Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or it's characters. Oh, and I don't own Fluffy ( I don't know if the lion's actually called that in the show, I never saw the whole series, only half of it! Oo). I also don't own Dr. Pepper, even if it IS the best soda in the world! gets attacked by Sprite and Pepsi fans .

Chapter 8

"Quatre? What are you doing there?" Trowa remarked in surprise at his friend's voice over the Capital's line.

"I came to stay with Relena and Heero for a while, I didn't feel comfortable leaving Sayla all by herself to worry over my well being." The young man responded, the same tenderness still that filled it as a child present in his mature voice.

"I understand. . .is Duo staying there?"

"I'm not sure, why?"

"I just needed to know. . .so I can be prepared for anything."

"Ah. You could come here, we could take the time to catch up."

"I'm sorry, Quatre, I have to pass. . .I have work in the morning."

"On a Saturday?"

"Got called in. It's a special event, they need their best performers."

"What about Precious?"

I can't tell him about Hope. . .he'll tell everyone and they'll think we're dating! Trowa paused a moment before saying, "I got a babysitter for her."

"Oh you don't need one, you can leave her here with us, we'll watch her for you!"

"I. . ."

"Besides, why pay when you have friends who'll do it for free!"

"It's no charge, sort of a favor."

"A friend?"

"Yeah. . ."

Just a friend. . .

"Well then I understand."

"It's not that I don't want you to. . ."

"No no! It's fine, Trowa! Perhaps another time?"

"Perhaps. . ." Trowa was quiet for a few seconds, embarrassed by turning down his best friend.

"Was there. . .anything else you needed to know? Besides Duo's whereabouts." Quatre broke the silence.

"No. . .thank you." Trowa muttered.

"Well. . .oh, Chang's here! Hello, Chang!" Quatre shouted across the hall to the incoming guests.

"I suppose you need to go. . ."

"Not terribly soon, why? Trowa, is something the matter?"

"No. . ."

I just wanted to talk to someone. . .

"Okay. . .goodbye and have a pleasant sleep, my friend!"

"You too. . ." Trowa said, listening as the line clicked off and buzzed. He slowly sat the phone down and let out a sigh, making his way upstairs. He didn't even bother to turn on the light or change as he crawled into his bed and laid on his stomach, tucking his arms under the pillow and staring distantly at the open door. An ache in the depths of his body kept him awake with troubled thoughts and urges to cry till the morning light came.

Not a wink of sleep. . .this isn't good. Catherine's going to kill me. Trowa thought as he moaned and got up, walking into his bathroom and getting undressed. He stepped into the shower, letting a fountain of cold water pour down over his naked body. He didn't even notice it as he began to lather up.

"Trowa, there you are! What took you?" Catherine called out. Pausing, he glanced over at the impatient looking brunette and said, "Had a little lady to bring along."

"Hmm? Where is she?"

"With. . .a friend. . ." Trowa said softly, making his way to his dressing room.

"Oh, alright. . .Trowa?" He looked back and she said, "Nevermind, you'd better hurry."

I wonder what that was about. . .Trowa thought as he got ready.

"Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages! Never have you seen such an act so daring, so dangerous, so amazing as the duo of a princess and her fool! Both will fly to each other. . ." The sound of the ring master's voice seemed to fizzle out in Trowa's mind as he gazed down at the crowd below, feeling a little dizzy.

I'm no one's fool. . .I'm just. . .a fool. . .Trowa thought, sighing as he glanced up at his performance partner far across the tent from him. He caught the ringmaster gesturing up to their trapeze act 30 feet in the air. Trowa waited for Catherine to signal him to start. With a flourish, the costumed woman grabbed the bar and swung out over the ring, her movements mirrored by her partner. As they did flips and daring moves from trapeze to trapeze, the crowd oooed and awed in delight. Finally, Trowa flipped over, hanging from the center bar and reaching out to Catherine who trustingly leapt to him. He grabbed her hands, nearly missing as she started to slip.

