I groaned as I opened my eyes. Still dark. I fumbled for the clock beside my bed to see what time it was. All I succeeded in doing was knocking the clock off my bedside table onto the floor. Great.

I sat up, trying to orientate myself.

I was in my new room, in Duo's flat. It was far too early for any decent person to be awake, that I was sure of. And something had woken me. There was a thud from the lounge.

I sighed, and pulling on my dressing gown went to investiagate.

The lounge light was on. I pushed the door open just a crack.

Duo was hunched over the phone, whispering furiously at whover was on the other end. "So you called just to say hi, Yuy? Do you have any idea how late it is? If you've woken Quatre up I swear, I'm going to dismember you piece by piece--"

I sighed and leaving the door open just a crack, I padded into the kitchen. The microwave said 3:08. Brilliant. I found the ice cream, and the chocolate sauce, and sat back to wait.

"Yeah? Well, stick it where the sun don't shine, Yuy!" The phone was slammed down.

That was my cue. Gathering the ice-cream, sauce, bowls and spoons, I joined Duo in the lounge.

He started guiltily as I entered. "Oh, damn Q--I didn't mean to wake you--"

"You didn't. I think it must have been the phone ringing that woke me up." I handed him the ice-cream.

"You got sauce as well? You must be psychic." Duo looked grateful.

I didn't reply. I was snickering at his choice of nightwear. "Kermit Klein? You sleep in a Muppet's shirt?"

"I don't think anyone who sleeps in pyjamas with girly flowers on them can comment."

"They're not girly!" I protested. "I bought them in H & Js! And its a paisley motif!"

"Whatever," Duo sighed, losing his humour.

"Heero?" I asked.

Duo sighed. "Yeah. Do you think I was too hard on him?"

I snorted. "He phoned you at three o'clock in the morning on a working night. I think you're allowed to be a little grumpy."

"A little grumpy?" Duo looked rueful, mushing his sauce into his ice-cream. "He misses me, Q. He wanted to see me again, just to talk."

"But you said no, didn't you?" I said. "I think you made the right decision."

"Sally said that too. She said after a really intense relationship, the only way to go was a total break. She wanted me to go away, travel or something to get Heero out of my system. That's not very practical though."

"No," I agreed.

"And he sounded so upset -- even a little desperate -- Q, are you sure--"

"Duo, have you forgotten how unhappy you were when you were together? And that he dumped you? And that even when you got back together, nothing had changed?"

"I guess you're right . . ."

"Neither of you will be very happy about it, but I'm sure its for the best. Both of you need to move on, and the only way to do that is--"

"Not to see each other." Duo did not sound happy.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine. I just can't help feeling . . . "

"Guilty?" I guessed. "He's not your responsibility, Duo. He's got to get through this on his own --"

Duo looked indecisive. "I don't know--He--I--Oh, I give up! Thanks for the comfort food, Q. I might head back to bed now, see if I can't get some sleep."

I watched him go with misgiving. I wasn't sure he was 100% convinced . . .

A yawn overtook me then and I headed back to bed. These problems would be easier to face in the morning . . .

--oOo--

I yawned, stretching luxuriously. I must have managed to go back to sleep easier than I thought, I felt rested . . .

A look at the clock (once I'd retrieved it from the floor) proved otherwise.

"Hell!"

I decided to forego my shower, grabbing breakfast and eating it as I dressed. I reached the cafe kitchen with my toast still in my mouth.

"Duo!" I exclaimed. "I'm so sorry, I completely overslept--"

"Don't sweat it, Q," Duo waved my apologies aside. "I know, I was there, remember? I decided to let you sleep in. I've been handling the dishes, don't worry."

Weekday mornings tended to be slow--at least until the twelve o'clock rush. I was just able to keep up. All the kitchen staff helped me when they could spare a moment from their tasks--Duo had told them I'd had a bad night and they were sympathetic. I wondered who was looking after Duo . . .

The day was busy, and I was very glad when five o'clock rolled around and we shut the cafe. Of course, we still had the cleaning to do.

"Feel like you'd scream if you saw another teaspoon?" Duo asked as we loaded the last lot of dishes into the washer.

"Don't say things like that!" I shuddered. "This day has been awful!"

Duo smirked. "I think it's about to get better."

"What do you mean?" I asked, to be answered when a pair of arms slipped around me, a rose held in one of them.

"Thought I'd drop by on the off chance that you were free tonight," Trowa purred in my ear.

