Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas or "The Waking" by Theodore Roethke.

Grace was sitting on the kitchen counter, trying to get me to recite a poem. I had no memory for anything, so I couldn't even think of the first line.

"Do not go gently…" I opened.

"Gentle," she corrected.

"Gentle…" I muttered. "…into that good night, old age should rave and burn at…"

"Burn and rave," Lola shouted from the other room. "Burn and rave!"

"Oh who cares!" I groaned. I threw down the paper. "It doesn't matter anyway. There is no way I'm going to remember this poem."

"But how do you expect to get into college if you can't remember a simple poem?" Grace asked getting exasperated.

"Maybe I'm just not college material. Maybe I should forget about it."

"No, no you won't. I won't let you. You deserve to go to college. You could remember it last week," she said. "What's been on your mind lately?"

It had been a week since those guys had come over and I couldn't think straight. So much had been going through my head. Lola was the same way too. She couldn't decide what she wanted to do now.

*

They had decided to inform their friends of what they had found at our house and decided to leave everything with us.

"It's survived this long with you. It might as well stay a bit longer," Quatre said. "We'll be back."

"Don't go having that baby on us now, though," Duo yelled back at Lola while walking away. She blushed and waved bye. Trowa didn't say anything, but waved bye too.

"Do you think their friends will be very nice?" she asked.

"I don't know. I sure do hope so," I replied as I watched the three walk away.

*

"How about we try another poem then?" Grace offered. "How about 'The Waking'? You always liked that one."

"Okay. I wake to sleep…and take my waking slow?" I inquired and recited at the same time. "I feel my fate in what I cannot fear?" Grace nodded in encouragement. "I learn by going where I have to go."

We continued like this. It was to build up my memory skills, such as they were. Grace loved trying to teach me poetry, and Lola seemed to learn as I went along. I was supposed to go to college. Do something with myself, but I don't know what. Besides, it was hard enough to afford house payments, let alone college tuition.

Lola had been busing herself in her room, probably looking over the contents of the box. Trying to make sense of it all. She had been getting bigger and bigger, and kept comparing herself to various shelters. But she still insisted on doing things around the house. It was as if she was afraid she would stop being useful. We let her do things like the laundry, and made sure that she got a say in who did what around the house. The funny thing was, none of us were sure how long she had been pregnant. She looked to be around her eighth month, or nearing her ninth. But she wouldn't tell anyone, and she didn't want to know the sex of the baby. ("I want it to be a surprise!")

Lola, like me, hadn't told Anita or Grace about the guys that had come over. It was like it was our little secret, and we weren't going to tell anyone. I kind of liked it that way. Then we didn't have to share, and we didn't need to worry them over something that could very likely be pointless.

And then they came.

It was a bright day. Looking to be about twelve noon, but it was more like ten in the morning. Grace was sitting in the study, trying to make sense of some French that Lola had dug up from somewhere, and I was sitting in the kitchen, looking over a few bills. Lola was nowhere to be seen, probably getting the groceries that she insisted on getting earlier, even though, the rest of us do have legs. And Anita was asleep.

There was a soft knock on the door. Not thinking I just yelled, "Come in!" And whoever it was made their way inside.

When I looked up, I was shocked to see five young men crowding the doorway.

"Hello," Duo greeted brightly.

"H-hi," I meekly replied. I sure as hell didn't see this one coming. "Ummm…Take a seat?" I offered. There were two new people, and I didn't know what to say. Both looked extremely serious, and I'm sure I knew them from somewhere. Neither one smiled. These people just didn't run out of the intimidating kind, did they?

"This is Heero Yuy," Quatre said, pointing to the brown-headed guy beside him, "and this is Wufei Chang," he ended pointing at the other Chinese man, standing in the far corner. He had a cast on, so I assume he had broken his ankle.

"Hi," I said. I offered my hand, but neither seemed too excited to take it. Then the guy named Heero took it very briefly, only touching me for a moment.

Friendly.

"And I trust you remember Trowa, Duo, and myself."

