mansion. Trowa gave Catherine a hug and a kiss before following them out and closing the door.

The 8 people left looked at each other. Catherine was the first one to speak. "Anyone wants to be my target as I practice my knife-throwing? It'll be fun."

Outside

Heero, Relena, Quatre and Trowa stopped a few feet away from Quatre's limo. They could see Quatre's personal bodyguards, Rashid and Abdul waiting inside the limo.

"So this means we have to cancel our trip to the cabin tonight," Quatre said to Trowa.

"Yes. We only planned to go anyways to give Heero and Relena a chance to be alone for a romantic dinner since they couldn't go out and have a romantic dinner in a restaurant without the risk of being caught. And by the looks of it, they have to cancel too."

"You got it right, Trowa. But we could do all of these next time and we had been pretty much secluded this past year to do anything we want. I'm really glad that they're all here but the odds of us slipping increased by 110%," Relena told them.

"We just have to be more careful. And we should get all of our stories straight. Starting from the gifts. Relena and I will buy you a gift, Quatre. Then just pretend that the gift that I'll give Relena came from you," Heero instructed.

"Good idea. What about the others?" Quatre asked.

"Don't worry about them. After the initial blunder they'll be extra careful," Trowa assured him.

"Well then, now that everything is settled, we should get going," Relena said.

"Ok, bye," Quatre said as he and Trowa went inside the limo. Relena and Heero, on the other hand, went in the direction of Heero's parked MB Convertible. The two cars then drove off in opposite directions.

Chapter Two

After lunch, the whole gang lounged by the pool. Zechs carefully watched Heero and Relena. Suffice to say that his fears were put to rest. Relena never left Quatre's side all afternoon while Heero maintained his distance. Heero and Relena might had been lovers in the past but Zechs was pretty sure that now, Heero was just a bodyguard and a friend to Relena, nothing more.

Zechs saw Heero went inside the house. He assumed that the younger man was going to get a drink. He let a few minutes passed by before he decided to follow him inside. They might had been rivals once but they always had respected and admired each other. They were kindred spirits. And being kindred spirits, he knew that there was something he needed to say to him. Turning to his wife he said, "I'm going to get us some drinks. The usual? " Noin nodded then continued talking with Relena and Quatre.

Heero just finished preparing his drink when Zechs entered the bar. "What do you want?" Heero asked behind the counter, offering to make him a drink.

"A blowjob will be fine," Zechs answered, taking a seat at the counter.

Heero paused and stared at him for a moment, making sure that they were both talking about the same thing and not something else before preparing Zechs' drink.

Zechs watched him for a few seconds before clearing his throat. "I know how much you love Relena. And I can't imagine how difficult it was for you to let her go. That's why I want to thank you for everything you've done to make her happy. I assume that you gave her and Quatre your blessing since they couldn't have eloped without your permission. And you're still here by her side, protecting her with your own life even if she's married to another man. I know that it's too late to say this but I owe you the truth. Heero, I've always expected, no, I've always wanted you to be my brother-in-law."

To Zechs's amazement, Heero actually gave him a smile. Looking at his blue eyes, Zechs could clearly see that he was deeply touched and somewhat amused. Heero finished mixing his drink and handed it to him.

"You don't owe me anything, Zechs. Nonetheless, thank you for thinking so highly of me. And for all that it is worth, I've always wanted to be your brother-in-law too," Heero replied.

"So it's here you both disappeared to," Quatre greeted as he entered the bar.

Heero picked up his drink and nodded at Zechs before leaving. Quatre went straight to the counter, occupying the space Heero just vacated. He started pouring two drinks, one for him, the other for Relena.

"Have you been there long?" Zechs asked. Quatre grinned sheepishly. "Quatre, I'm---"

The blonde Arabian raised a hand to stop him. "No need to explain, Zechs. I understand."

"No. Don't get me wrong. It's true that I've wanted Heero to marry Relena because I've always thought that he's the only man who could make her happy. But seeing her now, with you, I realized I was wrong. You can also make her happy. Thank you for taking such good care of her, Quatre," Zechs explained.

Quatre smiled at him though he felt guilty. Zechs was getting sentimental on all of them and he didn't even know that everything was a lie. I sure hope he'll forgive us when he finds out the truth. Though this is good blackmail material, Quatre silently said. "It's my pleasure, Zechs. But I'm not the only one you should be thanking. Trowa and Heero took good care of her too. You know that we'll do anything for Relena. And don't fret about anything. I'm not mad or offended with what you said to Heero. In fact I'm happy that you finally told him what you really feel. You don't know how much that means to him." Quatre then tapped his glass against Zechs' for a toast. "To you and your family," Quatre told him.

"As to you and yours," Zechs replied as they both took a sip, wishing both to have long and happy lives.

Meanwhile...

Noin and Relena sat back on their lounge chairs as they watched Trowa and Wufei throw Duo in the pool. "Uh-oh," Relena commented as she saw that the splash Duo made disrupted not only Catherine and Sally's silent reverie as they floated on their inflatable chairs but also Hilde and Dorothy's freestyle race. The two women laughed as they saw Trowa and Wufei ran away from 4 females seeking vengeance.

Chuckling, Noin turned to Relena. "I forgot how fun and refreshing it is to be with you guys."

"So have I. I hope that we could do this often."

