Hey, we're back! And it's less than two months since we last updated! YEA!!!
(cheers all around)
This chapter will actually speed us along so that next chapter, they will arrive at the school!
On to reviews!
Blissful trinity: Thanks! (CEP: everyone gets a week moment, it's part of the GW series. Glad you like it!) We kinda figured that Wu Fei would start to fit Relena into his paradigm instead of changing his paradigm to fit reality, lol. Which of course, makes her a princess/empress!
Hououza: Boy are they all in for trouble! Glad we're back to a good level of humor, we were kinda lacking it we think. Hope things are going well for you. (CEP: the waiter is probably my favorite part of these chapters.)
Rikku Urashima: Rikku-chan! It's okay, we're just glad to see you reviewing again! We actually moved some of the restaurant scene to this chapter because it didn't "feel" right at the end of the prior one. But there is much more in this chapter to feast upon! (CEP: Wow, so many nice things said about us! Who paid you?)
Omnicat: Hmm, as for the Chinese burial rites, I searched a LONG time and it was really annoying. Eventually I found some bits and pieces of information about it. I also found out which cemetery was actually intended in Endless Waltz. (turns out there is a military Cemetery just outside of Tokyo on the bay. That's the one we used and the photos looked just like it was drawn in EW.) (CEP: yeah, the waiter's accent was inconsistent. Unfortunately, while it didn't make it into the final version, Dietrich is from Ohio. I swear! And yes, I played Duo as a highwayman. It was fun. I got to insult people.) We are really glad to see your review, Omnicat! And we hope that you like this chapter even more! (let us know how it seems)
Chapter 12
Earth, Moscow
April 14th –12:17 am
Within a few minutes, their drinks had arrived. With a sweeping motion, the platinum-haired waiter slid the tray of beverages onto the table, "Here ve go, your drinks. Ladies first, of course," he winked at Catherine, then waggled his eyebrows at Hilde and Sally. "For the statuesque blonde," he began, handing Sally a tall glass, "a frappuccino. For the fiery redhead – and aren't they all – a diet cola," he winked again with a bright blue eye and passed her the drink, ignoring the variety of curious and frosty looks from the males at the table, "and for the midnight beauty," he smirked at Hilde, "freshly brewed iced tea."
Dietrich's grin widened as Duo's expression began to darken, but he seemed to ignore it as he passed out the rest of the beverages. "Two waters," he handed one each to Trowa and Heero, "and a sweetened iced tea," the final drink going to Duo, who took it with a suspicious glare. "Now," the blond man took a small notebook out of his pocket, "if you are ready, I will take your orders." Just as Duo opened his mouth, Dietrich waved a hand, "Ah, vait. The orders of these three beautiful and lovely sisters must be taken first. After all, ve are all gentlemen here, da?"
Duo's frown deepened into a scowl, and the girls grinned while Heero watched on impassively with Quatre's giggling as background noise. "Now, just a minute here, buddy. What makes you think that they're sisters? They don't even look alike."
"You mean they are not?" the waiter exclaimed, eyes wide and hand over his heart. "Bozhe moi, how can such divine beauty not be genetic? Truly I, and all of Moscow have been blessed to have three angels appear at the same place at once. And one of them," his aquamarine eyes fell to Sally suggestively, "a Preventer agent, no less. You must have the criminals practically begging to be arrested by your loveliness."
Catherine began to laugh at the appreciative flush crossing Sally's face and the sound of Duo cracking his knuckles, then blinked in surprise as Trowa cleared his throat. When she turned to face him, she found him leveling a cold stare at the waiter, his shoulders tense.
"Oh," Dietrich interrupted any further reaction, "your beauty has distracted me from my job, I do apologize. I must take your orders quickly, lest I lose complete control of my senses."
"Yeah," Duo growled low, idly playing with his fork, "like yer eyesight."
Next to him, Hilde snapped, "Duo!" earning her an annoyed glance from the pilot.
Without warning, Heero suddenly spoke. "I'll have a cheeseburger. With fries."
As everyone blinked and looked at him in confusion, Duo followed suit. "I'll have this thing that starts with an X but has an extra line thingy," he said, pointing at the holographic menu. "With fries."
