(Disclaimer: All gundam characters are property of their creator, any interwoven plotline and unknown characters are similar based on my own muse and creation. From this point on, to avoid confusion, Trowa will also be refered ti as Triton.)

\5/

Duo shifted a beneath the blankets, unconsciously careful of his own sore side but not really paying much attention to the warm sun peeking in at him off and on through the broken cloud cover. He didn't even give a thought to the lazy feeling he had, until something hit him a little clearer in the back of his mind. He liked to sleep in, he was sleeping in, or trying to right now. So why wasn't he being woken up at some ungodly, dark hours of the morning and heading out with the others? His dark navy blues snapped open, glancing around the room for a few minutes before settling. Heero was still asleep in his own bed and all else was fairly quiet except the old, lazy steps of their boarding house hostess moving about as they always did. A sigh of relief overtook him as he stretched out in his own time, the warm bed coaxing again and he reached for the blanket that he'd tossed aside in his dreams.

"Man, for a minute, I thought everyone left me behind!" The words were lively but quiet, almost smug seeming at the thought that they'd actually leave him behind like some irresponsible kid late for class.

Quatre was quiet as he entered, catching the waking American youth with a tired smirk and closing the door lightly behind him. He'd just come in to see if either of the roommates here were as restless as he felt. Wufei had gone to tend to a few upgrades and changes he wanted to make on his hidden Nataku.

"We were thinking about it," came the tease, quiet to let the second boy sleep as he made his way over to sit beside Duo on his bed. "But we decided against it and everyone just kind of relaxed back to bed. We tried to wake you four different times, Duo, and you'd mumble something and just turn over."

The American youth managed a sheepish grin and a small chuckle before returning back to the oddity at hand. "Really, gee, thanks. So, are we scrapping the whole mission or is it just delayed? And why? What happened?"

Confused and a bit curious about Duo and how he managed to be oblivious to the events of the night before, Quatre hid his smirk and simply shook his head. "I suppose you slept right through the sirens then last night too, didn't you? The base has been on high alert ever since last night because someone managed to get in and get back out and mess with everything we planned. At least, that's what rumors are. Either way, they've doubled and even tripled the guard in some portions, and the cargo shipment we were going to use as a distraction was redirected to another base for now. We won't have a decent shot of getting in and making it out with a shuttle at all until things quiet down for now. That, and the next closest base with a shuttle and launch ability is at least five or six hours drive from here. So for now," he finished with a sigh, watching his clasped hands in his lap. "We wait it out, is what we've decided on. After that, Wufei went out, Heero passed out again, and I've been wandering around aimlessly and bored."

Sitting up in the bed and deciding it'd probably be best just to stay up, Duo gave a small yawn and stretched his arms to his sides, blinking the last of the sleep from his eyes. "Well, this sucks then. Stupid people just have to go and ruin all our careful plans and screw us over. It happens every time. But either way," he finish with a mischievous grin, "I'm hungry and that's all that matters now."

At first, it was hard to place before Triton realized the sounds he heard were music, the radio muffled by the closed door to the room he was in. Every once in a while, a set of chirps would join in, not really his idea of a soothing song bird, but the sounds seemed content enough with their environment. He had to take a few minutes to finally realize his own new environment, and how he got there.

He remembered that morning, or had it been longer than that already? No, it couldn't be, Zoe had been waking him up off and on to check on him or bring in more of the cold medicine.

The walls of the room were covered in posters, many of them of fantasy settings or actors, a few paintings and professional sketches, a few concert shirts displayed here or there. There was a large, older, wooden dresser propped to the inside of the door, keeping it convenient and out of the way. A small, overstuffed bookcase, a hanging round mirror, and an artist's desk occupied the other side of the wall of the door, a closet settled in nicely to fill the last of the space. He realized the bed he was using now was down quite low, on the floor but it wasn't uncomfortable, tucked in the last corner of the room right next to the tall window. The blinds were shut and did well at keeping the room darker, a snowflake mobile of cut glass hanging just above his head. It sparkled even with the small glow it was catching from the window.

A hanging planter sat on each side of the window, a small string of starting planters sitting on the window sill, the silhouette on the blinds showing that the plants were growing and just as healthy they as could be.

