Title: Exercising an Option
Author: Gina Lin Melton Genre: Romance, Action Pairings: 5+S, 3+4, 1+2, 13+6 Warnings: Citrus, Language, Shounen-ai Rating: R Archived: SE_Updates
Chapter 3
The small airport in Butte, Montana was packed with entertainment press reps. Wufei, Heero, Trowa and finally Quatre disembarked from the private plane, blinking in the bright summer sunshine.
"Allah, look at them," said Quatre, muttering a curse in Arabic that made Trowa grin. "Vultures come to the feast.
"Nothing you can't handle," said Wufei, looking bored. "I'm not talking to anyone, get rid of these pests."
"Time to earn my 10%," said Quatre, straightening his tie and raking a hand through his blond locks.
Trowa went to make sure the bags were being loaded properly.
"Want to help me, Heero?" asked Quatre, glancing over at the other man as they made a physical shield between Wufei and the herd of reporters coming towards them.
"I could shoot them," said Heero casually, reaching under his tailored dark gray silk jacket.
"You're kidding, right?" asked Quatre, licking his lower lip nervously.
"I was a private detective before I went to law school," said Heero. "I never leave home without packing."
"You're one scary bastard," said Quatre. "Remind me never to piss you off."
Heero smirked and stuck his hand back in his pants pocket.
The rabble neared.
"Mr. Winner, when will Wufei be able to go back to work?" asked a female reporter wearing a short tight red suit, her dark hair short and spiky.
"Hi, Miranda, I can't believe they sent you all the way out here just to get a little story like this," Quatre smiled at the woman, flashing white teeth.
"I've been a bad girl," said Miranda. Most of the other reporters laughed.
"All I can say is what we told you at the press conference in LA, Miranda. The doctors want Mr.Chang to rest and rehab for 3 months. That's why we're here."
"Why such an out of the way place?" asked an older balding man, licking the end of his pencil.
"To avoid undue publicity," said Quatre, his voice ironic. Everyone laughed again.
"How is this injury going to affect Mr. Chang's career?" asked another older woman with a blond pageboy.
"Mr. Chang is expected to make a full recovery, and go back to work in 6 months on his new film," said Quatre. "So, not much. The surgery he had to repair his torn ligaments and the rotator cuff on his right arm was done by one of the country's best orthopedic surgeons, and he gave Mr. Chang an excellent prognosis."
There was a murmur among the reporters as they made their notes.
"Well, if that's everything, we have a car waiting for us," said Quatre.
"One more question," said a male voice from the back of the pack, an arm frantically waving.
"Okay, one more," said Quatre, frowning, checking his watch in an obvious fashion to hurry things along.
"I wanted to ask Mr. Chang how he feels about the dangers in stunt work, now that he's been seriously injured. We all know his wife died only a few short years ago in a similar incident, and what are his thoughts on the subject?"
Quatre felt both Heero and Wufei stiffen beside him.
"I really can't answer for Mr. Chang about that," said Quatre in a monotone. "And Mr. Chang isn't answering questions today, I'm sorry. He needs his rest, doctor's orders."
Quatre smiled politely, and folded his arms with an air of finality.
Trowa walked back toward the three other men. "Is there a problem?" he asked carefully, looking at Wufei's tight face.
"Let's get the fuck out of here," Wufei said between clenched teeth.
"Sounds good to me," said Trowa, "All right, everyone, move out!" he said, raising his voice to the small assemblage.
"Show's over!"
"I'm sorry Wufei, I had no idea that moron was going to ask something like that," said Quatre as they walked briskly past the remaining reporters.
"Not your fault," said Wufei. "I'm tired, and I just want to get where we're supposed to be." He unconsciously placed his uninjured arm over the one held firmly in the brace he was wearing on his right arm and shoulder.
Quatre looked at his watch again. "You need something for pain?" he asked Wufei.
"I'll be all right until we get there," said Wufei. "Last thing I need is someone seeing me popping a damn pill in public. Tomorrow, the tabloids will be telling everyone I'm a drug addict."
