Tapestry, Book 2, Chapter 5

I whispered, not sure I was really awake. "Wufei?"

"Mmmf."

Heavy arms and legs were tangled around mine, which meant that Wufei and I had spent another night together. I blinked and open my eyes a tiny, tiny bit. Wufei looked exactly the same as he had in my dream, with the exception of his pajamas, which were not white, and his expression, which was not calm. His eyebrows were scrunched together, angry, as if fighting each other. Still sleepy, I experimented with a little fingertip massage, pushing on pressure points between his eyes, smoothing a furrow and releasing some tension. That did the trick. Now he looked like the Wufei in my dreams, down to the faint smile.

The dragon was wrapped around his shoulders and moving sinuously along his body, a long, undulating, translucent curve. As I watched, still sleepy, it dipped its head into my shoulder. I gasped; the world turned white and I spun out of control, every sense overloaded, sensation overwhelming me. Dizzy, shocked, I watched as the dragon's head, then the rest of its body, suddenly reappeared out of my hip. The little creature yawned, its eyespots closed, showing a large, toothless mouth, flexed its neck, then went back to softly ripple about Wufei. The boy had not so much as stirred.

Pleasantly spent, erotically buzzed and so, so, comfortable, I blinked several times, smiled vaguely at the ceiling, wondered about the little dragon, then helplessly slipped into a relaxed partial doze. Eventually, though, something tickled the back of my brain and poked me out of my half dreams.

Wake up, Po. Really, wake up and get out of bed. Do it now, before the little guy does that - dive thing - again. The dragon's just a baby, so he doesn't know what he's doing or what it does to YOU. It's great and all, but - ah - it's not a HUMAN thing to do, and Wufei would be horrified if he knew what happened to you...

Slowly, I shifted Wufei's arms and legs around and over mine. I slid out of bed undetected, feeling rested, tingly and so wonderfully alive. Padding off to the bathroom today was easier; I knew where it was and where Treize had stashed all the shower gels and hand towels. Whistling a little under my breath, I stood in the spray of the shower and let the water skim over me, doing my best to focus on the positive aspects of my situation.

Yes, Po - and they are ...?

I sighed, bowing my head to feel the massage of the water on my neck. Well, let's see ...Wufei, looked much better and was obviously feeling better, so that was positive for him. I didn't consider Treize in this equation; he won no matter WHAT happened. And I had a new pair of green sweats. So there was at least one positive for Wufei, everything for Treize and sucko for me. Yay.

Bitterness started to creep into my mind and heart. I don't think I like it here all that much ...

After I finished my shower and was drying off, I heard an odd scratching sound coming from outside. The door was closed and locked so no one could inadvertently walk in, but people simply knocked if they wanted someone's attention, they didn't claw and scratch. Vigorously toweling my hair dry, I turned toward the door, puzzled.

"Hello? Wufei, is that you? Do you need something?"

The sound stopped for a few moments, then started again, stronger, coupled with a familiar whining. Wiggling back into those lovely moss green sweats, I unlocked the door, baffled. How on earth could he have gotten here -

"Jack?" I ventured, calling through the door. The whining stopped immediately, turning to excited yips and small barks.

"JACK!"

I flung open the bathroom door and a small ball of fluff sprang into my arms, almost bowling me over.

"Jack - Jack, what are YOU doing here? I thought I left you with Quatre! Ooooo, Jack, I missed you SO much!"

Jack was the happiest and the most excited puppy I had ever seen. He was squirming and panting and wagging his tail and licking me ALL over, trying to get to every inch of my face, telling me in his way how much he had missed me. He was tiny, but had so much energy and puppy-happiness that it was difficult, if not impossible, to resist him. By the time he was finished, I was laughing so hard it felt as if I was crying.

"Oh, Jack, how did you get here - fly?"

I buried my face in his neck. His fur was incredibly soft and silky, and smelled like sweet hay. I felt so much better, so much more alive with Jack in my arms. He whuffed at me in answer and licked my nose, panting.

"You cute, sweet, wiggly little thing ... have you seen Wufei yet?" I cooed, petting him. "Once you see him, you can leap on him and lick him to death, too, okay? He could really use some of your kind of love."

Jack woofed his approval and continued to pant and squiggle in my arms as I trotted downstairs. It was amazing; it seemed as if in no time at all I was through the foyer, had shunned a half dozen Specials, passed both the dining room and a small library and was standing in an entrance to the kitchen. Peering inside, I saw Wufei seated on one of the high bar stools at the main island, dressed in an ecru linen tunic and pants, leaning on his elbows, watching Treize closely. Treize, for his part, was standing at the end of the island, smiling and sliding a plate of toasted English muffins in front of him, apparently saying something that caught Wufei's curiosity.

Interesting. Wufei's not mourning anymore. Not if he's choosing to wear something other than white, that is.

Deep in conversation, neither one noticed us until Jack started whining, squeaking and otherwise drooling over the wonderful smells in the kitchen. The poor puppy acted as if he had never eaten before in his entire short life.

My eyes widened as I tried to keep him in my arms. "Jack - Jack, wait, what are you doing - "

"Ah, good morning, Sally! Banana pancakes? Wufei's opted for just English muffins and scrambled eggs, but really, there's much more to choose from than that simple fare - "

It was difficult for me to concentrate on more than a wiggling, squirming Jack. His entire body followed his tail, which was wagging to the cadence of FOOD-FOOD-FOOD-FOOD-

"So? What would you like, my dear? It's your choice, of course - "

-FOOD-FOOD-FOOD-FOOD-FOOD-

A sharp, incisive gaze belied his charming smile. "Saa...you can control him, Sally. Just tell him to be quiet."

I felt desperate. "Jack - Jack, please, please - stop, be quiet - "

To my utter amazement, Jack immediately went still in my arms. He cocked his head to the side and looked up, a mischievous expression of doggie innocence in his eyes, as if to say, Who, me?

I gave him a stern look. Oi, Jack - you couldn't have done that BEFORE?

"Now then, Sally." Treize beamed as if I had just done the most brilliant thing he had ever seen. "Tell me - what would you like for breakfast?"

"Um ... well ... I suppose - the banana pancakes, please ..."

