Summary: Three young men with hidden secrets and huge responsibilities. Two more that are equally burdened with the goals they've set for themselves. One headstrong young lady with plans of her own. And two others who find themselves smack in the middle of the action when all these forces come together by chance and luck, and try their new, unexpected alliance against the largest force of all.

Author's Notes: An AU, but set in the Gundam Wing universe, just before the actual series starts. There are Leos, but no Gundams yet. Each scene is put in there for a reason, even if sometimes it seems pointless. And, er, watch out for copious amounts of sap in the last bit. [grimaces] I left a lot open at the end, so don't expect all the loose ends to be tied up.

Pairings: 1x2, established 3x4, 6x13

Unexpected Alliances

Part Four

"...and even when he had faded from view, the blood continued to drip, drip, drip down the walls, and the little child was still in his mind's eyes, staring at her, both eyes black holes, mouthing his plea, reaching out to her with his bloated fingers."

There was a pause.

"Faded from view? How? Like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland? You know, with the grin going last? Man, that'd be cool to see."

Wufei groaned. "Can nothing penetrate that insufferable mind of yours, Maxwell? Look at Winner! He's scared to death!"

Quatre hurriedly pulled out of Trowa's embrace, face pink. "What?" he said defensively. "I was not! And could you please turn on the lights, Heero? Thank you."

"I'm made of tougher stuff than your silly little stories, Wu-man," Duo smirked as Heero sat back down, face impassive as usual.

"More likely you are so pig-headed you would not know horror if it hit you in the head!"

"Oh yeah? Wu-man, if that's what you call a 'horror story', well, I'd say you haven't seen real horror yet."

"And what constitutes 'real horror', hm?" Wufei growled.

Duo's smile sharpened. "Trust me, you'll know when you see it."

An awkward silence filled the air. Heero stared at Duo, filing away yet another small piece of a puzzle he suspected was larger than he'd ever dared to guess. He had been instructed to report back every day, but so far he and Wufei had agreed to send the same message: nothing of interest. It was true; there had been nothing that would have interested Lord Winner... but so much that intrigued him. Especially Duo.

He'd been observing Duo more than the other two, like he and Wufei had agreed. Even then, the dynamics between the three were hard to miss. Trowa was the steady one, anchoring Quatre's light heartedness and Duo's bounciness, acting as the voice of reason, albeit with a wry sense of humour. Quatre was the one they were most defensive of, his clear intelligence tempered with an unbelievable level of innocence. Heero couldn't understand how someone so understanding of primal human nature and with a clear grasp of reality could still be so trusting in the goodwill of mankind.

And Duo – he was a challenge. Heero was quite sure that Duo was not Quatre's classmate; he was nothing like those who roamed the upper social circles. There was something under those expressive attention-grabbing violet eyes and smile – not only a sharp wit and clear intelligence, not only the many secrets he knew were there (Trowa and Quatre had them too; hell, everyone did), but something painful and dark.

Duo – confused him. He made him feel, and feel things he didn't understand. Duo got through Heero's conditioning like Heero himself never could, and that was something he was grateful for. But gratitude wasn't the only thing making him want to keep Duo by his side. He felt uneasy whenever Duo dropped into his pensive moods; something in him wanted to keep Duo happy. He found himself looking forward to seeing Duo, and that kind of dependence scared him.

If it were anyone else he'd have stopped this – friendship – long ago, but Duo was... different. Heero didn't know how he knew, only that he wanted to protect this friendship, even though they had known each other only for, what, a couple of days? And that in itself proved that Duo was special. So his new personal mission was to figure Duo out, and Lord Winner could go and self-destruct.

Besides, the old man gave him the creeps. Rather like J, in that aspect.

"OY! Heero!"

He swatted away the hand waving in front of his face. "Nani?"

Duo blinked. "What?"

Realizing his mistake, the Japanese muttered, "What."

"What what?"

