Chapter Eight: Welcome to the Party, Please Check Your Weapons at the Door

The two couples arrived at Luck Inc. Headquarters at six, an hour before the party began at Quatre's request.

Beatrice waved at them as they entered the private elevator. Even she was decked out in a light blue party dress.

Dorothy greeted them as they stepped off the lift.

"Hello, welcome to Quatre's shall we say little get together." She said, smiling. She was wearing a straight black dress that came to her knees. It had a scoop neck, and the satin part of it covered her shoulders, but the sleeves were a black/sheer lace. It was quite a lovely outfit.

"Evening' Dorothy." Duo acknowledged.

"Konbanwa, Dorothy-san." Heero said.

"Dorothy." Chase said.

"It's good to see you again so soon." Anna accepted.

"Likewise. It's been awhile since we were all together last." Dorothy agreed.

"It may be awhile until we're all together yet." Heero muttered cryptically.

Dorothy didn't hear the comment, or chose to ignore it for the time being. "Let me show you to the drawing room. Quatre asked you here early so he could brief you on some of the things that may be going down tonight. We're expecting surprise guests, if you know what I mean."

"Back to our old tricks, looks like." Duo grinned.

"Except one thing." Anna amended.

"What's that?" her husband asked as they followed Dorothy through the dimly lit gallery.

"We fought a war as ex-pilots before, but now we're ex-gundam pilots without the gundams to back us up." She said.

As they got closer to the drawing room, Heero leaned over to her. "Yeah, but even if all seven gundams still existed, there's no way we could fight with them in this world. You're the past for us remember? It would throw off history so bad there'd be no way to fix it." He said quietly.

Chase put a hand on his arm. "And if we wind up fighting and fail here, it'll get so thrown off there won't be anyway to fix that either."

"Then it will have to be like always. We can't lose. No matter what." Duo said softly.

Dorothy stopped when her hand hit the doorknob of the room Quatre was in. She had been a few paces ahead, but had heard everything. "He's right, you know. We can't lose. There's too much at stake."

"So you think they'll fight for this world? As in hostile takeover?" Duo asked.

"You can bet your braid on it." Dorothy affirmed. She turned the knob and opened the door.

The group filed into the room.

"Konban wa, minna-san," Quatre said as he smiled politely. "It's been a while, Heero. Duo." He shook their hands and then embraced Anna quickly. He then turned to the small blond. "Chase?"

"Konban wa, Quatre-kun. It's been a while, ne?" She smiled. "Hai. Too long."

Quatre nodded then became serious. "Okay. OWN is making an assassination attempt tonight. They know that I have something to do with the Gundam pilots, but they don't know I am one. They know that I will have connections with the two girls that live here. They don't know what you two look like though. They DO know what you looked like when you were nineteen."

"So we have the advantage," Chase deadpanned.

"Right. Gomen ne, minna-san, but I have to go downstairs. Guest will be arriving soon."

"We'll meet you down there," Anna answered.



The party had too many people mulling about, so Chase took off by herself to the art gallery that Anna had told her about.

A brief flicker of motion caught her eye as she rounded a corner. She felt the gun she had smuggled in, hooked to her boot.

Chase jogged; best she could in tall shoes, around the corner and stopped when she came to a dead end. She felt cold mettle on the back of her neck.

"Turn slowly."

She did so, looking into a pair of dark green eyes. "I don't think you were on the guest list," Chase said darkly.

"Were you?"

"Yes."

He smirked. "I'm sure."

The gun was pointed to her forehead and briefly wandered if she could still pull a Heero Yuy and dodge the bullet so close. Either that or just take it and never see the people she had just gained back in her life.

The OWN soldier looked past her briefly and she took her opportunity. Slamming her knee into his stomach, she dodged the bullet and brought her leg around the ketch him in the side.

The soldier looked at her with an odd expression for a moment, and then was forced to dodge another blow from the young woman. Chase went for her gun.

The soldier and Chase stood glaring at each other, both with a gun pointed at the other's head. "It appears we are in quite a predicament, Miss."

Chase allowed a smirk to cross her features. "I suppose we are."

The green eyed man looked at her. Her brown eyes, hidden partially behind the black rims of her glasses, glared him down. His own eyes widened slightly. "Chase…"

She cocked her gun. "Right."

His eyes softened. "You've grown up, little one…" he whispered. "It's me."

Her eyes widened slightly. "Trowa…" She glared. "You better have a really good explanation for that uniform you're wearing, boyo."

There was a flash of hesitation in his eyes, and he made his decision. "I'm working for OWN undercover. Just like OZ, and Marimeia before, and Treize both times. I'm a trainer. I need you to trust me, like old times, ne?"

Chase stared at him for a moment, and slowly lowered her gun. "When were you planning on telling Heero and Duo?"

"They're here as well?" Trowa asked.

"Yes. So is Anna. It's become quite a year in the way of reunions." Chase said.