"I agree," Noin replied. She then saw Relena's expression change when Heero emerged from the house and walked to their friends to help the girls throw Wufei and Trowa in the pool. "Umm, Relena, I've been meaning to ask you something. I hope that you won't get offended."

Relena looked at her. "What is it, Noin? You know that you can ask me anything."

Noin took a deep breath before asking, "Are you really happy, Relena?"

"Of course. I've never been happier. Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to make sure that you made the right decision in marrying Quatre. I mean, I know that you much rather marry Heero and that you wouldn't be able to love Quatre as much as you loved him but at least you and Quatre are friends. And I'm glad that you got to marry him instead of some other Colony delegate."

"Thanks for your concern, Noin. But I'm really happy with my decision. Besides, Quatre and I are bestfriends, you know that."

"But what about Heero?"

Relena looked away. She didn't want to look at Noin straight in the eye then lie. "What about him? I'm married, he's my bodyguard and that's that."

"And Trowa?"

Relena turned to look at her again. "Trowa?"

"Don't tell me you don't know. Everyone has heard of Trowa and Quatre's relationship. I know that it's all in the past like yours and Heero's but don't you get jealous of him? Aren't you afraid that they just might be tempted to… you know, rekindle their old flame?"

Relena's eyes grew wide as she put her hand on her mouth. Seeing her reaction, Noin hastily said, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to imply anything or to offend you, Relena."

Actually, Relena wasn't offended. She covered her mouth so she could stop herself from laughing. Noin was actually afraid that Quatre might cheat on her and rekindle his relationship with Trowa? If only Noin knew the truth. Oh, this is so hilarious. I have to tell this to them, Relena thought.

Regaining composure, Relena removed her hand from her mouth and shook her head. "Don't feel bad, Noin. I understand your concern. But there's no need to worry. I have my husband and friend's full trust. They wouldn't do anything that will hurt any of us," she said, smiling her assurance.

Noin smiled back. Their conversation was cut short when they saw Zechs and Quatre headed toward them, both carrying drinks for themselves and their respective wives.

***************************

The twelve friends decided to go out for dinner. Afterwhich, they went dancing. Since Duo and Hilde, Noin and Zechs, Quatre and Relena, Wufei and Sally were all paired up, Heero ended up escorting Catherine while Trowa escorted Dorothy. Though they were somewhat mismatched, all of them managed to have a great time. It was late when they got home and everybody was tired so after a series of goodnights, they immediately retired to their respective rooms.

Inside the Master's bedroom…

"Goodnight, Relena," Quatre said, as he pushed the camouflaged button. The connecting door opened.

"Goodnight," Relena replied, kissing him on the cheek. She then slipped in Trowa's room and saw Trowa standing by the bookshelf. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him goodnight.

"Goodnight," Trowa told her. He pulled a book from the shelf then put his thumb on the thumbprint checker monitor. The shelf slid to the left. They saw that Heero already opened the shelf on his side so Relena just stepped inside into her husband's waiting arms. The two silent pilots nodded at each other then both shelves slid back.

Trowa went to Quatre's room and closed the connecting door. He saw Quatre remove his dinner jacket and throw it to the ground. Trowa smiled. He went to him and whirled him around. Without breaking eye contact, Trowa slowly and seductively undid the buttons on Quatre's shirt. He slipped it off and started caressing Quatre's neck with his tongue, then nipped at his shoulders. Quatre's eyes grew heavy-lidded as he felt Trowa's hands roam his body. Quatre then tugged on Trowa's dinner jacket, then undid his shirt. Both naked from the waist up, Trowa cupped Quatre's face and kissed him full on the mouth. Without releasing his mouth, Trowa steered him gently to the bed. Lying side by side, they continued kissing. Quatre reached out to unzip Trowa's pants when suddenly they heard a knock at the door.

Zechs waited outside the door. "Who is it?" Quatre asked. "It's Zechs. Sorry to disturb you, I just need to talk to Relena for a few minutes."

He could hear shuffling noises inside. "Wait a sec," Quatre called out. Well, it took more than a second. Zechs waited for a good 5 minutes before Relena opened the door. Zechs gave his sister a sly grin when he saw her disheveled hair, swollen lips, flushed face and glassy eyes, not to mention that she was only wearing a robe.

"Sorry if I interrupted your celebration but I haven't given you our present yet," he told her, gesturing to the thing standing by the corridor near the door. Relena's eyes widened when she saw what the gift was --- a baby crib. "I had this made for my future nephew or niece. It's a replica of our own baby crib, the crib that the Peacecraft family used for generations."

Relena blinked back the tears. "Thank you," she said as she hugged her brother tight.

"You're welcome. Now go back inside and continue whatever you two are doing so that my gift will be put to use as soon as possible," he replied as he hugged her back. When they pulled apart, he asked, "Do you need help in carrying it inside?"

"No, that's ok. Quatre can take care of it." She looked over her shoulder and said, "Quatre, dear, can you come here and help me carry Milliardo and Noin's gift for us?"

Quatre appeared beside her, also wearing a robe and his blonde hair in disarray. Seeing the crib, Quatre gulped then said, "Wow. Thanks, Zechs."

Zechs just nodded and watched him pull the crib inside. Zechs frowned when he noticed something. "Relena, why are you wearing Heero's slippers?"

