Disclaimer: Nothing has changed - I still don't own Gundam
Wing or its characters and most likely never will.
The morning started with Lisa brushing out her hair and platting it into a single long braid that hung loose behind her. She put the tented lenses in her eyes smoother than the night before and proceeded to the kitchen. Catherine smiled at Lisa as she entered and was happy to note the bruising on Lisa's face was starting to show the yellow and blue of healing. The two girls finished making breakfast as the boys came looking for food. Jeff got himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.
"Good morning, Sis," said Duo as he gave Lisa's braid a light tug and swiped a piece of toast from the stack she had created.
Lisa turned to find Duo had stuffed the piece of toast in his mouth and had moved to the coffee pot to fix himself a cup. Trowa helped the girls put the food on the table and the family of five sat down to eat.
"She could pass for Duo's sister," observed Jeff after they started eating. "The contacts really help create the similarity between the two, not that siblings always look alike."
"It will do if they come looking for her," said Catherine.
"You will introduce her to Robert today?" asked Jeff yet it was more of a gentle command.
"Right after breakfast," said Catherine.
Lisa ate her food wondering who Robert was.
"He is our uncle," Trowa informed her, "and in charge of personnel and duties."
"Oh," mouthed Lisa still not sure what that had to do with her.
Breakfast was soon finished, and Lisa found herself being hauled outside by Duo and Catherine with Trowa not far behind. They walked to the next trailer over and Duo rapped on the door three times before opening it at a come in from the other side. The four piled through the door and into the kitchen where a man, a woman, and Wufei were sitting at the table eating their breakfast.
"Bacon!" declared Duo.
"Would you like some, Duo?" asked the woman.
He responded by plopping down in the empty chair and snatching two pieces that were promptly shoved in his mouth. Wufei let out a grunt of disgust at Duo's actions.
"Duo, you just ate," stated a slightly perturbed Catherine.
Duo tried to respond as he chomped on the bacon.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," said the woman in a motherly tone.
Catherine rolled her eyes and gave up on Duo.
"This must be your new refugee," pointed out Robert.
"You could say that," answered Catherine. "Lisa, this is my uncle, Robert Bloom, his wife Beth, and you already meet Wufei. This is Lisa Maxwell."
Robert got a questioning look on his face at the mention of the last name but did not say anything.
"Well, Lisa, what sort of talents do you have that could be used at the circus?" he asked.
"Not many, sir," she responded, "but I am a good worker."
"I see," he said eyeing her critically.
His gaze made her nervous and uncomfortable. She shifted her weight from foot to foot. Robert flashed her a smile of reassurance which eased her fear and caused her to smile back before he spoke again.
"In that case, you can spend your first few weeks helping Trowa with his duties."
Lisa looked over at Trowa whose long lean frame was leaning against one of the walls with arms folded across his chest. Trowa signaled his acceptance of the assignment before his uncle continued.
"It will help you become familiar with what goes one at the circus."
"Why don't you let me show her the ropes?" asked Duo. "After all she is my sister."
"If I did that, all she would learn is how to goof off," Robert teased Duo.
Duo grinned mischievously at Robert.
"I assume the reset of you," said Beth as she took in the entire group of teenagers/young adults, "will help her get adjusted and familiar with life here."
They all assented to Beth's statement even Wufei.
"Off with you!" commanded Robert. "You all have chores to do."
The small group shuffled out of the trailer and the members went their separate ways.
Lisa followed Trowa to where the animals were keep. Lisa followed his lead. She helped feed the animals and clean out their pens all with only a few words from Trowa. She had not preformed much physical labor in quite some time and it quickly began to wear on her. Yet, she tried not to let it hinder her. After the animals, they and the others helped set up the bleachers while others set up the rings and various riggings needed for the performances. Duo helped Robert get the lights connected and the mechanical items up and running. They were done by lunch. Lisa was amazed at what was accomplished by everyone at the circus working together and how smoothly it appeared to come together. It was like a well oiled machine.
Throughout the morning she had been introduced to several people as they worked. Their names and faces swirled around in her head and she was unsure if she would ever keep them strait.