"Absolutely!" I said, sniffing the rose appreciatively. "Oh, wait--I still have cleaning to do--"

"I think I can manage the floors myself," Duo said. "Go Quatre, have fun. Or do I have to use this to change your mind?" He hefted the broom menacingly.

I eeped, and escaped with Trowa. He put the rose in a vase while I changed into fresh clothing and we set out.

"Feel like dancing tonight?" Trowa asked.

"Maybe later--I feel like I've been on my feet the entire day. How about we go somewhere nice and quiet for dinner and conversation," I suggested.

A Cantonese restauarant was found that suited our requirements, clean, nice food, relatively inexspensive. We chatted pleasantly about our day. Trowa told me about the progress of the little tiger cub, and the fuss there'd been when a volunteer had left the door to the elephant enclosure open and a fully grown female elephant had decided to take a walk around the park.

"We got her back in very easily. We just lured her with her favourite food. But the volunteer!" Trowa shook his head. "There are even two doors into the enclosure, a people sized door, and the elephant's--hell, we hardly ever use the elephant's door and yet that was the one she decided to use--"

I laughed. "Still, no harm done?"

"No, but from the way Catherine carried on, you'd think the zoo was going to be closed."

"Catherine's your sister, isn't she?" I said, struggling with my chopsticks."Is she a zoo-keeper too?"

"She's the site manager," Trowa explained.

I was sympathetic. "Having your sister for your boss--is it a hassle?"

To my surprise Trowa snapped at me. "Catherine is a wonderful sister, and an excellent boss. As a matter of fact, she took the job when it looked as though the zoo would be closed and I would lose mine."

"I had no idea," I apologised. "I'm sorry, Trowa, I was thinking of my sisters. Catherine obviously means a lot to you, why don't you tell me about her?"

Catherine had practically raised Trowa by herself after the death of their parents in a car crash. She was the only family he had, taking the dual role of mother and sister to him. Even now that he was grown, Catherine continued to take care of him, living with him and doing his cooking, cleaning, etc.

"Certainly a change from my sisters," I smiled. "So when do I get to meet Catherine?"

Twenty minutes I found myself standing outside the door to the cafe watching as Trowa's car zoomed around the corner. He'd suddenly remembered urgent business he had to attend to.

I had a feeling it was something I'd said.

I sighed as I went upstairs.And the night had started so promisingly.

"I'm home!" I called. "Duo?"

"In here, Quatre!"

I followed the sounds of the television into the lounge. I found Duo sitting on the sofa, with a pizza box on the floor, a couple of empty candy bar wrappers around him. He had a container of ice-cream beside him, and a pile of papers on his lap, onto which he was scribbling while looking at a calculator.

"What are you doing?"

Duo sighed. "The accounts. Honestly, its like trying to read hieroglyphics . . . anyway, I got depressed trying to work all these out, so I started watching Bridget Jones to cheer myself up."

"Isn't that a chick flick?" I asked.

"Two words, Quatre. Colin Girth." Duo waved at the man currently on screen."He's hot--in a stiff British kind of way--outclasses Hugh Grant by so much, it's not funny. See?"

I didn't see it, frankly, but I sat down, clearing papers aside to make room for myself. I flipped through the papers absently. They didn't look so complicated--

"Go Bridget!" Duo cheered. "Quatre--did you hear that?" He rewound the video so I could hear Bridget telling her boss she would rather wipe Hussein's butt then work for him.

"You really like this movie, don't you?" I said.

"Ah, Bridget's cool. The stupid stuff she does . . . it's the sort of thing I do," Duo said. "And yet she still manages to snag Colin Girth!"

I rolled my eyes. "Pass me the calculator."

"What are you doing?" Duo asked.

I explained, showing him how to organise profit and loss, weigh assets and manage funds as I did.

"Man Q--you make this look easy," Duo said.

"Well, I have been doing this for a living," I said.

Duo snorted. "So have I. Seriously, I can wait a table, charm customers, soothe hassled waitresses, handle the suppliers, plan a menu, make coffee to die for, cook, clean, manage a restaurant--but when it comes to accounts, I'm about as useful as the token female in a Bond film."

I snickered. "Nice analogy."

"You thought anymore about Trieze's offer?" Duo asked. "You know you're wasted as a kitchenhand, and it's no hassle for me to find another dishwasher--"

"I know, Duo. But at the moment, kitchen handing suits me fine."

"Well, if you're sure--" Duo stood up. "I know you like my coffee, but have you tried my hot chocolate?"

I finished off the accounts while Duo made us the drinks. We watched the rest of the movie together, chatting quietly. I told Duo about Trowa's strange behavior, he sympathised.

