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Quatre's POV

Duo was home. I could hardly believe it. I had waited and worked towards this end for over seven years. But I had not wanted it to happen like this. I had always anticipated Duo just walking through the front doors. Or sitting in my chair in my office when I arrived at work. Or dragged back by the end of his braid by one of the others.

Not once had I ever expected Duo to be critically injured in hospital. Not when Detective Wilks of the L3 police called me. Not when Trowa told me of his meeting with Duo.

I'm not sure, but I think at some point in my mind Duo had become invincible… No, not invincible, but more like that character in an old film he made me watch. I think the film was called 'Wolverine'. I believed he could recover from anything. That he would just 'bounce' back.

Trowa had told me he wouldn't. Trowa had said so many things about Duo's state of health and mind. But I hadn't really believed them. I hadn't wanted to believe them.

But at that moment I saw the truth. Allah, then I saw the truth that my heart had denied. I saw the broken body. I felt the broken soul. I held the broken pieces of a broken heart in my hands. And I longed to fix it all. But I didn't know where to start. I didn't even know what… or rather who had broken him.

It may have been Heero's bullets that brought Duo to this bed, but he was broken long before those bullets were ever chambered, let alone fired. I could see that then. Duo was heading towards this hospital bed or worse, long before he entered the Preventers' ventilation ducts. I did not want to think about the worst that could have happened. It had been hard enough to enter the Preventers' offices to await the others, for our customary weekly meal out, and feel the pain.

For a moment, I had not known whose the pain was. I had not realized just what I was feeling. It could have been anyone's initially. Then I knew it was one of the Pilots, and not Trowa's, for he stood beside me. He had been supporting me, as my knees gave way beneath me. I had reached out, trying to identify whether it was Heero or Wufei who was hurt. For I had known that it could not be Duo. Duo had no business there. Or if he had business there, the others would not have allowed him to be harmed so suddenly and so many times in succession. And Duo could not be harmed. Not that badly.

I had felt Heero's freezing, burning anger. And I had known it was Wufei who was hurt. But before I spoke, and told Trowa. I had felt the softer, the quieter, the far less intense worry, frustration and shock from Wufei.

That had left only one option left. And having felt the pain for so long, I could feel the undertones in it that identified Duo as the source. I had murmured Duo's name, and Trowa was gone.

I spent the next few minutes locking down my empathy, so that I could follow Trowa's path. And then I had seen Duo for the first time in the flesh for seven years.

Ever since Trowa had given me those pictures of Duo from when he had seen him on L2, I had carried one with me everywhere, so that I would be reminded of my best friend and older brother. But to see him in the flesh. In Heero's arms. He looked so small. So frail.

Even on the hospital bed, he still looked frail. Still looked small. Still slightly pale from blood loss. Although Sally had told me that part of the problem was also anaemia. Duo was going to be on a lot of pills for a while until his malnutrition was fixed. Never mind his actual wounds.

"Just sinking in?" Trowa asked from where he sat next to me. I was sitting protectively close to Duo.

"Yeah." I agreed, "He's going to take a long time to heal. But we'll be there for him!"

"Of course we will, little one." Trowa smiled, "But it's not going to be easy. He's going to feel very lost and confused for a long time."

"How do you know?" I turned to face him.

"Because I felt that way just after Duo found me on L2 during the war." Trowa shrugged, "And again when you found me. I couldn't understand why I meant so much to either or you."

"But he's got all his memories." I frowned.

"True," Trowa leant back in his chair, "But Duo's also got low self-worth at the moment. I'm not sure if it's because of his situation or if it was pre-existing. But he did tell me that he deserved to die on the streets."

"But we care for him!" I protested.

"And when did the rest of us start expressing our care and affection?" Trowa sighed, "Not until after Duo had left. He was surprised at the fact that I talk more often than he remembered. How do you think he's going to cope with a less emotionally repressed Heero and Wufei? Never mind the other changes in their attitudes since then. Duo won't be able to make heads or tails of it for a while."

"We're going to have to be gentle." I realized, following Trowa's logic, "Very gentle. And not take offence at things he says. He's going to lash out. And then curl right back up into a ball waiting for us to hit him. Allah! When I get my hands on the people who did this to him…"

"Quatre!" Trowa snapped, "You're going Zero!"

That was almost like a physical blow. I occasionally have what the others call 'Zero Episodes'. Times when it's almost like I'm still plugged into the Zero system. Once I realize I can normally bring myself out of them quite quickly. And I've never hurt anyone during these episodes… yet. But the problem is realizing that I'm in one. The other problem I sometimes have is wanting to come out of one. Sometimes what I want and what the Zero system wants is so similar that I don't mind sacrificing a little control to try and get it. However that's only when I want things like revenge… when I'm clouded with hate. During the year between the end of the Eve War and the Mariamaia Revolt, Duo provided me with a saying that I thought fitted: 'Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering'. One day I'm going to find out where that comes from, Duo kept on sniggering every time he said it.