With that, Hilde turned to glare at him. "Dummy. You're supposed to press the button for English, not Russian."
Duo leaned back in the booth and crossed his hands behind his head. "Probably. With fries."
(-(-(-)-)-)
About an hour later, the septuplet were pushing back their plates, and Sally cleared her throat as the busboy appeared swiftly to dispose of the dinnerware. "Well, I hate to bring business into this little gathering, but I figured now was as good of a time as any, since I have you all here together."
Duo piped up, "You'd better hurry before Romeo comes back," he smirked sourly. "Any second now, and he'll have completed his mass love poem for y'all."
Raising a brow, Sally nodded. "Not much to tell, except that due to the possible recognition of the name 'Trowa Barton', we've decided to give you," she turned her attention to the taller pilot instead, "the surname of Bloom, since the two of you view yourselves as siblings, anyhow. I hope that won't be a problem?"
"Um, no!" Catherine smiled back. "Not a problem for me, anyhow." Trowa nodded his agreement, and Sally continued.
"Equally," the female agent went on, "because of the fame of the name Yui, we've decided to go a similar route to what we've done with Catherine and Trowa." She turned and looked past the others to where Heero sat quietly. "You'll now have the dubious honor of being 'Heero Maxwell', Duo's 'slightly older' half-brother. Congratulations." A spatter of female laughter from the rest of the table followed her words.
"Wonderful," Heero monotoned, with an annoyed glance at his new sibling.
"Hey," Duo exclaimed, straightening in the booth, "how come he gets to be the older one?"
Sally raised a brow and chuckled. "Because he's more mature than you are, by far. No one in their right mind would believe you were the eldest son."
"Aw, man," the braided teen slumped over the table as chuckles spread throughout the group. "jerks."
"Ah," Dietrich appeared at the table, a broad grin on his face, "good to see everyone in such high spirits!" His eyes twinkled as Trowa's cheer vanished and Duo turned a baleful glare upon him. "Time for dessert, da?" This time he held out a small plastic menu, slowly waving it before him as if its nearness might entice his audience. "We all only live once, why not indulge?"
"Actually," Trowa spoke up, tone calm but cool, "I disagree. There is no proof that we don't have multiple lives."
Clearing her throat, Cathy quickly interjected, "Well, I'll get something, whether I have multiple lives or not." She beamed cheerily at the handsome waiter.
Trowa leaned forward a bit from where he sat next to her, blocking her view of Dietrich. "You shouldn't," he whispered softly. "You have to watch your figure, Cathy."
The acrobat turned surprised eyes to him. "Trowa! Since when do you worry about my figure?" She then looked up and beamed at Dietrich. "I'll have a big slice of chocolate cake. You have that, right?"
"How about," the waiter began as Trowa's eyes narrowed, "German chocolate? With whipped cream? You look like a whipped cream type of girl," he added, giving her a smoldering look that sent a pleased flush across her cheeks.
Not reacting to Duo's low whistle, Trowa persevered. "No, she isn't. And chocolate isn't good for her." He appeared unfazed by Cathy's deepening glower.
"Trowa," the redhead exclaimed as Quatre and the other girls giggled, "you're not my mother! I'd love some whipped cream," she told Dietrich with a forced smile. "Thank you!"
Dietrich's suave demeanor finally began to crack a bit as he chuckled nervously. "Of course . . . duu shienka."
At this, Trowa's hazel eyes tightened, and he turned in the booth to face the man fully. "Excuse me, but I don't believe that's appropriate," he warned softly. "She is not your 'darling'."
"Trowa!" Catherine exclaimed, flushing with embarrassment, "what is wrong with you?!"
The pilot swiftly turned back to stare at her. "I am fine," he retorted, tone even but eyes shifting a vivid emerald. "I simply don't understand why you are flirting with the wait-staff so brazenly."
Cathy growled in frustration, tugging at her curls. "There was ONLY. ONE. WAITER," she cried. "Unless you think I was hitting on thegirl from earlier!"
"Whoa," Duo butted in, hands in the air, "easy there, Trowa. He's just a waiter, it's not like he's a Chippendale or somethin'."
