A/N: I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who is reading this story. :)

Chapter 19

Quatre glanced at the girl as he went into the room. "Everything okay?" he asked.

The girl nodded.

"Good. Are you feeling tired?"

The girl shook her head. Quatre felt a smile twitch at the edge of his lips. She was much more relaxed than she had been earlier.

"Good. That must mean you're getting better. Would you like to watch television?"

The girl shook her head. Quatre was confused. If she didn't want to watch TV, what would she do all afternoon? He waited patiently while she wrote something.

'Can I see another book?'

"You want to look through another book of pictures?" Quatre wanted to make sure he understood her.

She nodded.

"If you're sure you're okay with that I'll get Heero to bring you another one."

The girl nodded again. Heero would be glad. Quatre went over to the phone and called Heero.

"Yeah?"

"She's ready for a book whenever you want to bring it by."

"That's convenient. I'll be by shortly."

Quatre hung up and decided to turn on the television while they waited. He didn't want to make the girl uncomfortable by sitting in silence. He frowned to himself after a few minutes. She was worried about something. He glanced over at her. She looked like she was about to cry.

"Hey, what's that look for?" Maybe she had changed her mind about the book and was afraid he would be mad at her for it.

She shakily wrote 'Just thinking about my friends.'

The situation was a lot deeper than Quatre had thought it was. He turned off the television so he could focus on her. He moved the chair closer to her. "I'm sure they miss you just as much."

The girl was still upset about it but before she could write anything else there was a knock on the door. Quatre wasn't sure if he should ask Heero to come back later. Maybe Heero could leave the book behind and pick it up after the girl was able to handle it. But then, maybe she just needed the distraction. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and smiled at her before getting up to answer it.

Heero entered the room with two books under his arm. Quatre frowned.

"I know you might not be up for it," Heero said before Quatre could tell him off, "but I thought it would be wise to go through the book of suspects we haven't apprehended yet. I thought it might put you at ease and if he's still out there, we can hunt him down sooner. The second book is in case you're feeling up to looking at more later."

Quatre nodded his approval and sat in a chair as the girl took the book. Heero leaned against the wall, giving the girl space. She didn't jump as much as she had when she looked at the first book, but it was obvious she was nervous. Her hands shook. She finished the book and shook her head.

"Then he's in custody somewhere. So the sooner you identify him, the sooner we can charge him," Heero told her.

"Heero, what did I say about not pushing her?"

"She can go at her own pace," Heero snapped at Quatre. He took the book from the girl and carefully said, "Just let me know when you're ready for the next book." He didn't want the girl to think he was angry at her and since she didn't look about to cry, he was satisfied that he'd managed it.

He opened the door to find Sally about to knock. He stepped aside so she could enter.

"Hello, Heero. How are things?"

"Better than expected." Heero chose not to elaborate. He left and headed back to his office to make a few notes and prepare the next book for the girl. He had barely walked into his office when his cell phone rang.

"Yes?"

"Hey, Babe! How's it goin'?"

"It's fine. Did you remember that you're going to cover the first bit of Trowa's shift so I can speak to him?"

"Yeah…I remember."

Heero frowned. Duo sounded a little bit down. "After I'm done with Trowa we can get some dinner if you'd like."

"You mean it?" That had worked. Duo definitely sounded perkier.

"Of course. We haven't had time to go out for a while and I'd like some 'us' time."

"I'd like that, too, 'Ro. Maybe we should order in and stay at home," he said suggestively.

"Whatever you'd like to do is fine with me, Duo, as long as we get to spend some time together."

"You really are the best, 'Ro."

"Think it over and we'll do what you want once I'm done talking to Trowa."

"Sounds good. Love you!"

"I love you, too, Duo."

"What was that about?" Sally asked as she shut the door behind her.

"Heero had her look through the book of suspects we haven't apprehended yet and her kidnapper wasn't in there," Quatre told her.

"Well, I take it that's good news." Sally smiled at the girl and raised the bags of clothes. "Why don't we get you into something more comfortable?"

"I'll just wait outside," Quatre said, getting up.

The girl waited until the door had closed behind the blonde before detaching the IV and slipping off the bed. Sally watched, but was ready to catch her should she fall. She was a little unsteady and kept a hand on the bed, but she was getting better.

"You'll get steadier the more you're up and about," Sally assured her. "Your muscles have been on bed rest and just need to be worked a little to get them up to speed."

Sally went over to the bed and emptied the bags so the girl could see what she had. She smiled to herself as the girl's eyes widened and she tentatively touched each article of clothing and each toiletry as if she couldn't believe they were actually for her.

"I think until your back is better it would be better to 'go commando.' If you stick to the pajamas no one will expect you to wear a bra anyway. I just don't want the straps to be uncomfortable."

The girl grabbed the pen and paper from the bed and hastily wrote, 'Thank you. You didn't have to get me so much.'

Sally laughed at her enthusiasm. "You're welcome. I have to admit, I had a lot of fun shopping for someone besides myself for once. Now why don't you try some of this on and make sure I got the right sizes, okay?"

