Disclaimer: I don't own them except for the kids

Disclaimer: I don't own them except for the kids!

Changing Seasons, Part 7

Forks clinked softly on the plates at the Winner's house. It was Sunday dinner once again. All the families were sitting outside on the marble terrace, enjoying the breezy evening.

Vaughn sat across from Randy at one of the tables set up to accommodate the large group. He knew something was up. For one, she was avoiding Donavon. Two, she was wearing a sleeveless high-necked sweater. Three, she had a hangover Friday night. And four, she was feeling confused. "So Randy, I heard you had a hangover," he mentioned casually.

Randy's fork stopped halfway up to her mouth. She put it back down on her plate. "So? What of it?"

"I heard it was with my saintly cousin Donavon here," Vaughn said as he patted his cousin's shoulder.

"It was nothing. We drank too much, that's all," Randy said a little defensively. She gazed at Vaughn steadily.

"So you know what happened afterwards or did you just magically wake up in your bed?" Vaughn asked. He noticed that Randy and Donavon's feelings flared momentarily.

Donavon turned to look at him. "Vaughn don't push it."

"I'm just asking," Vaughn said innocently. "But I know you wouldn't drive either, so you had to stay there until you at least sobered up a little. So what did you two do until then?"

"Nothing," Randy and Donavon replied in unison.

Vaughn quirked a brow. "Is that so?"

"Leave it alone Vaughn," Randy snapped, her face coloring slightly.

"Ok, but answer me this Randy, why are you wearing a high necked sweater? You never pass up a chance to show off some skin. Hiding something?" Vaughn asked pointedly.

"Vaughn, I told you to leave it!" she hissed.

"What do you have to be ashamed of? All I'm doing is pointing out a well know fact. If you're not hiding anything why are you making a big deal about it?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders.

"Because you're making a big deal of it!" Randy retorted.

"Then answer the damn question Randy!"

"It's nothing!" she shouted at him, causing everyone to look at her.

Vaughn smirked and leaned back in his chair. "There, was that so hard. I was just asking because usually the reason a girl has for covering up her neck is that she has a hickey. I know that's what a bunch of you girls do to hide it from our dads."

Randy tugged uneasily on the neck of the black sweater. It covered a slight purplish bruise just on the slope of her neck. Her eyes unconsciously went to Donavon's, then flickered away.

Donavon looked away as well. He felt some color rise to his face.

Vaughn noticed the covert exchange. "So Aunt Middi said your clothes smelled like peaches," he said nonchalantly.

His words caused Donavon to choke on his water and Randy to drop her fork. And it caused Miles to stop and look at his brother.

"VAUGHN! SHUT UP!" Donavon and Randy yelled at him.

"Why did your shirt smell like peaches?" Miles asked, his brow furrowing.

"She wore it! She got cold!" Donavon snapped in response.

"Then why didn't she put on her sweater, wouldn't you've been without a shirt?" Miles asked, his eyes beginning to narrow at his brother.

"What the hell is this, the Spanish Inquisition?" Donavon demanded.

"Look what you started Vaughn," Carin chided.

"Only something that's been under the surface for the past ten years," Vaughn replied logically.

"What's that mean?" Miles questioned, his eyes coming to rest on his cousin.

"Vaughn don't you dare or else I will have to kill you, very slowly," Donavon threatened.

"Well, the fact of the matter is that your brother is…" Vaughn started to say, but was cut off when Donavon slapped a hand over his mouth.

"You're so dead blondie," Donavon hissed at him.

Vaughn pulled his hand away. "Chicken."

"Now I want to know. Come on Vaughn, tell us?" Veronica asked curiously. She leaned forward in her chair.

"Butt out Ver!"

Veronica pouted and glared. "Why? Is it some big secret?"

"Yes," Donavon said through clenched teeth.

"One that he'll regret not telling," Vaughn said knowingly.

"Vaughn, just leave it alone," Randy interjected.

"Why? You're obviously hiding something," he said, looking over at her.

"It's none of your business, nosey," she said haughtily.

"Then if it's none of my business, why are you trying so hard to hide it?" Vaughn asked.

"I have nothing to hide!" Randy replied hotly.

"Then why are your fingers constantly fidgeting with the neck of your sweater?"

"I thought I told you to leave it!"

"Randy, Randy, getting all bothered by an innocent question?" Vaughn taunted.

