Sorry about the wait! Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy it. And remember, authors' are praise driven. The more reviews I get the easier and faster the chapters come…..

And as always, don't own, so don't sue! I just borrow the GW boys and let their true personalities run wild!

Look What the Cat Dragged In

Heero paced back and forth, wearing a hole in the carpet at Quatre's house. He had come right here when Duo didn't show up for the rest of his classes that day. Of course, Relena cornering him in the cafeteria didn't help matters. She had informed him that she had last seen the braided boy with Odin Bernett. He rose to his feet and left the cafeteria, tired of looking at the girl's smug, self-assured face. Hilde caught him in the hallway and succinctly explained everything that had happened between Duo, Odin and Relena. She'd scurried away at the dark, royally pissed-off look on the cobalt-eyed boy's face. Fortunately for the girl in pink, Trowa, Quatre and Wufei had followed him out and prevented him from doing something that he'd regret later.

They had gone looking for their friend, searching every nook and cranny they could find, and found no sign of the braided boy or the interloper who had come to his rescue. That really raised Heero's hackles and by the end of the day, he was in a near panic. Mr. Winner and the police had been informed and they had an ongoing manhunt. All his family and friends could do is wait, and Heero Yuy wasn't a patient man.

Quatre raised his head and looked toward the door. He then rose to his feet and hurried to it, a brilliant smile lighting his features. Duo stepped through the door, followed by a taller, much older man, Odin Bernett and a man that could only be his brother. The braided boy's face was covered with drying tears and he held on to the blonde man's hand tightly. He looked happy and at peace, a soft smile gracing his tearstained face.

"Hey, guys," Duo said when he was far enough in that the door could be closed. "This is my uncle Solo: he's my mom's older brother and until today I thought he was dead."

Heero walked over to his boyfriend, grabbed his braid and pulled him into a tight embrace. He nearly missed the three other men reaching into their jackets, most likely for weapons hidden there. He pointedly ignored the possible threat and squeezed the stuffing out of Duo.

"Baka," he muttered into one delicate, shell-shaped ear. "Did it ever occur to you to call?"

"Sorry, Hee-chan, but things kinda happened really fast. I mean, Solo's supposed to be dead. Killed on some missionary work or at least that's what Owen used to say." He canted his head to one side and a serious look crossed his features. "But that bastard is a known liar, isn't he?"

"Yeah," Heero growled. "C'mon, let's get you upstairs and you can rest. Then we'll worry about getting you something to eat."

"Hee-chan, I'm not really all that hungry, we had pizza before coming here and I'm stuffed." He gave the serious boy an impish look. "They say teenagers eat a lot, but I've never seen anyone eat more than those three! They each had an entire pizza all to themselves and they finished what I couldn't from mine."

Solo watched as his nephew walked away with the boy who had stolen his heart. He turned his attention back to Zayeed Winner. He gave the man a serious look and then glared at Relena, letting her know that he knew all about her nefarious plans for the braided boy. "Mr. Winner," he finally said. "I think we need to talk about things. Is there a place that we can go where we won't be interrupted?"

"Of course, if you'll follow me to my study," he answered, moving toward the room. He stopped and looked at his only daughter. "I think it's time for you to start your homework, Relena. Go to your room and when I'm done here, we'll have a nice long talk, okay?"

"Yes, father," she responded, her heart sinking to her knees. She was in trouble and knew it. She started toward the stairs then changed her mind, stepping over to Heero and placing a hand on his arm.

"Heero," she whispered, her voice shaking.

"Get out of my sight!" he growled, pulling his arm away. "Right now I don't want to see you!"

"But Heero," she whined. "I thought….."

"Just go to your room and get out of my sight," Heero snapped, making sure that he stood between her and Duo. "You threatened Duo, you and the rest of your posse chased him away from the school, putting him in danger, and now you want to whine to me about how mean I and what a slut he is. It's not going to happen. Right now I'd rather marry a pig than you!"

"You know," Duo broke in, "that's legal in a few states."

"Didn't father tell you to go to your room?" Quatre asked, looking pointedly at her. "I think right now, you should follow his request. If you don't, it might not be good for you."

"And what about me? What about my feelings and dreams?" she demanded. "I've always dreamed about marrying Heero Yuy, having a family and a house all decorated in pink. Now those dreams are crumbling to dust all because of HIM!" She turned on her heels and stormed up the stairs, stopping only once at the top of the stairs to flip the group below off.

