A/N: Sorry about the delay on this. Honestly, I had this done a couple of days ago but I just feel awful about...well...you'll find out. :(

Chapter 54

Heero made his way through the building. He'd followed Duo's distress signal to this location and so far he hadn't found his boyfriend. A noise behind a door at the end of the hallway caused Heero to slink along quickly but silently so as not to reveal his presence.

He was able to inch the door open enough to peek inside to get a sense of the situation. He had to bite back a gasp. Duo was chained to the far wall, suspended by his wrists. The cuffs used to hang him there had bitten into his wrists and blood dripped steadily down his arms. Duo's body was limp and his braid had come undone.

A shadow fell across Duo's body. "Now, now, Zero Two, time to wake up from your little nap."

Heero frowned. He didn't recognize the voice at all. He was about to burst in when Duo raised his head, his eyes burning with hatred.

"That's better," the voice crooned.

Heero didn't know what held him back. He knew he ought to go in and rescue Duo but he couldn't make himself move. He had no choice but to watch what happened next.

The other person in the room with Duo never turned around so Heero never saw his face. From behind, the man had short brown hair and was wearing a lab coat.

"Open up, Zero Two."

Duo clenched his jaw shut and turned his face away from the man. The man grabbed Duo's face and forced his mouth open. He shoved something into it, but Heero wasn't sure what it was. Again, Heero tried to force himself to move but he was glued to the spot. He tried crying out to distract the man, but found that he couldn't get the words out.

The man stepped back, never taking his eyes off of Duo and chuckled. "Goodbye, Zero Two."

An explosion momentarily blinded and deafened Heero. His sight returned first and what greeted him was a bloody mess. The man had shoved an explosive into Duo's mouth. Heero screamed, but it was like screaming under water. The sound was muffled. He couldn't breathe. He wanted to throw up, he wanted to kill the man responsible, but he was rooted to the spot. As his hearing returned, all he could hear was a low, dark chuckle.

"No…no…no no No NO NOOOOO!" Heero screamed. His world was completely shattered. He couldn't live without Duo. The man that did this would pay!

Heero's body finally responded and he burst into the room. It was filled with OZ soldiers. He grabbed the first one and broke his neck with his bare hands. Soldier after soldier fell to Heero's fists. The man that killed Duo still had his back to Heero. Heero grabbed his head, intent on smashing the man's brains all over the floor, but when he threw the man to the ground, the sound of breaking glass accompanied the man's shattering skull.

Heero blinked. A skull breaking was more of a thud, not the tinkling sound of broken glass. He looked around in a panic. What was going on?

There was a ringing noise. Heero shut his eyes and shook his head in an attempt to stop the ringing. It didn't stop, but it did take on a familiar rhythm. A phone. His cell phone was ringing.

Heero blinked and his apartment came into focus. It was trashed. He fumbled in his pocket for his phone. He managed to push the button and held it up to his ear, but he was unable to greet the caller. His mouth felt like it was full of sawdust.

"Heero? Heero are you there?"

"T-Tr-owa…" Heero's voice was a low moan.

"Heero? What's wrong?"

"I…" a sob broke through.

"Did you flash?" Trowa asked.

"Y-yes," Heero whispered.

"Where are you?"

"H-home."

"Stay put. I'm on my way, but it'll be a bit. I'm going to call Wufei and see if he can get to you sooner, okay?"

"H-hurry," Heero begged.

"Stay put and stay calm, Heero," Trowa ordered. "I promise we're on our way."

Trowa hung up and Heero stared at his phone. His lifeline was gone. He curled up on the floor and wrapped his arms around his head. "Duo…where are you?" he whispered as tears started to flow down his cheeks.

Wufei had just gotten into his car when his phone rang. "Chang."

"Wufei, where are you?"

"I just dropped Sally off at her apartment. Why?"

"We need to get to Heero's. He flashed."

Wufei swore and turned on his car. "I'm on my way. What's your ETA?"

"About twenty minutes, but I'll try to make it ten. Quatre and I are on our way back from San Francisco. I called to give Heero an update on our assignment, otherwise I never would have known. He doesn't sound good, Wufei. Approach with extreme caution."

