A/N: Sorry this took so long. I'm hoping with Nanowrimo ending soon that the next installment will come a little quicker. On the up side, I did get a little bit written on Sandrock's Lullaby. It's still not ready to start posting but it's closer. :)

Enjoy.

Chapter 32

The Manager called order to the tent. "Good morning. I know this is a last minute meeting and it is your day off so I will be brief. I wanted to let you know that we have a new addition. She is not here at the moment because I felt it would be better to speak to you without her here. She will be staying with Catherine. You should know that Trowa brought her to us for safe keeping. She has been treated very poorly and is very shy because of it. I hope you will all keep that in mind when you interact with her. She might not respond. Do not take it personally. She will need time and patience. I do not know how long she will be staying with us but you will treat her kindly while she is here. If I hear otherwise, there will be hell to pay. Do you understand?"

There was a scattered murmur of "Yes, sir" and many nodding heads.

"Good. Another thing, she has not been forthcoming with her name. Do not try to force it out of her. When she is ready, she will tell us. Until then please exercise patience and if you find you cannot, please choose to stay away from her. Thank you for your time. You are dismissed."

The cast dispersed, several discussing the new development amongst themselves.

Cathy took the girl to every shoe store in the mall. She was beginning to wonder if they'd ever find a pair that the girl liked. Cathy had made it clear that the girl was to pick a pair she liked and not just the first pair that fit. The result was that the girl still hadn't found a pair she liked. As they went into the last store that sold shoes, Cathy mentally crossed her fingers. If they couldn't find a pair here they might have to wait until the next town and Cathy didn't want to make her wait that long.

"May I help you ladies?"

Cathy smiled at the shoe salesman. "She needs some shoes that fit."

The young man looked at the girl and gave her a smile. "Well, let's see what we can find. Let's start with measuring your feet, okay?"

He stepped past the two women to reach for his Brannock Device.* He got a little too close to the girl and she shied away from him, hiding behind Cathy.

"It's okay, he won't hurt you," Cathy murmured to her. They hadn't run into this at the other stores because all the salespeople had been women. Cathy hadn't expected the girl to have this kind of a reaction.

The salesman, whose name tag said Chester, frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

The girl stayed behind Cathy.

"I'm sorry, she's had a pretty rough couple of weeks," Cathy explained. "Can you give us a minute?"

"Of course." Chester moved far enough away that Cathy felt like she could talk to the girl without him overhearing.

Cathy turned to the girl, who was looking at her feet.

"It's okay. You're not in trouble and no one is mad at you. Does he remind you of someone from your past?"

The girl gave a slight shrug but didn't look up.

"I promise he won't hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you, okay?"

The girl nodded but still didn't look up.

Cathy knelt down until she could look up into her face. "Are you okay?"

The girl closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath before nodding.

"You're sure?" Cathy asked gently. "You don't have to say you are if you really aren't. I'll understand, I promise."

The girl nodded again.

"Should we try again?"

The girl finally opened her eyes and nodded. Cathy gave her a gentle smile before standing up and looking around for Chester.

Chester came over slowly with a smile on his face. He didn't know what, specifically, he'd done to startle the young woman, but he didn't want to do it again if he could help it. "Can I measure your feet? We won't get the right fit if we don't know what size to try on."

Cathy was relieved when the girl nodded warily. Chester gestured to a chair and the girl sat. Cathy was impressed with the way Chester handled the skittish young woman. He asked permission before removing her shoe and spoke gently to her as he took her measurements. She didn't answer when he asked open ended questions about colors she might like, so Cathy supplied that her favorite color was green.

"Give me just a minute and I'll bring back some shoes for you to try on, okay?" Chester got to his feet and left them alone again.

"You okay?" Cathy asked. The girl nodded, setting Cathy's concerns at ease. "Good. There are a couple of stores I'd like to go to after this one if you think you're up for it."

