A/N: Sorry about the delay. It's extra long because I couldn't find a cutoff point that I liked.

Chapter 59

Catherine managed to get Kiri to put on a pair of sleep pants and a t-shirt but it was harder than usual because Kiri still wasn't responding like she usually did. Cathy really wanted to believe that all Kiri needed was a good night's sleep, but deep down she knew that Trowa and Quatre were right. Something was very wrong to have upset Kiri so much but until she talked to them, there was no way to find out just what had happened.

"Why don't you take the side of the bed next to the wall? That way if I wake up before you do I won't have to climb over you to get up."

Kiri nodded and climbed onto the bed. She laid facing the wall. Cathy quickly changed into her own pajamas and slid into bed with her. She curled up around Kiri and placed her arm around her, wanting Kiri to feel safe.

"Everything is okay, Kiri. Sleep. Things will look brighter in the morning."

Kiri didn't respond but Cathy would have been surprised if she did.

"Oh, Kiri," Cathy whispered. "Let us help you."

Kiri sniffed but didn't turn around or speak to Cathy. Cathy fell asleep unsure of whether or not Kiri was still awake.

Trowa was so frustrated he wanted to slam the door when he got back to the trailer but knew that if he did he would wake up Cathy and Kiri. So instead he settled for closing the door quietly and letting Quatre use his empathy to figure out that he was annoyed.

"What did Agent Johnson have to say?" Quatre asked when Trowa came in.

"I couldn't find him. If things here are still quiet in a couple of hours I'll go over to the bonfire and see if he's there. I just wasn't sure if it was wise to leave you and Cathy alone with Kiri for too long."

Quatre's grin made Trowa frown.

"What's so funny?"

"You've got it so bad," Quatre teased.

"Huh?"

"You know, I think it would be a good idea to let Kiri know how you really feel about her. It would probably make her feel safer. Especially since she likes you, too."

Trowa couldn't do anything but stare at Quatre. Quatre smirked and started to put together the couch so he could go to sleep.

"I hate your empathy," Trowa grumbled as he went into his own room.

Once he was alone, Quatre quit smirking. He sighed. "Yeah…me too…sometimes," he muttered to himself.

Cathy woke to the sound of Kiri whimpering.

"Kiri? Kiri it's okay. You're safe," Cathy tried to reassure her.

Kiri was still asleep but she started shivering despite being covered by several blankets.

"Kiri, can you wake up?" Cathy leaned over her and tried shaking Kiri's shoulder.

Kiri rolled onto her back and pushed at Cathy's hands. Cathy could see the pained expression Kiri wore even in her sleep.

"Kiri! Wake up now, hon."

Cathy grabbed Kiri's shoulder so she could try to wake her again but as soon as she did, Kiri kicked her, knocking her off the bed.

"Oof!" Cathy got up off the floor, rubbing at her tender backside and bit her lip as she watched Kiri thrash on the bed.

Cathy rushed out the door to get Trowa. Quatre was sitting up on the couch reading a book and he looked up as she rushed out. She didn't bother to tell him what was going on. Instead she knocked loudly on Trowa's door. It didn't take him long to answer. He was still dressed because he was about to go out to the bonfire and find Agent Johnson.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Kiri's having a nightmare," Cathy said. "I couldn't wake her up."

Trowa pushed past her. "Come on, Quatre. This'll probably take both of us. Cathy, you might want to wait out here."

"What are you going to do?" Cathy asked as she followed the two agents into her room.

Trowa didn't answer her. He leaned over Kiri and tried to shake her awake. "Come on, Kiri. Wake up now."

She screamed and swung her arms as if fighting something.

"Kiri! Wake up, it's okay!" Quatre said as Trowa knelt above Kiri, trying to avoid her fists.

Trowa reached down and grabbed both of Kiri's shoulders and she responded by clawing at his face.

"Ah! Quatre, grab her and try that empathy thing," Trowa said, rubbing a hand across his cheek where she'd clawed him. There was a small amount of blood but he didn't think it was anything serious. He would take care of it after Kiri was calmed down.

Quatre managed to grab Kiri's hands but she pulled and fought him until he couldn't hold onto her.

"Trowa, it's not going to work. I can't keep hold of her long enough."

Trowa nodded and watched Kiri. She turned her back to him which gave him an opening to grab her from behind and hold her tightly. She fought him but he held tight, giving Quatre a chance to place a hand on her cheek and think safe thoughts to her.

"It's not going to work this time," Quatre told Trowa as Kiri kept fighting. "This nightmare is too strong."

Trowa grunted an acknowledgement as Kiri thrashed in his grip. "KIRI STOP!"

