Book Four
Part 24
They made up their minds, and they started packing
They left before the sun came up that day
An exit to eternal summer slacking
But where were they going without ever knowing the way?
"The Way" - Fastball
Early that morning, early enough to see the sun came up, Anicka and Quatre woke up and started to get ready to leave. Their bags were packed, and Sandrock and Swordsong had been refueled the day before. Anicka wrote a note to the other pilots, telling them that she would keep Quatre out of trouble, and that she would keep herself out of it as well – nothing would go wrong.
They left, Anicka taking care for her injured arm and leg and Quatre keeping lookout, watching for anyone who may be suspicious of two Gundams flying for the former Americas. The excuse of a vacation worked every time, those times being only a small carrier and a commercial air lining company. Reaching the small town near the camp later that night, they stopped for supplies. Anicka hobbled into the general store, holding close to Quatre, the Gundams close by in a meadow in the woods. They picked up a bag of groceries, a Canada leg for Anicka and a used Jeep for driving around the camp. Everything fit easily in Swordsong's storage compartment, except the Jeep. Quatre craftily strapped it to the back of Sandrock, using a lot of rope and cord in the process. They then left, in search for the abandoned campground.
They traveled for only ten miles over old roads and forest until Anicka found that they were over the camp, according to the map. She looked down, seeing the roofs of seasoned, broken-down buildings, clustered near a small lake. They brought Swordsong and Sandrock down to a meadow near the largest cluster of buildings, less than a mile from the lake, after un-strapping the Jeep and parking it on the road. Worn signs proclaimed this area as "Thunderbird."
Anicka, awestruck, stepped out of her Gundam and looked around the meadow, seeing a totem pole, covered in vines, and a cluster of sticks, resembling a tiny, square building, but full of ash from campfires past. "Wow…"
"Yeah…" Quatre answered, jumping from Sandrock and walking, looking skyward, to Swordsong, arms at the ready to support Anicka, taking some supplies from the storage area. It seemed as if they were behind the main building, there wasn't much around the meadow besides the lodge and two platforms up a trail, behind the fire pit and totem. Anicka reached into her pocket and pulled out the map of the camp.
"This must be Totem Pole Meadow. And that," she gestured to the large building, "is Thunderbird Lodge."
"And we're behind it, but what are those?" Quatre pointed at the two platforms.
"They must be the cook's and the staff tents," Anicka said, consulting the map again.
She and Quatre walked around the building, noting the giant porch on the back, where girls had sung camp songs years ago. In front of the building, the road wound around a tree and in front of a small building, marked "Health Center." The Health Center was less than one hundred feet away from the Central Latrines, and they were near the same distance from the shower house. "Look at all of this, can you believe that people lived here such a long time ago?" She walked faster, testing the integrity of her Canada leg. "We should stay here." They arrived at a large building, labeled Staff House on the map. She tried to open the door, to no avail. So Quatre threw his shoulder into it and the door opened with a loud creak. The residence looked as if it hadn't changed in many years, if only for the many cobwebs around. On the left wall was a set of cubbyholes, with a paper sign over it proclaiming "Mail." To the right, a small kitchen next to a bathroom. The middle of the room was a lounge with an old TV, a dusty computer and various items of furniture. Quatre set the duffel bags down on a rusty bed frame, the mattresses for which were piled in a corner. The forgotten metal protested to the weight with a small creak.
"Quatre, I think we should go to bed. I'm tired, the sun's going down and I want to do a lot of stuff tomorrow. Don't you think so?"
"Yes." He started moving the beds around, unhappy with the present arrangement. He moved two of them next to each other, and covered them with mattresses. The bags were each placed at the end of one of the beds. They got dressed, undressed in fact, pulled out the blankets and went to bed. Anicka curled up into a ball, facing Quatre and he pulled her close, keeping away the frigid night air.
Part 25
"Let's go for a drive this morning, maybe to the lake?" Anicka asked over breakfast.
"Sounds good," Quatre answered through a mouthful of Lucky Charms.
"Maybe we could go by the old barn, too, I'd love to see the horses."
"Wouldn't they have left by now?"
"Yeah," she said thoughtfully, "but if you had free shelter somewhere, wouldn't you stay in the vicinity? And they were trail horses, or at least generations past were, so wouldn't it become an instinct?"
"Anicka, you lost me, dear. And I think you're over-thinking the whole thing."
"The barn is on the way to the lake, we could at least check it out."
