"Heero! How could this happen?!"

Heero moistened his lips and pressed them together thinly, holding the phone an inch away from his ear.

"I can't do this without you... you know how much stuff I have to move. And you promised. And what dinner with my parents? Can you at least do that for me?"

It would be just another night of being asked when he will pop the big question. He sighed into the receiver.

"Is that supposed to be a 'yes'?"

He couldn't find his voice. He was just so tired.

She wasn't always like this. She hadn't always been like this.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Bottom line? Your boy says he didn't see anything."

"But, Officer, can't you take finger prints? Lift some DNA samples?"

"Mr. Chang, I understand that your upset, but a lot of people come through here everyday - without a positive ID from Mr..." the officer flipped around in his notepad, "... Yoy -"

"Yuy," Trowa corrected.

"... without a positive ID, there's not a whole lot we can do."

Trowa watched as Wufei continued to steam, while the three pairs of cops scoped the place, one or two trying to hide their amusement. Some of the guys were still being questioned, but Heero was really the only person who had any answers - and not many, from the looks of it. And as far as Trowa was concerned it was just another prank.

Trowa was walking along the caution tape when his foot brushed under a trash can and hit something. Glancing around, nobody seemed to notice. He bent down casually picked up and pocketed the obstruction.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Can you see anything?"

"Not when you're climbing on top of my head!" Duo ducked down as Quatre's elbow made another pass for his ear. It was mid-morning, but there were still people around trying to catch a glimpse of whatever happened to bring the cops around in the middle of the night. The cleaning up process was underway, and several less than happy jocks were lugging around garbage bag after garbage bag out of the building. Several more were inside mopping... looks like the campus housekeeping had given up on them entirely.

"Don't you people have to get ready for class or something?!" A perturbed Wufei took his place at the top of the steps leading into the dorm. "There're people who live here, you know." He started to get one cluster to back off the steps, but then something caught his eye. "Maxwell?"

Duo blanched.

"Wufei. Buddy. Pal, heard what happened. Crying shame... looks better than what happened last year though --" Duo tried to ignore the incessant poking in his back from Quatre. Wufei didn't say anything, but Duo did his best to remain cool. They couldn't implicate them last year with the packing peanut incident; they wouldn't get him this year for some minor TP incident... or at least, he hoped.

Wufei scrutinized him for another moment, "Third-year, right? English major. Fall term, last year, Introduction to Victorian Era." Duo felt like he was in mid-roll call. "Maxwell." Wufei seemed proud of himself for remembering, puffing up his chest slightly as he continued to look down at Duo from the top of the steps. Duo nodded to the address, and though he couldn't turn to look at Quatre, but the pull on the back of his shirt was a pretty good indication that the shorter blond didn't perform well under this kind of pressure. "... you have yet to cut your hair."

"How astute of you," Duo enunciated. He didn't particularly like being talked down to, but he didn't want to draw too much attention either. Otherwise, he might have mentioned that Wufei's hairline receded half an inch since last year from tying it back too tight.

"Was anybody hurt?"

Wufei blinked as if just noticing Quatre for the first time. He passed an odd look between the two, as if drawing some conclusions... Duo clenched his fist. If this was any other day, any other circumstance...

"One injury. Possible mild concussion," Wufei paused in his listing, "... you were the first to ask." His eyes narrowed briefly, causing both boys to stiffen under his gaze, but then nodded with approval. "Thank you for your concern, but I must insist that you vacate like everyone else." Quatre nodded and gently led Duo down the stairs while Duo tried not to look as stunned as he felt.

"How did you -"

"There are still people in this world who respect courtesy, I guess," Quatre shrugged. They reached the bottom of the steps and Quatre languidly stretched his arms upwards and then yawned. "Well, I feel better, now. I think I'm going to head back and get some sleep."

Duo watched Quatre get a couple steps ahead of him... the blond's sudden mood shifts were still something to get accustomed to, even after living together for three years in residence. It felt like there was a computer in his brain or something that just pulled a switch and he went from hysterical to eerily calm and back again in zero seconds flat.

When they reached their building and Quatre drifted further ahead while Duo mechanically checked his mail. He rarely ever had any, since he only had his aunt left, but when she did send something it was always something good. He looked into his five by five inch cubicle, "Hey Quat! I got a package to pick up!"

Quatre didn't turn just waved over his shoulder as he dragged his feet up the stairs to the second floor. Duo shook his head a bit. Just another perfect end to another crazy adventure. He plucked the package notice out of his mailbox and stuffed it into his back pocket. As he was up anyway, he might as well head over to the head office across the street to go pick it up. Might be home-made cookies. Or socks. Or ... home-made cookies.

His steps quickened.

But they were halted by the sound of screeching tires. He didn't get to turn his head before it was thrown back for him. The sky was blue but then faded to black.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Oh my god, Heero! Heero, you hit somebody! Oh my god!"