The room had no particular theme or occasion, it was just as it was, and it did seem to fit in its own sense with what he could try and make out from the living room earlier that morning.

With a tired sigh, he was giving into the drowsiness he felt before he tried to shift off of his back. A hiss to his surprise and the added weight around his ankle wasn't welcome at all before he gave himself an analysis. He could feel the chill of the ice on his skin, the leg propped up on a few throw pillows from elsewhere. And for lack of wanting to bring back the pain that was now numb to him, he stayed still and rested back where he was. 'I have a strong feeling that this is going to get even more interesting than this morning was,' came the sleepy thought, but his stomach finally spoke up with a sharp twist and a low growl of its own. 'That's right, I fell asleep before anything else. I'm not sure what I should even expect from these people. I don't even know what–..,' but the smell of a cooking meal drifted to him first and he unconsciously clutched a little tighter at his stomach. He hadn't eaten in days, and now his protesting body was making sure he couldn't forget it.

For a few minutes, he almost wondered if he could pull himself up, but he was selfishly content with the heated blankets and resting his fatigued body. He could feel the sharp scratch of his throat with every breath and was sure if he called out, being unwise in the situation he was in for as vulnerable as he was, that his voice wouldn't support him long enough to make a word.

'She should be making her way back anyway,' Triton reasoned hopefully, 'she had mentioned a meal before. That is, as long as she kept to her word.'

Unlikely, that's what it was. That type of chivalry where a person was as good as their word died ages before, even the hopefully naive knew better!

Zoe hit the speed dial button on her phone, again cradling it to her ear as she fussed over the slow cooker, stirring the home made soup and testing the flavor a bit. Chicken noodle from scratch on a cold winter day, it was perfect! Thankfully it made a big batch, because that was the last of their cuts of chicken, all the noodles were put into it and still to add for an extra few meals, she tossed some macaroni noodles they had nothing else to fix with, and they were now out of chicken flavor cubes.

"Don't tell me you lost your phone again, pick up, chica!" The drone of the ringing in her ear annoyed Zoe. "Well, at least we've got enough crackers to feed a nation, so when we get down to the broth..."

"What are you talking about?" Piped up from the other line, a small smile heard in Andrea's voice.

"You do live!" was the tease back, Zoe replacing the lid and putting the spoon on a plate so it didn't drip everywhere. She'd just cleaned the house, the last thing she wanted to do right now was mess it up yet again. "Hey chica, I'm just making soup so, after it's gone, we're completely out of edible food unless you wanna use water instead of milk for those pasta packets, but then you're eating them by yourself."

"Great," was the sarcastic remark, the sound of a weather forecast from the radio echoing between static. "I'll see if we can cut down a little on gas and try and get some milk and maybe something else to eat for now. Wait, aren't you supposed to be working today?"

Zoe gave a sheepish grin to herself and a hesitant laugh, biting her lower lip as she made her way back to the dinner table they had set in a corner of the living room. The kitchen and main room were fairly open to each other, the hallway stretching out to the bedrooms and bathroom. The back enclosed porch was closed and locked off from the outside, the little laundry nook anything but flashy. "About that," she started.

"Zoe, what did you do? You didn't quit, did you? I know they wouldn't be stupid enough to fire you, but we don't have any way of getting by if you don't have a job!"

"No, that's not it," she butted in, holding her head in one hand and using the other to switch the phone to her opposite shoulder, taking up a pencil and sketching lightly over her classroom portfolio. She had a habit of doing it and taking up many more pages with "random" drawings than they were assigned, already working on her second book from her art teacher. "Look, when you get into town, don't worry about the food or milk or anything. Just come straight to the house, please? I really need you to do this for me!"

Unpersuaded, Andi's voice called back with a warning tone. "And why should I do that? I was supposed to get that free lunch the managers owe me at work and I was gonna do that and then come home and relax. What'd you do?"

With a sigh, Zoe began, "That's just it, you're supposed to be at home already with a nasty flu bug. You're supposed to be half dying in your own bed because I had to call off. Just hide in the back seat or something until you get to the house, let Will drive, but I really need you to help me, chica."

"Did you oversleep again?"