"Okay." The couple finished their breakfasts, Anicka consumed three bowls of cereal in the time it took Quatre to eat one. She was visibly excited and practically dove out the door when Quatre had finished.
The drive to the barn was silent except for the hum of the engine and the occasional 'Hey look at that!' The scenery surrounding the road was like nothing they had ever seen before. Birch, oak, maple, cedar, pine, fern and flower were visible in all directions, vines and small weeds covered the road. A doe and two fawns even crossed their path. The car moved gently over the road, going down one hill and gently climbing the gradual slope of another. At the top, they could see rusted fences and an old wooden barn with a green roof. The area around the barn was bushes and short grasses, and past the barn and pasture was the forest. Anicka gasped, and got out of the car slowly, shutting the door with a light click. She walked, limping, to the fence, moving lightly across the grass. Quatre followed close behind, but wasn't as cautious as Anicka. He let the door slam behind him and tromped up behind her. Anicka climbed so she was looking over the fence, her feet on the bottom level and her arms crossed over the top, holding her head up. She motioned for Quatre to stop and be quiet, then pointed towards the woods. At first, he didn't see anything, but then, a group of horses, all different colors, walked out cautiously, looking all around them. Anicka counted – there were six of them. The first, a stallion, sauntered out. He was chestnut red, with an intimidating white stripe down his face. A painted mare and her spotted colt followed him. They were both white and buckskin, but the colt had some chestnut on him. Three other mares accompanied them, they were a brown, a dapple-grey appaloosa and a pure white.
"Oh my God…" Anicka said, staring at the small group of horses. "Told you."
"Yes, you did," Quatre came and stood on the fence next to her, one hand on the fence and the other around her waist. The small herd moved out on to the field. Their ears stayed cocked towards the two foreign animals. Instincts told them that these were lost members of the herd, but that they should stay alert. So they did.
"Look, they move as a group. The big red one, that's the alpha male. And the one with the baby is the alpha female. All animals have them. The strongest and the smartest. The other three are part of the herd. The grey one's pregnant!" The grey looked her direction and Anicka smiled and looked downward at the bulge in her frame. "Their faces… I think they're Arabians."
"How can you tell?" Quatre asked, wondering why he didn't know.
"I've always had a soft spot for Arabians." She gazed at the Arabian horses and at her Arabian man standing by her. The horses, sensing them not as enemies but friends, started walking towards them. The friendliest, the brown, trotted right up to them and sniffed for all she was worth, a deep consciousness telling her that these were good animals. Aware that they were friends, she started rubbing her ears on the fence under their hands.
"Okay, all right," Anicka whispered. She reached out her hands and scratched the ears of the mare. She exhaled in satisfaction, and whinnied to her fellows. The white came, followed slowly by the grey, the paint and the baby. The stallion stayed behind, watching with wide eyes and open ears. Anicka and Quatre had quite a job of scratching the ears of all five horses.
When the horses went away, Anicka and Quatre went down to the lake. The car went quickly down the hill to the lakeside, passing trees and grasses like they were nothing. At the bottom of the hill, they came to a wide-open beach. On the beach were a small shanty and a board covered in hooks. The board was lying on the ground, much in the same place it had stood many years ago. Anicka got out of the car and walked down to the beach.
"Don't you wish we could just stay here forever? Look at how pretty it is," she took his hand and led him along the strip of sand next to the brownish water. Looking at the water, there was a huge rack to the right, the beach faded away into a swampy area. On the left, the beach abruptly ended, stopped by a huge oak tree extending over the water. Anicka walked over to the rack, intended for canoe storage long ago, and sat on it. Quatre sat right next to her, adjusting and helping Anicka keep her balance. She leaned into him, and started to cry softly. Quatre kissed her hair.
"What is it, Anicka? What is wrong?"
"I just wish my family and friends could be here to see it. That's all. My father would have loved this."
"Mine, too."
"What happened to your father?"
Quatre was silent. He looked up at the sky and back down at Anicka. She watched him with expectant eyes. "He… died."
"How?"
"I… don't want to talk about it." A single tear ran down his face.
"Quatre…" she started, eager but saddened by his tone. "You can tell me."
"You mean you really don't know?"
"No, I don't." What was he talking about?
