A/N: Hello all! I've decide to move the story along. I've spent too many chapters at Quatre's house! I hope you approve.

Chapter 11

"I have it on good authority that you spent a day with a few questionable men."

The deep, soothing voice of her obnoxiously adorable elder brother interrupted Relena's train of thought, and she paused at her desk with pen mid-air. "Really? Have you been spying?"

Zechs closed the door to her office quietly and made himself comfortable in one of her chairs. "Spying is not necessary when it's obvious."

Relena glanced up at him, her current work forgotten. "I don't follow."

"Duo Maxwell."

A rush of relief eased her tightened chest and spread warmly through her stomach. Shit. Jeezus. "Yeah, he's not what anyone would call discreet." I'm going to kill you, Duo. "Unless he's asked nicely."

Zechs smiled, but it was clear that he had questions waiting to be answered.

Relena set her pen down and stretched her back. Sitting hunched over a desk all day was going to give her a hump if she wasn't careful, and she doubted they'd allow their Dove of Peace to work from a bell tower. "Let it out, brother. You've never hesitated being a pain in my ass before." She grinned and unbuttoned the cuffs of her blouse before rolling the sleeves to her elbows. Her dear brother had always been the anal retentive sort, all business and no pleasure, so she wasn't about to let on that she had slipped her shoes off hours ago.

Zechs bristled slightly before realizing that the response had been a joke, after which he smirked. "You are spending far too much time with Noin." Pretending to relieve his suit of lint, he continued, "I was informed of an … incident."

Relena inhaled sharply and bare feet dug into the stiff carpet. One knee started to bounce. "Duo?"

"No."

"…Wufei?"

"It was requested that I keep such information to myself."

Relena snorted, grabbing at her pen roughly. She began to scribble furiously on an errant piece of paper. Kill. Wufei. "So it was him then."

"No."

She paused, pen abandoned once more. Could he not answer a simple question? "Milliardo…"

It was a dirty tactic, but she knew that breaking him down quickly always worked best when she referred to him as such. Relena would worry about her moral compass later.

"I won't say." He met her eyes with his own. "I'm not at liberty to do so. But I wanted to reassure myself that you were well." With that, Zechs effortlessly lifted himself from the chair and closed the distance between them to kneel at her side. "And you are well, aren't you?"

That was uncharacteristic of him. Especially in such expensive slacks. Relena turned in her chair and placed her cool palm against his warm cheek. In that position, their heights were as even as they'd ever get. "Yeah. Don't worry."

He exhaled and leaned into her touch slightly, just enough for her to feel the gentle push against her fingers. "But it is my job to worry."

Relena recalled the moment Duo had held her in the relative darkness of Quatre's guest room. She had needed him then, to calm and reassure. It was easy to forget that perhaps he had needed the embrace just as much as she had. Relena wondered briefly if Zechs worried for her sake or his own.

She reached her free arm over his shoulder and pulled him into her embrace. His strikingly light hair, so different from her own darker strands, brushed against her cheek. It took only a moment for her brother to register what she had initiated, and with sudden strength grasped her about the waist. It was startling, she had to admit. Zechs had never been a physically affectionate man, and she knew that Noin had begrudgingly dealt with that fact. Perhaps he was testing his comfort with someone comfortable.

They stayed there for a moment, simply breathing and holding each other.

"Sister, darling."

She stroked his hair, waiting for answers to the questions she hadn't asked.

"Where are your shoes?"

It was dark, but the glow from the television illuminated a menagerie of beer cans that littered the floor and wooden coffee table. A table which was missing a leg and thus propped up by a stack of gun magazines and cardboard boxes. One large booted foot kicked the cans away and rested its heel on the wood.

Heero flipped the lid of another beer can, which popped and fizzed satisfyingly. He arranged his other leg to cross the one resting on the table, and settled into the stiff cushions of the love seat.

"…unrest on colony 139 continues, and we're left wondering if the Foreign Minister has taken the necessary steps to insure peace-"

The reporter faded out as the channel changed.

"…buy that someone special a gift they'll never forget this holiday season-"

Click.

"Blondes do have more fun-"

Click.

"Buy your daughter this handcrafted Relena doll-"

Click.

The television blacked out. Heero rubbed his hand through is hair and over his eyes. He could feel a headache coming on.

The ceiling light flickered three times before abruptly fizzling out with a pop. The office was bathed in darkness, and the glass of the windows vibrated with each blast of wind.

"Ah…shit."

Relena shuffled through her desk drawers, looking for the flashlight she knew she had stored for this exact purpose. All she managed to find was her letter opener, which promptly sliced the tip of her forefinger. "Ow!" She yanked her hand back, but couldn't assess the damage without an appropriate light. The entire situation was her reward for opting to extend her workday a few hours. "Hells bells."

A rough chuckled startled her out of her internal whine-fest and she yipped in an unpleasant, purely feminine fashion. The fierce beam from a heavy duty flashlight burned her eyes, and she attempted to cover them with her uninjured hand. "Hey! Watch it!"

The light lowered and Relena's vision was momentarily cluttered with mutli-colored splotches.

"Why are you still in the building?"

Trying not to rub her eyelids, and effectively smudge her mascara, Relena about kicked herself for not recognizing him earlier. "I could ask you the same thing."

"Security duty."

Well, that made sense she supposed. He was always a dedicated worker, and no amount of sleet or snow could keep him away from his duty. She heard a soft plop and realized that the blood from her finger was dropping on the notes she had been constructing so diligently beforehand. "Hey, bring the light over here." She reached blindly for a box of tissues with her good hand. "Please."

She heard his light footfalls and assumed that he was making even that slight noise for her benefit. The beam of light focused on her desk and she raised her hand to it. A small red puddle was forming on a stack of papers.

