A/N: I hope my American readers had a safe and fun 4th of July holiday. (Of course I hope you're all safe every day, but fireworks add in a new element, don't they? Could you imagine the fireworks Duo would create if given the chance?)

Enjoy!

Chapter 9

Trowa allowed himself to doze as the girl slept. It was late and the hospital was quiet. Of course he was wide awake when the night nurse came in to check on her. The girl hadn't stirred since Sally gave her that sedative. As he settled in after the nurse left, Trowa allowed his thoughts to wander.

The truth was, he hadn't wanted to be alone tonight. He would rather sit in a room with an unconscious girl than try to sleep in his too quiet apartment. He missed being able to sleep in the animal tent when he felt this way. Quatre had suggested that he move in and they could be roommates, but Trowa didn't like the idea of living in such posh surroundings as Quatre was used to and he knew the blonde wouldn't want to live where Trowa did. And even if they did find a place they could agree on, Trowa wasn't sure that he could find solitude when he needed it. Quatre was used to being surrounded by people, first his family and servants, then the Maganacs, and it made him a little clingy when he got lonely. The only reason he lived in an apartment rather than one of his mansions was because the mansions were too big and quiet for him. He had said he would live there if the other pilots agreed to move in as well, but they had turned him down. Each had craved independence after the wars and, with the exception of Duo and Heero, that hadn't changed.

Of course, they were in a serious relationship so their living together made sense. Trowa shook his head. If he was in a relationship, he wouldn't want to live alone, either. He just hadn't found the right girl. Duo had teased him and Quatre on more than one occasion that they would be a cute couple if they never found girls. Quatre had turned bright red and told Duo flat out that it would never happen. Trowa hadn't let Duo get to him, which turned out to be the right response. Duo was constantly teasing Quatre about being gay and every time Quatre reacted, Duo thought it was hilarious and only teased him more.

Duo had asked once what kind of girl Trowa was looking for and Trowa didn't have an answer. It wasn't that he hadn't thought about it, it was just that he didn't want to miss the right girl just because she didn't fit his "list." There was one thing he knew he wanted in a girl—woman, he mentally corrected himself—though. He didn't want a woman who was afraid of him. There were enough people out there who were terrified of the Gundam pilots, even without ever meeting them. He didn't want anyone he was in a relationship with to be afraid all the time. That wouldn't be fair to either of them.

Trowa glanced at his watch. Eight hours to go. He sighed and turned on the television. He wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight anyway.

Quatre stared at the cup of tea in front of him. He'd hoped it would relax him enough to sleep, but he was still shaken over the events of the last 36 hours. He was grateful for the respite from the girl's emotions but he worried that nothing would be able to reach her. He wanted to know what had happened to her but at the same time, he didn't.

Quatre leaned back on his couch and turned on the television, letting noise pervade his apartment. He really needed a pet or something.

Sally woke more refreshed than she had in a long time. She always felt safe with Wufei's arms around her and while she was sleeping was no exception. As soon as they'd gotten to her apartment, he'd insisted that she eat something and go to bed. He'd been about to take up residency on her couch when Sally had told him not to be stupid as there was more than enough room in her queen sized bed for the two of them. He'd said something about propriety and she'd only rolled her eyes and dragged him to her room. It wasn't like they'd done anything but sleep. Still…she really didn't want to leave those nice strong arms this morning. She snuggled into his embrace and grinned to herself as Wufei shifted to pull her closer.

She could get used to this.

"Don't you have to get up soon?" Wufei murmured in her ear.

Sally sighed. "Unfortunately, yes."

"When?"

Sally glanced at Wufei's watch since she didn't want to move out of his embrace just to check the clock. "I absolutely have to get up in an hour. I'm not moving before that."

Wufei smirked and lifted her chin so he could kiss her. He decided that he liked waking up with her in his arms. He considered asking her to marry him, but the thought fled as their kisses turned into something more.

"Come back to bed."

Heero looked over his shoulder as he neatly tied his tie. Duo was lounging in bed, his hair tousled from sleep. He was very tempting.

"I can't. I've got the next shift, Duo. You know that."

