Chapter Eleven

A woman with long brown hair walked the streets carrying bags of food in each hand. She had on a simple black tee and gray sweatpants. It was a decent day out. The sun was hiding behind some of the clouds, and there was a soft breeze. As she walked, she was completely unaware of the men who were watching her every move from a distance.

"Is that skinny woman our target?" one of the men asked.

The man sitting in the passenger seat nodded his head. "That's our bitch," he said nonchalantly. It was as if he was bored. "Let's get this over with."

The woman stopped by a fruit stand. She examined a red apple before purchasing it. She walked a few more blocks toward her apartment building, taking a bite out of the juicy apple. The black vehicle rolled down the road after her. She halted and looked as the car stopped beside her. Her brown eyes widened with fear as a pair of hands grabbed her by the arm. She dropped her bags of food as she struggled with the man, but it was all pointless as she was pulled into the car. She screamed as she flailed her arms. One of the men pulled out a syringe and stuck it in her arm. She could feel her body start to grow heavy and numb. The flailing ceased as she went limp across their laps.

"About fucking time," the driver said, annoyed. "I wasn't going to drive with her being like that. What a pain in the ass."

"It took me time to pull the fucking thing out. You try getting something out of your pocket when you have a screaming woman on you," the man with the syringe spat.

"Will you two just shut up? Let's move before we get noticed," the man in the passenger seat said.

Nobody said anything else as the car drove down the street with the unconscious woman.


There she was again, in that dark space with hardly any light. It was dank and cold this time. She wrapped her arms around her torso as she continued to walk aimlessly within the space. Her brown eyes scanned the area the best they could. In the back of her mind, she knew what was waiting for her, what was lurking within the darkness. She stopped when she saw a figure before her. They were of normal size, unlike that huge thing she kept on seeing. The figure turned and looked at her. As she walked closer, she could make out the face. Her heart stopped as her father turned to her, a smile on his gentle face.

"Dad!" she yelled. She ran up to him as fast as her legs could take her. She leaped into his arms, tears running down her face. "I'm so happy that you are alive." Her father only smiled and embraced her. "Where were you all this time?" Before she could get an answer, he disappeared. "Dad? Where did you go?"

"It's all your fault," came a deep voice. Casey looked around her and saw nothing. Her heart started to beat faster. "You are the one who killed him." The gigantic figure appeared from the shadows, its eyes glowing red. "Now it's time to meet your end."

Casey screamed as she covered her head with her arms. She screamed for help. She screamed for Duo. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her body. The figure in front of her disintegrated as light appeared. She opened her eyes and saw that she was in an unfamiliar room. That's when she remembered that she was staying at somebody's house.

"Are you okay?" asked a voice from next to her. She looked over and saw Duo laying there, his arms around her. She quickly pushed him off of her. "You were having a nightmare. You were calling my name."

Cold sweat soaked her shirt. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart. "Sorry… about that." A tint of pink appeared on her cheeks as she avoided any eye contact with the soldier.

Duo scooted over to her. "Don't be. I was worried about you." She glanced over at the braided pilot and noticed that he wasn't wearing a shirt. The tint of pink on her cheeks turned into a full flush of red. Duo chuckled and wrapped his arms around her again. "You are safe in these arms."

"Thanks, I think," Casey mumbled. She didn't want to admit that she did feel better being held in his strong arms.

"Was it the same type of dream that you had months ago? With that huge figure?" he whispered.

She nodded. "But my father was in it this time. I was able to feel him as I hugged him. That's when the dark figure appeared and told me that it was all my fault that he was dead." Her shoulders started to shake.

"Stop. It's not your fault, and you know it," Duo stated. He squeezed her against him tightly. Casey shifted against him. She sniffed as she wiped her eyes with her hand. "Look at me, Casey." The red-head obeyed and looked at the violet pools starting back at her. Sincerity is what she saw in them. "You are not at fault. You are a good person, someone who I admire. Don't beat yourself up anymore. Let down that barrier that you have set up. There is no need for it."

The tears ran down her cheeks involuntarily. She placed a hand on the side of his face. She could sense him tense up. Leaning forward, he placed his lips against hers. The two of them sat in the bed together. His hands moved up to the sides of her face, enjoying the warmth that she was giving him. After a few minutes, he reluctantly pulled away, taking in a lungful of oxygen. Casey just looked at him as if she was lost in thought.

"I'm… going to go downstairs for a drink," she said as she hastily got out of the bed.