The girl nodded. They waited for Chester to come back in silence. Cathy stood so she was partially blocking the girl from the curious stares of the other shoppers. She was sorely tempted to yell at them to mind their own business, but she didn't want to cause a scene and embarrass the girl even more.

When Chester returned, he had three boxes with him. He knelt down and opened the first box. "You tell me if you don't like these and we'll try to fix it, okay? We have a few other styles if you don't like the fit and a couple of different color combinations if you don't like the way they look." He carefully took the girl's ankle and put the first shoe on. He tied it and had her stand up.

"Take a few steps. See how it feels."

Chester stood back so the girl wouldn't feel crowded and watched as she took a few tentative steps. He could see the back of the shoe rubbing on her heel. That wouldn't do at all. She'd only get blisters. "Why don't we try on another pair and you can compare how they fit," he suggested.

The girl came back to the chair and took off the shoe. Chester put it back in the box and pulled out the next pair of shoes. Again, he had her walk a few steps. He didn't see any obvious signs that they weren't a good fit.

Chester held up the boxes with the shoes she'd tried on. "Which pair do you like better so far?"

The girl pointed to the box with the mate of the shoe she was currently wearing.

Chester nodded and set the other box aside. "I have one more pair here. Do you want to try those?"

The girl sat and removed the shoe she had on. Chester gave her the new shoe. This time the girl automatically got up and took a few steps before returning to the chair and removing the shoe. She shook her head and pointed at the 2nd pair of shoes.

"You like those ones the best?" Chester asked.

The girl nodded.

"Do you like the color? I think we also have this style in pink and white."

The girl pointed at the shoes in the box.

"Are those the ones you want to get?" Cathy asked.

The girl looked up at her and nodded.

Cathy smiled. "Great. We'll take them."

"Would you like to wear them out?" Chester asked the girl. It hadn't escaped his notice that the shoes she'd worn in were far too large for her.

The girl nodded and Chester handed her the shoes. He put the oversize shoes in the box and Cathy followed him to the register to pay while the girl put on her new shoes.

"Thank you so much for your help," Cathy told him as she handed him the money.

"It was my pleasure. I'm sorry I upset her."

"It wasn't anything you did," Cathy assured him. "She's been jumpy since her parents died in a car accident last week."

Chester clicked his tongue. "That's too bad. Is that how she got hurt?"

Cathy nodded. "She's actually doing much better today than when she came to live with me."

Chester handed Cathy her change. "Well, I hope she feels better soon."

Cathy smiled at him. "Thank you. I'll let her know."

Cathy waited for the girl to finish tying her shoes and walk over. "Ready for the next store?"

The girl nodded and they left. Cathy led her to a small shop that sold earrings, makeup and jewelry. She was always on the lookout for new costume pieces. The girl trailed after her but didn't seem to show interest in much except the makeup sets. Cathy stopped at the makeup counter and started looking through the test strips. She found a small patch of unbruised skin near the girl's ear and found a foundation match.

"I bet we could cover most of these. They're starting to fade anyway and I'm sure you could use some makeup to wear when you feel like it, right?"

The girl seemed to stiffen for a second before relaxing and nodding. Cathy was happy that the girl was enthusiastic about picking out makeup.

When they had everything the girl would need, Cathy said, "I'm hungry. Let's hit the food court."

She was certain the girl would be hungry as well. It took a few minutes for the girl to decide what she wanted. Cathy wondered how long it had been since the girl had been allowed to eat pizza. The piece was large enough that the girl immediately cut it in half before picking it up to eat it. Cathy ate her own pizza in silence, not wanting to distract the girl from eating. The girl set down her unfinished half of pizza. It took a few minutes for Cathy to realize that the girl was finished for the moment.

"Did you want anything else?" Cathy asked.

The girl shook her head. Cathy finished her pizza and got a to-go box for the rest of the girl's. Cathy figured the girl could eat it for dinner or just snack on it when she got hungry again.

"All right. Anything else you can think of that we need?"