"The colonies were going to use his satellite for making weapons. He was a huge pacifist and broke the satellite off the colony before they could. He told me not to be a Gundam pilot, but I hadn't been listening. He bravely fought for us. They shot the satellite down with the beam cannon and almost killed my sister, Iria, and me too. She saved my life. And I kind of went a little, um, crazy. He was assassinated."
"Oh my god…"
"Yeah…"
"You went… crazy?"
"Yes, didn't we talk about this the other day?"
"They kind of did, but Heero and Trowa kind of skipped over it, they sped on to the next thing."
"That's… when I blew up Catalonia's factory… that is why he's after me."
"Is that guy crazy, or is it just me?"
"It's not just you, it's as if he has something else on his mind."
"Yeah…" she said, thinking. "You know, it's really beautiful out here. I wish I had my camera. I didn't bring it, it's back at the safe house."
"I can go and get one tonight after supper," Quatre volunteered.
"That'd be great! We definitely need one! And maybe some new blankets for the cabin, it was sort of chilly in there last night."
"For both of us. I'll go tonight."
They laid in the sand for a while, then decided to go back to the cabin. Quatre made some macaroni and cheese for supper that night. Then sunset, and Quatre left for the store.
Quatre walked into the small building, arms full of shopping bags, and saw Anicka curled up on the couch by the door. The moonlight reflected off her face and shoulders and gave her an eerie, yet endearing appearance. He lightly pulled the green blanket over her shoulders and tucked it in around her. Kissing her on the forehead, he said "Goodnight," then he walked across the room and curled up in the lounge chair and fell asleep.
BANG! It had been several hours since Quatre had returned and a loud noise jolted him out of dreamland. Shadows moved over and around the couch. Ah, Ani must have needed some fresh air and let the door slam behind her on her way back. Then there was a muffled scream and he realized that they weren't alone.
"Ani-" his shout and attempt to stand was stopped short by two figures pulling him back and tying him to the chair. His eyes moved, quickly and terrified, around the room, following the kidnappers as they took a struggling Anicka outside. Another man walked in, speaking with an eerie voice.
"The knots tying you are fairly loose, Winner. You should be able to get out within minutes. But, of course, by then we will be long gone. And I'm taking the girl."
No, no, no, no, no… not him, not Catalonia, if I could only scream, if I could only yell… but this ass has his hand over my mouth… get it off, get it off…
"Let's go boys," he said, finally, sauntering out, followed by his two henchmen.
"Anicka!" he screamed, struggling against his bindings.
"Quatre!" she yelled back. He heard doors slam shut and engines of cars start and he knew she was gone.
He woke up. Birds were chirping outside and the sky was grey and overcast. It was a dream, he thought, I'll open my eyes and she'll be on the couch, just as she was last night. It couldn't be real…
But his fears were realized when, at last, the comfort of sleep was lifted and his eyes opened. Frayed rope lay around the lounger, and the couch blankets had been ripped off the couch.
Part 26
Anicka woke up in a cold sweat, thinking much the same as Quatre – it had to be a dream. But her aching arm and leg told her otherwise. Cautiously, she opened her eyes and saw that she was sleeping in a small cell, with only an old wool blanket and a thin mattress for comfort. This couldn't be happening. "No." The sound of her voice echoed in the dim light of the cell and into the darkness beyond. Then she heard a voice respond.
"She's up, sir, you might want to come down here."
"On my way," someone answered through a communications device.
"Who's coming?" she yelled out at the guard.
"Someone you will be getting to know soon enough."
"Who?" she shouted, louder. She tried to get up, but couldn't. Her leg gave way under her and she fell back to the floor with a thump. The guard laughed, and his laughter was joined with that of another. I know that voice…
"So, you must be Anicka."
"No." I know that voice.
"Do you know who I am?" Footsteps resonated, he was walking towards her.
"Yes."
"Do you know why you're here?"
"No, why don't you tell me, asshole."
"I need Quatre."
"Catalonia."
"Yes, you're right," he walked right up to the bars and she finally got a glimpse of his face. He had grey hair, a long pointed nose and a long chin. He reminded her of the stallion at the camp, proud and angry.
"How dare you," she stated, defiantly.
"No, dear girl, how dare you. I believe you are the one laying bruised in a cage."
"You're more trapped than you think."
"How do you mean?"
"He'll figure it out, Catalonia. Quatre and the others will come for me."
"Good, that's what I count on."
"What?"
"That's what I count on, Anicka Estralla," his slippery voice emphasized every word. "Did he tell you what he did to me?"
