"Go," said Kat, pushing at Trowa.

"Do I have to?" he asked petulantly.

"YES."

"Why?"

"Trowa, I could give you a hundred and fifty reasons, but the only one that's gonna work is the one you don't want to hear, so just GO!"

Wufei had come in and was watching the proceedings with a half smirk. "What's wrong, Barton? Onna got the better of you?"

Trowa glared at him and took the steps two at a time after Maggie yelled, " Trowa, if you don't get up here, I'm coming down, and YOU can explain to Dr. Bayth why I'm out of bed!"

Wufei looked at Kat. "What's with him? And why are you soaking wet?"

"Two words. Don't. Ask," Kat said, also climbing the stairs.

"Where are YOU going?"

"To change," was the short answer.


Trowa cautiously looked in the girls' room. Maggie caught sight of him. "Finally. Get in here... PLEASE," she finished, shooting a sour look at Bridget, who smiled sweetly over her penguin's head.

"Was that so hard to add on?"

"Yes."

Trowa cleared his throat.

"Oh! I forgot! Trowa..."

"Yes?"

"Could you do me a favor and get me a stuffed animal, cause I have Mr. Bear, and Bridget has Quatre Penguin (she smirked at the name again, as did Trowa) and plus I have a bunny and a duck, and we're starting a zoo to occupy our time... supposedly so we don't bug you guys, but I'm guessing that plan went out the window, Pidge?"

"Pidge?" asked Trowa, not fazed in the slightest by Maggie's garbled monologue as Bridget glared at Maggie's joke.

"Oh! We were trying to figure out a nickname for her, and Pidge is perfect because it's both shorter and the nickname of Lady in Bridget's favorite movie."

Deciding not to pursue the subject, he asked, "What kind of animal do you want?"

"Huh? Oh, anything but a bear, duck, bunny, or penguin. A cat would be nice. I'm SO tired!"

Trowa shook his head at her wandering mind. "So go to sleep. Doctor Bayth said you'd both be tired from the medicine."

"Right, I forgot." Trowa felt a chill of fear; She'd never been this out of it before. He opened his mouth to say something; realized she was already asleep.

"She'll be fine, Trowa," said Bridget quietly.

Trowa kept his eyes on Maggie, nodded, then turned to her. "You, too, I hope?"

"Of course. We're both alike in that. We're indestructible. Now, if I were you, I'd get that animal. Hint: Buy a tiger."

Trowa, not questioning Bridget's wisdom, thanked her and left. As he sped down the stairs, he passed Wufei, who was smirking. "Where are you going to in such a hurry, Barton?" he asked, thinking he knew the answer.

Trowa gave him a rare smirk of his own. "Maggie wants a stuffed animal, and I'll be damned if there isn't one waiting for her when she wakes up." Then he was out the door.

"Smart move, Trowa," remarked Kat from upstairs as he went to stick his head in the girls' room.

He came downstairs in time to hear Wufei remark to Heero, "They let those damn women run their lives. I can't understand it."

"Well, Wufei, I see there is no way you WOULD understand," Kat said coldly. "I mean, your first marriage was arranged, wasn't it? You're not exactly open to people, even your friends. You don't even know what love is." His precise phrasing and clipped tone went right through Wufei, who clenched his fists.

"Winner, where the hell do you get off saying this? Do you know what love is anymore than I do?"

Kat folded his arms. "I know the love of friends, the respect of enemies... I love and respect everyone around me, even those I must condemn to death. I ACCEPT the love of others, and give it to them back..."

"Could've fooled me, Kat, considering the girl who happens to love you is upstairs and you haven't really done a damn thing about it!" Wufei shot back... then immediately seemed to regret his words.

Kat's eyes glinted, but before he could reply a voice came from the stairs, "Um, guys?"

Without taking his eyes off Wufei, Kat said, "Go back to bed, please, Bridget. Why are you up?"

"Um, well, you guys are making a lot of noise, and MAGGIE may sleep like the dead, but I don't, and... Quatre, what are you doing?"

Kat had gone over to Bridget, who was clinging on to the banister for support, and swept her up. "Taking you back to bed," he said curtly.

"All right... oh, hi, Wufei!" She waved at him over Kat's shoulder, and he nodded to her.

"Perhaps that will move them both," Heero said thoughtfully from the shadows.

"We can only hope," Wufei answered solemnly.


As Kat went inside, he threw a quick look at the sleeping Maggie, his mind still boiling.

~How dare he?~ he fumed. ~Of course I like Bridget, but she doesn't like me back, obviously! Wufei had no right to say that. None. At. All.~

"Quatre? What's wrong? Why were you and Wufei fighting?" Bridget asked weakly as he placed her on the bed again.