Duo sighed. "I forgot."

Heero leaned over and kissed his boyfriend. "I'll see you later."

"Have fun," Duo answered before snuggling into the blankets. He didn't have to be up any time soon and he was going to take advantage of it for once.

Heero and Sally arrived at the girl's room at almost the same time. Heero knocked before entering, not wanting to startle Trowa.

"Any change?" Sally asked as they entered.

"No. No further night terrors, either."

Sally nodded and started to check the machines, making notes on the patient clipboard. "Her fever's gone down a little, but it's still a bit high."

"Any idea when she'll wake up?"

Sally looked at Heero. "I said before that I wasn't sure and I'll repeat that now. I don't know. She's eliminating so her kidneys and liver are still functioning, which is a good sign but I don't want you to get any unrealistic expectations. We might still lose her. I don't know exactly what happened to her but I can guess. It's possible that she's still asleep because her mind has decided that it's safer not to be awake right now. And if that's the case…then…" Sally took a deep breath and let it out. "Then there's nothing I can do."

Heero nodded.

"Don't be upset, Sally," Trowa said softly. "We know you're doing everything you can. Heero was just asking because Colonel Une has asked us to keep her as up to date as possible."

Sally nodded and went back to making notes on her clipboard. "I'll be back to check her in a few hours, Heero. If she has another terror or if anything changes, page me."

Heero nodded and settled into the chair as Trowa followed Sally out.

"What do you think, Trowa?" Sally asked after the door was shut.

Trowa raised an eyebrow. He was no doctor. Why did she want his opinion?

"Even if she does regain consciousness, do you think she'll want to talk to us?"

"Probably not. She didn't trust us when she was awake before. I don't know if we'll be able to earn her trust any time soon. Unfortunately, Une wants us to get her to talk as soon as she wakes up and I think that's a bad idea. That girl needs to talk to us on her terms, not ours."

Sally sighed. "I agree. Just seeing her injuries tells me that she was horribly abused and we have no idea how long this has been going on. I'd say it was several months at least. Even if she was skinny to start, it takes time to get that malnourished."

Trowa nodded.

"And we can't rule out the possibility that she's been irreparably scarred for life. She might not talk to anyone about what happened to her."

Trowa nodded again.

Sally gave him a small smile. "I should let you go home and get some sleep. Thank you for your help Trowa."

Trowa gave her a small nod and left the building.

Sally watched him go and her thoughts about the girl were interrupted by an ungodly scream. She hurried back into the girl's room as her pager went off.

She rushed to the machine next to the screaming girl and pushed the button to release the sedative. The girl calmed and Sally checked her pulse. It was elevated, but gradually slowing down.

"Was she awake when she started screaming?"

"N-no."

Sally gave Heero an odd look. He was pale. "Are you alright?"

Heero shook his head. "C-call D-Duo."

Sally whipped out her cell phone and dialed Duo's number as fast as she could. As it rang she watched Heero back into the corner and slide down into a sitting position with his knees drawn up. He watched her warily.

"Yeah?" Duo's groggy voice greeted her.

"Duo, it's Sally. I need you to come down here…Heero asked me to call you."

"What's wrong?" Duo was instantly alert.

"I think he might be having a flashback."

"Okay…I'll get there as soon as I can. Whatever you do, don't let him run off. He's damn near impossible to catch when he's like this. Just…I don't know…keep your distance but don't let him leave. I'm on my way."

Sally hung up and leaned against the door. "Can you talk to me Heero?"

Heero glared at her in response.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Where are you right now?"

"Classified."

"Do you know Duo?"

"02?"

Sally nodded. "He said to tell you he's on his way."

"Baka…he'll get himself caught."

There was a soft knock on the door. Heero narrowed his eyes. "Don't answer it."

"Can I ask who it is?"

Heero frowned but nodded.

"Who is it?" Sally asked.

"Wufei. Duo called me. Let me in."

"Heero doesn't want me to let you in, Wufei," Sally told him, deliberately speaking slowly so Heero wouldn't misunderstand. She could tell he was tense and didn't want to set him off.

