Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing nor have I ever claimed to. I just borrow the boys for a while to amuse myself and others.

Warnings: Swearing, violence, blood, sometimes gore (but not in this chapter). Psychic abilities and other paranormal stuff. Sexual situations, slash, and eventual smut. If you don't like, then don't read.

Pairings: 3x4, 2x5, 1xR if you squint.

Author's Note at the End

The Price to Pay: Chapter 4

Two days later, Quatre was walking along the Hudson River as an easy going pace though he was inwardly fuming. Wufei and Duo had banned him from the office, stating that his talent was still too raw to be even near the case that they were working on. They didn't want him anywhere near it, since Wufei's shields were just barely keeping the evidence that they had collected contained. Therefore, he had insisted that they came to his house that morning.

He had been released from the hospital the day after he woke up, the doctors having pronounced him fit to leave but said to stick with light duty for now. After all, head injuries did have lasting affects on a body for days afterward. Quatre had nodded like an obedient patient, though he didn't leave the hospital right away. Instead, he remained to visit with Cathy…as well as Trowa when he had come early that afternoon.

In spending time with both of them, he had discovered that Cathy had been in a car accident about nine months prior. Her spinal column had been severely damaged and they were attempting to relieve the pressure on it, however the treatments hadn't been working. She was paralyzed from the waist down and the prognosis was that she would never walk again. However, the woman seemed absolutely determined to prove them wrong and she didn't accept the diagnosis. With Trowa's support and care, she felt that she would be back on her feet in no time at all.

Quatre had smiled, finding that Cathy reminded him of one of his many sisters and said as much. Iria was the bright spot in Quatre's life, considering he was estranged from his father. She was the one he kept in close contact with and tried to visit as often as possible, since she lived in New York City. Both she and their father with the stock exchange on Wallstreet, though Quatre had never had any interest in it. He had explained as much to them, but left out how his father ran Winner Enterprises…since Quatre really did prefer not to deal with the company he was heir to.

It was about that point that Cathy had begun speaking about what Trowa did for a living and the quiet man simply added in small details and corrections at different times. While the bubbly woman had gone on about how Trowa was finishing his Masters in engineering at RPI and that he should be done after next semester, Quatre found his eyes moving to the silent brunette sitting next to her.

There was a very slight smile playing around the edges of the taller man's mouth and though his hair partially obscured his gaze, Trowa's emerald eyes seemed to be amused at his sister's bragging. That gaze then looked to Quatre and the blond man felt his breath hitch in his throat as they looked at each other, the intensity of the moment sending sparks of awareness down his spine. He resisted the urge to squirm, a strange sensation beginning to tickle the back of his mind as Trowa looked towards Cathy again to murmur a soft reply to a question that she had posed to him.

Quatre had to give himself a mental shake, snapping back to the present conversation and make a comment about something obscure and unimportant compared to the quandary in his mind. Was he beginning to feel attraction towards this silent man? Long ago, he had come to terms with his sexuality and it was partially the reason why he and his father were slightly estranged. Most of his family had kept from contacting him for fear of provoking their father's wrath, save for Iria. At least she had the proverbial balls to stand up to him, just as Quatre had…yet, she remained close to him. Then again, she was happily married to a very good friend of the family and the two were currently attempting to have a child, though had no luck as of yet.

Quatre supposed that the fact he would never produce another heir to take the Winner name was a driving block between him and his father. The old man was old fashioned, thinking that the family business should be passed on to the male heir in the family. Alas, when Hassim Winner was blessed with a son…that son turned out to prefer men over women. Though, the blond heir would sign the company over to Iria if his father didn't do so first…especially since Quatre preferred his somewhat quieter life than that in the business world.

The blond sighed a little, finding a small bench beneath the shade of an oak tree to relax for a few moments. He always tired so easily after a psychic backlash, though his shields were improving by the hour and the fact that the river acted more as a dampening mechanism today was a blessing as well. Rubbing at his forehead, he leaned forward on his knees as he tried to breathe through the anger that was still boiling inside of him and looked back on the earlier meeting with Wufei and Duo.

Wufei sipped at his coffee, enjoying the bitter flavor against his tongue as he leaned back against Quatre's couch. It was rare that he drank coffee, tending to prefer the calming influence of tea rather than the bite of coffee. However he would indulge in the brew when he was stretched thin, using it to keep his senses sharper than normal and to maintain a state of awareness that would prevent him from getting too lax. After staying awake for nearly forty-eight hours, he damn well needed the coffee.

Also, considering the fact that Duo had driven them here…well, that was all the more reason to drink the stuff. Though, after that car ride, he wished that Quatre had some Bailey's Irish Cream stashed around here some where.