"None of your questions are ever innocent Vaughn. They're always nit picking," Randy retorted.

"Because everyone has something to hide. Some little thing they don't want the world to know. We all have them. Our dirty little secrets that we tell no one. And things we know about each other, that we would never mention to one another," Vaughn stated as he looked around the table.

Leigh slunk down in her chair. She knew about Miles and Megan at the beach.

Randy and Donavon glowered at Vaughn.

Miles lowered his eyes away from Vaughn's gaze, as did Megan. Their shared kiss had turned out into a full-blown making out session in the backseat of his car.

"So everyone has something to hide and some are just more interesting then others," Vaughn expressed plainly. He pushed out of his chair. "And some should come to light before they cause a real problem and I know several are floating around this table right now. So who wants to 'fess up?"

"What exactly are you getting at Vaughn?" Damien asked his brother.

"Oh the one that our sterling cousin and Randy are attempting to hide," Vaughn replied. "And the one that Miles and Megan are trying to hide, as well as Leigh."

"Shut up Vaughn," Leigh said in a low voice when Jonathon cast her a curious glance.

"I want to know what he's getting at Donavon?" Miles growled.

"I could ask you the same thing!" Donavon shot back.

"Stop it!" Randy yelled. "We got drunk and he kissed me! Are you happy now Vaughn?"

"YOU WHAT!" Miles howled at his brother.

"Oh boy," Damien mumbled as he slunk down in his seat.

Donavon flinched. He looked back over at Randy, who was busy glaring at Vaughn.

"I knew I should have killed you the summer we were twelve," Randy said angrily.

"Too bad you didn't," Vaughn said, grinning.

"YOU KISSED RANDY!" Miles shouted at his brother.

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The adults turned around for the third time.

"Why can't our dinners ever be normal?" Quatre lamented as he shook his head.

"Because we weren't normal. Why do you expect our kids to be?" Duo pointed out.

"I don't know," Quatre sighed. "It's a lost cause now."

"What I would like to know, is what they're shouting about?" Duo asked, looking over at the other table.

"I wish I knew. Miles looks like he's going to blow. So does Randy and Donavon," Heero said as he glanced over as well.

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"I DIDN'T MEAN TO!" Donavon shouted back, his face reddening.

"I OUTTA KILL YOU!" Miles yelled.

"Oh shit," Carin muttered as her two brothers glared at each other malevolently.

"I WAS DRUNK! I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING!"

"LIKE HELL YOU DIDN'T YOU BOTTOM FEEDING…"

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO HER! SO GET OVER IT!" Donavon hollered.

"That's a likely story," Miles hissed as he stood up.

"Oh yeah, what are you going to do about it," Donavon gritted out.

"I'm going to kick your ass," Miles replied as he came toe to toe with his brother.

Donavon glared at him. Even though he was an inch taller, Miles outweighed him by at least ten pounds. "Want to take this out on the lawn?"

"Gladly," Miles said evenly as he followed his brother down the terrace steps. Once on the grass, he swung first, barely missing his brother's head.

Donavon punched back.

"Look what you started you baka!" Randy yelled at Vaughn.

"I didn't start it all sweetheart. That little secret you're keeping, is a large part of it," Vaughn countered.

"You little…" Randy said in a low voice. She pushed out of her chair and walked towards Vaughn. "Come here and face it like a man."

"You wish, I'm not stupid!" Vaughn snorted as he started walking backwards.

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"Will someone help me separate my two sons?" Trowa asked as he pushed out his chair and started running down the steps.

"I'm right behind you," said Heero, following.

"And it looks like Randy has her sights on Vaughn," Hilde said worriedly. She looked over at Duo. "Do something?"

"All right," Duo sighed as he pushed out of his chair.

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Vaughn started running.

Randy started running after him. "Come back here you baka!"

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" Jonathon asked as he watched his sister chase Vaughn around the table.

"I can," Leigh said in a small voice.

"What is it?" he asked again, looking at his girlfriend.

"Well what Vaughn might sense from Miles and Megan is guilt and sexual tension. And rightly so because Merin and I caught them kissing on the beach," she replied, slinking down in her seat.

Jonathon's eyes turned towards Megan, who flinched a little.

Randy had heard Leigh's comment too. She stopped running after Vaughn and turned to look at Megan. "You two timing little bitch!"

"If I were you Megan, I would start running," Carin suggested, wincing.

Megan ran, with Randy close on her heels.