She made her way down the stairs and into the open kitchen. From the window she could see that dawn was slowly approaching. Opening the cabinet, she grabbed a glass and filled it with water. She added a few ice cubes from the freezer. After taking a sip of the cool beverage, she stared at the granite countertop. Who would have thought that she would be hanging around with a bunch of Gundam pilots? It seemed unreal, a dream.

She then thought about her talk with Quatre. Was she wrong to think that all soldiers were bad? Amanda did keep telling her that not all soldiers were the same. She could tell by the look on the Arabian pilot's face that he was sincere in what he said.

The sound of footsteps roused her from her thoughts. She turned, expecting to find Duo. Instead it was Lista who was standing in the room with her. Casey turned her back around and greeted the black-haired woman. Lista walked past her to the fridge. She opened up the fridge and pulled out a carton of eggs.

"You're up pretty early," Lista said nonchalantly. "Did you sleep well?"

"Not really," Casey answered in a low voice. "I had a pretty bad nightmare." She didn't make eye contact with the other woman. The awkwardness that was in the air felt heavy on her shoulders. Casey didn't even know what to say. After the stunt that she pulled the other day, it was amazing that Lista was even talking to her. She finished her drink and set the empty glass in the sink.

Lista looked at the girl and sighed. She might as well loosen up the tension in the room. "It looks like you and Quatre have made up," she said as she cracked an egg.

Casey focused on the countertop again, listening to the sizzling of the egg. "We were just discussing our pasts. I never really told anyone about what had happened. Not even my best friend knows the whole story. For some reason, though, Duo and Quatre made me talk. I don't even know how." She rested her elbows on the countertop.

Lista smiled as she cooked. "They do have that impact on people," Lista commented. "Duo can get even the most rotten person on the planet to like him, at least to some degree. Quatre just has that comforting air about him. He never judges and is always there to lend a hand."

"I see." That still didn't mean that she wasn't any less confused about the matter.

"So… what is your relationship with Duo?" Lista took out a round ceramic white plate from the bottom of the cabinet. She slid the sunny side up eggs on the plate. She looked over and saw the hint of red on Casey's cheeks.

"I don't… know," Casey murmured. "He's a friend… I guess." Of course this topic had to come up. It made things ten times more awkward.

"You guess? Didn't you go to the prom with him?" she asked.

Casey looked at Lista. "Wait… how did you know about the prom?"

"Duo told me about it."

Duo entered the kitchen wearing a black tee and blue jeans. Casey went up to him and punched him in the arm.

"Can you stop telling people about me?" she growled and walked away, flustered.

Duo rubbed the spot where he got punched. "Geez. What was that all about? What were you two talking about?" he asked.

His friend explained that she mentioned the dance. The braided man groaned and sat on one of the stools at the island. Lista placed a plate of eggs in front of him.

"I have no idea what is going on with you two," she said as she gave him a fork.

"Do you think I have any idea? She is a lot better than when I first met her. There are a lot of mixed signals…" Duo said as he took a bite of his egg.

"Do you really like her, Duo?"

Duo nodded his head and smiled. "Yeah, I do. She has this passion, this burning fire about her. She's been through a lot over the years. That you know already. There is more to her than meets the eye, Lissy. I have seen it with my own two eyes."

Lista looked at her friend and shook her head. Those two were a complicated case.


Relena sat by the window of her room. Her chin was resting on the palm of her hand, her arm propped on the armrest of the chair. It was a nice day outside. She watched some leaves dance in the wind. It was hard being shacked up in a room, not really knowing what day it was. Stuff like this happened in the past, and the only thing she could do was put on a brave face. She longed to be like the leaves: free. There were times where she tried to escape, but she didn't get very far. The two bodyguards got a hold of her as if she were a mere doll. She picked her head up when she heard voices coming from behind the closed door. Two men opened the door and threw a woman into the room. She had to be in her late forties. Her long brown hair was a tangled mess. She sported bruises on her bare arms. One of the men commented to Relena that she now had company before shutting the bedroom door. Relena slowly got up from her chair and went to her guest. She took off the duct tape that was placed over the woman's mouth.

"W-Where am I? What is this place?" the woman frantically asked, looking around the room.

"From the looks of it, you were captured, too. We're in some kind of mansion, at least that's what I think," Relena replied calmly. The answer didn't help ease the frightened woman. She stopped for a second and looked at Relena.

"You're… you're Relena," she said shakily.

"I was having a meeting with some leaders. Apparently I was drugged and brought here. I was told that if I didn't step down as leader, then more people would perish. I didn't really have a choice. Now that I have, it's all been for naught. People are still dying," Relena explained. "I was foolish by having Owen as my second in command. All I saw was the dedication he had towards me, which, mind you, was all an act. He wanted revenge for what my family did to him." She looked at her visitor. "They didn't say anything on why they brought you here?"