"Huh?" Relena said as she looked at her feet. It was Heero's slippers alright. Two miniature faces of Wing Zero peaked out of her robe and the word 'Heero' was embroidered in blue on top of each of them. Though the embroidery was small, it was still visible and the fact that everybody knew that Wing Zero is, or rather was Heero's Gundam was a dead giveaway. She gave all five pilots these Gundam slippers as gifts after the Marimeia incident when they self-detonated their Gundams. It was sort of a remembrance so that they wouldn't miss their Gundams that much. She even had one made for Milliardo in the form of Epyon. Now, she regretted having these slippers made. How can I explain this now?

Fortunately, Quatre appeared behind her and said, "Oh, Heero and I swapped slippers. It's kinda like borrowing Wing Zero for a while. I guess in her hurry, Relena put it on instead of her own slippers."

Zechs looked at him as if he was crazy. Couldn't blame him, though. Nobody in his right mind would swap slippers with another and think of it as swapping Gundams. But Zechs didn't say anything. He just nodded and kissed Relena in the forehead. "Goodnight," he said then walked back to his room.

Relena and Quatre closed the door and sighed. "Another close call," Relena commented. "That was one lame excuse you came up with, Quatre. I can't believe Milliardo bought that."

Quatre snorted. "Excuse me for living, Vice Foreign Minister. At least I came up with an excuse and saved our butts. Unlike some other person I know."

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry. I promise that I'll be more careful next time."

"I think I heard that sentence far too much this day," Quatre chuckled.

Relena laughed as she pressed the camouflaged button. She then entered Trowa's room. "He's all yours, Trowa. You can now continue with what you were doing before Milliardo interrupted you," Relena said, winking at them.

"So you can continue with you're little celebration too, hmm?" Quatre shot back. The three of them laughed. Both shelves were open so Relena just went in. Before closing the shelf, Trowa teased, "Don't get too loud, ok?"

"Same to you," Relena answered lightly before the two shelves slid back into place.

She eyed the big lump on the bed that was her husband. Her very naked husband (if you peep under the covers that is). She saw him rose from the bed and walked towards her.

"So, what was that all about?" he asked while untying her robe.

"Milliardo gave us a present, that's all," she answered as her eyes locked into his. She felt him slip the robe off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. "Where were we? I can't remember where we stopped," Relena said coyly.

"Let me refresh your memory," Heero replied as he pulled her close to him, letting her feel his whole, hard body before capturing her lips in a searing kiss.

Passion instantly flared between them. They continued plundering each other's mouths while their hands roamed over each other's bodies. Gently and without breaking the kiss, Heero pushed her to the wall. Relena could feel the wallpaper touching her naked back but she didn't take notice. All that mattered to her was him, his lips, his hands, his whole body that was giving her these sweet and pleasant sensations.

Heero released her lips. His tongue caressed the sides of her face, her throat, then her shoulders, his left hand kneading her left breast, his other hand stroking her moist center. Relena moaned in pleasure as she felt his tongue make a warm trail towards her breast. He captured a hardened nipple, nibbling and suckling to his heart's content. Afterwhich, he turned his attention to the other breast. His lips then traveled down to her stomach and navel. He went to his knees as his lips continued to travel further down her body. Her knees wobbled as she felt his tongue tease and suckle her.

Heero slowly rose to his feet as his tongue traveled upwards again. Pressing his body to hers, he captured her lips once more. He then put his hands on her waist and hoisted her up. Relena wrapped her legs around him, one hand on his back, the other guiding him inside her. She gasped as Heero entered her. With each powerful thrust, she could feel her back hitting the wall and the burning sensation in her abdomen mounting. They continued kissing as Heero kept on thrusting, their passions reaching a crescendo.

A while later…

Crouched on all fours, Relena took a sharp intake of breath as she felt Heero guided himself to her moist center from behind. He thrusted again and again, his hands firmly holding her waist.

"Heero," Relena whispered as she felt the force of her climax rock her whole body. She couldn't count how many times she came this evening. When Heero said that they'll celebrate the whole night, they really did have one hell of a celebration. This was the fourth position they tried and she didn't know if she could take much more of this ecstasy. Or if she could keep herself from shouting out loud. She couldn't decide whether having the Perfect Soldier for a husband was a blessing or a curse. His stamina was just too much for her to handle.

"Heero," she moaned again as she had another orgasm. Heero thrusted faster, his own release imminent. Relena's whole body trembled as multiple orgasms gripped her. Losing all self control, Relena screamed at the top of her lungs, "HEEEEEEERRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

At the same time…

"TRRRRROOOOOWWWWAAAAAAA!!!" Quatre screamed as he reached his peak.

In her room, Catherine covered her head with her pillow. Dorothy did the same, though she mumbled something first. "Don't they remember they have guests here?"

Wufei collapsed beside his wife, panting. Sally giggled. "Are you disappointed that I didn't scream, Wufei?"

"Of course not. Two screaming maniacs are enough to awaken the whole mansion. They don't need you to further amplify their voices," he answered. Wufei then grinned and shook his head. "Let's just see how they face the consequences of their actions tomorrow."

Straddling Duo on a chair, Hilde stopped bouncing up and down on him when they heard Relena's scream followed by Quatre's. She then giggled. "Do you think they are always this loud?"she asked her husband.

