A/N: I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying this side of the story. Have a great weekend!

Chapter 22

"Is he still back there?"

Quatre turned in his seat to look out the back window. "Yes. Good call making Trowa go second."

Duo nodded. "Yeah and with two of us in the car whoever's followin' us is probably certain one of us is the girl."

Quatre faced forward again. "I only hope there isn't someone else waiting for Trowa. He'd be on his own because I doubt the girl would be any help."

"Yeah. Well whaddaya say we take this guy on a jolly little chase," Duo said with a wicked grin.

Quatre tightened his seat belt. "Do it."

Duo had a maniacal look in his eye as he sped up and hit the highway. It was basically empty this time of night so it wouldn't be difficult for their pursuer to tail them.

Duo didn't flat out floor it because he didn't want to lose whoever was after them and he didn't want to catch the attention of any local cops because he wasn't in a Preventer issued vehicle and getting pulled over would mess with their plan.

As he weaved through the light traffic, Duo glanced into the rear view mirror. "Looks like he's still back there. I'm gonna take the next exit and make like I'm trying to lose him in that neighborhood."

"Sounds good." Quatre braced himself for the chase through the quiet housing district. Duo weaved up and down streets, backtracking and pretending to almost go down a dead end. Once he was sure their stalker hadn't been lost, he made his way back to the highway and sped away.

"Should we lose him now?"

Quatre looked at his watch. "Yeah. We need to get back so Heero doesn't worry."

"Hold on." Duo let the following vehicle get close and took an exit at the absolute last second, nearly hitting the rail as he did so. The car behind him didn't have a chance and missed the exit. As soon as he could, Duo found an empty driveway and parked the car, turning off the lights so no one would suspect it didn't belong there. The pilots jumped out and changed the license plates before hunkering down in the seats and waiting. They weren't disappointed. After ten minutes a car drove past very slowly as if looking for something. The car drove by three times before speeding off. The tires squealed as the driver took a corner too quickly.

"That was a little close," Quatre said as they sat up.

"Yeah, well…I'm just hopin' nobody followed Trowa."

Quatre nodded his agreement. "Let's get to point F before Heero worries."

"You got it." Duo happily started the car and took another route to the highway, this time following all rules of the road so as not to draw attention. Both kept their eyes open for the car that had followed them out but it didn't make an appearance.

Trowa led the girl to a back door and cautiously peered out. He didn't see anything but the car the Maganacs had left for him. It wasn't very big but it should be inconspicuous enough. He ushered the girl out and silently closed the door behind them before heading to the car. He reached under the bumper and found the key. He dumped the girl's bags into the trunk and opened the front door for her. He thought about putting her in the back seat but decided it would be better for her to be up front in case she needed something. She didn't need any urging to get in and put on her seatbelt.

Trowa got into the driver's seat and set the key in the ignition. He was supposed to wait another five minutes before attempting to leave. He looked at the girl. She was biting her lip as she looked around. Trowa was certain she was expecting Chase to jump out at any moment.

"You should lie down. It will keep anyone from seeing you and it's late. You should try to sleep if you can. It'll take us several hours to get there."

The girl ducked down almost immediately and Trowa felt a stab of sorrow because she was so scared. He looked down to see her leaning on her arm in an effort to keep her head off his thigh. He could understand why she was uncomfortable with it, but she'd only end up with a stiff neck and a sore shoulder if she didn't relax.

He gently rubbed her shoulder to get her attention. "You should sleep. Just relax, everything will be fine."

It took a moment but she finally put her head down. He sat casually in the car, waiting for time to be up. After two minutes he saw Duo and Quatre in his rear view mirror as they pulled off down a side street in the opposite direction. He wasn't overly surprised to see another vehicle following them. The driver was a younger man, but Trowa wasn't completely certain that he didn't work for Chase. Duo would certainly give him a run for his money as soon as he realized he was being followed.

The girl shifted and he looked down at her. She was staring at him with a question in her eyes.

"We're just waiting for a few minutes to stagger our departures. It would look really suspicious if all of us left at the same time," he told her.

The answer seemed to appease her and she settled again. She started to shiver. It was getting a little chilly and the girl was only in pajamas. Trowa started the car and let the heater warm up. Her shivering slowed as the car got warmer.

Time was up. Trowa pulled off the curb and merged into traffic, keeping one eye on the road and one on the rear view mirror to make sure he wasn't being followed. As he pulled onto the highway, he thought he saw a car following him. He wove in and out of traffic for a bit, watching to see if it would follow. After a few exits, the car pulled off and Trowa breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced down to check on the girl and she was fast asleep.