Trowa shook his head, "I don't know how the media found us, this is supposed to be as out of the way as it gets."
"There is no such thing," said Quatre. "There's the van to take us to the spa," he said, pointing.
A long, dark green van with "Green Mountain Spa" in white letters on the side was parked in front of the loading zone. Their luggage was being put in by the back by airport baggage handlers.
"That must be our driver," said Trowa, pointing to a medium built guy with long braided hair, wearing blue jeans, hiking boots, a black t-shirt and a green jacket with the spa's logo on the back, who was talking to the luggage attendants.
Quatre walked over and put out a hand.
"I'm Quatre Winner, Mr. Chang's manager," he said. "You're here to pick us up?"
"That's right," said Duo, taking the offered hand in a warm grip.
"I'm Duo," he said. "I'm not the regular driver, he's sick today, so I'm filling in."
"Oh, what do you usually do?" asked Quatre, as Duo opened the doors of the van for the group.
"Massage therapist," he said, shortly. "You need any help there?" he asked Wufei, offering a hand.
"No thank you," said Wufei curtly, brushing past everyone to climb into the van.
"Sorry," muttered Duo, withdrawing his hand.
"Don't mind him," said Trowa, near Duo's ear. Duo jumped a little. "He's just in pain, the plane trip was harder on him than he'll admit."
"And you are?" asked Duo, turning to see who had spoken to him.
"Trowa Barton, I'm Mr. Chang's stunt coordinator, and his friend."
"Nice to meet ya," said Duo. "I'm Duo Maxwell."
"Who's the other guy?" he asked Trowa.
"Heero Yuy, Wufei's lawyer," said Trowa.
"He brings his lawyer with him?" asked Duo, eyes widening.
"They're friends, were in the army together a few years back," said Trowa.
"Oh," said Duo. He was openly sizing up the slim dark-haired man in the gray silk suit.
"Friend of yours too?" he asked in an overly casual tone.
"Depends on what you mean by 'friend'," said Trowa, looking squarely at Duo.
"Sorry, I'm being kind of nosey, huh?" asked Duo, grinning disarmingly.
"Not really," said Trowa. "He's uninvolved, if that's what you're asking."
"Geez, you get right to the point," said Duo, pulling a green baseball cap down on his head, and sliding into the driver's seat, and snapping on a pair of sunglasses. "Am I that freakin' obvious?"
"Pretty much," said Trowa, grinning faintly. "And just for the record, I AM involved." He made a gesture with his head towards Quatre, who was leaning forward discussing something with Wufei, sitting next to Heero. Wufei looked more irritable with each passing minute.
"Message received and understood," said Duo, grinning again and giving Trowa a mocking salute.
Trowa climbed inside of the van and sat down next to Quatre in the back seat.
"Welcome to Montana," said Duo, looking behind him and settling his sunglasses down on his nose.
"How long is our drive to Green Mountain?" asked Quatre, from the back seat.
"About an hour," said Duo.
"You need to take your medication now," said Quatre to Wufei, handing him a pill and a bottle of water.
"I can wait," said Wufei stubbornly.
"No you can't," said Quatre, sticking out his chin. "It's time, and I told the doctor I'd make sure you took your meds."
"Just take the goddamn pill, Chang, or I'll insert it rectally," said Heero, after a few seconds, breaking the stand off.
Trowa snickered. "He'll do it, too, Wufei, better get it down."
Wufei grumbled something about his dignity being violated under his breath and took the pill, swallowing a long drink of water with it.
"Everyone happy now?" he asked, settling back in the seat and closing his eyes.
"I'm delirious," said Heero in a sarcastic monotone.
"Try to get some rest," said Quatre solicitously to Wufei. "It's been a long trip. I can tell you're in pain, you're just too stubborn to admit it."
"There's some nice sites on the way there," said Duo, helpfully. "This is gorgeous country, so just enjoy the ride."
"Thank you, Mr. um, Duo, wasn't it?" asked Quatre.
"Yeah," said Duo. "Duo Maxwell."