~@~
Lunch was the best Lisa had ever tasted. She thought it might be because the morning activities had left her famished. She sat at the table quietly enjoying the chatter around her. She unsuccessfully tried to stifle a yawn
"You are taking a nap this afternoon," said Catherine as she observed the yawn.
After lunch Catherine made sure Lisa laid down while the rest made sure things were ready for the nights performance.
Lisa woke from her nap refreshed. She wondered out of the trailer and through the tents. Performers were moving around getting the last minute details in place before the public entered to enjoy the performance. Wufei found Lisa wondering about the grounds.
"They will be looking for you," he growled at her.
"Wufei," she greeted not letting his rough manner get to her.
The one thing she had learned in the short time she had known him was that he was gruff with everyone. It was just his way of relating to people. However, she had noticed a slight undercurrent of warmth in his manner when he dealt with his friends and that warmth was slowly extending to her too.
"Come on," he ordered.
She followed Wufei to the others.
The seats filled quickly and Lisa waited for the show to begin. The show started much like the one she had seen earlier and had many of the same acts. There were a few variations.
~@~
Duo jumped in the air and let out a whoop of joy after the performance.
"Baka," murmured Wufei as the group walked away from the main tent.
"That was a great performance!" exclaimed Duo. "Don't you think so, Lisa."
"You were all very good," said Lisa to the group and then added to Catherine, "Is he always like this after a performance?"
"A majority of the time," Catherine answered. "It will take him a couple of hours to come down off of his performance high."
The group walked down the path. Duo draped his arm over Wufei's shoulders.
"I was thinking," said Duo and Wufei rolled his eyes.
"That will be a first," murmured Wufei.
Duo ignored the comment and continued with his pitch.
"I think its time you spiced up your sword act a bit. Maybe you could set it a blaze while you perform."
"My act is just fine," growled Wufei as he removed Duo's arm, "but if you want to try it, be my guest. I'll laugh as you burn and cut yourself."
"Some people just don't appreciate it when you try to help," grumbled Duo before turning his attention to Lisa. "Don't you think it would make a great act?"
Lisa sputtered unsure how to answer. It might make for an exciting act but probably dangerous. She did not know how probable the task would be. She was saved from answering by a couple of girls that approached them.
"So, this must be Duo's newly found sister," said the blond girl with a hint of malice in her voice as she eyed Lisa.
"This is Abby and Carra," Catherine introduced trying to keep the annoyance from showing. "This is Lisa Maxwell, Duo's sister."
"You never mentioned you had a sister, Duo," cooed Carra as she edged closer to him.
"I didn't know if she was alive," he answered.
"How did you find her?"
"A friend of mine hooked us up," Duo answered truthfully. Heero had created Lisa's identity so he did put them together.
"From the looks of her, you saved her from a rough life," pointed out brown haired Carra.
Lisa thought it was best to keep her mouth shut through this little exchange so she would not let anything slip.
"Well, at least they look like full brother and sister," sweetly voiced Abby before they walked away.
The parting comment had the feel of a verbal jab Lisa thought, but she was unsure why or at whom. She did note that Catherine seemed a bit perturbed at the retreating blond.
~@~
The group was sprawled out on the ground looking up at the stars as they unwound after the performance.
"Hey, Wufei, what was in the package Heero gave you last night?" asked Duo.
"None of your business," retorted Wufei.
"Of course it is," said Duo.
"It contained info about those who killed your family. Didn't it?" added Catherine.
"If it did, then it is my business," Wufei retorted and silence fell across the group again.
"I am a bit confused," admitted Lisa as she sat up after an extended silence.
"About what?" came from the stretched out form of Duo.
"How every one is related. I know Trowa and Catherine are brother and sister," she started.
"Half," came from Wufei.
"Half?" questioned Lisa confessed.
"Yah," confirmed Catherine as she sat up too. "We have the same mother but different fathers."
"Oh," said Lisa as Abby's comment began to make since, "but you call Jeff dad?"
"He is the only dad I know," she answered with a shrug of her shoulders.
"And Robert is you uncle," Lisa confirmed.