"No! Andi, I kinda can't explain this over the phone because I'm really not sure how I can explain it at all. Please, please, please just do this for me! I'll do all your chores and homework for a month!" A whine came from Zoe as she dropped the pencil, begging her stubborn friend.

"Fine, but I still think you're crazy. And you're explaining everything when I get back, got it?"

"Thanks a ton, I will, and I'm still going to work tonight. See ya when you get here, Andi, you and Will be careful!" A Cheshire cat grin slipped over her lips, her pent up breath released. With a touch of a button and a snap of her folding cell phone, she tucked it into the pocket of her lounge pants and reached up to tighten her pony-tail. She'd already taken the braids out, the hair having dried in them and left her pulled back hair in ripples and waves stronger than her natural curl. At least she wouldn't have to fix herself up for work now except to change back into her uniform, but that was later.

Later. It had already been a few hours since her last visit down the hall and the young woman was sure by now the ice packs had thawed and almost turned back to room temperature. She'd just have to re-freeze them.

Standing from her place at the table side and moving back to her own room she slipped the door open as quietly as she could manage before peeking in. To her surprise, he was awake, but with his dazed look, it was hard to tell if he was in the same reality or not. "Mr. Bloom?"

Triton's eyes came from their closer observations over a few of the paintings and settled on Zoe, managing to see her clearly for the first time. He paused a minute to place the name, he wasn't used to it as an alias, before he tried to shift himself into a sitting position. It was odd and a little labored, but he managed after a moment, feeling a little uneasy about the silence between them. "I'm awake for now. I didn't mean to cause this hassle..."

Zoe watched the young man a minute more before smiling inwardly. Now that he was a bit cleaned up and the color was slowly coming back to him, she was right, he was easy on the eyes. Even for as often as he seemed to lower his own. The bruising around his left cheek wasn't nearly as enticing, but it would heal, like the rest of him. "That's what they all say," she teased, giving him a smile in return. It was a "bad habit" she'd been taught when she started serving. If worse comes to worse, kill them with a smile and hospitality. "I just came to see if you were still sleeping or not, and if you wanted lunch. It should be done, I'm just keeping it warm. You don't mind soup, do you? We're kinda broke right now, but we make due so it's not a problem."

Still a little skeptical, Triton thought over the idea a moment. He really should be trying to get going. With a stubborn growl, his stomach spoke for him again before he could decide on what he really should be doing. He just hoped it wasn't as loud as he thought it was or as badly as it felt. "Actually, I should be..." but he let the hoarse words go with a few blinks. She was gone.

Zoe was already down the hall, listening to his attempt at words but it didn't matter all that much. She'd already had two bowls out, filling the last one up and snatching out for the crackers from the cupboard. "Well, Andi and Will won't be here for another few hours anyway, and there's enough to go around a few times, so you'll just have to let me know if you want any more, all right?" she called back down the hall, taking up a small child's lap tray and balancing both bowls and the box of crackers on it before she made her way back to the room.

Without a thought or even his permission, Zoe reached into the closet and pulled out a few extra pillows she'd intended to use the stuffing from since they were overused, and add it to a few of the pitiful stuffed animals she'd found thrown out. She'd fix the stuffed toys later and donate them, but for now, she propped the pillows up against the wall, laying one of the blankets that was on Triton's lap and tucking it around the pillows to keep them in place. "You can try all you want," she warned, offering to help him sit back against the pillows and readjust his leg rest, knowing that even still he was trying to mask his starved look. "But fair warning is that it's pretty hard to hide things from me."

"So I guessed," he replied, taking the help and giving into it. He could fall into the character she wanted to see him as, and open himself a little in their personality as Triton Bloom instead of Trowa Barton. "Thanks," he offered, keeping his eyes off away from her as she fussed and did as she wanted, only looking down when she put the tray over his lap and the large bowl of soup and the simple but delicious smell came to him like the song of a Siren. He was careful not to rush too fast with the hot dish, but wasted no time in trying to eat all the same.

"It's okay," she offered to the small talk, taking a seat on the floor with her own bowl, more interested in watching his reactions than really even eating herself. She was used to one meal a day just for as often as she worked and for what she could afford. Kind of like walking for a full eight to ten hours straight, her body just accepted it and learned to deal with it. "You know, I'll warn you right now, people call me weird at times for good reason, but if I were you, I wouldn't be surprised by me, okay?"