Duo grinned languidly at her and pushed away a stray lock on her face. "Maybe. I had this urge to yell 'Get a room' but then I remembered that they already are in their rooms and this is their house." He kissed her lightly on the nose, his violet eyes twinkling mischievously. "Breakfast will surely be interesting. I can't wait."

Hilde smiled. "You betcha. Tomorrow's going to be fun," she replied before resuming what she was doing earlier.

Chapter Three

They ate breakfast in silence. Quatre sat at the head of the table, Relena sitting by his right, Trowa by his left. At the other end of the table, opposite Quatre, sat Wufei. Heero sat to the right of Relena, next to him were Duo, Hilde then Dorothy. Catherine sat to the left of Trowa, next to her were Zechs, Noin and Sally. Relena and Quatre averted their gaze, knowing the fact that everyone in the table (not to mention the whole house) heard their screams last night.

Noin then cleared her throat. "I have a question for Quatre and Relena." All eyes turned on her.

"Well, I have a question for Heero and Trowa too," Zechs added.

Quatre gulped hard. Relena looked at them nervously. Oh, boy this is it, she thought. Heero and Trowa remained nonchalant. The others held their breaths as they waited.

"Who goes first?" Noin asked her husband.

"Go ahead, dear. Ladies first."

"Ok. Here's my question." Noin stopped for a dramatic effect. "What gifts did you give each other?"

The ten of them facevaulted. That was the question? Didn't they hear the screams? Was this some kind of a trick, torture or mind game?

Relena and Quatre looked at each other. They didn't know what to make of this but there would be no harm in answering her question. Relena smiled then showed them her hand.

"My husband gave me this." They all stared with awe at the ring on Relena's hand. It was beautiful. A big, black pearl sat on the middle, surrounded by little diamonds.

"Wow. That's one nice ring. It must have cost a fortune," Sally remarked, knowing too well that Heero must have saved for it the whole year. "I hope Wufei would give me something as nice as that one for our first year anniversary."

Wufei looked at her incredulously. "We just got married a month ago and you're already thinking of our anniversary?"

All of them laughed. "Girls are sentimental, Wufei," Hilde explained. "In my case, I still remember our first year wedding anniversary. I was one of the most memorable nights of my life."

Duo gave her a smile. "Well, babe, wait 'til you see what I'm planning for you on our 2nd year anniversary."

"That will be 2 months from now right?" Dorothy asked.

Hilde nodded and beamed at Duo. "What about you, Quatre. What did Relena give you?" Noin inquired.

Quatre showed them his arm. "Relena got me a Rolex watch that doubles as a cell phone and an electronic organizer."

"Cool," Duo remarked.

"Did you see our gift to Quatre and Relena?" Zechs asked them.

Catherine addressed him. "What is it?"

"A baby crib. Just think how beautiful Quatre and Relena's children will be. They'll all be blonde and blue-eyed angels." Everyone stared at Relena and Quatre while smothering their laughs. Even Heero and Trowa were amused. Yeah right. As if Quatre's genes will have a chance of mixing with Relena's, Duo thought. At the same time, Wufei is smirking in his mind, Don't be too sure about the blonde and blue-eyed thing, Zechs. I can't wait to see the look on your face when you see Relena's child looking more like Heero than Quatre. Zechs frowned when he saw the expression on their faces. "What? Did I say something funny?"

Instead of answering his question, Trowa said, "What do you want to ask us, Zechs?"

The frown on his face disappeared and was replaced by a sly grin. "Oh, I'm just wondering if you two had a good night." Relena and Quatre looked down, blushing, though Zechs and Noin didn't notice. "Care to tell us who were the lucky ladies responsible for waking us up in the middle of the night?" Zechs asked.

Ten pairs of eyes stared at the older couple in disbelief as they realized the implication of his words. Noin and Zechs might have heard the screams but they didn't recognize the voices! That meant the secret was still safe. But they weren't out of the woods yet. They need to come up with a good and plausible alibi for last night. Fast. But how in the hell were they going to do that? Aside from the fact that Heero and Trowa were not really your typical ladies' men (though they really were hot), the twelve of them had been together all night. The two silent and stoic pilots couldn't had picked up chicks last night without everybody knowing, could they?

"Umm, I was the one with Heero last night," Catherine told them.

All eyes turned at her. Catherine held Heero's gaze as he intently stared at her, fervently hoping that he understood what she was doing and that for the sake of Relena, Quatre and Trowa, he would just go along.

"I didn't know you were a couple," Noin commented.

"It was all very sudden," Catherine answered sheepishly. Like just a second ago.

"But I never saw you enter Heero's room last night. I saw him go inside his room alone while you went to your own room alone," Noin remarked again.

Heero decided to jump in and help her out. "I went down for a midnight snack and saw Catherine in the kitchen. We talked for a while and I guess one thing led to another."

"And I was the one with Trowa," Dorothy chimed in.

"Did you see each other in the kitchen too?" Zechs asked.

"No. We didn't want anyone to know about us so we planned for her to sneak in my room when all of you were asleep. I guess we didn't think of the possibility of us getting caught. Or getting heard for that matter," Trowa informed them.

Everyone was silent. Zechs and Noin were speechless with shock at the 'confessions' while the rest just held their tongues so that they couldn't say anything that will jeopardize the hastily made alibi. Finally Noin spoke, "Wow. I didn't expect… Well, I want you to know that I'm happy for all of you."