"Of course you would!" Treize's smile practically outshone the sun. "Anything else? Orange juice? Toast? Cantaloupe?"

"Ah ... no ... just syrup and bananas will be fine, thank you ..." Confusion at Treize's odd behavior made my brain fuzzy. Treize was cooking? Where was the kitchen staff?

"Excellent choice! Come have a seat next to Wufei, won't you? Wash your hands first, dear, you've been handling the dog. And do put Jack down, there's a good girl. He'll find plenty of food around here. Look, he already has his own bowl over there, next to the sink, don't you, Jack, old boy?"

Jack huffed a little and walked right over to his food dish, as if he had lived here his entire life.

"Ah ... yes ... okay, Treize ..."

Overwhelmed, confounded, I washed my hands and watched the soap bubbling through my fingers. What the hell..? How could Jack already have a food bowl here when he'd never been here before? And why didn't Wufei look terribly surprised to see him? Plus, how did Jack get here? I was sure I left him with Quatre ...

When I returned to my seat, breakfast was waiting for me. I nudged my pancakes, trying to puzzle it out, making lazy syrup whorls with the bananas.

"Something wrong, Sally?"

I looked up to see Treize's blue eyes fixed right on me with that fathomless, analytical gaze that was so unnerving, the one that saw right through me, down to the soles of my feet. Eat, stupid, eat. Swallowing, I answered quickly, "Oh, no, Treize. This looks absolutely wonderful." I stabbed a forkful of bananas and pancakes for effect.

He smiled and nodded, even though I hadn't fully answered his question, then turned his attention to Wufei. I exhaled and started to nibble my breakfast, watching both Treize and Wufei. It was disturbing; the General never missed an opportunity to touch the boy, and while Wufei wasn't reciprocating, he certainly wasn't trying to push him away, either. He looked slightly confused at some of Treize's gestures, but other than that, appeared more than willing to let Treize take the lead.

I sighed and made more syrup patterns. Hmm. I thought that Wufei might have put up some resistance, at least, but I was wrong. From all outward signs, he was ceding control, giving in, surrendering himself to Treize.

And now the General was speaking again. Dispirited, I glanced up from my meal every now and then, just to give him the impression that I was paying attention. Sort of. Speaking when spoken to. Being polite and answering questions. Talk talk talk, blah blah blah..

"Now, then. I've cancelled my appointments for the rest of the day, so my time is open, regardless of what you decide to do ..."

With an affectionate smile, Treize pushed a piece of loose hair behind Wufei's ear, then ran his finger around his lobe, playing with him. The boy shivered, looking down. He was simply allowing this to happen, seeing where it would take him, how far the General wanted to or would go.

Oh, come on, Wufei, how far do you seriously believe that is?

My pancakes absorbed my complete attention. I did NOT want to see what Treize was doing, nor did I want to see Wufei respond. That triggered strange memories from the island, ways in which Treize had looked at and whispered to Wufei, ways in which he always made sure he was touching him, brushing against him, kneading his shoulders when Wufei allowed it -

Gads, did I really need to be here for this? I got the message, loud and clear. I wasn't that stupid.

Saaa, what message, Sally? There are no gills in your future - you have my word.

...wha - what?

Very, very, slowly, I looked up and over at Treize, scared and suspicious, certain he was having fun at my expense. But this time was different - this time, he was actually teasing me.

Teasing? You're te-teasing me?

He was! It certainly looked like it - that grin on his face, the twinkle in his eye - he was having fun, but not in a mean way. At least, I hoped it wasn't; it was my life that was on the line, after all.

Treize gave a small sigh. Sally ... my dear ... look.

Reaching behind Wufei, he stroked the top of the dragon's head, running a complex pattern across its forehead with his fingers. Wufei wobbled in his chair; he blinked, stared for a moment at nothing as his neck muscles relaxed and his eyes gently closed. Treize supported him with one shoulder as Wufei slumped into him, his breathing even and regular, all the while giving me an affable smile.

"Now. Do you see this infant dragon?"

My cheeks - in fact, now my entire face - was on fire. Gads, why did he insist on petting the dragon in FRONT of me? I knew it aroused Wufei, and yet, there he went, petting him again. Shivering, I clamped my teeth together and hardened my resolve. You will not show this man this bothers you, do you hear, Po? You owe Wufei that much. Snap that backbone of yours into a spine and start talking.

I nodded slowly. "Yes ... I - do ..."

"Do you see how much healthier he has become since you've returned?"

Wait. These weren't trick questions ... what was he doing? Again I nodded, puzzled. "Yeeees ..."

"And you realize that his improved health is due to you, of course?"

I gave him an odd look. "I ... well ... no. What do you mean?"

He sighed, sounding a little exasperated. "Sally. You are his Guardian." That dry, of-course-you-know-what-that-means tone told me there was more than enough information in his uttered four words to tell the dullest child what they should know about my relationship with Wufei.

I tightened my jaw, feeling yet another jab at my self-esteem. I didn't have a clue as to what he meant. Show no emotion, Po. Nothing. Pretend you're inscrutable.

"Yes, I realize I'm his Guardian. And I'm not protecting him from anything." How incredibly insensitive of you to point that out for me, Treize. Thank you so VERY much.

"Protecting him?" Now it was Treize's turn to looked puzzled. "What on earth does that have to do with -"

"Ah - excuse me, sir? Sir?" One of the Specials appeared at the entrance to the dining room, properly deferential but obviously waiting for Treize. "The Lady is here...?"

Frowning slightly in annoyance, Treize murmured, "Ah. Would you excuse me for a moment, please, Sally ...?" Carefully placing Wufei back on his chair, Treize rose, nodded to me, pushed back from the table and strode after the soldier, leaving us alone.

I watched him walk out of the room, still smarting. "Of course," I muttered to his retreating back when he was out of earshot, glaring, "you fatuous jerk. Take your time."

Actually, I wanted to get up from the table and walk off in the opposite direction, but I was afraid he'd come after me. If there was one thing I knew about Treize, it was that he took his meals and politeness very seriously. Violating both at the same time - that is, leaving the breakfast table in a huff - would have been terribly boorish and nearly impossible to explain away. And I didn't want to look any more undignified in front of Wufei than I already did

So, grumbling and sullen, I stayed.

