Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters belong to Sotsu, Sunrise, and Bandai. Of course, this fic belongs to me.

The Christmas Party
by Waltz195

"Well, I wish you would have told me earlier," Hilde chastised lightly, gently placing the two champagne bottles into an ice bucket. "It would have saved me from looking like a fool when I first saw her."

"You? A fool?" Duo teased. "Never!"

"So, Relena met her again how?" Hilde asked, taking out a plate of hors d'oeuvres from the refrigerator.

"At a conference a few months ago or something," he replied, trying to sneak a treat from the plate. "Relena says they've become better aquainted now and that she's changed since the wars."

Hilde moved the hors d'oeuvres out of his reach. "That's good to know, but how do you think the others will react?"

Duo shrugged. "Beats me. But hey, the more the merrier, right?"

A while later, tall shadows stretched across the expanse of the white wall surrounding the house. Bathed in artificial moonlight, two people huddled together in quiet discussion, the fresh snow lightly falling around them.

"So, this is the place?" One of them asked, her lilac eyes scanning the wall. "How do we get in?"

"Duo said something about a portion of it being holographic," her tall companion replied. "Behind a shrub."

The woman sighed. "But, there are a dozen shrubs lined up here. Which one is it?"

He didn't answer, instead concentrating on the wall in front of him. After a moment, he placed his hand against a section of it, but was met with solid concrete. "Hn..." He decided to try another approach.

"Wait right here, Cathy," he told the woman beside him, lowering his body into a crouch.

"Trowa?" she asked curiously, just as he leapt up and landed easily on top of the tall white wall.

Looking back down at her, he smiled reassuringly. "I'll be right back." He disappeared over the other side.

"Be careful," she whispered to the empty space, pulling her long, winter coat closer to her body.

On the other side of the wall, Trowa Barton began searching for the holographic projector Duo had described in the brief transmission he had gotten earlier that week. It had taken him a while to clear up his schedule with the circus troupe, given this was one of their busiest seasons, but he'd managed it. And now, he looked forward to seeing his comrades again.

He paused mid-step as a faint beeping sounded to his left. Glancing in that direction, Trowa noted the red glow of a laser detection unit. Taking care to avoid its range, he leapt into the air and flipped over a pile of scrap metal. Once he landed about ten feet away, he looked around for any more possible traps.

Finally, he spotted what looked like the holographic projector about ten paces to his left. Taking care of where he stepped, he walked over to it. A rectangular metal case with a scope on one end, it was partially hidden amongst a pile of yet more scrap metal. Following the direction of the scope's light, he cautiously felt along the inner wall. His hand disappeared. Pleased with the result, he walked through the rest of the way.

When he emerged on the other side, he saw Catherine where he had left her, six shrubs down to his left. She had opted to lean against the wall while she waited, tilting her head to look up at the artificial moon, her curly reddish hair swaying in the breeze. His eyes softened a bit as he watched her, taking in the dreamy look on her face.

"Cathy."

Catherine turned, a bit surprised, but smiled when she saw him. "You found it."

Trowa nodded as she walked over to him. Taking her hand gently in his, he led them back through the wall. Catherine looked around, impressed by the expanse of the salvage yard. They moved towards the house then, but Catherine held him back a bit. He paused and looked down into her slightly worried face. She seemed nervous, gazing at the house apprehensively.

"Trowa?" she asked quietly. "Will they like me? I mean...considering how ungracious I was to them during the wars."

'So, that's what this was about.' Trowa turned to look up at the house. "I don't think they'll hold it against you," he responded. "You were just trying to protect me. They'd understand that."

Trowa hoped his words would reassure her. Though Catherine seemed like a confident, stubborn woman most of the time, she was just as sensitive. It had been that blend of stubbornness and sensitivity that had helped him grow after the wars, and what he most loved about her. He was thankful for having her in his life everyday.

"Come on," he urged, gently pulling on her hand. "They're waiting."

"Alright." Catherine smiled and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Lead the way."

Hand in hand, they silently approached the house.

"Duo!" Hilde called from the kitchen. "Get the door will you?"

In the living room, Duo tore himself away from observing the absolutely enthralling debate Quatre and Dorothy were having over fuel stock prices, and rose to answer the door. The doorbell jingled once more.

"Got it!" he called as he opened it, peering out into the dark to see who had arrived.

A pair of cool, emerald green eyes stared back at him.

"Hey! Trowa! Good to see you!" Duo greeted the other man. "And glad to see you brought yet another beautiful young lady for me to flirt with." He winked at Catherine.

"Your security could use some work," was his only greeting, as Trowa lead Catherine through the doorway.

Duo stepped aside, the smile still on his face. "Come on in!" He closed the door behind them, offering to take their coats.

