They finally made it to the bed. Although it took three more tries to get there. Quatre woke feeling more satisfied and content than he had ever remembered feeling before. He shifted on to his elbow so he could gaze at his sleeping lover. He couldn't suppress the smug feeling he got from knowing he was the one who exhausted her.

He'd awakened ready for her again, despite the activities of last night. He did feel a momentary pang of worry about how sore she might be this morning. Perhaps if we started the morning with a soothing bath… The idea had promise. Between their couplings she'd confessed she'd only had one lover and the relationship was a short one at that. Apparently being a psionic was hell on the love life.

Men would take one look at that spectacular body and assume she had the IQ of a grapefruit. Or that she had to be the bitch of the century. Having to listen to such thoughts while on a date usually ended the date in record time.

You're dating life is over, you're mine now Sandrock. Where had that come from? A lump of ice formed in his gut. The thought wasn't intentional, yet he knew it was his and that it was true. With a sigh, he accepted that he was just a mired as Duo. Had the women planned this? No, he didn't believe that. Heero, Wufei and Trowa would however.    

He remembered what it felt like when he was piloting Sandrock. Anna loved him even then before she had ever met him. She knew who he was inside and loved him for it. He refused to believe she would ever manipulate him like that.  

"You're right I never would. And I'm glad you understand that." Anna opened her lovely brown eyes and gave him a look of complete trust and affection. She added a little tendril from her mind to ensure he knew she spoke the truth.

"Oh good you're awake. I was just wondering if you like to have a bath with me." He leaned over to nip at her earlobe.

"Mmmm… That sounds nice." She got up and walked to the adjoining bathroom. She threw a saucy look over her shoulder. "Coming?"

*************

A man could definitely get used to this. He was sitting in Anna's kitchen enjoying the view of her butt while she made them breakfast. He would have rather liked staying in the enormous jetted tub in her bathroom suite for another round of lovemaking, but her stomach wouldn't stop growling. He'd forgotten that her enhanced brain needed extra calories.

"You're just as much to blame for my being hungry as my brain." She said without turning around.

"Boy, you'd be a terror if I got you pregnant." The spatula she was holding crashed to the floor. Her mouth was gaping open, and her eyes were as wide as saucers. He instantly cursed his stupidity.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't tease about such things." He said lamely.

"No don't be. Don't walk on eggshells around me." She took a deep breath and explained. "I can see many potential futures, but it's almost impossible to see my own future. Probably because my desires get in the way. I keep trying to rearrange what I see to suit my needs. I don't know what is going to happen between us, and that scares me."

He walked over to wrap his arms around her with his cheek resting on the top of her head. "I want to be with you. I'm fairly certain I've already fallen in love with you, which is absurd since I've known you for less than a day."

"And I love you Quatre." And her stomach made a loud unladylike growl. "Ungh... How romantic."

He started to chuckle.

"Oh break it up you two!" the lovers turned to see a very sleepy Shelby shuffle into the kitchen and help herself to the breakfast Anna was making. "Didn't you get enough last night?"

They both blushed furiously. "Shelby" Anna criticized "you had no right to listen to us!"

"Listen? LISTEN?! You were broadcasting all night long!" Shelby retorted before she stuffed more food into her mouth.

Quatre was shocked. Anna made a strangled gasp. It never occurred to either of them to restrain themselves mentally. Not that they could have even if it did. Shelby was pouring the coffee Quatre had made when Duo shuffled in. His hair was in a long damp ponytail from his shower. He looked just as tired as his love.

"Babe, tell me that's industrial strength." Duo motioned to the coffee. He turned and glared at Quatre "I'm not talking to you."

"Oh I'm so sorry! I didn't think… I'm so sorry." Anna apologized "I didn't realize… I didn't mean…" she was so flummoxed she couldn't seem to think of what to say.

Duo came over gave Quatre a quick shove and kissed Anna on the forehead. "It's okay. We do understand. It was just really distracting and kept getting in the way of our own fun. The absolute last thing I want is visions of Quatre when I'm making love to Shelby." He finished with a comical little shiver of revulsion. They all burst out laughing at once.

Later when they were eating it was Quatre who came up with a solution to the problem.

"Come with me to the Middle East." He said to Anna. I was planning on visiting my friends from the Maganac Corp, plus some of my sisters are there visiting. I'd really like for you to meet them." He ignored the barbs from Duo about moving too fast and meeting the in-laws.

"I'd love to, but I should tell you about your father before we go." She reminded him.

Knowing they'd need to be alone for this Shelby dragged Duo out of the kitchen suggesting they try to catch up on all they missed last night.

Quatre couldn't help feel a little nervous. If he was honest with himself, he had to admit he was stalling a bit. He didn't want to open up the old pain of his father's death. He didn't want to remember the pain of being unable save him from being killed.

"You couldn't have saved him, and he knew he was going to die." She said quietly to him. "He knew he was going to die because I told him."

He felt the pressure of her mind on his. She'd done this to him before. She was sharing her memories. Although the memories were initially impressions she'd gotten from another.