Wufei stayed with me, of course. He was recovering, shaking off his induced daze. Jack and I eyed each other, silent partners in crime about that little peculiarity of life.

I motioned to Jack; his nails clicked on the tile floor as he padded over and snuffed at my toes. Leaning down, I quietly dropped my plate to the floor. In moments, Jack licked every scrap of food from my dish and was eyeing the table for more. He was silent and discreet, all except for his tail - it waved back and forth fiercely, like a windshield wiper in a rainstorm.

- FOOD-FOOD-FOOD-FOOD-FOOD-

As I bent to retrieve my plate from the floor, I stared into Jack's eyes. I could have sworn he grinned and winked at me.

"Hey, Wufei," I murmured, nudging him a little as I straightened up. "Wake up. You drifted there for a bit."

"Mmph," he said, blinking. "What happened?"

"I don't know, but I wouldn't be concerned. Treize wasn't. It wasn't very long, and besides, we didn't talk about anything important."

"Ah," he replied, clearly relieved that he didn't actually miss any conversation. He picked up his fork again and resumed poking at his food.

Smiling, I said lightly, "And go ahead and eat the rest of your meal. It's rather good. Look. I actually finished everything." I tilted my plate so he could see there was nothing at all on it, proof for him.

Wufei appeared shocked. "You ate everything?"

I shrugged, affecting an innocent air. "Of course. I was hungry."

His immediate response was to scowl. Then he polished off the rest of the food on his plate, eating quickly and delicately. He hated to keep anyone waiting, and even though it wasn't exactly true that he was holding me up, he certainly wasn't going to permit me to finish and not finish himself.

I grinned down at Jack, then watched Wufei. I wasn't above using any little tricks to get Wufei to finish his meals; he ate little enough as it was, as far as I was concerned. Jack, I thought, was going to come in useful in many different ways.

As if reading my mind, Jack huffed a little at my feet, then pranced around, looking adorable.

I smiled, watching him. "Hey, boy - we're going to have to find a place to take you outside, aren't we? I guess ... hmmm..."

Wufei quickly gathered up all the plates, then scooted off his stool and stacked them in the sink, where he immediately started running the water to clean the dishes.

"Want me to help?"

"No thanks. I'll do this - there aren't that many. Didn't you say you wanted to take Jack outside?"

Which, in fact, I had said earlier. But I had to find Treize to gain his permission to use the back garden, because the little guy was going to start digging and doing some other not-so-nice things to his garden. I could tell.

"I do, Wufei, and I need to find Treize to ask him -"

"Fine, fine ..." He sounded distracted as he attacked a pot left on the stove. "Go ahead. I'll be here - see you later."

"Okay." Wufei didn't need to hear the gory details about Jack's bodily functions. "Come on, Jack. Let's go find Treize." Ugh. I couldn't believe I was talking to my dog so cheerfully about that, but ... well. Some things just couldn't be helped.

It wasn't difficult to find him; all I needed to do was follow the sound of the voices, his and someone else's, someone else who had a higher pitched, softer voice. They were in the front sitting room, laughing and talking and sounding as if they were grand old friends having tea together for the first time in years. I peeked around the corner into the room and almost died on the spot.

"Why, Sally Po! Oh, my, my, it is so good to see you, Miss Po! Isn't today just a wonderful day? I think it is simply lovely outside, don't you?"

It was Une.

But she wasn't the Une who had pursued me with raging, homicidal glee across the globe. This was her alter ego, 'Sparkly Une;' this woman actually had sparkles coming from her hair and literally dripped helpless, feminine charm. 'Sparkly Une' was happy just breathing the same air as whomever she was with.

Weak enthusiasm, coupled with a glance at Treize who was obviously expecting me to say something, prodded me into making a proper response. "Lady Une. What - a - what a surprise. Yes ... it is lovely outside, isn't it ... "

Slowly backing out of the room wasn't an option. I still needed to get Treize's permission to take Jack into the garden, and Treize looked too damn amused at this entire situation. He wasn't going to rescue me, I could tell. Turning from Une to Treize, I asked, hesitant, "Um ... Treize... I need to take Jack out. May I take him into the garden, or is there another place around here ...?"

"Oh, my ... Ms. Po ... you have a dog ..." Une trailed off, her voice unsure but her face still forced into a smile.

"Well, yes, Lady Une, I do have a dog. His name is Jack." I smiled, showing her a lot of teeth, and wondered. What the hell is her problem? She's the one who nearly killed Wufei and me, that crazy -

"Sally." Treize broke into my thoughts, thumping me back into reality. "Of course you may take Jack out into the garden. Don't worry about cleaning up after him." And you're not being very nice to Une, dear. Dogs scare her in her present state.

"Thank you, Treize. I'll take him out now. It was good to see you, Lady. Come on, Jack. " I nodded at them, very polite, very well mannered; I couldn't afford not to be. Regarding Treize through lowered lashes before I left, I decided that while he did tell me about Une and her aversion to dogs, he was amused more than anything else. Her face was still pale, but she looked relieved to see us leave.

...hah. Dogs SCARE her? Life's full of little ironies, isn't it ...

Jack yipped his agreement, then trotted after me as I left the room, his little tail waving like a flag.

Jack and I played outside for a while, romping in the garden. The day was beautiful, as Une said; lovely blue sky, perfect temperature, amazing clouds. Jack leaped and twisted for all kinds of sticks I threw, his jaws snapping closed with a frightening crack that echoed off the garden walls. Nothing was too large or too small for him to seek out and bring back to me; from tiny rubber balls to long, bare branches, Jack found them all.

I half-expected Wufei to come outside and practice, but after forty-five minutes of running around with Jack, I realized that Wufei had found something else to do. Ruefully looking down at my puppy, I knelt down next to him and scratched behind his ears.

"What do you think, old boy, hmmm? Want to go inside for a little while? We can come out again later, okay?"

Jack woofed his approval, then bounced up and licked my nose, giving me his devilish doggie grin.

"Jack!" I laughed, ruffling his fur. "You silly dog, you - let's go!"