"How long have you lived here?" said Quatre, making conversation.
"Two years," said Duo. "I lived in LA before that."
"Oh, so you're from our part of the country," said Quatre.
"Originally," said Duo. "I like it here now. I don't know if I could go back to the city."
"Don't you miss it?" asked Quatre.
"Not now," said Duo. "It was a change at the beginning, but I'm used to the slower pace here now."
"Any particular reason you moved here?" asked Quatre.
"My sister works at the spa and got me a job there," said Duo. "She's the chef."
"Oh, I see," said Quatre, sensing a certain evasiveness in the man's answer.
"So, work brought you here?" he pressed.
"Personal reasons, too," said Duo, trying to think of a tactful way to change the subject.
"Look, see that over there?" he pointed, one still hand on the wheel.
"What are those?" asked Trowa, looking at the flashes of sienna colored fur running away from them. "Deer?"
"No, they're pronghorn antelope," said Duo. "Actually, a species of wild goat native to the west."
"Really?" asked Trowa, craning his head to look out of the windows. "Never seen one before. They're fast!"
"They're the fastest animal on the North American continent," said Duo. "They can run up to 40 miles an hour in short bursts."
"Amazing," said Heero, looking too.
"You're quite a tour guide, Duo," said Quatre.
"I just like to talk," said Duo. "If I yak on too much, please tell me to shut up, everyone does sooner or later."
"No, that was interesting," said Wufei, speaking for the first time.
"Thanks," said Duo.
"What are those?" asked Trowa, pointing out of the window again.
"Coyotes," said Duo. "They have those in California, too, but you don't see them much in the city. They're not crazy about people."
"I've heard them," said Heero. "Out in the valleys."
"They're scavengers," said Duo. "And, they hunt rodents and other small animals. We'd be overrun with mice and gophers, otherwise."
"What other animals live here?" asked Trowa.
"Cougar, wolf, black bear, grizzly bear, elk, moose, deer, of course," said Duo. "Big Horn sheep, and mountain goats."
"There are wolves?" asked Quatre.
"They're rare, an endangered species," said Duo. "And they fear humans. You'd be very lucky to glimpse one."
"I wouldn't call that lucky," said Quatre.
Everyone chuckled.
"Just how rustic is this spa?" asked Wufei, the strain in his features was beginning to recede as his pain medication kicked in.
"Not at all," said Duo. "It's pretty ritzy. The boss wouldn't have it any other way. He's not local he's from Europe, Swiss. He owned a ski resort in the Alps, but decided to come here and open the spa."
"Afraid I was dooming you to bunkbeds and beans in the bush?" asked Quatre, snickering at Wufei.
"No, but I've roughed it before, so I'm not worried," said Wufei. "Heero and I were in the army, and Trowa here was raised by circus people. We haven't always been in the swank like some people." He cut his glance archly to Quatre.
Quatre raised a brow at him. "I can't help it if I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth." He pouted slightly.
"Yeah, well, I was born with a plastic fork in my ass," said Trowa, making Duo, Quatre and Wufei laugh out loud, and Heero chuckle.
"What is it you do again?" Heero asked Duo, who took off his billed cap and put it on the dashboard to ruffle his bangs.
"Massage therapist," said Duo.
"You're not the driver?" asked Wufei.
"No," said Duo, explaining again. "I'm just filling in for the regular guy, he's sick."
"What kind of massage?" asked Quatre.
"Mostly therapeutic, I work with the physical therapist Mr. Chang came to see, Ms. Po."
"What's she like?" asked Quatre.
"I like her a lot," said Duo, deliberately vague. "She's good at what she does, direct, positive. Good looking too."
"Are you her boyfriend?" asked Quatre, grinning.
"No, we're just friends," said Duo. "She and my sister have been friends for a while, too. We'll be there in a about five minutes, so you'll see for yourself."
A large castle-like structure of massive logs, glass, and river rock was seen in the distance.
"That's it," said Duo, pointing.
"Impressive looking," said Quatre. "Fits the surroundings, very bold, primeval, yet elegant."