"Roger that. I'll call you once I am able to assess the situation." Wufei hung up and hit the gas. He didn't care if the cops followed him, he didn't have time to go the speed limit and he certainly didn't plan on stopping to get a speeding ticket. Heero was dangerous when he flashed. A few cops for backup might not be a bad thing and Wufei was certain that he could get any cops to see reason once the situation was explained properly.

Luck was on Wufei's side and he made it to Heero's in record time with no cops in tow. He rushed up the stairs, not wanting to wait on the elevator and approached the door. He wasn't sure if the silence was a good thing or not. On one hand, Heero wasn't screaming or throwing things. On the other, if Heero had flashed again, he could have left the apartment and there would be no way to track him down.

Wufei pulled the key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. He inched it open and announced, "Heero? It's me. I'm coming in."

He then opened the door a little wider and checked to make sure that Heero wasn't waiting to pounce before letting himself in and closing the door behind him.

The apartment was trashed. Heero had thrown books, knickknacks, and furniture around. He'd also punched a number of holes in the walls. Wufei was surprised because it seemed that none of the neighbors had reported the noise. Surely the apartment manager would be here if they had.

Wufei carefully made his way through the mess. He found Heero curled up on the floor by the couch, clutching his head and surrounded by broken glass.

"Heero?" Wufei said softly, not wanting to startle the Wing pilot. "Heero, are you here or there?"

"H-here," Heero whispered.

"You're surrounded by glass. Did you cut yourself?" Wufei kept his voice low and calm.

"I…I don't think s-so."

"Okay. I'm going to start cleaning up the glass so you don't get cut. Stay there and we'll move to the couch once it's safe, okay?"

Heero nodded, still clutching his head.

Wufei got the broom and dustpan and cleaned up the glass surrounding Heero, moving carefully so as not to startle him. Heero might not be in the middle of a flash but he was still very much at risk for lashing out. Wufei suspected it was a response that had been drilled into him by Dr. J. Heero would defend himself against anything or anyone that came across as a threat. If he saw the broom in Wufei's hands as a potential weapon, Heero would attempt to disarm Wufei and disable him.

Trowa and Quatre arrived just as Wufei was sweeping the last of the glass into the dustpan. Heero was still curled up on the floor just as Wufei had found him.

"How are you Heero?" Trowa asked as he approached.

Heero didn't answer. He just shook his head.

"Would you like to move to the couch, Heero?" Quatre asked gently.

Heero shrugged.

Trowa looked at Quatre with a raised eyebrow.

"He's not flashing but he's very upset about something," Quatre confirmed quietly. He knelt next to Heero. "Will you tell us why you're upset?"

"Duo hasn't checked in," Heero answered him miserably.

"When was he supposed to check in?" Wufei asked, knowing that Duo often lost track of time.

"Noon."

Trowa frowned. Duo was ten hours overdue. "Maybe he got the time change messed up."

Heero shook his head. "Duo's from L2. He knows the time difference. Something's wrong, I know it but I can't call him because if I interrupt something or blow his cover, he could end up dead."

Quatre took a deep breath and tried to focus his empathy on finding Duo. Unfortunately, L2 was too far away to make a definite connection, but Quatre was certain that Duo was okay. If something was seriously wrong with Duo he was positive he would be able to feel something.

"Heero, I'm sure Duo is fine," Quatre told him. "It's possible that things on L2 are just so busy that he hasn't had time to call. I can check with Rashid if you like and see if he's picked up Hilde yet."

Heero slowly uncurled and looked at Quatre. "Rashid was supposed to be there?"

Quatre nodded. "I asked him to retrieve Hilde and take her to L4 for safe keeping. He can tell me how Duo is doing."

Heero nodded, so Quatre pulled out his phone and dialed Rashid's number.

"While Quatre is contacting Rashid, why don't we get you a little more comfortable and Trowa and I will get this place back in order," Wufei suggested as he reached down to help Heero up. He wasn't entirely convinced that Heero hadn't hurt himself and he knew that it was better to treat any injuries while Heero was distracted.

Once Heero was on his feet, Wufei did a quick visual check for injuries and was relieved to find that bruised knuckles were the worst of it. Wufei led Heero to the couch and made him sit. Heero was spacing out, which sometimes happened to him after a violent flash.