Heero slipped into his vehicle and watched as Duo pulled away. He hoped Duo wouldn't be too upset about their plans being changed. Heero supposed he could have partnered himself with Duo in order to still spend the evening together but Quatre wasn't in any condition to be driving. And Heero knew that Duo would be able to outdrive anyone Chase could employ.

It wasn't that the blonde couldn't drive but he was currently under the weather and Duo was…well…Duo.

Heero's eyes narrowed as he noticed someone following Duo out of the lot. The driver was not Chase. It was a younger man, probably between 25 and 30 with dirty blonde hair that was revealed when he drove under a street lamp. He was gone before Heero could discern anything else.

Heero thought about alerting his boyfriend but decided not to. Duo would notice soon enough that he was being followed and distracting him with a phone call wouldn't help anything.

Trowa was able to leave without anyone tailing him and Heero left moments after him. Heero drove around aimlessly for a while, not seeing anyone following him. Either Chase thought they were amateurs at this or he was a complete moron.

Heero liked to think the man was a moron.

Getting bored with going nowhere, Heero decided to call it quits a bit early and head to Point F, more commonly known as Denny's, a specific Denny's to be sure, but it was still the 24-hour eatery. If for some reason Duo couldn't shake his follower, it would look like three Preventer agents were meeting up for a late meal after a shift. It was common enough. From the looks of things, there were already several agents inside.

Heero went in and requested a booth for three in a back corner where he could watch everything going on. The staff at this Denny's had grown used to his somewhat odd requests.

"Good evening, sir. What can I get for you tonight?"

Heero looked up from the menu at the waitress. She was probably trying to pay her way through college. "I'm waiting for a couple of friends." Heero glanced at his watch. "They won't be getting off shift for a while though, is that a problem?"

The girl shook her head. "We're not busy so no problem. Can I get you something while you wait? Coffee? An appetizer?"

"Coffee. And a sampler with chicken strips, a quesadilla and mozzarella sticks."

"I'll have that out in just a few moments," the waitress cheerfully informed him before heading off to the kitchen.

She returned a few minutes later with the food and Heero snacked while he waited.

The girl whimpered and Trowa glanced down. She looked like she was having a nightmare. That wasn't good. If she had one of her fits in the car she could cause a lot of damage, not to mention being extremely distracting.

"It's okay…you're safe…I won't let him hurt you," Trowa murmured as he reached down and placed a hand on her shoulder.

The girl sighed and settled, rubbing her head into his thigh. Trowa let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. She'd actually calmed down and fallen into a deeper sleep. He was just happy they'd avoided a 'screamer' as Duo had dubbed them.

He drove for another two hours before deciding he'd better gas up the car or end up stranded. He pulled into a gas station and looked around before turning off the car. The only person Trowa could see was the cashier inside the convenience mart. It should be safe enough. Trowa carefully unbuckled and slid out of the seat, not wanting to wake the girl. It was a bit chilly so he pulled off his jacket and started to lay it over her.

She started as the jacket touched her. Her eyes were wide and she looked around, unsure of where she was.

"We've stopped to gas up the car," he told her gently, not wanting to scare her. "Stay here, I'll just be a minute."

Her lower lip quivered.

"I'm not leaving you, okay?"

That seemed to appease her. She nodded and burrowed into his jacket. Trowa shut the door and went to fill the car. He leaned against the vehicle as he scanned the area for any threats. There weren't any. His thoughts wandered to the girl. He hated that she was still so scared.

"One step forward, six steps back," he muttered to himself. Maybe Cathy would have some luck with her. After all, the girl wasn't afraid of Sally. Given what she'd been through, maybe it was just men that scared the shit out of her.

The pump stopped and Trowa replaced the gas cap and took one last look around before climbing into the car. The girl was still huddled under his jacket, peeking out at him as he buckled up and started the car. She settled against his leg again as he drove off.

Duo and Quatre casually strode into the Denny's and noticed that Heero was in his usual spot.

"How did it go?" Heero asked as they sat.

"No big. The car handles great," Duo told him.

"No issues?"

"Naw. I'm hungry, should we order?"

Heero shrugged. "If you're hungry go ahead. I've had a coffee and some appetizers."

Duo nodded and grabbed the menu.

"You should eat something, Quatre."

Quatre shook his head. "I'm fine, Heero."

"Eat, Quat, or you won't hear the end of it. You've had a rough evening, riding around with me," Duo said, not bothering to look up from the menu. "At least get an ice cream sundae or somethin'."

Quatre sighed and picked up a menu.

The waitress came over. "You gents ready to order?"

Duo gave her a winning smile. "One of everything."

The waitress blinked at him, unsure if he was serious or not.

Duo chuckled. "Sorry, couldn't resist. I'll have a Grand Slam and a hot fudge sundae, no nuts."