"It's something," agreed Duo, thinking he could be describing Trieze.
"Wufei needs to rest," said Quatre. "Can we do this quickly?" he asked as they drove up to the entrance.
"I'll manage," said Wufei. "I'm feeling okay right now."
"You haven't won one argument with him so far," said Heero to Wufei. "Give up."
"Not my style," said Wufei, as Heero helped him out of the van.
Trowa inhaled deeply. "Wow, invisible air," he said.
"It makes me nervous to breathe something I can't see," said Quatre, looking around.
"You'll get used to it," said Trowa. "I forgot what it's like to see green and blue everywhere."
"Okay, nature boy," said Quatre, "Let's go check in. We can site see later." He grabbed Trowa's arm and pulled him inside the large double wooden doors at the entrance.
"Nice," said Trowa, walking into the lobby, seeing the copper chandeliers, the open beams, huge river rock fireplace, and log railings.
"I'm so glad you approve," said an arresting voice with a faint accent behind them.
"I'm Trieze Khushrenada, the owner," said the tall, red-haired man.
"I'm Quatre Winner, Mr. Chang's manager," said Quatre, extending his hand. "This is Mr. Barton, his assistant, and Mr. Yuy, his attorney."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance," said Trieze smoothly. "I understand Mr. Chang may wish to rest after your long journey, so I had your luggage taken up right away. Please, make yourself at home."
"Thank you," said Quatre. "We are a little tired. It's a bit of a ride out here, but beautiful country."
"Isn't it?" said Trieze. A man with stunning platinum hair reaching to his waist came over. "May I introduce Zechs Marquise, my partner," he said.
"Business partner?" asked Heero.
"Business and pleasure," said Trieze in a silky voice, and Zechs held out a hand. "I'm part owner of the spa, yes," he explained.
"Glad to know you," said Trowa, shaking hands.
"I'm going to find my room," said Heero, ignoring the offered hands.
He went up to the front desk with his briefcase and laptop, and came back in a minute with a key.
"See you later," he said to Wufei.
"You must forgive him," said Wufei. "Heero is an old friend, but he was raised by wolves."
Trieze smiled graciously. "Zechs and I hope to have the pleasure of your company at dinner, Mr. Chang. And your charming friends, of course."
Wufei nodded. "Of course," he said, bowing his head slightly. "But, if you don't mind, I'd like to lie down for a while."
"Zechs, why don't you show the gentlemen their rooms?"
"Come with me," said Zechs. He went over to the front desk and came back with two keys.
"You only booked three rooms?" he asked.
"Yes, one for myself, one for Mr. Yuy, and Mr. Barton and Mr. Winner have a suite of their own," said Wufei, looking at Zechs directly.
"Of course," said Zechs. "I'm sure you'll like them, they're our best rooms."
"I'm sure," said Wufei.
"Just rest today," said Zechs. "Tomorrow, you can worry about your therapy and rehabilitation."
"I'm eager to get to work," said Wufei.
"It will be slow at first," said Zechs, "But, Sally Po is the best."
"Her reputation as a physical therapist is what brought me here, frankly," said Wufei. "Not that it's not a stunning facility."
"Here we are, Mr. Chang," said Zechs, turning into a doorway. "All your rooms are on this floor. That one is Mr. Yuy's," he pointed to the next door. "And this one is Mr. Barton and Mr. Winner's suite." He pointed to the door across the hallway and handed Trowa the key.
"Let me help you get settled in," said Quatre, taking Wufei's key and opening the door.
Wufei nodded at him. "I'm going to lie down," he said wearily.
He sat on the edge of the large quilt covered bed and pushed off his shoes, lying down on top of the quilt.
"I'll unpack your things," said Quatre, checking the luggage tags and starting to open the bags.
"Leave it until later," said Wufei, "You've done more than enough. Go enjoy yourselves," he said to Quatre and Trowa, closing his eyes.
"I'll be back later," said Quatre, going over and pulling the quilt over Wufei, and making sure the lights were turned off as they all left the room.