"It could just be he's nervous about you meeting Catherine--after all, her opinion obviously matters to him a lot. Or she may not know he's gay, or may disapprove--" Duo shrugged, sipping his hot chocolate. "I'd give it time."

"I guess," I sighed, chasing a marshmallow around my glass. About to ask Duo if he thought that might explain why Trowa was so vehement about me not moving in with him, I paused. There was a streetlight on the road outside and for a second, in its light, I'd caught sight of a figure that seemed familiar.

"Is that . . . Heero?" I said.

Duo groaned. "He's still out there? I told him to go home hours ago."

I blinked. "Huh?" I said.

"He talked to one of the waitresses, found out I'm not currently seeing anybody. He thinks that means he has a chance, and came by after work to convince me we should get back together. Almost had me convinced too--then Relena phoned him on his cellphone to see if he wanted her to save him tea."

"Oh dear," I said.

"Yeah. He's been out there ever since." Duo sighed gloomily. "There has to be some way of showing him that I am so not getting back with him--"

"Perhaps if he thought you were dating someone else," I suggested. "What? It's not that bad an idea."

Duo was staring at me. "Quatre, that's brilliant! Can I ask a big favour?"

"Uh--" I said, having a fair idea what he was going to ask. "You don't want me to--"

"Please?" Duo said. "Heero saw us that night I brought you home, remember? We don't actually have to do anything--we just have to look as if we are."

Blushing I sat back down on the sofa, close to Duo. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Lean into me a little--like that--and try not to look as though I'm going to kill you, please Quatre."

"Sorry," I said, trying to relax. "This just feels so weird."

"Come on--this isn't the first time we've done this," Duo reminded me.

That was true.

"Okay," I said. "Go ahead."

Duo smiled at me, running his fingers up to cup my face, before sliding our lips together gently. He kissed like his hot chocolate, warm, smooth and addictive--

I forgot my embarrassment, reaching out to wrap my arms around Duo's shoulders. In fact I pretty much forgot everything--

I blinked, my dazed mind registering the fact that Duo had pulled away from me.

"Wha--" I gasped.

"He's gone," Duo said pulling the curtains shut.

"He is?" I said, trying to work out what he was talking about.

"I can only hope he's got the message," Duo sighed, running a hand through his fringe. "Not that I mind kissing you, Q, but I have a feeling it would be rather hard to explain to Trowa--"

"Yeah," I said. "It would."

Duo yawned. "I'm beat. I think I'll head off to bed now--you don't mind if I disconnect the phone? Don't want to be woken up again--"

"Be my guest," I said, my thoughts so confused that I let his use of a double negative go unremarked. Was I disappointed--or relieved?

--oOo--

Taking Duo's advice I decided to give Trowa time to come to terms with the idea of me meeting his sister on his own. Resolved that there would be no pressure from me, I didn't allude to the subject again. As two weeks went by and he didn't allude to it either, I grew worried.

"Why hasn't he said anything?" I grumbled to Duo as we set the tables before the cafe opened. "Am I okay as a fling but not as a long term partner? What?"

"Insecure this morning, aren't we?" Duo teased. "Relax Quatre. It's not you- -look, it's obvious Trowa is procrastinating. He doesn't want to take this step, for whatever reason. If you keep avoiding the issue, you're implicitly telling him that you're okay with this and he will continue to avoid the issue, leaving a void in your relationship that will fuel your insecurities, leading to doubt, miscommunication and the eventual failure of the relationship."

I blinked. "So what should I do?"

"I think its time to take the matter into your own hands," Duo said.

"How do I do that?"

"I'm giving you the day off," Duo said, scribbling a note down on the blackboard. "You're going to go to the zoo--you have the day off and you thought that you'd surprise Trowa the way he does. Take some flowers or something, the way he does--and we have those filos left over from the wedding party last night--you can take a picnic," Duo set about packing a basket. "There's enough there for three--"

"For three?" I asked.

"Yes," Duo said. "You're just going to happen to bump into this Catherine while you're waiting for Trowa. Of course, having told her what you intend, it would be rude not to invite her too--"

I hugged Duo. "That's brilliant! Thank-you Duo--but who's going to do the dishes?"

"Actually, Q, Hilde has a friend who needs the money, and she told her I had a job going. I'd kind of like to give her a try and move you on to assistant chef, if you don't mind. Pete's girlfriend is expecting any day and so he wants to be with her--"

"Fine with me," I said. "When do you want me to start?"

"We can discuss that after you get back from your picnic. I'll be here all day--I want to go over the new menu with the cooks, and then its time for the monthly total cleaning spree."