"Yes, of course," I answered, still a little stunned.

They took their seats, and I took a moment to swallow the scene. Five guys I barely know, in my kitchen, all wanting something from me. Not good.

Then Grace came in. She dropped the paper she was holding, her lower jaw along with it. "Did I miss something?" she asked.

"Umm.. Yes. These are some acquaintances of mine…" I stumbled over the words, not knowing what to label them. Friends… I haven't known them long enough. Intruders…well that sounded rude now. Besides, I invited them in.

I would have introduced them, but Quatre beat me to it. "This is Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, Heero Yuy, and that is Wufei Chang. I am Quatre Raberba Winner," he informed her with a smile. "And you are?"

"Grace," was her one word reply.

"Nice to meet you, Grace," he smiled.

She just nodded, and tried to smile back. Then in true Grace style she asked, "Would you like something to eat?"

"Why have we not met your friend sooner?" Duo asked. Smiling as he nodded to Grace. "Tate, here, has never mentioned you." He then shook her hand also. And Grace looked like a fish facing a shark with nowhere to hide.

"Well, she hasn't really been around here lately," I tried. "At least, not when you're here."

"Oh, is there anyone else we need to know about?" Duo asked.

"Well there is Anita…" Grace started. "But I don't know if you'll ever meet her, she is never awake, and she's moving anyway." Grace said all of this really fast, so it sounded more like one word. Duo looked slightly confused, but didn't ask her to repeat herself. She was getting nervous now. You could tell.

"So, what are you gonna fix?" I asked Grace, hoping to calm her down a bit.

"I don't know," Grace replied, bewildered.

"Would you like anything special?" I directed this question to all of them, but only Duo answered.

"How about some sausage and eggs?"

"Sure," Grace mouthed, barely making a noise. She began getting the cooking supplies and I began the inevitable conversation with our guests.

"So…" I started.

"So…" the guy with the messy brown hair repeated.

"I don't know where to start," I said. What was I suppose to say?

So I found some pictures of you people you've never seen before, and now I'm starting to think you have a stalker…

No.

You people freak me out and I wish you would just take the damn crap and go.

Umm…no.

"For starters, how much do you know?" Trowa asked.

"Not much," I replied. "I don't know anything. Lola probably knows more than I do about everything that was in that box. I think she's even translated a few things."

"What do these things say?" Heero asked.

"I don't know…" I've never read any of them. Lately I have just tried to ignore the stuff. "Like I said, Lola knows more about it than I do."

"Well where is Lola?" Quatre asked.

"She went grocery shopping." I got up to get the juice from the refrigerator. I poured myself a glass and gestured in question if anyone else wanted any. They just shook their heads.

"Hmm… I thought she would be here. We told her we were coming."

"You did?!" Now I was annoyed. She knew they were coming. And she left me to deal with them?

Injustice.

"Well, I suggest we wait for her to come back, and she can tell you what she found… what she knows…whatever," I advised.

"Okay," a few replied.

A few minutes later…

Grace was still making brunch for everyone, while I was still drinking orange juice. Our guests were just sitting there quietly, staring at me. I almost wanted to get up and start tap dancing just to find out if their expressions would change. So far, they had all seemed serious, except for Duo. And I'm sure he could be as serious if he wanted to be. Sometimes they would mutter something to each other, and I couldn't make out what they were saying, so I tried to sit still and look unperturbed.

Then a girl with long red hair walked in, stumbling with large grocery sacks, unnoticed. As she wobbled about dropping the bag of apples, you couldn't see her large pregnant stomach. While trying to place the bags on the table she grunted, "No, don't get up! I'd hate to think you'd have to move."

"Well, you could have said something…" I replied while picking up the apples, dodging Grace's foot. The others moved to help, but I told them to sit back down. "Is there any more?"

"There are five or so more bags out in the car…" Lola started.

"Jesus, did you buy the entire store?" I asked.

"Well, we were running low on supplies. Plus we have company," she said while pointing to the boys at the table. "I see you all made it here well," she smiled sweetly. "I'm Lola."