"No, 'nani' means 'what' in Japanese."

"Oh. Hey, since you're talking, mind telling me what 'baka' means?"

Wufei snorted. "He's been calling you that for the past two days and you don't know what it means?"

"Hey, I can guess, I'd just like to confirm it," Duo retorted.

What Wufei replied to that was lost in the sudden blaring of the ship's alarm system. Heero and Duo were first out of the door, Wufei and Trowa hot on their heels and Quatre following. They all skidded to a halt in the control room, where one glance at the display panel told them what happened.

"All of you buckle up!" Heero ordered as he slid into the pilot's seat and began disengaging the autopilot. "Wufei – "

"It's my ship!" snapped Quatre, shoving Wufei aside with uncharacteristic brusqueness and dropping into the co-pilot's seat. "You do the piloting, I'll stabilize," he said tersely to Heero.

The only answer was a grunt, and they set about preparing the ship for a duck-and-weave game with the sudden meteor shower. The others, strapped in behind the two, were watchfully silent.

Then they hit the asteroids.

"Up!" Quatre yelled, as Heero yanked the ship into a hard right, all of them slamming into the side of their seats, the restraints cutting painfully. A sudden swerve to the left, then an abrupt jerk that sent the ship screaming upwards, the people inside jammed into their seats.

"Left!" Wufei shouted, and the ship spun in a savage turn to avoid the incoming meteor, only to shudder alarmingly as Heero wrenched them upwards once more in a tight spiral.

"Right engines!" growled Heero. Quatre snapped back, "I know, dammit!" as he punched in commands and adjusted controls. The ship groaned as Heero upped the speed, the force tearing at their flesh, and they banked right and suddenly were headed straight for a meteor –

"UP!" Quatre screamed together with Duo and Heero hauled on the controls, slamming them almost vertically upwards, the rock hurtling past the ship, then he wrenched them into a tight spin and flipped the ship and then plunged straight down – and then they were in open space, watching the asteroids tumble past.

Heero slowed the ship until it was just cruising along, and eased his fingers from the controls. Shakily, Quatre called out, "Everyone fine?"

"Shit... alive, at least," Duo groaned, forcing himself to relax muscle by muscle.

"Yes," Wufei confirmed, doing a few meditation exercises to get himself under control. Trowa just grunted, willing himself to calm down.

Quatre sighed, and trembling fingers began to unbuckle the restraints. He caught sight of Heero watching him. "What?" he asked, a little tetchily.

"Nice handling of the controls," Heero said quietly. He gave Quatre a tight nod. "Didn't think you had it in you."

Quatre managed a smile. "Well, I have a ship for a reason, you know."

"Damn good piloting, too," Duo called from the back. "Not even a scratch! And you got us out pretty fast – "

The radio chose that moment to cackle to life. "Hello? Mayday, mayday!"

A collective sigh – and one loud groan – went up from the five boys, before Quatre pressed a button and replied tiredly, "Identify yourself and your status."

"Oh, thank god. This is the Epyon, and our engines were damaged in the meteor shower. We need assistance to reach L1, one and a half day's journey from this point."

Quatre blinked. "Epyon? Would you by any chance be Zechs Merquise?"

"Ah, you got me there. And who are you?"

"Quatre Winner, and this is Sandrock. I never expected to meet you here, Mr Merquise."

"Mr Winner? Oh – I'm sorry. I hate to be rude, but can we forgo the formalities? Something's wrong with the air pressure, too, and you do realize what that might lead to."

Quatre laughed. "Of course. We are headed for L1 as well, so it won't be any trouble, unless... how many people do you have?"

"Only two, actually."

"Alright, then. Give me your co-ordinates and prepare to dock."

Five minutes later, the ship was back on autopilot, and five tired boys were gathered in front of the door to the air lock, which hissed open to reveal a weary-looking silver-haired Zechs Merquise, and behind him was...

"Treize Kushrenada?"

