A/N: Sorry this took so long. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 30

Trowa woke before dawn and listened. It was quiet. That was good. He silently got dressed and left his room. The girl was sleeping, albeit fitfully. He watched her for a moment. Her face scrunched up and she rolled over. She let off a soft whimper and Trowa was afraid she would scream. He knelt next to her and cupped her cheek in his hand, gently running his thumb along her eyebrow.

"Shh…it's okay. You're safe here. I promise. Cathy and the circus will protect you. Please trust me. You're safe," he soothed.

The girl's face relaxed and she settled into a deeper sleep pattern. Trowa was relieved. He really didn't want a repeat of the previous night. He figured if she could get through one night without a nightmare, then she could start to work on having two nights in a row without one. He hoped that she would eventually have more nights without nightmares than nights with them. He knew that the first step for the girl would be feeling safe. In order for her to feel safe, Chase had to be behind bars.

Trowa slipped into the night. He had a stop to make before he could leave. A trailer on the other side of the training grounds was Trowa's destination. Knocking on the door, Trowa looked around to verify that no one had seen him. True, it was early, but this was a matter that required absolute secrecy.

The door opened a crack.

"What?"

"Official business. Grant entry."

The door opened wider and Trowa went inside quickly. The door shut and a light was turned on.

"Agent Barton. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I have an assignment for you, Agent Johnson."

Johnson raised an eyebrow. "Must be secret to come straight from the horse's mouth, as it were."

Trowa nodded. "The situation is such that our precise movements are not being revealed to Colonel Une and she has given us permission to act as we see fit."

Johnson motioned for Trowa to sit. "Explain."

Trowa appreciated that Johnson didn't care to spend time in idle chatter. He sat and quickly explained about the raid and the need to hide the girl. "Your orders are to keep an eye on her. Help Cathy to keep her safe and see if you can earn her trust enough to get her to talk."

Johnson ran a hand through his hair. "I wish I'd known that yesterday. I scared the shit out of her because I thought she was a local urchin messing with the horses. That's going to make this a bit harder."

Trowa nodded. "I should have spoken to you sooner but it couldn't be helped. As I told you before, Une has yet to be informed that we've moved the girl. Only Cathy, the Manager and you know who she really is. I expect the Manager will announce the new addition while Cathy has the girl out shopping today."

Johnson nodded. "Yes. He was pretty pissed at me for scaring her."

"Is your cover secure?"

"Yes. He doesn't know that I'm a Preventer otherwise I'm sure he wouldn't have bothered talking to me about her."

Trowa nodded. "Make sure it stays that way. If Cathy knew someone was stationed here she would worry."

Johnson nodded. His assignment was two-fold. When Trowa was with the Circus, Johnson was there to assist if he had a violent flash and also to keep tabs on him for Une…just in case. While Trowa was with the Preventers, Johnson was to keep an eye on Cathy for him. Trowa worried about her safety because if the wrong people found out he had family, they could go after her to get to him. Johnson was one of the few people that knew Trowa was a former Gundam Pilot. Trowa had decided it was pertinent information for Johnson to have, which was why he was entrusted with the secret.

Johnson knew that if he ever betrayed Trowa's trust he would have not one but five pissed Gundam pilots to deal with. While that was incentive to keep the secret, Johnson liked and respected Trowa and would never betray him.

"I'm going to leave as soon as I speak with the Manager. I don't know when I'll be able to return to check on things but I expect to be informed if anything happens."

Johnson nodded. "Yes, sir. Mission accepted."

Trowa slipped unseen out of Johnson's trailer and made his way to the Manager's. He knocked softly. The Manager opened the door after a moment.

"Trowa? Let me guess…you are leaving now?"

Trowa nodded. "Can I speak to you before I go?"

"Of course. Come in."

The Manager ushered Trowa inside and invited him to sit at the kitchen table. "Would you like anything to eat?"

"No, thank you. I wanted to ask what you were going to tell the rest of the circus about the girl."

"Well…I thought perhaps I could tell them she was your cousin."

"That would work except for one thing. Cathy and I don't know her name. If we were related, we would know."

The Manager's face fell. He'd been so certain that he'd found the perfect cover for her.

"Maybe it would be better to say that we've taken in a runaway and I'm looking into where she came from. The less everyone knows about where she came from, the safer she'll be."

The Manager nodded. "Yes…that is a good idea. I will do that. Is there anything else I should do for her?"

Trowa sighed. "Honestly, I'm not sure. Other than making sure she's safe and having everyone here look out for her, I think that's the best we can do until she starts talking. But if she does start talking, please alert me immediately. Cathy might not think about it, but it would be ideal for our investigation if we can get her to tell us what happened."

The Manager nodded. "I will do that."

Trowa stood. "I'd better get going. I want to be gone before she wakes up. I think it might be easier for her."

"Travel safely, Trowa. I will keep you updated on the girl's progress if I can."

"Oh, Heero! Thank you so much for coming!" Relena gushed as she threw her arms around his neck.

