Disclaimer: ( I can't remember if I put this on the last chapter, so if I didn't, it still applies.) I don't own Gundam Wing, and I don't make any money off of this fic.

Notes: This one is just for you, BigSister2. I love a good reviewer, and I've gotten a few from you now. Thanks so much for your support! Just make sure to gimmie more of those big reviews! (-.- Wish I got more of those!)

More Notes: Read through this chapter…and, if you can predict what happens next, I'll dedicate the next chapter to you! Also, if you have any questions/comments (that aren't "GOD YOU SUCK" or anything of the like), add me on Aim: gravitystruth. Much love!

Chapter Four: Stupid

It was early the next morning when Quatre awoke. The room was oddly comforting…nothing like the hospital where he had woken before. Turning on his side he noticed the window before he saw anything else; the sun was rising in the sky, tainting a pair of peaks a faint shade of violet, and then pink, and finally a pale crimson. His eyes were dazzled; it was as if he'd never seen the sunrise before. He found himself drawn to the bright hues that danced before his eyes for what seemed to stretch on as hours. In all reality, it couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes.

Slowly, the world came fading back…he was in his bedroom in the house in Seattle, Washington. The little town house was just as he had left it, all of those months ago. The dresser was full of his clothes, he was sure. His pale green curtains fluttered as the AC clicked on, and he heaved a sigh at the cool touch against his skin. The carpets were a pale shade of mocha…Bonjour Beige, to be exact. He remembered smiling at the name and Heero's eyebrow twitching at the thought of having it in their house.

It was like a bullet flew through his chest and left him bleeding all over again.

They had been there together less than two months ago. He and Heero had been together in this very house, sleeping in this same bed. The thought caused the bile to turn in his stomach and he could only wonder how long it had been since he had last eaten. Must have been a long time, he thought absent-mindedly, since he had been in the hospital for a month. Running a hand through his hair, he yawned widely and sat up.

He instantly regretted it and moved to lie back down. His head was spinning wildly, and colors flashed around the edges of his vision. Stress, he supposed, made his body react this way. He hadn't had his eyes open in a month, to say anything of moving himself within the bed. And so, it was to be expected that he wasn't perfectly healed over night. Regardless, he lay there for a moment to try and catch his breath before attempting it at a slower pace. No spots rewarded him, and he smiled at his triumph, however small it might have been. Sitting quietly in bed, his back twanged with the ache of movement.

He looked up at the sound of the door opening at the far end of the room. Instantly, he felt exposed and a little helpless. To his mass relief, however, it wasn't an armed anyone. Quite to the contrary, it was a woman with a tray of what looked to be breakfast foods who offered a faint smile at the sight of him.

"Good morning!" Came her pleasant voice as she shifted about the room and eventually set the tray with food upon it on the nightstand, adjusting a few things that had moved during it's transit from the kitchens. "How're you feeling?"

"Well, thank you. If you don't mind my asking…who are you?" He questioned evenly, though a faint smile moved at the edge of his lips. She was sweet, and somewhat clumsy. Dark hair fell over her eyes in a short cut, as bright eyes regarded him with a gleam to them.

"My name is Hilde. I'm a close friend of Duo's…we work together in a scrap shop that he opened after the war." She explained with a faint sigh, putting the tray over his lap and waiting for a response.

There was everything that anyone could want; Ham, bacon, sausage, orange juice, mocha coffee, water, waffles, french toast, pancakes, sliced melon, grapes, and a tiny glass with a red carnation in it. Quatre…was speechless. Not only had she gotten everything onto the tray; it was well organized. He had to wonder if this woman had put an engadgement ring in his toast. Oh yes. There was regular toast with what smelled like peach jam on it, too.

He could only smile up at her and thank her quietly, not sure where to start…or even if he could lift a fork. So, he started with the glass of water, taking a long sip as Hilde sat down and looked towards the window. "He asked me, Duo that is, to come and make sure that you were alright while he went into work. There was a trouble car…a Toyota POS." She scoffed. "The fucker wouldn't let me touch his car, and so Duo had to come and do it. Said something about a man's touch. I wanted to smash his face."

Quatre couldn't help but laugh quietly at her tone and her colorful language choice. So, it would seem that she was quiet angry with whoever it was that had denied her access to their car. He smiled and looked down at the food, picking at it for a few minutes until he was satisfied.

"Oh! Do you want to read the paper?" The woman had perfect timing. With half of a slice of ham sticking out of his mouth, due to his lazy cutting, Quatre could only blush and nod. She stood, leaving the room and giving him time to finish what he had in his mouth before he set the tray aside and waited for the articles that would be his clue into the outside world and what was happening.

Would his story be there?

The thought sent shivers down his spine as he tried to ease his heart rate. It wouldn't do him any good to worry over something that he hadn't even seen yet. She was back a few minutes later, holding a heavy Sunday paper in her hands, setting it down and pulling out the adds out before handing it to him and sitting back down in the chair beside his bed.

"Uhm…you might want to…prepare yourself before you look." She offered with a nervous laugh as she watched the small blonde pull the paper apart and fold it before starting to read at a quick rate.

The headline made his breath catch.

"The World Mourns the Loss of War Hero, Quatre Raberba Winner to an Act of Violence."