Author: Gina Lin Melton Genre: Romance, Action Pairings: 5+S, 3+4, 1+2, 13+6 Warnings: Citrus, Language, Shounen-ai Rating: R Archived: SE_Updates
Chapter 3
The small airport in Butte, Montana was packed with entertainment press reps. Wufei, Heero, Trowa and finally Quatre disembarked from the private plane, blinking in the bright summer sunshine.
"Allah, look at them," said Quatre, muttering a curse in Arabic that made Trowa grin. "Vultures come to the feast.
"Nothing you can't handle," said Wufei, looking bored. "I'm not talking to anyone, get rid of these pests."
"Time to earn my 10%," said Quatre, straightening his tie and raking a hand through his blond locks.
Trowa went to make sure the bags were being loaded properly.
"Want to help me, Heero?" asked Quatre, glancing over at the other man as they made a physical shield between Wufei and the herd of reporters coming towards them.
"I could shoot them," said Heero casually, reaching under his tailored dark gray silk jacket.
"You're kidding, right?" asked Quatre, licking his lower lip nervously.
"I was a private detective before I went to law school," said Heero. "I never leave home without packing."
"You're one scary bastard," said Quatre. "Remind me never to piss you off."
Heero smirked and stuck his hand back in his pants pocket.
The rabble neared.
"Mr. Winner, when will Wufei be able to go back to work?" asked a female reporter wearing a short tight red suit, her dark hair short and spiky.
"Hi, Miranda, I can't believe they sent you all the way out here just to get a little story like this," Quatre smiled at the woman, flashing white teeth.
"I've been a bad girl," said Miranda. Most of the other reporters laughed.
"All I can say is what we told you at the press conference in LA, Miranda. The doctors want Mr.Chang to rest and rehab for 3 months. That's why we're here."
"Why such an out of the way place?" asked an older balding man, licking the end of his pencil.
"To avoid undue publicity," said Quatre, his voice ironic. Everyone laughed again.
"How is this injury going to affect Mr. Chang's career?" asked another older woman with a blond pageboy.
"Mr. Chang is expected to make a full recovery, and go back to work in 6 months on his new film," said Quatre. "So, not much. The surgery he had to repair his torn ligaments and the rotator cuff on his right arm was done by one of the country's best orthopedic surgeons, and he gave Mr. Chang an excellent prognosis."
There was a murmur among the reporters as they made their notes.
"Well, if that's everything, we have a car waiting for us," said Quatre.
"One more question," said a male voice from the back of the pack, an arm frantically waving.
"Okay, one more," said Quatre, frowning, checking his watch in an obvious fashion to hurry things along.
"I wanted to ask Mr. Chang how he feels about the dangers in stunt work, now that he's been seriously injured. We all know his wife died only a few short years ago in a similar incident, and what are his thoughts on the subject?"
Quatre felt both Heero and Wufei stiffen beside him.
"I really can't answer for Mr. Chang about that," said Quatre in a monotone. "And Mr. Chang isn't answering questions today, I'm sorry. He needs his rest, doctor's orders."
Quatre smiled politely, and folded his arms with an air of finality.
Trowa walked back toward the three other men. "Is there a problem?" he asked carefully, looking at Wufei's tight face.
"Let's get the fuck out of here," Wufei said between clenched teeth.
"Sounds good to me," said Trowa, "All right, everyone, move out!" he said, raising his voice to the small assemblage.
"Show's over!"
"I'm sorry Wufei, I had no idea that moron was going to ask something like that," said Quatre as they walked briskly past the remaining reporters.
"Not your fault," said Wufei. "I'm tired, and I just want to get where we're supposed to be." He unconsciously placed his uninjured arm over the one held firmly in the brace he was wearing on his right arm and shoulder.
Quatre looked at his watch again. "You need something for pain?" he asked Wufei.
"I'll be all right until we get there," said Wufei. "Last thing I need is someone seeing me popping a damn pill in public. Tomorrow, the tabloids will be telling everyone I'm a drug addict."