The girl shook her head.

"Well, we have time so would you like to go to a movie?"

The girl thought for a second before pulling out her pen and paper.

'Is there anything good playing?'

"Well, there's a movie I've been wanting to see. It's a romantic comedy about a guy who likes a girl but she likes someone else and the someone else she likes has a crush on him and…oh I guess it'll make sense in the context of the show. Do you want to go?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically.

"Great! Let's go see when the next showing is."

They made their way over to the theater. The movie was set to start in fifteen minutes.

"Well that was lucky," Cathy said as she bought the tickets. They went into the theater and found their seats. "Wait here. I'll be right back, I promise."

Cathy wasn't 100% sure she should be leaving the girl on her own, but she wouldn't know how much the girl could handle if she didn't push it a little. It wasn't like she was leaving her for a long time. She just wanted to get some popcorn and sodas. True, they had just eaten, but Cathy wasn't sure how long it would be until the girl felt hungry again. Besides, whatever popcorn they didn't eat they could take back to the trailer and snack on later.

Cathy stood in the concessions line. There was only one person working behind the counter and the person in front of her couldn't decide what they wanted. Cathy started to get nervous. She was about to abandon the idea of snacks and just go back into the theater when it was finally her turn.

"I'll take a large popcorn and two large colas, please." Cathy hoped the girl liked cola. She hadn't thought to ask about that. Once she had the movie food, Cathy hurried back into the darkened theater.

"Sorry that took so long, there was a line. Hope you like butter on your popcorn." Cathy could tell the girl had been worried and she felt bad for it. She really hadn't meant to take so long. She set the tub of popcorn between them so the girl could help herself and settled into her seat.

The girl took a handful of popcorn and then another one. She seemed truly interested in the movie trailers and was so absorbed in the movie that she eventually quit eating altogether. Cathy mentally congratulated herself for finding something that the girl enjoyed.

"Forward the information to Wufei and have him look into it, Quatre. I'm having him look into something as well, but I think this might be the link we need."

"Okay, Heero. Hey, have you heard from Trowa yet?"

"No. Though I expect he should be checking in soon. If you find out anything else, let me know."

"Okay, Heero."

Heero hung up and looked at Duo. "Quatre thinks he may have found Chase."

"Oh?"

Heero nodded. "He got a tip about a former Stanford student that committed suicide a while back. Quatre thinks Chase may have faked his own death in order to disappear."

"Why does that not surprise me?"

"What concerns me is how long this may have been going on," Heero said. "Quatre said he faked his suicide about 25 years ago. If he knew back then that he needed to disappear, he's been involved longer than we've been alive."

Duo swore. "So not only do we have 25 years of potential missing girls to track, but we know there's more than one location. For all we know there are locations all over the world and throughout the colonies."

Heero nodded. "I think we're going to need to get Relena passed off to other agents sooner rather than later so we can tackle this new development."

As the lights came up at the end of the movie, Cathy said, "What'd you think?"

The girl looked at her. Cathy was surprised at how miserable she looked.

"Hey, are you okay, hon?" She put a hand on the girl's forehead. She felt warm. "You look a little flushed, do you feel okay?"

The girl shook her head, looking like she was about to cry.

Cathy mentally berated herself. She'd pushed the girl too much after promising Trowa she wouldn't.

"Come on, let's get you home."

Cathy grabbed all the bags and led the way out. She felt a tug on her sleeve and looked at the girl, who was really pale at this point. The girl pointed at the restroom across the hall and Cathy nodded, following as the girl almost ran inside. Cathy cringed as the girl threw up in the toilet. She hadn't meant to make her sick.

After a little bit, the stall went quiet and the girl came out. She leaned over the sink and rinsed out her mouth.

Cathy was worried. Trowa said the girl had been sick. What if she was relapsing? Would Cathy need to take her to the hospital? She didn't have identification for the girl. The hospital wouldn't treat her without identification. Cathy had to force her thoughts to slow down. Maybe the girl just ate too much and would be fine now that she'd thrown up. The girl was still really pale, though.