"This is not good," Merin said as her head fell in her hands.

"Yeah, once Randy catches Megan, that girl is toast," Jet pointed out.

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Randy caught Megan down on the lawn, past the place where Trowa and Heero were having a hell of a time separating Miles and Donavon. They rolled on the grass, Randy coming out on top. "You were kissing my boyfriend!"

"I didn't mean to," Megan babbled. She knew what Randy could do. She had seen what she had done to a punching bag.

"LIAR!" Randy yelled as she slammed Megan's head into the grass.

Megan latched her hands around Randy's wrists, trying to pry them off.

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Duo sighed. He looked over his shoulder. "I think I'm going to need some help." He started running, with Chris at his heels.

Chris followed his dad down onto the lawn. "I'll grab Megan."

Duo nodded his head and went for his daughter. He pulled her away after Chris managed to peel his sister's fingers away from Megan. "RANDY! CALM DOWN!"

"SHE WAS KISSING MILES!" Randy yelled, furiously as she tried to get out of her dad's tight grasp.

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Vaughn raked his hand through his hair as he walked down onto the lawn. Trowa and Heero, and now Zechs and Wufei were finally pulling Donavon and Miles apart. He watched. "You know this all could have been avoided."

Donavon pinned a heated look at his cousin. "Come to think of it, this is all your fault."

Vaughn paled a little. "Some of it, yes. Not all of it."

"GRRR…" Donavon growled and wrenching free of Zechs's and Heero's hold tackled his cousin.

"Looks like they need reinforcements," said Damien as he ran down to help his brother.

"Oh man," David said as he followed.

Quatre rolled his head back and pushed out his chair, before following.

Vaughn fought back against his bigger cousin. He didn't usually fight, but he wouldn't hesitate if he had to.

The two young men rolled on the grass, trying to punch the hell out of the other, bringing the rest of the men off the terrace to break it up, for Miles got loose from Wufei and his father and had joined Donavon and Vaughn.

"Get Miles," yelled Wufei as he, Trowa, Dominic, and Thad pulled Miles off of Donavon.

David, Jonathon, Zechs, and Heero pulled off Donavon.

While Damien, Jet, Zach, and Quatre held back Vaughn.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Donavon howled at Vaughn. "YOU STARTED THIS WITH ALL YOUR STUPID INNUENDOS!"

"IT WAS FOR YOUR OWN DAMN GOOD!" Vaughn shouted back. "If you didn't go screwing up like getting drunk with Randy and kissing her!"

"WHAT GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO HAVE YOUR HANDS ALL OVER RANDY!" Miles roared.

Donavon said nothing, but glared at his brother and his cousin. "The both of you can go straight to hell!"

"You first!" hissed Miles.

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"LET ME GO! LET ME GO DAD!" Randy shrieked as she tried to get out of her father's grip.

"Calm down baby," Duo said as he half dragged, half carried his kicking and screaming daughter towards the house. He pulled her past the group of men on the lawn.

Randy's eyes fell on Miles. A blaze of fury shot through her and with some renewed strength, pulled herself free of his grasp and went for Miles. She balled up her fist and struck him right in the nose.

For a moment, everyone was shocked. No one said anything.

"Dammit Randy, you just broke my nose!" Miles howled as he reflexively covered his now bleeding nose with his hand.

"That's for kissing Megan! And this," she said as she balled up her fist, "Is for liking it!" She hit him hard in the stomach.

Duo pulled her back, pinning her arms down to her sides. "ENOUGH MIRANDA!"

She pulled herself free once again. And put her hands out to her sides. She took a deep breath and smoothed her hands over her black sweater and slim fitting khaki shorts. Randy turned on her heel and walked up the terrace steps with her head held high. But as soon as she reached the inside of the house, she ran down the hall to the study, slamming the door behind her. Pure rage washed through her. She clenched her hands into tight fists, her nails driving into her palms. She stared out the window, sightlessly. She didn't even feel her nails cut through her flesh.

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The men looked shocked, especially Miles, who was still holding onto his nose, blood seeping from between his fingers.

"Sally," Wufei called his wife, "We need you to take a look at these three."

"Make it four," Chris said as he pulled Megan along beside him. She was slightly dazed.

"Duo, go look for Randy. She's really…" Quatre said softly, deliberately not finishing his sentence.