Trowa shook his head, "I don't know how the media found us, this is supposed to be as out of the way as it gets."
"There is no such thing," said Quatre. "There's the van to take us to the spa," he said, pointing.
A long, dark green van with "Green Mountain Spa" in white letters on the side was parked in front of the loading zone. Their luggage was being put in by the back by airport baggage handlers.
"That must be our driver," said Trowa, pointing to a medium built guy with long braided hair, wearing blue jeans, hiking boots, a black t-shirt and a green jacket with the spa's logo on the back, who was talking to the luggage attendants.
Quatre walked over and put out a hand.
"I'm Quatre Winner, Mr. Chang's manager," he said. "You're here to pick us up?"
"That's right," said Duo, taking the offered hand in a warm grip.
"I'm Duo," he said. "I'm not the regular driver, he's sick today, so I'm filling in."
"Oh, what do you usually do?" asked Quatre, as Duo opened the doors of the van for the group.
"Massage therapist," he said, shortly. "You need any help there?" he asked Wufei, offering a hand.
"No thank you," said Wufei curtly, brushing past everyone to climb into the van.
"Sorry," muttered Duo, withdrawing his hand.
"Don't mind him," said Trowa, near Duo's ear. Duo jumped a little. "He's just in pain, the plane trip was harder on him than he'll admit."
"And you are?" asked Duo, turning to see who had spoken to him.
"Trowa Barton, I'm Mr. Chang's stunt coordinator, and his friend."
"Nice to meet ya," said Duo. "I'm Duo Maxwell."
"Who's the other guy?" he asked Trowa.
"Heero Yuy, Wufei's lawyer," said Trowa.
"He brings his lawyer with him?" asked Duo, eyes widening.
"They're friends, were in the army together a few years back," said Trowa.
"Oh," said Duo. He was openly sizing up the slim dark-haired man in the gray silk suit.
"Friend of yours too?" he asked in an overly casual tone.
"Depends on what you mean by 'friend'," said Trowa, looking squarely at Duo.
"Sorry, I'm being kind of nosey, huh?" asked Duo, grinning disarmingly.
"Not really," said Trowa. "He's uninvolved, if that's what you're asking."
"Geez, you get right to the point," said Duo, pulling a green baseball cap down on his head, and sliding into the driver's seat, and snapping on a pair of sunglasses. "Am I that freakin' obvious?"
"Pretty much," said Trowa, grinning faintly. "And just for the record, I AM involved." He made a gesture with his head towards Quatre, who was leaning forward discussing something with Wufei, sitting next to Heero. Wufei looked more irritable with each passing minute.
"Message received and understood," said Duo, grinning again and giving Trowa a mocking salute.
Trowa climbed inside of the van and sat down next to Quatre in the back seat.
"Welcome to Montana," said Duo, looking behind him and settling his sunglasses down on his nose.
"How long is our drive to Green Mountain?" asked Quatre, from the back seat.
"About an hour," said Duo.
"You need to take your medication now," said Quatre to Wufei, handing him a pill and a bottle of water.
"I can wait," said Wufei stubbornly.
"No you can't," said Quatre, sticking out his chin. "It's time, and I told the doctor I'd make sure you took your meds."
"Just take the goddamn pill, Chang, or I'll insert it rectally," said Heero, after a few seconds, breaking the stand off.
Trowa snickered. "He'll do it, too, Wufei, better get it down."
Wufei grumbled something about his dignity being violated under his breath and took the pill, swallowing a long drink of water with it.
"Everyone happy now?" he asked, settling back in the seat and closing his eyes.
"I'm delirious," said Heero in a sarcastic monotone.
"Try to get some rest," said Quatre solicitously to Wufei. "It's been a long trip. I can tell you're in pain, you're just too stubborn to admit it."
"There's some nice sites on the way there," said Duo, helpfully. "This is gorgeous country, so just enjoy the ride."
"Thank you, Mr. um, Duo, wasn't it?" asked Quatre.
"Yeah," said Duo. "Duo Maxwell."