"Our mother's brother," added Trowa speaking for the first time in a while.
"And Robert is married to Beth."
"Who is Wufei's aunt," through in Duo.
Lisa shook her head as she tried to fit the pieces of this puzzle together.
"So are you cousins?" asked Lisa as she pointed between Trowa, Catherine, and Wufei.
"No," answered Catherine.
"Beth married my father's brother," clarified Wufei. "She is my aunt by marriage just as she is theirs by marriage."
"How does Duo fit in?" Lisa continued. "Is he related in some way?"
"Thank goodness, no. Duo is a stray we picked up," said Wufei, "and he stayed. At times I think just to make my life miserable."
Lisa smiled at Wufei's response and pretend dislike for Duo.
"Is there anything else I should know?" asked Lisa before Duo could respond to Wufei's remark.
They each gave Lisa a brief rundown on their history and how they came to be in the circus.
"Let's make sure I have this straight. Duo is 17, a year older than me," stated Lisa. "There is three years between you and Trowa," she said pointing to Catherine and her brother, "and Trowa and Duo are the same age. Wufei is 19. This makes me the youngest of our little family."
"Correct," they all said.
"And as the youngest you get all the unwanted jobs," teased Duo.
Lisa hulled off and slugged her brother.
"Hay!" exclaimed Duo.
"I think she just might fit in," observed Wufei with a smirk.
Lisa rolled she shoulders to ease the stiffness that was settling in.
"You alright?" asked Duo.
"Just a bit soar from this mornings chores is all. It will go away in time," Lisa replied.
Duo sat up and was behind her before she knew it. He started to gently kneed the tightening muscles in her back. Lisa relaxed and let Duo rub her shoulders and neck. He stopped too soon in Lisa's opinion, but her shoulders did feel better as she experimentally rolled each one.
They spent the rest of the evening outside talking and reminiscing. It helped Lisa get to know and understand her new family.
~@~
Two men made there way through the busy circus grounds in search of the owner/manager. They stopped a girl with a long brown braid and a boy with unusual bangs as the two crossed the men's path.
"Excuse me," one of the men said to the two young adults.
Lisa eyed the two well-dressed men cautiously while Trowa acknowledged their hail and the men continued.
"Where can we find the person in charge?" he asked.
"You will probably fine the person you are looking for over there," informed Trowa as he pointed to the office trailer.
"Thanks. By the way, have either of you seen this girl?" he asked as he showed them a picture of a dark blond to light brown haired girl.
Lisa recognized it immediately as her school picture from last year, but examined it as Trowa took the picture from the man for a closer look.
"No," he said calmly and evenly after examining the picture.
"She reminds me of some one I use to know growing up, but I have not seen her in a while," responded Lisa as she couched the truth in the statement.
"Where did you grow up?" asked the other man thinking they might have a lead.
"In Denver," she responded with her fictional history.
The man's hopes fell at the response.
"The girl we are looking for is not from there. Thanks for you time," replied the man.
As the men walked away, Trowa questioned why she answered that way with a look as they headed off in the opposite direction from the men.
"I couldn't lie strait out. Any time I try, it comes out awkwardly. I have never been good at lying. Now if there is a bit of truth in it, I can pull it off," Lisa answered his unasked question.
"I think you are more like Duo than you know," said Trowa. "You did fine with where you grew up," he pointed out.
"I think it is all psychological. Denver is where Lisa Maxwell grew up. It is a documented fact and I am Lisa Maxwell, therefore, it is the truth in a twisted sort of way," she shrugged.
Trowa listened to her explanation.
"We need to tell the others of our guests," he said as they went to find the others.
~@~
The men entered the trailer marked office. The woman behind a large desk and the man leaning against the wall looked up as they entered.
"May I help you?" the woman inquired.
"We are looking for the person in charge of this circus. Would that be you?" the man asked gruffly.
"Yes, it would," she answered calmly and relaxed.
Susan was unwavering at the authoritative and intimidative presence the two men were trying to produce. She had dealt with such people before. You just had to stand your ground and bluff their bluff.
"What can I do for you?" she asked.
