Judgment Day

Misfortune shows those who are not really friends. Aristotle

With deliberate care she tried to smooth the wrinkles out in her gray skirt which was hard to do with her hands cuffed. Domini came up and with a feeble smile unlocked her cuffs. She rolled her slender wrists to get the circulation flowing once again and gave Domini a brief nod of thanks, not enough so that anyone else would notice though. Neither she nor Domini could afford to have the extra attention turned their way. Dorothy had more than enough negative attention to deal with on a daily basis and she had no desire to increase it.

"Well Mistress Dorothy," Domini said making reference to her former title of Mistress of the Mobile Dolls for the first time, and she found she enjoyed the sound of it. "It's time for your debut in court today. Master Quatre will be out there sitting on your side and his sister Yaminah has joined your legal team. The prosecution won't stand a chance now."

Dorothy rolled her eyes in mild exasperation. She knew that Quatre was trying to get her the best help but Nils was more than enough, he had served her grandfather and he would serve her in the same capacity. Idly she wondered if telling Winner she did not need his help might get him to take back his sister. Quatre was persistent if nothing else and Dorothy felt no need to get into a fight with the brilliant strategist.

Domini escorted her into the courtroom and she went to stand beside Yaminah in the free chair available for her. Yaminah gave her a brief nod and Dorothy could tell that she was all business which suited her just fine. Quatre's older sister seemed nothing like him, she had a calculating expression and a glance at her files showed she was ruthless and prepared for the trial even though she had probably one been brought in a week or so ago. Dorothy liked her already even though she had been against having a Winner on her legal team.

"Yaminah Winner," The woman nodded to Dorothy in greeting. "Quatre asked me to aid Nils during the trial. We Winners stick together and all of us are looking for ways to support you Miss Catalonia."

"Dorothy Catalonia, pleasure," The long haired blond gave a thin smile. "I'm sure we'll get on well together."

"Just don't do anything stupid," Yaminah warned looking through her files to check that they were all in place. "Otherwise I'll have to reform my brother's ability to judge others since he said you were one of the most intelligent people he knew. It would be the first time he would be wrong."

"He said that did he?" Dorothy asked, curious.

"He did," Yaminah said.

Dorothy nodded. Quatre was a good friend even though she had not known him for long. He was a loyal friend and stubborn, and she understood him in ways that many could not. Yaminah said nothing more to her on the subject and Dorothy did not feel her usual need to revel in the information. She merely shook off the compliment but it continued to warm her because it came from someone she respected greatly, someone she cared for and Dorothy Catalonia cared for few people. She wondered if she should lower herself to pass along the compliment, knowing that Quatre would understand its significance but she could not lower herself in front of Yaminah, someone she did not know.

"Tell Quatre that I still respect him," Dorothy said carefully thinking about the words she used. "And tell him that his words mean more to me than those of the sycophants who worked for Miss Relena."

Yaminah nodded and said she would pass along what Dorothy had said.

"Also tell him that he owes me a game of chess," Dorothy added as an after thought.

"Chess?" Yaminah raised an elegant brow. "Very well."

Dorothy watched as she made a note of it on a smaller pad of paper.

Dorothy turned and scanned the few people behind her. The court was only allowing political types in or people who were personal friends of Dorothy. She saw Quatre sitting in the row directly behind her and he gave her a gentle smile. She in return gave him a smile of her own and he looked a bit shocked but was happy to see her so open with him. Most of the people she knew, Sylvia and Trowa sat in back of Quatre and a few of his sisters. Towards the back was someone she did not recognize, the person was not a politician or anyone she had met before, of that she was sure. She frowned trying to figure out who the stranger was and wondering if she should report him to one of the bailiffs.

Quatre leaned forward and held out a piece of paper to her, distracting her from the man in the back of the courtroom. Dorothy accepted it without a word but leaned closer to Quatre so he could speak without having anyone overhear.

"It's from the man in the back row," Quatre said with a poker face as he spoke to her. "Pass it back after you've read it. It needs to be destroyed."