"Me too. Who would have thought that we'd all end up being couples? Congratulations or whatever," Zechs added. He turned to Noin. "Is congratulations the right word to say to new couples?"

Noin smiled and patted his hand. "Congratulations is fine." She then heard the grandfather clock. "Uh, Quatre, can we use the phone? We just want to check on the twins."

"Sure, no problem. You don't need to ask for permission first, Noin. My house is your house. You can use the vidphone in the study."

"Thanks," Noin replied as she and Zechs stood up. "Please excuse us." Zechs said as the two of them went out of the dining room.

Collective sighs of relief were heard as they saw the older pair disappear from view. "Another close one," Quatre remarked.

"Well, it's all your fault. You and Relena shouldn't have screamed that loud," Wufei reprimanded.

"Sorry," Relena and Quatre said in unison.

"Hey, don't be too hard on Jousan and Q-man. Heero and Trowa were at fault too," Duo voiced out.

"And why is that?" Heero asked.

"If it weren't for you, they wouldn't have screamed," Duo pointed out.

The ten friends laughed. "Kidding aside, we should all be careful. Noin and Zechs are not dumb, you know. They'll catch on sooner or later," Sally told them.

"Sally is right. And things are getting really complicated. This is only the second day we've been together and we already made so many blunders. One more slip and they might get suspicious," Hilde amended.

Relena smiled at them. "We're so lucky to have you guys as friends. Thank you for all the support. For everything." She turned to look at Catherine and Dorothy. "Especially to you two. Thanks for covering for us."

"Yeah. I want to thank you both too. You came up with a good cover-up that fast. And without talking to each other first," Quatre said.

"It was nothing. We're glad to help. As for thinking of it that fast, well, it's the only logical solution. Zechs and Noin are looking for 2 girls whom Heero and Trowa bedded last night right? And the only possible candidates for the position were Dorothy and me. It was a good thing that when I looked at Dorothy, I saw that she was thinking of the same thing so I pushed through with my plan," Catherine explained.

"And I just followed Cathy's lead. I'm pretty sure that she'll cover for Relena since she couldn't possibly had slept with her own brother. We're very lucky that we were paired up the same way last night, making the alibi more believable," Dorothy added. "Our only fear was that Heero and Trowa might not go along with the plan."

"It was fairly easy to see what you were up to, that's why we immediately went along with it," Trowa said.

Wufei smirked. "I cannot imagine how Zechs can master the Zero system but can't even recognize his own sister screaming. Injustice."

"Maybe the reason we were able to recognize the voices is that we know Relena is with Heero. And Relena is the only person who could have screamed Heero's name. The same goes for Quatre and Trowa," Hilde said.

"Hilde has a point. The screams might be audible but not discernable. And maybe, Zechs and Noin were too busy at that moment to even bother recognizing the voices," Heero told them.

"Whatever the reason is, you four are so damn lucky. If they recognized Relena or Quatre's voice, this little charade of yours is over," Duo remarked.

"Duo's right. And to be honest, we are still not ready to tell everyone the truth," Quatre informed them. "That's why we'll still be needing your help. Especially Dorothy and Catherine."

"You want us to continue being the girlfriends, is that it?" Dorothy asked.

"Yes. Please?"

"Ok," Dorothy answered. Catherine nodded her consent.

"Don't you think it'll be more complicated if you let Catherine and Dorothy into this?" Sally queried.

"I don't deny that it'll be more complicated but this is the only way that we could avoid suspicion. Zechs is worried about keeping Heero as Relena's bodyguard. He's afraid that the two of them might get tempted to do something."

"The same goes with Noin. She's concerned that Quatre and Trowa might resume their relationship in secret," Relena added.

"So making it appear that Heero and Trowa already have girlfriends will assure Zechs and Noin that the four of us rekindling old flames is out of the question. Besides, from now on they'll be thinking of Heero and Catherine, Trowa and Dorothy as couples. We should just continue with it," Quatre finished.

"What about the sleeping arrangements?" Catherine asked.

Relena, Heero, Quatre and Trowa looked at each other then smiled. "For that, I'll need your thumbprint, Catherine," Heero answered.

"Huh?"

***************************************

Two days had passed by since the 'confession' at the breakfast table and everything was doing great. They were all enjoying their vacation and each other's company. They did everything and went everywhere together. During these two days, Heero and Catherine, Trowa and Dorothy had officially become a couple, to the extent that the girls were now spending the night in their respective boyfriend's room. But they still kept their things in their own rooms where they return to early in the morning.

This day, the fourth day of their vacation, went well. They spent the entire morning at the mall, then they went horseback riding in the afternoon. After dinner, the twelve friends walked to the entertainment room and decided to watch a movie from Quatre's vast collection of films. And to the guys' chagrin, the girls chose a horrible tearjerker.

***************************************

Quatre turned on the lights as the closing credits were shown. He then turned off the big screen. He smiled as he saw the girls sniffling.

"That was so sad," Hilde remarked, wiping her eyes.

"Let's go, babe. Time for bed," Duo said as he helped her up the couch. Everybody stood up and proceeded to go upstairs. A chorus of goodnights was heard as each couple went to their respective room.

Zechs opened the door for Noin. She entered and immediately headed to the dresser, removing her accessories. She smiled as she felt her husband's arms around her waist.