The ginger-haired man nodded at them with a small smile. "We did not know if Mr Winner would welcome the OZ leader on board his ship, so Zechs neglected to mention my name. I apologize for the deception, but our situation was truly becoming desperate."

Quatre shook his head. "Not at all, you are welcome on board," he said warmly.

Wufei grumbled darkly under his breath at that, and both Treize's dark blue eyes and Zechs' light crystal blue ones focused on him. "Seems like someone disagrees," Zechs remarked, eyes glittering dangerously.

"That does not matter, this is my ship and you are my guests," Quatre said firmly, shooting a glare at Wufei, who subsided. "May I introduce you? This is Trowa Barton and Duo Maxwell, my schoolmates. These two are our bodyguards, Heero Yuy and Chang Wufei. And I'm sure you four already recognize Mr Kushrenada of OZ and his second-in-command, Mr Merquise."

Treize bowed slightly. "Pleased to meet you all. Mr Chang, I hope we can come to an agreement. I mean none of you any harm; you have saved us, and it would be dishonourable to do anything less than help you in any way we can."

Wufei's eyes flickered at the mention of honour, and he nodded stiffly.

"Come, let me show you to the spare guest room. I'm sure you will want to rest after that ordeal, like the rest of us do," Quatre said smoothly.

"How about Epyon?" Zechs interjected worriedly.

"We'll attach her to us with cable and tow her to L1 for repairs, don't worry," Duo spoke up. With a friendly smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, he added, "Trowa will help me while Quatre brings the rest of you to your rooms to rest. We'll gather later for dinner, where we can talk further. How's that?"

"A good plan, Duo. This way, Mr Kushrenada, Mr Merquise."

"This is an excellent meal, Mr Winner. One hardly finds such fine cooking on board a ship; most pilots prefer simple foods that are easily disposable to save hassle."

Quatre smiled. "Thank you, Mr Kushrenada, but the credit goes to Trowa; I merely lent him an extra pair of hands."

"Well then, my thanks to you, Mr Barton."

Trowa just nodded. "No problem," he said quietly.

"Are you on a pleasure trip, Mr Kushrenada, or is this for business?" Duo asked, swallowing his mouthful.

"Ah, this is a pleasure trip. As Zechs has reminded me time and again, I need to take a break from work sometimes, and the facilities on L1 are almost as good as Earth's, and cheaper."

"By the way, Mr Kushrenada, I must admit to a few doubts about some of your intended plans for the colonies. I hear you want to impose even stricter immigration and travel laws on colony-born people?" Quatre asked suddenly.

"Where did you hear that?" Zechs interrupted, frowning.

"Oh, here and there, from a few friends in school and I think my father mentioned it some time," Quatre said vaguely. "Why? Is it wrong?"

"Yes, it's wrong! We aim to give colony-born and Earth-born equal rights, not to differentiate them! There should not even be the terms 'colony-born' or 'Earth-born' in our vocabulary – "

"Zechs." Treize's hand on his arm made the silver-haired man blink and sit down, quietly turning back to his meal. The OZ leader then turned to the rest of his audience, noting the carefully amused smiles. "I apologize, gentlemen, Zechs can get rather passionate about our ideals at times."

"Oh, no, I'm happy to hear your view on things. It makes us wonder how many truths have become distorted in the telling, doesn't it?" Quatre replied smoothly.

Treize's eyes narrowed slightly, but kept the smile on his face. "Yes, it does," he agreed genially.

"Like the one about you two being lovers?" Duo asked innocently from Zechs's other side, taking a bite of his chicken.

Zechs choked. Duo helpfully whacked him on the back.

Treize's smile was dangerous. "I have no idea how that rumour came about. Why do you ask, Mr Maxwell?"

"Oh, just wondering if you wanted a third partner. Wufei needs to – "

"Maxwell!" Wufei turned a deep shade of red.

