One More Dance

Author's Notes: This is a Relena-centric one-shot. If you're not a Relena fan, please go back now. Heero will have a role, and there may be short appearances by other characters, but Relena will be the star of this fic. It's probably been done a thousand times over, but I'm sorry. I don't read much fanfiction so I wouldn't know. It was inspired by the X-Men Annual 2000 comic. Yes, I'm an X-Men comic book fan (notice I said comic book, as opposed to movie or animated series).

Warnings: Depressing. Well, it depends on how you look at it. I really intend for it to have a happy ending. You may even find it uplifting, but it will definitely start out depressing. Minor language, violence, angst, and a small possibility of lime. Death of a minor character and severe mutilation of a major character are also present. Don't like those elements, please don't read. I don't want to upset anyone.

And before anyone asks, no, I haven't stopped writing Cemetery Roses. This is just a one-shot that came to me and I had to get it out. Hope everyone enjoys! Onto the fic! Oh yeah, it's in Relena's POV.

The cherry red car came out of no where. At first, it was just two bright lights, coming at us as a severely dizzy person would look if they attacked you. The car was quite litterally all over the road, and the driver was obviously drunk. Those lights will always haunt my mind.

Pagan was driving, as usual, and we were heading home from a political meeting. Peace had been acheived. All was well.

When the car entered view, Pagan swerved, his first instinct to avoid collision. However his instinct was too slow. Collision occured. The sound was more horrifying than anything else. It was a mixture of crushing, bending metal and the desparate screams escaping from all our mouths.

And then, all was black.

I woke up in a hospital room and was casually informed that Pagan had died instantly. First there was shock, then their was anger, then there was pain. I sat in the bed, clutching the sheets between my fingers. "The other driver?" I asked, my voice hoarse and broken.

"Dead." the doctor said flatly. "He was drunk."

I just stared into the immaculate whiteness of the wall across from my bed. I was the only one who survived. I was marked for survival. Part of me felt victorious somehow, maybe even a bit strong. It was a very fleeting feeling that maybe I was more durrable than I first thought. Then I realized what I was thinking. Pagan was dead. He was like a father to me. Tears welled up, but didn't overflow from my eyes. It was like there was some barrier holding them in, saying "Wait, save them for later. There will be more cause for tears then."

As if on cue, the doctor sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at me sternly. "There's more bad news." he said, his voice monotone. "Your legs have been amputated just above the knee. We tried to save them, but there was too much dammage."

Everything else he said from there was like some distant, inaudible echo. Both legs were amputated. Both legs. I was a cripple, a legless cripple who'd never walk again. Those were the things that ran through my mind, over and over again. Cripple. Cripple. Cripple.

I looked down and violently jerked the sheets from my legs. There they were, those little stubs covered in white bandages. The barrier holding my tears broke, and the tears flowed more rapidly than a raging river would after a dam had been destroyed. "I'm a cripple." I muttered through my sobs.

The doctor, obviously not much of a people person, stood up and walked out of the room, leaving me alone in my sorrow.

Minutes later, a soft knock came at the door. I quickly covered those horrid little excuses for legs and my mother walked in. Her eyes were large and bloodshot. "Relena... are you all right?"

I felt like screaming at her. I felt like jerking away the sheets and commanding her to look upon my mutilation, then asking her if she thought I was all right. But my better judgment stepped in. Mother was worried, and I appreciated that.

"Not really." I said, at a loss for what else to say.

Her eyes wandered to my legs, or rather where they used to be, and I could see the sadness written all over her face. Apparently the doctor had informed her of my condition as well.

"Mother?"

"Yes dear?"

"I'd like to be alone."

There was an akward silence. Then a muffled "Ok."

I sat in the room, staring at the space that my legs once occupied. They were gone, just like Pagan, and I could never get them back. I began contemplating my situation. Why did this happen to me? Why didn't I just die along with Pagan and the drunk driver? Where was Heero?