"Sounds like fun," I said.

Duo whapped me with the dish towel. "Get out of here before I change my mind."

The day was fine, just right for a picnic. I felt my spirits rise as I reached the zoo. Although there were people around, it wasn't too crowded-- surely I could find a nice place for us to share our lunch undisturbed.

I spotted the girl I'd seen getting on the bus with Trowa at the information counter and went over to her.

"Excuse me," I said, in my most polite voice. "Could you please tell me where to find Trowa Barton?"

"At the moment, he should be cleaning out the spider monkey sleeping area," the girl told me. "Why are you looking for him?"

I could see that her name tag said Catherine. "I was hoping to surprise him with lunch," I said, holding up my basket. "You're not his sister, Catherine, are you?"

"Call me Cathy," She smiled. "I'm afraid I don't know who you are . . . ?"

"Quatre Winner," I shook hands. "I'm so pleased to meet you. Trowa has told me so much about you."

"Well, as only siblings we are very close," Cathy said. "Still, I'd been wondering who it was that my brother had been going out to meet.I can see why he'd keep you a secret--probably afraid I'd try to take you for myself."

I blushed. "Um, thanks. That was a compliment, wasn't it?"

"Oh, you're adorable! You must come round for tea sometime!" Catherine patted me on the head. "Let's see, Trowa usually starts his lunch break in a few minutes. If I give you a ride in the cart, we should get there just as he finishes."

"Would you like to join us?" I asked. "I've got enough--"

Catherine hugged me. "And you have manners too! Oh, I do hope Trowa keeps you!"

Rather bemused I followed Catherine to the spider monkey's cage.

"Trowa! Your boyfriend's here to see you!" She called as Trowa emerged, dusting off his overalls.

It would appear that Catherine's disapproval was not the problem. She cooed over what a lovely couple we made for a while before leaving to get back to work, saying she didn't want to intrude (or sit downwind off Trowa after he'd been cleaning). That took care of my other concern that Catherine might want to dominate Trowa's life in the same way that my sister's had attempted to control mine. But while happy that her brother had found a suitable partner, Catherine appeared perfectly happy to just let us be.

Trowa, however, was another story. Although charming as ever during our impromptu picnic, Trowa did not seem entirely, well, delighted to see me. This impression was confirmed when he returned to work as soon as we'd finished eating, despite Catherine telling me he had a lengthy lunch break.

Something clearly was not right.

I went to find Duo.

--oOo--

I turned up to find soap suds, dish cloths and mops everywhere. The two cooks were engaged in cleaning the huge ovens.

"Want to help?" they asked hopefully.

I reasoned it was the quickest way I'd get to talk with Duo. "Sure."

I quickly discovered that Duo hadn't been kidding when he'd said he was cleaning the entire kitchen. Although the shelves had been wiped down and the storeroom cleaned, the freezers scrubbed and the dishwasher wiped inside and out, the microwaves and fridge remained.

Duo was cleaning the fridge.

"Hey, Quatre. Can I help? Or are you happy just staring at me?"

I blinked, realising I was staring. "I'm sorry," I said. "I've just never seen you with your hair like that before--"

"Don't say it," Duo said. "I know darn well what I look like. But it keeps my hair out of my way."

I stepped into the fridge, trying not to smile. Duo had his customary braid pinned up in a sort of grandmotherly bun.

"And before you even think of it," Duo continued. "The last person to try and take a photo of me like this got a broken arm."

"Two days later," one of the cooks cut in. "When he fell off the ladder while painting his roof."

"It was bad karma," Duo insisted. "You know full well he brought it on himself. You guys heading off?"

"Yeah, the oven and microwaves are done."

"Excellent. Thanks guys."

"No problem. See you at Walker's?"

"Sure thing," Duo agreed.

"Walker's?" I asked.

"Hilde's fiance is throwing a party," Duo explained."I thought I might as well go. Would you like to come?"

"I'm not in much of a celebratory mood," I answered.

"The picnic didn't go well then? What happened?"

Duo listened carefully as I described both the meeting with Catherine and my feelings of unease about Trowa. "Do you think something's wrong? Am I just imagining this?"

"I think you're going to have to just wait and see," Duo told me. "There are a number of things that might cause Trowa unease, but we'll have to wait and see how things develop."

"I hate waiting and seeing," I grumbled.

Duo laughed. "Quatre can you get me a clean cloth? They're in the bucket by the door."

