Chapter 1
Let the Game Begin
First thing was first, Duo decided as he toweled himself off quickly. He slid his boxers on and opened the door. A picture of himself with Hilde confronted him. There were many such pictures on the wall. More than facing Heero, or Wufei, hurting Hilde was the part of this whole mess that he dreaded most.
During the war, they had comforted each other, a rare and desperately needed comfort. He still loved her dearly, but he wasn't complete. How he wished he could put all of this mess out of his mind and start the family that he desperately wanted. His heart was drawing him in another direction. More specifically, in two other directions. He simply wasn't happy with Hilde anymore and they had promised each other that no matter what, their happiness came first. He sighed. He was an asshole.
Duo sat on the bed and began his routine of brushing out and then braiding his hair. He was aware the moment Hilde entered the room but he could tell by her soft noises that she was trying to sneak up on him. Like anyone could sneak up on him. He'd made sneaking into an art form. Still, he pretended to be surprised when she slapped him playfully. Then she began speaking to him.
Duo knew Hilde so well that he didn't have to listen to her, but he knew she wanted. She'd been sure that he "overheard" countless conversations with Relena and Dorothy and every other female of her acquaintance about how she wanted a family and how that would all begin when Duo finally proposed and married her.
He wanted to settle down, too, but not with Hilde. His heart belonged somewhere else. Tonight, he had to tell her. He dressed carefully for the evening, already regretting the necessity of hurting her but knowing that, his selfish reasons aside, she deserved someone who would love and take care of her.
"Duo, what's wrong?" Hilde asked. "You're not all here and you look kind of depressed."
"I'm fine," he promised softly. "I just have a lot on mind tonight." He saw immediately that he'd made a poor choice of words because Hilde practically shrieked and became giddy as a school girl. She had obviously drawn the wrong conclusion about what was on his mind. With visible effort, she shoved her excitement down and calmly walked into the closet to put on her slinky black dress.
Duo cringed inwardly when he saw how all-out Hilde had gone for their night out. He could almost kick his own ass right out the door. Duo opened the passenger door of the black Jag he had "acquired" over lunch and then slid behind the wheel and fired it up. Death metal poured out of the speakers and filled his silent void. He couldn't bring himself to speak, worried he would blurt it out right then. He wanted there to be witnesses nearby when he broke the news. He didn't think they would prevent her from shooting his ass on the spot, but at least they'd be able to tell the cops what happened.
Quatre saw the black Jag pull in and something in him tingled. He gave Trowa a look and the two disappeared from sight.
"What is it?" Trowa asked quietly, well used to acting on Quatre's gut first and asking questions later.
"The black Jag," Quatre whispered back. "Someone we know."
The mental light came on and Trowa nodded in understanding. They watched the couple enter the building, the young woman glowing with excitement. That didn't look good. Quatre's frown deepened. How was Duo even affording this place? He wasn't the best with money, after all. As soon as the two were inside, he stepped out of his hiding spot and straightened his vest. "Looks like I'm back on the clock," he sighed.
Trowa smiled a little, already knowing the reply as he pointed out, "You know, you don't have to interfere."
The blonde shrugged. "I like to keep things interesting."
Trowa got back into the driver's seat and as soon as Quatre's door was closed, floored it as fast as a green Volkswagen Beetle could go. "I don't want any part of this."
"Since when are you involved?" Quatre questioned, waving his concern away.
Trowa gave him a small, affectionate smile. "The minute I married you."
Quatre studied his husband's face. "I'm not sure if I should be amused or offended."
Trowa just rolled his shoulders and continued weaving crazily through traffic toward their place of business, content to let his spouse continue to plot someone else's love life.
Duo escorted Hilde to the table and held her chair for her. The waiter quickly came toward them, a smile on his face. "Good evening. Are we celebrating something this evening?"
Hilde's head snapped toward Duo, who cringed inwardly. "Um, we'll see," he replied awkwardly. As he passed the waiter on the way to his seat, he turned his head slightly. "Kill me," he murmured.
Quick understanding dawned and the waiter surreptitiously removed the knife from Hilde's place setting as he poured her a glass of water.