I pulled myself away from thoughts of revenge with a wrench. I couldn't go down that route. Not yet. Not while Duo still needed us. Needed me. For while all the others had changed… I had probably changed the least over the last seven years. I would have to be Duo's grounding point while he adjusted to the changes in the others. I would have to be Duo's anchor.

I am ashamed to say that at that time, I did not consider how much Duo could have changed in the time he had been on his own.

On the swivel-table across from us, was sitting a meal for Duo, complete with a little paper pot of pills. I called it a meal, but it was a liquid one, all jelly (or jello) and juice. It was important that Duo ate. But it was equally important that Duo rested. So we were forced to wait for Duo to wake up, before we fed him.

Duo stirred slightly. Opening his eyes sleepily, I could feel him tugging at the straps to try and wipe the sleep out from his eyes.

"Hey, sleepy-head." I smiled, "Thought you were going to sleep all day."

"Why can't I move?" Duo frowned.

"You're badly hurt." I couldn't bear to tell him the truth, so I abided by Trowa's half-lie, which he spoke without a single tell in his face, "You've got to stay still to heal quickly."

"And eat!" I quickly added, pulling the swivel-table across the bed.

"Not Jello." Duo almost whined seeing the tray.

"Sorry," I grinned unrepentant, "You're on an all liquid diet, until further notice."

"Then no pills?" Duo looked almost hopeful.

"Pills don't count." I smirked, shaking the little cup. Duo's eyes boggled at the rattling noise.

"How many are there?" He whimpered.

"Don't think about it." I answered, looking down at the half full pot. There were easily a dozen pills in the container. "Open the hatch and down they go." I repeated the words Duo had once used on me when I had been injured. May I say that a broken wrist is not the best of injuries to accumulate during a war? Especially your dominant wrist. I was lucky that I was not running that mission solo.

Duo submitted to me pouring the pills into his mouth followed swiftly by a good gulp of juice. He whined and whinged the whole time I shovelled the jello into his mouth. It was almost as if the past seven years had never happened. He was acting just the same as he had before. Apart from one little thing… There was drowsiness in his eyes and speech. If I ignored it, everything was fine.

However I opened my empathy a little. I wasn't trying to pry. I just wanted to 'feel' what this Duo was like. I was being selfish. Everyone I know has a different 'feel'. Trowa's is calming. Just feeling his presence calms me. Heero's is determined, bringing me new strength, new courage. Wufei's is hard to describe, but I know what it does to me. It makes me feel wanted, accepted, respected, trusted. I looked it up once, and I think he projects all the 'Morality of Deed' from his culture. Chinese Virtues is the best description I have for it.

Duo had always felt happy. I couldn't help but smile whenever I 'felt' only the very edges of his emotions. If I want the 'feelings' I can't go deep. I don't learn their emotional state.

I was finding it hard to smile with Duo tied down. Finding it hard to find the good in the situation. Finding it hard to hold onto hope. Knowing that it was definite that Duo would be taken away from us, if we could not prove that he was under coercion.

I needed Duo's smile to permeate into me. I needed his strength to smile. So I tried to borrow what I needed. Only to flinch back.

Duo didn't have a smile on his soul anymore. Instead there was pain. I had known that someone's soul could change. Wufei's being the only other example I had. His had changed from being filled with anger and revenge to the kinder soul he has now.

Duo's feel was of uselessness. There was no hope. No positive emotion. There was sadness. A lack of self-worth. Guilt. Self-hatred.

He was depressed. Pure and simple. And I hated myself. Even after I wrenched my empathy away from Duo's soul. I still hated myself. Allah! We had done that to him. Because we had not found him. Because we had not shown him that we cared.

"It's going to be alright, Duo." I whispered, almost choking on the words as I forced the tears in my eyes not to fall. "Your little brother will take care of everything."

"What's the matter, Cattie?" Duo frowned slightly. There was a pause, "You're not meant to be here."

"Of course I am." I forced myself to smile brightly, "Where else should I be when my big brother is hurt?"

"Something's wrong." Duo was confused. Obviously Heero had understated the effect of morphine on Duo, it seemed that he could only really concentrate on the here and now. Trying to remember anything was too hard for his drug-fuddled brain. But some details he couldn't either completely forget or recall.

"That may be so," Trowa spoke up, "But we're your friends. You're not in much of a state to deal with anything right now. So let us carry the burden. You just rest and get better. I swear to you Duo, we'll take care of everything."

I shovelled the last spoonful of food into Duo's mouth before he could say anything else.

"All done!" I chirped.

"What did I hurt?" Duo pressed.

"Duo," Trowa had rounded the other side of the bed, and was stroking Duo's bangs away from his face, "You're so drugged up I doubt you'll remember later. When you're not so dopey, we'll tell you. Okay?"

"Promise, Tro?" Duo slurred slightly, obviously the morphine was catching up on him again, "Promise, Cattie?"

"We swear." I breathed, "Get some rest, Duo. You're badly hurt. We're on watch now. Stand down."