Dorothy nodded. She understood that it was something that could not fall into the hands of the bailiffs or her own jailers. Carefully she looked around the courtroom to see if she was being watched by anyone who might try and take the note from her but they all appeared to be paying attention to everything except her. She tore open the note and scanned its contents rapidly.

Hey Doro,

In case you were wondering it's me Shinigami. J Surprise, huh? Now don't go looking around the courthouse for me because I'm not there. My representative, Lt. Danzig should be hanging around in the back somewhere though.

I'm just letting you know that you have the Underworld's support Doro. I won't let you go to the dogs or be killed either. I just can't. I won't tell you what I've got planned but perhaps expect a few murders or bribes here and there. You know how the game is played but I'm not just a mere player anymore Doro. I'm the boss.

Have a nice court appearance. Quatre will convey any messages you have for me or just give them to Domini. He's a loyal boy.

There's a reason I can't let you die Dorothy. You see I think that they're going to try and take Relena out of power. With you gone that will be much easier. They know you. They know that if you believed they were going to move against Relena now you would break yourself out of jail and hide to protect her. So they'll make you a target for the people, paint a different picture and kill you and you'll be out of the way. I just haven't found out who all the other players are yet so you need to fight this because you're one of the few people who can protect Relena. Heero can't, he's gone. Fight Dorothy, show them who you are because you're here to protect Relena and her message from the tyrants out there who want to depose her.

Shinigami a.k.a. Duo Maxwell

She passed the note back to Quatre with a shaky hand. Her eyes were bright with questions.

"How can he know," She asked him with wide eyes that were watching Quatre's every move and facial twitch. "How can he know when I didn't and Chang didn't? Chang who knew everyone else except me."

"Shinigami is perceptive," Quatre shrugged tucking the note back into his pocket. "And he knows more than he lets on. Dorothy, did he give you a reason to fight back? A reason the rest of us could not give you?"

Dorothy closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them Quatre could see the same fire in them as when they had fought as enemies. Dorothy felt the anger and the same malicious fire that had driven her to cause confrontations coursing through her again. She had the urge to manipulate the situations around her and determine their outcomes by her own actions.

"He did," Dorothy said softly, her eyes bright but hard. "And when I get my hands on him I'll repay him in kind."

Quatre looked a bit troubled by her last statement but she turned around so she would not have to see it. Yaminah glanced in her direction but said nothing. No words were needed to express the reproachful glance aimed in her direction but Yaminah gave her a look of understanding as well.

"Dorothy," Nils said with a gentle smile finally addressing her.

"Nils," Dorothy inclined her head.

"You look better since I last saw you," Her lawyer commented with a happy expression on his face as he studied her. "I'm glad. I assume you've got your reputed will to fight back somehow?"

"You might say that," Dorothy gave a smirk and she saw Nils get briefly uncomfortable.

While she could read Nils like an open book she knew that he could not do the same with her. She preferred it that way. It made life interesting when she made him uncomfortable. Dorothy always wondered how far she could push him before he requested to no longer represent her as his client. After this she planned to let Nils go from her service if he wanted it. She knew that he could retire already; he was of the right age and certainly had enough money after having been employed by her grandfather for so long.

"Good," Nils said with a smile, pushing away his awkwardness. "Now we'll beat these charges."

"Quite in the court," The bailiff called out loud enough for everyone to hear. "All rise, the honorable Judge Whitcomb presiding."

A middle aged man wearing the traditional judge robes walked into the room. He had piercing eyes and he glared at the prosecution which Dorothy felt was in her favor. Her eyes swept over the courtroom, studying and committing everything to memory so that she might recall it to study at a later time.

"Be seated," Judge Whitcomb stated gravelly.

"Your Honor," The prosecutor, Ivan Birmingham said in a clear voice. "The EUSN requests that Dorothy Catalonia continue to be held without bail."