"How long have you lived here?" said Quatre, making conversation.
"Two years," said Duo. "I lived in LA before that."
"Oh, so you're from our part of the country," said Quatre.
"Originally," said Duo. "I like it here now. I don't know if I could go back to the city."
"Don't you miss it?" asked Quatre.
"Not now," said Duo. "It was a change at the beginning, but I'm used to the slower pace here now."
"Any particular reason you moved here?" asked Quatre.
"My sister works at the spa and got me a job there," said Duo. "She's the chef."
"Oh, I see," said Quatre, sensing a certain evasiveness in the man's answer.
"So, work brought you here?" he pressed.
"Personal reasons, too," said Duo, trying to think of a tactful way to change the subject.
"Look, see that over there?" he pointed, one still hand on the wheel.
"What are those?" asked Trowa, looking at the flashes of sienna colored fur running away from them. "Deer?"
"No, they're pronghorn antelope," said Duo. "Actually, a species of wild goat native to the west."
"Really?" asked Trowa, craning his head to look out of the windows. "Never seen one before. They're fast!"
"They're the fastest animal on the North American continent," said Duo. "They can run up to 40 miles an hour in short bursts."
"Amazing," said Heero, looking too.
"You're quite a tour guide, Duo," said Quatre.
"I just like to talk," said Duo. "If I yak on too much, please tell me to shut up, everyone does sooner or later."
"No, that was interesting," said Wufei, speaking for the first time.
"Thanks," said Duo.
"What are those?" asked Trowa, pointing out of the window again.
"Coyotes," said Duo. "They have those in California, too, but you don't see them much in the city. They're not crazy about people."
"I've heard them," said Heero. "Out in the valleys."
"They're scavengers," said Duo. "And, they hunt rodents and other small animals. We'd be overrun with mice and gophers, otherwise."
"What other animals live here?" asked Trowa.
"Cougar, wolf, black bear, grizzly bear, elk, moose, deer, of course," said Duo. "Big Horn sheep, and mountain goats."
"There are wolves?" asked Quatre.
"They're rare, an endangered species," said Duo. "And they fear humans. You'd be very lucky to glimpse one."
"I wouldn't call that lucky," said Quatre.
Everyone chuckled.
"Just how rustic is this spa?" asked Wufei, the strain in his features was beginning to recede as his pain medication kicked in.
"Not at all," said Duo. "It's pretty ritzy. The boss wouldn't have it any other way. He's not local he's from Europe, Swiss. He owned a ski resort in the Alps, but decided to come here and open the spa."
"Afraid I was dooming you to bunkbeds and beans in the bush?" asked Quatre, snickering at Wufei.
"No, but I've roughed it before, so I'm not worried," said Wufei. "Heero and I were in the army, and Trowa here was raised by circus people. We haven't always been in the swank like some people." He cut his glance archly to Quatre.
Quatre raised a brow at him. "I can't help it if I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth." He pouted slightly.
"Yeah, well, I was born with a plastic fork in my ass," said Trowa, making Duo, Quatre and Wufei laugh out loud, and Heero chuckle.
"What is it you do again?" Heero asked Duo, who took off his billed cap and put it on the dashboard to ruffle his bangs.
"Massage therapist," said Duo.
"You're not the driver?" asked Wufei.
"No," said Duo, explaining again. "I'm just filling in for the regular guy, he's sick."
"What kind of massage?" asked Quatre.
"Mostly therapeutic, I work with the physical therapist Mr. Chang came to see, Ms. Po."
"What's she like?" asked Quatre.
"I like her a lot," said Duo, deliberately vague. "She's good at what she does, direct, positive. Good looking too."
"Are you her boyfriend?" asked Quatre, grinning.
"No, we're just friends," said Duo. "She and my sister have been friends for a while, too. We'll be there in a about five minutes, so you'll see for yourself."
A large castle-like structure of massive logs, glass, and river rock was seen in the distance.
"That's it," said Duo, pointing.
"Impressive looking," said Quatre. "Fits the surroundings, very bold, primeval, yet elegant."