Triton gave a small nod, using the spoon to break up the soggy crackers before taking another bite, careful at the feeling of food actually hitting the bottom of his empty stomach, but he beared it when a warm contentness began to fill him. It wasn't a culinary dish to die for, but it was pretty good for what it was, and right now, that's all that mattered to him.

Another few minutes passed in silence before it again began to annoy the Latin youth, so Zoe took a small bite or two from her own bowl before she spoke again, rummaging through a hidden chest beside her bed for a small radio and her CDs. When you were broke, you made do with what you had, regardless if it was out dated or not. "Are you always this talkative? One of these times, I'm going to get a full sentence out of you, Mr. Bloom." Finding her prize, she pulled it out, searching for something decent to listen to as she put the small radio on top of the chest, putting a CD into it and plugging the player in.

A small sigh came from Triton's lips, his mind settling on her words before he spoke again, calm and soft as he was accustomed to. "Triton is just fine, Zoe. And not to be rude, but you talk enough for the both of us."

For a split second, Zoe was almost a little shocked. He spoke, and not just with small gestures this time! Catching the small spark of surprise at her instant giggle, Zoe grinned almost proudly. "Nasty habit I got from my mom, but I get bored with thinking all the time, Triton." She emphasized his name in play and leaned back, searching for a song on the disk. "And for as much pushing as I had to do, I finally got two whole sentences out of you. AND it didn't kill you, so we made progress!"

Her chipper attitude was almost a bit much for him as he returned back to his own lunch, quiet again as if to unconsciously spite her. She reminded him of Cathy, always pushing to try and open him up when he was so set in remaining solitary. He was fine with staying in his own mind, keeping to his own thoughts, not just having long talks with a complete stranger. Triton was grateful for her help, but right now, that's all that needed to be thankful for.

He could hear her shift and push a few more buttons on the radio, as he slowed to finish off the last of his meal, becoming full very quickly. Halfway through trying to swallow, the music blasted out much louder than he was sure even Zoe realized, the surprise of it, and the sound of the childish, helium affected voice catching him off guard as he struggled not to inhale the liquid or spit it right back out. Choking it back and finally taking a gasp or two, he glanced sidelong to his hostess in more of a confused frustration. "What the hell is that?!"

Zoe's giggle fit finally broke into hysterical laughter, the kind where each laugh almost becomes silent it's so strong, enough to leave anyone with nasty stitches in their sides and desperate lungs. It was true, she didn't pay attention when she'd turned up the volume, not catching that it was all but on the edge of its maximum which was still enough to shake the windows and fill the house pretty well. That, and the funny little song she'd managed to come across in one of her rummages back when she had money and just didn't want to spend it on much. The fast dance beat to it was nice to listen to, but the voice of the singer, purposely remixed for effect, was so out of place it was hilarious. "That, my friend," she called, wiping the tears from her eyes and taking in a few deep breaths before falling into more giggles, "is a singing "Hamster"! He was kinda popular a long time ago. Did it scare you?"

Triton didn't care much for the teasing at all, instead he lay back against the mound of pillows and was content enough watching the shadows playing on the blinds. If she was insistent on acting like this the entire time he needed until he could get back onto his feet, or until they made him leave, his temporary heaven was going to turn more into hell. That last little event already made his ribs ache a bit, and he was in no mood for kids games. "I'm tired," he called softly, refusing to look at her, set in his own brooding. "If that's all right, Miss." Sure he knew what he was doing was rather childish in its own if he stopped to think about it enough, but he really didn't want to. If he saved all his energy, he could be out and moving by that night, if not the next morning.

Turning the music off, as she'd turned it down after it first spooked the both of them, Zoe sighed on her own. He was upset now, that was obvious, and part of her was sorry while the other part was indignant again. She'd spent almost a full week by herself, and with time to relax, she got so tired of being alone in the house with only the birds for company. Now with him, trying to open up and be good spirited about everything, after all, he'd already threatened her with a deadly weapon and now he was using her bed of her own good will. It was just a little harder to accept being alone when someone else was right there. She was tired of having no one to talk to.

