AN: Much love to Animechan123! Hope you enjoy your holiday trip! *huggles!*

Waking Up In Vegas

Chapter Twelve

As the sound of the revving engine died away into the distance, six people stood in shocked awe and confusion at what had happened.

Duo stared, shocked and angry, at the place where the blond had just been standing. His mother's hands were clasping at his his shoulders, as if to keep him from following. Under her fingers, his muscles trembled with suppressed rage, but he did not move.

"Who the hell does he think he is?" he growled, even while noticing that his father was next to Wufei, ready to step up should the need arise. Hilde was blinking, tears in her sapphire eyes, a hand over her mouth.

Trowa was just standing there, dumbfounded; his emerald eyes held confusion, worry.

How had his gesture been taken so wrong? He hadn't meant to insult Quatre, or make him angry... he *liked* Quatre. He'd wanted to help him, to give him a gift of sorts. He'd just wanted to help.

And now... whatever chance he'd had at trying to make a relationship work was gone. Quatre was mad at him... as mad as Midii had been.

Duo looked at Trowa... suddenly knowing full well the dangerous tilt Trowa's thoughts had taken.

"No," he said, jerking away from his mother, moving to stand in front of his taller 'brother'. "No, don't you dare start thinking that way, Trowa Barton!"

Trowa blinked. "Duo... but I..."

"No, I said. I will not let you kill yourself inside over him. He's not worth it! No-one is!"

"But... After Midii... I just wanted... I thought I could make it work..."

Trowa was still shell-shocked. He'd completely blew it.

Duo wrapped his arms around his friend. "No," he said yet again. "I understand, Trow, I do. I just don't want to see you hurting."

Cecilia nodded, and stepped up to them.

"He's right, Trowa. None of us want to see you hurting. But this is just a squabble. Every couple has them. Yours are bound to be different... this whole *relationship* is different. Come on, I'll take you home."

Duo wanted to protest, but Hilde and Howard held him back.

"Let him go, Duo," Hilde whispered. "He needs to learn for himself."

Cecilia took Trowa's hand in hers, silently leading him away.

Several long minutes later, Cecilia watched as Trowa exited the truck.

"Trowa... my son..." she told him softly, "Be careful. We all love you, and I believe you need to do some hard thinking about your life right now. Just remember, all might not be lost. He did say 'yet'...."

Trowa stared as his 'mother' drove away, then he dropped right down onto the front steps... Quatre had said "you're most definitely not my husband.... yet..."

Maybe... maybe there was hope after all.

Quatre walked behind Delana quietly. The woman had been unusually silent, so he didn't dare speak. She'd pulled the motorcycle off the main road just before town, kicking gravel down an old dirt road before sliding to a stop in a small open area overlooking a pristine pasture edged by a dense verdant forest. A beautiful, lazy-day sight. Quite romantic, Quatre thought. Much too serene, but it completely fit the angst-filled air that hung about them.

Delana climbed a boulder and sat, looking out over the forest and fields below her, arms wrapped around one knee, which was brought up to her chin.

"When I was fifteen, I came up here with my boyfriend, Darien," she said, her voice soft, but carrying in the wind. "I was just a kid, but I thought I loved him. But he... he wasn't who I thought he was. That night, he tried to rape me."

She paused, but Quatre didn't say anything, simply standing there, behind her, and a little below her... his feet still planted firmly on the ground.

"I told him no, but he wouldn't stop." She trailed her fingers along the smooth gray stone underneath her. "Against this very stone, he lay on top of me, his hands trying to take off my jeans. So... I kicked him." She chuckled. "I kicked the living shit outta him, actually; right in the balls. All about two minutes before Trowa showed up, because everyone was wondering where I was. I was completely able to take care of myself... and yet Trowa back-handed the guy hard enough to make him need to go to the hospital. Trowa's not *like* a brother to me. Trowa *is* my brother. Just like Duo... in some ways, maybe even more so."

Quatre took a step forward, one foot lifting up off the ground bracing on the stone.

"Delana.... why are you telling me this?"

She sighed. "Usually, I try not to get involved in Trowa's love life. My philosophy is that you need to learn all the little things along the way. That's how love grows. But... I don't think you two had much time to learn any little things while drinking and partying, right?"

"I honestly don't know..." Quatre whispered. "We were both so drunk we can't remember a thing."

Delana nodded, filing that information away for later. "The thing is, Quatre. Trowa has this *need*. This desire to protect, to take care of things... people. Cathy had to take care of him, and vice-versa. It's... compelling for him. He *has* to. If you want to even think of making some kind of... relationship... work with him, you need to know that. He's going to protect you, whether you need it or not... whether you want it or not. That's his nature. He's like a mother hen."

Quatre smiled at the comparison. "My nature... is independent. My sister describes me as a social creature, but different than the others. I'm a leader, Delana. Not a follower. I don't allow people to make my choices for me. And I don't like people interfering in my life."

Delana turned bright violet eyes to him. "Quatre... everyone and everything interferes with your life. It's who and what you *accept* into your life that matters. You don't have to be a 'follower' to allow someone into your life, to hand over just a shred of control to them. You can be a leader, and co-exist with someone peacefully. I'm not sayin' it'll be easy or anything... it'll most definitely be difficult, but that's what makes it special. You... you're like a hawk. Fierce and independent, flying high. Trowa... Trowa's more like a wolf-mother. Strong, vicious, but gentle to it's pups."

Quatre took that final step up, onto the boulder, before dropping down to sit beside her. "Beautiful analogy."

"Trowa's a beautiful person," she replied. "On the inside. And I think you might be, too. But, Quatre, be careful with him. He doesn't show it much, or often... but he's still broken on the inside. One day, if you care to stick around that is, you should get him to tell you about Midii."

She fell quiet again, and eventually, they got back onto the motorcycle, Delana driving at a more sedate pace back on into town, to Trowa's house. From his vantage point on the back of the 'cycle, Quatre could make out Trowa's lean form sitting on the front steps. Emerald eyes followed his every move as Quatre nervously got off the bike, removing the helmet and handing it back to the girl.

She caught his hand as he went to move away.

"Quatre..." she said, indigo eyes searching his. "Be careful with my brother's heart, okay? Wolves and hawks.... both of them mate for life..."