"Yes. He cost you millions of dollars by blowing up your factory." Why does he care what Quatre has told me?
"You think that's all, don't you? Naïve girl. You know nothing. Why would I be chasing him for this long when I could be spending that money on rebuilding?"
"You're a crazy bastard, that's why."
"You'll find out soon enough." The footsteps echoed again, and he was gone.
Anicka's mind was racing. Why would he be spending all that money on mobile suits and weaponry, and not on a new factory? But Quatre didn't know about it… and that fruit will tell me, won't he? I just hope he didn't do anything to Quatre, I'd die, I'd just die…
Quatre had been sitting in the lounger for more than an hour. The fact that his pregnant fiancé had just been kidnapped by his archenemy took a while to sink in to his mind. But he had another problem. How am I going to get her out? He thought, with tears running down his red, sweaty face. Catalonia will be watching for Sandrock, and any other Gundam for that matter. And how did he find them? Only four people knew where they were, and he could trust all four, right? It definitely wasn't Heero, he didn't show any desire to defect and go against one of his only allies. And it wasn't Duo, either. Duo needed enemies like he needed a punch in the gut. Wait… his enemies had a tendency to punch him in the gut… Note to self: punch Duo. It seems to make people feel better. That left Trowa and Wufei. Wufei wouldn't go to that much trouble to be left alone, and Trowa had proved to be trustworthy so many times they both had lost count. Unless… Gundam program stuff my butt! What did Trowa say to you, Anicka?
The young man slowly uncurled and stood up in the room, amidst the rope and blankets on the floor. Shoeless and shirtless, he ran out into the crying sky to Sandrock and tried to call home. "Hello, hello, guys, come on, dammit, answer!" he yelled into the receiver.
"Hey, Quatre, what's up?"
"Duo, shut up for a second. I need your help. Catalonia took Anicka and now I don't know what to do."
"Who is it, Duo?" a soft voice said from the background.
"NO, DUO! DON'T TELL HIM ANYTHING!" Anyone but Trowa!
"Okay, Quatre. I'll be there as soon as I can."
Quatre turned off the communications link and sat in Sandrock, looking out the view screens at the woods around him. This was Anicka's dream – the trees and the old buildings – and she had been taken from this place. The rain fell outside and his tears fell inside Sandrock. He suddenly had an urge to fly Sandrock over the camp an obliterate it all, but he didn't. His only task at this point was to stay sane until Duo came.
"Hey, I have to go for a while," yelled Duo, running past the kitchen, around the corner and to his room.
"Where?" Heero asked.
"Quatre's having some – problems – and he wanted me to come and help," he shouted from his room, throwing black and camouflage clothes into a backpack.
"Like what?" Trowa yelled back.
"I have no idea, but I'm pretty sure I'll find out soon enough," he ran back through the hallways and out to his Gundam, Deathscythe.
"All right, Deathscythe, don't fail me now." He remembered the words of his favorite Playstation character, Spyro. " ' Looks like I got some things to do.' "
Part 27
Anicka sat on the old mattress, staring blankly out the window and absently braiding her hair. Where am I? She thought to herself. It's raining outside, and there's tall grass for miles. And Quatre's alone in the woods. By himself, probably worried sick. Can he even find me? I just want to get out of here. Why do they even have me guarded, it's not like I can do anything. I'm locked in here and I can't even walk, no thanks to them.
"Hey, girl!" the guard yelled.
She shook away her daydream. "Huh?"
"Dinner." He walked over and passed Anicka a bowl of hot chili through a small door in the bars. She tied up her hair, took the small meal and half-heartedly ate it. Her stomach was still grumbling even after finishing. That share must have been for the baby, she thought.
"Um, hey!" she shouted at the guard. "Can I have some more?" she asked timidly.
He laughed and walked over to the cell. He reached in the door with both hands, taking the bowl with one and slapping her with the other, knocking her over. "Ingrate," he spat, refilling the bowl at a crock-pot on his desk. She slowly stood from where she had fallen, rubbing the side of her face. She took the half-full bowl back, and emptied it. Setting it down on the ground by the cell door, she curled up on her mattress and tried to sleep and think of better times.
"That must be it," Duo said to himself. He had scanned for Gundanium and found both Sandrock and Swordsong in the meadow. He circled it several times and landed Deathscythe in the middle. He saw all of the buildings and went to the one Quatre told him to an hour into his journey. He gently pushed the door open and quietly said, "Quatre? Are you in here?"