"Trowa!" Catherine whispered, looking up fearfully as he grit his teeth and let go briefly to grab her wrist. He did the same with the other hand and swung her up onto the bar where she wrapped her legs around the wire and lifted herself up. Grabbing the wires, she stood up, quickly being joined by Trowa who faced her as the crowd cheered. While the audience happily applauded the act, Catherine stared at Trowa, her eyes wide. Trowa's chest heaved nervously as he swallowed the lump forming in his throat. After they made their way down and off stage, Catherine trotted after Trowa, saying, "What happened out there, you almost dropped me!"

"I know. . ." Trowa said calmly, heading straight for his dressing room.

"What! Is that all you have to say, I almost died! Face me when I'm yelling at you!" She sharply grabbed his arm and jerked him back, nearly raising her hand to slap him. He turned his face away, cringing in anticipation of the attack. Catherine's heart was pounding as she said in a quiet voice, "What's. . .going on with you, Trowa?"

"N. . .nothing. . ."

"Talk to me. . .what's wrong?" Trowa slowly looked into her eyes, momentarily letting the empty feeling show in his tired green eyes. She was startled by it, her eyes widening as her grip softened. He faced her, silently staring into her eyes before muttering, "I'm. . .sorry, I didn't sleep last night. I didn't mean to. . ."

"Oh Trowa. . ." Pulling him close, she hugged him, hearing his heart pounding as hard as hers.

"Trowa. . .?" Trowa whipped his head around, seeing Hope watching with Precious by her side holding her hand.

"Hope, uh. . ." Trowa almost blushed as he pushed Catherine away.

"Daddy, daddy!" Precious broke free, running to Trowa as he knelt to meet her. She fell into his arms, bawling ceaselessly as he said, "Precious, what is it? What's wrong?"

"DADDY!" Precious sobbed, burying her face in his costume. Hope slowly approached as she said, "She. . .was scared, she saw your performance a few minutes ago. . ." Trowa looked up and his face softened as he said gently, "It's alright, sweetie, it was all part of the show; it was all on purpose."

"On. . .purpose?" Precious whimpered, looking up into her dad's eyes. He tried to smile to reassure her as he said, "Of course. . .I would never let anything bad happen to me or your auntie Catherine."

"That's right, Precious, you're dad would never put my life in jeopardy! No comment on his own. . ." Catherine almost inaudibly mumbled the last remark. Trowa briefly glared at her before hugging Precious and whispering, "Don't worry that pretty little head of yours, nothing bad's going to happen to me, okay?"

"sniff Okay. . .daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you!" Precious wrapped her short arms around his neck, giving him a hug. He hugged her back as Hope smiled down at the couple, getting caught up in the moment herself. Easing her slowly away, Trowa said with a loving smile, "Hey, how about we hang out now?"

"Yeah!" Precious bounced up and down.

"I'll be right back, I have to change."

" 'Kay!" Standing, Trowa headed for his room while Precious bounded over to Hope, grabbing her hand and dragging her over to Catherine, saying cheerfully, "Hopey, come meet my Auntie Cathy! Auntie, this is my friend, Hopey!"

"It's so nice to meet you, that was an amazing performance you did! You and your brother make a good team." Hope said, shaking hands with Catherine. Brushing aside her bronze curls, Catherine said sweetly, "Thank you! But we're not related, he just calls me her aunt because I was always like a big sister to him when he was younger. I still am, come to think of it. . ."

"Oh, I'm sorry for assuming." Hope blushed in embarrassment.

"No problem, we get that all the time! Say, are you friends with Trowa or just a babysitter?"

"Well, I honestly don't know him that well, we've only known each other for about 3 days!"

"Oh, don't feel bad, I've known him for almost 5 years and he's still as mysterious as the day he walked in asking for a job and pet Fluffy!" Catherine laughed, recalling the first day she saw him.

"Fluffy?"

"Fluffy's one of the lions used in our shows."

"Oh my!" Hope said, sounding startled as she cupped a hand over her mouth.

"I was bold, what can I say. . ." Trowa said as he walked out and joined the women.

"You were reckless, there's a big difference. . ." Catherine scolded. As Trowa seemed the least bit amused, Hope giggled, thinking, They are like brother and sister! And they look so alike, aside from the different eye colors. How odd. . .

"Ready to go?" Trowa looked down at Precious who had grasped his hand.

"Is Hope coming too?" Precious asked. Hope snapped out of her thoughts as she heard her name mentioned, looking up as Trowa looked at her, saying, "Well. . ."