Back inside again, we looked around the kitchen. To my great surprise, it was empty. The room echoed with my footsteps - there were no Specials, no staff, no one was around at all. Walking around the center kitchen island to the range side, I looked up at the pots and pans hanging neatly overhead and resisted the urge to grab a long spoon and start clanging them together. Ah, but it was so tempting! My hand practically itched to do it; grabbing a long, wooden spoon next to one of the kitchen microwaves, I climbed onto a chair and took aim, ready to clang everything together until that snarky voice of mine started talking to me again.

Po. Be serious. Just because no one's paying attention to you doesn't mean you need to draw attention to yourself. It's not all about you, silly cow.

That stopped me in mid-swing. What? Of course it's not all about me! Just shut up, leave me alone.

Oh. So making a ruckus here, alone, and having everyone in earshot run and see what's happening ISN'T all about you, hmmm? Do yourself a favor and stop lying. If you want to see what's happening, do what you do best. Go commando and spy.

I dropped my arms and blinked. Gads. That wicked, snarky little voice was right on the mark. What was I thinking? I looked down to see Jack blinking up at me, the "what's the crazy lady DOING up on the chair?" expression on his puppy face.

"Nothing, Jack. Nothing at all," I muttered, climbing down and putting everything away. "Just having an insane moment. It's over now. Let's go find everyone else."

Leaning down, I grabbed Jack and cuddled him, then put him in my oversized sweatshirt pocket; I had the type that went all the way across the front of my sweatshirt like a pouch, and he snuggled their quite comfortably, like a baby joey, absorbing my body heat.

Padding across the kitchen, I walked through the doorway and realized I wasn't alone at all. The mansion was crawling with all sorts of people - Treize's Specials, other military staff, domestic staff, communications staff, and the like - they were just terribly good at what they did and extremely unobtrusive. As I wandered through the dining room and into the foyer, I looked out the windows and realized that many of the military types were on the perimeter of the mansion, right at the edge of the property. That would explain why I didn't see them when I was in the back garden. Flashes of someone hurrying upstairs caught my attention, but when I was in the foyer and had a good view of the stairs, they were gone. Then I heard Wufei and Treize, their murmured voices coming from the direction of one of the smaller first floor libraries. My hands were inside my sweatshirt pouch, busily scratching Jack as I thought about what I was about to do.

Here's your chance, Po. Go commando and spy. Find out what's going on between them, how far things have progressed.

Something was happening in the mansion, I could feel it. There was ... something in the air. You would have had to have been dead not to have felt it. A tingling, pulsing something was working its way along my nerves, down my spine, making every touch, every reaction heightened, everything so much - more. It was weird, odd, and I felt - off. Not right.

I tred softly over to the library. Neither one gave any indication that they knew I was there as I peered inside.

Wufei was scowling at Treize and seated at a desk, jabbing his index finger at an open book. " ... no! These ideas are patently false and not well thought out. Anyone can see that - "

Treize, however, was reclining on the only divan in the room, long legs resting comfortably, blue eyes glittering and bright. His entire focus was centered on Wufei. "Now, now, Wufei. Phrases such as 'anyone can see' certainly do nothing to further your own case. Be more precise, please."

A rude little snort from the dragon let me know what Wufei thought of Treize's gentle criticism. I bit my lip, grinning. But in his next breath, Wufei's voice completely changed timbre and inflection. Thick and faltering, he mumbled, "Ah ... well. Perhaps thinking about - about it like - like - this - "

Suddenly, shivers ran down my spine and the hairs on my arm stood on end. What the hell was THAT? Neither Treize nor Wufei had said or done anything to the other. They were only discussing a book, they hadn't even TOUCHED each other, they were too far apart.

I looked around. There was nothing to see. That meant ... it was the air itself; it was supercharged, saturated to the point where I felt fevered, then heated, then languid, then ...

Gads. How - did - did Treize do that? Is - are - they playing ... ? If - that's what's happening - okay, okay, then I'm OUT of here. Spying is officially done, over, FINISHED -

Very quietly, I backed away from that room, my heart pounding. Don't take chances - it's your life. He's the demon, you're the human. You have one life, and he has ... well, who KNOWS what he has. Just get the hell OUT before he realizes what's up.

I stole up to the third floor, hoping I'd feel better if I got as far away as possible. Another chair and book beckoned; I curled up with Jack and started to read. Good plan, eh?

Lousy plan. I couldn't concentrate and didn't feel better. In fact, whatever it was started to get worse. Goose bumps burst out on my arms, then my legs, leaving warm, tingling patches in their wake. I felt suddenly heated, then chilled, then ... something I couldn't explain, then something I didn't want to explain.

Time to get moving again. I took Jack outside again, hoping that running around with him would stop some of that. It did, for a little while. Unfortunately, it came back.

Then I exercised outside, running as much as I could in the garden, hoping that exhausting myself would stop the weird feelings. After 30 minutes of non-stop running, I flopped down on the grass, panting. Jack stood over me, concern etched in his little face, and licked my cheeks. I felt marginally better, and the odd waves of whatever-it-was that had been washing over and through me had stopped, thank the gods.

"I'm going to go take a shower, Jack," I managed to pant out to him, ruffling his fur, still flat on my back. "Wanna come upstairs?"

He woofed at me, licked my cheeks one more time, then nosed me to get up. Groaning a little, I rose, then picked him up and tucked him away in my pouch and padded up to my room and the shower.

I still didn't have any clothing, so I borrowed another pair of men's white pajamas from Wufei's bathroom. On one of my previous forays around the mansion, I found the laundry room, so when I reappeared for dinner, I had stuffed my by now dirty sweat pants and sweatshirt in the washer and was happily getting them clean. At least I was happy about that, as I was going to wear them again tomorrow.

Dinner was an informal affair. A feeling - an intoxicating, heady, exhilarating feeling - was incredibly strong at the table tonight, something I couldn't escape. Treize smiled and served fish and salad and casual conversation, chatting with ease about anything and everything.