Duo nodded his head and cast a glare in Miles's direction, before he started up the steps. He gave Hilde a quick look, in which she nodded, towards the inside of the house. He walked through the house, checking all the rooms. He opened the door to the study and saw her standing in front of the window. There was no light, save the moon spilling across the rug and her. He closed the door silently and quietly walked across the room towards her. He stopped and gazed at her. He could see her shaking ever so slightly. He looked at her hands, which were balled into fists. "Randy."

Randy heard him, but she didn't say anything and she didn't turn around. She felt her dad come up behind her and lightly grasp her by her shoulders.

He turned her to face him. She was biting her lip, a spot of red liquid beading from her teeth. He looked into her cobalt eyes, which were shimmering with unshed tears that she was too proud to let go. That pride of hers that she had inherited from him. He looked down at her hands and saw blood trickling through her fingers. "Please let it go baby, cry, please," he pleaded as he brushed her hair back from her face, "If you don't you'll shatter. Please." His fingers gently pried apart her fists, not caring that the blood would get on him.

She looked up at him through watery eyes. His worried expression made her snap. And with a great gulping cry, fell against him, her hot tears soaking his shirt.

Duo wiped his slick hands on his jeans and then wrapped his arms around her, stroking her back soothingly. "It's all right Randy, just cry." He felt her arms slide around him, her hands clenching the back of his black shirt. He really didn't care if she got blood on it. He was supporting all her weight. He pressed a light kiss on her hair and continued to rub her back. He had never heard her cry like this before. His heart ached for her. He looked up when light from the hall flooded into the room. It was Hilde. He smiled thinly. "Get some bandages and some rubbing alcohol."

Hilde nodded with concern and turned to leave the room. She looked back over her shoulder at Randy and Duo. She smiled ruefully and then closed the door behind her.

******************************************************************************

In the kitchen, Sally was taking care of Donavon, Miles, Vaughn, and Megan.

"Here hold that there," Sally said as she handed Miles some cotton to staunch his bleeding nose. "And an ice pack for your black eye." She sighed. "Keep that there until it stops bleeding. Then I'll assess how bad the break is." She moved on to the next person, which was Megan. She shined a little light in her eyes. She frowned and handed out an ice pack. "Slight concussion."

"Only a slight one? I'm seeing stars still," Megan replied as she held the ice pack on the back of her head.

"You're lucky it isn't worse," Sally chided as she moved over to Donavon. She dabbed his bleeding lip. "You need an ice pack for that black eye of yours."

"Oh," was all Donavon said as Catherine handed him an ice pack.

Sally moved onto Vaughn. "Let's see, and you need an ice pack for that swelling on your jaw," she said as she dabbed his split lip a little. She took a step back and gave all her patients a once over. "I swear, what a sorry bunch you all are."

"Wasn't all my fault," Vaughn muttered sulkily.

"That's a crock," Donavon retorted.

"That's enough," Trowa snapped from his place against the wall.

All of the parents were in the kitchen, watching what was going on.

"Well it true! If Vaughn hadn't opened his big mouth," Donavon stressed, wincing slightly when he moved his lip.

"Your one to talk," Miles hissed in a muffled tone. He adjusted the cotton on his nose. "If you hadn't gone out and got drunk with Randy!"

"Oh like you weren't cheating on her with Megan," Donavon gritted out. "I didn't know what I was doing, you did."

"Screw you," Miles gritted out.

"Hey, hey, I said enough! And I meant it!" Trowa shouted. "I'm still allowed to beat some sense into the both of you, so I suggest you stop blaming each other! It was both your faults as well as Vaughn's!"

Donavon, Miles, and Vaughn glared at each other.

The door swung open, revealing Hilde. "Sally, I need some gauze and some rubbing alcohol?" she asked softly.

The three young men's eyes went to her.

Sally gathered the things and handed them to her. "Is this for Randy?"

"Yes, her hands…" Hilde trailed off before she turned and left the room.

Donavon felt sick. He felt guilt. Randy's hands were bleeding because of him.

Vaughn frowned and closed his eyes. He concentrated and soon felt Randy's feelings. He felt some remorse for what he had done.

Miles bowed his head. He could feel several pairs of eyes on him, including those of Chris Maxwell. He felt like sinking into the floor.

Megan looked around. Everyone was silent except for the breathing. She had no idea what Hilde had meant, but everyone looked like they already knew.

******************************************************************************

Hilde went back to the study, slipping in and closing the door behind her. "Bring her over to the couch," she instructed.