"Though," Hilde amended, "he could be."
With a startled jerk, Duo snapped at her, "What's that supposed to mean?"
Quatre and Sally shared worried glances across the table just as Heero cleared his throat. "Hey." He leveled his Prussian gaze at the waiter. "She ordered some cake." Heero's eyes narrowed further. "Go get it."
Under Heero's weighty stare, Dietrich nodded swiftly. "Da, da, I'll just – I'll be right back with that."
"Oh," Sally called after him, "and bring me a cup of coffee. Very black coffee."
Heero gazed after him until he vanished around a corner, then leaned back in the booth and resumed his bored expression. "There. You two can cut it out, now."
Cathy turned her glare to Heero and demanded, "What exactly do you mean? I'm not doing anything, it's all Trowa's fault!"
Sitting straighter in his seat, Trowa pointed out haughtily, "You're encouraging the wait-staff to flirt with you."
"Wow," Duo murmured to Hilde, "Ain't never seen Trowa get this bent outta shape before."
"Hey!" Catherine's ire returned to Trowa, "it's my prerogative if I want to flirt with a waiter!"
As Trowa opened his mouth to retort, a familiar low voice interrupted.
"Now who's making a lovely couple?" Wu Fei drawled as he stepped in front of their table, and all eyes turned to find him standing before them in his Preventer uniform, a smug smile upon his face. "It appears that a lot's happened in my absence."
Sally nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. "Welcome back, have a seat. You missed the opening act, but there might be an encore." She scooted over in the large booth and grinned to see both Cathy and Trowa shoot her uncomfortable looks before they pointedly ignored each other.
Nodding back, Wu Fei sat down next to her, saying, "I got your text message. Though I fail to see why you spend so many hours out of the office. This hardly counts as on-the-job."
"Shows what you know," she replied cheerfully. "Have you eaten?"
"Just some snacks on the shuttle over," the younger agent muttered, then watched half-heartedly as Sally blinked before taking out her cell-phone to began pressing buttons on it, apparently receiving a new text message. "But it doesn't sound like a wise idea to call over the waiter," he finished ruefully.
Across the table, Duo and Hilde began to chat as Sally continued to stare down at her cell-phone's screen, replying absently, "He'll be returning soon, anyway, so you might as well order something. You've been missing meals." Satisfied with whatever she was reading on her phone, the female agent put it away and smiled at her mostly silent companions. "Cheery group, isn't it?" she asked them all, earning her looks ranging from embarrassed to sullen. Her periwinkle eyes met Quatre's worried blue, and she nodded once to him, before turning a glittering smile upon Wu Fei. "Surely, Wu Fei, you were able to take a small break and get something to eat during your assignment."
His dark eyes narrowed at her. "I was busy."
"Well," Sally murmured thoughtfully, "it would appear then that I'll have to have a chat with our Vice Foreign Minister about how she's abusing my underlings."
"Stop calling me your underling," he hissed.
"What a slave driver she is," Sally mused, ignoring him. "Or you're just very dedicated."
Across the table, Heero's expression began to darken, just as the waiter turned the corner with a tray of chocolate cake, and a cup of coffee. "Ah," the blond man winced while trying to smile, "here we are! Oh, and you have increased your numbers, I see," he beamed at Wu Fei, who looked back with a snide smirk. "So," Dietrich chuckled nervously, "German chocolate cake," he placed the plate down and carefully maneuvered it towards Catherine, edging as far from Trowa as possible, "and a coffee for the lovely Preventer." He put down the coffee in front of Sally, who gleefully slid it towards Wu Fei instead.
"Oh look, Wu Fei," she murmured, "he called you lovely, you should thank him."
Glaring back as she laughed at him, Wu Fei nevertheless took a sip of the drink, muttering "Woman," under his breath in a warning tone.
Dietrich chose that moment to make his escape, so Sally returned to her topic. "So, how is Relena doing these days?" she asked, ignoring the glares she began to receive from Duo as well as Heero this time. "She seems to be keeping both you and herself pretty busy."