"So, Senator Peacecraft and Mr. Yuy were at the scene?" The Arabic man asked from the kitchen over the sound of sizzling bacon. Wufei, for a seventh time, thanked the Gods for how thoughtful he was. The blond, upon seeing the two of them on his doorstep, ushered Duo and himself into the house and told them both to shower. He had then set about to making them breakfast and coffee.

"Yes," the police officer confirmed, looking at his friend as he moved about in the kitchen. "Neither of them saw anything out of the ordinary though. Sally said that the man died of a massive heart attack, but the woman could find no signs of heart disease. He did have a slightly elevated cholesterol level, but it wasn't enough to cause a heart attack on that scale."

"Wufei is failing to mention that he received a psychic overload from the body as well." Duo's voice caused Wufei to look up, seeing the chestnut haired man standing on the stairwell in just a pair of jeans. He felt his throat dry out a little as the other man walked down the last few steps, walking across the wooden floor with bare feet and his hair dark from the water. The tip of the long braid was still dripping a little and a few droplets of water ran down the pale skin of Duo's chest.

Obsidian eyes followed the water droplets downwards, tracing the faded scars that he never knew Duo had and three seemed to have been from possibly life-threatening wounds. One across his left side was slightly raised and shiny, as though it was left by a burn and it must have been painful. Another was what looked to be a knife that trailed low across his abdomen, through the faint dusting of chestnut hair that was just below his navel and the thin white-line disappeared beneath the hem of his pants. The last scar was on his right shoulder, just below the edge of his collar bone where he must have been shot. There was no exit wound, Wufei noticed as Duo walked past him to grab a cup of coffee, on his back.

He gave himself a mental slap and snorted derisively at Duo, looking away as he fought not to let the American's semi-nakedness disturb him. "Please, it was just a slight nosebleed."

"Yeah, one that caused you to go through a whole box of tissues because it wouldn't stop." The Telekinetic added cream and sugar to his coffee, then sat down on the couch next to Wufei. "Slight nosebleed, my ass."

"Shut the fuck up, Maxwell." Wufei hissed, ignoring the burning in his cheeks as he continued to gulp his coffee. He also tried to ignore how close Duo was to him and how the lazy curl of desire began to spread through his stomach. Already his mind was forming images of Duo perched between his knees and shutting him up by thrusting his cock deep into the brunette's mouth and down his throat—

The sound of Quatre delicately clearing his throat and the watchful gaze of his teal eyes caused Wufei's flush to become extremely noticeable. He set down his coffee mug and started towards the stairs, ignoring the quirk of a blond brow and the surprised indigo gaze of Duo following him. "Shower's mine," was all the Chinese man said as he went up the stairs.

"Reinforce your shields, Wufei." Quatre called after him, then looked to Duo as he caught the heavy weight of concern from the chestnut haired man. "And that goes for you as well. I'm still picking up easily from both of you."

Instantly, the emotions from both men dissipated. "Yeah," Duo said, leaning back in the couch, "that's what you get for over using your talent. Your Empathy is so raw right now that if Wufei hadn't charged those projection crystals that he gave you when we got here, you'd be thrown back into a relapse." He lifted a hand, frowning a little as a piece of toast lifted and floated towards him. He smirked when Quatre tried to grab it, but the food deftly dodged the blond's grasp and floated to Duo's outstretched hand.

He took a solid bite out of it and winked at Quatre, speaking with his mouth full. "Wufei and I are officially banning you from the office for the next week. Got it?"

Aqua eyes locked on Duo and narrowed dangerously, "I wasn't aware that I needed permission to enter or that one of you needed to motherhen me to death."

"We do when you pull stunts like you did a few days ago."

"If I hadn't, we wouldn't have a damnable named linked to these murders!" Quatre glared at him, his temper getting riled and he flipped the pancakes angrily. "There's a gang war going on and I'm not about to be sidelined, especially when Oz obviously has a Electrokinetic working for them!"

Duo looked at the Arabian man for a long moment and raised an eyebrow. "Oz? What's an Electrokinetic?"

Quatre sighed, looking at the other man. "The man in the vision mentioned the named Oz. I'm presuming that's the name of this gang that's taking over the Joker's turf and executing them. As for an Electrokinetic, it's a type of psychic ability that my mentor told me about. They can sense the electric pulses that jump from nerve ending to nerve ending in the body and manipulate them. They can slow a person's heart rate to throw a clot that causes a stroke or—"

"Speed up a person's heart to make it give out, therefore causing cardiac arrest." Duo supplied, his violet eyes wide and he whistled lowly. "Damn, Cat-man, that's some pretty serious shit."

