A/N: Just so you know, I'm moving this week so I'll try to keep my updates regular, but I can't promise anything other than that I will NOT abandon this fic. It might take a couple of weeks before I can get settled down enough to make my updates regular again. Thanks in advance for your patience!

CHAPTER 11-Breakfast

"It feels so good to have that thing off!" Riley carefully rotated her shoulder, relishing the feel of being able to move it again.

"Just remember that you're not to do anything to overstress your shoulder," Sally cautioned. "It's okay for you to stretch it now, but I still don't want you joining in with any sparring or sports for a while. You can walk around the track, but no joining the morning runs on that leg yet."

"Yes, Sally."

"Zach, I'm putting you in charge of making sure she doesn't overdo it."

"Sure thing, Sally."

Zach and Riley were late to Heero's morning exercises, but he didn't say anything. Jocelyn gave them a dirty look. She'd been late the day before and Heero had assigned her extra laps. Riley ignored her. Zach gave the boys a look and they nodded in acknowledgement. Heero pretended not to notice. The pilots had agreed to let Zach and the boys handle the situation on their own unless things got out of control.

Riley took her time stretching out her shoulder and her sore leg. It wasn't like she was going to join in the run, so it didn't matter how long she took. Even though she was sore, it felt amazing to be able to stretch after being immobilized for so long.

When the others were ready to go, Jocelyn sauntered towards Riley, a look in her eye that Zach didn't like. Braxton headed her off.

"Hey, Joss, I bet you can't beat me today," he challenged.

"As if I would want to get all sweaty running. I think I'll just hang out here, unless, of course, someone is getting special treatment."

"You know that isn't the case, Jocelyn." Braxton was frowning. He turned to look at the others, his expression asking what he should do next.

Heero picked that minute to round them up. "Come on, guys. Let's get a move on."

Riley stood up slowly. Heero walked over to her, knowing Jocelyn was straining to hear what he said.

"Sally said you're not ready to run yet. I expect you to do as she says." He gave her a warning look before turning and following the others on their run.

Riley walked slowly around the track. Her leg was sore, but she didn't have the cane with her, so going slowly was her only option.

"Mornin' Gorgeous!" Duo easily caught up to her on the track. Since the others knew the trail, he didn't need to go along with them unless he felt like it.

"Morning, Duo."

"How's it goin'?"

"Slow."

Duo laughed. "Well, it'll get better. Whaddaya say we play a little hooky, just this once?"

"And do what instead?"

"We could get a decent breakfast."

"Do you ever think about anything besides food?"

"Not when I can help it."

She chuckled. "I don't know. I don't want to be late for class."

"You won't be."

"How can you guarantee that?"

"Because I'm teachin' it. If I'm not late, you're not late."

By this time they'd gone around the quarter-mile track and Riley had to admit that her leg was sore enough that she thought another circuit would constitute overdoing it. "What did you have in mind?"

Duo smirked. "It's a surprise! Come on."

Riley followed him. When he thought she wasn't going fast enough, he scooped her up and carried her, but not without having to listen to her complain.

"I can walk, you know!"

"Yeah, but by the time you get there, we will be late for class."

"Whatever happened to 'If I'm not late, you're not late'?" she teased.

"Showing up tomorrow would count as late."

She was going to retort, but Duo had come to a stop outside the Preventer's kitchen and set her down gently.

"After you," he said, opening the door.

Quatre and Trowa were busy at the counter and the stove.

"Oh good, you managed to kidnap her," Trowa joked.

"It's not hard when she comes willingly."

"Hmmmm…not a good start," Trowa chided, but he grinned at her.

"Quit giving her a hard time you guys. This was your idea, after all." Quatre was at the stove and he turned to give her a smile. "We're celebrating you officially getting to join the group."

Riley could feel herself blush a little. "Is that why Jocelyn was late last week?"

The three men caught the sarcasm in her voice and laughed.

"Okay, you caught us," Duo said. "We just didn't see a point in you being out by yourself when you could be hanging out in here with us."

Riley shook her head, but she was smiling as she sat down. "Well, in all honestly, I can't complain. I wouldn't want Sally claiming I overdid it and then throw me back in bed."

"Oh, I doubt she'd go that far," Quatre commented.

"I don't. She's already threatened to do it more than once."

Trowa brought over the juice and fruit he'd been preparing at the counter. "That just shows how attached she's gotten to you. The last time Wufei landed in her care, she not only threatened to put him back under observation, but she said she'd break his other arm if she had to in order to do it."

Riley cocked her head. "So, do those two have something going on?"

"What makes you think that?" Trowa asked.

"He gets a different look in his eye when she's around."

Quatre cleared his throat. "Well…it's complicated."

"Because they work together?"

"Yes and no."

"I'm guessing it's less to do with current work and more to do with…past employment?"

"Bingo!" Duo said. "You're pretty good at this. You sure you're not a spy?"

"No more than you," Riley replied wryly.

Duo chuckled.

"So basically, because of what you guys are, your relationships, if any, are kept strictly on a need to know basis, because you can't be forced to tell what you don't know, right?"

"I would say that is accurate," Quatre conceded as he brought over the omelets he had made.

"Then forget I asked." She thought for a second, frowning slightly. "But I don't get something. If you guys helped to stop the war, why is what you did such a big secret?"

The three men stopped eating and looked at each other.

"That's a little harder to explain," Trowa started. "Some of our choices are not things we are proud of and would rather forget. In addition, in a war, not everyone is on the same side. So it doesn't matter who wins, someone is always sore about it. Even though it has been many years, we still do not want to risk retaliation from anyone…how can I put this…less than reasonable."

"Yeah, that, and the fact that people are scared shitless at the thought of us."

"Duo!" Quatre was appalled.

