Five minutes of silence, and Duo had stored enough energy to run a marathon, win at the Olympics, swim the oceans, and dance the Macarena until dawn. So, it was with little surprise that he began tapping the dashboard, his long fingers… Look at my hands…making a rapid staccato on the plastic.

Six minutes into the ride, the detective reached out and placed his hand on the armrest. "If you have to tap on something, tap on this." His voice was sharp, short, and sent tremors up Duo's spine. I will not crush on this guy, I will not crush on this guy…He sang the litany in his head, tapping the armrest with a muffled noise.

Eight minutes into the ride, and his hands were folded serenely in his lap, violet eyes staring out the window. They were passing through a posh neighborhood, and Duo knew what was coming ahead. They slowed as they reached a group of congested cars, and he leaned against the window, watching as somber men lead crying ladies up the front walk to the door of a large house.

He leaned his forehead against the glass, closing his eyes tight. He had seen his mother in the doorway, eyes red-rimmed as she greeted her kin. The finality of it all sank in, and he had to swallow to relieve the constriction in his throat.

"Duet Carswell. Killed last night in a hit and run. Forensics say that by the tire marks, the car was all over the road, possibly a drunk driver." Duo nodded in understanding.

"Her family must be devastated." His voice sounded close to what it had before, and he could only assume that it sounded normal. "They loved her very much, didn't they?" They were long past the group of mourners, but he could still see his mother and family, and his best friends as they approached his house.

"She was a popular girl, well-loved in the community. Not many people had a bad thing to say about her. Good kid, really." Chang's voice was impersonal, as if reciting a list of attributes of a stranger. This one was not a fan, obviously. "Her family is taking it rather bad, as to be expected. She was an only child, and her parents doted on her. Every material thing she could ever want, a devoted following of admirers, and a group of close friends."

Friends that I have no way of making again. He leaned back against the seat, closing his eyes as he fought for control. Men do not cry. I am a man now. I will not cry. I am not dead; I have not lost anything yet. I can build my life again. I can build again. He had to believe that.

~~~~~_____~~~~~

They reached the police station in twenty minutes, by which time Duo had regained most of his composure. Duet had always been a sensible creature, and that facet of her personality filled him now. He was still Duet, at heart. In mind, he had always been more than what she would let others see, but he could and would bring that out. In body…well, that was something completely new, and would take some time.

"Thank you for the lift, Detective Chang." He smiled over the hood, his earlier fascination and attraction smothered beneath the oppressive thoughts that had plagued him during the trip. The officer simply nodded in his direction, acknowledging him briefly before turning around and entering the station. Duo tagged his heels, mouth open to ask for directions.

"Down the hall, to the left, counter on the right." The man moved out of sight, and Duo rolled his eyes. Not a very affable fellow, by any means. He went in the direction indicated, moving down the hall, perfecting his gait so that it wasn't too girlish. The counter was easy to find, the word 'IMPOUND' in bold letters above the little opening.

"Name?" He smiled at the woman on the other side of the counter. Dark hair, dark eyes, pale skin, and a name badge that read 'Chang'. Any relation?

"Duo Maxwell. I was in an accident last night." He smiled charming, but she simply turned back to her work. She handed him a piece of paper with the registration number of his car, the license plate number, and the lot number. "Thank you."

She looked up, smiling slightly. "I hope you're feeling better. I imagine that it's been a rough day."

"Not too bad." His grin widened. "Are you related to Detective Woofee Chang [1]?" She eyed him for a moment, and then broke into a deep laugh. He could feel a blush coming on as she went limp in her seat.

"Oh, gods. I wish he was around to hear that." Her smile became calmer. "It's Wufei, Mr. Maxwell."

"Duo."

"Okay. His name is Wufei, Duo, and I would be careful about how you say his name when he's around. And, no, we're not related."

"She's my wife." Duo jumped, startled by the dry voice to his left. The woman raised an eyebrow. "Ex-wife." The detective spoke in a guarded way, as if judging each word before it came out of his mouth. "Meiran, I need the file on the 617 from yesterday [2]. Send it down to Jacobs, and he'll work on it."

"Of course. Woofee." The woman smiled at both men innocently, and Duo had to fight with a snicker. Wufei raised one dark eyebrow, and then turned on his heel and walked away. "He doesn't like to be picked on, but some days, I just can't help myself."

"Is he always so…controlled?" He struggled to find a quasi-nice word. Meiran shrugged.

"Yeah. He's been that way since birth. His parents were rather strict, and he was taught early on not to show his emotions lest they be used against him." You, on the other hand, are a chatterbox. I think I'd rather spend time with you.

"That doesn't sound strict, it sounds harmful." Violet eyes met dark brown, and she smiled up at him through the screen.

"It's in the past." She reached into a drawer beneath the counter, and slipped the keys across to him. "Here are the keys."

He took them, looking at her for a moment. Here was a smart woman, assured, friendly, someone he would like to get to know. "What do you do for a social life?" She simply looked at him, eyes weary. "I'm new around here, and you remind me a lot of home." It could be true, in an expansive way. "Bring a group, or bring Woofee." Definitely the second. "Hell, bring half of the police squad if it makes you comfortable, but right now, my friends are few and far between."

"It sounds interesting. How about lunch? Tomorrow?"

"Sounds good. There's a café on the corner of Fifth and Highland. I'll meet you there at…one?"

"It's a date." She smiled, slipping her hand across the counter to shake his. "The lot's in back. Go back the way you came, take the main corridor to the first right, and follow it until you find a door that says 'impound'."

"Thank you, Ms. Chang." He kissed her hand for good measure, missing the glowering look directed at him from the other end of the hall.