Trowa handed his coat to Duo, brushing off some leftover snow from his green sweater and jeans. Catherine took off her own coat, smoothing the front of the lavender dress she wore. As Duo hung their coats, Hilde appeared in the hall, greeting them with a smile.

"Trowa, Catherine," Duo introduced them. "This is Hilde, my esteemed cook and housemaid." Hilde sent him a warning glare.

Duo just smiled. "Not to mention the love of my life," he teased, winking as she blushed prettily.

"Never mind this fool," she told their two amused guests. "Come in to the living room. Quatre and Dorothy are already here."

At the mention of the latter name, Trowa sent Duo a questioning look. Duo shrugged in response. They walked into the living room and were greeted with an interesting sight.

Dorothy and Quatre were in what appeared to be a staring contest, their faces very close together. Both were so totally engrossed with each other that they didn't hear them come in.

"You know you're wrong," Quatre spoke up, slight amusement in his voice.

Dorothy snorted. "Of course not! Fuel prices will decrease after the season. Better to sell it all now than wait until it drops again."

Quatre shook his head. "Consumer reports show that there is a steady increase in fuel sales. There's no need to be too hasty."

"Hasty?" Dorothy fired back, inching her face closer, almost nose to nose with him.

Before she could continue, Duo cleared his throat. The two turned and noticed their interested audience.

Quatre stood up, a bit embarrassed. "Uh…we were just discussing fuel stocks. You know, business."

"Right…" Duo smiled, as Dorothy stood up as well, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Trowa! Catherine!" Quatre called out. "Good to see you!"

He moved forward to shake their hands, while Dorothy stood back by the sofa. Trowa exchanged his greetings and Catherine smiled in response. Trowa looked over to where Dorothy stood and observed her for a moment, before nodding in her direction. She was a bit surprised by the gesture but returned his greeting in kind.

"Here we are." Hilde walked into the room, carrying a tray of glasses. "Apple cider for everyone." She set the tray down on the center table and passed out the drinks, Duo beside her.

"Non-alcoholic, of course," Duo joked, handing a glass to Quatre.

The others graciously took their glasses and drank, enjoying the tangy sweet flavor in their mouths. As the new arrivals restarted the conversation, Duo heard the ringing of the kitchen video-phone down the hall. Excusing himself, he walked down the hall and picked up the receiver, smiling as the screen blipped to life.

"Schbeiker-Maxwell," Duo answered automatically. "We can salvage what others can't. How can I help you?"

"You can start by telling us where on this blasted colony your house is!" An irritated voice shot back at him, accompanied by an equally irritated glare.

"Ah! Wufei!" Duo cheered. "Glad to see you could make it!"

Preventer Chang Wufei, his face lined with impatience, grunted back. "I'm here aren't I? Now tell us how to get to your beloved junkyard already. It's freezing out here and we're starving."

"I take it you brought Sally along with you?" Duo asked, used to the other man's ineffectual ranting and exaggerated claims.

Before Wufei could answer, a pair of jacketed arms wrapped around his shoulders from behind, and the laughing blue eyes of Sally Po appeared on-screen. She chuckled as she leaned in next to her partner.

"Of course it's me," she joked. "Who else would put up with him?"

Duo laughed at that, drowning out Wufei's grumbling as he half-heartedly tried to shake her off. "Yeah, you've got a point. So, where's the map I sent you guys?"

Sally sighed dramatically, ignoring Wufei's glares. "Mr.'I-don't-need-a-weakling-map' here tossed it in a trash bin about two blocks ago. Guess who's been wandering around ever since?"

Duo shook his head. Typical Wufei. "Oh well, that's ok. Just tell me where you are now."

"We're at a crosswalk. Fourth and Herald or something." Wufei grumbled into the receiver, peering outside the phone booth.

"That's close by," Duo assured him. "Just take a left at that intersection and follow it all the way down through an alley. Then, cut straight through the next park. When you get to a long wall, well, there's my humble abode. But, remember to watch out for the holographic section. Seventh shrub to the left."

"Okay. That should be easy to find then. Right, Wufei?" Sally teased, glancing over at her partner.

"Whatever, woman. Let's just get there. Goodbye." He hastily exited the booth, whipping his coat around him.

Sally gazed after him, a fond smile on her face. "Hm…well, see you later, Duo." She reached to hang up the receiver.

"Ok, Sally." Duo grinned. "Good luck." He saw her nod before the screen went blank.

'Wufei's gonna need it,' he thought, as he sauntered back to his guests.

Wufei exhaled deeply and watched his breath fog in the cold air. 'It's getting pretty cold...' he thought, pulling the ends of his long, black coat around him. His black short-sleeved shirt and white training pants hadn't been the best choice of clothing for this type of weather, but I was too late to change that now.