Trowa nodded. "So I've heard. I need you to go back, join the party, have a good time, and pretend I was never here. All right? This is important to the future of earth, Chase-chan." He said softly.

Chase looked back to where the elevator was. "All right. I will see you again, won't I?" she asked.

"Of course." Trowa promised. "We won't lose contact again."

She nodded. "It's good to see you again, Trowa."

"You too, Chase. We'll have to chat sometime." He said softly.

She looked away again, and when she looked back, he was gone. "Ja ne, Trowa-kun." She whispered. And yet she had a funny feeling about the encounter…

Trowa waited around the corner until he heard the swoosh of elevator doors shutting. He turned and leaned against the wall. He flicked on a comm. link on his jacket.

"Did you get that, Avis?" he asked.

"No sir, General Victor asked for our audio only to be activated by you. Can I help sir? It's not time for the attack command, is it?" the soldier asked fearfully.

"No, Avis. Spread the word among the troops here. There are four gundam pilots present. I repeat four gundam pilots present. Continue assassination as planned. And remember, after you take out the businessman, I want Lucky Vincent taken alive." Trowa said into the comm.

"Understood, Commander. I will inform your troops immediately. What are your orders if the gundam pilots fight back?" Avis asked.

Trowa paused. "Wound them to the point that they are not a threat to this mission. Do not kill them. Not yet."

"Orders received and accepted. Will transmit. Avis signing out."

"Commander Barton, signing out." Trowa disappeared through the gallery.

Two pairs of blue eyes watched him go, one a light ice blue, and the other a deep ocean blue. Dorothy and Anna glanced at each other. They had come looking for Chase, and found a much bigger hunt indeed.

"Traitor among us." Dorothy murmured.

"For real, this time." Anna agreed.

"We need to get back. We'll have to keep a closer eye on Quatre and his business friends." Dorothy said.

Anna nodded. "Dorothy, not a word of this to anyone. We need to find out if it is a cover, or if this time he'd kill us all. If it is a cover, it's a bloody good one."



Chase was in a half stupor as she rejoined the party. She had once cared for that man, and he was back. She glanced towards the elevator she had stepped from. "Be careful, Trowa-kun," she whispered.

A hand rested itself on her shoulder. "Do you dance now?"

"No."

Heero smirked. "C'mon."

Chase felt her husband take her in his arms and they began to dance slowly. "You look beautiful," he whispered.

"Arigato," she whispered and laid her head against him. "I think everything's going to turn out okay, don't you?"

"Yes. I think it will. It has in the past."

Chase sighed contentedly. "I love you, Heero-chan."

"Aishiteru." He whispered back.

Dorothy and Anna came to stand by Quatre and Duo, who were chatting. They watched the happy couple swirl by, caught up in the music and each other.

Duo put an arm around Anna's shoulders. "That the way it always should have been, ne?"

"Yeah. What's been done can't be undone, so there's no point on focusing on something we have no power to change." She said.

"She right. It's much better to focus on the here and now." Quatre smiled, taking Dorothy's hand. She blushed ever so slightly and he led her out onto the dance floor.

"It's nice that he's finally going to settle down." Duo said.

"Yeah. He deserves to really be happy." Anna grinned. "Her too."

Duo nodded. "Do we know who they're after?" he asked in a low tone, his topic changing.

"No. But I think we should definitely keep an eye on Mr. Vincent, and the main businessman here, Mr. Walsh."

Duo nodded again and tilted his head towards the dance floor. "Shall we?"

"Alright." She agreed.

They joined the multitude of dancing guests. The slower song ended and the band picked up with a fast paced waltz. Duo got a wicked gleam in his eye and twirled his wife faster and faster around the dance floor. They nearly crashed into Heero and Chase. Chase started laughing and Heero simply glared at him. As the other men and women dancing glanced up and smiled at the young couple Duo slowed, leaned over, and whispered something to Anna. She looked at Quatre and Dorothy who were in a corner, still slow dancing. She shook her head slightly and he put on a pleading look. Anna glanced there way again and resigned. They danced that way and Duo took Dorothy and led her out into the middle and Anna and Quatre moved back towards the center.

Duo motioned for the band to pick it up a little more and the couples on the floor began to laugh and move faster. Heero shook his head at him and Quatre laughed out loud.

"He always did know how to get a party moving." The blonde Arab said to Anna.

Anna grinned. "Some things never change."

Chase exchanged a look with her friend and shook her head. Anna shrugged helplessly, grinning. She laughed again as Duo surprised her by grabbing her away from Heero and leaving Dorothy with the Perfect Soldier. People were switching partners all over the ballroom and the children sitting along the side were pointing and giggling.

The band conductor was looking a bit frantic with all his waving at the band and the people with woodwinds were looking winded. As the song finally slowed to a stop, the three couples rejoined their original partners. All the businessmen pulled out handkerchiefs and wiped the sweat from their foreheads while smiling and their wives and dates clapped. The conductor bowed, glared slightly in the braided man's direction and turned to the band.