He exhaled slowly. "What did you do?"

"Letter opener."

The flashlight was set on her desk, still illumining her injury, and Relena watched two tanned hands inspect her pale one.

"Do you have a first aid kit?"

She was thankful that he hadn't asked her how she'd done it. "Maybe. Check the drawer." He leaned forward, hands never leaving her own, and she felt the brush of hair against her cheek. He always wore it pulled back. "Bottom one – yeah, there." She tucked her feet beneath her chair, far from where he was currently bent over. No doubt he was like her brother.

He growled softly, and Relena realized moments later that it was actually a laugh. "You have three band aids and a capless bottle of Neosporin." When his head lifted, she could have leaned forward and brushed her lips against his cheek if she wished. "This would not be sufficient in an emergency."

God, he's gorgeous. Relena felt the heat rise to her face as she inspected the smooth curve of his lips as they lifted slightly at the corners. It had recently become so evident that she wondered why she had never noticed it before. How had an occasional appreciation for someone's appearance turned into that dull but wonderful ache whenever she saw him?

"Would you like me to take care of it?"

God, yes. Please.

"Does it hurt that bad?"

Relena inhaled sharply. Had she said that out loud? "Ah…no, just a bit." She looked away. "I'm more concerned about the mess I'm making on my notes."

She heard the faint rip of paper and felt a damp cloth gently swipe over her injury. That action alone turned her attention back to him. He must have noticed.

"Antiseptic wipe. I keep them in my pocket."

Relena nodded. Very smart. Did she expect less? "What aren't you prepared for?"

He glanced at her then, those dark eyes holding a hint of humor but not lacking in intensity. "Zombie apocalypse."

She was laughing at him. It was unrestrained and deep, a sound she usually reserved for one of Maxwell's antics. He recalled when he had last heard it.

"Watch it!"

Two bodies collided with painful crack before tumbled backward on the ice.

"Jezzus, Quatre! Are you made of concrete?" Duo wheezed and rubbed his back while carefully pushing himself to his knees.

Quatre snorted, gingerly pressing the swelling flesh below his eye. "I could ask your head the same thing."

Trowa skated over and gave the blonde a hand as Duo was already on his feet. "Perhaps the two of you should stay on opposites ends of the pond."

"I'll keep it in mind, Tulip."

He stood a few feet away, watching the scene as it unfolded. They all were agile and athletic enough to be decent skaters, but Duo's penchant for the dramatic had him tripping over his own feet. It didn't help matters that he had been blatantly flirting with Relena the entire time. When he turned slightly, he noticed that the petite blonde had moved to stand next to him. How she had done it was uncertain. The girl had barely managed to stay on her feet. And it had nothing to do with showing off.

"How many mishaps are we going to have today?" She was wiping the tears from her cheeks, remnants of the hilarity ensued by the actions of his ridiculous friends.

He snorted. "Plenty, with Maxwell here."

Relena giggled again. It was a pleasant sound, lacking the irritating flirtatiousness that was usually present with other women of his acquaintance. Granted, they were never giggling at him. But that was beside the point.

"How are you not prepared for that?" She chortled, using her good hand to muffle her mirth. He wanted to pull it away. "C'mon, Wufei - you must have some sort of plan. Everyone does."

Her grin was infectious and he allowed a slight show of teeth. "No one can plan for such a widespread event. It's ludicrous." He freed the bandage's adhesive and recaptured her hand. It was painful to watch her brilliant smile waver as he wrapped her finger.

"Tell that to the internet." She winced.

Wufei rolled his eyes at her comment, but gently brushed his fingers against her palm. "It is a rare event for me to be unarmed. I have access to multiple forms of weaponry, safe houses, food storage supplies, and equally competent men to back me up. A zombie apocalypse is the least of my worries."

It had been an attempt to make her laugh, but she chose to study him intently instead. He focused on retrieving the bandage wrappers in order to escape her scrutiny. Not that either of them was easily visible in the dim light provided. He was even less so, as the flashlight was turned toward her. Wufei wondered what she could see of his face in the darkness.

"What do you worry about then?" Her head had cocked to the side. He doubted that she even noticed. "What trumps zombies?"

Wufei stood, his knees finally feeling the burn from the weight on his joints. He leaned over the desk, into her space, and discarded the wrappers in a small waste bin that he had noticed earlier. She must have been startled by his actions, because he felt the warmth of her hand as it lightly grasped his bicep. For a moment he was concerned that he had scared her. "The safety of a certain political figure overrides most concerns."

He stood again and they both remained silent for a moment. The force of the wind had dulled, but its characteristic howl filled the small office. Relena rubbed her arms and Wufei became aware of the swiftly dropping temperature. He had been on his way to check the generators when he realized that he wasn't alone on the floor.

The flashlight flickered as he grabbed it, and he made a note to check the battery. Many of the offices held safety supplies, so he could locate the necessary materials there. If he couldn't restore heat to the building, they would also need blankets.

"What is yours?" Wufei broke the silence with his question, deciding to keep the young woman occupied while he assessed their situation. Although, the abrupt change in conversation clearly left her confused, as he discovered her staring at him blankly. "Plan. For the apocalypse. Since everyone has a one."

She snorted, and he decided that she wore impertinence well. "You're kidding, right?"

He watched her inspect the bandage on her finger briefly before waving it in emphasis.

"This? The guns? Safe houses? Food?" She pushed her rolling chair backward and joined him.

In that moment he realized that she was barefoot and he urged his attention elsewhere. Thankfully, he was distracted by Relena's bandaged finger pointing at his chest.

"If zombies do show up, I'm finding you first."