"The defense requests Miss Catalonia be placed into the custody of Quatre Raberba Winner," Yaminah Winner's voice was cultured and steady as she spoke for the defense.

"Quatre Winner of L4?" Birmingham looked around the courtroom for the famous young business mogul of WEI. "I was never informed of this."

"You don't need to be," Nils said.

"Mister Winner, would you care to address the court?" Judge Whitcomb offered to the young blond business man from L4, a polite gesture but not an empty one Dorothy decided.

"Yes, your Honor I would," Quatre stepped up beside the defense's table with a business expression on his face. "I offer my services and will take sole responsibility for Dorothy Catalonia while she is within my custody. Her actions shall be monitored carefully while she is in my care."

Birmingham wisely kept his mouth shut after Quatre's simple speech. Dorothy could tell that he was already going over his arguments for the next trial date and she could also tell that he would drag the Winner's into it. That would do no one any good. She could not allow that to happen. The Gundam Pilots were all good people. And the Gundam Pilots were not the ones on trial, she was.

"I would prefer to remain where I have been," Dorothy spoke up without permission.

Birmingham looked over to her, shock on his face and the calculating gleam was dying out. Dorothy gave him a smug smile and he turned quickly away from her. She knew what he had been planning and had cut him off before he could even dream about the fiasco he could create.

"What are you doing?" Yaminah hissed at her.

"The prosecutor was thinking about dragging Winner's involvement in the war into this trial," Dorothy hissed back. "I won't allow the Gundam Pilots and their actions to be put on trail here. This is my trail, not theirs."

Yaminah merely nodded giving Dorothy a look of admiration. Nils gave her a brief wink before facing back to the Judge.

"You wish to remain within the EUSN's custody?" Judge Whitcomb asked and Dorothy nodded. "Very well, you have your wish. You may receive visitors from ten in the morning until eight in the evening as a privilege for your good behavior."

Birmingham looked as though he was about to protest but one glance toward the defense table and he caught Quatre Winner's slight shake of the head in his direction. For the time being he kept his mouth shut. There were other things that could be done, Dorothy knew that all too well. Still it had been pleasant to see Birmingham squirm under her manipulation.

"Make sure your brother researches Birmingham," Dorothy whispered to Yaminah.

The lawyer nodded without even sparing a glance in her brother's direction.

Dorothy watched solemnly as Domini came forward and cuffed her hands in front of her. He kept his face carefully blank as though he knew it was not safe to show Dorothy any kindness. Mentally she gave him her thanks. Birmingham was watchful and intelligent enough to put together the pieces when he got them.

Dorothy allowed herself to be led from the room and the door to the courtroom closed behind her. Domini slowed her pace so she would not have to be yanked forward to keep up with him.

"Why did you come back here?" Domini whispered confused by her actions. "Master Winner was willing to look after you. It would have been better than living in a cell."

"Birmingham would have put him on the witness stand," Dorothy's voice was low so that no one else could hear. "The Gundam Pilots aren't on trial here, I am. I couldn't let him do that to them, especially when no one knows where Maxwell and Yuy are. I took a calculated risk and won."

"Won?" He asked even more confused.

"Birmingham was displeased that I didn't take up Quatre on his offer," Dorothy smiled thinly. "But because I saw through him I was able to put an end to his scheming. He was not happy."

Domini nodded. He understood her motivations even if he did not like them. She was grateful that Quatre had been able to get one of his men on the inside with her. It made her feel safer even though she knew that she was highly feared by the other guards. It gave her a person to turn to if things got really bad on the inside but now that she was able to have visitors she did not see that becoming much of a problem.

She climbed into the back of the windowless van, turning around to look back at the courthouse before getting all the way in. It was in there that she would either be victorious or would face the biggest defeat in her life. She would do everything within her power to prove to them that she was first and foremost a Catalonia as well as a Khushrenada. Dorothy fully planned to show them just what she was made of and how well she fought. She had not been so widely feared and respected during the first war for nothing.