"What? You know it's true. People are afraid of what they've heard we can do. They're afraid we'll swoop down out of the sky and take them out. There are people out there who want to get us before we can get them. It's as simple as that." Duo took a drink of orange juice. "Some people wouldn't think twice about using our friends and family to get to us, so the fewer people who know, the better."

Riley was a little sorry she'd asked, so she decided to steer the conversation in a slightly different direction. "So what do you do when one of the cadets gets a crush on you?"

They looked at her, slightly alarmed.

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed. Jocelyn's practically been throwing herself at Quatre and I've seen the way some of those girls eye you guys in the halls," she teased.

Trowa managed to keep a straight face, but Quatre turned a little pink when Riley mentioned Jocelyn's behavior.

"Jealous?" Duo asked, trying hard not to smirk.

"Hardly."

Duo got a mischievous look. "Why don't I believe that?"

"Because you're a guy?"

"Hey!"

Quatre was hiding a smirk behind a hand. He had enough sisters to know where this conversation was going and he was going to enjoy watching Duo walk into it.

"You expect me to believe that you don't have an ego the size of a space colony? I know your type. You flirt with every girl you see and leave a string of broken hearts behind you. Then, when a girl doesn't fall for your act the first thing you do is pout."

"Do not!"

"Please! You're doing it now!"

Quatre and Trowa couldn't keep from laughing anymore.

Ignoring their laughter, Duo said, "How would you know? You haven't known me that long."

"I've been around. And even if I couldn't read you like a book, I wouldn't be interested because you don't fit my rules."

"Rules? What rules?"

Quatre and Trowa had quit laughing and were listening again.

"Every girl has rules. Don't tell me you didn't know."

"Enlighten me."

"If I have to explain this, you're more of a lost cause than I thought."

Trowa and Quatre were trying not to laugh again.

"I know girls have rules. Guys have 'em, too. I want to know why I don't fit yours."

She shrugged. "My rules are simple. I don't date guys I work with and I never date anyone with hair longer than mine. After that, how they treat me determines whether or not I'll give them a second chance."

Trowa laughed. "She's right, Duo, you don't fit her rules at all!"

"Well at least you don't either."

"Don't take it personally, Duo. I've probably got more dating experience than most girls around here. And their rules will change as they get older, too."

"Girls change their rules?"

Riley chuckled. "Of course. Don't guys change theirs?"

"Why would we?"

"So you're telling me that the rules you had when you were eighteen are the rules you go by now?"

"Well, yeah, mostly."

"Trust me, it's a good thing that girls change their rules. Take a girl like Jocelyn, for example. Given what Braxton has told me, they come from money and she's spoiled rotten. So her rules about dating probably include a lot of superficial qualities like a good family name, a decent amount of cash, what kind of car he drives, whether or not he owns an island, and the number of rooms in his house. As young and shallow as she is, she probably has a list a mile long of what he should look like and what kind of clothes he wears, right down to what cologne he uses. In a few years, when she's grown up a bit, that list will change. It will be less about his appearance and material wealth and more about whether or not he treats her well and how he makes her feel. Be grateful girls change their rules. Could you imagine being stuck with someone who cared more about what you had than who you are?"

"Well, when you put it that way…" Duo thought about it for a minute. "So your rules could change, too?"

She shrugged. "I suppose, but it isn't likely."

"For comparison's sake, what did your rules used to be?"

"Well," she said slowly, "how can I explain this? My situation growing up was different than most girls, so my rules are probably not a good example."

"Humor me."

She looked at him. "If you're waiting for me to tell you I wanted someone who could bench 400 pounds without steroids and drove a corvette, you're going to be disappointed. The only rule I had before I graduated high school was not to trust anyone but Zach."

"You're puttin' me on."

"I wish I was. It was safer that way. I don't know how much Zach told you, but there'd been so much news coverage on what happened to my family that when news was slow, they used updates on my life as filler." She couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice. "There were too many guys who just wanted their five minutes of fame by being attached to me. One girl at school had an uncle that was a reporter and she told him everything. And I mean everything."

"How do you know they weren't really interested?"

"It isn't hard to tell with most people."

"So why would Jocelyn 'throw' herself at Quatre, as you put it?" Trowa asked after an awkward pause.

Grateful to have the attention on something besides herself, Riley answered, "I don't know for sure, but she seems the type of girl to start with looks and then dig around to try and find whatever else is on her list in that person. I'd be careful if I were you, Quatre. From what I've seen, if she wants something, she'll get it."

"Thanks for the warning."

Duo and Trowa laughed at Quatre's unease.

"Aw come on, Quat, just treat her like the rest of the girls here and maybe she'll get the hint," Duo said with a wink.

"That's a little harder when we're going to be spending more one-on-one time with Jocelyn."

"Yeah, we might have to change our approach," Trowa added thoughtfully.

"Just what is your approach, anyway?" Riley asked.

"Well, we usually just ignore them," Duo said. "But," he said, lowering his voice, "if they still don't leave us alone, we just tell them we're involved…with each other."

Trowa choked on his orange juice and shot Duo a dirty look.

"Seriously, Duo, how do you come up with this crap?" Quatre exclaimed, covering his eyes with a hand. Looking at Riley he said, "Remind me never to leave you alone with him. Who knows what he'll tell you next."

Riley just laughed. She knew better than to take Duo too seriously. Duo looked at his watch and swore. "Looks like we've gotta go or we're gonna be late."

"Thanks for breakfast, guys. It was fun." Riley stood to follow Duo.

"Our pleasure, Riley," Quatre said and Trowa nodded in agreement.

"Hurry up, or I'll have to carry you again," Duo threatened.

Riley shook her head and the sound of laughter followed her out the door.