The girl nodded and let Sally remove her shoulder brace and help her out of the hospital gown. Sally noted that several of the girl's bruises were beginning to change color.

Indicating the shoulder brace Sally said, "Now, I'm going to show you how to put this back on, but the boys know how these work, so if you get stuck, they can help, okay?"

First order of business was to get the girl some underwear. Once that was taken care of Sally handed the girl a pair of jeans. The girl slipped them on and her eyebrows furrowed as she bit her lip.

"I got them large on purpose, remember?" Sally checked the fit. "These will fit just fine once you've had the chance to put on a little weight. Don't go eating yourself sick, though. It will happen naturally over time now that you're eating regularly. These should last until you get out on your own, anyway. What would you like to try on next?"

The girl looked over the clothes and picked up a pair of pajamas. Sally had bought three different pairs in red, blue and green. The girl had picked out the green ones. Sally wondered if that was her favorite color. There were shirts available in black, maroon, purple, dark blue and turquoise. The girl hadn't looked twice at them.

Sally let the girl put the pajamas on by herself. She wanted to make sure the girl could handle it when Sally couldn't stop by to help. The boys would help her if she needed it, but Sally wasn't sure the girl would be comfortable with that. The girl finished dressing and stood there, feeling the softness of the cloth. The sight made Sally sad. How long had it been since the girl had new clothes or at least clothes that weren't threadbare? Now wasn't the time for sadness. Sally forced a grin.

"I'm glad you like them," Sally said, beginning to fold up the clothes on the bed and packing them back into the shopping bags. "I'll see if we can't find you a suitcase or duffel bag to keep this in. Why don't you try to get that brace on for yourself, just so you can get a feel for it?"

The girl picked up the brace and slung it on her shoulder. It slid off as she tried to get the straps in place. She pursed her lips and tried again. After the sixth time, Sally decided to step in.

"You'll get it with practice," Sally said as she finished attaching the straps. "I didn't get you any shoes. But I suppose they'll wait. It isn't like you'll be running around outside in the next couple of weeks."

Sally hesitated. She knew Une wanted the girl to talk but she wasn't sure if now was a good time to try or not. Of course, there was only one way to find out.

"I don't suppose you've given much thought as to where you'll go when you're better," she said carefully.

She was surprised that the girl nodded slightly.

"You have? So what are your plans?"

The girl bit her lip as she wrote out 'It depends.'

"On how the investigation goes?"

She nodded.

"Well, why don't we just keep it on the back burner? You've got time to come up with a plan of action."

The girl climbed onto the bed and crossed her legs. She seemed sad. Sally decided to leave her alone for now. She put the bags of clothes under the bed. She'd try to remember to bring in a spare suitcase or duffel bag later.

"Do you need anything?"

The girl shook her head. She still seemed a little down in the dumps. Sally thought about bringing up the meeting with the lawyer but decided to wait. The girl was already upset and Sally wasn't sure how she'd react to being told she was meeting with a man who wanted to prove that nothing bad had happened to her.

"Well, in that case I'd better go make my rounds. I'll see you later." Sally went out the door and caught Quatre before he went back inside. "She seems a little down so try not to push her too much."

Quatre frowned. "Do you know why?"

Sally sighed. "She seemed excited about the clothes and I made the mistake of asking if she had thought about her future. I think…I think it has to do with that."

Quatre nodded. "She's probably just trying to figure out what she can do without an education."

"But once she gets her GED she can go to college and it won't be a problem."

"True. But until then she'll probably feel pretty helpless. I'll try to distract her."

"Let me know if you need anything," Sally said as she left.

Quatre glanced at his watch as he went back into the room. "I hadn't realized how late it's gotten. You must be getting hungry. What would you like to eat?"

He handed her the menu along with Sally's list. She was awake enough to pick her own food and he knew that she would do what Sally had asked and pick something that wouldn't make her sick.

The girl took her time poring over the list and the menu before selecting vegetable soup.

Quatre nodded and reached out to pick up the phone when there was a knock on the door. Was that Duo already? It really was later than Quatre thought. He opened the door and let Duo in.

"Shift change," Duo announced cheerfully. "Cat still got your tongue?" he asked the girl.

The girl thought for a second before sticking her tongue out.

Duo grinned. It was nice to see her playing. "At least you've got a sense of humor today."

"I was just about to order her some food. Do you want anything?" While he was glad that the girl wasn't stuck in a funk, Quatre wanted to make sure she got something to eat. It had been a long time since her last meal.

"Nope. I already ate." Duo looked at the girl. "If I'd'a thought about it I would've brought you some edible food."

"Duo, don't bias her against the food here."

"Hey, I'm just lookin' out for her welfare. No sense killing her taste buds if it can be avoided," Duo said as he plopped into the chair.

Quatre rolled his eyes and called the cafeteria. That task completed, he turned back to the girl. "I have some things to attend to. If you need anything, just ask Duo. He'll get it for you."