"What do you expect?" the shorter young man grumbled as he drank his coffee. "If it's not political, it's personal. If it's not personal, it's charity. Usually it somehow becomes all three before the day is over."
Quatre uncomfortably joined the conversation by commenting, "But I know for a fact that Relena truly appreciates having you as her bodyguard," before casting a uneasy eye towards where Heero sat at the other end of the open-sided booth. "It's not easy to find someone as well versed." Hearing his own words, the Arabian winced, then looked down guiltily at the table.
Wu Fei simply snorted into his coffee. "Clearly she's neglected to tell you about all of the differences of opinion we have. It's not all a bed of roses. Not only do I practically have to drag her out of bed in the morning, I'm often forced to pick out her ensemble for the day, andthen make sure she eats breakfast. If anything, I'm the slave driver. With a very recalcitrant slave. It's hardly being a bodyguard at all."
Once more seemingly oblivious to the escalating emotional undercurrents that were practically tangible from Heero and a sympathetic Duo, Sally continued, "Oh, it can't be that bad, Wu Fei. You still get to protect her from all the men that throw themselves at her, right? Like that one boy . . . what was his name? William? That kept sending her entire greenhouses of flowers in a desperate attempt to win her affections?"
Wu Fei's glare, while directed towards Sally, seemed to be from ire resulting elsewhere. "You have no idea – it's infuriating. Do you know that half the flowers he sends her, she's allergic to? Not that she'd tell him, but you would think he'd be thoughtful enough to ask, first. Assassins are one thing, but if she dies from anaphylactic shock due to flower pollen in those insipid bouquets he sends her, there won't be a trial. I'll kill him myself."
"So," Sally mused, "that's why you requested those vials of epinephrine."
"Well," the other Preventer murmured, "if her heart should stop, I felt it prudent to—"
Suddenly, the sound of clothing shifting as someone stood up interrupted his words, and all turned to see Heero's back as he stalked from the table, his stride tense and angry as he disappeared into the crowds of hotel patrons.
Standing as well, Duo slapped his hands down on the table and glowered at Sally and Wu Fei now that Heero had gone. "What the hell's wrong with you guys? Were you tryin' to piss him off, or are you guys juststupid?"
Sally blinked up at him, then pointed at herself, "Former," then at the Preventer to her left, "latter."
"What?" sputtered Wu Fei, looking confused. "So, he got upset. Big deal. And don't call me stupid, woman," he snapped at Sally. "Beyond that, Duo, no: I wasn't intending on him getting offended, but it's hardly my fault he's overly sensitive. And considering all that he's done, it's the least he deserves." He took another pull of his coffee as if to stress the point, ignoring the standing pilot.
Glaring over Hilde and Sally's heads, Duo snapped, "What he's done? It's more like what's been done to him! You've got a lotta nerve, and you'd better start explaining now why you think—"
"Duo," Hilde rose also to touch his arm and block the Chinese agent from his view, "calm down! It's okay, we'll go make sure he's alright. But you don't want to get kicked out of the restaurant, do you?" She put a finger to her lips and shushed him, eyes glancing to either side at the curious patrons that watched from the nearby tables. "Six-inch voices."
"Yeah, yeah," the braided teen returned to his seat, his shoulders curving forward tensely and expression dark as Hilde followed suit. "'Six-inch voices' my ass."
"Sally," Trowa spoke up then, "why were you trying to perturb Heero? Is this about Relena going to the same prep school that we are?"
"What!" both Duo and Hilde exclaimed, while Catherine's eyes widened in surprise and Quatre sighed heavily. "You can't be serious," Duo continued, violet eyes snapping, "they'll never go for it, you're gonna have the worst public relations fiasco since WE showed up! They'll both walk in, take one look at each other and walk right back out! Either that or they'll forget themselves and lay into each other like there's no tomorrow, 'til one or both need to be mopped up off the floor!"
"But," the blond teen quickly interrupted, "that's exactly why we were trying to get Heero upset," at this, his expression collapsed into intense guilt. "We needed to talk with everyone here to come up with a solution so that they don't end up as you've described. And as much as it hurts to wound Heero like that, it was a really good idea . . . Sally," he added softly, looking down at the table.
