Chapter 51: Catching Up

Heero didn't know what he expected to happen when he found out that Duo was back on field work, but he never expected an out of town assignment so soon. It was foolish of him, when he really thought about it. Most of Duo's assignments while he was missing brought him out of town, and that was how he managed to live in the same city for years without being seen. Both Duo and Une separately implied the sole reason he'd remained in town for the past several months was the injuries he'd sustained. The last thing Heero wanted was for Duo to return to field work and only spend a few days a month with him.

He had so many questions, but Duo remained tight-lipped about his assignment. The secrecy made Heero feel abandoned. As a Preventer he understood some information was classified, but as a man he wanted to know the person he loved would be safe enough to actually come back to him. Duo sensed this in the days before his departure, and before leaving town he had the courtesy to pull Heero aside and tell him all he could.

First, he would be back in three days. Second, he couldn't talk about it yet but it was for security reasons and not from a personal desire to keep secrets. He emphasized that he was not keeping secrets outside of professional enforcement, and he would tell Heero everything the moment he was allowed. And lastly, after a month of working through his feelings of shame and recuperating from exhaustion, he was as ready as he'd ever be to get back to work.

Duo's words echoed in his head.

Please don't worry. Or try your best not to. I'll be back soon, and I got this.

And he winked. Duo had the audacity to wink at him while reassuring him. How could Heero protest that?

And when Duo kissed him goodbye it was so tender and with such conviction that he lost his ability to speak until he was alone once more. If nothing else, his partner knew exactly how to put him under a spell. It was the same nonchalant but effective behavior that kept Heero from asking the questions he held onto for months about things that happened in the 4 years they were apart. Every time he thought he gathered courage, Duo would knowingly or unconsciously throw him for a loop.

In the end he had three days before Duo's return to figure out how to break news that they'd be going to Quatre's, avoid as long as possible explaining why they were going, and cross his fingers it wouldn't end in disaster. No matter how he looked at it, there was no good way to tell Duo his plans. He'd return from his mission early Saturday and they'd be heading to Quatre's Sunday. There wasn't much time.

Heero didn't have a good plan. He kind of wanted to just invite Duo for late lunch on Sunday and surprise him by taking him to Quatre's. He probably wouldn't figure out where they were going until they were outside of the city, and Duo wouldn't jump out of a speeding vehicle on a highway, would he?

Would he?

Perhaps tricking him was not a good plan.

He avoided even thinking about what to do until the day before Duo was set to come home. Planning in advance felt like overt deception. He could probably wing it on Sunday. In the meantime, he'd get another Friday night with the guys, like they used to do once or twice a month before Duo resurfaced. As much as he loved spending time with Duo the friction between him and Quatre made gatherings almost impossible to fully enjoy. He'd never admit out loud that he was looking forward to another guys' night without the complications Duo brought.

No, he thought. Duo doesn't bring the complications. Quatre does. I can't blame Duo for reacting like anyone would to hostility.

Wufei would be hosting everyone. Sally was working overnight and Heero hosted their previous get together. He couldn't believe how many weeks passed since the last time the four of them did this ritual, but life became a whirlwind for all of them after that last dinner. It was only hours before Duo called from HQ and their whole worlds turned upside down. A small and unreasonable voice inside Heero's head worried if he hosted again while Duo was out of town the night would end with a similar emergency.

It was ridiculous, but he knew fears didn't rely on logic.

He took the metro. It was only a fifteen minute walk from the nearest stop and not worth shortening by waiting for a bus. Once he rounded the corner to Wufei's street he noticed Quatre and Trowa's car outside. He wasn't late, but it appeared they'd arrived early. He tried the door and it was locked. Normally Wufei left it unlocked until the last person got there. It was a security nightmare in Heero's mind, but Wufei insisted with the punctuality of their group the door would be unlocked for five minutes at most. Heero blamed Sally for his friend's lax security measures.

Something was different this time around. He heard Trowa's voice from behind the door.

"That you, Heero?"

Something was definitely wrong.

"Yes, it's me. What's going on?"

The door sung open, and Trowa looked over Heero's shoulder before letting him inside. There was no sign of Quatre or Wufei until Trowa called them out. Wufei entered first from the hallway leading towards his bedroom. He was holstering his weapon.

Something was definitely wrong. Heero got directly to the point and asked, "Status?"

Three sets of eyes shifted between each other. It caused Heero to feel entirely left out. What could they know that he didn't?

Wufei spoke first. "Duo didn't tell you." It was not a question.

"Tell me what?"

Trowa cleared his throat to speak but Quatre beat him to it. "The man Duo shot at the cabin is dead, and the person who hired him is MIA."

Heero was blindsided. If Duo kept this a secret… If this was why he was hiding the nature of his current mission…

He jolted when Trowa's hand came to rest on his shoulder. They'd been partners at work for years and Trowa knew how to read him well. The contact grounded him and stopped his mind from over-working, allowing him to focus on what was in front of him.

"When?"

It was a simple question, but one Trowa did not look forward to answering. "A week ago today." As Heero recoiled from his grasp, he continued "I didn't even tell Quatre until two days ago. No one's seen Chevalier though it's a near certainty he's behind the hit. We're without a witness now. And Quatre's in danger again so of course we're being extra cautious."

He knew it was unreasonable, but his first thought was about Duo. The last time this Chevalier character was in their lives it was Duo who almost died. What if he had some vendetta against the American for his part in protecting Quatre? What if it was Duo who was now in danger? And how could he bring that up without looking like a bastard who didn't care about Quatre?