"Tired?" he asked.

"A little. But I can still do one more activity," Noin replied with a smile.

"That's nice to hear," Zechs said as he whirled her around and pressed his lips to hers. He slowly savored her mouth, nibbling on her sweet lips first before caressing her with his tongue. Noin moaned as the kiss deepened. Zechs steered her to the bed, pressing his body onto hers as they lie down. Zechs reached out to unbutton her shirt but felt her hands stop him.

"Hold that thought. First, I have a surprise for you," Noin said to him.

Zechs looked at her with heavy-lidded eyes. "Really?"

"Yup. Do you think that I made you carry all those bags and boxes at the mall for nothing? I bought something that you might like," she said in a teasing voice.

"And may I ask what is this surprise that I might like?"

"Oh, something sexy. And edible."

Zechs grinned. "What are you waiting for, hon? I'm hungry. Put it on," he said huskily.

Noin chuckled as she rose from the bed and went to the corner where she placed all that she bought form the mall earlier.

"Hmmm, where is it?" she muttered while rummaging through the various bags and boxes in the floor. "There," she said, picking up a red, edible lingerie. Then something caught her eye. "Oh no! I forgot to give Relena, Catherine and Dorothy theirs,"she exclaimed. She glanced at the mirror and checked her face then smoothed her clothes. Before Zechs could do anything, Noin rushed out of their room, carrying 3 edible lingerie.

She knocked on Heero's door first. "Who is it?" Heero asked gruffly.

"It's Noin. I know it's late but can I talk to Catherine for a minute?"

No answer. She then heard something slide inside. After a few minutes, Catherine opened the door. Noin saw that she was in her sleeping clothes.

"Sorry. I just forgot to give you this. Hope I'm not too late," Noin told Catherine as she handed her a navy blue lingerie.

"Oh, no, you're just in time," Catherine lied. "Thanks."

"Goodnight, Cathy. Goodnight, Heero," Noin called out. She heard a grunt from inside.

"Goodnight, Noin," Catherine answered as she closed the door.

Noin knocked on the next door. "Who is it?" Dorothy inquired.

"Dorothy, it's Noin. I have something to give you."

"Just a sec." Noin heard another sliding noise inside. "Hi. What is it?" Dorothy asked when she opened the door. Like Catherine, she was in her sleeping clothes.

"This," Noin answered, handing her a black lingerie. "We don't want Trowa to starve tonight, do we?"

"Thanks. Trowa will definitely appreciate it," Dorothy said with a smile. He'll like it alright, if Quatre's wearing them.

"Goodnight, Dorothy. Goodnight, Trowa." No response. Oh well, it is Trowa.

"Goodnight," Dorothy replied as the door to their room closed.

Noin then knocked on the Master's bedroom.

"Who is it?" Quatre called out.

"It's me, Noin. I just need to give Relena something."

She could hear shuffling noises inside. A few minutes passed before Relena opened the door, clad only in her bathrobe. Noin handed her the last one --- a white lingerie. "Here. I thought you might need this."

Relena smiled. "You know, I forgot that I bought this. It's a good thing you remembered and gave it to me. Thanks."

"It's my pleasure. The six of us are going to feed our men tonight."

Relena giggled. "So I guess Wufei and Duo are enjoying theirs right now, huh?"

"Yup. So you better hurry and go back inside. A hungry boy is waiting for you."

"Same to you. Goodnight, Noin."

"Goodnight, Relena. Goodnight, Quatre,"

"Goodnight," Quatre replied from inside the room. Relena smiled at her one last time before closing the door.

Noin then walked back to their room, eager to resume what she and Zechs were doing earlier.

Quatre looked at the thing Relena was holding then grimaced. "Noin disturbed us just to give you a lingerie? You have plenty of those!"

Relena waved a finger at him. "Not just any ordinary lingerie. Edible lingerie."

Quatre's eyes widened in realization. "Ooohhh."

Relena chuckled at his expression as she pressed the camouflaged button. Both of them slipped in Trowa's room. They saw Trowa and Heero eyeing Catherine and Dorothy's lingerie.

"So Noin gave you yours too huh," Dorothy said to Relena.

Relena smiled and wrapped an arm around Heero's waist. "I guess Heero is going to get a treat tonight," Trowa commented.

Heero's lips curled into a smile. "You can borrow theirs if you want to have a bite, Trowa."

"Yeah. We don't mind," Catherine offered.

Trowa and Quatre looked at each other. "Thanks but no thanks. You two keep them. You might meet a man with a large appetite someday," Quatre said teasingly.

Catherine and Dorothy laughed. "How we wish that happens soon," Dorothy said. Then she frowned. "I didn't know that sneaking around is hard work."

"You said it. I'm scared that I might slip or do something wrong. And the going in and out of rooms is tiring," Catherine amended.

"Don't worry. Three more days and this will be over for you," Relena told them. "Unless you're willing to continue with this charade longer."

The two single women looked at each other. "Let's just wait and see what will happen," Dorothy said noncommittally.

"It's late. Let's all get back to bed," Trowa suggested.

"What you mean is that you want to go back to what you were doing earlier," Catherine told him.

"What gave you that idea, Cathy?" Quatre asked, pretending to be indignant.