"It's something," agreed Duo, thinking he could be describing Trieze.
"Wufei needs to rest," said Quatre. "Can we do this quickly?" he asked as they drove up to the entrance.
"I'll manage," said Wufei. "I'm feeling okay right now."
"You haven't won one argument with him so far," said Heero to Wufei. "Give up."
"Not my style," said Wufei, as Heero helped him out of the van.
Trowa inhaled deeply. "Wow, invisible air," he said.
"It makes me nervous to breathe something I can't see," said Quatre, looking around.
"You'll get used to it," said Trowa. "I forgot what it's like to see green and blue everywhere."
"Okay, nature boy," said Quatre, "Let's go check in. We can site see later." He grabbed Trowa's arm and pulled him inside the large double wooden doors at the entrance.
"Nice," said Trowa, walking into the lobby, seeing the copper chandeliers, the open beams, huge river rock fireplace, and log railings.
"I'm so glad you approve," said an arresting voice with a faint accent behind them.
"I'm Trieze Khushrenada, the owner," said the tall, red-haired man.
"I'm Quatre Winner, Mr. Chang's manager," said Quatre, extending his hand. "This is Mr. Barton, his assistant, and Mr. Yuy, his attorney."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance," said Trieze smoothly. "I understand Mr. Chang may wish to rest after your long journey, so I had your luggage taken up right away. Please, make yourself at home."
"Thank you," said Quatre. "We are a little tired. It's a bit of a ride out here, but beautiful country."
"Isn't it?" said Trieze. A man with stunning platinum hair reaching to his waist came over. "May I introduce Zechs Marquise, my partner," he said.
"Business partner?" asked Heero.
"Business and pleasure," said Trieze in a silky voice, and Zechs held out a hand. "I'm part owner of the spa, yes," he explained.
"Glad to know you," said Trowa, shaking hands.
"I'm going to find my room," said Heero, ignoring the offered hands.
He went up to the front desk with his briefcase and laptop, and came back in a minute with a key.
"See you later," he said to Wufei.
"You must forgive him," said Wufei. "Heero is an old friend, but he was raised by wolves."
Trieze smiled graciously. "Zechs and I hope to have the pleasure of your company at dinner, Mr. Chang. And your charming friends, of course."
Wufei nodded. "Of course," he said, bowing his head slightly. "But, if you don't mind, I'd like to lie down for a while."
"Zechs, why don't you show the gentlemen their rooms?"
"Come with me," said Zechs. He went over to the front desk and came back with two keys.
"You only booked three rooms?" he asked.
"Yes, one for myself, one for Mr. Yuy, and Mr. Barton and Mr. Winner have a suite of their own," said Wufei, looking at Zechs directly.
"Of course," said Zechs. "I'm sure you'll like them, they're our best rooms."
"I'm sure," said Wufei.
"Just rest today," said Zechs. "Tomorrow, you can worry about your therapy and rehabilitation."
"I'm eager to get to work," said Wufei.
"It will be slow at first," said Zechs, "But, Sally Po is the best."
"Her reputation as a physical therapist is what brought me here, frankly," said Wufei. "Not that it's not a stunning facility."
"Here we are, Mr. Chang," said Zechs, turning into a doorway. "All your rooms are on this floor. That one is Mr. Yuy's," he pointed to the next door. "And this one is Mr. Barton and Mr. Winner's suite." He pointed to the door across the hallway and handed Trowa the key.
"Let me help you get settled in," said Quatre, taking Wufei's key and opening the door.
Wufei nodded at him. "I'm going to lie down," he said wearily.
He sat on the edge of the large quilt covered bed and pushed off his shoes, lying down on top of the quilt.
"I'll unpack your things," said Quatre, checking the luggage tags and starting to open the bags.
"Leave it until later," said Wufei, "You've done more than enough. Go enjoy yourselves," he said to Quatre and Trowa, closing his eyes.
"I'll be back later," said Quatre, going over and pulling the quilt over Wufei, and making sure the lights were turned off as they all left the room.