Mainly fluff

Enjoy!

~*~*~*~ chapter 11 ~*~*~*~

After four hours of full blown training on the tracks, and another large meal provided by the good natured Sarah at the orphanage, the four team mates, and the twins, found themselves back at the bar.

Standing once again at the large metal door, Chance knocked loudly against it.

In no time, the panel slid open, and a pair of eyes peeped through. "Oh, hey! Just a sec, guys." The panel slid shut and they could hear the sounds of locks being undone. It wasn't long before the heavy door was pulled open, and Casey, once again, was standing behind it. "Come on in, guys. You're just in time to set up the stuff again." he informed them all with a wide grin.

Chance stepped past her uncle and smirked. "You're just too damn lazy to do it yourself." she snorted.

Casey frowned lightly. "Well if I can get someone else to, why should I do it?" he shot back calmly.

Rolling her eyes, she flung her bag over the bar and hopped up on a bar stool. "That's a great way of looking at things. So what's up?" Chance asked casually.

Casey watched the others all walk in, and as soon as they were in, he closed the door and locked it. "Nothing really." he said as he placed the key back in his pocket. When he turned back around to face the black haired woman, he snapped his fingers. "Now I remember, Chance, your probation officer called and said he couldn't come by today, so he's gonna stop by tomorrow to check up on you."

That confused Chance. "He couldn't come by today? Hm, that's odd, he usually keeps all of his appointments." she thought aloud. But no sooner than she said that she knew why. "Ooohhhh! I know what's going on. He probably had a date with his girlfriend and forgot that it was on the same date as his visit with me. Bet she chewed him out for hours." She laughed lightly at the image popping into her mind.

"I'm sure she did. She can get so jealous sometimes." Chase agreed with her. He joined her at the bar, and perched himself up on a bar stool. "Casey, I don't know why, but I've been wanting a shot of rum all day. Do you have any left?" he asked hopefully.

The large man chuckled at him. "I got a new order of it in, just for you, Chase." Casey informed him as he made his way back to the bar.

His teal eyes became all sparkly. "You are awesome, Uncle Casey! You got a whole order just for me??" Chase asked happily, rum being one of his favorite drinks.

Casey nodded as he disappeared in the back room. Shortly he returned with a large bottle of rum. "I'm guessing that you'll be wanting to keep this with you for the rest of the night?" he offered as he placed the bottle on the table.

Not wasting any time, Chase snatched the bottle and held it close to him. "You would be correct in that assumption. Mine mine mine!" he giggled happily, already looking tipsy from just holding the bottle.

They blinked, and looked at him with skeptical gazes.

"Uhhh.. Bro, it's just rum...." Chance pointed out, still not understanding why he acted this way around the cheap sweet drink.

Chase simply stuck out his pink tongue, and clutched the bottle even closer. "I don't care, it's mine!"

Chance rolled her eyes, and looked away. "Ooookay.... And people think I'm odd."

"Oh Chaaaance..." Casey's voice called out musically as he ducked under the bar.

Raising a brow, she leaned over the bar to try and see what he was up to. "Whaaaaat?" she asked just as musically.

"Chase isn't the only one that I got something special for." At that moment he stood up straight again, and placed a bottle filled with a light orange liquid on the counter.

Her teal eyes soon became like her bother's. "Peach schnapps!!!" In no time she looked exactly like her brother by clutching the bottle close to her. "I love you, Uncle Casey!!!" she chirped happily, looking like a child with a new toy.

Casey smiled, and chuckled lightly. "Well, just call it a gift to apologize again for yesterday. I was way out of line, and I had no right to say the things I did." he said in a serious calm tone, and bowed his head in shame that still nagged him.

Chance smiled warmly, and reached up to pull Casey down to where she could kiss him on top of his bald head. "Nothing to forgive, Casey. I understand where it came from. Everything's okay now." she told him gently.

The man looked at her for a moment, and had to bite his lips to keep his tears at bay. "You're amazing... Bitchy and arrogant one day, the next polite and sweet like ya were when you were little. Oh well. Come on, we better get ready for tonight's crowd."

~*~*~*~

Once again the party was going all out, and everyone was having a great time.

And once again the room was split straight up the middle. All the men gathered around Chance, while the women flocked to Duo.

But for some reason, the two didn't seem to be as enthused about it as the last time. More than once they caught one another stealing glances at each other as they danced with various partners.

After the third dance, and many objections, Chance suddenly left the dance floor, and disappeared into the large crowd of still dancing bodies.

Duo had watched her leave, and soon made up an excuse to the ladies around him before he walked off to find her.

From one of the booths, a pair of teal eyes watched sadly as the chase began. Sighing deeply, Chase leaned his chin on his fist, and let his thoughts wander.

Heero, who was sitting close next to him, looked over at him curiously. He leaned down to the pale rider's ear so he could speak to him over the loud music. "What's wrong?"

