Jaid: I'm back!

Jad: AHHH! TAKE COVER!

*Jad and Naga snicker*

Jaid: *Death glare*

Jad: *sweatdrop* Uhh, I meant start over?

Naga: *rolls eyes*

Jad: Heh, heh, let's just do the story.

A/N: Thank you J.B. for your two reviews! Here's a rose @-----. ^___^

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Chapter Five

Dorothy carefully crept into the hallway. It was dark and dirty. Dorothy frowned and walked down the length of it, wishing that the landing wasn't at such a blind turn. Turning the corner, she came face to face with Midii. Apparently the girl had remembered the unlocked door and had come back.

Midii's gray eyes widened. Dorothy grabbed her and clamped a hand across her mouth. Midii struggled. For a tiny girl, she was pretty strong and Dorothy's grip loosened.

"What are you doing?" Midii gasped.

"What do you think?" Dorothy hissed.

"Stop, I won't run." Midii said. The two girls stopped struggling, but Dorothy did not let go of Midii's arm.

"You can't go out there." Midii warned. "You don't understand."

"That's the second time you've said that." Dorothy commented. "What are you talking about?"

"Please, just go back to your room."

"Like hell I'm going back in there!" Dorothy answered. Midii frowned, and was about to speak, when voices were heard.

"Listen, you have to go back now!" Midii argued.

"Shh! I heard one of them mention –"

"Go back to your room or I'll scream. Then they will know you've gotten out and the result will not be pleasant for either of us." Midii warned. "Now."

Dorothy pursed her lips into a thin line. Normally, she would've dared Midii to try it, but now, with no weapons, and in a rather bulky dress, she knew things could go wrong. Stiffly turning, she walked back to her room. Midii closed the door and locked it. Then she leaned against it and breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

Mariemeia frowned as she waited on the bench outside the General Store. Mary had taken her there and promised a "sweet" if she behaved. Mariemiea sighed and toyed with one of her braids.

"Mariemeia?"

Mariemeia looked up. "Ms. Noin!"

Lucrezia bent over and smiled. "Well, how are we, Ms. Khushrenda?"

"I want to go home." Mariemeia said. "But no one seems to know what I'm talking about."

Lucrezia frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I want Mom! Not what's-her-name. It's really weird. I thought my daddy was dead."

Lucrezia blinked. "Mariemeia, what is the last thing you remember before you got here?"

"Mr. Maxwell and I were in the gold mine and I tripped and fell, and woke up here." Mariemeia told her. "Does this mean you believe me?"

"The almost exact same thing happened to me, Zechs, Quatre and Dorothy." Lucrezia explained. "Only we didn't hit our heads."

"Well, what are we gonna do?" Mariemeia asked. "I want my old room back, and I want Mom. I hate these dresses."

"Yeah, I know how you feel." Lucrezia admitted. "Don't worry Marie, just pretend that you've lived here forever for a while and I'll worry about getting us home."

"Yes, ma'am." Mariemeia said.

* * *

"There you are!"

Trowa turned to face his sister. She stood, hands on her hips and her eyes were sparkling with anger.

"Where have you been?" she demanded. "What's been going on? You know Une was on my case again." She looked at the open bag on his bed. "You're not leaving again?"

"I have to."

"No!"

"Catherine-"

"NO!" A tear shone in her eye. "Don't you understand, Triton? It's getting to be too dangerous. Une suspects something, especially since that Catalonia woman went missing. Did you have something to do with that?"

Trowa turned away.

"Triton answer me!"

"I can't." He walked over and took Catherine's hand. "Look, after this is over, we'll have enough money to go wherever you want, even back to France. Back home."

Catherine swallowed. "I'd rather stay here a poor woman than to lose my brother. Triton, you're the only thing I have left."

"I know. I'll be careful."

"What about the girl?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I think you know Triton." Catherine said quietly. "What is your boss going to do with her?"

"I don't know. Nothing worse than ransom money, surely."

"How come I don't believe you?" Catherine asked.

Trowa looked at her in silence for a long time. "I'll be back by tomorrow evening." Then he left.

* * *

"I am going to get out of here." Dorothy muttered. Thoughtfully, she looked around the room.

Hmm, Chair's too heavy for me to lift. Can't do anything with a cot. No windows. Damn! There has to be a way. She sighed. I just can't see it.

* * *

Zechs tapped the armrest of his chair. Sheriff Mueller was not being helpful.

"Look, a lady is missing and I need to find her." He said. "Can I at least check around the town and ask people if they've seen her?"

"I'm afraid not." Mueller answered. "As I've told you, we've already made inquiries. There's no reason for you to do it again."

Zechs pressed his lips into a thin line. "Listen, can I just do for my peace of mind?"

"Like I've told you-"

"Sheriff Mueller," Zechs interrupted. "I could care less about it upsetting the townsfolk at this moment. The point is, is that a lady has been kidnapped and taken some where in the surrounding area. I need to find her and you are not helping. I would've liked to have your sanction to question the people around here, but I will do it, with or without your permission."

Mueller's face darkened. "I would not advise that, Marquise." He warned.

"If that's all you have to say, then I'll say good-bye." Zechs stood, nodded farewell, and left the building. Mueller watched him go with a look of contempt.

* * *

Mariemeia shifted in her seat. Sally had said that her ankle was well enough to walk on with a cane, so Leia had sent her to school. Some of the other kids had greeted her, but she was not sure what to say to them.

"All right, students." The teacher said. "Settle down. Let's start." The young woman paused. "Is something the matter Mariemeia?"