~~~~~_____~~~~~

"You can have the car, Mister, but you have to sign it out at the front desk, first. I'll have an officer bring it around to the front for you. [See 1 and 3]." Duo smiled at the man, letting the urge to get frustrated flow away. The poor guy was only doing his job, after all.

"Thank you, officer." He went back the way he had come in. He remembered the way easily, jamming his hands into his pocket as he glared at the tiles. For some odd reason, he was tired suddenly. Everything's finally caught up with me. He wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. Added to that, he wanted to be wrapped in the arms of someone who loved him. Gods, Quatre. I wish you could be here.

"Excuse me." He smiled at a random officer as he stepped out of the way. The front desk was as easy to find as everything else had been, and he made his way to stand in line [3]. Ahead of him were several officers, each holding the arm of a handcuffed man or woman. Two women, easily noticed because of their lack of dress, were prattling on about the freedom of expression, and their rights to do with their bodies as they pleased. The man behind them was red in the face; his head hung low in shame [4].

The door banging open behind him alerted his attention, and he turned around, interested in the persons coming in. An officer, wearing the normal blue uniform, was dragging in some ruffian, pulling roughly on his arm, although the boy seemed disinclined to run. His back was ramrod straight, his shoulders set proudly. If not for the dirty clothes and haggard appearance, he could have been blue-blooded. "Hey, Charlie!" The officer called to the guy behind the counter. "Look what I found!"

Duo frowned, noticing the attention that man and boy were receiving. He glanced at the boy, surprised to find his blue gaze fixed on him with something that could only be surprise and fear. It was quickly replaced by confusion when the boy glanced him over. Duo smiled slightly, his eyes soft. It was the boy from the previous evening. He turned a glare on the man, taking in the white-knuckled grip on the boy, and the dark anger in the officer's eyes.

"He was trying to break into that damn SUV I just parked out front. No sooner had I started up the steps, and he was trying to pick the lock." He shoved the boy forward, causing him to struggle to remain balanced. The boy didn't protest, or utter a word. He simply stood tall, brown hair mussed, clothes in disarray, with a pride that would humble kings. With a quick glance, Duo looked at the sheet of paper in his hands.

"Would that happen to be a truck with the license plate DTJ125 [5]?" The officer hesitated for a moment, letting go of the boy long enough to fish a note pad out of his pocket. He looked up and nodded. "Then you might wish to take the handcuffs off, because it's mine, and he has every right to be in it." He smiled at the boy, but his attention was quickly diverted as Wufei Chang walked out of a hallway, talking to Meiran.

"Really?" The officer glared at him, silently threatening retribution if Duo interfered with him and the boy. Duo hadn't a doubt that the younger would come out in worse shape than when he went in if left to this man. "What connection do you have with this street rat?"

"He's a street rat, too." Blue eyes stared into violet, and the boy smiled. "Duo Maxwell, millionaire. Major contributor to the Child's Playground shelter. More than three hundred nation wide, and thirty others across the world." Duo raised an eyebrow, and then looked at the officer with a smirk, enjoying the growing realization on his face.

"Now, if you could let him go, I'd like to reclaim my vehicle, and take him back where he belongs."

"You brought him here to take him with you?" The officer wasn't giving in so easy. Meiran stepped forward, smiling gently at both men.

"Jacobs, take the handcuffs off, and let the boy go. If it's Mr. Maxwell's car, then it's he who should be pressing charges, and if he says that the boy has every right to be getting into the vehicle, then no crime has been committed." She raised a hand when he would have protested, and he did as ordered, glaring all the while at the boy and the man who had dared oppose him. "Duo, if it's okay with you, I'll file the paperwork, and you and your young friend can go."