That was the most burning question. Had he not promised to protect me? He told me that he would never let any harm come to me, that he would always be there. Where was he?! My mind was screaming these questions at him, blindly hoping that he could somehow hear them.

I layed back in my bed, stared up at the ceiling, and allowed the tears to flow freely down my blank face.

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

Months had went by. MONTHS, and no word from Heero. Hilde had stopped in a few times and tried unsuccessfully to cheer me up. She offered many times to take me to the mall or to rent a bunch of movies so we could have at least a little fun. I appreciated her efforts, but I couldn't help but alienate her. She didn't mention Heero, neither did Duo on the two occasions that he came in with Hilde to check on me. The other Gundam pilots, with the exception of Heero and Wufei, attended Pagan's funeral, spoke kindly to me, and went on their way. Quatre came by once more, offering to fund any programs I'd like to try for artificial legs. Of course, I thanked him but declined his offer, telling him that when I'm ready to start such a program I'd fund it myself.

My brother and Noin visit more frequently than anyone else, but there's really nothing they can do. I think they all know what I need. I need Heero. I need to see him, to speak to him, and to hear his voice. But why, in my darkest hour, is he suddenly gone? He seemingly vanished out of thin air.

One day I overheard my brother and Noin talking about Heero. It seems they and Duo had been searching for Heero, to at least inform him of what's happened to me. They were apparently sure that Heero had heard about it, and were upset that he hadn't contacted anyone. But that was Heero's style. Always working in the background, away from all others.

Day after day, I sat in my room, staring out my window. I remembered all the times I would walk out onto the balcony and sit on the railing, letting my legs swing above the cool night air. I could never ever do that again. So many things were denied me now. Everything was an endless struggle.

Other memories haunted me too. I remembered the day I danced with Heero at our school. Since that day, I had longed to dance with him again. This was probably what hurt me the most. That dance, it was the first time Heero had seemed human to me, and not like some cold soldier. It was when I realized that I was in love with him. How wonderful it felt to be moving in a slow, steady rhythm with such a man. I fantasized about the day we would dance again, when our hands would join and we would whirl around together, letting the music guide us.

I sat in my wheel chair that night, dreaming about that fond hope I once had. The tears from that first day came back, pouring uncontrolably. "Oh, Heero," I sobbed, "all I wanted was one more dance.... just one more...."

Then I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up, the door to the balcony was open, and standing in front of me was Heero Yuy. My eyes went wide. "H-Heero.."

He looked at me strangely, the first time I'd ever seen so much emotion in his eyes. "Relena, I'm sorry." he said.

"Sorry... for what?"

"I know I said I would protect you, and look what I let happen to you."

"It's not your fault. At first, I did blame you. But that was because I had no one else to blame. The drunk driver was dead. Pagan was dead. Who else was left?"

Heero knelt down in front of me, his eyes moving up and down my broken form. He placed his hands on the ends of what was left of my legs. His eyes seemed so pained. He then stared up at my face. He looked at me for so long. It was almost uncomfortable.

He abrubtly stood up and placed his hands beneath my arms. He picked me up easily from the chair and I instinctively wrapped my arms around him, now fearing that I would fall. I was hanging from him, no legs to hold me up. His arms came around my back, steadying me. He carried me out onto the balcony, under the moonlight.

He looked down into my eyes, his now shining in the light. His face was still serious, monotonous, yet there was a touch of kindness in his expression. He began whirling around slowly, as if dancing. He held me close to him, to secure me, and began whirling faster. I couldn't believe it. It actually felt like we were dancing again. All those memories came flooding back from that school dance. All the love that had formed for him came back. Tears ran down my cheek and he kissed him away. "Just one more dance, ne?" he said with the first smile I'd ever seen him wear.

I nodded, closing my eyes and resting my head under his chin as he continued to spin us around. "Thank you, Heero." I whispered, finally crying my last tears, which were ironically tears of joy."