"– relax a little, you know, get laid – " Duo caught the apple thrown at his head and grinned at Wufei. "I'm trying to help you here, Wuffers!"

"It's Wufei," the Chinese man ground out.

Zechs put down his glass of water and looked Wufei up and down. "I wouldn't mind," he said with a suggestive wink.

"I don't think he'd mind, either, for all the fuss he puts up."

"Maxwell!"

"Zechs..."

"I know, I know," he and Duo chorused, and then grinned at each other. Zechs put an arm around Duo and let his gaze trail over the braided boy. "I wouldn't mind having you, either, Mr Maxwell," he leered.

Duo leaned into him and batted his eyelashes. "Oh, I'm sure... but are you two any good in bed?"

"Duo."

He turned to pout at Heero. "What?"

"They are our guests." His eyes were shuttered, revealing nothing, but the set of his shoulders hinted at some tenseness.

"Heero's right, Duo, be polite!" Quatre hastily agreed, face heated with a blush. "Stop that!"

"Aw, you don't mind, do you?" Duo asked Zechs, who shook his head, grinning.

"See?"

"Duo."

"Oh, fine, get that stick out of your ass, Heero." Duo sighed theatrically, feeling a surprising happiness that Heero was asserting himself – over him, no less! – and pulled away from Zechs. "Sorry, honey, you know how it is."

"We're just not fated to be," Zechs agreed sadly.

After the laughter subsided, the atmosphere was much more relaxed. Quatre and Treize engaged in heated debate over some political issue between bites of chicken, while Zechs and Duo lightly bantered, speculating on the love lives of the three remaining boys at the table. Trowa interjected with wry comments, and Wufei interrupted with an outraged "Maxwell!" whenever Duo began on the topic of threesomes.

Treize insisted on helping with the dishes after dinner, and Quatre was just as adamant that he would not. They reached a compromise – Zechs would wash the dishes with Duo, while the others would retreat into the recreation room for some, well, recreation.

The two longhaired men worked companionably in silence for a while, before Duo said conversationally, "Is this thing with Kushrenada just out of gratefulness?"

Zechs froze. Then he said carefully, "What do you mean?"

Duo shrugged. "If I'm not wrong, you were a prostitute before Treize took you in. You owe all that you have to him. Your relationship – did you just start it because you're indebted to him, and giving him your body is the only way you know to thank him?"

"Who do you think you are?" Zechs hissed, eyes blazing.

Duo turned to face him, face set. "I'm Duo Maxwell. I don't like to see people hurt. I quite like you, you know; you seem like a pretty fun person. I just want you to think about it, if you're doing the right thing. Back during dinner – you didn't even look at Treize when you flirted with Wufei and me. And that says something."

They stared each other down for a few moments, before Zechs dropped his eyes and visibly slumped. Duo allowed himself to relax, and turned back to the sink to begin washing the dishes again. From behind him, Zechs' rueful voice came over the soft gush of the water. "Do you know of something called 'subtlety'?"

"Wouldn't have worked in your case," was the cheerful reply.

Zechs let out a short laugh. "I guess not."

Duo just continued scrubbing, waiting.

"I... I guess I just haven't lost the habits of my old life. Be wary, doubt kindness. Treize – he's given me so much and never asks for anything except loyal service. And even then, he gave me a choice to not work for him if his ideals didn't agree with mine. I chose to work for him because I found him... honourable. You know, I have no idea why I'm telling you this. I've only known you for less than a day! And how did you know, anyway?"

Duo ignored the last question, as he answered cheerfully, "Nothing bonds better than a life-threatening experience. Unless it's one of us threatening the other, of course."

There was a snort.

"I won't tell anyone. I've never told anyone what I know of your past. Besides, I'm an inherently curious person. Humour me."

"Nothing much to say, except that you don't have to worry. What we have – it's real. What I feel for him is real. I just... need time to adjust. To convince myself that I don't have to test him to see if he runs away. You know how it's like, don't you, Duo? Take what you can. Give nothing away. Be wary of traps and ulterior motives, because nothing that good can be true."