Duo kept his eye-rolling to himself. He'd promised Heero he would be civil to Relena. She wasn't usually that bad, but Duo couldn't stop the pang of annoyance at the way she greeted his boyfriend. It wasn't entirely her fault, though. Heero and Duo had agreed to keep their relationship within a very small circle of friends and with Relena's social and political obligations keeping her in the limelight, she hadn't made the cut.

Relena let Heero go and turned her attention to Duo. She hugged him as well, but perhaps not as enthusiastically. "You, too, Duo! I'm so happy to see you! How's Hilde doing?"

"She's…fine, last I heard," Duo said as he gave Relena a hug back.

Relena let Duo go with a frown. "Did you break up?"

"Yeah…a while ago."

"Oh, Duo, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories." Relena sighed. "And I'm so out of the loop I didn't even know."

Duo waved her off with a grin. "Don't worry about it, Princess. It wasn't that big of a deal. We're still friends and all."

Relena looked relieved. "Well that's good to hear. If you're looking I know some cute interns I could put in a good word with."

"No thanks. I've kind of got my eye on someone. Just waiting for the right time to make my move, if you catch my drift."

Relena raised her hands in surrender. "Okay, I'll leave it alone. But you let me know if you change your mind."

"Will do," Duo said with a wink. Okay, so Relena really wasn't awful, Duo was just a jealous, possessive, overprotective killing machine with a tendency to overreact. Once this assignment was over things would easily go back to normal and Heero would be all his again.

Heero was just glad that Duo had relaxed. Duo had been pretty keyed up about this particular assignment because he knew Relena still had a thing for Heero. Heero had assured his boyfriend that there was no way Relena would ever tear them apart, but that hadn't deterred Duo from worrying.

"So, what's the issue, Princess?" Duo asked, getting down to business.

Relena motioned for them to sit before placing a packet on the coffee table in front of them. "This was delivered this morning. I'll have Pagan bring in the other note while you look this over."

Heero opened the packet and took out the papers inside.

"It looks like…like a contract," Duo said as he read it.

Heero nodded. "Hn. Read the fine print."

"'Duties of spokesperson may include appearing in artistic photographs to be distributed at the discretion of the employer, appearing in person in attire provided by the employer, and performing personal services for the employer at the employer's request.'" Duo swore. "Why does this read like a contract for an escort service?"

"Because that's what it is. At least, that's what they want us to think," Heero said with a frown. "This line here: 'We are aware of your reputation and would do nothing to tarnish it. Think of this as an opportunity to serve your constituents on a more personal level.' They imply too much for this to be innocent."

"That's what I thought as well, sir."

The two agents looked up as Pagan came into the room with another packet.

"Thank you, Pagan," Relena said to the old butler as she took the new packet from him.

"Will there be anything else, Miss Relena?"

Relena gave him a smile. "No, dearest Pagan. That will be all I require for the evening."

"Very good, Miss." Pagan gave her a slight, stiff bow and left them.

"How old is that guy, anyway?" Duo asked.

"More than old enough to retire, he's just too stubborn to do it," Relena told him with a slight scowl. "I've told him he can just live here but he insists on 'being useful.' He doesn't believe me that I think he'd be just as useful as a friend as he is as a servant."

"Well, let him do what he wants, then," Duo suggested with a shrug. "It isn't like it'll hurt anything."

"Hn. Can we get back to this?" Heero asked. He appreciated that Duo and Relena were on good terms but they had work to do. And the sooner they got it done, the better. "From the syntax pattern, it looks like these were written by the same person. Duo, do you have the kit?"

"Sure do." Duo pulled the portable DNA scanner and fingerprint kit from his pocket. He ran the scanner over the page and checked it for prints. "Hm…looks like the only prints on it are Relena's, Pagan's and ours. They were just as careful with this one as they were the other one."

Heero nodded. "That's going to make this even more difficult. Where were these found?"

"The first one was left on the windshield of the car and this one was left on the porch."

"Say, Princess…Pagan didn't happen to wash that car yet, did he?" Duo asked.

"I don't believe so. Why?"

Duo stood. "Because there's a small chance they left a print on the car. Can I see it?"

Relena and Heero stood as well. Relena led the two agents out to the garage and showed them where the note was left. Duo pulled out the scanner and moved it slowly and deliberately, a slight frown on his face. He knew it was a long shot, but there was still a chance.

"Anything?" Heero asked.

"Not…wait! YES!" Duo whooped. "We got a partial. It's not a full print, but a partial's good enough for a start!"

Heero nodded, keeping his grin in check. "We can run a cross check and compile a list based on a partial match and their proximity to this location."

"Won't that be an awfully long list?" Relena asked.

"Not as long as suspecting everyone in the ESUN," Duo told her.

"No…I suppose not," Relena conceded. "Will it take long to narrow it down?"

Duo shrugged. "Not sure yet. A partial fingerprint can match a lot of people or just a few, depending on where it matches up. We'll let you know when it's done."

The agents turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Relena asked with a pout.

"We have to run these prints. It will be faster if we use the computer at Headquarters," Heero told her.

"Oh."