"Sorry," she sighed, but stood and helped him as best as she could, managing to take the pillows and put the blanket back before it was evident he wanted to do it on his own and she pulled back to put the extra bedding and such away. "I'll be here for a few hours, just let me know if you need anything or any help, Triton." She refrained from calling him Mr. Bloom which would have been more proper especially with his attitude, but he'd already corrected her on it. There was no need to push the matter.

Triton settled himself back against the bed again, closing his eyes quietly and already settling into the silence, again giving a small nod to the girl's offer. She was trying to be helpful and nice, but it was just a bit too high spirited for him.

"I do have one favor to ask though," Zoe ventured, reaching over to her drawing desk and unveiling the gun he'd had from under a pile of paint tubes.

Triton opened an eye before watching her skeptically, eyes both trained now on the shining metal in her hand. Damn it, he'd forgotten that he'd left that behind. "I don't understand," were his cautious words, not sure how much she knew about firearms, or if they even had any hidden ones in the house or ammunition for them.

Zoe could see the surprise on his face as she handed the gun back to him, holding the barrel herself and offering him the grip. "I've seen it done. I want you to take that apart for me so I can get rid of it. And if it's empty, don't leave it laying around for your prisoner to figure it out."

She wore a sad smile, having carefully fiddled with it all morning and finally having removed the clip and thrown it in with the trash on the curb, the garbage men having already come to empty their bins.

Uncertain of her trust with him, especially now that he was slowly recovering, he debated a minute and realized that the gun was fairly useless now anyway before he began to dismantle it against his common sense. Piece by piece, he broke it down like one would to clean it, letting the pieces lay on the bed before he could hear her collect them. "You're sure," came the calm whispers, letting his voice rest as he closed his eyes again, "that you should be trusting me?"

"No," was Zoe's easy reply, pocketing the parts of the gun and taking the tray with both bowls in her hands. "But," she continued, turning to head for the door, "I've got trust in who people really are, and I can usually figure it out before they know themselves. It's part of my job. I'm just returning the favor. After all, you let me help and trusted that I wouldn't call the cops or anyone. You're still here, aren't you?"

The words were quiet and serious, but tranquil and easy flowing. Of course she was stating a lot of the obvious and unspoken, Triton knew that. But as he mulled over the words in his mind, listening to the door close to the room, her room that he was using, in their house of their own funds, of her own generosity, they were a bit more valuable now that they were pointed out. 'She's too observant for her own good. It'll get her in trouble if she keeps it up,' he decided, feeling drowsy all over again now that he was alone and after a short time, he slipped back into sleep.

The house was quiet as the afternoon drew on, slowly making it's way to dinner and the evening. Music was put to rest as the stereo slept on its shelf, Zoe having tried and tricked her friend's pets that it was night again and had gotten them to sleep in the dark room. The youth had kept quiet and to herself after the faintly strained lunch with her "guest", the food long since put away and the dishes cleaned.

Cleaning. Zoe was so tired of cleaning, but with a television that worked on three channels that came in whenever they wanted, a radio that would be too loud even on its softest level and probably disturb her "resting patient", and no new muse for her sketches, Zoe was lost in boredom. 'I don't even feel like going to work anymore,' she thought solemnly, wandering the house with soft steps, stocking feet padding almost carefully over the floor. 'But I'm slowly going insane sitting here. I can't call anyone, because unless it's necessary, we'll have to pay more for a phone bill we can't afford anyway as it is. I can't go anywhere and leave Triton here alone because if he needs something... it's too cold to go outside and do anything anyway.'

Growing restless again even as she tried to find something to preoccupy her, Zoe hit an idea with a small smile and moved to the back room just off of the kitchen, digging through the bags of clothes the girls had intended to donate to the good will. Zoe was a little under an average height, settling in at 5'4" even for being one of the taller ones of her family, but Andi was easily inches taller. Triton and her had to be nearly the same size. She knew exactly what she could do to pass the time as her mind ran wild, nit-picking for what she wanted and pushing down what she didn't want. Will might be able to donate some clothes to help temporarily, but Andi's boyfriend wasn't nearly as skinny. He was a bit more than stout, rather. Alterations were easy as long as she had something decent to work with anyway.