"Why should you think I know how it's like?" Duo asked lightly.

Zechs moved forward, picking up the rag he'd been using previously. "Hey, I've been so honest with you, I don't see why you shouldn't return the favour. I won't tell either. Admit it, you've been on the streets too."

"Why should I 'return the favour', as you put it? Why should I tell you anything? Give nothing away, remember; take what you can." He gave Zechs a roguish grin. "First thing you learn."

Zechs laughed, and they finished the dishes, lapsing back into their previous comfortable silence. Just as they were drying their hands, Heero materialized at the doorway to the kitchenette, watching them silently. Zechs noticed him first, and gave him a friendly smile which faltered when it was returned with a glare. Duo noticed them, then, and bounded over to Heero. "Hey, Hee-chan!" he chirped, and was pleasantly surprised when the nickname wasn't immediately rejected. "Did you want to talk to me?"

Heero nodded, and Duo smiled at Zechs apologetically. "Mind if you go on first?" he asked cheerfully.

The silver-haired man shook his head. "No problem," he said, slightly unnerved by the dark stare fixed on him, and quickly escaped the kitchen as Duo pulled Heero to the table, sitting on a chair. "What's up?" he asked, indicating the seat next to him. Heero shook his head sharply, remaining on his feet, and Duo frowned but dismissed it.

"I don't trust him."

Duo blinked. "Okaay... who?"

"Merquise."

"What brought this on?"

Heero remained silent, arms crossed over his chest and staring at some point on the wall past Duo's head.

Duo sighed. Patience, he reminded himself. "Alright, why – "

"I heard you talking."

That got his attention. "What? From where – "

"Since he said something about subtlety."

Duo sighed, vaguely irritated. "Heero, that sort of stuff is private. You can't just eavesdrop whenever you feel like it – "

"You both lived on the streets."

"Well, yes – "

Heero lifted dark eyes rife with swirling emotion to Duo's own wide-eyed gaze, clenched fists dropping to his sides. "Is that why you wear skimpy clothes and flirt with everyone?"

Duo gaped. Then what Heero was implying became all too clear, and annoyed anger crashed over him as he shoved his chair backwards as he stood, slamming his hands down on the table. "What the hell gives you the damn right to say things like that!" he snarled.

"Am I wrong?"

"Damn right you're wrong!" Duo snapped, furious at the self-righteous tone Heero used. "I didn't sell myself, and I will never go so low! I'm a goddamn virgin, for your fucking information, Heero Yuy! And what Zechs does is his own damn business! I don't try to presume shit about you and the basic rule of social interaction is that you don't presume shit about me!"

Heero watched him breathe heavily, getting himself under control, and then said quietly, "I don't know any basic rules."

All of Duo's anger evaporated at that confession. "Shit, Heero," he sighed, raking his fingers through his bangs. "That was really stepping out of line. You don't go around accusing people of being sluts."

"I wasn't – you're not a slut."

Duo smiled tiredly at him. "Glad you think so. I'm trying to make friends with Zechs, but that doesn't mean I'll immediately trust him. Don't worry about that."

Heero hesitated, then said grudgingly, "I am sorry. I did not mean to... judge you. Or insult you."

Violet eyes regarded the Japanese boy, and Duo noticed the pleading look in his usually inscrutable eyes. He upped the brightness of his smile a notch and shook his head. "Forget it. I wouldn't be a good friend if I got upset at you because you did something you didn't know you couldn't do, huh? You're forgiven. Just try to remember to watch what you say, 'kay?"

Heero nodded tightly, eyes veiled once more, and turned smartly on his heel, striding out of the door. Duo followed without another word, and they joined the others in the recreation room, where the large screen on one wall was showing the news from Earth.

"What's up?" Duo asked Quatre, settling down next to his friend, as he eyed the smiling figure on the screen.