"Heero, talk to Rashid." Quatre handed Heero his phone and helped the others clean up the apartment while Rashid told Heero how Duo was doing and what he knew about the progress of Duo's mission.

Once Rashid was able to convince Heero that Duo was, indeed, quite safe, Heero was able to calm down. He handed Quatre his phone and then explained that he'd decided to take a nap while he waited for Duo to call, since it was common for Duo to be late checking in, usually because he got focused on his mission and forgot. Heero told them about his dream and the flashback that accompanied it.

"It was the phone ringing that brought me out of it," Heero told them. He looked at Trowa. "If you hadn't called when you did I don't know how long I would have kept destroying the apartment."

Quatre brought Heero a cup of tea. "I think it would be wise if one of us stayed with you until Duo checks in."

"Or until he comes back," Trowa said.

Heero didn't even try to argue that he would be fine alone. He wasn't fine. He was broken and Duo wasn't here to put him back together again.

"It's decided then," Wufei said, bringing Heero out of his reverie. "Trowa will stay here and call us if he needs backup. Is that acceptable, Heero?"

Heero shrugged. He didn't care who stayed.

"You guys go. We'll be fine," Trowa told Wufei and Quatre.

"I'll let you know if Rashid gives me any new information," Quatre promised before following Wufei out.

Duo stretched out on the bed in Quatre's safe house. He'd spent the afternoon briefing the L2 agents on the case and then come "home" to clean up the mess he'd made. Rashid had let him know that they'd left L2 and by Duo's reckoning they ought to be arriving on L4 any time. As tired as he was, Duo wanted to wait for Rashid to let him know they'd arrived before going to bed. He also planned to talk to Hilde and make sure that she was doing okay. Her behavior was so unlike her that Duo was worried. He made a mental note to ask Sally if it was because of her pregnancy or if it was the trauma of putting up with Gabe. Either way, Sally could talk to Iria and make sure that Hilde got the best of care.

Duo checked his watch and swore. He'd forgotten to call Heero after the briefing. He was likely to be mad but Duo figured he could redirect Heero's anger at Agent Larkspur. Agent Cresswell had told the man that Duo required 70 agents and 15 medical units. They'd gotten five agents and were told to call for a medical unit once they were able to confirm that they were actually going to need one. He was sorely tempted to contact Colonel Une directly and have her handle the situation.

Heero picked up on the first ring.

"Hey, 'Ro."

"Duo! Are you okay? How's Hilde? What's the status of your assignment?"

"Whoa! Heero…calm down. What's gotten into you? Are you drunk?"

"You were supposed to check in twelve hours ago! I've been worried sick!"

Duo felt bad. He hadn't realized just how much Heero worried about him. He knew Heero worried but he never showed it, not like this. "Did something happen to freak you out so much, Heero?" Duo asked quietly.

There was a pause and a sigh on the other end of the line. "I…I had a nightmare, I guess," Heero admitted. "It was the most realistic dream I've ever had and in it…you died a pretty graphic death."

Duo frowned. "You've had nightmares before, 'Ro."

"Not any that triggered a flashback," Heero whispered. "I came out of it and our apartment was pretty trashed. I'm sorry."

"Did you hurt yourself?"

"No. At least, nothing that broke the skin. I've got bruised knuckles and there are a few holes in the walls."

"Do I need to come home?" If Heero said yes, Duo would be on the next flight home. He would leave the investigation to Agent Cresswell.

"I think I'm okay," Heero said slowly. "Trowa is going to stay with me until you come home, just to be on the safe side."

"You're sure? I can pass this off to someone else to finish up."

"I'm sure, Duo. Just…don't take too long?"

The plea in Heero's voice, while subtle, broke Duo's heart. Heero was one of those people that was so put together that when he fell apart, he fell apart hard. Duo was usually there to pick up the pieces and put him back together. While he knew Trowa would do his best to keep Heero together, Duo worried that Heero would be a complete mess until he got home.

"I'll get this done as fast as I can," Duo promised. "Promise me that you'll call me if you need me. If you say the word, I'll come right home."

"I will."