"05?" Heero asked suspiciously. "It's an imposter. 05 is on a mission in L3."

"I can prove it, Heero," Wufei called through the door. "Will you let me in?"

Heero growled. "Prove it before you come in."

"I can't."

Heero glared at the door. "Then you're not coming in."

Out in the hall Wufei was getting frustrated. Sally was stuck in a room with a flashing Heero. Heero was dangerous when he wasn't in control of himself. Wufei was debating whether it would be worth it to break down the door when Duo came running down the hall.

"'Ro! It's me! Lemme in!"

"Prove it!"

Duo frowned at the door. "You're wearing green boxers with little yellow ducks on 'em."

Wufei stared at Duo. "What the hell?"

Duo grinned. "I gave 'em to him. Never thought he'd actually wear 'em, but he was wearin' 'em this morning."

The door creaked open.

"D-Duo?"

"It's me 'Ro. Promise."

The door opened wider and Duo cautiously entered with Wufei behind. Heero threw himself into Duo's arms.

"Sorry," Heero muttered as Duo held him.

"No problem," Duo said softly.

Wufei shut the door. "Sally are you alright?" he asked as he pulled her into his arms.

"I'm fine."

"What happened, 'Ro?" Duo asked as he made Heero sit down.

"She…she screamed and it triggered me. I apologize Sally. I didn't mean for you to get caught in the middle."

"It's fine, Heero. I know you well enough to know that you wouldn't hurt me unless you felt threatened."

Wufei frowned. "Heero…why did the scream trigger you? The girl has screamed before so why was this time different?"

Heero shook his head. "I think…I think it's because of the way it echoed off the walls in this room."

Wufei raised an eyebrow.

Heero shut his eyes. "It's something that happened during Operation Meteor…not long after New Edwards…just before I detonated."

Duo knelt in front of Heero. "'Ro, if you don't want to talk about it—"

"No…I think it's time I told someone. I need to start dealing with my past. This can't keep happening." Heero took a deep breath. "I was on a mission…intel gathering for the most part, with orders to destroy the operating systems of a prototype Oz was developing. I completed my mission and was hiding out in a small town while I waited for a chance to change locations without arousing too much suspicion. While I was there Oz rounded everyone up and put us all in an underground bunker. They said that there was going to be an attack unless the person responsible for sabotaging their research came forward. Of course, I wasn't about to turn myself in, so I sat quietly with everyone else and didn't draw any attention to myself. After about three hours, a woman near me started to get upset. She said she couldn't handle it anymore and demanded to be let out. The soldiers wouldn't let her go. She got mad and basically freaked out. She started screaming and wouldn't stop. I remember covering my ears because it was so loud but it didn't help much. The soldiers ordered her to stop. They hit her and threatened her but she still didn't stop screaming. Then…then they…they shot her…point blank…in the head…and because I was nearby…I ended up with blood and…and brain matter all over me." Duo pulled Heero into a tight embrace. "The screaming today was…was too similar…" Heero whispered.

Duo continued to hold Heero as he looked up at Wufei. "Can you take 'Ro's shift? I need to get him away from here for a while. I'd ask Quat but he's supposed be on next and Tro' just finished his shift."

Wufei nodded. "It's not a problem, Duo. You two do what you need to."

"Thanks 'Fei. I owe you one," Duo said as he led Heero away.

Wufei stared at the girl for a moment before he said, "I'm not sure Heero should watch her again. If she's going to make him flash we should minimize his exposure to her."

Sally agreed. "Maybe once she wakes up she won't have the screaming fits anymore."

Wufei snorted. "I doubt it, but I'll talk to the others and see if we can't make it work." He paused as another thought struck him. "Did Heero actually check which underwear he had on?"

Sally shrugged. "He turned around and I looked away, so I'm assuming he did."

Wufei snorted. "I can't believe that worked. Leave it to Maxwell," he said, shaking his head.

"Heero?" Duo frowned as Heero continued to look out the window. He hadn't responded since Duo got him into the car. "Heero…please talk to me."

Heero glanced at Duo and then returned to staring at the city as Duo drove them home.