It would be much more convenient, I decided, to have the cloth bucket in the middle of the floor, so it could be reached easily, no matter what part of the fridge we were cleaning. I lifted up the bucket to move it but had not taken more than two steps before there was a soft click behind me and the lights went out.

"Q," Duo said quietly. "Tell me you didn't just shut us in the fridge?"

"Um," I said. "Oops?"

--oOo--

Half an hour later (as far as we could tell--Duo had taken off his watch while cleaning, and mine wasn't able to be read in the dark) Duo and I were sitting beside the fridge door, leaning against each other for warmth.

"Are you sure there isn't some sort of safety handle or something?" I asked.

"This fridge has been here for well, decades now. Long before inside handles were invented," Duo sighed. "Howard's been meaning to get it replaced for years, just kept putting it off. And I hadn't even thought of it-before now."

That was comforting. I shuddered again. We were pretty well trapped then--

"It's okay, Q," Duo reassured me. "If I don't show up at the party tonight, Hilde will be over here to find out why--unless of course she and Walker start making lovey eyes at each other--in which case we're stuck here until morning."

"I'm so sorry," I repeated.

"It's okay, Q. Everyone does stupid things like this. Howard shut himself in the fridge once--Hilde wrecked the dishwasher . . . I drove Howard's car into the delivery van," Duo laughed.

I wasn't convinced. "But what if we run out of air before someone finds us?"

"This is a big fridge, Q. If worst comes to worst and we're here til the morning shift comes in, I'm sure we'll be fine."

I shivered. The fridge just seemed to be getting more cold as time passed. Duo noticed and put his arm around me. "You know Quatre, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about. You thought any more about Treize's job offer?"

"I've decided not to take it," I said, leaning gratefully against Duo. "It's too much like what I did with my sisters."

"In that case, I've got a confession to make. I asked you to be assistant chef with an ulterior motive."

"Huh?" I said.

"You've already waited on tables. The only area of the cafe in which you haven't already got involved is the cooking--and since I knew Darian wanted to go I asked Hilde's friend if she was interested in your job."

"But why?" I asked.

"I want you to be my business manager."

"Business manager?" I asked.

"You'd handle the accounting side of things, and help around the cafe. Kind of like what I do--you'd be second in charge in fact."

"Duo!" I said. "Oh--wow--" I shook my head. "I don't know what to say--"

"Just think about it. There's no rush."

Even assuming we do get let out of this fridge, I thought, but didn't say.

It was just then that the fridge door opened.

"You know, Duo," Hilde said, dryly. "If you didn't want to go to the party you could just have rung and said so."

Two hot showers later the feeling was gradually coming back to my body. Hilde was sipping coffee in the kitchen as I emerged from the bathroom, talking with Duo.

"Not Alex! You didn't!"

"He very kindly offered to give you a lift. I don't know what your problem with him is," Hilde continued. From their tones this was a long running argument.

"Yeah, that's cause he's never tried to grab your ass," Duo complained, catching sight of me. "Nice towel, Quatre."

Hilde squealed. "I knew there was a reason you asked Quatre to move in with you!"

Blushing, I ran into my room to get clothes. Coming back, I found the conversation hadn't changed much.

"Alex is a lovely man. I don't know what you have against him."

"How about the fact that he's a overly-aggressive sleezeball who plays wargames in his spare time and enjoys hurting people?"

"Duo! You're not still on about that! Alex was showing Mueller the karate hold and you volunteered to help him demonstrate. And he apologised afterwards--"

"He knew it hurt and he liked that," Duo insisted. "I had bruises for a week--"

"Well, don't volunteer to help him with any more martial arts demonstrations then," Hilde snapped. "I honestly don't know what you have about Alex and Mueller. You've never forgiven Alex for that and he's trying so hard to be friends with you--"

"Fine," Duo said. "I'll go with Alex. But I want your pepper spray."

"Fine," Hilde said, giving it to him. "But you're being ridiculous." She looked at her watch. "I have to go now, I need to start getting ready."

"What do you want to eat, Q?" Duo asked, pulling saucepans out of the cupboard. "Stirfry sound good? Or Mexican? I think we have some tortillas left."

I'd learned that anything Duo cooked was good. He was qualified to help out in the kitchen to the extent that if necessary he could cover for a sick cook.

Duo left me in charge of stirring the stir fry while he got changed for the party. I dutifully chased vegetables around the pan, loosing a fair few in the process.

"Gently, Quatre," Duo corrected coming up behind me. "Like this. Well, I think this is ready. How's the rice?"

The rice was a sticky congealing mass.

"Sorry," I said.

"Rice is tricky," Duo told me. "Don't worry about it."