Rajel Winner sat in his office deleting the sixth email from this 'Friend of Quatre's'. The address was unknown and had been traced to a location on a different continent than his son was on. He had Rashid continually report on Quatre's progress. Although he was devoutly against what his son was doing, he was extremely proud his maturity, intelligence, and strength; rare in one so young. He looked down at his screen and a seventh email popped up from the anonymous friend who probably wanted money. "This is ridiculous!" he complained to the computer. As he was moving to delete it he heard the words: Would you quit doing that? It's really starting to tick me off! He jumped up and yelled. He spun around his office three times looking for the speaker. The voice sounded like a girl. One of his daughters? No it sounded younger than his daughters.

He looked back at his computer. The email? It was hard to believe and even harder to explain, but he'd seen hard to believe and explain before. He opened the email:

Mr. Winner, I'm glad you finally responded. I am about to call you. Please answer the call. I don't want money; I want to warn you that you are in danger.

At that moment the phone rang. His assistant told him a friend of Quatre's was on the line, audio only.

"Mr. Winner?" Asked a young girl's voice. It was the same voice he'd heard. "Mr. Winner my name is Annabella. I'm an ally of your son's. I'm calling to warn you I think you're in danger."

"Who is this? What do you think you are up to? Have you hacked into my surveillance system?" he was trying to sound stern and authoritative. The same way he sounded when one of his children were caught playing pranks.

"Mr. Winner please don't make me call you the other way."

"What other way?" now his tone was patronizing.

This way. He heard the words clearly but knew they didn't come from the phone. His arms became covered in goose bumps. If this was a prank, it was a real good one. As much as those two words gave him the chills, they also peaked his curiosity.

"How did you do that?"  He asked. What did it matter if he indulged the girl for a few minutes?

They had talked for considerably more than a few minutes. That first time Anna and Quatre's father had spoken for over an hour.  He was the father of thirty children, all but one were daughters. If anyone knew how to coerce a young girl into telling the truth, it was him. By the end of that conversation he knew all about her brain augmentation, her helping Quatre, and her predicting his death. They continued to talk on and off for the next few days. It was he who'd come up with the idea of calling them psionics rather than brain augments.

Psionic. He'd said

Excuse me? She was talking about her research on brain augments like her.

I said you're psionic. You are nothing like them. Therefore you should have a different title. I think psionic sounds nicer. Besides, if you keep going around using the phrase 'brain augment' it may accidentally be overheard by someone. This way no one will know what you are talking about.

Anna was beaming such gratitude she'd alerted Shelby who was doing her homework in the school library.  

Now that's taken care of, he said there's one thing I'd like to show you before you sign off. He focused his attention on the picture in front of him. It was a photo of Quatre, taken just before he left for earth. He couldn't control the grin when he heard the gasp on the other end. Another piece of fatherly experience he had was the warning signs of a teenage girl with a huge crush.

He's so hot! I just knew he'd be! Then embarrassment colored her mental tone. Um… that is… ahem… you have a very handsome son. She knew he wasn't fooled but she had to cover herself somehow.  

The last memory Anna showed Quatre was the last time she talked with his father. The day before he died.

Please don't do this. I don't want you to do this. She couldn't help crying. She was desperate. She'd asked him to reconsider a thousand times already, and knew the answer.

Have you had a change in your predictions if I live? If he didn't destroy the resource satellite** thousands would die. In many of the possibilities Quatre or some of his sisters would be in the casualties.

No. She sobbed.

My son isn't the only one who can fight and die for what he believes is right. He said with false bravado. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to cause his loved ones pain, but he knew this was the only way.

Annabella, I want you to reconsider meeting my family. I think you should meet Quatre I think they would love you as much as I do. There was only crying from Anna's end. Now go, I've many things to prepare for. And he cut her off.

Quatre's return to the present was sharp and painful. He gazed at his new lover watching tears pour feely down her face. He pulled her into his embrace and let his own tears fall.

"You loved him didn't you?"

He didn't need an answer but she did anyway. "Would it sound too cliché to say he was like a father to me?"

He chuckled and kissed her on the nose. "No I think he'd have liked that." Now he knew there would be no escape for him. His feeble attempts to pretend he wasn't completely lost on a woman he'd known less than a day were shattered. He'd literally met his soul mate. No other woman would be enough for him.

"I didn't show you my memories of him to make you love me." She was burrowed into his chest.

"I know darling. If I'm honest with myself, I think I've been waiting for you. My family has been trying to pair me off with someone for years. They were all very nice women, but they were always missing something. They weren't right. They weren't you. I love you Annabella. I always have."

"And I always have and always will love you Quatre." she sealed her vow with a light kiss on his lips.

Suddenly they both heard a scream from upstairs. Both their eyes widened in shock. It didn't sound like a scream of fear or pain. It was a scream of passion.

"Is that…?" he asked.

Anna merely nodded bright flags of red were across her cheeks. From the dazed look on her face the lust from the couple upstairs was drowning her. "Oh my" she choked.

He gave his best villainous grin and scooped her into his arms. He'd be dammed if he'd be out done by the likes of Duo. And he carried her all the way back to her room to prove it.