Chapter eleven…wow…I'm really getting up there! But you know, I'm nowhere near being done…oh well, enjoy this chapter! Reviews welcome.

Chapter 11

Trowa was dragged abruptly into the conscious world by the ringing of a telephone. At that moment, he wondered two things. One was why he had ever agreed to get a telephone hooked up next to his bed. Yes, it had come in handy for last minute missions, but now he was seriously considering unhooking it. Secondly, who would call him at three in the morning?

Picking up the phone, he answered groggily. "Hello?"

It was the ringmaster. "Hello Trowa. One of the elephants is sick, and it's raising such a ruckus we can't get anything done. Plus the tiger cages and equipment are being cleaned today. Why don't you just stay home?"

Trowa paused to think over the ringmaster's words. He realized that it boiled down to the boss giving him a paid vacation day. The boss must really have been pleased with the previous nights performance. They were not scheduled for another show until tomorrow morning, making this vacation time even better.

"Thank you sir. Will Dakota be getting the day off as well?" He asked.

"Yes, however, I couldn't get ahold of her -"

"I'll contact her for you sir. Thank you so much." Trowa told him before hanging up. He smiled. A day off with Dakota! What could be better?

Going back to sleep now that he was wide awake was not really an option. So, sliding out from his warm bed, he hopped from rug to rug across the tile floor to his dresser.

Slipping on a comfortable pair of jeans and a blue tee shirt, he hopped one last time to the carpeted adjoining room. He was careful not to make any noise as he left his apartment and headed down the stairs, bare feet making no noise as he crept down them.

He stopped at the second floor. Heero had moved back upstairs after the girls had moved in, but sometimes Trowa wished he had stayed on the main floor. They all could keep a better eye on him there. I guess he needs his privacy…maybe his room will bring back memories…who knows what he's got in there…

Shaking himself out of his reverie, he continued down to the family floor where he headed toward the kitchen and the source of all morning life - coffee. He was surprised to see that he had beaten Dakota downstairs for the first time since he had moved in. Deciding that he would appreciate coffee as well, he set the coffeemaker for two cups and walked over to one of the more comfy chairs in the kitchen. Sitting down, he closed his eyes to wait.

***

Dakota was awakened by the annoying beep of her alarm clock. She rolled over and stared at the glaring red numbers that said 3:30. A.M. of course. She groaned. I so do not want to get up. She thought to herself. Then, however, her mind drifted to Trowa in his circus outfit, and decided that maybe today wouldn't be too bad.

She got dressed quickly, leaving her room with a silence that would impress even Heero. If she woke any of the other four girls up at this hour, they would raise the roof. With that in mind, Dakota stepped quietly down the stairs and did not dare even breathe until she had reached the next floor.

By the time she had reached the kitchen, Dakota had woken up a bit. The smell of freshly made coffee greeted her as she walked into the room. Going over to the coffee maker, she poured two cups - one for herself, and one for the clown that she was sure would come down soon.

A loud snore startled her. She spun around, not sure what to expect. Then she laughed. Trowa was curled up in a chair, obviously having fallen asleep waiting for her.

Giggling a bit, she set her coffee down and walked over to him. He looked so beautiful when he was asleep, so innocent and pure. Dakota loved it. Of course, she couldn't just let him sleep peacefully. They did have to go to work after all. Besides, waking up the clown would be…fun.

She started by poking him gently in the shoulder, calling his name. "Trowa…Trowa…" He didn't wake up.

An idea came to the girl. She leaned over and killed Trowa on his cheek, between his sideburn and his left ear. That did the trick. His eyes fluttered open, looking for the person who had awoken him. When those eyes saw his beloved, he smiled.

"Good morning Dakota. You look beautiful."

She blushed, looking down at her clothes. The red v-necked shirt and white khakis were nothing special. Often she wore an even older outfit to work. No matter what she was wearing however, he still seemed to think that she was beautiful.

"Thank you." She smiled. "But we need to get going Trowa. We're going to be late."

Trowa smiled, standing up. Taking her hands in his, he replied, "They gave us the day off."

Dakota was really quite shocked. A day off? After last week's shows? The ringmaster must have been impressed. Then another thought hit her.

"You mean I got up at 3:30 when I could have slept in? Why didn't you tell me?" She demanded.

"Hey…hey! Take it easy. I thought…we could have some time alone together."

He leaned towards her, capturing her lips with his own. The kiss broke off a few seconds later, leaving Dakota staring up in to that beautiful green eye. She smiled.

"Alright." She agreed, walking over to the couch with him. "But I'm taking a nap."

Putting his arm around her protectively, Trowa whispered, "As long as it's in my arms, I'm happy." His words never met her ears. Dakota was already asleep. And soon, so was he.

She didn't wake up when the door slammed, but Trowa did. He turned a groggy eye towards the door. It was Duo. He looked very tired. His clothes were disheveled, and covered in grease.

"Duo…are you alright?" He asked, somewhat concerned. Duo stayed up too late, too often.

He yawned. "Yeah…I'm just…tired. I was…" He paused to cough a bit. "I was just finishing up an order. I…just need sleep." He muttered, coughing his way across the room.

Trowa followed him with his eyes until he was up the stairs. He knew the boy made himself sick by working such crazy hours, but he said little to him about it. If he did, the American would just blow him off. As it was, he kept a careful watch on him from afar. He sighed, and then closed his eyes again.

***

Heero was the next to rise, an upset stomach disturbing him at nearly five in the morning. He lay in bed, stomach churning, trying to decide what to do. Should he try to make it down stairs, and possible aggravate his stomach more, or sty here and hope it calmed down?

