A/N: Sorry these updates have taken so long. My sister finally went home with her kids and I survived a reading of some of my work so maybe now I'll actually be able to focus on writing a little more.

Chapter 46

"Sit here, Kiri. If you want anything from the snack vendors, just wave them over. They know to check and see if you want anything. And don't worry about paying for it, it's all taken care of. After the show just stay right here and I'll come get you, okay?"

Kiri nodded and Cathy smiled. "Great. I'll see you in a bit. Enjoy the show!"

Cathy made her way backstage. The tent was just opening up for the audience to sit down. Cathy hoped the crowds didn't make Kiri uncomfortable, but that was why the crew running the snack trays had been roped into helping keep track of her. Cindy and Tony were both on the crew tonight and Paul had assured Cathy that he would also be watching Kiri from the wings. This was Kiri's first time out like this and Cathy wanted everything perfect. She was afraid that if anything went wrong, Kiri would close up again. She knew it would be easier to keep Kiri in the trailer, but that wasn't fair to the poor girl. Cathy knew that if Kiri was going to get better she had to do things that made her uncomfortable but Cathy still worried that she might be pushing Kiri too fast.

"Cathy!"

Her head jerked up as Torvald's hiss pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Do not worry! She will be fine," Torvald assured her gently. "Get ready for your act. Keep your mind clear or you will be hurt. We will all watch Kirimek for you."

Cathy smiled at the strong man. "You're right, Torvald. Thank you."

Torvald smiled back and then took a deep breath before heading out to the center ring for his performance. He caught Kiri's eye and winked as he lifted two of the clowns over his head. The clowns pretended to be frightened and reached out for a third clown as he used a springboard to jump atop the shoulders of the other two. By the time they were done, Torvald had a pyramid of six clowns balanced on his shoulders. Torvald glanced at Kiri and had to work not to smile at the look of wonder on her face. He was supposed to act scary so he had to keep a straight face but he was glad that Kiri was able to enjoy the show.

The clowns tumbled from their pyramid, performing summer saults as they hit the ground and they all bowed to the applauding crowd. The clowns continued with the act as Torvald picked up his various weights and went backstage. After his props were put away, Torvald went back and stood next to Paul.

"She seems to be enjoying the show," Paul remarked casually.

Torvald nodded. "Yes. The crowds are not affecting her negatively, either. I am glad she is happy."

Paul nodded. "This is good for her. Maybe it'll help her open up a bit."

"We can only hope. I think it would help to make Cathy not worry about her so much."

Throughout the show, Kiri was captivated. When Cindy offered her a soda and cotton candy, Kiri took them. About twenty minutes later, Tony went past with popcorn and Kiri accepted some. Paul kept an eye on her through the entire performance. Anyone who didn't know it would never guess that Kiri had been abused for five years. She looked like a normal teenager enjoying herself at a live show. As soon as the show was over, he made his way over to her to ensure that she wasn't accosted by the leaving crowd.

"Did you enjoy that?" he asked.

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Good."

Paul waited with Kiri until Cathy came to collect her.

"What did you think?" Cathy asked.

Kiri smiled at her and then bit her lip.

"She enjoyed it," Paul supplied.

Kiri gave him a grateful smile and nodded.

Cathy smiled at the girl. "Great. I don't know about you but I'm ready for bed."

Kiri nodded.

"Do you need an escort?" Paul asked.

Cathy smiled at him. "We'd hate to keep you from anything important but if you want to walk us home, you may."

Paul bowed low. "It would be my pleasure ladies."

Duo tapped his fingers almost spastically on his armrest. The shuttle was docking and his claustrophobia was nearly past the point where he could control it. He was glad that he didn't have paranoia issues as bad as Heero did. The flight had been full so he hadn't had the luxury of an empty seat next to him. Usually, he tried to take flights that were at least half empty but given the need to find Hilde, he'd consented to the fuller flight. At least he'd only brought a carry-on so he wouldn't have to deal with the nightmare of luggage claim. As soon as the seat belt sign turned off, Duo catapulted from his seat and dashed to the exit.

He was grateful to be out of the shuttle, even if the air on colony was stale. He sometimes wished he'd never left the colonies because the recycled air was never quite the same after breathing the fresh air of Earth. He was pleased to note that the colony had planted more trees and bushes since his last visit, which helped the air quality, but it still wasn't what he was used to.

Duo quickly hailed a taxi and gave the driver an address about two blocks away from Hilde's scrap yard. He hadn't determined if anyone was following him, but just in case, he didn't want to take any chances. Once he'd paid the driver, he called Heero as he promised.

"Hey, 'Ro. I'm here."

"Good. Any problems?"

"Not yet. Anything I should look for while I'm here?"

"No new information but I'll keep you posted if anything turns up."

"Right. Well, I'll call you after I get the estimate I came for."

"Please be careful, Duo."

"I will."

"I love you, Duo."

"Love ya, Babe. I'll talk to you soon." Duo hung up and looked around as if he didn't know where he was.

Keeping his appearance casual, Duo stayed on high alert as he made his way to the scrap yard. He still hadn't noticed anyone following him but that was no reason to get sloppy. He also wasn't sure if Hilde was even there or if her boyfriend would be working today. He was a little surprised to see that the yard was still closed. He pulled out his cell and dialed Hilde's number. He was about to give up on her when she finally answered it.