"Relena Peacecraft, the much loved face of the Alliance," Quatre murmured.

"Is it true that the colonies are actually supporting the renegade terrorist groups, Miss Peacecraft?" one reporter was asking.

"We're working with the colonies to ensure overall happiness. There are a few glitches that we are talking out, but nothing big enough to warrant the colonies enlisting terrorist groups to help them," the girl replied, smiling gently at the audience. "We're doing our utmost best to boost the economy and promote living standards, and striving towards pacifism. The colonies have the same goals in mind, so why would they resist us? No, that rumour is unfounded." Her tone was firm, but the gentle smile on her face radiated peace. Duo snorted, muttering in slight disbelief, "I think she really believes what she's saying." Treize's eyes flicked imperceptibly towards him.

"Miss Peacecraft, reports have shown that the guerrilla attacks made by the terrorists on Alliance establishments have greatly affected military resources. Is that true? Is our safety compromised in any way?"

Duo watched intently as the girl sighed. "Yes, I'm afraid it's true. The attacks have destroyed many valuable resources. However, our priority is the safety of the people, you do not have to worry about that. We will always place your defence first. Also... there have been minimal casualties from their attacks. I might even be so bold as to venture that minimizing human casualties is also one of their priorities, since the only thing constant about their attacks is that there are little to no victims found."

That prompted a burst of voices clamouring for her attention, and the displeased scowls of a few older Alliance board members in the background. Relena Peacecraft remained unfazed, though, standing calmly in the midst of the chaos.

Duo let out an explosive breath. "Wow, never would have expected that," he commented, shaking his head. "The rest of the Alliance high-ups won't be very happy after this. What was she thinking?"

"Perhaps she's beginning to see the truth?" Treize spoke up, a calculating glint in his eyes. "That the Alliance is just using her."

Duo shrugged, and Quatre replied on his behalf. "I think Miss Peacecraft is smarter than that. The Alliance might be using her to sell their policies, but have you noticed that she leans towards pacifism in her speeches? I think if she turned against the Alliance, people will be more likely to follow her lead."

Feral interest sparked in Treize's eyes. "I beg to differ. All she does is hint slightly. The overall feel of it might be pacifism, but the policies she put across speak for themselves. She might have her own interests, but ultimately she is being used by the Alliance. The people already buy into Alliance propaganda, and will find it simpler to stick by their old principles than follow Relena Peacecraft into unfamiliar territory."

"Ah, but you see – "

"Hey, hey, hey! Are you two going to start another debate again?" Duo interrupted, making a face.

Quatre looked at him, amused. "Yes. Why don't you go to sleep, Duo?"

"Aw, you don't want me anymore?" Duo mock-pouted.

"No, it's just hard to debate a serious topic with a monkey chattering in the background," Trowa muttered.

"What was that?" Duo demanded, scowling.

"Nothing."

Violet eyes narrowed. "Nothing? Just for that, you'd better watch out for frogs in your bed, buddy."

"And where are you going to get frogs in space?" Trowa asked blandly.

"I'm a man of many resources."

"Monkey. Monkey of many resources."

"You're so going down, Trowa."

Wufei was rolling his eyes, Quatre and Treize were trying to hide their smiles, and Zechs was outright grinning. Heero was, unsurprisingly, at work on his computer in his own armchair in the corner of the room, oblivious to those around him, Duo noted with a mental sigh. He recalled the way Heero had stood in the kitchen just now, the epitome of the dark, brooding, handsome hero (did he just make a really bad pun?), and had to repress a shiver. Damn, but did Heero look good when he was emotional! Usually he was calm and cool and silent, but anger lent him a hard, passionate edge that did wonders for Duo's libido.