The older woman shook her head. "I was walking home from the grocery store. These men came in a car and just pulled me into the vehicle. I tried to fight, but they stuck me with something." She took a deep breath, relieved that she wasn't alone. "My name is Theresa O'Connor."

Relena smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you. You are safe with me. I will do my best to make sure nothing happens to you." Although she sounded confident, she wasn't sure herself if she could keep her word. She had failed in her attempt in escaping her prison. She definitely was no match for the bodyguards. However, despite all that had happened, she tried to keep a positive outlook on things.


Loud cheers could be heard along with clapping, Heero stood near the back entrance of a huge circus tent. His hands were in his jean pockets. He looked up at the clear sky and wondered if Relena was okay. The woman had spunk and was as stubborn as a mule. She could hold her own for a bit, but he knew that they had to hurry.

"Heero?"

He looked over and saw Trowa standing next to him, clad in his clown outfit. "I see you are doing well," Heero commented.

"What are you doing here? How did you find this place?" Trowa asked as he placed his half of a clown mask on one of the crates.

"It wasn't easy," Heero replied. "I came because we need you. I'm sure you have heard the news. There are mobile dolls down here on Earth. Right now they are targeting certain cities in England. Why? We don't know. The dolls are different from the ones that we battled years ago. Different models that are probably made with Gundanium. The suits that the Preventers have are not taking them out fast enough. We need the Gundams for this."

"I did hear about the attack in London. I was waiting to hear from someone. When I didn't, I thought it was being taken care of by the Preventers," Trowa said, crossing his arms over his chest. "But we've battled with mobile suits before that were made out of Gundanium."

"I know, but the Preventers have mobile dolls that aren't cutting it," Heero replied.

Before Trowa could say anything else, Catherine emerged from within the tent. She took one look at Heero and then at Trowa. "What is he doing here?" she demanded, pointing her index finger at Heero.

Trowa held up both hands in defense. "Catherine, listen to me. There is a lot going on in the world. People need us."

"No. You listen here, Trowa. You have finally maintained a normal life, as a normal guy. Why thrust yourself into battle again? You will only get hurt," Catherine said, her voice cracking. She glared at Heero. Trouble always followed that man no matter where he went.

Trowa sighed. "I need to go or else more people will get hurt. I'm also looking out for you and the circus." He knew deep down that what he said wasn't going to be enough to convince her.

Catherine looked away from the two men, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I know that I can't stop you. You would just go, anyway."

"I'll be back," Trowa said softly. "If anything happens around here, make sure you all get to safety. I'll keep in touch." He took his clown mask and gave it to her. "Thank you for understanding."

She took the mask and pressed it against her chest. The two men said their farewells to her before leaving the area together. She watched them go with a worried expression on her face. "Be careful, Trowa…"


It had been a month since the explosion and the loss of the ten students. Things were finally returning to normal at the school. Casey was walking with Amanda down the school hallway. Her best friend's mood had returned to normal to some extent. Amanda was upbeat and smiling again. Every so often the brunette would go silent, with a solemn look on her face, especially when they passed Ben's old locker. They made a left and stopped at Casey's locker so she could load her bag for the next upcoming classes. Duo waved and walked up to the girls. Amanda smiled at the pilot and greeted him.

"What's going on?" Amanda asked. She noticed that his face was serious and not the jolly look that he normally had on.

"Nothing much. I'm not going to be in school for a while," Duo replied. "Some things have come up. The principal knows the full details."

"Really? I hope everything is okay." Amanda said with a concerned face. "You will return for graduation at least, right?"

"I can't promise that," he said in a low voice. He looked at Casey. "Sorry, Case." He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

Casey just stood there, her eyes wide. Duo bid them farewell and then headed down the hall. In a fit of rage, the red-head chased after him. She wove through the sea of people in the hall. She saw Duo leave the building and picked up her pace.

"Duo!" she shouted. The braided man turned around, only to be slapped hard across the face. "Don't you dare walk away from me!" Tears welled up in her eyes. She wanted to beat the man in front of her, but she also wanted to hug him tightly and not let go. Just the thought of her not seeing him again frightened her. Were they really more than just friends? What was he to her?

"Case… I…" Duo started. He didn't really know what to say. He saw the tears run down her face. He knew she was upset with him.

"Don't call me that!" she screamed. "Are you going to disappear just like him?! Was I a toy all along?!"

"A toy? What?" Duo then realized that she was talking about Jonathan. "No, Casey. I'm nothing like that man."