"You're not busy, are you, Hope?" Precious begged, staring up with her big green eyes, seemingly larger than usual.

"No, not really. . .I don't want to impose. . ." Hope said timidly.

"You won't, right, daddy?" Trowa was still staring at Hope, who blinked at the sudden attention she had. Finally, he turned his head to the tent opening, saying, "Of course not, she can come along."

"Yay! Can Auntie come too?" Precious was getting hyper by all the joy building inside her. Catherine was watching the way the two adults had been acting and was softly grinning to herself.

"I'm sorry, Precious, I have things to do today. Maybe some other time?" Trowa stared at her, looking like he was almost pleading her to come. Catherine just turned her head away, saying as she walked toward her dressing room, "Call you later!"

Thanks, Catherine. . .geez, she must think something's going on between us! What did they talk about while I was away! I'm going to regret this, I know it. . .Trowa thought, sighing as he started walking toward the exit. Hope hurried to catch up as Precious hopped along side her father, singing songs to herself in her cute little girl voice. As the trio wandered the amusement park, Precious enjoyed her own little world while the two adults looked for everything to look at but each other.

I feel so uncomfortable, like I can't even be myself. . .what am I so afraid of? It's not a date so who cares what he thinks, right? He looks handsome today. . .how can he look so good and not even try! It's not even fair. . .well, I suppose it was my own fault for spending all this morning doing my hair and putting makeup on for someone who doesn't even care about me. I wonder if he's feeling awkward too. . .Hope thought to herself, sneaking a peek at him. A gust of wind swept past and she reached to hold down her skirt as it danced on the breeze. Trowa glanced at her and stared at her face, thinking, She's so polite and. . .gentle. . .what's a guy like me doing spending the day with her? I'm not even giving her a chance, how could I ask her to stay? I'm so selfish, I haven't stopped to think of how she might feel! She's probably uneasy being here with total strangers. Precious pulled on Trowa's hand and he looked down at her, saying, "What is it, Precious?"

"Can we go on that ride? Please?" She pointed across the way to a teacup ride loading on riders as she spoke.

"I guess so. . .are you okay with it?" Trowa asked Hope who nodded with a smile, saying, "I love them."

"Yay, let's hurry, they're almost full!" Precious dragged the two chaperons to the ride and Trowa paid for it, running to catch up to Precious as she picked a cup to ride in. She plopped down and her father slid in next to her, Hope left to sit next to Trowa. As the ride began, they slowly sped up, rotating in a hilly circle.

"This is fun." Hope said, trying to break the silence.

"Wanna have more fun? Watch this!" Precious grabbed the steering wheel in the middle of the cup and began turning it quickly, catching everyone off guard as the force threw them into each other. Hope fell into Trowa and blushed as she looked up into his eyes, seeing the discomfort she too felt. Suddenly, she began to laugh as she grabbed the steering wheel and stopped the spinning suddenly.

"Now this way!" Hope shouted over the music playing in the background and the hum of the ride engines. She started it turning the other direction and Precious squealed with delight, helping her turn it faster. Trowa couldn't help but smile at their fun, nearly giving in to the laughter erupting from his fellow passengers.

She's not as reserved as she gave on to being, she's laughing like. . .well, like Precious! Why can't I just let myself have fun and laugh along with them? I feel like I'm ruining the moment. . .Trowa thought to himself, trying not to frown. The ride finally ended and the riders staggered out and down the pavement to the next ride.

"That was AWESOME! Wasn't it, daddy?" Precious said enthusiastically, bouncing joyfully.

"Yeah, it was fun. What next?" Trowa said, smiling down to her.

"Bumper cars! We have to do that! I'm tall enough now to ride them by myself, you know. . ." Precious said proudly, a broad grin on her face. Hope giggled as they walked up to the ride and paid for the tickets, getting on and into their own cars. The cars surged to life and the drivers took off around the oval track, running into each other and laughing insanely. Precious searched for her father and spotted him across the track from her, yelling out, "I'm gonna get you this time, daddy!" Trowa merely smiled as he evaded accidents brought on by other drivers. He dodged another crash and zoomed past his daughter as she ran into the wall.