Kiri jerked and went stiff in Trowa's arms. He held her tightly, unsure of what was happening since he couldn't see her face. She was breathing heavily and gave a soft whimper.

"Kiri, it's okay. You're safe," Trowa told her softly. "You don't need to be afraid. We're here."

Kiri went limp and Trowa deemed it safe to let her go. She didn't move so he reached over and made her look at him. Unfortunately, she didn't react the way he expected.

Kiri's eyes widened when she saw Trowa and she pushed him away. She retreated to the far corner of the bed and watched him. Trowa hated the terror in her eyes. After a few seconds Kiri curled up and cried into her arms.

"Oh, Kiri," Trowa said softly. "It's okay. You don't need to be scared."

Kiri just kept crying.

"Kiri?" Cathy tried. "Kiri everything is just fine. You're not in trouble."

Kiri still didn't stop crying.

"Cathy, why don't you go sleep in my room? I'll stay up with Kiri tonight," Trowa said as he warily watched the girl crying in the corner.

"Trowa, it's okay, I can—"

"No, Cathy. You have two shows tomorrow. You can't be tired. She'll be fine." Trowa's tone was firm and Cathy knew there would be no arguing with him.

She sighed and walked out, leaving Kiri alone with the two former pilots.

Once Trowa heard the door to his bedroom shut he looked expectantly at his companion. "Quatre?"

Quatre took a deep breath and let his empathy rove over Kiri.

"She feels bad that she hurt you, Trowa."

Trowa sighed. He hadn't meant to make Kiri feel bad. He wasn't angry with her for what happened but he wasn't sure she'd listen to him.

"Kiri, it's okay. Trowa isn't mad at you," Quatre said softly.

Trowa knelt on the bed and reached out to touch Kiri on the arm. He didn't want to startle her, he just wanted to get her attention so that they could make sure she was okay. She flinched and pushed herself tighter into the corner.

"Kiri, it's alright," Trowa soothed. "You're safe now. No one is mad at you. You're not in trouble. I'm not hurt."

"I think she might be calming down," Quatre said softly. "It's okay, Kiri. You're safe in Cathy's trailer. No one is going to hurt you."

"You're not in trouble, Kiri," Trowa told her again. "I'm not hurt. You don't need to feel bad. Nobody's mad at you. You're safe."

"We're getting through to her," Quatre told Trowa.

"You're safe, Kiri. You're not in trouble. You don't need to be upset because you had a nightmare. We're not mad at you and I'm not hurt," Trowa told Kiri, his voice gently coaxing her away from her tears. "Everything is just fine, Kiri."

Kiri raised her eyes to look at Trowa. Her lower lip was still trembling and her breath hitched but at least she was responding.

"It's alright, Kiri," Trowa repeated as he reached out to wipe a tear from her cheek. She didn't try to pull away from his touch but Trowa wasn't sure if that was because she was okay with him touching her or if it was because she was already up against the wall and had nowhere to go. "That must have been some nightmare," he added quietly as he watched her.

She nodded and started shivering.

"She's scared of something," Quatre told Trowa quietly. "I think it's still the same thing she was afraid of earlier tonight."

Trowa nodded to let Quatre know he'd heard before reaching out for Kiri's arm. "Shhh…everything will be okay. Come here."

Trowa gently pulled Kiri away from the wall and hugged her, hoping he could calm her enough for her to stop shivering. "It's okay. You're safe here."

For some reason, that was the wrong thing to say. Kiri buried her face into Trowa's chest and shook her head. She didn't believe that she was safe, but Trowa couldn't ask her why she thought that. She wasn't talking and he doubted she would write it down. It was really late and Trowa was willing to bet that her hands were shaking too much from exhaustion to write even if she wanted to write it down.

"It's okay," Trowa murmured as he rocked her to and fro to calm her a little more. It didn't take long for Kiri to slump against him in complete surrender. She didn't fight him; she just let him hold her.

Quatre reached a hand towards Kiri but Trowa shook his head. "Quatre, I've got this. Why don't you try to get some sleep? I'll call you if I need you."

Quatre hesitated for a moment. He wanted to make sure Kiri would stay calm but he could see Trowa's logic. Trying to use his empathy on her at this point might only upset her again. Quatre nodded his agreement and quietly left the room. He could hear Cathy trying to get comfortable on Trowa's bed. He could feel how worried she was about Kiri and it made Quatre wonder if she would be able to sleep at all. He decided that he would go to sleep as Trowa had suggested. That way he wouldn't bother Cathy and he would be ready if Trowa needed his help tonight. As he lay there in the dark Quatre could hear muffled talking and laughing from the bonfire that Trowa had mentioned would be happening. He considered asking Trowa if he should go hunt down Johnson but decided that it wouldn't be wise. It might blow Johnson's cover and going into Cathy's room to ask might prevent Kiri from resting.