I answered, smiling, feeling cheerful, dizzy, and pleasantly disconnected, as if I had spent entirely too much time in the sun that afternoon drinking an inordinate amount of wine. Wufei, too, seemed to feel good, at least he looked that way. He wasn't pouting, he wasn't sulking, he was asking and answering questions, and while he wasn't exactly animated, he was acting quietly mature. Wufei was looking at Treize with an expression that was new for him, something akin to curiosity and - revulsion? No, that wasn't it - his expression was too soft for that. Interest? Notice? Regard?

What? Regard for Treize? Good grief! Can that be true? My own feelings were blurred by whatever was happening, but I didn't believe Wufei's were, at least not as much as mine. He, after all, wasn't all human as I was - he was part Seiyruu, part Dragon-child.

Gads. I really, really didn't want to believe that was true, because that meant Wufei was going to tell me he didn't want to leave here at all.

During a lull in the conversation, I happened to glance at my hand, my fingers splayed in my lap. I saw that my own six inch blue corona, the aura around my fingers and up my arm, was edged all in bronze. I blinked a little, wiggled my fingers and thought that I should know what that meant, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember.

Hmm. I'd have to think about it later. I looked up and over at Wufei, thinking that he, of course, didn't have an aura like I did. He had the dragon, and the dragon didn't take on any color except its own. And Treize didn't have an aura at all, but when he wasn't masking his true essence, his color was ... bronze.

That's when I stared at my aura again and started to feel my stomach churn, just a little. Thankfully, dinner didn't last that long after that.

"Shall we adjourn to the library?" Treize, pleasant as ever, indicated the way with a nod of his head and a wave of his hand. Politely, Wufei and I rose, nodded, and walked toward the front of the mansion, across the foyer and into the main library, next to the front sitting room. Tea was normally served there after dinner, and it seemed that we would be sitting and talking there ... again ... until we went to bed ...

I couldn't do it. In truth, I was finding it harder and harder to deal with all the different sensations bombarding my body and my psyche. Escape was my only option, and the only way I could escape was through unconsciousness.

"Ah .. Treize? Wufei? I'm afraid I'm feeling rather tired. I believe I'm going to go to bed early tonight. So, if you'll excuse me, please ...? I'll just see to Jack's needs, and I'll say goodnight now ..."

"Really? Well, then, good night, Sally. Sleep well." Treize smiled and looked right at me.

"Good night, Sally," Wufei said, not looking at me.

"Good night," I said, nodding to both of them, then left them in the library. "Come on, Jack. You can go out before we go to bed. Besides, I need to get my clothes for tomorrow and put them in the dryer. I'll bet they'll be done by the time you're ready to come inside."

I had always been a light sleeper, so I was immediately aware when Wufei came into the bedroom later that night. At any rate, Jack gave him away. As soon as he stepped close to the door, Jack was right there, teeth bared, growling in his throat, protecting his mistress, just waiting for someone to make the horrible mistake of coming into the room without permission. Wufei was truly fortunate as he HAD permission and Jack knew it. If Wufei hadn't had permission ... well, suffice it to say he wouldn't be around to tell the tale. According to Jack, that is.

A truly fortunate man, that Chang Wufei. Again, from Jack's point of view.

When Wufei came into the room, I knew he was flustered, upset - it was hard to say how I knew it, but I did. Opening one eye and peering across the room, I saw that he was distracted, to the point where he hardly noticed Jack on the floor, snuffing around his feet. The dragon, too, was a warm, blush-red color, wrapped entirely around his body. He opened and closed the door, hardly making a sound, and undressed by moonlight, depending entirely upon his bodily kinesthetic sense as he moved around the room, sorting though drawers until he found the clothing he wanted. Once he gets what he wants, he strips away and drops his old clothing, hastily dons the new, and flops on his back on the bed, only to stare at the ceiling, his eyes wide. The dragon, too, is still tightly wrapped around him, not making a move anywhere near me.

I sighed. Oh, Wufei ...

Rolling over, I gave him a brief, fierce hug, burying my head in his shoulder, then kissed his cheek. He stared at me in wide-eyed horror for a moment.

"Goodnight, Wufei," I whispered, smoothing my hand across his forehead, smiling at him. "Go to sleep." Then I winked at him and rolled back over to go to sleep, closing my eyes. I felt him relax after a few minutes, then heard his deep, even breathing a few moments after that. He was more exhausted than I was if he fell asleep that quickly. On the verge of falling asleep, I thought I felt something familiar wrap around me, and snuggled a little deeper into my pillow.

When I woke up, the sun was streaming into the room. It was another beautiful, Luxembourg day. I smiled and stretched, because for some unknown reason, I felt wonderful. No aches and pains, no weird little pain in my neck, nothing. It was blissful waking up like this.

Plus, I was alone. That wasn't right, though - there should be someone else here. I frowning, looking around.

"Wufei - Wufei, where are you?"

Sliding across the bed, I looked around to find him sitting in a chair in front of the window of our room, looking out. Somehow, he looked more - solid? His shoulders looked firmer, his expression more substantial - all in all, he looked more like the youth he should have been years ago. It seemed that he had been up for hours, studying the garden. He looked at me and smiled after a moment; it was deliberate, forced. I could tell he didn't feel like smiling. " ... Sally."

Oh, gods. This was it.

"You've decided to stay." There. That saved him the trouble? the pain? of actually saying the words. My voice was calm, smooth, matter-of-fact. I turned away from him, then started to make the bed, keeping my hands busy, plumping the pillows, pulling up the comforter, brushing out wrinkles. Doing anything but looking at his face. I couldn't do that. That would be too much.

He paused, watching me for a few minutes. " ... yeah. I have. At least ... for the time being."

I shrugged and straightened up, finished. "Well. I knew you would. It's what you wanted." Now there was nothing left to plump or smooth on the bed. Roll a coin on the surface, it would roll off the other side, it was perfectly flat. I snagged my sweats from my end of the bed and a towel from the tall basket and walked past him to the hall door, sighing. "I'm going to shower. I'll see you at breakfast."

"You don't have to stay ..." His voice followed me then trailed off into silence.

My hand was on the doorknob. At that, I froze; slowly, I turned around and stared, unable to keep the full force of hurt incredulity and disbelief from my gaze. How many times did I tell him that Treize said he wouldn't let me go? How many? And yet, he still persisted in believing that 'Sally didn't have to stay?' And how many times did I prove my loyalty to him, only to be rebuffed, rejected, thrown over in favor of Treize? And what about the promise I made to Seiyruu, about protecting his last remaining Child? Now how was I supposed to do that, if I couldn't even get him out of the house?