"Wow, he's a good driver. . .wonder if he did racing once or something. . ." Hope said quietly to herself, trying to avoid being hit by little bratty troublemakers riding with them. She saw Trowa coming her way and ducked behind another driver, getting in Trowa's blind spot and sneaking up on him while he was watching someone coming for him. Quickly, she took a chance and floored it, ramming into Trowa's rear fender and sending him jerking forward. He whipped his head around in surprise and stared at Hope as she waved and smiled.

She hit me! No one's ever hit me before. . .oh, she's going down. . .Trowa thought to himself, narrowing his eyes and taking evasive action to get free of the oncoming collision that Hope got trapped in. Going around the curve, he steered around a slow poke and headed back to find Hope as she got out of the three-car pileup. Just as she started heading for Precious, she spotted Trowa coming up on her rear and braced as he ran into her. She stared at him as he grinned, saying, "Now we're even."

"Says you, I'll get you later!" Hope said, flipping her hair at him as she turned the car, heading in a different direction than him. She met up with Precious and said, "Hey, wanna gang up on your dad?"

"Sure! I can't believe you hit him, that was so cool!" Precious said, cheering Hope on.

"Thanks! Quick, make him come this way and I'll surprise him from the front by coming around the support beam!" Hope said, driving away and getting in her hiding spot, ready to charge forward to snag her prey. Going after her father, she corralled him into the turn, trapping him so he couldn't avoid Hope who suddenly came flying around the corner and right into his front bumper. Both girls laughed as Precious said, "We got you!"

"What, are you tag teaming now?" Trowa said, feeling betrayed by his own daughter. Several other cars rammed them and stuck them in the middle, taking their sweet time to pull back and let them out. During that time, Trowa stared at Hope, who returned the stare with a gentle smile. He blinked and fought the urge to smile as he said, "Hope. . ." Blushing, Hope's smile faded and she thought to herself, What's wrong, he's staring at me so strangely! It's. . .making me uncomfortable. . .

"Daddy, come on, the ride's over!" Precious called out as she walked across the track to the exit gate. Flustered, the adults quickly joined her and walked with her in silence as she babbled on about the devious plan to catch Trowa.

"I still can't believe you got him twice, I mean, that was so awesome! Hey, are you guys listening to me?" Precious frowned up at Trowa and Hope who snapped out of their trances and looked down at her.

"Yeah, I heard every word." Trowa lied, looking at the ground.

"Okay. Hey, I'm hungry, can we get something to eat?" Precious said, her stomach growling to back up her claim.

"Sure, what do you want?" Trowa said, looking around at the stands around them.

"Corn dogs!" Precious said, excitedly running over to a stand selling corn dogs and burgers. Slowly, Trowa pursued her and stood behind her as she asked the man at the stand for some food.

"Anything for your parents, little girl?" The man said. Hope blinked and looked over at Trowa who was blushing at the comment.

He's. . .blushing. . .wow. Hope thought, almost smiling at his embarrassment.

"I'll. . .have a corn dog and a coke." Trowa said, scratching his head.

And he didn't correct the man. . .Hope blinked in surprise, saying to the man, "And I'll have the same, except make that a Dr. Pepper, please." The man walked around the booth getting their orders ready as they waited in silence. Precious got impatient and stared up at them, saying, "Why are you guys so quiet?"

"Cause there's nothing to talk about." Trowa said quietly.

"But I feel like I'm talking to myself, say something!" Precious whined.

"Something." Hope said. Precious giggled and said, "That's not what I meant!"

A sense of humor. . .well, at least she's not a wet blanket. . .like me. Trowa thought to himself, sighing. Hope looked up at him and said in a soft voice, "Is something wrong?"

"Hmm? No. . ." Trowa said, looking around for something to distract him from the conversation ensuing.

"You sighed. . .last I noticed a sigh was either a sign of sadness or bliss. . .and you don't seem that happy." Hope pointed out.

"No, I'm fine. . .really." Hope bowed her head, saying, "Okay. . .if you insist."

Hmm, she didn't bug me about it. . .I wonder why. . .Trowa thought, thankful she wasn't too nosy. The group got their food and found a picnic table nearby, sitting at it to enjoy their lunch in peace and quiet.