Mariemeia blinked and shut her mouth. "Uh, no Ms. Relena." She said.

"Good, then lets' get on with our lessons, shall we?"

Relena began writing math sums for the first graders on the board. Mariemeia began to copy them down, then raised her hand.

"Yes, Mariemeia? Do you need help?" Relena asked.

"Could I have some harder problems, please? I already know these ones." Mariemeia answered. Relena blinked.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "You're in the first grade class, and these are the problems for your group."

"But I already know them, and it's boring to do them over again." Mariemeia explained.

"When did you learn them?" Relena asked.

"Last year. My mom taught me them." Mariemeia said.

"She did?" Relena asked. "All right, I guess we'll move you up to the second grade class."

"Thank you." Mariemeia said. Relena turned back to the chalkboard, feeling slightly confused.

* * *

"Trowa, you're back." Midii said. Trowa brushed past her quickly.

"What's wrong?" she called, coming after him.

"Sheriff Marquise and his deputy are in town." Trowa answered tersely. "Does the boss still have Catalonia here?"

"Yes." Midii answered.

"Great." Trowa stopped walking and leaned against the wall. "Does he know what's he's doing, Midii? Does he really know?"

Midii shrugged. "It's a little late for us to back out now, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Trowa looked at her. "I'm sorry Midii."

"For what?"

"For getting you mixed up in this. I swear I didn't know it would go this far."

Midii was quiet for a minute. "It's okay. I knew what I was getting into."

"Yeah." Trowa sighed. "Okay, I need your help with something."

"What?"

"Come on." Trowa said. "I'll explain a little later."

* * *

"Wu Fie! Wu Fie!" Mieran ran into the two tiny rooms she and her husband shared above the store. "A letter, we've got a letter!"

Wu Fie looked up from the accounts he was adding. Mieran, smiling, handed him the letter. Wu Fie looked at it for a moment, then paled and tore the envelope open. Mieran looked at him in confusion as he silently read the letter to himself. Swearing angrily under his breath, he hit the wall hard. Mieran jumped, and picked up the letter that he had dropped. Unlike her husband, she could not read English, and didn't know what had caused him to be so angry.

"Wu Fie, what's wrong?"

He didn't answer.

"Wu Fie-"

"Not now, Mieran!" he snapped, then began pacing the room talking to himself under his breath. Mieran watched him anxiously. Suddenly he stopped and looked at her.

"Mieran, can you handle the store tomorrow?" he said. Mieran nodded.

"Good. I need to look after something. I'll be gone all day tomorrow." He said. There was a pause.

"I suppose I should get on with dinner." Mieran commented, then looked pointedly at Wu Fie's work. He nodded and sat back down. Mieran began to cook, but kept stealing glances at her husband, wondering what had caused him to work himself up like that. Usually Wu Fie was so calm.

"Wu Fie, what's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing that concerns you." Wu Fie answered, not unkindly. Mieran frowned.

"I think it would concern me." She commented. "Since it has you so upset."

Wu Fie sighed and turned to look at her. "Mieran, I cannot explain everything to you right now."

"But you will?" Mieran interrupted. Wu Fie frowned.

"Maybe."

"Wu Fie!"

"Mieran, please!" Wu Fie took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "I need it to be quiet right now. I need to think."

Mieran sighed and nodded. Wu Fie went back to work.

* * *

"We'll stay in the hotel tonight." Zechs said to Quatre. "I didn't get any farther with Mueller and his Deputy."

"I thought you looked rather frustrated." Quatre said. "Do you think she's here?"

"We'll find out tomorrow."

Quatre got their horses taken care of while Zechs got them rooms. When Quatre and Zechs walked up the stairs, a girl bumped into them.

"Oh sorry." She said.

"That's all right." Zechs answered absentmindedly. She hurried past them and walked down the stairs. Quatre watched her go.

"Zechs, that looked an awful lot like Midii." He commented.

"What?" Zechs turned, but the girl had already disappeared.

* * *

"We have to move her sometime." Trowa commented. The man sitting in front of him, known as "The Boss" simply looked at him complacently.

"I am aware of that, Barton. We simply don't have another place to put her right now." He said.

"But Marquise and Winner are both here."

"That can be taken care of." The boss told him. "Are you really so afraid of those two gentlemen?"

"No, I'm just wondering if you really know what you're doing."

"I do, Mr. Barton, I do."

The door opened and another young man entered.

"Ahh, Heero you're finally here. Barton, you're dismissed."

Trowa nodded and left. Heero sat down in his chair.

"You're late, Heero." Boss said reproachfully. "I expected you two days ago."

Heero didn't answer.

"I heard you and Maxwell had a little problem with the train heist. Marquise and Winner again?"

Heero nodded.

"Where's that loudmouth who's always with you."

"He's dropped out." Heero said.

"What?"

"He dropped out."

"Why?"

Heero shrugged.

"Wonderful." The other man muttered. "He'll have to be taken care of too. But in the meantime, Heero, I have a job for you. Marquise and Winner are in town and I need someone to take care of Winner."

"And not the Sheriff." Heero said. It was not a question.

"No, I need Marquise alive a little longer." His boss said. "But it would shake his morale a bit to have his best friend killed or missing. I don't care what you do; if you don't want to kill him directly, at least injure him badly so he's off of this. Just get him out of the picture."

Heero nodded. "Mission Accepted."

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Jad: Mission Accepted? What kind of a cliché is that?

Jaid: Oh, bug off, I thought it was funny. Didn't you Naga?

Naga: Define funny.

Jaid: *Death glare*

Naga: *Glares right back*

Jad: Guys? Uh, guys?