She moved back into her cell and lay down on her cot once they reached her private prison. It was amusing really, the way that Birmingham was so easy to read, and also somewhat of a disappointment. She hoped that he still might prove to be a worthy adversary.

"Miss Catalonia," A voice said from the dark shadows surprising her at its nearness but not at its being there in her room. "You look well."

"Is this the famous Lt. Danzig?" Dorothy asked boldly without bothering to sit up and face the man. "Or are you merely some other less important pawn that has come here to badger me?"

"None of us are pawns Miss Catalonia," The voice was smooth, Dorothy liked it. "We serve because we want to. And because he is a good person and we owe him more than we can repay. He is doing us a kindness by allowing us to serve."

"Many say those words or ones very similar in meaning," Dorothy brushed off his words as unimportant. "They believe them too. But would you still be willing to serve if he did not have the power or the connections?"

"If I knew him, then yes I would be willing to serve just as I do now," The voice was serious and Dorothy believed him. "And I am Lt. Danzig. You read Shinigami's note then?"

"Yes," Dorothy answered.

She did not question why he was there. It was obvious to her. Shinigami was readable in these actions he was taking but she could read the man felt a genuine affection and sense of loyalty that went far above and beyond the call of duty. She wondered if most of his followers were like Lt. Danzig or merely along for the ride and the taste of power he offered to them.

"My master sent me to you," Lt. Danzig said preparing to deliver his message. "He wishes me to pass along a message to you. He said that the trial and even the sentencing could go through but he will not let you be anything other than free. If you are agreeable to this suggestion he wishes for you to join him and help him."

"What he wishes me to become his trusted second in command?" Dorothy smirked at the thought of coming back a full circle and ending up where she had been under Zechs.

"He trusts very few," Lt. Danzig explained to her. "But he could use someone like you who has a sharp mind and a head for strategy. I should think you would want to help him."

"And why would you think that?" Dorothy asked crossing her ankles. "I'm not a good person you know. I've done terrible things and enjoyed them too."

"He said you might say something like that," Lt. Danzig looked at her with mild interest. "My master did many terrible things and some of them he enjoyed. He is not always a nice person but he is watching the peace. He watches over Miss Peacecraft and tries to keep those who would be like Dekim Barton in check."

"A worthy goal," Dorothy admitted aloud. "I'll consider it. How do I let you know?"

"He said that the prince would be coming to you in a week," Lt. Danzig told her. "The desert prince is what he called him. He said that the prince would tell you that he was hidden and you're supposed to respond that you were waiting. You can tell him if you agree to the terms or not."

"And just what are the terms?" She turned her head in his direction.

"That you agree to help Shinigami for one year," Lt. Danzig said. "After that one year he would let you go wherever you wanted and he would let you do as you wanted. If you still wished to help him you could stay and he would not be averse to you being a friend."

Dorothy wanted a friend. She thought of Duo Maxwell, the smiling and laughing young man who seemed so irresponsible, good and kind. And yet he was the same person that the Sweepers accepted as their own even though he was not truly one of them. A contradiction there since the Sweepers only trusted those who could keep secrets and were responsible. And there was a darkness sometimes within his eyes, she wanted to know what compelled it to remain there. There was more to Duo Maxwell than met the eye and Dorothy thought that she would like getting to know him.

"I can give you your answer now," Dorothy said.

"No, wait for the prince," Lt. Danzig said to her firmly. "That way you can be certain of your choice and have no regrets. I don't want you to regret anything and neither does Shinigami."

The cell door swung open.

"Come on," Domini said to her guest. "You need to go now. You've got five minutes to clear out."

"Thank your Master again for me," Lt. Danzig said to Domini. "And tell him that Shinigami is grateful."

Domini merely nodded. Dorothy watched the back of Lt. Danzig leave. She liked him she decided. Domini closed the door and Dorothy was plunged back into the darkness of her cell. She found it to be a comfort this time. Dorothy drifted off into her thoughts thinking of the trail and her new post as Shinigami's friend.