"Oh, I see," Duo muttered, "so I can thank you for this, Sally. Couldn't you have thought of something else? Maybe something less traumatic?"
"Well," Quatre stuttered before Sally could reply, "I was contemplating a pretend sleepover, with lots of activities that Heero would never agree to participate in, like spin-the-bottle, or male makeovers . . . but when I saw that we were all together, I suggested to Sally that perhaps now would be good, if only we could get him to leave. It worked . . . I just wish we could have done it in another way."
Sally looked thoughtful at this. "Hmm, though a male makeover party would be fun. Don't you think, Wu Fei?"
"Horrible idea," Wu Fei glared instead at Quatre. "I should never have trusted you to come up with a plan. I should have done it myself. It would definitely have not included woman's cosmetics. Orkissing."
"Oh, great," Duo sneered, arms folded tightly over his chest. "These are the plans you came up with. 'kissy-face-makeup-time' and 'stab the patient'. Good work, guys."
Wu Fei shook his head, eyes narrowing. "It's infuriating to agree with you, Duo, but I'm afraid I must in this situation." With his words, Quatre, Sally and Duo all began to speak at once as the discussion degraded into chaos.
"Okay," Hilde stood suddenly, silencing the others, "you guys can argue who's responsible all night long, and we'll never get anywhere. Or we can all talk about this, and figure out a real plan on what to do when Relena and Heero see each other at the school. Just for the record," she continued, "it wasn't right to use Heero's concern for Relena to make him leave. But now that he's gone, we should do right by him and try to make their encounter as stress-free as possible."
Trowa nodded in the resulting quiet. "You're quite right, Hilde. Both of them must face the demons they see in each other, or they will find no peace in their souls."
"Okay, alright," Duo muttered, raising his hands to gesture as he spoke. "If we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it right. I say we get them to meet privately, with nobody watchin' them. People around will just make them more stressed out, especially the paparazzi."
Quatre shook his head. "I don't know. In private, they may choose to both leave. Relena at least, would be forced to be polite if it were a public venue."
"Beyond that," Sally interrupted Duo's open-mouthed attempt to reply, "there's more at stake. Much more." She stared at each and every one of them firmly as she spoke. "Heero may get upset, but if Relena is seen poorly by the press, it could cost her career. She must not appear weak or immature, and if she were to leave the school immediately upon arrival, she's going to come across as either a rash teenager, or a weak-willed little girl who cracked under the first sign of 'high school' pressure."
Everyone but Wu Fei blinked in surprise to hear this, before Quatre sighed and leaned back in the booth. "You're right. I hadn't thought of how the press might misuse such information, not to mention her opponents in the senate. I should have, though. I was mostly considering how the rags might abuse it, and I had hoped that Relena would choose a bit of stress over the media fiasco it would cause."
Duo growled. "I can't believe we're even having this conversation."
"But we have to," Hilde told him. "Trowa's right. It's time Relena got a chance to either move on, or move up. And she can't do that without dealing with her feelings for Heero. And it's not as if he doesn't have feelings in return. I just can't buy that he feels nothing."
Sipping his tea, Wu Fei muttered, "He is practically a computer. Any true man, upon learning what turmoil he had caused, would have immediately done the proper thing and asked her to marry him. A woman so devoted is a treasure few acquire within their lifetime." He raised his head to find Cathy and Hilde looking at him with curious, yet almost confused expressions. "What?" he spat.
Duo took a wrapped straw and blew the paper from it into Wu Fei's hair. "Focus!"
Blinking, Cathy shook her head and finally gave her comment. "I . . . I don't know much about either of them. I think I know the least. But . . . guys don't handle things well all the time. I know that much." She cast a raised brow towards her right, where Trowa sat, but he seemed unfazed. "You guys were all teasing, commenting, or complaining about the fact that Heero cares about Relena in some way. Now you're telling me that you're arguing over whether it's true? If he likes her, he's clearly confused or conflicted over what to do about it. Can any of you say you wouldn't feel the same if you liked someone?"
