Ch. 7 At Odds

Heero felt horrible when we saw Quatre's panic stricken face. His entrance was probably the worst thing he could have done and he was positive that it was brining back terrible memories for Quatre; memories they had both worked so hard to get rid of. Now, in one stupid move on his part, all those memories were flooding back and hitting Quatre full force. In that moment he wanted to pull his lover into his arms and whisper comforting words to him, but his features never softened. Quatre was in way to deep now and he had to get him out before things got worse.

The dawning looking on Quatre's face gave him hope that his move had not totally destroyed everything. When he felt Quatre's body sag beneath his hands with relief, he was glad that he possessed enough strength to hold him, otherwise he would have collapsed on the ground. The relief he saw held no anger behind it like he had thought there would be. Instead, it was more of a thankful look at seeing him alive and he was surprised by that.

He quietly hoped that Quatre would regain himself quickly now that his strength was fading, fast. This was not a fact that he would openly reveal to Quatre, however, the state he was in even shamed him as much as it worried Quatre. To his luck Quatre quickly stood up, staring at him intently.

"That's the last time I ever order room service."

Heero noted the wavering in Quatre's light, somewhat joking tone of voice, but did not comment about it. The light jest was out of place, but seemed to lighten the atmosphere considerably.

"That would be a wise decision." Heero responded in a stern tone before locating the nearest chair and collapsing in it.

Quatre closed the door before taking the chair across from him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing coming after me?" Heero demanded, still angry that Quatre had found him so easily.

"It's safer to be with you than anyone else."

That answer was not the one he had been expecting; it was also one that did not make sense. Quatre must have noticed his confusion and reached into his pocket.

"I received these a few days ago at the house, they're the reason I came to find you." He tossed the two business cards on the table that separated them.

Heero idly picked them up to stare at them before bolting upright in his chair. This was a new development in his case that he did not like in the least. He was hoping to keep Quatre out of this and never have to face the horrors of last time again, but it seemed this guy wanted them together. An eerie feeling crept over him and he was not sure how safe Quatre would really be with him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Quatre asked not liking Heero's reaction.

Without a word Heero handed him two other business cards and after closer inspection, Quatre realized that they had his initials on them. Their new adversary wanted to take them together, that much was certain, but the why was what bothered him. They did not know why which made the case that much more difficult. He jumped when he heard the knock at the door as he was struck by a brief moment of panic.

"I'll get it." Janice said from the bed.

Heero had not even noticed there was another person in the room and he wondered why she was there in the first place. He watched as she held her gun in her left hand, pointed up, as she answered the door. It would be hidden by the door but easily accessible if needed. She cautiously opened the door as a man's voice floated into the room.

"Room service."

Heero watched her fake a cheery tone as she accepted the cart, tipped the man and sent him on his way. She re-holstered her weapon on her back where it would be hidden by her shirt, then pushed the cart up next to the table. He stared at her hard for a moment still trying to figure out why she was on the case and not a Preventer agent.

"What are you doing?" He demanded, even more enraged by the fact that Preventers thought it necessary to send him back up.

Quatre started but Janice cut him off.

"When Quatre brought this situation to Preventers, Une didn't know who to put on the case that this new assassin hadn't seen before. So, I volunteered to help out. I'm not without skill and I know how Preventers work."

Quatre noticed that Janice was covering for him and decided to stay out of it. A fight was not something they needed right now and if Janice was trying to diffuse the situation, he would go along with it.

"You aren't even a Preventer agent, Janice. They should have sent an undercover agent."

"Who better to send than I? The killer won't be expecting your secretary now would he?"

She had a point and he could not really argue that and he decided that he would not. At the moment he was too tired and hungry to fight over such trivial matters and from the worried look on Quatre's face, he must look dreadful. In all honesty he wanted it all to be done with so he could go home and spend the rest of his days in Quatre's arms, but life would not allow that for some reason. He was sure that fate was punishing him for his deeds during the wars.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Quatre asked him.

It unnerved him a little that Quatre knew him so well, but said nothing.

"I'll take that as a no, you can stay here with us then. There's plenty of room."

"I'll take the couch!" Janice chimed in, a little over enthusiastic about her new sleeping arrangement.

They both looked at her like she was crazy.

"What? The thing is huge when you pull it out and it's just as comfy as the bed."

Heero did not want to converse with them any longer and chose, instead, to leave for the shower and the promise of a large warm bed with Quatre. Something he had not had in the several months that had passed since he had last had time to spend with his lover.

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Quatre stared after Heero's retreating back; he did not like what Heero had become. He had pale skin stretched over his painfully thin looking body; dull, listless eyes that seemed to hold nothing but anger. It looked as if he had not slept in days let alone eat. Something just wasn't right with the situation and he was determined to find out just what that was. Deciding that he could wait until after dinner, he joined Janice at the cart and began piling food onto a plate as well as a second one for when Heero finished his shower, but Heero never ate. After his shower he collapsed in the bed from exhaustion. It was obvious that, that was exactly what Heero had been doing the past few months, working hard and sleeping with little to no food.

While he and Janice played pool down stairs, he couldn't help but think about what was so important that Heero had to push himself to such extreme measures. That, he decided, was something that only Heero could tell him and the chances of that happening were slim to none. It was not like they really had a working relationship any more, Heero was always gone and he was always alone. Things just weren't working out like they had planned and most of that was Heero's fault. Later that night as he lay in Heero's embrace, one that had once brought him much love and comfort but now held none, he could not help but contemplate possibly leaving Heero.

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Ok, I know it's been a while in updating and this is a short chapter, but for some reason I can't come up with anything to write. sigh It really sucks because I really like this story. Hopefully you like this chapter and maybe I'll have some more creativity after this one.