"DUO! Thank God!" He was curled up in the corner where the mattresses had been.
"What happened here?" Duo looked around the room. It was a mess. The blankets and rope were on the floor, and Quatre, in a frenzy, had pulled all of the mattresses and cushions from the couch, chair and corner.
"I got… nervous. I thought they'd come back for me, too."
"Who, Quatre?" He slowly walked over and sat next to the wreck.
"Who do you think, Duo? Catalonia! They took her and now they're gonna get me!" Quatre started crying again. "What am I going to do?"
"Quatre, I have a plan."
"How long will it take to get her out? I can't stand it, Duo. I need her. It hurts not to have her here with me. How long will it take?"
"I don't know, Quatre. But we will get her out."
The days went by for Anicka – slowly and painfully, long and devastating. Life was harsh in the cell. Her daily ration wasn't enough for both her and the child inside of her. She grew sick and pale from lack of food, but was content to know that her baby was suffering less than she was. Catalonia hadn't said anything to her in days, and there was no sign from the outside world. Not even Quatre.
Is he even coming for me? She thought. Thoughts like this were common. Does he even miss me, does he even love me the way he says he does? He has to. He wouldn't ask to marry me if he didn't, would he? Then why isn't he here?
BOOM! She started. It's nothing, she realized, just the door slamming.
A proud figure sauntered in.
Catalonia – that bastard. What the hell does he want now?
"Where is he, Estralla?"
"Who?" she lied.
"Don't play cute with me. You know who."
"How am I supposed to know? The only people I talk to are your damned guards, myself and this lump in my stomach."
"We tracked the Gundam Deathscythe to the camp. It looked suspicious, so we checked it out after a few days. Quatre is gone, Anicka. All we found was this." Two guards walked in, dragging an unconscious figure between them. They threw him into the cell, unafraid of any attempt of escape from Anicka. She reached out and caught the figure, turning him over and laying him on the mat.
"Duo!" she said when she saw whom it was. "Wake up, Duo. What are you doing here? Is Quatre okay? Wake up, Duo!"
The guards laughed. "He's not going to be up for quite a while, girl. Now go to sleep."
"I'm not tired! What did you do, bastards? Stay away from Quatre! Just leave him alone! Leave us alone!" She cried uncontrollably. Why didn't they just leave her alone? The guards laughed again and escorted Catalonia out, leaving the most inept guard there for the night.
"Anicka? Are you okay?" Duo sat up and tried to console her.
"Duo! You're awake!"
"Been awake the whole time, pretty good acting, huh?"
"Yes, tell me everything. How's Quatre? Is he coming? Why isn't he there at the camp? Did they do anything to him?"
"Anicka, Anicka, Anicka. He's fine. He broke down. He needs you back, Anicka. It's like he's addicted to you. He can't live without you. He flipped."
"Really?" He loves me, he really loves me!
"Yeah. Are you doing okay? Have they been treating you all right?"
"What does it look like?" She moved out into the light so he could see her. She was badly bruised, and her arm and leg, previously broken, were swollen. "They beat me, Duo. If I ask for something, they serve it up – with a good whippin'."
"And the baby?"
"It's fine. They're not that mean. It's eating all of my food, though, not enough for both of us here. When can we get out? When's Quatre coming?"
"Anicka, I have a secret for you." He checked to see that the guard was sleeping. "I'm bustin' out tonight. We'll be back for you, don't worry, but we don't want to see you hurt. We'll get you out tomorrow after I meet up with Quatre."
"How are you getting out?"
He pulled a gun from his baggy shirt. "Check this out." He shot the window out. The guard awoke, but it was too late. Duo was already up, out and running down the field.
He's gone, she thought. He left, and he didn't take me! What the hell! But Quatre's okay. That's all that counts. And I'll be out soon. He's going to get us out.
Quatre was hunched down in the grass, wearing the camouflage army fatigues that Duo had given him. A black figure dove near him and army-crawled in his direction.
"How is she?" Quatre asked the figure, which was Duo.
"We need to get her out, Quatre."
"What's wrong? How is she? And the…"
"They've been beating her, Quatre. She's okay, the baby's okay, too, we just need to get her out." He paused, seeing the expression on Quatre's face, as if a piece of him was in pain. "Tonight, Quatre. We'll get her out tonight."