Satisfied that he had done his part in save the hapless man, the waiter dutifully wrote down Hilde's wine choice, a bottle of Riesling Spä tlese. Duo drained his first glass and poured himself another. He needed to relax. The server left him alone with Hilde after one more sympathetic look.
"How did your lunch date go?" Hilde asked.
"Business as usual," he commented dryly. If only she knew. Hilde knew that Duo went to see Quatre once a month to talk. She was under the impression they were catching up on old times or discussing counter-terrorist movements. Never in her wildest imaginings would she guess that it was relationship problems.
"He said that everyone is doing just fine and he's trying to plan a get-together."
Hilde grinned. "If it turns out anything like last time, I'm bringing a video camera for blackmail."
"It wasn't that bad!" Duo protested
Her eyebrows climbed. "Duo, Heero was so drunk he was wearing a lampshade and dancing with the lamp. Wufei was hanging on everyone, telling them that he loved them and that they were pretty. Quatre, evil little blonde that he is, was trying to get an orgy going. And you, my dear, were trying to teach Heero's cat how to play strip poker. How is that not bad?"
Duo thought about this, tapping his finger to his chin. "The cops didn't show up?"
"Yes, they did!" she practically squealed.
His brow furrowed thoughtfully. "Oh. I don't remember," he replied.
"Because you were drunk!" she exclaimed playfully, smiling because her point was proven.
In a moment, the waiter was there, taking their orders and their menus before scurrying away as quickly as possible. He obviously didn't want to be in the line of fire when things went south. Duo leaned back in his chair and his eyes lost their playful gleam. It was time.
"Hilde, the reason I asked you here today is because I have a question for you…"
At that precise moment, Cat Scratch Fever began to blare from the phone on his hip. It was Quatre's ring tone. What in the hells did he want? It had to be important if he was interrupting him now.
He held up one finger to Hilde, leaving her in suspense. "Maxwell," he answered. Hilde strained to hear the conversation but the volume was too low. Pouting to show her displeasure at the interruption, she sat back, crossing her arms over her chest.
"What?!" Duo hissed into the phone, the beginnings of panic on his face. "I'm on my way." He flipped the phone closed and yanked his wallet out. He threw some bills on the table, including a generous tip to the waiter for the knife thing. He needed the man to stay on his side, because he would be back.
"Sorry, Hilde," he called, already striding away. "Preventer work!" Because he was looking over his shoulder at her, he didn't see the chair until he tripped over it, which sent him sprawling into a waiter who was serving another table. Duo spun from the crash, disoriented for a moment, and leapt the last table in his path rather than try to figure out a way around it. Then he took off sprinting down the street toward the Jag like the fires of Hell were chasing him.
Duo just barely remembered to turn the Jag off before vaulting out of it once he reached Preventers Headquarters and ran around like a mad man, too distracted by his own worry to note that the few people in the building at that time of evening were calm, even bored.
Without pausing to speak to the desk sergeant, Duo dashed up the stairs and flew into the big conference room. To his surprise, it was dark. He was about to head for Quatre's office when the curtain that covered the big bay windows parted slightly to reveal Quatre, sitting by the head of the conference table. His fingers were laced and in front of his face, hiding the lower half of it.
Duo jumped at a sound behind him, turning to see that it was the thump of Trowa's feet landing on the table. A faintly bored expression on his face, he stuck ear buds in and thumbed through the song selection on his MP3 player for the song he wanted.
Duo frowned, a suspicion beginning to form in his mind. "Quatre, what the hell is going on? You told me that Heero was in trouble!" he sputtered, glaring back and forth between the two of them.
"We were rescuing you from Hilde, weren't we, Trowa?" he asked in a saccharine voice.
Trowa looked up at the sound of his name, glancing from his husband to his friend. Certain that he had Duo's attention he removed the headphones and said, "I am not here. You never saw me. I have no knowledge of any event that may or may not transpire this evening. I claim plausible deniability." This stated, he pushed the buds back into his ears, cranked up the volume, and resumed ignoring the two of them.
