Duo was a mess. He was scared and angry and confused all at the same time. He didn't like the thought of someone coming into his personal space. Whoever this was had violated the one place he felt safe.

But he was also a soldier who knew what needed to be done. The mask was firmly in place and no one would see otherwise. That's why he was pacing back and forth in his own hallway, waiting for the forensics team to finish with his apartment.

He didn't know how long he had stood, staring at the gruesome display in his bedroom, but he remembered Wufei running into the room, looking slightly panicked after not finding Duo outside. The look on his face had mirrored the disgust, rage, and fear that Duo had been feeling inside. The raw emotion on Wufei's face had been enough of a shock to drag him out of his internal turmoil.

Allowing the soldier inside to take control, Duo had taken his cell phone out of his pocket and called the Preventer's forensics department. He had requested a team to his apartment, saying they had a break in the clubber case, and that they needed to get there A.S.A.P.

And they had been as fast as he could have wished for. In twenty minutes he and Wufei were up to their necks in agents dusting for prints, taking blood samples, bagging the evidence, and scanning for any fiber or hair that could possibly give them a lead. They had been at it for half an hour now, and Duo was getting anxious. He wanted them to hurry up and finish with his place so that they could analyze the findings. The sooner they got to that, the sooner they would have a lead on the killer's identity. It was only a step from there to his whereabouts.

"Mr. Maxwell," a mousy little man stepped in front of Duo, blocking him from the path that he was treading in the carpet. "I believe that it would be best if you found another place to stay for a while. This is now considered a crime scene and we cannot allow you to stay."

Duo sighed. He knew that this was going to be the case, but he didn't really know where to go. He nodded to the agent, dismissing him with a wave of his hand. He continued in his pacing, trying to think of a place to go.

"Duo, you know that you are always welcome with me," Wufei chimed in from the bed room, where he had been directing a group of men to be as careful as possible. He knew that they knew how to do their jobs, but he couldn't help but worry that they might miss something.

Duo let out a relieved sigh, glad that Wufei had offered. He hadn't wanted to impose on anyone and had been thinking about getting a hotel, but staying with someone he trusted sounded like a much better idea. Besides, this way they could go over the case files again later that night.

"Thanks Wu. You sure I won't be imposing?"

Wufei just rolled his eyes. "You think I'd offer if I didn't want you around? Now go get some things together and let's get out of here. There's nothing else you can do tonight. We can have the labs send the results they get over to our offices first thing in the morning."

Nodding, Duo made his way back into the bedroom, where he grabbed a duffle bag from the closet, careful not to disturb the agents. He was about to start packing when a thought crossed his mind. Going over to the man in charge, he tapped him on the shoulder, drawing his attention.

"Is there anything I can do for you Mr. Maxwell?"

"Yeah," Duo said, gesturing to the bag he was holding. "Would it be okay if I grabbed a few clothes to take with me, since I obviously can't stay here?"

The man glanced around, checking on the progress his other agents were making before addressing Duo. "Of course Mr. Maxwell. However, please do try to minimize the disruption to the crime scene. We will also need you to compile a list of anything you notice missing from either yours or Mr. Yuy's possessions." He paused and turned to the man who was standing behind him, waiting to be acknowledged.

Talking quietly back and forth, the man in charge dismissed the underling with a nod of his head. He turned back to face Duo, his look grim.

"My agent has just informed me that there were no signs of any forced entry. Do you keep a key anywhere that it might have been stolen?"

Duo shook his head, saying that the only people with keys were Heero, Wufei, and himself. He didn't believe in leaving them lying around outside for anyone to find.

He spoke with the agent a while more, giving him contact information for while he was staying at Wufei's and made sure to remind the man about getting any results to him as soon as possible.

Leaving the man to his duties, Duo quickly went to his closet and dresser, grabbing anything he thought he might need over the next few days. He wasn't sure how long he'd be staying with Wufei, and contemplated packing a bag for Heero, incase he got back before this was solved, but decided against it. He figured they could come back and get what they needed, should that situation arise.

Walking back into the main hall, he nodded at Wufei, and the other man sighed with relief. Duo didn't blame him. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to get out of the apartment.

"Lets get out of here man. I'm starving." Duo headed towards the door, grabbing Wufei's arm and nearly dragging him out of the apartment, closing the door behind them.

oooooooooooooo

The drive to Wufei's apartment was silent. It had been decided that the two of them would take Wufei's car tonight, and return to get Duo's tomorrow after work. Duo had realized just how tired he was as they left the apartment and had opted to take Wufei up on his offer to drive. He had thrown his bags into the backseat and then more or less collapsed into the front passenger seat.

Leaning his head against the window, he closed his eyes, feigning sleep. He knew that Wufei knew he was awake, but he was either too tired or too considerate of Duo's exhaustion to attempt any forms of communication.

Thoughts ran through Duo's head too fast for him to focus on any one thing. The only clear thing in his mind was the loud ringing note of anger. He knew deep down that he was also afraid, but at the moment he didn't want to focus on that. Someone had invaded the first real place he'd had to call a home since the Maxwell Church. They had come in and contaminated the space that he shared with Heero, and were getting some sick, twisted pleasure out of it. This thought twisted Duo's insides until he felt sick.

Pushing these thoughts to the back of his mind, he concentrated on the fog his breath created on the window as he watched the changing scenery.

oooooooooooooo

"So he's going to live with the Chinese man." The voice echoed throughout the sparsely furnished apartment. The lone figure stalked away from the darkened window, heading for a lone telephone nestled amongst the piles of printouts and pictures.

"If he thinks he can get away that easily, he is sorely mistaken." The figure chuckled as he picked up the receiver and dialed a number. After the first ring, the other line picked up. "The duckling is taking refuge with the dragon. Proceed as planned." Without waiting for a reply, the receiver was put back into its cradle amongst the papers.

Laughter bubbled up out of the darkness, an eerie cackling sound that echoed menacingly throughout the night.

oooooooooooooo

Sorry that this chapter is so short. I know you all probably thought I would never update again, but I promise I am not dead! I've been really busy over the past couple months and just didn't have the time to sit down and work on this. I'm also having severe trouble moving past this scene. But hopefully I won't take too long between this chapter and the next. Hope you all enjoyed this brief chapter and aren't too upset with the length! Don't forget to review!

Queen Vixen