He didn't really know why he had come. After all, he had a ton of paperwork to do when he returned to headquarters. But, then again… Meeting with his old comrades was as good a reason as any to get away from the office for a while. Of course, it'd be good just to see them again, but he was too stubborn to admit it aloud.

Wufei glanced behind him and watched as Sally exiting the booth, happily whistling a Christmas carol. She didn't seem to mind the cold, having chosen a simple, black, medium-length jacket to cover the maroon jumpsuit-styled clothing she had chosen to wear for the night. He still didn't understand why she had worn such a strange outfit, but he silently admitted she looked quite attractive in it.

He waited until she had walked up beside him before continuing towards the crosswalk and turning left, as Duo had instructed. Sally kept on whistling, her face rosy from the exertion and cold.

"You certainly love this weather, don't you?" he asked, keeping his gaze on the snowy walk in front of him.

Sally stopped whistling to smile at him. "Yes, I guess I do. Christmas especially. Even though it brings back some memories of the war, I still consider it my favorite holiday."

Wufei nodded. "It is a beautiful time of the year. Though it could do with less snow," he grumbled, as they entered an alley and proceeded through the park.

"What's the matter, Wufei?" Sally teased, skipping in front of him to walk backwards, hands behind her back. "You'd think with your hothead you'd be plenty warm."

Wufei glared. He was not a hothead. He just had what was known as a "short temper".

"Oh, don't go glaring at me!" Sally laughed back at him. "You know it never works."

She was right, it never did. Never with her anyway. Ever since the end of the wars, she'd regularly joked around with him, trying to get him to open up more, so to speak. He ignored most of her antics, but enjoyed her company all the same. Other times, though, he found himself getting too close to her. It was strange, how he had started to feel and care for her as more than just a partner. Yes, strange...yet pleasantly so.

As they exited the park, he caught sight of the wall surrounding the salvage yard Duo and Hilde called home. Walking towards it, he noticed Sally still backing up towards the curb, which she couldn't see.

"Sally!" Wufei called out, reaching towards her as her foot missed the cement walk.

Her eyes widened in realization as she tried to regain her balance, but it was too late, she started to tip back. Wufei reacted quickly, instinctively shifting his body weight to propel himself forward as he caught Sally in his arms. He cushioned their fall on the asphalt, the force not too great but enough to make him wince a little.

It took a few seconds before they regained their senses, and Sally looked down at him with concern.

"Are you all right?" she asked, her blue eyes worriedly searching his face.

"I'm fine," Wufei commented roughly. "You?"

She offered him a smile. "I'm not the one pinned to the ground."

Wufei suddenly became uncomfortably aware of their present position, especially his. He was currently underneath her soft body, his arms still holding her to him. Dropping his hands away, he shifted slightly, sending her a look which clearly stated 'Get off me!'. Sally's smile grew and a twinkle of mischief entered her eyes.

"Hold on there, Justice-Boy," she drawled, deliberately goaded him with the nickname. "Such an honorable warrior should receive a token of appreciation from a rescued damsel in distress."

Before he could gather enough breath to launch into a rant, Sally closed her eyes and lowered her head, softly touching her lips to his.

Wufei was stunned, eyes wide as he gazed at the blond woman above him. A few seconds later, his arms unconsciously wound around her and his own eyes closed. He found himself enjoying the kiss. They lay like that for some time, oblivious to the snow gathering around them.

It ended finally, when Sally leaned back up, her eyes hazy and smug. She crossed her arms over her partner's chest and propped her chin on her gloved hands, gazing down into his face. Wufei lifted his hand and stroked one of her braids absently, wondering what had just occured between them.

"So," she murmured, smile back in place. "You warm enough now?"

The hand stroking her hair stilled. His irritation renewed, Wufei started to glare back at her but his partner's smile only grew more smug. His eyes narrowed dangerously. Two could play this game.

Wufei quickly grabbed the back of her head and cushioned it as he turned them over. Now, he was the one on top. He looked down and smirked, seeing surprise written all over Sally's face. Strange, but he had even surprised himself.

"Not yet," he replied, inching his face closer to hers. "Which is why…" he whispered, barely a breath away from her lips. "I'm going inside."

Just as quick as before, Wufei raised both of them up onto their feet, dusting the snow from his clothes. He was quite sure of himself, now that he had gotten the better of her, and he triumphantly sauntered towards the wall.

Behind him, Sally was still quite shocked. 'I never knew he had it in him...' Watching him proceed to the wall, she called out. "Wufei! Wait!"

"No time now, woman!" he called back, still walking. "Wait until we get inside. You can thank me later."

'Arrogant man!' she fumed silently. "But Wufei! You're--"

Wufei didn't hear a word she said as he walked right into the wall.