"Yes, quite well," Quatre smiled back. "And these are…"

"Yeah," I replied, ignoring their side conversation, "human guests, not freaking hippos! How much food do you think they need?"

"I don't know! I don't normally do the shopping," she grumbled.

I knew I was being rude, but I didn't care. She should have told me.

"That's true," Grace supplied to the guests, "I'm the one who usually deals with the food. I love to cook." She said all of this while flipping sausages, and cracking more eggs in another pan. Of course Grace would try cover up my impoliteness.

"And we're thankful to you for it," Lola said while rubbing her round tummy.

"Well, you know, if you had told me they were coming, I would have done the shopping. But you didn't do that did you?"

Lola looked like she was going to answer but just then a girl with short brown hair came in, stopping our argument mid-shout.

She had dyed it again. They hadn't met Anita yet, but we knew we would have to introduce them sometime. I think we were just hopping she would be in a different state. At least her hair was a normal color.

Anita was wearing a skimpy pair of pink underwear, bobby socks, and a shirt, that for all it covered, she shouldn't have worn at all. It would have left less to the imagination, but since there were only two buttons done up on her shirt anyway, not much. She yawned, raising her arms, and Lola couldn't help but wince.

Grace just stared, I continued with putting away the groceries as normal. Hopefully if they said nothing, maybe it wasn't real. But by the looks on their faces, it was other wise. Only Lola spoke up, in a slightly choked voice.

"Well, I see you're alive."

"Oh… shut up," Anita mumbled, sounding half awake.

"What's your problem?" I asked.

"I am not a morning person," Anita answered while taking a chair and grabbing a cup of coffee. She happened to take a seat next to Duo, who looked slightly shocked, but didn't look too upset at the development. Only Anita could get away with something like that. "I have never been a morning person," she continued, pouring spoonful after spoonful of sugar in her coffee, "and I have no intention of becoming a morning person," she finished before taking a sip of the coffee.

"But it's eleven fifteen," Grace said slightly confused.

"My point exactly."

"That doesn't give you an excuse to go around practically naked," Lola scolded. Although from my point of view, the guys didn't look that put out by the scene. "Really now, I bet you all think we're a bunch of freaks now."

Duo didn't look freaked out at all.

Anita then decided there was not enough sugar in her coffee and put in a few more spoonfuls.

"So I see you're having some coffee with your sugar, Ani," I commented.

"Yup," Anita grunted.

Then she noticed where she was, and who was there.

"Who the hell are all of these people?"

"A little behind the times aren't you?" Lola wondered. Anita was looking around the room as if she had just noticed us all there.

"Why didn't you tell me we had company?" Anita asked. The guys were looking at her with amusement and confusion. Duo was openly smiling while Quatre hid his behind is hand. Heero had a half smile (which I must admit was nice) and Trowa a smirk. Wufei seemed to cock an eyebrow.

I myself had to admit; the look on her face would have been cute… if it wasn't so pathetic.

"Well," Grace started, "maybe you should get dressed."

"Maybe…" she mumbled. Then she looked down, "Oh, who cares?"

I do! I do!

So she made herself comfortable, while Lola shot daggers with her eyes. I just hoped that this would pass quickly and Grace started to put the food on the table.

We all ate in silence. I didn't know what to say, and Lola looked like she wanted to avoid talking altogether. The guys seemed to not want to scare us. Which they were failing at…miserably.

Grace was standing by the stove, because we only had six chairs. Anita and the guys were occupying those. Lola was trying to put things away, while I was trying to help. Grace just played with her food, not knowing where to go.

Once we had all decided that we were done eating, or wondering around, we settled down. I was readying myself for the interrogation to come. But no one seemed to speak. Lola was twisting her hands around, looking more nervous than I have ever seen her in my life. Her eyes darted around at each of them.

"Well," Grace sighed. "What are you here for exactly?"

"They want what was in the box," Anita said. I was floored. How did she know? And as if reading my mind, she said, "I'm not blind. They're the people from the pictures."

"I think there is some explaining to do…" Heero said.