He didn't get it. Not at all. Not even a little bit. He didn't want to remember what happened to him, he didn't want to remember what I said, and it didn't matter what I did. Nothing mattered. Nothing mattered at all.

We looked at each other for a long moment. Finally I just shook my head, turned and walked out the door, closing it softly behind me.

Showering felt good, but putting on the same clothes for three days in a row, even though they were clean, and again with no underwear, acutely reminded me of my place in the grand scheme of things.

In the long run, does it actually make a difference what you wear?

I scrubbed a small oval of steam from the bathroom mirror and peered at my reflection. A dull, aching blue gaze stared back at me.

No ... it really doesn't matter... but new socks would be nice ...

The door was open to the bedroom Wufei and I had shared. Wufei was gone, of course. Jack stood in the doorway, prancing and panting, making pleased little yips when he saw me. I shooed Jack back inside the room as I went in search of something else to put on my feet. Soft Chinese slippers, their bright embroidered toes peeking out from under the bed, caught my attention.

"What do you think, Jack?" I murmured as I toed them out and slipped them on. They felt wonderfully comfortable and warm, plus they didn't slip on the floor when I modeled them for Jack. "They're not socks, but they look pretty cool, don't they?"

Jack gave both feet an experimental sniff, grunted, then whuffed and wagged his tail.

"Oh, good. I'm glad you approve. Come on - it's time to go downstairs, you old thing." I opened my arms and Jack leaped up like a little supercharged tennis ball. He was soft and cuddly, had tireless energy and seemed devoted. Padding down the hall toward the stairs, I buried my face in Jack's fur, depressed. The irony of my situation wasn't lost on me. Wufei left me flat, but the dog stayed loyal. And I had known the dog for at least a tenth of the time I had known Wufei.

Dogs are loyal, Po. People are fickle.

I walked downstairs with Jack in my arms.

Jack and I were curled up in one of the large, comfortable chairs in the sitting room next to a street side window. I enjoyed watching people walk by the mansion, on their way to and from whatever dealings drew them to this part of town. Many looked terribly officious and busy; some ambled along the sidewalk as if they were tourists who had all the time in the world. Cars trolled up and down the street, both men and women power walked in charcoal gray suits, turned into their cell phones, buses ran every ten minutes or so, younger men lounged at the outside café on the corner ... the activity was stimulating. I longed to be outside with them.

"Excuse me..?" I leaned over to one of the Specials on guard near me, smiling.

"Yes?" His reply was gruff and to the point.

"I was wondering ... these windowpanes ...I can see the people on the street - can they see me? Or are they tinted, so that I can see out, but they can't see in?"

He just stared at me with his strange, unblinking, I'm-a-Special-and-you-can't-fool-me look. No sense of humor whatsoever. Ugh.

Undaunted, I kept prodding. "Um .. well? Are they? Are the windowpanes tinted? Maybe they're tinted bulletproof glass, hmm? Or ... how about this - maybe, if someone sees me from the street and decides to shoot me, you're supposed to throw yourself in front of the bullet to save me. Am I right?"

Specials really didn't have expressions, but if they did, I'd call his very close to annoyed. "Ma'am, that's classified information. I'm not authorized to discuss it with you."

Oh, ho, SOMEone has their shorts in a knot. Good, good, good, I shouldn't be the ONLY one around here who was put out. Snorting a little in amusement, I turned back to Jack and said sweetly, "Oh, well, never mind, then. I was just curious, that's all."

"Ah, Sally, there you are! Good morning - it's such a lovely day. "

My head drooped toward Jack and I sighed. Hide and seek, hide and seek. Congratulations, you found me, aren't you clever.

Good morning , Treize," I said unenthusiastically, not looking up, curling around Jack protectively and petting him a little more. I spoke to you. Now go away. Leave me alone. I hate you.

"Sally, I do hope you don't mind, but I've taken the liberty of setting up a shopping expedition for you."

He wanted me to look at him; he expected me to look at him. Hell, now I had to look at him. Leaning back, still rubbing Jack, I replied mildly, "Oh, really?" I could pretend interest with the best of them.

Treize looked smug, pleased with himself and the world. He nodded. "Yes, in fact I have. Lady Une is here, and I thought the two of you could go shopping today." He paused for a moment, waiting for me to say something. When I didn't - the shock and horror of having a shopping expedition set up with a vacuous, empty-headed Une was enough to stun me into silence - he continued. "Now, I know that Lady Une is not your favorite person; however, she is ...ah ... harmless at present. AND she has good taste. I believe that you and she will get along famously."

Well, isn't that just like Treize. Kind and considerate, having me lunch with lunatics. I so love shopping with people who are certifiable psychos.

Finally, my jaw unfroze so I could speak. "Oh, I'm sure we will," I replied, my tone bland, giving him the most insincere smile I could muster. "It sounds lovely. May I bring my dog?" ... so he can gnaw through my throat and put me out of my misery ...?

"Of course you may. The complex is all outdoors."

One more longing look outside, to the freedom of the streets. Not for you, Po. Those days are gone. I rose from the chair and untangled my feet, holding Jack close, and kept my gaze averted.

"Well. It sounds as if everything's settled to your satisfaction, Treize. I had better take care of Jack's needs before we leave, hadn't I? He needs to eat, and then he'll need to go outside - won't you, puppy?" My voice sounded high and false, giving everything away, but there was nothing to do about it now. I scratched Jack's head as I adroitly stepped around Treize and headed for the kitchen as quickly as was proper without running. "When does Lady Une want to leave? It makes no difference to me."

"Anytime is fine." I heard his footsteps following me across the foyer and into the kitchen. I moved faster, looking for Jack's food and food dish. Leaning down, I plopped Jack out of my arms and snatched his food dish from the floor in one fluid motion, then made a beeline over to the sink to wash it out.

