AN: It was really hard writing this chap. I had to figure out a proper time frame for all the events to take place. I decided that Trowa and Quatre had gone to retrieve his things at a little past say 11-ish in the morning and the whole fight and every thing took them about an hour and a half if even that. So you gotta realize it's been a long time . . . but I'm spoiling the chap. Don't worry, I'll explain more at the bottom. See ya there!

Chapter 6 of Never stop:

Second bump and curious bystanders

It was 12:30 p.m. when Trowa and Quatre returned to the apartment. And in all that time after, Trowa hadn't seen hide or hair of his friend. After Trowa and Quatre had fled the apartment building Quatre had seemed very off. Trowa understood that he shouldn't be surprised , what with the day he had it was more than a little mind bending as well. By now he was willing to bet that Quatre had shattered a hundred mirrors and walked under ten ladders to end up with luck like this. He probably owned a black cat named Smokey too, just as icing on the cake.

But the extent of the young mans behavior made Trowa worry even more. He was silent the whole ride back, as had he been on the way down. When they got to the apartment, he had gone into the spare bedroom and told Trowa to please stay out and that they would talk when he got out. That had been at twelve thirty, and it was now ten o' clock at night. Trowa didn't want to upset Quatre, and he didn't want to give the young man any reason to be even the least bit mad at him. But nine and a half hours was a helluva long time to take a nap. He knocked gently on the bedroom door, waiting to hear even the slightest response. Nothing returned his call, and he knocked again a little louder this time. "Quatre? Quatre, may I come in?"

He still didn't receive an answer, he was starting to worry even more than he already was, and he called again and knocked louder still not hearing anything. "Quatre, answer me, can I come in?" Nothing answered him, and Trowa did not hesitate to open the door and walk right in. He looked around the darkened room. Not a light had been turned on in the room. The curtains were drawn as they had been before, the bed was made. Everything was seemingly normal, with the exception of the missing Quatre. Trowa began to panic mind racing as he looked around the room for any clue to the whereabouts of the young man.

"Quatre?!" called Trowa loudly, walking across the hard wood and tearing open the closest door. The only thing that answered him was the sound of the rushing shower. He sighed; somewhat relieved as he suddenly remembered the guest bedroom had its own bathroom. He reached for the knob and turned the door, entering and closing it behind him with a small click. To his surprise the bathroom wasn't that full of steam. Though the sound of water, rushing against the tiles and swirling down the drain was still there the water had apparently turned cold. Had Quatre really been in there all that long? The water only turned cold after hours of use. The lights had been turned dim, casting the room in shadow. He looked to the tub which was set next to the door to his right, seeing that Quatre had folded his clothes over the rim and placed his shoes neatly against the wall. There were no towels laid out, and the only thing in the room that could be seen clearly, was the petite form curled into a tight ball in the corner of the glass door shower. A cold hand gripped Trowa as the form didn't move, didn't even look to be breathing. He walked softly closer, waiting for the young blond to react as he assumed he normally would. Blush furiously and tell him to get out, or in Quatre's case to 'please leave'. "Quatre?" Trowa walked over to the shower opening the door, the blonde didn't look up, simply sitting there starring at the white tiled wall. Trowa reached through the wall of water and was surprised when his arms were soaked through with ice cold water.

"What in the world!" He reached for the knobs turning them off quickly, he crawled into the shower kneeling before Quatre. The blonde's eyes were puffy, and blood shot. His face was pale except for two rosy spots on his cheek and his slightly swollen eyes. He didn't say a word to Trowa, and the doctors' alarm escalated. Gently he reached out his hands to Quatre, grasping the blonde's shoulders. "Quatre? What are you doing? This isn't good for you, your going to catch a cold." He received no response. The man simply didn't seem to hear him, he just sat there. Almost catatonic, and that's when Trowa noticed them. Amongst the bruises and a small cut on his wrist that looked to be from someone digging there finger nails. There were red marks from the man's shoulders to his torso. His whole upper body was red, blotched almost looking like a case of eczema that got out of hand.