As we ate I studied Duo. He was wearing a red shirt with a black pattern over top, and the same pair of trousers he'd worn when we'd gone clubbing with Wufei. This time he had his hair neatly plaited.It might have been just me but he didn't seem very happy.

"Something wrong, Q?"

"I was wondering if everything was okay. You don't seem very enthusiastic about your party tonight and, well . . ."

"Hilde's mad at me. I hate when we fight. She's more like family than a friend, you know, the little sister I never had," Duo sighed. "And then Alex isn't exactly one of my most favourite people either. Still, Walker's okay. He just acquired a lot of weird friends in military academy."

There was a knock at the door just then. Alex had arrived to pick Duo up.

I didn't like him. He filled the entire corner he stood in as he waited for Duo to finish his meal and grab his things. Maybe it was the bad press he'd received, maybe it was the way he leered at me when Duo introduced us . . . but I was willing to believe Duo's earlier description of Alex entirely.

"Have a good time!" I called as they left. I wanted to say 'be careful' but I couldn't say that with Alex around.

"See you Quatre!" Duo called back. "And keep your hands to yourself--"

I didn't think that was directed at me--which didn't make me feel better.

With a sigh I returned to finishing my meal and the dishes. After that I tried to find something to do. There was nothing on TV that interested me. I felt bad about delaying the cleaning so I went back to the cafe and finished cleaning the fridge--making sure to leave the door open this time. After that finished I settled down with a book on the sofa. Even then I didn't feel settled.

It wasn't until I tried to go to sleep that I realised what I was doing. I got up to check on every little sound. Eventually I gave up and sat in the kitchen to wait for Duo to get back, knowing I would not be able to relax until I saw him home safely.

Eventually, the door clicked open.

I groggily raised my head. I'd fallen asleep on the sofa, and it took me a few moments to orientate myself.

"Thanks very much for the ride home and everything," Duo said from the kitchen. "I really appreciate it . . . are you sure I can't offer you coffee?"

The voice that replied was warm and pleasant--and definetely not Alex's. "I'm sorry but I really do need to get away. Some other time maybe?"

"Count on it," Duo purred.

"Goodnight, then. It was a pleasure to meet you, Duo."

"The pleasure was mine," my friend answered. "Drive safely."

I waited until I heard the front door close before pushing the kitchen door open. Duo was still facing the door, a wistful look on his face. He started guiltily as I came in.

"Quatre, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to wake you up."

"You didn't," I told him."I was worried about you and Alex so--"

"You decided to wait up for me? That's so sweet. Remind me to make you coffee cheesecake tomorrow," Duo ruffled my hair.

"So how was the party?" I asked, trying not to blush.

"Great. I caught up with a lot of Uni friends I haven't seen since classes finished. I was having a really good time in fact, despite Alex breathing down my neck the entire time. He was even worse than usual, had heard about me and Heero breaking up and decided that since I was single I must be desperate--" Duo shuddered. "I sincerely hope I am never that desperate. Anyway, to cut a long story short he got drunk and then, well, let's leave it at overly tactile. I didn't really want to ruin Walker's party by making a fuss, but I wasn't going to put up with Alex either. I thought if I could get him outside, I could get rid of him without making a row, but I hadn't counted on Mueller being there to protect his buddy's honour. He threw me into a rose bush. That wasn't much fun, I can assure you." Duo sighed, showing me a scratch across his wrist. "Lucky I decided to wear a long sleeved shirt, huh?"

"Lucky you weren't seriously hurt!" I told him. "What were you thinking, going out by yourself! You're not exactly the biggest person and the world-- and if Alex knew martial arts--"

"On looking back it might not have been the smartest thing I ever did," Duo conceeded. "But at that moment I was more concerned with not getting Walker's house wrecked."

"So what happened?" I asked. "How come you're not, uh--"

"Pushing up roses?" Duo asked wryly. "That would be Otto."

"Otto?" I questioned.

"My knight in shining armour, the exceedingly classy guy who dropped me home, the same guy who put Mueller in a head lock and convinced him he should take Alex inside to deal with the pepper spray. That Otto."

"Oh," I said.

"He has the most gorgeous German accent I've ever heard--" Duo sighed happily. "Still, don't suppose I'll ever run into him again."

"Too bad," I said. "He sounded nice."

For some reason I didn't feel very sincere when I said that.

The phone rang then.

"Who the hell rings at this time of night?" Duo grumbled as he ran for the lounge. "Heero," he said, snatching up the phone, "if this is you--" he blinked, doing a classic double take. "Old man? Where are you?"

