AN: This is what I will refer to as a "story arc." Basically that means that if you don't want to read it, it won't affect your understanding of the overall story too much. However, I kept getting these ideas in my head, and I've learned that it's dangerous to not let them out! So if you are not a fan the 4xD pairing, feel free to ignore any other arcs that come up along the way. :)

"Manifestations"
By Isis cw
Story Arc, Chapter 1

"Dorothy, I wasn't expecting you… as usual," Quatre smiled.

"Surprise is one of the few great advantages left to us." The platinum blond walked slowly up the ramp towards his office, the difference in gravity on the "ceiling" of the colony causing her hair to waft after her more than normal.

"Well, you picked an excellent day." She paused as she came directly beside him, nearly brushing shoulders on the wide walkway. "Miss Relena accepted my invitation to visit."

She actually showed a bit of surprise before smiling. "She's a little early for the un-veiling."

"She has a conference with the L3 Representatives this week."

"Ah," she cocked her head to the side, "well I suppose we can forgive her." She continued to the operations building without seeing if he was going to follow or not.

Quatre tried to smile through the displaced expression and slowly went after her. Once inside she set down the briefcase she had with her and removed the light jacket that she wore over her yellow sundress.

"How is Miss Relena these days?" she asked without looking back to see if he was in the door.

"She seems well."

"Does she grow weary of playing the world's savior?" she asked coyly.

"I don't think she plays at anything."

"Oh, but she does," Dorothy whirled around to face him. "Politics is always a game, a beautiful chess match of wits."

Quatre simply stood where he was; he knew better than to interrupt her when she was being poetic.

Smoothing out an eyebrow with one hand she sighed, closing her eyes. "But Miss Relena does such a good job. She has manipulated the pawns just as she needs. Truly a master player."

"Dorothy, Miss Relena does not manipulate people."

She walked over and looking him in the eye. "We are all manipulated by our emotions, Quatre. And we never concoct our own; it is up to outsiders to do that. And who better than our trusted leaders?" she smiled. "Always be wary of those in power: they will form the people."

"I think she has done a wonderful job with her 'power' over the people," he replied defensively.

"Of course she has!" Dorothy was taken aback. "Just because she has the power to influence does not mean that she has used it badly."

He sighed, giving up trying to follow this conversation. "Do you think of anything without seeing a conspiracy?"

"Sometimes I try," she mumbled, turning back towards the outside door.

Quatre smiled to himself as she purposefully brushed passed him, her hair barely sweeping his side, and again followed her as she headed towards the elevators.

"Do you think she will be happy to see me?" she sing-songed, lacing her fingers behind her as she walked.

"I'm sure she'll be… surprised."

"Ah, yes, I suppose the silent partner should also be the blind partner. Perhaps I should not greet her," she stopped, tilting her head.

Quatre stopped behind her. "I'm sure she would want to see you."

"Are you sure? I'm really not. We didn't part on the best of terms last time we crossed paths. I suppose I made a habit of that," she giggled and swirled around to face him. "But perhaps I would like to meet with her." She nodded to herself, then turned and continued her trek.

Quatre sighed and slumped his shoulders. For some reason it was really draining to have a conversation with the Lady Catalonia. Remembering something he quickly caught up with her as she opened the elevator hatch. "Dorothy, I have to prepare you for something though."

"Oh? Do tell," she stated as she began the elevator's descent.

"Miss Relena has a security team with her."

"Yes, I have heard."

Quatre licked his lips and gave a weak smile. "Heero Yuy is now her team commander."

And Dorothy's eyes lit up, "Really? Oh what fun…."

"Dorothy." She looked up innocently and batted her lashes at him. "Heero has specifically buried his past. He is only a Preventer Agent to the rest of his team. He will not appreciate it if his secret is let out," he specifically warned her.

She gave him a sour expression and faced forward again. "I simply don't understand the desire you all seem to have to hide your heroic identities," she mused.

Quatre swallowed and closed his eyes a moment. "There is nothing in that past that needs to come with us."

"Isn't there?" She turned and brushed against his side. "Is there nothing you learned that you wish to retain?"

He turned to regard her, a bit surprised. "Of course there are some things, but there are others that," he paused, "need to be forgotten."

"Your sacrifices should never be forgotten." She narrowed her eyes as she moved to stand directly in front of him. "Sacrifices that even you should never forget."

Quatre stared openly at the woman in front of him, surprised by berating.

Quickly though her expression softened back to her usual, confident smirk. "There are things in heaven and earth that must remain fresh, cuts that never heal. If we allow these memories to be lost… we will still lose the war."

"Are you still fighting, Dorothy?" he asked quietly, knowing that she had her own nightmares.

She closed her eyes and smiled. "That is my job as a witness."

He smiled softly back at her, "You were quite a bit more than just a witness."

Giggling she looked up at him and flipped her hair back over her shoulder. "I was present only as someone expecting a good show."

Quatre was sure he knew better. "Why did you choose to come to space? I know you're not particularly fond of it," he ventured. He'd never been able to ask before. Actually, nothing of their actual past had arisen before during her random visits or their short-lived business transactions.

"It was a stage that I could dance on. Mr. Treize had no place for me on his side." She paced around to face the doors again quietly, possibly avoiding his gaze.

"That's it?" Quatre was incredulous. "You just picked the most convenient place and fought there?"

"Of course."

Quatre tried to say something but nothing came out. As usual, this woman had totally confused his sense of normal human interactions….

She turned to him with a slight smile, "How did you choose which side to fight on in the last battle, dear Quatre?"

"What?" he started. "We decided that the Libra was the most dangerous entity, no matter what, it had to be destroyed."

"There now, how is that different from my reasoning?"

"Because we… I mean, we specifically… I…" he faltered completely and stepped back to lean against the back of the elevator. "I need a score card."

Dorothy laughed merrily, crossing her arms behind her back.

Quatre sighed, the implications of what she had just said working through his mind. She was right, the Gundams had no reason to really choose to battle for either side. In truth, they hadn't. Except for Heero, the pilots had decided to take on the biggest threat to space. Not because of what side they were on, but because Libra could do the most damage to anything in its path.

Who really knew if anyone was on a side at all during that miserable ordeal?

He looked over to Dorothy again—standing quite content with their exchange—in front of him. She was easily one of the strongest people he knew, but Quatre also knew that she had a past that she wanted to hide too.

The elevator kicked in its breaking systems to slow it as it passed the halfway point. He stepped up next to her again feeling oddly comfortable with her silent reflection. She may be able to confuse the crud out of him, but she did always make him think.

"If you can't convince them, confuse them." – Harry S Truman

AN: I never really saw them as having any significant sort of relationship until I started playing with this. I just love Dorothy, wicked eyebrows and all. And they are just so opposite, yet so perfectly alike that… well it totally reminds me of HxR. Yet another wonderful compare/contrast given by the fantastic GW writers. :)

But this fic didn't start out with an additional coupling so, like I said, if you don't want to read these I will clearly mark the arc chapters.

Proofed by: Melika Elena. Thank you.