Quatre sighed and rolled over onto his side. He hoped it wouldn't take too long for him to fall asleep.

Trowa waited until Quatre was gone to speak. "Kiri, I'm not upset with you."

He wasn't really sure what else to tell her. He'd told her that he was okay and that she wasn't in trouble but she was still upset about her nightmare. He told her she was safe but she didn't believe him. It was all so frustrating.

"I wish I could do more to help you."

Kiri jumped a little at his words and he silently berated himself. She had just started to relax and he'd gone and startled her. He hadn't even meant to say that out loud. On the plus side, she hadn't tried to pull away from him. She was relaxing again, which was a good sign.

"You should at least try to sleep," he told her gently as he laid down. He carefully pulled her down next to him and wrapped a blanket around her.

Kiri cuddled up close, making Trowa's heart beat just a little faster than normal. He closed his eyes so he could focus on keeping his heart rate steady. Once he was under control he let his thoughts rove over the problem at hand. Quatre's suggestion that he tell Kiri how he really felt surfaced and Trowa once again tried to push it away. Kiri deserved someone that didn't have a past like his. She deserved to find happiness and he was certain that he couldn't give her that. He had too much baggage and his past was too terrible. He didn't want her to have to deal with any of it. She had her own problems to deal with. She didn't need his, too.

He was careful not to move as Kiri shifted position. He didn't want her to worry that she was keeping him awake. He was very surprised when he felt her lips on his cheek, just over where she had scratched him. He wanted to open his eyes and let her know (again) that he wasn't upset with her but since she immediately snuggled back in next to him, he decided to let it be. She was clearly more comfortable keeping her small apology to herself. Of course, the light kiss made a whole new crop of questions pop up.

Trowa spent the rest of the night fighting with himself over why he should or should not tell Kiri how he felt. Telling her would mean that he had to admit to himself that he did have feelings for her, which he could honestly say terrified him. It was new. Sure, he'd felt affection and loyalty to many people over the years. But that was different. As Quatre had not so subtly pointed out, Trowa had developed a crush on Kiri. Crushes had a habit of evolving into more romantic and intimate feelings and Trowa wasn't sure he could handle them. He'd never allowed himself to get that attached to anyone before. Why did it have to be Kiri?

His hesitation wasn't because of her looks. He thought she was very pretty now that she'd had a chance to fill out a bit. He could understand why she'd been kidnapped by people running a human trafficking ring. He could admit that he didn't know her very well. He only knew the bits and pieces that she had been willing to divulge over the past month or so and what Cathy had told him about how she fit in at the circus. But that didn't seem to be the reason he was so reluctant to admit his feelings.

The only conclusion he could really come to was that he was, indeed, a coward when it came to matters of the heart. He wasn't ashamed of it. He had been raised by mercenaries and spent his teen years piloting Heavyarms. He had never before had to admit that he was capable of feeling anything. His ability to shut down his emotions and get the job done was what had made him such an effective pilot during the wars. It had only been recently that true human emotions had even been allowed to come into play. He supposed he had Quatre and Duo to thank for that.

Duo and Quatre were much more emotionally expressive than the rest of them and they had made a point of trying to pull Trowa, Heero, and Wufei out of their worlds of solitude and force them to interact. It had been quite effective, too. Trowa often wondered what would have happened to him if he had insisted on going back to the circus instead of joining the Preventers. Surely Quatre at least would have come to visit him but Trowa was fairly certain that his inability to interact on a social level would have eventually discouraged the Sandrock pilot from coming too often. He was glad that he hadn't gone that route.

Trowa could tell that the night was slipping away and he still hadn't made up his mind what he was going to do about Kiri. She had been careful to hold still but he knew that she was awake. He wanted to ask her what she was thinking about but he knew she wouldn't answer and he didn't want to risk upsetting her again. He was hopeful that since she had calmed down she would be able to explain what had set her off yesterday.

"I think it would be a good idea to let Kiri know how you really feel about her." Quatre's words came back to Trowa in the silence. He carefully weighed the pros and cons. Pro: Kiri might feel safer. Con: Kiri might be afraid of him because of what had happened to her before. Pro: It seemed that Kiri had feelings for him (Quatre had said so, hadn't he?) so something might come of it. Con: If Cathy found out she might not let him hear the end of it. Pro: He liked the way Kiri cuddled up to him. Pro: He wanted to kiss Kiri, even if it was just on the cheek. Con: She might slap him. Pro: He could quit having this stupid conversation with himself.