The boys stood there until they heard her door slam shut. Trowa chuckled, breaking the tension in the air. He wrapped an arm around Quatre and started to head into the kitchen.

"C'mon," he said over his shoulder. "While the adults are discussing the whole situation, we'd better finish our homework."

"You go ahead, we'll be right there," Heero called after him. He drew Duo into his arms and kissed him deeply, savoring the sweet taste of his mouth. He pushed their bodies against one of the walls and commenced to devour those sweet, soft lips.

"Hee-chan," Duo moaned. "Dontcha think we should take this upstairs?"

"Hn."

Zayeed led the three older men into his study. The one calling himself Solo made him more than a little nervous. The trio looked nothing like missionaries and he hadn't missed the movement of all of them toward the insides of their jackets. He got the feeling that there was something more going on than met the eye.

The one called Solo sat in one of the chair opposite the desk and waited patiently for the Zayeed to sit in his chair. The other two arranged themselves on either side of him, right hands grasping left wrists; like members of the Secret Service. The almost military pose put the man on alert.

"Mr. Winner," Solo broke into his thoughts. "I'm Solo Maxwell, Duo's uncle. We've just gotten back into the States after being in several different countries and out of communication with our families. Imagine my surprise when I went to Detroit and found that my sister and her family were living here. We get here only to find that my sister is dead and my nephew was being whored out by his father. That does not make Solo a happy boy."

"I'm sure that your surprise is no weaker than mine," Zayeed responded, his hands clenching and unclenching with the frustration he felt. "Duo is a very dear friend to my boy, even saved him from being raped by O.J. and there is nothing that my family won't do to correct the errors made by his father." He gave the three men a rueful smile. "Well, most of my family. It seems that both your nephew and my only daughter are fighting over the same man; and Duo's winning."

"Yeah, Odin told me what happened at school. If you want to hear it he's got it on tape."

"No thank you," Zayeed responded. "I am just now realizing what a spoiled brat I've raised. I'm sure that her mother is turning in her grave." He sighed and looked down at his hands.

"We all make mistakes, Mr. Winner. That's why they make pencils with erasers. Unfortunately, you can't easily remove poor parenting in an instant."

"I don't think that you came here to talk to me about my daughter. Or that isn't the whole reason you're here."

"We needed to bring Duo back and I wanted you to meet me and the Bernett brothers." He pointed to the taller, older one of the two. "This is Odel and the one on my left is Odin. I've assigned Odin to the task of watching over Duo and his friends. I wouldn't put it past Owen to hurt my nephew by injuring or killing one of his friends. And since you've fired him, your family is now a target also."

Zayeed closed his eyes and blew out a frustrated breath. "That's something I was afraid would happen. I thought I knew Owen, but I guess that I really didn't. How could I have worked with the man for the last six years and not seen what kind of a person he truly was. All I saw was the mask that he wore for business." He looked at Solo and gave him a sharp smile. "You, I know, aren't a missionary. No man of God is that quick on the draw. And when Heero accosted Duo I saw the movements toward the inside of your jackets. Now, do we have to dance around the truth or are you gentlemen going to tell me the truth?"

Solo threw back his head and laughed. "I guess that I should have expected that. You're a very sharp man, Zayeed Winner." He steepled his fingers in front of his face; studying the man who had taken his nephew in. "We are mercenaries and have been fighting in various conflicts all over the world. That's why my sister couldn't get a hold of me. We're black ops and most of our missions are top secret."

"Are you going to take Duo away from us?"

"No, things will go on as they have been. Duo needs to finish school and we never know when we're going to be called back into battle. The only thing I can promise is that if I'm called away, Odin will stay here and help to protect the boy. At least until Owen is taken back into custody." He held out his hand to the man. "Is that a deal?"

"It's a deal. And thank you."

"You're welcome," Solo responded, standing up to leave. "I can assume that you'll take care of your daughter and her attitude?"

"Don't worry; I'm planning on having a very long talk with Relena as soon as you gentlemen leave. Duo will be safe from her."

"Then we'll leave things in your hands. C'mon you two, let's head out."

"Yes, sir," both brothers responded together. The three men headed out toward the front door and Zayeed could hear them talking to the boys, telling them goodbye and then the front door opened and closed. The older man sighed with relief. At least Duo would be safe from his father with Odin hanging around the school. Safety from Relena would be an entirely different matter. He would rather deal with a hundred thousand corporate raiders, than one spoiled broken-hearted teenaged girl.

'And how did she get so spoiled?' he asked himself as he headed up the stairs. 'Yes, yes shut up self!'