"What's wrong, Princess?" Duo asked.

"It's just…I thought you'd be staying to guard me…is all."

"We'll be back later," Heero promised. "While I run the analysis on this partial fingerprint Duo will gather some things that we need. I also need to touch base with the others."

Relena brightened. "Oh. Okay. I haven't got any meetings or appearances today so that works out fine. But we'll need to discuss my schedule when you return."

Heero nodded. "We will. Come on, Duo. The sooner we get this going the sooner we can be back."

Cathy woke and went to check on the girl. She was sleeping peacefully, so Cathy decided not to wake her just yet. She'd really have to remember to ask the girl if she had something for Cathy to call her. Cathy checked Trowa's room. He was already gone, but she knew he would be. Moving to the kitchen, Cathy made herself a cup of coffee and thought about what she wanted to make for breakfast. The girl had written that she liked French toast, so Cathy thought it would be a nice treat for her. She wasn't sure when the girl would wake up, but the smell of the cooking French toast would probably prompt her to come around. She bustled about the kitchen, humming softly to herself. She decided that she would take the girl to the local mall. It was small, but had several shoe stores so the girl would have enough selection to get some that she really liked.

At a small sound behind her, Cathy turned. She smiled. The girl was standing in the entryway to the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Morning, sleepyhead. Want some breakfast?"

The girl nodded and sat at the table. Cathy gave her a glass with some shake in it and turned back to the stove to finish the French toast. She put a slice on a plate and dusted it with powdered sugar before giving it to the girl.

"Eat up, we've got a big day of shopping ahead of us," she said with a smile so the girl would know she wasn't in trouble for anything. The girl gave her a shy grin in return. Making sure that the girl could reach the syrup, Cathy turned back to the stove to make some breakfast for herself. After making more than enough French toast for the two of them, Cathy sat and enjoyed her own breakfast.

The girl finished her piece of French toast and bit her lip.

Cathy frowned. "Is something wrong?"

The girl shook her head.

"Did you want something else?"

The girl nodded and timidly pointed at the plate of French toast.

"You want more?"

The girl nodded but she looked nervous.

Cathy gave her a big smile. "Absolutely! You can have as much as you like. Just be careful not to make yourself sick. It's no fun to be sick."

The girl relaxed and smiled back. Cathy handed her the plate of French toast and the girl took one piece. Cathy was glad she wanted more and it gave her hope that the girl would open up to her. The girl ate half of the piece of toast and looked a little disappointed.

"Don't worry if you can't finish it," Cathy told her. "As long as you got enough to eat, that's good enough. I don't want you to feel like you have to make yourself sick just to please me, okay?"

The girl thought for a moment before nodding.

Cathy grinned back and started clearing the table. The girl got up to help but Cathy shook her head.

"I can get it. There's not much to clean up this morning."

The girl stiffened, completely surprising Cathy. What had she said? She had to fix this before the girl was terrified of her. Trowa would never forgive her for making the girl worse!

"Hey, you're not in trouble. I just thought you'd like to take your time getting ready to go this morning because if what Trowa told me is true you haven't been out much and I just want you to be sure to feel comfortable so that we can shop in peace and you won't worry so much." Cathy knew she was talking too fast but she was nervous.

The girl relaxed a little and Cathy breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, do you have something other than pajamas to wear? I can let you borrow something if you need to."

The girl shook her head and immediately went into the other room. Cathy frowned. What had she said now? She set down the plate she was drying and followed the girl. The girl turned to look at her, the bags that contained her clothing in her hands.

Cathy felt stupid. "Oh, of course. Did you want to shower this morning?"

The girl nodded and Cathy helped her take off her shirt and removed the bandages for her.

"You know, I think this looks better today than it did yesterday. Let me know when you're ready for my help again."

The girl nodded and went into the bathroom. Cathy finished up the dishes and went into her own room to change. She could hear the water running. She was pulling up her hair when the water stopped. She took her time, letting the girl come to her when she was ready. There was a soft knock on her door.

"Come in, hon. I'm almost done."

The door opened with a soft creak of the hinges and the girl stood in the doorway, dressed in clothes that were obviously too big for her.

Cathy gave her a smile as she finished with her hair. "Let's get you all fixed up, okay?"

Moving quickly, Cathy bandaged up the girl's back. When she was done, the girl struggled to put on a bra and the shoulder brace. Cathy wondered if the bra would hurt the girl's back and shoulder at all. She almost suggested that the girl not wear it but decided to keep her mouth shut. The girl needed to be allowed to make her own decisions. Besides, if it got too uncomfortable she could always take it off.

Once she was completely dressed, Cathy helped her put her hair into a ponytail to keep it out of her face. Cathy frowned. Many of the girl's bruises were much more obvious with her hair out of the way.

"You're going to get a lot of looks today. Do you want to put this off?"

The girl took a long time to respond, but finally shook her head.

"Well alright then. Let's go." Cathy wasn't going to discourage her if she was okay with being seen with all the bruises. She waited for the girl to grab the pen and paper before leading her out to the car.