"Oh god, Quatre what have you done?!" He cried, but he could guess. The skin had been rubbed raw in places, and the water must have been just about as hot as the young blonde could stand in order for it to do this damage. Quickly, he grabbed the young man up in his arms the soaked body of his friend limp as rag doll in his arms. Trowa could feel the chill on Quatre's skin as he held him close. His friends wetness soaked though his shirt and to his skin.

Trowa fumbled with the knob as he looked for answers to the boys' state. The boys head lolled and for a split second his frantic mind was convinced that the boy had stopped breathing. He hurriedly walked across the room, setting Quatre upon the bed ripping back the heavy covers with a muttered curse. He slid the thin boy between the sheets. His main concern for the moment being restoring the boy's lost body heat. He quickly stripped off his shirt then his Jeans leaving his boxers in place for Quatre's modesty. To his surprise Quatre had rolled over to face him as Trowa undressed, his blank aqua eyes shining dully. "Trowa?" He said, and he sounded so absolutely breathless that Trowa wondered if he had tried something drastic. There was a small medicine cabinet in the bathroom. He kept it stocked with minor things. But any one could OD on aspirin or IB Profane. Did Quatre . . .? NO!

"Quatre?" He said worriedly. Sliding in next to the blonde he quickly pulled Quatre to him. Hugging the blonde to his chest and trying not to listen to the part of his brain that told him how Quatre seemed to fit perfectly as he wrapped his arms around him. The blonde boy didn't seem as disturbed to have Trowa holding him as he should have. Didn't seem to mind at all in fact. "Quatre, what's wrong? What happened while you were in the shower?" He said , a little breathless himself as he rubbed his hand up and down Quatre's back trying to cause heat from the friction. There was no response for a long moment. Trowa gently slid one of Quatre's arms out from the hallow made by both of there bodies feeling for any strange tardiness or unusual rapidness in the young man's pulse. He sighed as he felt Quatre's pulse, a little slow but steady. Suddenly, Quatre bulled his head into the juncture of Trowa's shoulder and neck his body suddenly shaking. Trowa dropped the other's hand as he wound his arms tighter around the other man. He looked at the far wall for a short time, surprised by the suddenness of Quatre's movements. He snapped out of his small shock as he felt small drops of warm liquid rolling down his shoulder. The man in his arms began to moan pitifully and it was all Trowa could do not to crush the boy to him. "Quatre," He said softly. The blonde stiffened sniffing slightly. "What?" was his watery urge to continue and he did so biting his lips softly. "What happened?"

Quatre snorted mirthlessly at the innocent question. What happened, indeed? He shuddered in his friends arms as he clutched tighter to the man's bare skin. Savoring despite himself the warmness of the other's body. It didn't matter; he should try to keep it as long as he could. It wouldn't last very long. Quatre buried his head deeper into Trowa's shoulder shaking his head no. He didn't want to explain it to Trowa, Trowa wouldn't understand it. He couldn't, hadn't experienced it himself so how could he? "I don't, nothing. It's just today, meeting him again like. And it, he."

Well so much for lack of explanation huh? He shuddered again as he felt more soft tears roll down his face. Why couldn't he stop crying? Why couldn't he have done something besides let a mad man hold him at gun point? Why was he so damn weak? "Quatre?" The insistence in Trowa's voice made him push away slightly so that he could look into the brunette doctor's face. Trowa was looking down on him. Much like the first time he had held Quatre to him. Quatre could only remember flashes of the first time they had met. In the cab Trowa had held Quatre close to his body for warmth. And one of Quatre's most coherent memories of the ride had been when Trowa had looked down at him with the most agonizingly kind expression he had ever seen. Even now those eyes reflected that kindness, and Quatre couldn't take it anymore.