"He should be safe."

Heero turned to Quatre, surprised he read his mind.

"He wasn't the target before, and he shouldn't be now. Une says she's got him working on tracking this guy down, though she doubts he'll make much progress. The man's gone fully underground since he made bail."

The news didn't make Heero feel at ease, and instead only made him suspect Duo's three day mission out of town was a quick trip to L2 to interrogate locals in person. That was a dangerous job for anyone, even an L2 native with copious experience. He didn't want Duo involved in any of this. As far as he was concerned after his near death experience Duo ought to be allowed to step aside. Other agents, including himself, could take point on the investigation. Just because he was from L2 didn't mean he needed to be roped back into the case.

Heero's mind finally caught up to Quatre's words.

"They have bail on L2?"

Wufei scoffed from across the room. "Barbaric, but yes. Locking up the poor and letting out the rich isn't a system of justice."

"So what happens next?" It was a legitimate question and for Heero it was important. "Are we on the case? Do we carry on per usual? Are you still hosting us on Sunday? What's current protocol?"

"I think it's best to carry on, but remain vigilant."

Three sets of eyes turned to Quatre in surprise.

"It makes no sense to cancel everything planned. We're all capable, and I can carry a firearm again in case of emergency. Just because I've stepped out of field work doesn't mean I'm unable to defend myself. I did fight in two wars."

Trowa was the first to speak.

"But Quatre, this is serious. The last time—"

He turned to Trowa with an intense and angry stare. "The last time you set me up as bait. Had I known what was going on Duo and I could've taken care of those men ourselves as a team." He fixed his aqua eyes on Heero to emphasize his next sentiment. "I'm not saying there's nothing to blame me for. I made terrible mistakes. I'm still trying to atone for them and I can only hope I succeed." He then looked back to Trowa. "But you can't deny it would've gone down differently if you'd kept me in the loop."

Trowa said nothing. Wufei looked pleased, like he'd been waiting for Quatre to step up and take charge rather than allow others to dictate his fate. Heero suddenly found himself wondering if Quatre was right, and the worst night of his life was more the byproduct of poor strategic planning by his own partner at work rather than solely the mistakes of the man who got set up as bait. He still hadn't forgiven Quatre for his part in that evening, nor for how he behaved later, but the more he learned the more he realized just how many things went wrong.

When no one challenged him, Quatre squared his shoulders and took command. "You all agreed in the wars that I was a good strategist so it's time you let me plan my own defense. Going into hiding isn't an option. We want to project a continued status quo and not tip off the enemy. I'll keep my public outings and private gatherings to manageable environments for control purposes but I'm not going to stop living. You're still all invited to my place on Sunday. I'll increase security at work, check in with Une for updates, and request use of the Preventers shooting range. I'm confident in myself but realistically it's been over ten years since I've needed to be a good shot. At the cabin my target was within arm's reach. I don't expect that to be the case the next time around."

Trowa interjected "Calm down" and Quatre visibly held back fury. "You're not even a Preventer, you can't take point here and—"

Heero wasn't sure he'd seen Quatre more threatening since the Zero System. He didn't shout or make a scene, but his quiet rage was more frightening than any loud eruption.

"When Preventers listened to you I was kept in the dark and unknowingly put in danger. It was your decisions that nearly killed me and Duo. When you did that, you lost all privileges to take point when my safety is involved. I love you, Trowa. I love you so much but you're out on this one. Your judgment has proven compromised, and frankly I'm surprised Une let you take point in the first place given there are rules against it. She made an exception because of who you are, and she shouldn't have. There is a reason for establishing protocols where involved agents cannot work together or work the cases of family members and significant others. I don't consider any of this a personal failing of yours. You were as compromised as anyone would be in the same situation. And this time you will recuse yourself from command and follow someone else's orders."

His words were harsh, but he wasn't wrong. Trowa took it all with a neutral expression that said more than any reaction could. He was hurt.

This was, decidedly, not the sort of gathering Heero was hoping to have with Duo out of town. He wanted a fun and casual evening with friends, not assassination plots and the tearing open of wounds that only recently healed. Even knowing none of this was Duo's fault he couldn't help but think there were many ways in which life was simpler without him. He hated himself for those thoughts and reminded himself of two things.

First, correlation was not causation. Duo showing up immediately before so much went wrong was just incidental. He didn't order the hit on Quatre, he didn't force the personal struggles between his friends. At most his presence brought to light problems that always existed but remained hidden.

Second, even if Duo was somehow a harbinger of bad fortune, he preferred life with Duo over life without him.

Wufei was in the kitchen grabbing beverages to hand out and suggesting restaurants from which to order in food. Normally they'd all just help themselves to drinks in his fridge, but tonight Wufei was working to lighten the mood, reminding them if they were to go with Quatre's plan and continue living their lives they could start by having a meal together.

Tension lingered between Quatre and Trowa. Heero wondered if either would actually bring it up later and have a discussion about the accusations leveled and feelings hurt. He hoped they would. He wasn't an expert on relationships, but he was quickly learning with Duo that holding in anger and hurt would only lead to more pain. He saw what happened to Duo when he held onto his pain and spiraled, losing nearly all the personal progress he made as he focused on a single mistake. And he knew what holding in feelings did to himself, every time he delayed having the serious talks he needed with Duo to fill in blanks and answer questions he couldn't get out of his head.

He also realized, contrary to his initial belief, he didn't actually want a guys' night like before. He wanted Duo with them.