Duo gently pulled the now silently sobbing Randy over to the couch. The front of his shirt was soaked with her tears. Her hands were still clutching the back of his shirt. "Let your mother see your hands baby," he said as he carefully removed her hands away from his shirt and held them with care in his own hands.

Randy sniffled as she let her mother clean the fresh wounds.

Hilde dabbed lightly at the cuts. She frowned as she noticed the scars from the last two times she had done this. She unrolled the gauze and painstakingly wrapped her daughter's hands. She looked up at Duo over Randy's head, her eyes full of worry.

"Where's Miles?" Duo asked, reading Hilde's expression.

"In the kitchen, where Sally is attending to his broken nose," Hilde replied faintly. She watched as he stood. "Duo, what are you going to do?"

He looked at her over his shoulder. "Don't worry babe, I won't do anything bad." He turned on his booted heel and left the room on his way to the kitchen.

Hilde looked after him and sighed. She stroked Randy's braid as she curled up against her. "It's all right," she soothed.

******************************************************************************

Miles winced as Sally touched his nose. "That hurt."

"Well Randy broke it pretty good," Sally replied as she let her hands drop to her sides. She placed some tape over it. "You'll have to go to the emergency room and have that properly set."

"I see." He frowned a little. He could hear the murmuring of the other parents in the kitchen. He knew that they were talking about his monumental screw up. He let his hormones get the better of him and now he was paying the price. He stared at the tile floor under his feet. He heard the door swing open and all the conversation immediately halted. He looked up and saw Duo, staring in his direction. He gulped. His life was over now. He knew it.

Duo arched a brow at Miles and walked towards him.

"Duo," Heero said softly, "Don't do it."

Duo looked over his shoulder at Heero. He smirked slightly. "Do what?" He advanced on Miles, watching the emerald eyes widen. He stood in front of the younger man, sitting on a barstool.

Miles felt like sinking into the floor. He dared to look up into Duo's face and found those cobalt eyes regarding him. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Duo smirked again and with a calculated move, grasped Miles by the shirt and bent him back over the kitchen island. "I hear you cheated on my daughter Miles."

"It was a mistake," Miles stuttered, watching the cobalt eyes darken to almost black.

"Didn't I warn you what would happen if you hurt my daughter? What I would do to you?" Duo drawled.

"Yes, you said you would break every bone in my body," Miles replied fearfully and hating it.

"Oh good, you do remember. Well now hear this Miles Barton, as of now, you will have no contact with my daughter. You can't speak to her, you can't even look at her, or even think of speaking or looking at her. Just because Randy is an adult doesn't mean that contract you signed is no longer valid. It's very valid as far as I'm concerned," he continued on in a low, controlled voice. He twisted his fist tighter in Miles's shirt.

Miles felt like choking, the grip was so tight. "What are you going to do?"

"What am I going to do? I should do what I threatened to do several years ago when you first showed interest in my daughter. I should have broken every bone in your body. But I gave you the benefit of a doubt. You've blown that out of the water. But you see I'm in a quandary. I know I ought to kill you, but there are too many witnesses. So I'll just say this," Duo said smirking evilly. "I would suggest that you go somewhere very far away from here, preferably off the planet so I every time that I look at you, I won't carry out my threat and kill you. I may be a retired Preventer and pilot, but I'm still the God of Death."

Miles blanched visibly. His heart had just dropped into his stomach. Those chilling cobalt eyes drilled into his and the sound of his voice froze his blood in his veins.

"Do I make myself clear?" Duo asked in threatening tone.

All Miles could do was shake his head as much as possible.

"Good," was all Duo said before he let go of Miles's collar. He looked at the others in the room, who were watching. "He's still living," he said before he left the room.

Miles inhaled gulps of air and put his hand to his throat.

"You were damn lucky," Vaughn replied.

"Shut up blondie," Miles rasped.

Vaughn shrugged his shoulders and said nothing.

Miles looked up at his dad, who was eyeing him. He looked back down at the floor. "What are you going to do with me?"

"I think what I'm going to do is, send you away so I don't have to worry about Duo killing you," Trowa said flatly. His green eyes bore into his son's.

"To where?" Miles dared to ask.

"To L4, where you can live at the Winner residence there. You won't have to worry about Duo ready to choke the life out of you," Trowa said calmly.

"L4! That's…"

"Safe, for you. You really got on Duo's hit list and your name is now the top one."