"We are police," they showed her and Robert their badges. "We are looking for a possible runaway. Your circus was in town during the timeframe of her disappearance."
"Really," Susan responded with her elbows resting on her desk and her fingers steepled before her chin, "and do you have a picture of this runaway?"
The second man pulled the photo from his pocket and handed it to her.
Susan examined the photo.
"Her name is Relena Catalonias, but she may be going by some shortened form of her name like Lena. She could also be using either Dorlian or Peacecraft as part of her name.
Robert noted the names for they all seemed familiar to him for some reason.
"I haven't see her before," she answered before handing the photo to Robert standing beside her.
Robert examined the picture.
"If you darken the hair, let it down and change the color of her eyes you would have Lisa," he observed to himself., but he was not going to tell them that. That poor girl did not need to go back to what she had escaped from. It would only end with her being hurt.
"Nope, never seen her before," he answered.
"Have you taken on any new employees lately?" one of the officers asked.
"A new one about four days ago," answered Robert. "The sister of one of our current troop members."
"What does she look like?" they grilled.
"About ya tall," Robert said while indicating her height with his hand, "very long medium brown hair that she often wears in a long single braid and violet eyes like her brother."
"Sounds like the girl we talked to on the way in," murmured one of the men and the other nodded agreement.
"Would she be with a boy with brown hair and very long bangs?" ask the man who had nodded.
"Most likely," answered Robert.
The men made notes on their electronic notebooks.
"Is it alright if we ask around to see if anyone has seen her?"
"Go right a head, just stay out of the way," cautioned Susan.
The two men left the office to wander the grounds.
~@~
"So they have come looking for her," said Wufei. "That is the quickest I have seen the cops show up looking for a runaway."
The others nodded their agreement. Lisa sat their silently watching as her new friends held their conference.
"They have already seen her," pointed out Duo, "and they did not recognize her. We should not worry too much."
"Maybe we should not worry, but we don't want to flaunt her off to them either," commented Wufei. "We all should keep a low profile while they are here."
Catherine and Trowa agreed with him. The group decided to lay low until the two men left. They took great care to avoid them without looking like they were.
The two men spent the next couple of hours making inquiries about the girl to the various circus personnel but found nothing. They eventually left. The group breathed a collective sigh of relief when the men left, and were actually glad to get that out of the way and on with their lives.
~@~
Time passed and Lisa was becoming more integrated into circus life. Once she felt sufficient time had passed she managed to get on line and check both her personnel e-mail account (which was not registered under her name) and the one Dorothy had given her before leaving. She was actually surprised she got in, and she was briefly curious about what Dorothy and Quatre were up to. She did find a message from Quatre hoping she was well, in the Winner account, but nothing else. She let Quatre know she was fine and she send a cryptic message from her account to her brother that she knew he would understand. It would let him know she was alright and safe.
At times Lisa found herself feeling guilty that she did not wonder how Dorothy was doing more often, but her new life keep her busy and her mind occupied. After following Trowa around for the first few weeks, he and Duo started working with her to develop skills to perform with. They started with being a clown while at the same time working on her balance, flexibility and coordination. Lisa found herself exhausted after the practice sessions, yet happier than she had been in years. It was a lot of work, but as time went by she became better and more skilled.
During one of their training sessions, they were working on walking the tightrope. Lisa had actually gotten to the point she could walk across without a problem. It was always easier with the pole to balance with, but this time she did not have it.
"Looking good," said Duo.
"She had made it across every time," summarized Trowa.
"Then she needs a little more challenge," Duo replied with the twinkle in his eye.
As she made her way across, Duo hopped mischievously onto the other end of the wire that was three foot off the ground and caused it to vibrate with his actions.
"Duuoooo," Lisa chastised as she waived her arms franticly to keep her balance on the moving support.
She almost recovered before tumbling to the ground. Luckily, Trowa correctly interpreted Duo's expression and moved so he caught her in his strong arms. Trowa gave Duo a disapproving look.