"Okay. And for you, sir?"

"Um…I'll have a Chef Salad with Thousand Island and a banana split."

"Anything to drink?"

"Water, please."

"Water's good."

The waitress turned to Heero. "Would you like anything else? More coffee perhaps?"

"Actually, I'd like a slice of the peach pie a la mode and a glass of water, please."

The waitress nodded and headed towards the kitchen.

"Wow, 'Ro…springin' for pie? What's the occasion?"

"Successful test run."

"Wait…Tro' called you already?" Duo asked in hushed tones.

Heero shook his head. "No news is good news. I suspect it will be a while yet before they arrive but he hasn't called for backup."

"Well then I guess that counts as successful."

The waiter brought out their food, putting a halt to their conversation.

When it was time to go, Quatre tried to insist that he was okay to drive himself home.

"Nope. Not buyin' it, Quat," Duo said, shaking his head. "I'll drive ya home."

"I don't want to make you do that. I can drive." His argument might have been believable if he hadn't yawned just then.

"Why don't you stay at our place tonight?" Heero suggested.

Quatre shook his head. "I don't want to impose."

Heero and Duo shared a look.

"Quat, you're crashin' at our place. End of discussion. See ya at home, 'Ro!" Duo grabbed the blonde's wrist and pulled him to the car.

Quatre frowned but knew there was no way he could convince the other two that he was fine. He sat in the car, pouting, and refused to talk to Duo.

Halfway to his apartment, Duo looked over to see Quatre fast asleep.

Trowa hadn't seen another car in nearly an hour. That was good. But he was starting to get stiff from sitting so long. He pulled into the next rest stop. There were a few trucks but the drivers all looked to be sleeping. Nobody was milling about or smoking cigarettes and even if someone did show up, Trowa was sure he could handle them if it became necessary.

"Are you awake?"

The girl, still bundled in his jacket, nodded.

"Come on. I'm sure you need a break from the car as much as I do." Trowa undid his seatbelt and got out, taking a moment to stretch out the kinks in his back before opening the door for the girl.

"We'll have to get you some shoes. I don't want you to risk cutting your feet on any broken glass that might be out here," he told her as he picked her up.

It was too dark to see the look on her face, but he could guess she might not be too happy with having to be carried everywhere. He entered the small building, looking around. There was a soda machine and an almost empty candy machine. Looking up he saw a couple of cameras, one each focused on the bathroom doors. There were unlikely to be any in the bathrooms, but Trowa figured his entrance into the women's restroom would be more notable than him carrying someone into the men's room. For all the cameras knew, he was carrying a boy.

As soon as the girl realized he was going into the men's room, she started struggling in his grasp. He didn't blame her for not wanting to go in there, but he wasn't going to let her go into the women's bathroom alone. There might not be any threats here right now but he wouldn't be able to stop any that showed up if he wasn't with her at all times.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think it's a good idea to leave you by yourself right now. Don't worry, there shouldn't be anyone in there this late."

The men's room was predictably empty. She wouldn't be able to use a urinal, so Trowa headed to the only toilet stall with a door. He wasn't sure it would be super clean, but it would be better than making her pee by the side of the road somewhere. He waited in front of the door, but the girl didn't make any move to get out of his arms and he didn't want to accidentally drop her if she wasn't expecting to be put down.

"I don't suppose you expect me to go so far as to join you in the stall?" He wasn't sure how much of the smirk he was able to keep out of his voice.

The girl wriggled a bit and he set her down carefully. She gave him a glare and slapped his arm.

He wanted to laugh at her indignation but decided not to risk offending her. It would be easier to get her to the circus if she was cooperative. Once she shut the stall door, he went to take care of his own business. He could hear some yelling in the lobby area. Apparently one truck driver had taken the parking spot of another. Trowa rolled his eyes. He wondered what life would be like if that was the only thing he ever had to worry about.

The yelling died out, but Trowa decided it would be better not to take any chances. Some drivers had a reputation for bad tempers and some were armed. It would be best to get the girl out of here as soon as she was done. He finished and quickly washed his hands before standing guard outside the stall. If anyone came in, he'd see them first.

The girl opened the door and he followed her closely as she went to the sinks to wash up. As soon as she was done he picked her up and high-tailed it out to the car. There was a man smoking around the corner of the building and a truck just pulling in. He got the girl into her seat and jumped into the driver's side.

"I think we're far enough away that you can sit up if you want. I haven't noticed anyone following us."

The girl stayed sitting up and adjusted his jacket so it was over her lap instead of around her shoulders.

"Are you getting hungry?"

The girl gave him a surprised look and nodded.

He grinned at her. "Good. We'll stop in the next town and I'll get you something."