Taking up a perch on the couch in her nest of threads, needles and pins, assorted clothes and her trimming scissors, Zoe hummed almost silently to herself as if the sounds were timid of traveling far or being heard. For another few hours, the youth worked on her creations, passing the time without much other thought until the slam of car doors outside her door snapped her attention back.

Andi gave a small whining grunt as she hefted her bag up, snatching her purse and closing the back door to the car, not intent on getting anything else out of it. "I really don't want to unpack all this, I'm tired," she finally offered, taking the light kiss to her cheek from Will and beginning to trudge to the house.

"Then go sit down, I'll get it, sweetie," came the kind reply, Will reaching for the last of her things and offering to take what she was holding as well. He was easily concerned and caring for Andrea, even if she did have her moments. He had his too, and it often ended with lectures from the "Manners Bible" Andi was a little more strict about.

Zoe opened the door, offering the hesitant smile she honestly felt at catching her friend's gaze, knowing she wanted the explanation even now. "You guys made it, welcome home! We've gotta keep it quiet though, just for now, all right?" Still leaving the subject vague as she took the bag from Andi's hands, putting it by the hallway so it'd be out of the way and halfway to its destination, she heard the front door click shut and a form fall into the couch. "I suppose I should tell you what's up then, huh?"

Andi shot Zoe her normal look, asking without asking if she was that crazy all the time, or just at times, before stretching out on the couch between the piles of clothes. They'd known each other since they were in grade school and the friendship was just as strong as it had always been ever since. She also knew Esperanzo too well, and knew when she was well up to something or getting herself into more trouble than she could talk herself out of. The sad part was, she was usually pretty good at getting out of it. "Well, duh. You're slowly trashing the place and you're dragging me into your excuses again so I'm supposed to be dying in my own bed and if you get caught, we're both in trouble for it."

"I know I know," she offered, going to pick up the clothes and scraps she'd cut from or altered like a guilty child all too sorry for what they'd done, tossing them into the chair she was leaning against. "But I really couldn't just ignore him and let 'im die out there in the cold this morning."

"Him? What's "him"? If you brought back another stray, Zoe, we've gotta take it to a shelter or somewhere else. The landlord's gonna flip if he finds out!"

Biting her lower lip again as if to think of reasoning or an excuse, Zoe finally just offered out her hand with a sigh. "Lemme show you. He's asleep right now."

Still hesitant on what "he" was, Andi followed just behind in Zoe's steps, almost sure that it would be better for everyone if she didn't look inside the room, but halfway there, it was a little too late. When the door was opened and she managed to scoot inside past the younger of the two girls, Andi found herself looking at a young man bundled up in the blankets where Zoe slept, bruised and a little sick looking from what she could tell, but that was all that she could really tell for the moment.

Zoe clamped a hand tight over Andi's mouth at her long sharp inhale, it was usually a prep for her to start yelling or going off about something and she knew better. She also knew and expected the small bite she was given for it, but tugged the second girl from the room and closed the door before she let her go.

"THAT'S Him? Chica, do you even know that guy?! And why–...," but at the shushing movement from Zoe, quieted her voice a bit. "Why is he sleeping in your bed? Are you not telling me something?"

Trying to keep a calm approach about this, Zoe began, knowing Andi would rebel to every last bit of it. "Yes, that's him. Him is Triton Bloom." Andi cut her off before she could continue, though.

"How long have you known Triton? I've never even heard of him, and you're bringing strange guys into the house."

"Technically," Zoe tried to jest, "It's almost 3, and we ran across each other at 5:30 this morning..."

"You've GOT to be kidding me! Why?"

"How many times do you actually run across someone who can barely hold themselves up and bleeding all over the place that you ask for a full background check before you even ask their name, Andi? The guy needed help, I wasn't gonna let him die." Zoe crossed her arms in front of her, anticipating the questions to come and knowing that until Andi's reason found the same feeling Zoe got by instinct that she trusted in, she'd have to twist the truth a little.

"Well, I don't come by a ton of them, but if I did, I'd probably let a doctor do their job first instead of playing nurse at home. You said yourself he was bleeding all over!"