The hard ground hitting Lisa never occurred. Instead she was pinned against a firm warm body with arms wrapped around her to keep gravity from pulling her to the ground. She let out a sigh of relief and opened her eyes. She smiled her thanks to Trowa before she turned on Duo.
"Why did you do that?" Lisa demanded as Trowa set her back on her feet.
Duo bounced on the wire and somersaulted off to land in front of them. His arms extended out to his sides with a triumphant "Ta Da" being voiced.
"To liven thing up," Duo answered his sister's question which got him a punch in the arm from her.
Duo just laughed at her mock anger.
"Come on!" ordered Trowa. "We are trying to get her trained to walk a tight rope to put you two in an act in three weeks."
"All right, all right," Duo relented and settled down to seriously help.
~@~
This was their first performance and Lisa was nervous. She looked out at the crowd from behind the tent flap. Duo silently walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder while lowering his mouth to her ear.
"You will do fine," he whispered encouragingly to her.
"Thanks," she whispered back before they had to make their entrance.
The brother/sister act climbed to the platform that was connected to the high wire in the dimmed light of the tent while the ring master gave the introduction to their act. Lisa could hear him drowning on in the background but the words did not register as they took their positions. Lisa heard the fanfare and she and Duo were suddenly in the spotlight. They raised their arms in greeting to the audience. They made a striking pair on the platform in their black outfits (that was the only color Duo would wear) and long brown braids swaying behind them as they moved.
Lisa picked up the black parasol and started out across the wire, grasping it between her big toe and the one next to it which was allowed because of the way the shoes were made. She started with the parasol held out in front of her for balance. She made it halfway across before she crouched a bit to lowered her center of gravity and pressed the button that opened the parasol. The opening made her sway a bit, but it was nothing she was not prepared for. Lisa appeared to casually stroll the rest of the way across with the parasol over her shoulder. Once she stepped onto the other platform, she let out a sigh of relief and put the parasol away before looking at Duo on the other side. He grinned like a fool at her and gave her a thumbs up sign.
Duo picked up the pole and started his trek across. He walked forward until the center where he took a few steps backwards before placing the pole on the wire and somersaulting over it and roll to his feet. The crowd cheered at his feat. He continued on before he started teetering back an forth as if he was loosing his balance. The crowed gasped as he fought for control. Lisa felt her heart pound in her chest even though she knew what he was doing. It had scared her when he did it in practice. He did not warn her or anything. He was easily walking along the wire when from his movements she thought he was going to fall. All of the sudden he was no longer in danger of falling. He looked into her gasping expression and smiled before crying "got'ch ya!" Duo was a risk taker and loved to play the audience. That was what made him a great performer even if it came close to giving her a coronary at times. Lisa continued to watch her partner and schooled her face to not show the worry she felt for him out there. All of the sudden there was a flash of movement as something fell to the net below. Her eyes quickly followed it and identified it as the pole Duo had been using. One of the other performers quickly removed the item. Lisa looked back at Duo standing casually on the wire. The crowed cheered, and Duo smiled at Lisa with a twinkle in his violet eyes and winked at her. Lisa only shook her head at him as he made his way to her.
For their last crossing Duo placed a unicycle on the wire. He peddled out a few feet before peddling backwards to the platform so Lisa could take her place on his shoulders. He balanced himself between the two wires that helped support the platform while Lisa climbed on. She wrapped her legs over his shoulders and under his arms so her feet locked behind his back keep her in place. Eventually she was to juggle while Duo took them across, but Lisa had not mastered the art of juggling yet. Duo peddled across the wire with out a mishap and the two performers bowed to the crowed before returning to the ground.
~@~
"She accessed the account and she is alright," Quatre informed the longhaired blond hovering over his shoulder.
"Good. I think it is time we start phase two of our plan," the blond answered.
"You know it is going to take a while to complete with out drawing attention to ourselves?" Quatre pointed out.
"Yes, I have known it from the beginning. Phase one took a year. In the end it will be worth it," she responded with an evil grin crossing her face. "They will regret they every tampered with my family," she promised.
Quatre typed away at the keyboard. He finished his task and turned to the girl.
"Phase two has been started," he informed her, and they smiled at each other.