And it was stupid. He knew she wasn't asleep. He knew she wouldn't sleep. The sun was starting to rise so unless she suddenly got too tired to stay awake she was going to be up. He knew he wasn't going to sleep at this point. Once they figured out what had set Kiri off and fixed it he and Quatre would be returning to report to Heero and try to find another lead. If he was tired he could sleep in the car.

He decided to go for it. He opened his eyes and could see light through the window shades. At least it was officially morning. Admitting his feelings for her when it was fully dark might come across as creepy and he certainly didn't want that. He shifted so he could look at her.

"Good morning," he told her. "I'd ask how you slept but I know that you didn't."

Kiri sat up and shook her head, looking slightly ashamed. Trowa didn't want her to feel bad that she hadn't slept. He could understand why she wouldn't want to after that nightmare.

"I didn't sleep, either."

Kiri's eyes widened a little.

"I was trying to come up with ways to help you," Trowa explained. He didn't want her to think she'd kept him awake or that he was angry with her.

Kiri turned away from him, refusing to look at him all of a sudden. Trowa could tell she was embarrassed and he didn't even need Quatre to tell him so.

Trowa sat up and put an arm around her. He knew he was being bold but he returned her soft kiss on the cheek. She blushed.

"I want you to be safe," he told her. "And…" he hesitated for a moment before forcing himself to plunge on. "And when this is over with, I'd like to see you outside of work."

He had to make sure that she understood that he wanted to know her on a personal level, that he wasn't just trying to use her to get his job done. That would have been the worst thing he could do to her at the moment.

He didn't miss her smile and the small nod of agreement that she gave him. He couldn't help but smile back when she looked up at him. He was tempted to kiss her again, but with as new as everything was he didn't dare push it. Besides they were both tired from not sleeping and he didn't want to do something stupid because of it.

Instead he gave her shoulders a light squeeze and said, "Since we're up, we might as well get ready for the day."

He got off the bed and Kiri followed. Quatre was still asleep on the couch, which Trowa was a little jealous of, so they were quiet. He waited while Kiri disappeared into his room and returned with clothes. She went into the bathroom and he decided it was a good time to get changed into other clothes that he had stashed away in his closet for occasions such as this. He felt a little guilty that Quatre wouldn't have anything to change into but since Kiri was doing better this morning he figured they'd be on the road back soon enough.

Cathy wasn't in his room as he expected but since she hadn't said anything about an early rehearsal he figured that she had gone into town to go grocery shopping. He'd noticed that the milk and a few other groceries were running low when he and Quatre had cleaned up dinner the previous night. With two extra mouths to feed it would make sense that she had needed to make an extra trip into town. Trowa made himself a mental note to give Cathy some extra money to help cover the expense.

Trowa headed to the kitchen. Cathy always left a note when she went out early, especially if she didn't plan on being back before he was awake.

Quatre was just beginning to stir.

"Morning, Quatre," Trowa said on his way into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Trowa," Quatre yawned as he stretched. "How did things go last night?"

Trowa came out of the kitchen. "Fine. Did Cathy happen to talk to you before she left?"

"Huh? No. I didn't know she was gone."

Trowa frowned. "Usually she leaves me a note. I can understand her forgetting because I'm not usually here but with Kiri being so upset last night I find it hard to believe that she wouldn't have left something so that Kiri would be assured that she'd be back soon."

It was Quatre's turn to frown. "That does seem odd. Perhaps she thought she'd be back before any of us were up. I'm sure she expected us to sleep in given the hour that we finally made it to bed this morning."

"I suppose," Trowa said slowly. Cathy did have a habit of being absent-minded but he was certain that she wouldn't have been so flaky this morning. Not after yesterdays and last night's events. Something just felt off.

Kiri came out of the bathroom and Trowa decided to ask her.

"Kiri, did Cathy say anything to you about going out?"

Kiri shook her head.

Trowa frowned. The whole thing was abnormal.

Sudden banging on the door made Kiri dash into Trowa's room. Quatre swore under his breath and put a hand on his gun before nodding to Trowa to answer the door.

Agent Paul Johnson stormed in and started yelling at Trowa.

"Trowa! How could you recommend Carter?"

Trowa was completely confused. "Who?"

"The new hostler," Johnson spit out. "The Manager said he came highly recommended by you."

Trowa blinked in surprise. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I didn't recommend anyone. I told the Manager I would try to find him someone but I haven't found anyone yet."

The blood drained from Johnson's face. "Where's Kiri?" he whispered.

"She's in the other room," Trowa said, gesturing to his bedroom. He could see Kiri peeking out. "What's going on, Johnson?"