"Yeah," Zoe pushed, sighing a little as Will listened into the conversation from a little further down the hall, putting it all together for himself. "And I fixed it by myself and did my deed as a good person."

"Neither one of us is even certified in CPR anymore, Zoe, and you'd gamble with his life because you're pretty sure you can fix it? Where was your head? Why didn't you call an ambulance?"

There it was, and Zoe knew it'd be pointless to win her case if she even thought of mentioning that he pulled an unloaded gun on her which at the time, she didn't know was unloaded. Andi had her good reasoning to be upset about the situation and the reasons, but Zoe wasn't a child, Andi was her good friend but not the mother of the household, and Zoe had her reasoning too. She'd tried to help and respect the wishes Triton had made, having only small doubts that his life would have been in more trouble had he been at the hospital. She didn't want to be responsible for that. "He was obviously losing control and his body was shutting down from hypothermia, you didn't have to be a doctor to see that." 'Here we go,' she thought to herself, continuing on with her patchwork portions of the truth she was going to tell Andi and Will. "At that minute, I wasn't worried about anything but getting him inside and warm, and the storm messed up the signal with my phone so I couldn't get through."

Inwardly, she was a little frantic and hoped they bought the lie. The storm had messed things up and somehow brought him down across her path, and she couldn't call anyone after he'd taken the phone himself, so Zoe wasn't technically lying. It was for the better of everyone for the moment.

"And you didn't try afterwards?"

"I didn't think about it, trying to take care of him and make sure he was all right. It wasn't anything major, well, besides being out and as cold as he was, the cuts weren't horrible, he just couldn't get them tied off it looked like to quit bleeding."

"So tell me, Oh Smart One, if you trust him so much, how'd he get like that in the first place?"

Zoe took a deep breath to calm herself and collect her thoughts, it was always so hard to get Andi to believe what she needed to believe, just because each girl knew the other's habits and minds as well as they did their own. "He said he lost control trying to come in through town. His car went into a ditch and he managed to get out to make his way this close to own to try and find help."

Andi knew she was still missing too much of the circle to put it all together, even if everything seemed well and right, something was out of place and she knew it. "But you had time to call work? And instead of telling them this, you told them that I was sick today. And after a car accident, he should be in the hospital being treated for anything else that might be wrong that you can't see outwardly! The wreck's still gotta be reported."

'Damn it, why is it always so hard to argue anything with her?' Zoe thought quickly, but nothing came to mind before she crossed her arms over her chest taking a deep breath. "You're a real pain in the ass, you know that, Andi? You ask more questions than I do."

Andi gave a tired sigh and readjusted her glasses before eyeing the girl before her again. "I know, it's my job, Esperanzo. Now, are we gonna play the game all over again, or are you gonna tell me what happened?"

Zoe winced a little at her full first name, knowing better. She also knew payback sucked, as the roles were changed but the game was much the same when Andi had first tried to keep her relationship with Will secret from everyone. "Fine," she said, defeated. "Was going to work, found him walking towards town, tried to help, got him inside, tried to call an ambulance, he pulled a gun on me, I talked him into letting me help him enough, he forgot and dropped the gun, I got him patched up and into the bed, and I threw the gun away and made sure he didn't have any other weapons before I hid all sharp objects in the house besides the scissors I was using on the coffee table. That work?"

"You are so full of it," was the tired, skeptical response. She was sure she liked Zoe's lie about the accident better, but some of the parts did match up in both stories. Not very many. "I said I wanted the truth."

Zoe gave a small laugh, reaching into her pocket for a few pieces of the gun she hadn't found a disposal for. "It was." She held out the pieces of metal for inspection to both a surprised Andi and an even more amazed Will. "If you want, I can try the lying thing again, but I didn't want you to have a heart attack over it."

"So, let me get this straight," Andi tried again only after smacking Zoe in the arm for her comment. "HE'S the one that pulled a gun on you and YOU didn't call the cops on him? Now I know you're stupid..."

Zoe lightly pushed Andi back down the hall, hearing the stirring from inside her room as she'd come to realize their voices were getting a bit loud. "That's just it, he didn't want to use it. You had to be there to know the difference, but I think he was just doing it because he was scared."