"Great," I said, expressionless, busying myself with washing and drying the dog's dish. Busy, busy, busy, just keep moving, right out of range. "I'll just feed Jack now and -"

"Sally." Treize came up from behind, spun me by my shoulders and caught my hands, keeping them still in his. His voice was gentle as he continued. "This isn't some sort of punishment. You have no clothes, Sally. You need them. I know how it is to be without your dignity."

I drew back, angry and astonished; he knew what? He allowed the situation to continue for how long? three freaking days? and now he's Mr. Sympathetic, saying he knows how I feel?

"Is that a fact?" I yanked my hands away, glaring, then poured new food into Jack's bowl and placed it on the floor, trying hard not to shake or scream. Yeah. Like hell he knows how I feel.

Jack whuffed at me, wagging his tail, then trotted right over to his food and started eating. Stepping back, my arms folded across my chest, I watched Jack eat his puppy chow and ignored Treize, silent and resentful.

Well, well - your Jack got what he wanted, my evil little voice noted with acerbic interest. And look - Wufei got what he wanted, which is why he came here in the first place. Treize got what he wanted when Wufei came back. What about you, Sally Po? Does that mean all you wanted were clean clothes and underwear? Is that why you came to Luxembourg?

It was mean and cruel and sarcastic, but my inner voice was right again. I was a fool to ever come back here. I had just thrown my life away, and for what? Clean clothes and underwear.

"Yes, it is. I do know, Sally." Treize said, his voice soft. "I won't allow dishonor like that in my house, especially not of people for whom I care a great deal."

The funny thing was, he really seemed to believe what he said. Maybe that's what made him such an effective leader - the fact that he was capable of believing his own lies and deceit. I didn't care anymore. I was beyond all that. The only thing I wanted to do was get out of his house, out of his presence, just OUT of there the quickest way possible.

"Really," I snapped back. "Well. Thanks so very much for the sentiment, but you're a little late. You've already allowed it for the last three days May I take my dog outside now?" I was standing on the opposite side of the kitchen, next to the garden door. Of course I didn't believe him.

"Yes. Really." Treize walked toward me, watching me carefully. "And yes, you may take Jack outside." And please don't assume that everything Taru told you was true. He has a tendency to ... equivocate.

"Well ... thank you, Treize ..." Damn! Every time Treize dropped into my head and spoke to me, I felt confused. I blinked, staring up at him, the anger and fire I had for him pushed away, tossed into the background. ...um ... what? ... who?

Trowa, Sally. Trowa's real name is Taru. Didn't he tell you?

Jack whuffed at me, then at Treize, then at Wufei who had just walked into the room, telling everyone that he had finished his breakfast. His tail, waving behind him like a flag, followed him from as he trotted from person to person and then to the kitchen door, obviously showing everyone what he wanted to do.

Trying to process several things at once, I dangled my hand at my side and called, "Come on, Jack, let's go out ...," feeling puzzled and mystifiedI didn't move from my spot in front of the cabinets, still looking up at Treize. Well ... no ... he didn't tell me. Taru is his REAL name?

Yes, Sally. Taru is his real name. "Trowa Barton" is the name of a young man who died years ago; Taru took his identity.

But he ... wait. He didn't tell me that -

Treize raised one eyebrow and snorted softly. Of course he didn't. Why would he bother? He's a Fate - he's not in it for YOU -

At that, a Special appeared at the entrance to the kitchen. "Sir? Lady Une is here for you?"

"Yes, thank you," Treize replied, nodding. Turning back to me, he bent down and murmured, "Take your time, Sally. She will wait until I say it's time to go, you know that." Patting my shoulder, he gave me an encouraging smile and walked out of the kitchen.

"Lady Une! It's wonderful to see you - thank you so much for coming ..." His voice trailed away as he moved toward the front of the house.

I sighed and stared after him, still feeling very ... odd. Trowa lied to me? - or, more to the point, just didn't give me all information?

"Rowwowwowwowwww!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, yes, all RIGHT, all right. Let's go. I did say we'd go out."

"Woof!"

Jack actually bounded into the garden, looking like he was a doggie-on-springs. As he ran around, dug in and around the roses and generally created mayhem, I started thinking - why wouldn't Trowa tell me the truth? And really, who should I believe - Trowa, or Treize, or perhaps neither one? Either one could be telling me half-truths and I wouldn't know the difference.

I really hated this. I felt like I was being used by everyone, and I didn't even know why.

"Time to go in, Jack! Come on, boy, let's go!"

He bounded up immediately, circled me and jumped up once, wriggling and barking.

"Okay, okay, you cute thing, let's go - and you're going to be nice to Lady Une. Got it?" I rubbed his head affectionately. He pushed against my head and licked my nose, agreeing, I hoped.

"Good. Let's go."

I stood at the entrance of the main sitting room with Jack in my arms, staring back at Wufei, Treize and Lady Une, and sighed. We were such a nice, dysfunctional, non-traditional family.

"Hello again, Sally Po! It's so good to see you. Isn't it marvelous? Today, we will go shopping together!"

Good Lord why did he DO this to me...

"Oh, yes, Lady, I'm looking forward to it. It should be ... such fun." I sank down across from Sparkly herself and gave her a thin, unenthusiastic smile, thinking of what spending a day in her company was going to be like. Death. It was going to be living death. She was a brainless bimbo, and I was stuck with her for the entire DAY. Oh, yay.

Treize glanced at me, raising one eyebrow. Wufei sat back and watched everything, studying our reactions. I kept Jack in my lap, petting and scratching him, thinking we'd probably be out forever if Treize had his way.

I'm sorry about this, Sally, but it would be inappropriate for me or any man to go with you. This city can be ... oddly old fashioned about such things.

I ignored the Treize-voice-in-my-head. I wasn't talking to him. He had engineered this entire situation, and I didn't believe his "I'm-so-sorry" routine for a moment.

"You don't mind if we bring my puppy with us, do you, Lady Une?" I asked, keeping my tone sympathetic and looking at her with large, sad, wounded love-me-love-my-puppy eyes.

Une's eyes widened appreciably. "Oh ... well, of course not, Sally ... if I may c-call you that ..."