The article laid out the entire scene for him in startling detail. Apparently, when he had been moved out of the hospital and into his home, he'd been reported dead. A body had been provided, it seemed, and it had been cremated instead of him. His will had been changed, apparently.

Everything that he owned had been left to Duo Maxwell. Convent, eh?

Various well-wishers left flowers to his home in California, laying them at the main south gate; this home was the one where he had been shot. Pictures, in vivid colors, made the place very real to the man lying in his bed.

Thousands of flowers, pictures, and candles dotted the fence of the cemetery, where public access was stopped. His sisters…all of them if he could still count, were standing around it, dressed in black, their heads hung, holding handkerchiefs and crying. Their expressions…it was a tear at his heart to see them so sad over something that had never really happened.

Everyone thought that he was dead; his family…his friends…even the other ex pilots, he was sure. He felt his heart ache when he thought over the possibility that Heero knew. Would he care? Would the perfect soldier have a tear to shed for his own doing? Quatre felt betrayed. Why wasn't there a picture of Heero standing over his grave?

"I…I think I need to tell my family." He said quietly. "At least my sisters…they'd never tell…but…I mean…" He stammered, unsure of what point he himself was trying to make. He had to make some sort of point to this girl. Maybe she could help him convince Duo.

"I don't know if that's a…" Hilde started, giving him a sad look before she looked over her shoulder towards the door. It clicked open, revealing a sweaty, tired Duo. His hair was pulled back and braided, as always, and a black cap was placed on his head. A black muscle shirt covered his chest, narrowing down to a pair of faded and ripped blue jeans. He looked extremely serious for a moment…more serious than Quatre had ever seen him before.

"Not a good idea, little buddy." He muttered, moving into the room and moving to the other side of the bed, kneeling down. "Heero is still out there, somewhere. I can keep you hidden from being found, if he thinks that you're dead. We can wait a few months, move to somewhere remote, and resume life…but…I can't save you from him if he finds out that you're still alive." He said quietly. "If you were found to be alive, he'd come after you again. Even though I might be good at this, I can't protect you from him if he comes at you directly again. And this time, he might not miss. I'm sorry, Quat. There's no way that you can ever tell anyone."

"I understand, Duo." Quatre quietly responded after a moment, running a hand through his hair and looking up at the other man. "I just…I don't see why I can't tell my sisters. They're family…and, the other pilots! You know that they'd never tell. I know that Trowa's bound to be worried…and when Trowa's worried, Wu-Fei gets agitated, and th…"

"Quatre, as long as you're dead," Duo began. "Heero has no reason to harm any of your family. He has no reason to go after any of the pilots, either. He'll stay in hiding as long as he believes that you're dead. But, if you were alive, he would have reason to come out again. He might be upset when he couldn't find you right away…when you weren't at a specific location. Should he be unable to find you on his own, which is a big possibility, he would turn on them. He might hurt your family…might hurt our friends." He muttered, shaking his head. "I hate that it's so hard to think about, but, the truth of the matter is that it's safer for everyone if he never finds out."

"Maybe you're right." He said quietly, shaking his head. He smiled quietly and nodded. "Well…when can I get out of this bed?" He asked, a faint smile playing over his lips. Quatre was sure that his muscles were pointlessly immobile after a month in a coma. Hopefully, he'd be able to stand and walk again without any physical therapy. If not, he'd be forced to move around like a scarecrow for a while until they could move somewhere else and find someone to do it.

"I don't know." Duo laughed quietly. "But, if you recover from atrophy anything like you recovered from that shot, you'll be running marathons around my ass in a week or two." He stated with a grin. "I'm glad that you're feeling better, Quatre. I was worried about you." He admitted.

Quatre laughed in return, smiling brightly. "Thank you, Duo. For everything…saving me, and giving me another chance." He offered quietly, suddenly realizing everything that this man had done for him.

Running a hand through his bangs, Duo gave a smile and shook his head. "Nothing that I couldn't handle. Not that big of a deal, I promise." He stated with a bit of a laugh before standing up again. "I've got to get back. The bastard wanted his truck done by the end of the day." He muttered, giving Hilde a smile. She, in return, gave him a smirk before nodding.

"Go on and get out of here. I'll keep Quatre company before lunch, and then we can switch. You know I like the night shift better, anyways." She waved at him, and Duo made his exit, closing the door behind him with a quiet click.

Sighing quietly, the brunette closed his eyes for a moment. His smile faltered and the guilt set in. None of what he knew about the plot behind Heero' actions made sense. Nothing, from the strange organization, to the way Quatre had been shot, to the disappearance of the other pilot, added up to anything that Dup wanted to think about.

He hated himself for a moment. Hated that he cared about Quatre as much as he did, hated that he was putting so many people in danger's way to keep one person safe, and hated the fact that he wasn't being completely honest with the other man.

Heero never meant to kill Quatre.

Duo now knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Heero had missed a killing shot on purpose. The Perfect Solider had done everything that he had with one objective; to get the company off of his back before he continued with his life. He was going to reclaim Quatre. He thought that the younger man was still in a coma, Duo figured.

Heero had almost killed Quatre to save him. Almost killed him…in order to keep him from being tortured and murdered by some hit man when he turned his back.

Duo had to keep Quatre away from that monster. Starting down the hallway, he set his jaw and made a vow:

As long as Quatre was in pain, and as long as he wasn't safe, he would never see Heero again.