An embarrassed quiet settled over the group as everyone looked down or away in shame. With another sigh, Duo shook his braided head and muttered, "Red's right. We all know the truth about Heero and Relena. I just don't like the idea of them being watched by the media when they meet. It'll make'em real tense. Who knows how they'll react."
"But," Sally added, "we can't let Relena use it as an excuse to vanish. And Une really wants the chance to get Heero to join the Preventers. He's got no future otherwise, and he needs the services we can provide, such as a stable job and medical care. Not to mention a purpose to his life that should keep him from eventually 'going postal'. So how do we keep them both at the school?"
Everyone shared uncertain glances, until Trowa spoke up. "We must appeal to their natures. I do not see Heero 'losing it' should he meet Relena in a public forum. The worst that may happen is that he will turn around and attempt to leave. Relena, however, will do anything but leave with an audience. They are both skilled at keeping their calm.
"I think, Duo, that your take on this is a severe over-reaction. They will not fight – so we must keep them ignorant of our plan until the moment they arrive and Relena is swarmed by the media. The media will keep Relena in check. We will have to do the same for Heero. And here is how I propose we do it . . ."
(-(-(-)-)-)
Earth, Moscow
April 20th – 2:08 am
Five days later . .
.
Hilde felt herself slipping away from her dream as she was shook awake. Blinking and yawning, she pushed at the warm hand on her shoulder, then grabbed it. "Duo," she murmured, closing her eyes again.
"Hey, babe, how'd you know it was me?" his voice whispered low in the darkness.
"Hmm?" What's he talkin' about? her mind garbled, before she forced her eyes open wide and pulled herself up from her bed. "Duo? What's wrong? Are you okay?" And why are you in my room again?
His silhouette shrugged in the darkness of her hotel room, and he replied, "Well . . . I'm just havin' trouble sleepin' knowin' what we're gonna be doin' tomorrow. I . . . I was hopin' that you'd let me stay with you tonight. I might be able to sleep, then," he chuckled abashedly.
Rubbing the grit from her eyes, the brunette nodded and waved him forward. "Okay, come on." She made room in the bed and turned to watch his shadowed figure as he began to strip off his shirt and pants, annoyed when her heart started to race at the line of his muscled arms against the dusky room beyond. Nope, not sexy. Not at all.
Finally, when Hilde was practically wide awake at the blood thrumming through her veins, Duo slipped between the covers and quickly crossed the length of the bed to wrap her into his arms before she could voice a protest. "Thanks, baby. I really appreciate it."
"N-no problem," she blushed, hugging him back and relishing the sensation of his hot flesh beneath her fingers. He should be illegal. An illicit drug: Duo Maxwell. "So, if you were having trouble sleeping because of the plan, why didn't you tell me right when it started?"
"Well," his smooth bass voice murmured into her ear, "the past couple'a days I slept alright. It wasn't until tonight – you know, the night before our plane trip and the hell we're gonna cause – that I just got the jitters."
She nodded and closed her eyes, relaxing into his embrace as she inhaled his sweet musky scent. "I understand. Don't worry, everything will work out okay."
"Will it? I sure hope so, Hilde," he muttered. "Otherwise, Relena and Heero are gonna hate us all forever." He shivered in her arms at the thought.
"Not a chance, Duo," Hilde whispered, unable to resist rubbing her cheek against his bare chest and sighing happily. "They aren't like that. You'll see. They care about us. . . They care about you. Just like I do."
"Okay," he replied, and fell silent.
In the comfortable quiet remaining, Hilde fell back into a deep slumber, reassured by the protection of his solid arms around her and the homey perfume of his essence buoying her into oblivion.
(-(-(-)-)-)
Earth, Izumo
April 20th – 8:12 am
"Do you realize, Agent Carter," Wu Fei snapped from the back seat of the sedan, "that you can drive ten kilometers above the posted speed limit without getting a ticket? Drive faster. We don't have all day."
"Um, sorry sir," the dark-haired man in the driver's seat stuttered. "Just trying to obey the law."
Wu Fei and Quatre sat in the rear of a police cruiser that Agent Carter had borrowed from the local constabulary in order to pick them up at the Izumo Airport, and then drop them off at the Dorlan residence. Wu Fei would have preferred to drive himself, but there was only so much money Une would allow him to spend, and a rental would have to be driven back by either Quatre or Wu Fei. That just wouldn't do.