Casting one more quick glance at Heero, he saw that that dark, brooding, handsome face was focused intently on his laptop. Damn that laptop! Duo had never felt more jealous of anything else at that moment, with Heero's image still running through his head. The stupid thing got to sit on Heero's lap, and feel Heero's hands and fingers – no, bad Duo! Bad, bad Duo! Heero's currently off-limits to anything except friendship right now!

Oh, but he looks so delicious when he's all passionate...

Duo decided that he'd better leave before his eyes decided to stray lower. "I'm going to go put frogs in Trowa's bed now. G'night, everyone!" Duo gave the general room an airy wave, stuck his tongue out at Trowa, and breezed out of the room, managing not to do more than sneak a peek at Heero.

Trowa shook his head and rose to his feet. "I'd better go, too, in case he gets creative." He left to Zechs's laughter and Quatre's quieter chuckles.

The green-eyed boy entered the cabin he shared with Duo, activating the password-protected lock on the door after it slid shut. Duo quirked a grin at him from his bed at the far end of the room, where he leaned comfortably against the wall, legs crossed Indian-style. "Rough day, huh?"

"Did you confront Zechs?"

Duo blinked. "You don't waste time, do you?"

Trowa ignored that. "Duo, you can't go around provoking them like that. They're OZ leaders, yes, who are working against the Alliance like we are – but that doesn't mean we can automatically ally with them."

"Tell that to Quatre, then. He seems to enjoy arguing with Treize," Duo grumbled.

"That's different. Quatre is probing for Treize's stand on things. He's trying to see what Treize feels about the current situation and whether we can work with him or not."

"That's exactly what I'm doing!" Duo exclaimed. "I got them to loosen up with that crack at Wufei at dinner, when Quatre was being too forward. And I didn't confront Zechs; we bonded over dish washing! Tell me I'm doing it wrong!"

There was silence for a few seconds before Trowa sighed and sat down on his own bed, facing Duo. "I'm sorry. I'm just being careful, especially because I see you two being careless. As your second-in-command I have the right to question you sometimes."

Duo sighed as he ran fingers through his bangs. "Question all you want, Tro. But this time we're not being careless. Quatre knows what he's doing, you said so yourself, and so do I. I have Zechs' trust and some measure of respect now, and I have Treize off-balance, wondering about me. He won't do anything until he knows more. You can't tell from the outside, but Heero's beginning to trust me as a friend. And you two are doing fine with Wufei. Things are going smoothly, Tro. OZ was a surprise, but we just might be able to use them later."

Trowa blinked at his friend for a full five seconds before breaking into a small grin. "Times like these I'm reminded what's under the jester."

A dark grin answered him. "Never forget, Trowa." Then Duo Maxwell was back, stretching loudly and flopping onto the bed with a groan. "Damn, I'm still tired even after that nap before dinner. How much longer to L1?"

"It was one and a half when we picked OZ up, everyone rested for about eight hours, we had dinner... I'd say a day before we arrive."

"Good." Duo yawned, then grinned tiredly at Trowa. "Set the alarm for ten hours later?"

"Alright."

"Thanks, Tro. Night."

Trowa watched as Duo curled up, fast asleep in seconds, touched that Duo trusted him enough to let down his guard and relax in sleep. "Night, Duo," he said softly. "May your nightmares stay away."

An Extra Long Chapter for all of you! Hope you don't mind... it's actually because there wasn't good place to break it into half. Please review!

And a wonderful, big thank-you to all those who reviewed previously! Working on another fic right now (one of my muses has decided to revive itself), so I can't type out individual responses – sorry! But here's thanks to:

Merula, Nikkler, fiery-icicles, Hells-angel8, Raven's Light, ahanchan, Yasei Raiden, Windy River, Ebony Black, Hikaru, ookami-metsuki, SoulSister, and the anonymous person with the smiley face. [grins]

Hn... I've been updating once every two days or around there. Maybe I should slow it down... how does once a week sound? I mean it; it's not just something to threaten you guys with if you don't review.

[Ashen Skies][Beautiful Solitude]