"But of course, Lady Une." I recognized immediately she was terrified and decided to try and put that fear to rest, if possible. "Please do call me Sally. And Jack's a very sweet dog. Puppy, really, as he's not fully grown at all. He won't bite you. The worst thing he'll do is get you all wet by licking you all over because he's just SO friendly. Right, Jack?"

In response, Jack looked up at me, whined and woofed a little, cocked his ears up and looked completely adorable.

"Ooohh..." Une sat straight up, a smile frozen on her face, her eyes even wider, if possible.

Saaa, Sally, you're being VERY mean. She can't handle you in this condition. Treize, however, looked much too amused to stop me.

Rising from my chair, I held Jack in my hands and stood near Une. "Don't worry, Lady," I said earnestly. "I'll keep him with me, away from you. You'll only need to touch him if you wish to, all right?"

"Of course, Sally!" Lady Une nodded, smiling a little, not looking comforted at all.

I blinked at Une, trying to look contrite, sorry that I was scaring the poor woman; we smiled, trying to mutually reassure each other, nodding. Then I shot Wufei a side glance as I dipped my head into Jack's fur - HAH! - then it was back to looking at Une and being sorry and earnest and gee we'll work this out ...

Treize was definitely amused, Wufei looked close to being amused, and Une looked petrified. She wasn't reacting well to this type of closeness at all.

...didn't anyone tell her that it's better to FACE your fears than hide away from them? ...

"Well, I'm sure you ladies would like to start your shopping expedition," Treize said, standing. Smiling, he walked over to me and said, "Here you go, Sally - let me give you what you'll need for today." He stopped in front of me and started counting out money, slowly and carefully, eyeing Jack.

I noticed that immediately, and tightened my hold on him. I - I can take Jack, can't I, Treize?

Sally - what did I say before?

You said - you said yes ...

He gave me a soft smile, still counting. Then you don't have to ask again. Don't worry, Sally. Your place is assured. Even if it wasn't - I like you. I'm not going to harm you.

I peeked up at him, unsure.

It is true that I am not human, but that does not make me your enemy.

"Here we go - oh, wait. I'd best count this again."

What was he doing? I watched him count the same stack of money again, but I wasn't really watching. I was trying, desperately, to figure out what he was trying to do, or trying to lead me to do.

I - well - no ... I suppose just because you are not human does not make you an enemy. But - but - but Trowa isn't human, either.

Technically ... neither is Wufei. Not completely, at any rate. Think about it as you go, Sally. And please - try not to upset her unduly. I don't really want to give Une need for further medication. I try to take care of her without restricting her too much. You will rarely see "evil Une" these days. I do believe I'm succeeding in healing her, or at least, making her usable to society. If she DOES go odd, you will tell me, ne?

Blinking, I looked up at him, feeling confused. Well ... yes, all right. I will tell you, as you wish.

Thank you, Sally. "There we go. Now, don't worry about how much you spend. If you need more, simply tell Lady Une. She has my card and my authorization, so you should have no problems. And if you do, feel free to call me." He smiled at both of us. "Now, on your way!. Your driver is waiting outside."

As we walked to the front door, Treize handed me a collar and leash for Jack, winking. Have fun, Sally.

I glared at him, took the leash and collar and snapped the band around Jack's neck. As Lady Une and I walked down the steps to the waiting car, I tossed my head at Treize, thinking, Hah - have fun, indeed ... he's not fooling ME, not for one second ...

Lady Une and I traveled into downtown Luxembourg, to some of the finest stores in which to shop. At one time, Luxembourg had been a small, tiny country, very provincial, flanked on all sides by Belgium, France and Germany. Its size had not changed but its provincial air had definitely changed, especially since Treize chose to make one of his headquarters there. A large military presence and a burgeoning spaceport essentially wiped out any intimate, small town feeling. Now Luxembourg was cosmopolitan and had boutiques and shops to rival Milan and Paris. Lady Une was a surprise as well; not only did she know that, but she proved to be knowledgeable about the latest fashions and trends, and decided that I was to be her next 'project.'

"Oh, yes, Sally, you'll look absolutely darling in some of the new outfits this year!" she enthused. "Your figure is perfect, and your hair - well, my goodness, we'll just unbraid all that glorious hair, and then we'll see - " She immediately reached for my hair, intending, for all I knew, to stick her fingers where they didn't belong and start doing what she just said.

"UnBRAID it?" I squeaked, pulling my head away, nearly forgetting my promise to Treize not to unduly upset Une. Jack growled when he heard me raise my voice and showed all his teeth to Une

That, unfortunately, was a mistake. When she saw Jack, the poor woman leaped back against the seat cushions as if shot and nearly fainted with fright. A far cry from stoic Une, who would have simply taken out her gun and shot Jack between the eyes.

"Jack - Jack, be nice, don't do that!" I scolded, pushing him down on the floor of the car. He whimpered, but was quiet. "And Lady? Lady Une, are you all right?" I fanned her and leaned over. "Please, Lady, Jack meant no harm. I didn't, either. I was just surprised. No one's ... ah ... offered to ... well ... 'play' with my hair for a very long time." I winced a little, looking at her. "If you'd like to do it, you may ..."

At that, she perked up a little. "Really, Miss Po? Sally? You wouldn't mind? Because, actually, I think your hair is quite lovely, and should fall around your shoulders, not be restricted by those horrid braids you so fancy ..."

I sighed, steeling myself. It was going to be a long, long, day. "Yes, Lady Une. Go ahead ... please."

Other things were going to happen when Une and I were shopping, that much I knew. At the very least, I knew that Treize wanted us out of the house so he could be alone with Wufei. I wasn't stupid. All that stuff that had happened the previous day, everything else that I had felt? Of course that had been Treize. My hair doesn't just stand straight up on my arm on its own, and I don't - feel - those kind of feelings without SOME kind of provocation, whether I've seen something, or listened to something, or ... well ... whatever. But I hadn't, and yesterday they had hit me like a freight train and kept coming at me, again and again and again. It didn't take me long to figure out they were generated by Treize and all pointed, very directly, at Wufei. I simply happened to BE there. In the way.

And then, today, Wufei told me he had made his decision. He was staying with Treize. And look, today I was going shopping with Une. Coincidence? Some might say so. I didn't think so. Now there was no one to BE in the way, and everything could be extremely private.