"Then why are you leaving?" she asked with tears running down her cheeks. "Answer me! If you are nothing like him, then you will tell me the truth."

Duo clenched his fists that were at his side. "I can't. It's classified information." He remembered the talk that the pilots had.

"I heard that you have been hanging around a couple of girls," Heero said. He was sitting at the kitchen table at Quatre's small house. "Don't say anything to them. No one should know what is about to happen."

"So that's it?" Casey whispered. "Fine. I get it." She turned her back on him. "I wish you luck, Duo Maxwell." Before he could say anything else, she ran back into the school.

Duo stood where he was with a pained expression on his face. He knew deep down that he did the right thing. He just hoped that he could tell her the truth when all of this was over.

Casey ran into the women's bathroom and closed one of the stall doors. She sat down on the toilet and covered her face with her palms. It felt as if her heart was being chipped away. She had felt these horrible pains years ago. On the other side of the stall, she could hear the other girls muttering to each other. She didn't care at that point. All she knew was that throughout her time with the braided soldier, she had fallen for him.


Alfred stacked some of the newspapers in a neat little pile on Owen's desk. He asked the man if he should get rid of them. Owen told him that he needed them. Shrugging his shoulders, he continued tidying up the room. He moved a bit to the left and his leg bumped into an open drawer, resulting in him falling to the ground. He slowly got up while taking a quick look inside the drawer. There were blueprints of a Gundam within it. He took out the contents and looked them over. His eyes went wide when he saw Casey's name in the corner. He dropped the papers and then looked at the latest headline in the newspaper. It was all coming together. The long nights, the secretive talks when he was home behind closed doors.

"Alfred? What are you doing in my office?"

The butler slowly turned around and saw Owen standing in the doorway. "It was all you. You were behind all those attacks on Earth?" Alfred asked, his mouth going dry from the realization.

"I guess it was only going to be a matter of time before you found out my secret," Owen said before taking out a pistol. With one shot, the bullet made contact with the older man's stomach. Alfred fell to his knees, holding his wound. "Can't have you telling everyone, now can I?"

"W-What do you plan on doing… with Casey?" Alfred breathed, feeling the blood as it soaked through his shirt.

Owen smirked. "She will be the one to pilot that Gundam," he explained.

"She won't do it. She's… too good of a… person," Alfred said. He started to feel lightheaded.

"Exactly! That's why I have taken her mother hostage," Owen said, the grin not leaving his face as he watched his butler die. "I doubt she would want her dear old mother killed."

Alfred coughed up blood and then collapsed to the ground. He looked up at Owen with disgust. "You're an evil man…"

Owen thanked his butler for the compliment. He said his goodbye before leaving him to die.


Casey entered the house Her mood was melancholy. She hung her coat up and entered the kitchen. No food was on the table. It was quiet in the house, too quiet. "Alfred?" she called. "Are you home?" She wandered around the house, checking each room. She finally came across Owen's office and found Alfred on the floor in a puddle of crimson. "Alfred!" She ran to the body and checked his pulse on his neck. It was faint, but still beating. "Please get up."

The older man coughed and weakly looked up at her. Casey placed his head on her lap before taking out her cell. "C-Casey…"

"Please don't talk. Everything will be okay. I'm calling for help," she whispered.

Alfred brought the phone down with a shaky hand. "Listen… it's too late for me. You… have to run… away."

"What? No. You're going to live." Tears started to fall from her eyes.

"Listen to me… please. Owen is the one… behind the attacks. Casey… he has… plans for you. He's… going to… blackmail you…"Alfred whispered. "He… he has your mother."

"My mother?" That was impossible. It had been years since that woman was even mentioned or seen.

"He has plans to… harm her if you don't… agree…" The red-head looked at the dying man, trying to process the things that were being said to her. "Stay safe… don't buy into what he says."

"He won't get away with this," Casey said in a determined voice. "He will pay and you will live."

Alfred smiled weakly. "You are a good kid… stay that way. Always… follow… your heart…" He closed his eyes. A moment passed and Casey realized that he wasn't breathing.

"Alfred! Alfred! You can't go! Don't leave me…" Tears ran down her cheeks as she hugged him, hysterically crying. "Don't go. Please… I have no one left." She sniffed when she remembered the mention of her mother. Did Owen really have her? After wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she carefully laid Alfred on the ground. She didn't know what to do. Why was all this happening to her? She couldn't just leave him there. Picking up her cell, she dialed Duo's number with a shaky hand.


A/N: So this chapter was one of the chapters that I had thought of from the very beginning. Mind you, it wasn't easy actually writing it out.