Catherine and Dorothy grinned at them. "We don't trust people clad only in their bathrobes," Dorothy replied.

All of them laughed. Heero, Relena, Quatre and Trowa are all wearing robes.

"Trowa is right. Its time for bed. And for me to eat," Heero remarked. Relena slapped him playfully on the shoulders.

"Just keep it low, ok. It's already embarrassing to be dubbed as the screaming sirens. We don't want to further tarnish our reputation," Dorothy told them.

"And we need to sleep. Remember, this room is not empty anymore," Catherine added.

The two couples grinned sheepishly. "Ok, promise," they said in unison.

"Goodnight," Relena called out as they went in their room, closing the shelf on their side. Trowa and Quatre, on the other hand, slipped back inside the Master's bedroom and closed the connecting door. Catherine went to the shelf and put her thumb on the thumbprint checker. The shelf slid shut.

"I really wish they programmed my thumbprint in the checker too," Dorothy said.

"What for? This is where you're supposed to be. And you don't have to go anywhere but here. In my case, I'm supposed to be in Heero's room. That's why I need an access to go in and out of here and Heero's room during emergencies. Like what happened earlier with Noin."

"I know. It just looks cool," Dorothy answered sheepishly.

Catherine smiled. She laid down on her side of the bed. "Goodnight, Dorothy."

"Goodnight," Dorothy answered as she too laid down and turned off the lampshade.

Relena bit her tongue as another orgasm rocked her. She didn't know if she should thank or kill Duo for his anniversary gift for them. It was the complete guide to Kama Sutra. This Kama Sutra thing was really… scream-worthy. Heero kept thrusting and with each thrust, she was losing her self-control. As Heero thrusted faster, she could feel herself reach climax again and again and again. She just couldn't take it anymore.

"HHEEEEEEE---mmmmpphhh." Her scream was muffled when Heero covered her mouth with his. Heero felt that she was on the verge of screaming so he did the only thing that he could do to prevent that from happening --- that is, to kiss the living daylights out of her. Their entangled bodies trembled as both of them reached their peak. After a while, Heero released her lips and stared right into her eyes, then smiled. Relena smiled back.

"Thanks. You're foresight always serve us well."

"Hn. Maybe next time, I'll gag you first," Heero answered. "You should buy another edible lingerie. It really tasted good and I can use it to gag you from screaming bloody murder."

Relena giggled. "This is nice. We enjoyed ourselves without breaking our promise to Catherine and Dorothy about screaming."

Unfortunately, Trowa didn't have Heero's foresight when they heard, "TRRROOOOOWWWWWAAAAAAAAA!!!"

Dorothy's eyes opened as she heard the scream. "Aaagghh! They promised! Everyone will think that I'm the one who screamed. I'm going to kill them!"

Catherine put a pillow over her head and went back to sleep.

Noin woke up earlier than usual. She had this sudden urge for a strong, black coffee so she decided to go to the kitchen. She barely opened their bedroom door when she saw Dorothy went out of Trowa's room. There was nothing peculiar about it, they all knew that Dorothy slept with Trowa now. What was odd was that she was carrying her lingerie back to her room. Noin frowned. I'm pretty sure that I heard Dorothy scream last night, didn't they use it? But if that was odd, what she saw next was downright bizarre. She saw Catherine cautiously went out of Trowa's room and return to her own room, carrying her lingerie. What is Catherine doing in Trowa's room? Noin could clearly remember seeing and talking to Catherine in Heero's room last night. How in the world did she get in Trowa's room? What's going on? Her female intuition was telling her something was wrong about this whole situation from the minute they arrived. I'll get to the bottom of this, she vowed to herself. With a slight shrug, she went out of their room and proceeded downstairs.

***************************************

While the girls spent the morning relaxing in the steam room, the guys opted to go to the simulation room and try out the combat program Heero made. They put on these helmets and all of a sudden they found themselves in a virtual reality world, more specifically, they found themselves inside a Mobile Suit cockpit. They could choose whatever MS they want--- Wing Zero, Deathscythe Hell, Heavyarms Kai, Sandrock Kai, Altron, Epyon, Tallgeese, Mercurius, Vayeate, Serpent, Taurus or Space Leo. Of course, each of them chose their own Gundams.

The combat program was then activated. It was an all out war--- one's self against the others. None of them were allies, they were all enemies. But they couldn't just fight and blast each other, they needed a strategy. So they paired up, fighting one opponent at a time. As expected, Heero and Zechs squared off. Duo battled Quatre while Trowa fought Wufei.

The six of them had been sparring for 10 minutes now. "Feel the wrath of Shinigami, Quatre," Duo said, attacking Sandrock with his twin beam scythe. Sandrock fended it off with its heat shotels.

"Can you fight without opening your mouth, Maxwell? It's an injustice to continuously hear your incessant blabbering," Wufei remarked, lounging two dragon fangs at Heavyarms. Trowa dodged and fired his gatling gun.

"Speak for yourself, Wufei. I just had enough of your justice rants too," Duo shot back.

"Kisama!" Wufei yelled as he broke off his fight with Heavyarms and attacked Deathscythe.

Now without opponents, Quatre and Trowa just stood there and watched Altron and Deathscythe fight fiercely. "I guess we should start fighting, Quatre."

"Maybe later. I'm thirsty. I'll go to the bar and get a drink first," Quatre told Trowa.