"But dad…"

"You're lucky he didn't kill you on the spot Miles," Middi replied softly. "It'll be safer for you, far away from Duo's temper."

Miles hung his head again. "All because I couldn't keep my hormones under control," he muttered under his breath.

"And Megan, I suggest you go home too," Trowa said in a controlled voice. "It would be for the best. Randy's temper is exactly like her father's."

Megan nodded her head. "I know."

"Good," Trowa said, not unkindly.

Heero sighed. "That was some evening."

"You're telling me," Quatre muttered, raking his hands through his blond hair.

"This hurts every one, not just them," Relena said as she looked over at the four sitting on the barstools. "Duo will be on the warpath for the entire week, which will put everyone of us on edge."

"He really should have gone through anger management," Wufei pointed out.

"Since when did Duo do anything we told him to do?" Trowa snapped. "He's a stubborn, hot headed baka. And he'll always be one. How do you think this is going to be for me? I have to send one of my sons away because I don't want Duo killing him!"

"I know dear, but what Miles did, wasn't right. If some guy that dated either Carin or Isabella, cheated on them, wouldn't you want to kick their asses too?" Middi asked as she laid a restraining hand on his arm.

"It's what we all would have done," Zechs said, expelling a breath. "We all have daughter's that we adore more then anything. If any guy dared to hurt them, we would want to kill them. Duo is only protecting Randy the only way he knows how."

"Zechs is right though. We are very protective of any of our daughters, just like we are with their mothers," Heero said as he squeezed Relena's hand.

"And of course you know Duo will react to something like this because of how he was with girls before he went to Hilde," Quatre said as he placed an arm around Catherine's waist. "It's his guilt. He still carries that around."

"For something he did more then twenty years ago?" Wufei snorted.

"Everyone feels guilt for something they've done. And I know all of us feel guilt for certain things we've done," Quatre replied wryly.

"Can we get any more morose?" Wufei asked, arching a brow.

"Sorry," Quatre said, smiling slightly.

"We should all probably head home," Lucrezia said as she slipped her hand into Zechs's. "It's been a very full evening."

"I agree," said Catherine. She looked towards Vaughn. "Some people are going to get a talking to," she said pointedly.

Vaughn slunk down in his chair, still holding the ice pack. "But mom…"

"No buts young man, your father is going to have a long talk with you about your empathic abilities getting you into trouble," Catherine said sternly.

"All right," Vaughn mumbled.

"And some people need to be getting to bed," Heero said as Victoria came into the room, carrying a sleeping Alexandra. "Especially you two…excuse me, the three of you." He looked over at Chris, following her in. "Make sure that she goes to bed."

"I know, I know," Chris replied as he rolled his eyes, "We were leaving now anyway. Victoria's back hurts a little."

"I'm fine! Geez, you two, I don't need that much pampering," Victoria said with exasperation.

"If I didn't pamper you princess, your dad would kick my ass," Chris said as he gave her a brief hug, his hand coming to rest possessively over her slightly rounded abdomen.

"How is Randy?" Trowa asked quietly.

Chris frowned slightly. "She's really upset still," he said, remembering her tear streaked face when he and his brother's went in to see her.

"I'm sorry Chris," Trowa said with commiseration.

"Hey, it's not your fault," Chris said, shrugging his shoulders. His eyes went to Miles and narrowed slightly. "Well, I got to get the wife home and to bed. See ya all later."

"Night," Victoria said as her parents came over and kissed Alexandra good night. Her and Chris left by the back door.

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In the study, Randy had her cheek pressed against her father's shirt. She could hear his steady heart beat. She closed her eyes, which felt raw and gritty from crying.

Duo rubbed Randy's back consolingly. "Want to go home now?"

She nodded against his shirt.

"All right, we'll go home," he said as he stood, pulling her up with him. He looked at Hilde over her bent head. "Tell David and Jonathon we're leaving."

Hilde nodded her head in reply. She pressed a light kiss on her daughter's forehead before she left the room.

Duo and Randy followed slowly. They walked to the back of the house, going through the kitchen. Only the Winners and Donavon and Middi were left in there.

Vaughn felt heart wrenching pain from Randy. It struck him hard in his heart.

Donavon watched Randy, leaning against Duo. She looked so fragile and vulnerable. It pained him to see her this way. He loved her, but she was lost to him now as he watched her walk out the kitchen door.