The guard saw the whole thing. "What the hell! How the hell did he get out?" he opened the door and pinned Anicka to the wall with all of his might. "What did you do?"
"Nothing!" She struggled against his hold on her shoulders. "Let me go!" Too weak to fight, she ceased her struggle.
"He's gonna kill me for this, bitch!" he quickly let her go and punched her simultaneously in the eye and stomach. She slumped down the wall in pain. He kicked her in the back, more than once. The guard coldly stomped out, slamming the iron door behind him.
How dare he! He punched both of us… it hurts… so… much…
She doubled over in pain and slipped away into her dream world.
Ouch! A sensation of pain and a loud noise woke her. Ouch! What is that? Something… it's not the hiccups. It's not me, either. Boom, ouch! A gunshot! But what's jumping? Could it be the child in me?
Anicka stood straight up in her cell, up along the wall and under the broken window. Gunshots sounded through the hallway and she shivered. What was going on? Who was running and why did it sound like it was getting closer? Stay calm, she thought, they can't hear you if you don't say anything. She sunk along the wall, the sounds of guns and feet pounding on her brain. She snapped.
"Help!" she screamed in a panicked frenzy.
"She's back here!" a voice said.
"Anicka!" another man screamed.
It can't be…
A man ran around the corner. He flattened himself against the wall and looked back where he had come from, covering the advance of another. The other man ran out and to the other side of the corridor. Darkness shadowed their faces, but the hallway light revealed a braided man and a blonde. The one with the braid motioned to the blonde and he ran past the hallway to her cell. She crawled up to the bars, pulled herself up and pushed the food door open. The man stuck his face through the door and she kissed him passionately.
"Quatre! I knew you'd come for me!"
"Anicka! Are you okay? Did they hurt you? I gotta get you out!" He aimed the pistol at the lock and pulled the trigger. The gunshot echoed and the iron door swung open. Quatre ran in and picked up the staggering Anicka. She draped her arms around his neck and held on while he ran to Duo.
"What happened to you?" Quatre asked. In the light, he could see her black eye and bruised body. She looked thinner than she did the last time he saw her, and paler. She couldn't even stand up.
"They… punched me… in the stomach. It hurts… get us out, Quatre, please…" A single tear rolled down her cheek and she slipped away into unconsciousness.
"Who did this?" he looked up in a rage. The guard dove behind the desk and Quatre walked over to him, still carrying Anicka. He shot two rounds at the guard, not hesitating for a second. "Duo, we have one more thing to do."
"What would that be?" his eyes lingered on the body of the guard.
"Talk to Catalonia."
They walked down a series of corridors, Quatre carrying his unconscious lady the whole time. Guards saw the angry look on his face and told him exactly where to find their master. Duo walked behind. Quatre knew what he was doing, hopefully. He wasn't usually wrong.
They came to a door with a sign on it, proclaiming 'Confidential: DO NOT ENTER.' They did. Catalonia was sitting at a huge desk, shuffling papers. Quatre spoke.
"Who the hell do you think you are? Why did you do this to her?"
"What on earth are you getting at, Quatre? My guard did that."
"You know what I mean, you bastard."
"You owe it to me, Quatre. And you know it. She doesn't even know why she's here, does she? You didn't tell her."
"About what?"
"The real reason I've been after you this whole time. You killed my wife and son – in the explosion – they died at your hands."
"So you try to kill Anicka? She didn't even know about that part of my life. She didn't have any part in it!"
"And my wife and son were an exception? They were totally undeserving to die!"
"I don't know why you think you're the only one who lost someone in all of that. It was a war. Many people died."
"Granted, but…"
"But nothing! Fuck you, Catalonia! Never come near me again!" He emptied his gun into the old man. He didn't deserve to live, he thought, and walked out without even looking back.
The Jeep was parked several miles away, not visible from the factory. Quatre hardly noticed the extra weight he was carrying after the first mile, and Duo had given up tries at conversation. Quatre wouldn't answer. When they reached the car, Duo got into the driver's seat, and Quatre sat in the back, gently laying Anicka over the seat. His lap became her pillow. He looked at her face, covered in bruises, but looking so peaceful and brave. Her hair dirty and unruly, but amazingly in the same braid she had put it in upon waking up that first day. Quatre did the best he could to tame it with his fingers. "What happened to you, Anicka?" he whispered. "Will you be all right? How did you fair without me? I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let them get you." He became quiet, laid down on the seat and fell asleep next to her.