I grinned, sitting back to listen to Duo and Howard's conversation. I managed to gather that Howard was still in Mexico, although he'd joined up with a group of travellers doing a bike tour of the more remote temples.

"Sounds pretty cool--and you're learning the local cooking? Seriously? Avacado? I'll have to try that some time--what do you mean, Rose can show me? Who is this Rose? Darlian--she's a widow? A very lovely lady--why do I not like the sound of that? You're thinking of doing what? You're kidding! I mean, how long have you known her--well, age? Relatives? Financial situation?" Duo choked. "If she's got that much money, why'd she want to marry you?"

My turn to choke. Even though I'd been on the receving end of Duo's brutal honesty before, he'd never been quite that blunt.

"If you must know, I think you're both equally crazy," Duo said. "I hope she says yes, old man. No, still single. But Quat's been keeping me company- -no, not that way! Geez, someone is frisky! What have they been feeding you? Yeah? Well, get the recipe--uh-huh, I will. Take care of yourself. And tell your girlfriend she's welcome to you--I didn't want to be financing your retirement anyway. Yeah, I know. Love you too." Duo chuckled as he hung up. "Man, can you believe that? Howard wants to get married."

"I gathered," I said. "Uh, Duo, why are you so upset?"

"Upset? I'm startled that's all--I mean, I never expected him to be falling in love at his age--oh, you mean the phonecall. That's just what we do, Quatre. He expects me to hassle him. If I told him I was sincerely happy for him, he'd be wanting to fly back here to take my temperature."

"Are you sure?" I asked doubtfully.

"Yeah--well, I'm mostly happy for him," Duo conceeded. "I'm going to have to meet this Rose person. It's so weird--the thought of Howard getting married again." Duo sat down on the sofa, thoughtfully. "All my life it's been just him and me. Sure he had a couple of girlfriends, but they never lasted long--he never even considered marrying any of them. My gran was a once in a lifetime match, he said. And now--" He shook his head. "I guess I just feel as if everyone I know is getting hitched. Hilde, Howard, Wufei and Sally are definetely long term and you've got your handsome zookeeper-- "

I hugged Duo."Don't be silly. You'll find someone, and until you do, you have all of us. You're not alone."

"I know, I think I just needed to have someone tell me that," Duo hugged me back. "Thanks Quatre, for waiting up for me and . . . everything."

--oOo--

I soon discovered that no matter how placid the cafe seemed on the outside, in the kitchen things were always hectic.

"Desserts table six!"

"Mains are go for table nine!"

"What happened to the french toast?"

"Quatre, where are those vegetables?"

I fretted. No matter how fast I tried to cut those carrots up, they always seemed to be running out. "They're coming!"

"Easy!" A hand caught mine suddenly. It was Duo. "You don't want to loose a finger, Quat."

"I'm sorry," I said. "I'll be more careful."

Duo studied me carefully. "Lloyd, can you get one of the waiters to take over the vegies? Quatre doesn't look so well."

As I protested, Duo pulled me out the back into the tiny open-air terrace that was attached to the cafe. Terracotta tiles and sunflower and lemon plants in large pots adorned the terrace, while a couple of comfortable wicker chairs were set in the shade, next to a bathtub planted with herbs used in the kitchen. It was a quiet, restful place, ideal to recuperate from the noise and heat of the kitchen. Duo made sure I was sitting down before fetching a glass of water for me.

"I'm fine, really," I said. "You don't need to make a fuss over me."

In answer Duo held up my hand, already sporting three bandages. "To quote Howard, you're not operating at a hundred percent, Quatre. What's the matter? Are you feeling sick?"

I sighed, sipping the water he'd brought for me. "I'm just a little tired, that's all. I haven't slept well for a while now and I kind of feel like everything is overwhelming me--I'm just working myself into a state over nothing, that's all."

"Well, what's at the root of this?" Duo asked, taking the chair beside me. "I have my break now, so you can tell me all about it."

Duo was wonderfully patient with all my insecurities and fears, even when they were little things. I knew I could trust him to listen and understand. "Its just, well, I haven't seen Trowa all week. Not since the picnic. I've called him a couple of times, but he doesn't seem very interested in talking to me, and I don't know why and I have no idea what's going on!"

"Easy there, Q. It's okay. Now, he doesn't seem interested in talking to you? What gives you that impression?"

"He just doesn't seem all the way there when we're on the phone. And he usually has some reason to end the call--" I scrubbed at my eyes, feeling like a baby. "It's nothing, I just wish he'd come round--"

"This is odd," Duo said. "You say that Catherine was delighted to see you -- so why would Trowa have a problem with that? Unless--"

"What?" I asked.