He grinned. "Thank you, Officer Chang. He grinned at the blank-faced detective behind her. "Goodbye, detective." He gave her the piece of paper, and walked out, knowing without looking that the boy was following.

~~~~~_____~~~~~

"How did you know all of that?" Duo drove carefully through the streets, watching for pedestrians, and braking often. He was nervous behind the wheel: he didn't want to do to someone what had been done to him, and he'd never really driven before. Growing up the sheltered daughter of aristocrats would do that, especially after having been chauffeured for eighteen years.

"I didn't." He glanced at the boy, eyes wide. The blue eyes that met his were calm, and slightly smug. "It worked."

"Yeah, it did." Duo grinned suddenly. "I'm glad that you had the balls to do it, because I can't lie."

"Hn." The boy turned to look out the window. "You recognized me. How?"

"Tell me your name first, and then I'll tell you anything you want to know. And tell me how you knew my name."

"Heero Yuy. I heard your name when you introduced yourself to Lieutenant Chang." He glanced at the man beside him with disapproval. "Do you always flirt like that?"

"Sometimes. It's easier with some, and harder with others." Duo smiled at his companion, turning down a busy street in the business district. "I met you last night, but you had a different accent."

"If it's dark, I try to disguise my voice, in the light of day, it's hard to match the voice to a Japanese thug. Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you to my home. I think. You can clean up and we'll find you some clean clothes. Put some food in your belly, watch a little telly." Duo grinned at his own ingenuity, missing the wince from his companion. His comments weren't so easy to dismiss.

"Are you always this annoyingly perky and nice? Because I may have to kill you if you are." His face was expressionless, but Duo caught the teasing glint in his eyes [6].

"But why?" Duo whined, his voice nasally.

"Omae o Karuso [7]."

"What does that mean?"

"Roughly: I'm going to kill you."

"Are you always this friendly, or is it just me?"

"Hn."

"Glad to know that I bring out such a lovely side to your personality."

~~~~~_____~~~~~

They looked up at the building together, craning their necks. "Are you sure that it said apartment twelve?"

"Yes. I have an excellent memory." They looked at the mailboxes. "I hope that you're not afraid of heights."

"Hn." Duo smiled, ignoring the death glare that Heero kept sending him. He'd been threatened three times on the way to his apartment. Once for being perky, once for singing along with the radio, and another time for telling the brunette that he was cute. The last had been the most dangerous, since the blue-eyed kid crushed himself against the door and glared at him, as if gauging the chances of survival if he killed him then and there. He hadn't meant anything by it; it had just slipped out. One of the forward things that Duet would have said, except coming from the mouth of a young man, it evidently wasn't as sweet.

"Get over it! Gods, some people!" He stalked up to the front door, playing with his keys. One of these damn things has to work! He started inserting them, turning them this way and that. "Watch, it'll be the last key that I try." No response from his companion, so he continued working his way through the three dozen keys on the loop. Why would someone have this many keys? And why would that someone have to be me! "Hey, it's unlocked."

He turned around, grinning proudly as he held up the miracle key. The sidewalk was empty.

"Heero?" I didn't mean to scare him away. He frowned, suddenly feeling depressed that the closest thing he had to a friend had run away.

~~~~~_____~~~~~

A studio apartment on the twelfth floor. I can definitely live like this. Duo grinned, standing in the middle of a giant living room. He'd already been through the apartment once. Two bedrooms, one bath, a kitchen and eating area in one, and a large open space that he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out what it was for. "Dance floor? For a twenty year old?"  He rolled his eyes at himself. "Looks like one of those dojo's, or whatever they're called, where people beat the crap out of each other."

He tilted his head, his eyes turning suddenly thoughtful. He moved to the windows quickly, dismissing the floor behind him as he closed the blinds. This high up, he doubted anyone could see in, but that didn't mean that it was impossible. Violet eyes flashed around his new home, taking it in and filing all the pieces away for later. With a grin, he jogged to the thin wall that separated the main bedroom from the rest of the apartment, and turned off the main light. He headed for the bedroom.

"Time for a little personal investigation."

~~~~~_____~~~~~

Downstairs, a mother looked up at the ceiling over the dinner table, a spoon halfway to her toddler's mouth. She looked across at her husband. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" He paused between shoveling bites into his mouth.

"It sounded like some kind of demented laughter, and then something heavy being through on a set of box springs." She frowned back up. "It was probably nothing, but if that new neighbor gives us any trouble, we're calling the cops."

"Honey, you're being paranoid." A loud shout from over head interrupted their conversation, followed by breathless laughter. "I'll go by that extra dead bolt tomorrow."

~~~~~_____~~~~~

[1] I couldn't resist! How can anyone, who sucks at names and hasn't seen the show, be expected to know how to pronounce this?

[2] I'm not in law-enforcement, and I don't get a lot of things, but I do know that they use numbers to identify crimes. No, the 617 isn't either accident, it just gives him a reason to be thereJ I don't know what it stands for.

[3] Do I even have to add that I know nothing of police procedure?

[4] Any guesses? No, it's not an important character, it happened to be the first thing I could think of. He couldn't just up and leave that easily.

[5] DTJ125: Anybody want to guess what this stands for? For the person that gets the connection, I pity you. Either you're quick-witted, or you spent too much time trying to figure it out.

[6] OOC, anyone? He's hardened by life on the street, but he's definitely not the Perfect Soldier. Think of it as the 'what could have happened if Heero never fought again after the war. Instead, he softens, and becomes more human, but without ever losing that initial hardness.' He's cynical, skeptical, but with a kind of sarcastic humor that's very dry. No laughing, not a lot of smiling, but he IS human.

[7] Spelling?

Endnote: Can someone please do me a favor? I have missed dang near half of the season episodes. The one's I did manage to see were just bits and pieces. So, I was wondering if anyone could tell me: WHAT THE HELL DOES DOROTHY LOOK LIKE? I'd really prefer to have someone who likes her character tell me, because otherwise, it may be biased J.