"Why did you get out of bed, Bridget?" he asked, more harshly than he had intended. She flinched at his tone, and his face softened. "I'm sorry, Bridget, I'm just tense. Seriously, though, you should be more careful, or we might have to lock the two of you in here."

Bridget clutched his shirt in mock panic. "Oh, no! Don't lock me in here with HER!" she cried softly, laughing. The laugh faded on her lips as Kat leaned forward and kissed her. This kiss was hard, not questioning; as if trying to prove to her that he liked her.

Then, without a word, he left the room.

Bridget stared at the door for a moment, and Maggie's voice came from the other bed, very low, "Chicken."

"What?"

Maggie sat up. "I saw the whole thing, Bridget. You should have kissed him back."

"What?! I- I can't!"

Maggie sighed and put her arms around her knees. "Bridget, if he kissed you again AFTER shoving him out the window, it has to mean SOMETHING."

Bridget's eyes were wide. "Oh, my God, he's gonna hate me again."

"No, Bridget, he is NOT going to hate you. Do we have to go through THIS again?"


Kat, who had turned to actually lock the door, caught the sound of Maggie's voice and paused, curious. He stood there and listened intently.

Bridget sighed. "No, we don't. I know Kat likes me. And I like him, too, it's just that... well, you know no one's ever liked me before, unless..."

"Kindergarten does NOT count."

"All right, no one has ever liked me before."

Maggie frowned. "No one's ever liked me before, either."

Bridget grinned evilly. "Unless you count Dave..."

Maggie cut off the last name. "That does NOT count, and you know it."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Hey, DON'T change the subject! This is about you. THEN we can talk about me."

Bridget grinned. "Promise?"

"Yeah, yeah, but are you going to listen to me?"

"Go ahead, I'm listening."

"Kat likes you. He's smart, and nice, and kind... it doesn't hurt that he's good looking, either... don't get me wrong, though..."

Bridget waved her down. "You're stating facts, I can deal."

"Ok, then, let's look at the facts. Kat likes you. You like him. He's tried twice to kiss you, with less than satisfactory responses. My guess is that if you don't do something soon, he's going to give up. Is that what you want?"

"NO!"

"GOOD! Then LISTEN. Don't be so shy with him. I know you can't help it, but consciously make the effort, at least. Either that or talk to him about it and explain."

"Oh, I could never do THAT."

"I know."

Bridget said testily, "Are we finished?"

"Yup... uh-oh." Maggie eyed Bridget, who was rubbing her hands together.

"Ready?"

Maggie closed her eyes, put her hands behind her back, and took a ready stance. "Shoot."

"You're too tough."

Maggie's eyes flew open. "WHAT?!"

Bridget giggled. "Trowa's practically afraid of you... ok, he IS afraid of you! How are you going to get anywhere like THAT?"

Maggie sighed. "I know. I know. But I'm not tough where I should be, Pidge."

"Maggie, you are way too hard on yourself. Trowa likes you, but you don't give him ANY encouragement.. unless you count the day of the pool party."

"Very funny... NOT. Pidge, you know I can't help it!"

"No more than I can help being shocked when Kat kisses me... stuff we have to deal with!"

Maggie carefully got out of her bed. She spit in her palm as she made her way over to Bridget.

"We deal with it. Sworn?"

Kat listened in curious fascination tot the sound of Bridget spitting in her own hand and slapping Maggie's.

"Sworn."

"Good. Now I'm going to die. If I have any messages, or Trowa comes back with that stuffed animal, just have him forward it to me c/o Duo, k?"

Bridget giggled. "Sure thing, but how do you know I won't be with you?"

"Good point. Perhaps we'll just wait on this one."

"Ok."

Kat quietly made his way down the stairs, a huge grin on his face. Trowa was just coming in the door, holding a small bag. "TROWA!" he called softly. "I need to talk to you!"

Trowa warily eyed Kat's excessively cheery expression. "Ooooookkkk. Go ahead."

"No, no, not here. Come on," he dragged him into the living room.

As soon as they got in Kat turned to him. "They're AFRAID!"

Trowa looked at him blankly. "Huh?"

"Bridget and Maggie!" He quickly filled Trowa in. and watched a smile spread across his friend's face as he finished, "So they DO like us."

Wufei was standing in the doorway. "Wait a minute. You two bakas are actually PLANNING to get with these two?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. Winner, I see where you're coming from. That one's just a LITTLE psychotic... most likely residue from the other two. But Barton, you should get your head examined. Seriously. That one is CRAZY. Homicidal. Nuts."

"I know," Trowa said calmly with a grin.

Wufei shook his head. "Ok, that's it, you're both crazy."

"What about Duo?" asked Kat with a grin. Wufei snorted.

"Maxwell's been crazy since the day he was spawned, but, since the red haired onna keeps him busy and out of my sight almost 24/7, she can stay as long as she wants."