The girl nodded and Quatre slipped out the door.

"Is everything set?"

"Yes, Mr. Chase. We will start in a few moments."

"Good." Chase waited for the reporters to assemble themselves. He looked at the man and the woman next to him. "You know what to do."

The woman nodded. "Yeah."

"I thought we were done with this whole thing," the man said with a frown.

Chase looked down his nose at the man. "Would you rather I go back on my end of the deal? After all, I don't have the girl at the moment."

"Wouldn't be our fault that you lost her," the woman shot back. "That's your problem. We delivered as promised."

Chase raised his eyebrow at the woman. "I think you need to remember just who holds the power here. You are to do as you are told. You know what will happen if you don't."

The man and woman shut their mouths and nodded. They knew better than most. They'd watched their close friends, the Feldmans, get kicked out onto the streets and have to sell their daughter to Chase to get back in his good graces. They got a box a few weeks later with a few strands of hair, a piece of the sweater she'd been wearing and an ear complete with an earring her mother had given her for her birthday. There was no doubt what had happened to the Feldman girl. True, they'd traded a girl to Chase in exchange for certain conveniences, but the man obviously wanted the girl alive for something so one or both of them would pay the price.

"Are you ready, sir?"

Chase nodded. "Yes." He glanced at his watch. It was late enough that he hoped to completely inconvenience the Colonel and her agents. He would teach them not to mess with him. They could have all the rules they wanted. He would get the girl. She wouldn't dare to defy him. This little press conference would also help to discredit those nosy Preventers. All it took was the right story to get the public on his side. The politicians wouldn't be able to keep up with all the complaints when he was done.

"Good evening. We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you breaking news. Earlier this week a girl was abducted from her home and is now being held hostage by the Preventers. And the man who discovered this heinous crime is Mr. Donovan Chase. Good evening, sir."

Chase nodded to the reporter. The man was one of Decart's and was there to help goad the other channel's reporters into a frenzy against the Preventers.

"Good evening."

"Would you fill us in on the details you've managed to unearth?"

"I'd be only too glad to. I was called to the property of a client when he filed a complaint about trespassers. I arrived at said property to find it swarming with Preventer agents. I spoke to the agent in charge and informed him that the property owner wanted to them to vacate the premises. I was rudely informed that not only would they not leave, but if I didn't leave, they'd arrest me!"

"Colonel Une, I think you should see this."

Une frowned as Grace came into her office and turned on the television. She was trying to go home for the night.

She swore as she recognized Donovan Chase.

"Grace, get Agent Yuy in here immediately."

"What did you need to tell me, Heero?" Trowa asked as he stepped into Heero's office.

Heero indicated that Trowa should sit. Trowa frowned. Sitting meant that this might take a while.

"You remember me mentioning Donovan Chase, the lawyer that showed up at the site?"

Trowa nodded.

"Colonel Une and Sally have given him permission to meet with the girl."

Trowa swore.

"My thoughts exactly," Heero said dryly. "However, I have added some stipulations, which he has agreed to. One of which is that you, me and Wufei will be in the room with her during this meeting and Duo and Quatre will be waiting outside in case we need backup for any reason."

Trowa frowned. "Why not let Quatre be inside the room?"

"He's too high profile. I'm sure the lawyer will recognize him and act differently because of it. Besides, Quatre has said that he doesn't want the entire ESUN knowing he's a Preventer right now. I wouldn't put it past this guy to blab everything to the media if things don't go his way."

"But if we need him as backup, the lawyer will find out anyway."

"If we need Duo and Quatre to come in, the lawyer will be arrested. I've already told Une that I'm not taking any chances with the girl's safety and if the three of us can't handle Chase it will be grounds for detaining him. Should that happen Quatre will have ample time to get a cover story in place to discredit him."

Trowa nodded. "Anything else?"

"Yes, actually. I wanted to let you know that the forensics report came back."

Trowa internally steeled himself for what Heero was about to tell him.

"It's all here," Heero said, giving Trowa a couple of pieces of paper. "Basically…that girl was fortunate to survive. I'm not sure how much she was exposed to but there were pieces of more than 300 different girls. And the age range is…" Heero took a deep breath and let it out. "The ages range from 3 to 21."

Trowa just stared at Heero. "Three?"

Heero nodded.

Trowa wanted to throw up. What kind of horrible person preyed on three year olds?

Just then Heero's phone rang making them both jump.

"Yuy here."

"Agent Yuy, Colonel Une needs to see you, sir."

"I'll be there shortly." He hung up and looked at Trowa. "I need to report to Une. Can you tell Quatre the plan? I don't know that I'll have time now."

Trowa nodded.

"Oh, and Trowa? I think it would be best to leave the forensics report out for a while. We'll need to ease Quatre into that one."

Trowa nodded again and went to find Quatre while Heero headed for the colonel's office. Grace showed him in immediately.

"What—"

"Shh. Just watch," Colonel Une said, indicating the television.

Heero swore under his breath.