When it lurched again, Heero realized it wasn't going to calm down. His fluid, vitamin, and other mineral requirements were all out of whack. He needed his medicine. Unfortunately, it was all downstairs. Which meant that he had to go.

With the first decision out of the way, he had another choice to make - how was he going to get down there? There was his wheelchair which he hated, or his crutches, which, while allowing him more freedom, were not as reliable as the metal wheeled device.

The crutches. Why? Easier access to the bathroom. You're getting to be as much as a wimp as me. Shut up and take the crutches! Heero knew better then to argue with the soldier-voice in his head. He didn't remember much about what the voice even was, much less where it came from, but he knew it was not smart to provoke it.

Sitting up, he attached the braces to his arms, and got a firm hold on his crutches. With one strong heave, he was on his feet and swinging his way down the hall and stairs.

Once on the ground floor, he paused a moment to catch his breath. His stomach was really giving it to him now. Come on…you can make it to the kitchen He told himself. And he did. But as he was reaching for the medicine, something gave inside. His supper from the night before began to come up, threatening to exit his system completely.

Heero spun, booking it to the bathroom. He silently began to pray he would hold it in until he reached the toilet. Finally, he reached the bathroom. As he swung in however, one of his crutches slipped, causing him to lose his balance. Heero fell.

He hit the tile hard, grunting in pain. The crutches went everywhere. This was all too much for his already upset stomach. Right there on the floor, inches from the toiled, Heero began to throw up.

***

The sleeping couple were awoken by a loud "thump." Dakota turned to Trowa, question all over her face.

"What was that?" She asked curiously. Trowa shrugged.

"Sounded like it came from the bathroom." He stated. They looked at each other for a moment, then both shouted, "HEERO!"

They raced to the bathroom, only to stop at the door in shock. Heero was crying and throwing up. It seemed as if he had tripped and hit the floor, causing the sound that had woken them up.

Trowa moved first, being used to this sort of thing far more then Dakota. He knelt down by Heero and whispered, "Shh…Heero it's okay. I'm gonna help you."

He reached down and helped the sick boy to sit up. Heero leaned over the toilet and finished what he'd started on the floor. Finally, after about fifteen minutes of heaving, he coughed a couple of times, and leaned back into Trowa's arms. Tears were still rolling down his face, and he was a mess all over.

Trowa held him close, trying to stop his friend's trembling. "It's okay Heero...shhh…it's okay, you're safe now." He soothed.

Heero would not be comforted. "Bu..but I t…hrew up all o…over the p..place, a…a…and you saw…a…a…and" He trailed off, coughing again.

"Hey, hey. Heero, look at me." He instructed the boy. When Heero did as he was told, he said calmly, "I don't hate you. I don't think you're weak either. You're going to get better, I promise."

This seemed to calm him down a bit. Careful to not hurt him more, Trowa picked up his friend, and carried him out to the couch. Dakota followed. He laid Heero gently on the blue cushions, wrapping a blanket around him and putting a pillow under his head. Satisfied that he'd be comfortable, he turned to Dakota.

"Can you get him cleaned up and get his medicine for him? I'm goin gto go clean up the bathroom."

She nodded. Looking back at Heero resting on the couch, it was ward to imagine that the tear stained face f the broken boy tying there had once been the most feared pilot in the Earth Sphere and Colonies. The things that war causes God…it's awful. Help me to help him heal God…

Brushing the thought away as best she could, she went over to the cupboards and got out a large bowl and cup. Filling the bowl full of lukewarm water and soap, she took the dishtowel and soaked it in the water. In the cup she put cold water, so Heero could rinse out his mouth. Taking both bowl and cup back to the couch, she set them down on the metal and glass coffee table that Quatre had bought recently.

"Heero, can you sit up?" She asked gently.

He opened his eyes and sat up, though not without a minor bit of difficulty. Deep Prussian blue eyes stared at her questionably.

"Just relax, I'm gonna clean you up." She told him.

Her gentle hands took the damp towel and began to wash his face. All of the tear stains and other junk came off under her care. When she had finished washing his face, she raised the cup to his lips.

"Why don't you rinse your mouth out with this Heero?" She offered. " You can spit into the bowl.

He nodded gratefully, taking the cup from her. Heero took a deep drink from the cup, swishing it around in his mouth and spitting it back out into the bowl. Then he finished the cup off, replacing some of the fluids he'd lost that morning.

By this time, Trowa had returned from cleaning up the bathroom. He was getting Heero's medicine out of the cupboards.

Dakota met Trowa as she brought the dishes up to the sink and rinsed them out. Her boyfriend gave her a hope glance. "He'll be okay." He mouthed to her, bringing the medicine with him as he went over to where Heero lay.

The spy watched him, smiling to herself as she watched him helping his friend. While he seemed distant to everyone else, Dakota, and Heero too, now, saw the kinder side of Trowa. He always tried to be helpful, especially to his sick friend. If Heero was ever going to get better, it would be partly because of his help.

All of the pilots cared for Heero, even Wu Fei, though he didn't know how to show it well. Heero had saved all of their lives at several points, and now was their chance to pay him back. Quatre especially was determined to see the Perfect Soldier through this.

Yes. He will get better. Got will heal him. She said to herself, coming over to the couch to join them. Though she seldom declared it, Dakota had a firm belief in God, one she'd found during the war when things had gone beyond helplessness. She prayed for Heero every night.

Heero had finished taking his medicine, and lay back with his eyes closed. Trowa sat in a chair next to him, watching over him like a protective brother. He looked up when Dakota sat on his lap, looking at him with a concerned glance. Trowa smiled, putting his arm around her and drawing her to him.

"Don't worry Dakota. I'll protect you. Both of you." Trowa said firmly, turning back keeping watch over both his girlfriend and his comrade, knowing that hope rose with the sunrise.