"Do you think you can make it out to the car?"

The girl nodded slowly.

Cathy led the way towards the car. Just before the exit was a small ice cream parlor. On a whim, Cathy stopped and ordered a small mint chocolate shake and a chocolate cone.

"Here, hon, the mint should help settle your stomach," Cathy said as she handed the girl the shake.

The girl took it and sipped at it. Once in the car, the girl abandoned the shake and curled up on the seat.

Cathy drove carefully, not wanting to disturb the girl. If her stomach was still upset the movement wouldn't help anything and Cathy really didn't want to clean puke out of the car.

Cathy was glad when they finally got back to the circus grounds. She parked the car and looked over at the girl. She was asleep. Cathy didn't want to wake her. She quietly got out of the car and looked around.

"Paul! Can I get your help please?" Cathy called to the hostler as he headed for the animal tent.

He nodded and detoured over to the knife thrower. "What do you need, Cathy?"

"The girl fell asleep on the way home. She isn't feeling well and I don't want to wake her. Do you think you could carry her inside for me?"

Paul nodded and went to the passenger door. The girl was leaning against it so he didn't want to open it. "You'll need to get in the car and keep her from falling out when I open the door."

Cathy did as she was asked and Paul opened the door. He picked up the girl, who whimpered as he did so, and carried her into Cathy's trailer.

"Just put her on the couch for now. I haven't had a chance to make sure Trowa's room is ready for her to use."

Paul set the girl down on the couch. "Do you need help getting the room ready?"

Cathy pulled fresh sheets out of the closet. "No. Trowa didn't leave a mess so I just need to change the sheets and we'll be good to go."

There was a knock on the door.

"Would you see who that is please?" Cathy asked as she pulled the old sheets off the bed. She really wanted to get the girl settled.

Paul nodded and answered the door. It was Torvald.

"Ah, Paul. Is Catherine at home? I wish to introduce myself to the new girl so she will not fear me."

"Cathy's home but the girl is feeling ill. I don't know if this is the best time."

Torvald's face fell. "Oh…okay. Does Cathy need anything? Perhaps I can get the girl something to help her feel better."

"I don't know if Cathy needs anything. Why don't you come in and talk to her yourself?"

Torvald nodded and followed the animal handler into Cathy's trailer. Torvald always felt too large in everyone's trailer except his own. He sometimes felt uncomfortable but Cathy always made him feel welcome.

"She's in the other room fixing the bed," Paul said as he led Torvald through the trailer.

Torvald saw the girl curled up on the couch. "She is so small," he said quietly. "It makes me angry that she was treated poorly."

Paul nodded. "Yeah, well…Trowa told me they're hunting down the man that did this to her."

Torvald scowled. "I almost wish I could spend five minutes with the bastard. No woman should ever be hurt this way."

"I agree. But the Preventers are—" Paul was interrupted by the girl throwing up all over the floor. She was still asleep as far as he could tell. "Crap! Cathy!"

"What is it Paul?" Cathy asked as she came out of Trowa's room. The smell of fresh vomit assailed her nose. "Oh, no!" She dashed into the bathroom and got a clean, wet washcloth. "We'll have to move her into Trowa's room." Cathy bent to clean the vomit from the girl's mouth. "Would one of you please put her in bed while I get something to clean up this mess?"

"I will move her if you like," Torvald offered.

"Thank you, Torvald. Just be careful. I don't know if she'll throw up anymore."

Torvald nodded and carefully picked up the girl. She looked even smaller in the strong man's arms. He took her into the bedroom and deposited her into the freshly made bed. He tucked the blankets in and she curled up, whimpering.

"You are safe here small one. Please feel better soon," Torvald said softly before going back out to help Cathy clean the carpet.

A/N: A Brannock Device is the thing they use to measure your feet. The guy that invented it was named Brannock.