It was a small blessing that Duo didn't wake up with a hangover. He already felt bad enough. He should have been waking up next to the woman he loved. He wanted to curse whatever fate made him wake up alone. You did that all by yourself. He told himself. You didn't have to leave.
Oddly, the reasons to leave that seemed so good the night before seemed so stupid in the light of day. They loved each other. What did it matter she was different? Okay, so maybe last night he was a little blind-sided by her story and overreacted. Who wouldn't after all that happened to him yesterday? Jeez. This means I'm going to have to apologize. As he went to go shower he tried to mentally prepare a good apology.
***********
Shelby just stared at him in her doorway unsure of what to do or say. She knew he had returned before security let her know he was here, but her own morass of emotions were clouding her ability to read the reason why he was here.
"Duo?" was all she could think to say.
As he stepped in, he noted her eyes were red from crying. It struck him what a complete jackass he was for leaving last night. Back on the colony he'd been furious at her for leaving him. Last night he'd done the same thing to her.
"I had a nice little speech prepared. It seems kinda lame now. Look I don't lie. What you are, I don't like it. I'd give everything I've ever had or will have if I could change it. Make it so it never happened, but I can't. I love you. I'm so crazy in love with you I can't even think of a life without you. I can learn to accept you being psionic. I can't learn to live without you."
"DUO!" she flung herself at him. She burst into tears and wouldn't stop saying his name.
"So does this mean I get to have sex now?" he quipped.
Laughing, tears still shinning on her face "After that speech? Oh yeah, you are definitely going to get sex. Lots and lots of it."
"YEE-HAW! Let's go babe! I've got…" he was stopped by the buzz form the lobby security system requesting visitor admittance. "Man talk about bad timing. Don't answer it. Let's just pretend we're not here." He was trying to coax her to the bedroom but was stopped by the strange look on her face.
"It's for you." She said as she granted admittance.
He groaned to himself. He knew it had to be Heero. Some days having Mr. perfect soldier/preventer as a best friend was a bitch. The guy saw threats to the peace of the Earth Sphere everywhere. When the door opened Duo was a little taken aback. Heero was there yes, but so were Relena, Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei.
"Hello Duo." Heero said way too pleasantly. "Mind if we come in?"
"Actually I do. You guys are interrupting big time. Hey I'm sorry I freaked out last night but everything's fine now. So you can leave… Now."
Heero ignored him and walked over to Shelby. "You must be Ms. Fox. Or is it Ms. McGuire? Or Ms. Kit? Which do you prefer to go by?"
"You can use any of them. I could give you several more to choose from if you'd like." inwardly she sighed. She knew this was likely to happen. Anna had warned her. She just thought she would have had more time to prepare. Gathering her courage, she forced them to face her head on.
"Well Preventer Yuy, Preventer Chang this can't be an official visit with civilians along" she indicated Relena, Quatre, and Trowa "so why don't you tell me why your really here. Cause I know your not here to see Duo."
Heero smiled at her tactic. She's clever he thought to himself.
Wufei on the other hand responded with an attack of his own. He lunged at her. His attack wasn't designed to hurt her, he hoped to surprise her into revealing any training or modifications she had. What happened surprised everyone in the room except for Shelby.
To all who watched it seemed as if Shelby performed a countermove that flipped Wufei over her head. The real shock set in when they all realized he'd stopped, upside-down, in midair.
They all stood motionless for about ten seconds trying to rationalize what they were seeing. Heero broke the silence first. "They didn't enhance your body. They augmented your mind."
Duo stepped in front of Shelby uncertain of who he was guarding from whom. "Stop Heero! It's not like that. You don't understand. Shel honey please put him down." In any other context he would have found the look on Wufei's face priceless. Right now it made him ill.
Shelby turned Wufei right side up and set him down gently on her sofa. She turned to find Heero had his stun weapon aimed at her.
"Ms. Maguire, I have to take you into custody for your involvement in illegal brain augmentation."
"Haven't you seen this movie?" giving no outward indication that she'd done anything, Heero's weapon flew out of his hand to land in hers. "Besides, the law clearly states you're supposed to kill me."
"WHAT?" yelled Duo. "Heero would never…"
"due to the inherent danger they are to themselves and to society," she quoted "all brain augment test subjects must be humanely terminated"
She looked at the combined expressions on their faces. It was an array of horror, fear, and revulsion. She might as well have sprouted wings and a second head. "Relax" she said handing Heero his weapon back to him. "I have no intention of hurting any of you. The only person in this room in any real danger is me from you." She looked into Duo's eyes and spoke to his mind.
Please trust me love. Do you remember what I showed you about Anna? I knew this was a probability when we first met. If we ever wish to be happy, this must happen.