"'Ro, you didn't do anything wrong. I've flashed before and had to call you. You don't need to get upset about it."

"I'm not upset."

"But somethin's bothering you." Duo was glad Heero was talking, but he didn't like it when he refused to admit something was wrong. He knew it had to do with Heero's training, but Duo had been trying to break him of it since the wars ended. Heero didn't need to be a compliant killing machine anymore. He didn't need to be perfect. He could make mistakes and no matter how much progress Heero made, incidents like this always seemed to reset him. It was frustrating, but Duo loved him enough not to let it get to him. Instead, he tried to use situations like this to reinforce the idea that Heero could make mistakes and the world wouldn't end.

"I was just thinking…about the girl."

Duo stayed silent, letting Heero take his time. Duo had learned when to push Heero to talk and when to leave Heero alone. If he pushed at the wrong times, Heero would go silent and Duo would never get him to say what he needed to get off his chest.

"If she screamed like that before we found her…" Heero frowned as he tried to puzzle out his own thought. "Either someone might have heard her or…or maybe she was just beaten for it…I…I don't know," he admitted, frustrated. "It seemed like an important thought but now it doesn't make any sense. Sorry."

Duo thought for a minute. "No, you do have a point, there. If someone heard her, then they didn't report it and they're accessories in this crime. We might be able to find more witnesses in the area of the house. We didn't really look to see how far away anyone else might have been. We should look into it. If she got beat for it, it might be why she's been so afraid to make any noise while she's conscious. We're gonna have to make her understand that she's not getting beaten anymore. I think Quat'll be the best to work with her. It might not be a bad idea to have him watch her when she's awake an' the rest of us watch her more when she's asleep."

Heero shrugged. "Maybe. I hate it when I have a thought on the edge of my mind but I can't pin it down. It seemed like there was more to it than that."

"Maybe that's how she got how she is, then. She got beat for havin' nightmares," Duo suggested.

"Perhaps."

Heero fell silent and Duo didn't push it. He'd said his piece and Duo was happy that Heero wasn't upset about his lapse into imperfection. However, flashbacks had a way of being draining, no matter how brief they were so Duo had no doubts that Heero was tired. Duo planned to take him home and get him to rest for a while. He'd call and check in with Wufei and let Quatre and Trowa know what had happened so they were all on the same page. They were a team and what affected one, affected them all. How had that book put it? All for one and one for all? Duo smirked at the reference. He wondered if he could convince Heero to dress up for Halloween this year if he got to have a sword…

Duo shook his head. 'Not the time, Maxwell,' he mentally berated himself. He glanced at his boyfriend. Heero was still staring out the window, but his eyelids were starting to droop. Duo felt a smile twitch at the edge of his lips. He'd get Heero settled in bed for a nap and then make his calls. He hoped they wouldn't take too long so he could get in some cuddle time with Heero.

"I'm not happy, Donovan."

He nodded. "I understand, sir. Things did not turn out as I expected."

"I'm not interested in your excuses. Fix this."

"Yes, sir."

The vid screen went black and he sank into a chair. He was screwed. The Preventers had found the attic. He snorted. Of course they had. He'd told Decart that it was stupid to keep the leftovers on location but he was ignored. Now it was his fault the Preventers had showed up at all. He had one chance to get back in Decart's good graces. He had to get the girl back. That wasn't going to be easy. He had to find her first. Then he'd have to lure her away from wherever they were keeping her. Maybe her brainless parents could be used for that.

First things first, though. He'd been monitoring the agents that were swarming the chateau. They would be changing the guard, soon. He'd have fifteen minutes to slip through their perimeter and get to his vehicle, which he kept in another hidden cave on the other side of his property. The vehicles that were parked in front of the house were registered as belonging to people that didn't exist for just this reason. Those stupid Preventers would be on a wild goose chase for months before they figured that out.

He watched for his chance and took it. Once on the highway towards town, he allowed himself to breathe. He was smart. They wouldn't catch him. Even if the girl did talk, she didn't know his real name. By the time she realized her stupidity, it would be too late for her. He hoped she enjoyed her freedom while she had it.