~Hilde~

"Wow Duo that was fast…" I turned and froze as Heero stepped through the door, followed by Wufei and finally Duo following sheepishly behind.

"Hey Hilde, sorry, didn't get there. But look what I found scuttling around in the gutter."

"Scuttling indeed." I glared at Heero.

What was he doing here? He abandoned Duo for the Peacecraft brat and Duo had accepted his choice and come back to make his own life.

What kind of twisted game was Heero playing at?

"What are you doing here?" I asked

"They're on a mission. They'll just be staying a little while." Duo placated.

"And sleeping WHERE exactly?" I pointed out. I had a small room off the back of the office and Duo's bunk was above the office desk. The only other piece of furniture we owned was a ragged couch and a kitchen table with mismatched stools.

"They've slept in worse places." Duo chuckled.

"Well no one's sleeping with me." I growled.

"We can settle ourselves." Heero again. Ugh! That guy made me so mad! How dare he show up here!

"Duo. Can I speak with you a moment?" I shot another glare at Heero, "Privately."

"Yeah, um… Make yourselves at home err… whatever." Duo mumbled and followed me out into the scrap yard.

I whirled as the door scraped shut behind us.

"Duo, what are they doing here?"

He did that stupid thing where he holds his hand behind his head and shrugs and tries to laugh it off like it's all some funny misunderstanding. I wasn't buying it.

"I don't know. Really Hilde. They're here on a mission and maybe… maybe it'll be fun. You know. Here I was worried I'd never see them again."

"Duo." My voice softened, "I've been waking up to your nightmares every night for… almost a month now. And it's always his name your screaming when you come crashing awake."

"Yeah but, that's not Heero's fault. You can't hold that against him?" Pain flashed across his amethyst eyes as he said the other pilot's name.

"He made the wrong choice." I muttered, stepping in to wrap my arms around Duo. His arms closed around me and he rested his cheek on my head.

"It was the only choice he had. The princess she, she needed him. Needs him."

"You needed him too."

"Nah. I got you, right?"

There it was, that stupid grin plastered on his face again. But I smiled for him anyway.

"Yeah. You got me, Duo."

Let him hide behind that jester's mask. I'd be there for him when it crumbled.

He deserved for someone to be there.

I let him step away and followed him back into the pieced together trailer we called "the office".