Johnson started pacing in the small space, running a hand distractedly through his hair while he swore with such vehemence that Cathy would have washed his mouth out with soap if she'd heard it.

"AGENT JOHNSON! REPORT!" Trowa ordered.

That got Johnson's attention. He looked at Trowa before speaking quietly. "One of the horses has been lamed and it wasn't an accident. I'm not sure she'll recover enough to perform anymore. We can use her as a brood mare, but…" Paul didn't want to finish the sentence. Buttercup had been Kiri's favorite horse. It couldn't have been a coincidence that Carter had gone after her.

Trowa's phone rang, making all three agents jump.

"Barton."

"Trowa! Thank goodness! Just listen. I don't have a lot of time. I was going to run into town this morning and as I was going out to the car Jason Carter, the new hostler, offered to give me a ride. But we never made it into town. He took me to that old cabin by the stream, the one we found when we took a wrong turn about five years back. He said he wants Kiri and if you don't bring her he'll…he'll kill me. He said to be quick about it because he didn't feel like being patient."

Trowa could hear the fear in Cathy's voice and it pissed him off. Nobody had the right to go after his sister and using her to get Kiri was enough to make his blood boil.

"Cathy, stay calm. Tell him we'll be there." He hung up and told Quatre and Paul what Cathy had told him.

"So what do we do?" Quatre asked. "He's put us in an impossible situation. We can't leave Cathy with him but we can't exactly turn Kiri over, either."

"That worthless lying whelp," Johnson growled. "Just wait 'till I get my hands on him."

The light creak of a door made the three agents look up. Kiri was coming slowly out of Trowa's room. She looked upset.

"Kiri? What is it?" Quatre asked gently passing her a pad of paper and a pen from the kitchen drawer.

Kiri took the paper and wrote out 'Carter works for Perdu.'

Paul frowned. "Did you know that when I introduced you yesterday?" Trowa had sent him a report and Paul recognized Perdu as the name of the man who had taken Kiri and hurt her. Why hadn't she said something yesterday?

Kiri bit her lip and nodded. Quatre could feel the terror welling up inside of her again.

"That's what had you so upset!" he exclaimed. It made perfect sense now. He knew it hadn't been something as mundane as the dogs nipping at her.

Trowa swore. "Did he seem surprised to see you, Kiri?"

Kiri nodded.

Trowa swore again. "Une said Chase might try something to crack us. Now Kiri's cover has been blown." A thought dawned on him. "I'm sorry, Kiri. It's my fault. I'm sure Chase was trying to blackmail me by going after Cathy and he found you instead."

"But why would he take Cathy instead of just grabbing Kiri?" Paul asked.

Trowa thought about it for a second. "Probably because Cathy was under less supervision. Kiri had a nightmare last night so I sat up with her so Cathy would be able to rest for her performances today. She was gone when the rest of us got up, so it was the perfect opportunity to snatch her."

Paul frowned as he nodded at the explanation. It made sense. "If he hurts her…" He left the threat unfinished.

"What can we do?" Quatre asked, trying to steer the conversation back on course. "We can't just hand her over."

Trowa shook his head. "No. And getting backup might take too long. He said he wouldn't wait all day."

Kiri tugged on Quatre's sleeve and held up the paper.

'Trade me.'

Quatre was horrified at the suggestion. "NO! We can't do that, Kiri."

Kiri glared at him and wrote furiously. 'Yes, you can. I can't let him hurt Cathy. I can't let her go through what I went through. Please! Trade me.'

The agents looked at each other after reading the note at a loss for what to do. It was a pretty hopeless situation.

"Kiri…" Quatre started slowly. "if…if you really want to—"

Kiri nodded emphatically.

Trowa grimaced. "Okay. If you want to help Cathy, we'll let you. But I want you to understand that we…we don't like it."

Kiri nodded. Trowa was glad that she understood. After his admission that morning he hated the idea that she might think he wasn't serious. "And we'll do our best to get you back, okay?"

That got a small smile from her as she nodded. She seemed a little sad and Trowa silently vowed that he would make sure she didn't spend any longer than absolutely necessary in Carter's clutches.

"Okay, we're going to have to play this by ear. We will not leave either of the girls with Carter if it can at all be helped. Everyone be on the lookout for a chance to take him down," Trowa instructed as they headed out to the car.

Quatre and Paul nodded. Quatre got into the backseat with Kiri.

"Everything will be just fine," he told her softly as they buckled in.

Trowa drove carefully as he left the circus grounds but as soon as they got onto the road he hit the gas. He had to get Cathy back and figure out how to save Kiri. And he only had a few minutes to do it.