Duo knew that it was a hollow promise. Heero wouldn't bring him home early. It was just the way he was. Duo made a mental note to tell Trowa to call him home if he was needed. On second thought, he was better off telling Quatre. Quatre would actually call if there was a need. The others would listen to Heero when he insisted he was fine. Quatre would be able to tell when Heero needed Duo to come home.

"All right then," Duo said. "We're going to do a raid first thing in the morning. I don't know how long that will take but as soon as we're done there I'll find Sylvia and then I'll be home. If everything goes well I can be on a shuttle tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay," Heero said quietly. "Be safe, Duo."

"I will. Love you." Duo hung up the phone and rubbed a hand over his face. Being apart from Heero was always tough but it was harder when Duo wasn't sure where he was needed more. He wondered if he ought to talk to Une about taking on a desk job and convince Heero to take on the IT position she'd offered him last year. Duo knew he'd hate being stuck at a desk but sometimes he thought the sacrifice would be worth it if it meant he would always be there for the man he loved.

Duo's phone rang and after a quick glance at the caller ID, he picked up. "Yeah, Tro'?"

"I wanted to let you know that Heero will be fine."

"He said he had a nightmare that led into a flashback. I don't….he's never had that happen before. Do I need to come home? He said he was fine but I can tell how upset he is." Duo couldn't keep the concern out of his voice.

"He's upset because his dream involved you dying. If he didn't love you, it wouldn't have upset him so much. But he's better now that he's talked to you and he knows you're safe. You do what you need to do. We'll keep an eye on him here."

"You promise to call me if he gets worse?"

"I will," Trowa promised. "He won't thank me for it though."

"I don't care," Duo said petulantly. "If I need to be at home I'll come home. I'll steal a shuttle if I have to. Heero's more important to me than anything else in the world. The agents here can handle this case if they need to."

"He'll be fine, Duo," Trowa insisted. "I knew you'd be worried and I'm telling you that he is fine. He is safe. He is in control. He is taking a shower and going to bed, as you should do."

"Yeah, I guess," Duo said. "I really can leave this up to Agent Cresswell if I need to. It isn't like Agent Larkspur is giving us adequate manpower or supplies to begin with so one less agent isn't going to make any difference."

"How low on manpower are you?" Trowa asked, knowing that Duo probably needed to vent his frustrations about the situation to someone before he would be able to sleep.

"I've got six L2 agents and no medical backup."

Trowa swore. "Do you want me to talk to Une about it for you? I'm sure she can make different arrangements for you before your raid. When is it?"

"First thing in the morning. But I'm not really sure that we need extra men or a medical unit. For all I know, it'll end up a dead lead. We only found the one girl in all those leads we had so far. And I can't make myself rule out the possibility that Gabe lied to me. I mean, I'm pretty sure he didn't because Rashid scared the crap out of him, but he was beatin' up Hilde so he's not exactly a stellar citizen."

Trowa frowned on his end of the line. He remembered Hilde as feisty and quite capable of taking care of herself. If someone was abusing her, why hadn't she asked for help sooner? "Well…if you get to the site and decide you need backup and Larkspur won't send it, call me and I'll have Une take care of it for you. I'll just be here with Heero so it isn't like you'll be interrupting anything, okay?"

"Okay."

"And you need to be well rested so you can follow up on your lead tomorrow. If you're tired you'll make mistakes and that will only prolong your time away from Heero. So do us all a favor and relax, okay?"

Duo sighed. "Yeah…okay. Thanks, Trowa. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Duo hung up the phone with a heavy heart. He hated that Heero was having a hard time and that there was nothing Duo could do about it. He looked up shuttle times and then closed his computer with another sigh. The next shuttle that would go directly back to Earth wasn't going to leave until late the next evening. Unless he wanted to bounce around the colonies for hours before heading to Earth, Duo would have to wait. Besides, the direct shuttle would get him back to Earth only an hour after the other one.

Duo decided that the best course of action was to get some sleep and get the raid over with first thing in the morning so he could get home to Heero. Talking to Hilde would just have to wait.

A/N: I broke Heero. I didn't really think that was possible...I didn't do it on purpose...it just kind of...happened. :(