"Duo?" Hilde hissed. "What do you want?"

"I need to talk to you."

"This isn't a good time."

Duo frowned. "Why are you talking so quietly?"

"I told you. This isn't a good time."

"Well when is a good time?" Duo demanded.

"Just…not now!"

"What did I interrupt? Were you having sex?" Duo teased.

"Even if I was I wouldn't tell you!" she retorted angrily. "Goodb—"

"Wait, Hil! Why is your scrap yard closed?"

There was a long pause. "How do you know about that?"

"Because I'm standin' outside the gates right now."

Hilde swore. "What are you doing here?"

"If you'd talk to me instead of hanging up on me all the time you'd know," Duo told her. "Are you at home or should I let myself into the yard?"

Hilde sighed. "Is anyone there at all?"

Duo frowned but looked through the wrought iron gate. There were no lights on in the small office building and he didn't see anyone at work sorting the scrap. "I don't see anyone."

"I'll be there in a minute. If anyone else shows up, call me immediately."

"Okay."

Hilde hung up and Duo scowled at his phone. Something was really not right about this whole situation.

"Colonel Une?"

Une looked up to see Grace in the doorway. "Yes, Grace?"

"There's a gentleman here who wishes to speak with you. He doesn't have an appointment and he's very persistent."

"What is his name?"

"Carruthers."

Une straightened the papers on her desk. "I'll see him, Grace."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Grace led Mr. Carruthers into Une's office. Mr. Carruthers looked to be around 65. He was barely taller than Colonel Une and lean with grey hair. He was scowling.

"Thank you, Grace. Would you please bring us some tea?" Une looked at Carruthers. "Is tea okay or would you prefer a different refreshment?"

"Tea would be fine," Carruthers answered, clearly thrown off by Une's courtesy. "Though I don't see the point. You're trying to take away my house!" he added, pointing an accusatory finger at Une.

"Why don't you have a seat and we'll discuss the situation," Une said, gesturing to the chair opposite her desk.

"Hmph." The man sat and crossed his arms.

Grace entered with the tea and a tray of cheese and crackers.

"Thank you, Grace. Will you please see to it that we are not disturbed?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

Once they were alone, Une turned to the man before her. "I am Colonel Une. What can I help you with today?"

"Someone left a notice on my fence that you people were going to auction off MY property!"

"I'm sure it was an honest mistake. Why don't you give me your information and we'll get this cleared up."

"Good morning, Cathy! And how are you this morning, Kiri?"

"Good morning, Manager. We're doing fine. Would you like a cup of coffee?" Cathy held out a cup of coffee, which the Manager gratefully took.

"Ahhh…thank you, Cathy. How did you like the show last night, Kiri?"

Kiri smiled at the Manager.

"She enjoyed it, didn't you, Kiri?" Cathy prompted.

Kiri nodded enthusiastically.

"Did you see any acts you'd like to try out?" the Manager asked.

Kiri gave him a tiny shrug.

"I thought I'd teach her how to throw knives and how to walk on the tightrope. That way she can see if she enjoys doing them. If she does then we can work up an act and if not we can try something else," Cathy supplied.

"That sounds great, Cathy. Let me know how the training goes. In the meantime, I thought that Kiri might like to help out at the ticket booth with Cindy."

Cathy frowned. "Will she be required to talk?"

"No, no…we can leave that to Cindy. She talks enough for three people anyway. What I thought was that Kiri could help by running messages and helping to count the till. Maybe make sure there's always coffee available and that sort of thing. Perhaps she can even help make popcorn during the shows so that we don't run out. What do you think about that, Kiri?"

Kiri thought it over for a moment before nodding.

"Wonderful. I'll send Cindy to fetch you when it's time to get the ticket booth up and running for the day. Paul is aware of the change but it would be good to let him know when you leave so he can finish up with the horses."

Kiri nodded.

"Well now that that's settled, I'll let you ladies get back to your breakfast. Thank you for the coffee, Cathy."

Duo was starting to get worried. Hilde was taking longer than he thought she would. He was tempted to call her again but talked himself out of it. He didn't want to keep bugging her. She seemed really tense about something. He wondered if she was still pissed at him for hooking up with Heero instead of her. He knew she'd had a thing for him but he hadn't felt that way about her. He supposed he could have been a little nicer about it, though.

He thought back to that conversation. Yeah, telling her he'd be interested in her when she grew a dick and let him pitch wasn't the best way to handle her telling him she wanted to go on a date. He hoped she wasn't still pissed about that. Three years was enough time to get over that, right? Girls could hold a grudge for a really long time, but she'd moved on fast enough.

"Naw, that's not it," he muttered to himself. They were still friends. If she was mad at him, she would've called and yelled at him. She wasn't the type to keep her feelings to herself. If she had something to say, she said it.

He checked his watch again and looked up and down the street. Where was she?

A car pulled up to the curb next to him and the window rolled down.

"Duo!"

Duo stepped over to the window and leaned in with a grin that disappeared as soon as he saw Hilde. "Oh, Hil…what happened?"