Duo surrendered to the welcoming embrace of sleep, the morphine ensuring a swift surrender and a long sleep.

"What did we do to him?" I whispered, the tears starting to leak from my eyes.

"Nothing." Trowa sighed, "And that's the problem."

"He's depressed."

"I said he was killing himself." Trowa shrugged, "We should have seen it from that video on L3. He may not have consciously decided to kill himself…"

"But he was trying all the same."

"He gave up." Trowa sat down, "He didn't realize what he was doing. But something kept him going."

"When I find out who did this to him…" I growled.

"I know, little one." Trowa pulled me into a hug, "We'll sort this."

"We've got to Trowa," I murmured, "We've got to. He killed for us. And would have died for us. And…"

"And we never even gave him a reason to." Wufei spoke from the doorway. "I'm ashamed to admit it, but I treated him badly. I saw him as the fool he played."

"Anything so far?" Trowa asked what I wanted to know.

"Nothing really in his bag," Wufei shrugged, "The only thing that indicated that he is part of a group is a small slip of paper. It has the address of a Preventer safe-house on it, along with the times that a witness would be stashed there. Someone informed Duo about the witness. Someone told him where we would place him for his protection. And it would have been that safe-house."

"Then why would he sneak into the offices?" I frowned, "It's not sensible."

"There are only three reasons I can think of," Wufei announced, "One, the witness was meant to arrive later, we would have left for the day and the interrogation would have started the next day. Two, Duo knew that the security around the safe-house would be checked by Heero and I, thus making it nearly impenetrable and a death-trap for him. Three… and I would much prefer it to be this one, Duo wanted to see us. Even if it was just peering through the ventilation grills. And even if it put his life at risk."

"Would he have done that?" I asked.

"I don't know." Wufei murmured, "I really don't know. I'm finding out that I know nothing about Duo. Never mind the lengths he would go to, to protect us. I am finding that he is more like the Phoenix than I ever imagined. Honesty and loyalty at his very core."

"We've got to fix this." I choked back my tears again, "It was meant to be all over when we found him. Everything was meant to be fine. We've got to make everything fine. We're back together again. We can't let anyone tear us apart. Not again."

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Reviews are my candy. I go on a writing spree with each one. Trying to earn them.

Constructive criticism encouraged.

Thank you everyone on helping me to reach 100 reviews!

As I promised this chapter is dedicated to my hundredth reviewer… *drum roll*… Sunago! Thanks a lot. And congratulations, your first review for this story and you brought me up to a ton.

Anonymous Void – More coming soon. Although I do warn you I start actual work soon. It shouldn't slow me down too much though. I still plan on updating at least once a week. I have a reader of this story who lives near me and will kick me if I don't.

Seithr-Kairy – Well, I know you won't read this for a while. So I hope you had fun on your trip.

Raelyn-Mage – An old friend of mine found flirting with a laptop increased its speed… If that helps. You didn't like Willows? Don't worry, I don't think she'll turn up again.

Illusion-Factory – Yeah, a fully conscious Duo should be something to worry about.

Whitetiger1589 – I stole the clothing idea from 'Mel & Christy' in their story 'Reunion'. Good one. Not on fanfiction though. Try Google. Thanks for your opinion on the bag. I try to think like Duo… sometimes makes my head hurt.

Katerina Shinigami – Okay, you win. I snorted all the way through. You ever read "The Unadulterated Cat" by Terry Pratchett? Very good. Also glad you enjoyed the last chapter.

Toraus – Hope you've caught up on your sleep. And no, I couldn't let them open the bag wrong. For one thing I think the Preventers might get a little upset if they lost a ten meter radius of their labs. Although I do think that Heero would have laughed menacingly while watching. It's his kinda thing.

TenshiNanashi – Oh who doesn't love a Wufei rant? I'm trying to get better at writing Wufei rants. I sort of need them for another story.

Sunago – Small problem with going into hiding at the moment is that Duo can't and is an open target if he's on his own in the hospital. But thanks for your review.

Leora chan – Again, stole the clothing from 'Mel & Christy', go look for their story "Reunion". It has some amazingly sweet Duo moments.

BlindDreamer2009 – *Hands over some virtual chocolate brownies* Well done! I was wondering if anyone would notice that. Thank you! Yes, I did steal Agent Willows and Greggo from CSI. I also stole Dani Messer (in Chapter 2) from CSI: New York; Danny Messer with gender changed. And there was a throwaway reference to Criminal Minds in the same chapter. I am trying to keep Mary Sue's to a minimum, by limiting the number of truly OCs. Wufei's attitude was a bit difficult. I had to balance his gender rants with his intelligence rants. He's a difficult guy to write dialogue for.

Wind Dancer1981 – Well if you won't provide an ego-deflater… *Hands over the pom-poms* Will you be the head cheerleader? Thanks for the review. I am glad my writing is so marvellous in your eyes.

AliasPseudo – Strange. I find Wufei hard to write sometimes. Tell me if I fall down on that front would you? Glad you like the story.