"You're not going to like this."

I didn't. The idea of Trowa having a problem with commitment was enough to ensure that I almost lost several more body parts that afternoon. After I broke a plate the head cook ordered me out of the kitchen, telling me to swap jobs with one of the waiters. Luckily Lloyd had a crush on the second cook, a very pretty Asian girl, and he didn't mind taking my job. Waiting tables was enough of a diversion that I managed to put Trowa's odd behavior out of my mind until the cafe closed.

"So what should I do?"

"Nothing. Trowa is obviously afraid that you're going to try and tie him down. For the next week you will not phone him, drop by for a visit, send flowers, talk to his sister--nothing!"

"But--"

"You know, it probably won't hurt if you didn't talk to him when he called either."

A whole week of moping around at home, waiting for Trowa to ring but knowing I couldn't talk to him even if he did--I shuddered. "So what should I do instead?"

"Go out, do what young people our age do, Quatre!" Duo whapped me with a dishtowel. "We haven't been clubbing for ages."

"I don't feel like that sort of stuff," I said, shrugging. "Not without Trowa."

"You definetely need to get out of the house--I know!" Duo dashed into the office, returning shortly afterwards with a brochure. "Take a look at this!"

"Delicious Desserts--a week long course run by the School of Cooking, the Polytechnic. The instructor, fresh from Paris, will guide you through a selection of cooking techniques and presentation secrets. Ideal for those involved in catering or casual chefs--" I read. "Why are you giving me this?"

"Quatre Winner, living proof that everything they say about blonds is true."

It was Duo's turn to get whapped. "Well?"

"I was thinking of going and letting you try running the cafe while I did," Duo said. "But it would be much better if you came too. After all, anyone running a cafe should know how to cook."

"You still want me to be your business manager?" We hadn't talked about this since getting out of the fridge.

"I would have told you if I'd changed my mind. Have you thought about it?"

"Not really," I said. "I've had other things on my mind."

Duo patted my shoulder. "Trowa's a fool."

I smiled half-heartedly. If that was true, then why did I feel foolish?

--oOo--

Duo managed to talk me into taking the cooking course. Pouring over recipe books, wondering aloud whether we'd be making mousse and cheesecakes, he coaxed me into accompanying him to the Polytech for our first lesson.We were not the youngest people there, a fact that gave me some confidence. Duo and I chatted to the chefs in training while we waited for our teacher to arrive.

As Duo and Sylvia, a pleasant girl, debated the merits of waffles over crepes, I looked around our classroom with some trepidation. I hadn't been in many kitchens before--somehow they'd never found their way into my education. The shining pots and the clean bench surfaces were rather daunting . . .

"Hello everyone." Our instructor entered the class room already clad in neat white apron. He looked like the sort of person who would be happier over a campfire than an oven, actually, broad shouldered and tanned and a friendly air. He smiled around at us all. "Welcome to the course. I hope we'll have fun working together. I'm Otto, your instructor. Please feel free to ask if you are unsure about anything. Find yourself a workspace and I'll come around and take the roll."

Duo and I chose benches next to each other.

"Is that your Otto?" I asked, studying the instructor as he chatted with Sylvia.

"He's hardly 'my' Otto," Duo said with what could have been a blush. "But yes, he's the one who rescued me."

"Hello again Duo," Otto said, walking over to us. "I've been wondering whether or not it was you since I was given the role--after all, Duo is rather an unusual name isn't it?"

"My mother was an artist," Duo shrugged. "I suppose I'm just lucky I didn't end up being called Vegas or D'Artagnon or something like that . . . I'm told she was considering those."

"An artist?" Otto smiled. "That's funny--I've often thought you looked like something out of a painting." He put a hand out to touch Duo's hair gently. "Old Master's may be . . ." he turned to me with a bright smile. "And you are?"

"Quatre Winner," I said, watching as he crossed my name off the list.

"Pleased to meet you," Otto replied. "Do you have any cooking experience?"

"Not exactly," I said.

"Well don't worry about it. I'm here to help, so if there's anything you need help with don't hesitate to ask me."

As Otto moved on to the next student, Duo nudged me.

"Is it just me or was he flirting with me?"

"No, he was flirting with you," I said.

"Oh." Duo sounded pleased.

I eyed my friend. This had to be good, right? If Duo was even considering this, then it had to mean he was no longer thinking of Heero--

Though why that should leave me feeling so uncertain, I had no idea.

--oOo--