The blond nodded, fixing Duo a plate of pancakes, bacon, and some home fries before making a plate himself. He set the two plates down on the dining room table, then fixed one for Wufei when he got out of the shower and refilled the man's mug. "I couldn't see the psychic's face though and his voice wasn't very clear." Quatre sighed, sitting down at the table and taking a sip of his orange juice before rubbing at his forehead a little.

Duo sat down beside him, frowning a little. "Yeah, well until Wufei gives you the go, you're not to come to the office. Take some time off and relax a little, especially since you've been so overworked lately."

The Empath pushed his home fries around before popping one into his mouth, watching Duo floating the plate of toast over to the table to set down. "What about you guys?"

"We'll manage," Came Wufei's voice from the stairs, walking down them and to the table, taking the empty seat where his full plate sat. He was dressed in a fresh pair of black slacks, as well as a button down muted blue shirt with two of the buttons undone at his throat. "I doubt we'll be doing much but research as we will be resting our gifts as well. We're all a little worn out, I think."

Duo looked at Wufei and smiled, nodding a little. "We'll have to be mundane for a while? Man, what a bummer!" He joked, grinning at Quatre and winking. However, the blond man was still frowning.

"I still think that I should be able to help—"

"Out of the question," Wufei stated firmly, fixing him in place with a glare from those obsidian eyes. "Until I can trust you not to be a fool around the evidence, then you will stay away from the office. I don't care what sort of useful information you thought you picked up."

"Wufei, that's not fair." Duo frowned at him from across the table.

"It's true, though. It was childish of Quatre to do that, he is an important member of the team. If he continues to act on his own impulses—"

"I didn't act on an impulse! I was trying to help and finish the information, Wufei!" Quatre protested, his teal eyes darkening as his temper started to rise. "I almost had it when Duo knocked the watch from my hand that last time."

Wufei slammed his fist down on the dining table, causing both Duo and Quatre to jump. "Stop acting like a petulant child and own up to your responsibility, Winner! You're off the case until further notice and that is an official decree."

Quatre stood, glaring down at Wufei. "By who? You?"

"By Chief Une." Wufei shouted, his eyes blazing. "And by me as well, considering the stunt you pulled. I can't trust you around the evidence as you have made clear that you will disobey orders, Winner, and try to play the hero. You're on paid leave until further notice."

Quatre nearly snarled aloud as he sat on the bench, his hand clenched into fists as rage continued to churn in his stomach. Though he could see the situation from Wufei and Une's view, he still thought that he was in the right. What good was he if he couldn't use his talent to better the world? Wasn't that why their task force was put together?

Their breakfast had continued in stony silence after that, Duo caught between both perspectives had wisely kept his mouth shut (for once). His two friends had left as soon as the meal was finished, but Duo had reassured Quatre just as Wufei was out of earshot that he would try to talk the Chinese police officer around. The Telekinetic said that Quatre had given Wufei a bad scare and that this was his way of coping with it…or so he thought.

"Well, interesting seeing you here."

The voice caused Quatre to look up, the familiar baritone notes tickling his mind as he saw a pair of strong, lean legs. His gaze travelled upwards, taking in the dark gray basketball shorts and the white tank top that was damp from exercise, clinging to the lean muscles of a man's chest and abdomen. Continuing to look upwards, he met the dark green gaze of a slightly out-of-breath Trowa Barton. "Trowa?"

The tall, slender man smiled ever so faintly as he sat on the bench beside Quatre and seeming to breathe a small sigh of relief to get out of the hot August sunshine. "I thought it was you that I jogged past, but I wasn't sure." He pushed his caramel hair from his forehead a little, though it only flopped back down into his face as he leaned back against the bench. "What brings you out here? I haven't seen you out this way before."

"Walking and thinking," Quatre shrugged a little, smiling slightly at him. "I needed to get out of the house and thought some fresh air would help settle me down a little."

Trowa nodded a little in understanding, "I hear you there. That's why I go jogging." He nodded his head towards the path, "The physical exertion tends to help." He frowned faintly as they both settled into an easy, companionable silence and each became somewhat preoccupied with their own thoughts.

It stretched on for a few more moments before Quatre broke it. "How is Cathy doing? Have the doctors let her out yet?"

"She's alright," The engineer student murmured and frowned a little, "and not yet. They said perhaps next week. They're worried about more pressure on her spinal cord and want to keep her another few days to make sure there won't be any complications. They're hoping that some of the pressure was relieved with the last surgery, but she still has no movement or feeling in her legs."

"I see," Quatre murmured softly, rubbing his head a little and sighed. "She must be going crazy in there."

"A little, but the nurses keep her busy. She told me to tell you that you're invited to our place for dinner whenever." Trowa waved his hand a little and he looked a little chagrined, "She said your company would do me wonders of good." He gave Quatre a half-grin.