He pressed hard against Trowa's chest trying to pry himself out of the man's arms head bent and, tears flowing. "Why? Why are you looking at me like that? With so much kindness and understanding. I don't deserve that kind of look. Why are you giving it to me?" Trowa tried his best to keep him still but Quatre wanted escape. He needed it. Why couldn't Trowa see that he was too weak to be worth that kind of affection? The kindness was wasted on him. He didn't deserve it. He was a weakling that couldn't even defend himself from a psychotic ex-boyfriend, let alone his own friends! "Enough Quatre, no more talk like that!"

Quatre blinked and stilled, allowing Trowa to pull him back towards his body without protest. Suddenly it dawned on him that he must have spoken aloud his thoughts and his face flushed hotly. Trowa shifted suddenly. Rolling on to his back he pulled Quatre halfway on halfway off his chest, wrapping his right arm around Quatre's shoulders folding his left across his stomach to loop around Quatre's waist. The blond blushed at the new position but soon forgot it as Trowa began to speak. "Please, don't say such things about yourself. You are a kind, shy person, there's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with you." Quatre let out a dark laugh.

"What are you talking about? Did you see what I did the whole time he held a gun to my head? I stood there. I stood there, and placed all of you in danger! I risked all of you like that and it's unacceptable!" There was a palpable silence. Quatre lay there on Trowa's chest, his fingers curling in on themselves of there own volition. The silence was beginning to weigh on Quatre and his mind started to race. Trowa was silent, did he agree with Quatre? Of course, he saw what Quatre did, he saw how horrified he was. Anyone would have to agree with him after that. "Quatre," Said Trowa quietly, almost as if to himself. Quatre hesitated for a moment then answered. "Yes?"

Trowa sat up, forcing Quatre up with him and took his face in both hands. Vivid green eyes stared intently at Quatre as if taking stock. "Are you trying to tell me it was unacceptable for me to have feared for your life?" Quatre blinked surprised. "But that's different-." Trowa placed a finger on his lips and Quatre fell silent. "No, Quatre, it's not. Wufei, Treize and I all feared for your safety. We were all afraid, and the fact that you were afraid shouldn't disgust you at all."

"But how can you say that?" He asked angrily looking deep into the others face. "He beat Wufei and I ran! I didn't even raise a finger to help him! And when he caught me by the stairs, I was frozen, I couldn't do anything! I was just standing there whimpering like some child when I should have at least, at least-"Quatre's eyes were swimming with tears. He hated this! He hated being so emotional, so weak. No wonder he had been an easy target for people like Jason. Trowa wrapped his arms tighter around Quatre and began to rock him gently. Against his will his arms curled themselves around the others abdomen. Slowly as he cried against Trowa's shoulder, Quatre found himself shifting closer and closer to the other's warm body.

Before long Quatre was sitting soundly in Trowa's lap, and though the brunette had stopped rocking the boy his nearness was enough to calm the blonde. They sat like that for hours; Trowa gently brushing his fingers through Quatre's pale hair as the blonde lay snuggled in his arms. He watched over the blonde even after he fell asleep simply thinking. Well, he mused to himself as he pulled the comforter around the both of them to stave off the chill. At least he didn't react badly to finding himself naked in my bed again. Looking down at the man huddled to his chest, he experienced a flash of deja vu . Settling him self back into the pillows more comfortably he smiled slightly and yawned. "We have to stop meeting like this Mr. Winner." He said aloud to himself. As he drifted to sleep, softly cradling his battered angel in his arms.

AN: What do you think? As far as all that stuff with the time, I was going to make it late at night. Enough time for Trowa to be worrying over for sure. And at first I had trouble trying to figure out a time frame. I think I got it right but I'll let you decide. As far as Quatre being totally out of it for the first part of the chapter. No, he didn't take anything. I wouldn't drug my Q-chan. I chalk it up to exhaustion and the fact that his shower had been cold for about nine hours. That's a pretty long time to be cold. And I don't know about you guys but when it gets really cold I get exhausted pretty quickly. Could just be me. Well R&R if you please. I haven't been getting a lot of feedback on this it's making me wonder if I should keep this story going. Well anyway carry on.

Owari