"We are in a police vehicle," the young Asian seethed, "No one is going to pull us over."
"But," Carter began, "it's not right to abuse that . . ."
"As a Preventer agent," interrupted Wu Fei, "I would have expected you to understand that some rules can be bent slightly to achieve the required goal. You disappoint me, Carter. Again."
Beside him, the blond trillionaire winced in sympathy. "Wu Fei, must you be so harsh?" he spoke softly under the repeated apologies of their driver. He must be irritable because of how early we had to leave to catch that shuttle. Ug, two in the morning.
"Yes," Wu Fei retorted, suppressing a yawn as he did so. "He only learns through pain and suffering. I discovered that the hard way. Being nice only increases his likelihood of slacking off." He raised a brow at Quatre as the car began to accelerate slightly. "See? It works like a charm. So," he began anew, "Have you girded yourself appropriately for our encounter?"
"Um," Quatre murmured, his azure eyes narrowed in disturbed confusion, "I . . . suppose?" He blinked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Glad I caught that quick nap, but I'm still exhausted. Wu Fei seems to be taking it well.
Sighing, Wu Fei shook his head and turned to the window. "I meant your confrontation with Dorothy Catalonia."
"Oh," the blond stared at him incredulously. Allowing a yawn himself, Quatre murmured, "Well, I'm not wearing a cup, if that's what you mean."
The agent stared at the ceiling of the car with annoyance. "I am speaking metaphorically. Though some armor might help. Maybe a chastity belt."
Quatre shook his head. "But, Wu Fei, Dorothy would never submit to wearing that."
"I meant for you," snorted the Chinese man. "It might delay her, at least."
Staring in horror, Quatre whispered, "I don't really feel comfortable talking about this. Being behind this cage is bad enough for my paranoia without bringing Dorothy into it."
"Yes," Wu Fei monotoned, "being away from the wheel while Carter is driving makes me paranoid as well. Every guard-rail we pass causes my life to flash before my eyes," Wu Fei sighed with mock-exasperation. "God, I need some coffee."
"Actually," Quatre winced and rubbed the back of his neck, "I was more having nightmares about Dorothy getting her hands upon a pair of real handcuffs. Or ten."
"In that case," Wu Fei nodded resolutely, "it's a good thing I brought my bolt-cutter along."
"Sir?" Carter spoke up, his nasal voice shaking slightly.
"What is it?" snapped Wu Fei. "Did you get us killed and we never noticed?"
"No, sir," his underling muttered. "We're almost there."
"Yes, Carter, I know these roads," the Asian sighed, onyx eyes meeting Quatre's. "You're not a tour guide."
Quatre frowned at his companion before saying, "Thank you, Agent Carter. It was very nice of you to let us know we were about to arrive." He gave Wu Fei an annoyed glance and interrupted him just as he was about to speak, "It never hurts to be polite."
"Don't coddle him," Wu Fei sighed tiredly. "It's embarrassing."
"Anyhow," Quatre glared at him as the car pulled into the drive, "I'm sure we'll be fine."
"Right. I'll handle Relena then, and you get to tackle Dorothy," Wu Fei murmured, a twisted smile on his lips. "Unless she tackles you first."
The car pulled to a stop in front of the large double doors at the top of a long set of broad stairs that spread before the mansion, and the Asian Preventer Agent quickly unsnapped his seatbelt, ignoring Quatre's affronted stare. "Finally," Wu Fei muttered as they both headed towards the entrance. "Oh, and Agent Carter!" he called behind him.
"Y-yes, sir?" the older, yet lower-ranked man groaned, shoulders slumping.
Wu Fei's eyes glittered with pleasure. "Get our things and bring them inside."
Quatre could only sigh deeply and shake his head as Carter rushed to do as told. "Wu Fei . . . I just can't believe you, sometimes."
"Angst builds character," the Asian teen informed him coolly. "And speaking of which . . ." he gestured to the door, "after you."
With wide eyes, the blond stared up at the doors, then took a deep breath, and began to knock.