"I'll go with you," Trowa said. Both of them removed their helmets then went out of the simulation room.

Wing Zero and Epyon lounged at each other, beam sabers drawn. When they passed each other, Epyon's left arm fell off. Zechs smiled. "Déjà vu."

"Hn. Our last fight in Libra," Heero agreed. "You're out of practice, Zechs."

"Well, I should be. It's been four years since I fought in a war. You should be out of practice too."

"That's why I created this program. Trowa and I spend a lot of time here. Sort of practicing."

"So that's the reason you're not getting as rusty as I am," Zechs told him. They saw Duo and Wufei still battling. "I think I need a drink."

"Hn," Heero acknowledged and without warning he fired at Deathscythe and Altron. Zechs watched the 3 Gundams fight each other before removing his helmet.

Zechs was just entering the bar when he suddenly froze on his tracks then fled. He couldn't believe what he saw. Trowa and Quatre were kissing! He had suspicions on Heero and Relena but not on Quatre and Trowa! Noin was right in her fears afterall. But he knew that he couldn't bring himself to tell her just yet. My God, he's cheating on Relena! And here he thought how lucky his sister was for marrying Quatre. Then he remembered Dorothy. They were both cheating on their girls! Are they cheating on Relena and Dorothy all this time? Or is this just a spur of the moment kind of thing? Either way, he decided to keep an eye on those two. And after gathering sufficient evidence, he's going to confront those bastards and let them pay for making a fool out of his baby sister.

For lunch, the gang decided to eat in the garden, sort of a picnic. "How was the simulation?" Dorothy asked the guys.

"Great! You girls should try it sometime," Quatre replied.

"Maybe we will," Sally told him.

"Who won?" Catherine inquired.

"Who else? Heero," Trowa answered.

"Yeah, he totally creamed us," Duo said while eating his dessert.

"After defeating Zechs, he barged in my fight with Maxwell. Then Trowa and Quatre returned. We ganged up on him but he still defeated us all," Wufei grumbled.

"Don't be a sore loser, Wufei. You can defeat me next time," Heero said.

"So, what are our plans for tomorrow?" Hilde asked.

"I think I'm going to pass. I have my monthly doctor's check-up tomorrow. Then I'll probably rest the whole day since I'm feeling kinda tired lately. You can do anything you want without me," Relena told them.

"I think we should all rest tomorrow. We've been busy doing all kinds of stuff these past five days," Noin suggested.

"Great idea! We could rest all day tomorrow then party full blast on the last day we're all together," Catherine said.

"You're a Muslim, Quatre, right?" Zechs suddenly asked.

"Yes."

"If you're a Muslim, why did you get married in a Christian church?"

Relena and Quatre looked at each other. "Hey, I assure you that their marriage was binding. I married them myself," Duo jumped in, hoping to help his friends out.

"I think what Zechs meant is that maybe you could renew your vows in a Muslim ceremony so we could attend. As you well know, we were not present in your wedding," Noin explained.

"Thanks for the suggestion. Maybe next year we'll renew our vows as part of our 2nd wedding anniversary," Quatre told them.

A tensed silence followed. There was something about Zechs' attitude that made everyone uneasy. "This blueberry cheesecake is really delicious, Relena," Dorothy commented, breaking the tension.

"Yeah. I would like to eat some more but Duo ate every last slice," Sally said.

"Can't help it. I'm hungry. And it tastes heavenly," Duo replied, swallowing the last piece of his cake.

"Don't worry. I baked five more. I know how large Duo's appetite is. I'll go get them," Relena said as she stood up.

"I'll lend you a hand," Heero offered. Both of them then went inside the house.

When they entered the kitchen, Heero grabbed Relena's wrists, pulled her close then kissed her passionately. Relena freed her hands and reached up to clasp them around his neck. They continued kissing. Then all of a sudden, Heero pulled away and turned around to look at the kitchen door.

"What is it?" Relena asked languidly.

Heero stared at the door for a few seconds then turned his attention back to her. "Nothing," he answered. He gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead then said, "We better get the cakes. We have nine hungry people and Duo to feed."

Relena laughed. The two of them went to the refrigerator and took out the cakes.

Noin hastily closed the bathroom door, her heart beating faster than usual. She came inside the house to go the bathroom when she passed by the kitchen. And there she got the shock of her life. She saw Heero and Relena kissing! Zechs' fears were not that groundless afterall. Poor Quatre. Relena was cheating on him. And under his very nose too. Then she remembered Catherine. Heero was cheating on her too. But she was not sure how long this has been going on. Maybe today was just a slip-up, the first and last slip-up. Or maybe… She shook her head. She must not jump into conclusions. She had to gather enough evidence first before confronting Heero and Relena or even telling it to Zechs, Quatre and Catherine. Looking at the mirror, she promised to keep an eye on those two.

Chapter Four

6th day of their vacation (4 pm)

Noin sat in the gazebo, immersed in her thoughts. Even from their first day here, she could sense something strange about this whole set-up but she didn't say anything about it to anyone. As far as she knew, she was the only one who was feeling this way. But since yesterday, she was certain that her soldier's instinct and her female intuition had been right all along. There's definitely something weird going on around here, she told herself. Aside from catching Heero and Relena kissing in the kitchen yesterday, she also uncovered some bizarre occurrences.