That caused the Empath to laugh, catching overtones of emotions from Trowa that he didn't really realize he was giving off. "She's that worried about you? Not everyone is a social butterfly like she is."

Trowa chuckled himself and shrugged a little, "That's what I said. However, she told me that I needed friends to spend time with and so I wasn't emotionally stunted." He grinned a little more, the amusement reaching his emerald eyes and caused them to come alive. Quatre watched how the light seemed to dance in them and he felt a bubbling emotion swell in his stomach, tickling like butterfly wings. "You're right though, Quatre, she is worried about me."

All at once, it seemed the light went out of Trowa for a moment and he became weighed down again. It was almost like he carried a heavy, unseen weight on his shoulders and he visibly slumped a little. Quatre hadn't really seen it in the hospital whenever Trowa came to visit, but he was now realizing just how much Trowa hid behind a mask of strength for his sister.

"Well then, how about we hang out tomorrow night? You're more than welcome at my place." Quatre grinned, attempting to coax that happiness back to the surface and his Empathy to sense it. His head started to ache and he coaxed it back like coaxing a kitten from a tree branch. "I'll make dinner if you grab a movie or something."

Emerald eyes turned to meet teal and Quatre sensed surprise from the taller man. "Really?"

"Well, yeah. It would cause less worry for Cathy and keep us both from going nuts on our own. I'm banned from the office, so I'd appreciate the company since I'm not allowed to go back to work for a few more days." He smiled at Trowa, tilting his head and smiled.

"Alright," Trowa reached for his pocket, seeming caught off guard and Quatre caught overtones of uncertainty before raising his shields once more. "What's your phone number? I'll call you tomorrow to run by some movie titles with you."

Quatre smirked, giving him his number and they discussed briefly what sort of meal he should cook. Once it was settled on a simple dish of pasta and garlic bread, then discussed directions, as well as a time. "So, it's settled!" The blond man grinned brightly at Trowa and it caused the other man's lips to quirk upwards a little.

Nodding, Trowa stood and slid his cell back into his pocket. "I'll see you tomorrow, then. I need to get going and shower before I visit Cathy." He started walking backwards down the paved path and lifted a hand. "Take care and don't over do it or else I might just snitch to Cathy, considering she's probably been worrying herself over you too."

Quatre waved a bare hand in return, chuckling. "Tell her that I said 'hello' and that I'll talk to her soon. See you tomorrow!" He watched as Trowa turned to jog, his teal gaze moving over his muscular form slowly and he smiled. It was then he realized that a great deal of his anger had dissipated and he couldn't help but start for home, his spirit a little lighter than it had been before.

Treize Kushrenada casually turned a page in the business proposal on his desk, looking over it with disinterest that was apparent to any who looked on. "Really, Dermail, you're too concerned about it. I doubt the police even know who we are yet."

"We've constructed the demise of the Jokers, as well as some of the more unofficial want-to-be street gangs as a turf war with blame settling on each other." Dorothy set her tea cup down, looking to the elder man with her sharp, cold blue eyes. "They haven't a clue as to what is happening. Everything is going according to plan."

Dermail paced the room in agitation, looking between the two aristocrats and scowling darkly. "Don't you fools understand!" He hissed, glowering at them. "My sources in the police department have brought me this!" He took a manila folder from his brief case and tossed it onto Trieze's desk, spilling copies of pictures and files from it across the polished oak surface.

A picture of Quatre, Duo, and Wufei spilled out of them working with evidence in their office. The blond man was reaching out with an ungloved hand to an object that was floating in mid-air that the braided man seemed to be concentrating on, while the Chinese man was sitting to the side in a meditative state. "I've been told that these three are part of a special force within the police department. They all have special 'abilities' where they take on extremely difficult cases and solve them."

Dorothy walked to the desk, looking down at the picture and the files with Trieze in interest. Trieze, however, lifted the picture to look at it for a long second. "Well, then," he murmured softly, looking up to Dermail with a cool gaze, "get more information on what they can do and how they do it, as well as their current case. We'll make sure to throw a distraction their way."

"Shall I call in Trowa?" Dorothy asked sweetly.

"Not yet," Trieze picked up the file and began to look through it. "He'll have his part to play soon enough."

To be continued…

Author's Note: As promised, chapter four has been posted. I hope you all enjoyed it! Next chapter will have some interaction between Trowa and Quatre, as well as some between Duo and Wufei. Also, another chapter of All The Wild Horses is in the works! So, stay turned for more!

As always, please read and review! Even if it's to tell that you were here and read the chapter. I really appreciate it and it takes helps me get motivated to write more.

Thanks everyone!