Looking at him, Chase sighed, and leaned over to Heero's ear to reply. "I'm worried about Duo and Chance...."

Suddenly the music stopped, and the d.j. announced that he was taking a break.

Now they could talk normally, and it was Heero's turn. "Why are you worried about them?" he asked, and wondered if he was feeling the same.

Chase tried to think of how he could put what he felt into words. "I... I just don't want to see Chance hurt again... Don't get me wrong, I think Duo is great, but... I can't help but worry." he said quietly. It still pained him every time he thought of the nights he had heard her cry herself to sleep.

Heero looked at his sad face, and lightly wrapped his arms around the smaller frame. "How has she been hurt?" he asked. ~Maybe it could help Duo out if he knew.~ he thought.

His black brows knitted together in a frown. "I don't know where to begin there..." His eyes were bright even in the dim room as he looked up to Heero. "If I tell you this, you have to promise not to let anyone else know... Promise me, Heero..." he pleaded in a whisper.

Musing lightly over how many time he has heard that in the past few days, he nodded. "I promise, Chase."

Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Chase moved closer to the strong biker, and began speaking in a low tone so no one could hear them. "When I said that Chance and T.K. were close, I meant very close... The two of them were lovers for nearly four years."

Cobalt eyes grew wide. "Wait.. She's nineteen... T.K. died four years ago... You mean she was only eleven when they..." he trailed off in shock.

And Chase could understand why. "She was twelve, and he was nineteen... You may think it was wrong... Most of the ones who knew thought it was sick.. But.. Heero, they loved each other. They loved each other more than I thought possible...." He bowed his head, and a tear rolled down his cheek. "When T.K. died, Chance didn't want to live anymore. She blamed herself for his death, and attempted suicide several times..."

Sniffing softly, he began to play with his beer glass nervously. "The only reason she didn't do it was because of me.... She loved me too much to go through with it.... Heero, I know she acts, and looks tough, but deep down, all she wants is for someone to love her.... A year after T.K. was shot, she tried dating again, but the people she ended up with ..... I don't understand why she chose them..." He suddenly looked back at Heero. "But now it's even worse! She doesn't care anymore. She doesn't want love, she just wants someone close to her, even if it's only for one night.... I hate it!" he cried out softly, and more tears fell from his sad teal eyes.

Heero's heart clenched tightly at the heart broken look on the beautiful pale face. "Oh, Chase, don't cry..." He pulled Chase close to him and held him in a comforting embrace.

Accepting the embrace, Chase buried his face in Heero's white T-shirt. "I'm sorry... I just can't stand how she just lets all of those men paw at her and degrade her... But I can't stop it because I know that I have no right to... She can make her own decisions, and she told me that just letting go is the only way she knows how to get over everything......" he mumbled miserably.

The quiet biker had listened to everything that he said carefully, and suddenly he realized something. "Chase... That sounds like Duo." he stated, his own tone sounding shocked.

Pulling away from the warm embrace, Chase looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean?"

A ghost of a smile crossed his shadowed face. "Everything you just described sounded almost exactly like Duo. He's been hurt a lot in the past too, and that's why you see him chasing just about every pretty girl he sees. He only wanted short flings to fill in an empty space that's been with him for a long time." Reaching up, he placed a hand under the pale chin, and made him look up into his eyes. "Chase, from what you've told me, there should be absolutely no problems between the two of them. They have so much in common, and have had similar past experiences, that there is no way that they couldn't understand each other." Heero smirked slightly and gave a short laugh. "The only thing that stand in their way is their pride, and their over exercised egos." he joked.

Chase smiled and laughed lightly at that. "Over exercised is a dramatic understatement." he quipped.

That made the antisocial's lips curve into the beginnings of a real smile.

But even though it didn't quite form all the way, Chase noticed it all the same. "So what should we do about them?" he asked curiously, wondering if he could play cupid.

"We probably should leave them to work it out for themselves. If we try anything, they'll only do it because they'll think it will make us happy." Heero's eyes flickered away from the teal ones in front of him, and looked out into the mass of people talking with each other. His eyes then caught on the sight of Duo working his way through the crowd, obviously looking for something...

Or rather someone.

Heero almost smiled once more, then looked back to Chase. "And I do believe that Duo is determined to work something out with your sister... He's told me that he is really beginning to have feelings for her, and wants follow through to see where they might lead. He doesn't care what happens, he just wants to try." he told him softly.

Chase's teal eyes became very sparkly after that. "Really? Oh, Heero, that's wonderful! It would make me so happy if Chance could finally have someone that loves her just as much as T.K. did..... She's been so lonely, and I only want her to be happy."

Holding him closer, Heero kissed the top of his black head. "Everything will work out. You'll see."

The two then held each other close as the music began once more.

But what they didn't notice was a pair of tear filled teal eyes staring out longingly from a secluded booth in the back of the bar.

And the eyes were settled on a strong form with a long brown braid.

~*~ TBC

Hm...

I wonder...

Later!