"The gun's pointed at you, and that guy's the one that's scared?" she scoffed, letting Will go to check out the empty fridge, as it was obvious both of them were paranoid now with this new information on the stranger in Andi's house. She was also sure Will kept closer to the bedroom than the girls more out of his protective nature.

"Well, if you're half dead with a strange person and someone's out to take your life, you'd probably be scared of everything too. Look, during everything," Zoe started in Triton's defense, but she wasn't sure why, "he was just fine and all. He was the one begging me when I first tried to stop before he even reached for the gun. That's the only threat he's made the whole time and he's been up and responsive with me off and on since then."

"And you're too trusting for your own good," chided Andi, still not giving into the idea, not liking it one bit. "So you're gonna bet our lives on it?"

Zoe had been thinking about that all day before she settled on the floor, laying back and using her hands as a pillow for her head. "Yeah," she finally offered, staring at the ceiling fan as it waved lazily round and round. "Yeah I am. You had to have heard about how that military base was thrown into chaos, but no one ever said why. I'm pretty sure he broke out, and to get all those bruises, they arrested and took him in. That's the only reason I can come up with. Why or who he belongs to or who he is, other than Triton Bloom, I dunno. I don't think we really even should know. But if we take care of him, not only are we saving a life, but I'm sure if things start getting too complicated, he'll take care of it."

"Well, I'm sorry, but reality isn't just a bunch of guesses you can talk your way out of if you get in trouble again, Zoe," Andi finally admitted, still not giving very much, if any slack the girl's way. It was just too far fetched to put naive thoughts on. "And I'm not gonna risk it if he's in the same house, Zoe. I'll stay with Will for now."

Will half listened to the girls, mumbling a "that's fine" to Andi's comment as his attention stayed more on the quiet room down the hall with the closed door. He was just as unconvinced.

Pushing herself up into a sitting position, Zoe gave a small growl that she kept more to herself. She'd expected something like this, but she had hoped she'd have a little more help from her best friend than this. She'd prayed that she might have a little more faith in her roommate. "You know I wouldn't go putting us in danger like that, Andi."

"Well evidentially I don't if you go off planning something like this. And what if they come searching out here, door to door like they've done before, Zoe? What if he is who you think he is to an extent? It won't matter, you're helping a fugitive then, and you'll be in just as much trouble. How hard did you think about this?"

Zoe felt degraded enough after that morning, then her "lovely lunch", and now this mess. "If you're done preaching to me like a child– I've been thinking about this all day so much it's making me sick. I've been over the fifty million different outcomes that could happen for doing all this. But I still think I'm doing the right thing and you're making it more complicated than it has to be. He'll be here for a day or two then he'll be well enough to go on to wherever he's going. He's been trying all day but he knows like I do that his body can't take that right now. Hell, the guy can't even stand on his own yet." The cheery disposition was gone and Zoe cradled her head in her hands, mentally cursing the small chiming clock on the shelf telling that time was still moving on and that it was time for her to get ready again for work and go. Now she'd never be in a mood to deal with customers and by the end of the night, she was sure her tips would show for it.

"I just need someone to help him while I'm at work," came the tired voice, Zoe's drive almost all but gone now. "It's just to wake him at six for dinner and cold medicine I've already got set out, and then if I'm not home by eleven, for medication then too."

"You want me to?" came Andi's unhappy voice.

"I kinda do, and I don't even mind Will staying with you if it'd make you feel better." Pushing herself up and heading for the hall, she stopped again to lean on the wall, almost as if to rethink everything. "He trusted me enough to put his life in my hands, Andrea, I can't just go drop it or dump it off somewhere," was all but muffled before she fell back into her own mind again, heading to the bathroom to change and fix herself up again for work. Somehow, she had to psyche herself up and put herself in a cheery mood. She was already gonna hear it from her managers, and if she left now, she'd have to run to work again. Zoe wouldn't even bother asking Will for a ride, knowing Andi wouldn't stay in the house with Triton alone, and a part of her didn't blame her. Not at all. 'I just hope they're still here when I get back,' Zoe's mind whimpered, knowing that if Triton left, it was of his own will, but if he hadn't and the other two had... She trusted Andi, but they had their moments, and right now, it looked like another one of those times.