I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

"So I take it you guys are staying for supper?" Hinata said as she scooted forward, awkwardly trying to get up from the couch. Shino turned to her and pushed her back gently.

"And where do you think that you are going, love?" He asked sternly.

"Shino- I have guests to take care of." She replied. She let out a huff of exasperation when he shook his head at her.

"I don't think so." Shino told her.

"I am not going to break. I am pregnant, not helpless. I drives me nuts when you won't let me do anything!" Hinata exclaimed in annoyance. She crossed her arms under her breasts, and starred up at him defiantly.

"The doctor said that you have to be extra careful not to overexert yourself. You already do more than you are supposed to. Just sit back and rest. I think that fully grown CIA agents are capable of making their own plates, right guys?" Shino called out to his teammates, his eyes never leaving Hinata's as they battled visually.

The men practically fell over themselves to reassure Hinata that they didn't mind taking care of themselves, and it made her smile despite her irritation. They all grabbed plates and settled in at the dining room table. Once everyone had eaten, the men questioned Shino to gain the full details of his plan to hide Hinata, and the routine that he used to take care of her.

They learned that the lovers were in fact married in the Bahamas over a year ago, and that in this small town Hinata went by the name Hitomi Aburame. Shino had used some of his old contacts to purchase fake identification under that name for her, and she was registered at the OB clinic as such. He also informed them that Hinata's pregnancy was considered high risk, which was why he was being so strict about her not doing too much.

None of them liked the situation much. Hinata was in a highly vulnerable position right now. While most of the world was convinced that she had been killed in a hit ordered by her brother, he obviously would know the truth and have people on the look-out for her. Neji Hyuuga did not issue idle threats. The fact that her pregnancy was high-risk meant that she couldn't be moved until after the birth.

The men sat up into the middle of night making plans. They were reluctant to inform the chief that the mission had been compromised. In their minds, they had settled the fact that it was now about protecting Hinata and the baby. They took a break at midnight when Shino went to help Hinata get ready for bed, but by three am they had a plan worked out that everyone was satisfied with.

It was agreed that Shino would continue going to work, and that he would ease back into his old routine except for the part where he used to work overtime. Sasuke would feed false reports to the chief about Shino's activities outside of work, and the two teams would take turns on protection detail. Fortunately, the workload for their department was fairly light at the moment, making the plan possible. They assured Shino that they would give up their days off to help out as well. The men would have to be very careful to go about their business, yet make sure that one of them was always there to watch over the young mother.

"There is another factor to this situation that makes this even more dangerous, but I didn't want to discuss it in front of Hinata. She is upset enough about everything, and talking about it gives her nightmares." Shino told them after he was sure that Hinata was asleep. Sasuke frowned at this, the whole situation was complicated and dangerous enough. He motioned for Shino to continue.

"It is not commonly known, but Neji is not Hinata's biological brother. He is in fact her fourth cousin, but was adopted by her parents after his were killed during an arms deal gone bad." Shino told them. Naruto looked at him in confusion.

"Okay-what does that matter? He still wants to kill her." The blonde asked.

"It matters because her father wanted him to take over after he retired, but the only way the rest of the family would accept it was if Neji married into the head family. He and Hinata were engaged since she was sixteen. He considered her, still considers her as his property. When she testified against him, he took it as a personal betrayal." Shino told them quietly. Kiba whistled, and Lee looked even more concerned than he did before.

"It gets worse. He is obsessed with her. He raped and beat her on a regular basis. I am afraid that if he finds her, pregnant and married to another man that his rage will be uncontrollable. Who knows what he may do to her and the baby." Shino's eyes showed his very real fear, and his teammates rallied around him in support.

"That bastard isn't going to lay a finger on her, believe it!" Naruto said loudly.

"I agree with Naruto, Hinata is a most beautiful flower, and must be guarded with our lives." Lee said as he flashed Shino a smile and a thumbs up.

"We've been best friends for eight years, and though I am still pissed at you for lying to me, I am still your best friend. I just wish I knew how an antisocial bastard like you ended up with someone like her!" Kiba said jokingly, but the look on his face let Shino know he was serious about everything he had said. Sasuke simply nodded, as he preferred to communicate non-verbally most of the time. Having been teammates for so long, Shino knew what he meant though.

Each of them would lay down their lives for Hinata. He just hoped that they wouldn't have to.