Disclaimer - all the usual, they're not mine. I'm doing this for the fun of it...but I do also like getting reviews...!

Note - I'm sorry, this isn't a very enlightening chapter. I just thought that Duo needed a little space to mull over his conversation with Trowa. You'll find out exactly what Trowa said in the next episode, I promise!

The One with All the Celery:

'What would you say this word is?' Zechs wondered, squinting at the shopping list Wufei had given us.

'Could be anything,' I shifted a pineapple, three loaves of French bread and a bag of pastries to one hand and peered over his shoulder. All those calligraphy classes and the guy still can't write legibly. 'It's not cement, is it?'

'What would he want cement for? Anyway, it's written beside all the other vegetables. Do you think that maybe it could be celery?'

'Ick, that's disgusting! Satan´s vegetable! Can't you tell Wu there was none left? Please?'

'Absolutely not,' Zechs declared loftily; scooping up an armful of the vile stuff. 'If he wants celery; then we'll get him celery.'

'You're seriously whipped, you know that? If Wu´s really pissed off, he´s not going to put out just because you buy him a carload of vegetables.'

'Hmm, that could be true.' Zechs mused, glancing down at the list and selecting a bunch of parsnips. Another repellent vegetable, like deformed, albino carrots. This was turning out to be a particularly shitty day and it wasn't even lunchtime yet...

I normally like shopping at our local Organic Farmers' Market, but this was Tuesday (my worst day of the week; the one I circle on our kitchen planner with doodles of flames and fangs and exploding weapons. I have my therapy session on Tuesday afternoon at two o'clock) and this one was running true to form. I'd been woken at four in the morning by the 'phone ringing; another pleading message from Quatre on our voicemail, after which I hadn't been able to go back to sleep. Then I'd had a nasty little session with Wufei before breakfast about how I was treating Trowa.

'Do you think I should get him some flowers as well?' Zechs wondered.

'I think you should stop asking him all those questions about whether Quatre had group sex with the Maganacs. At least when Wu is listening.'

'It's a perfectly reasonable question. Come on, Duo, I'm sure you´ve always wondered what they all got up to together.'

'Actually, no. Unlike you, I don´t spend most of my time speculating about other people´s sex lives.'

It´s a wonder, really, that OZ actually accomplished anything during the war. To hear Zechs talk, they spent most of their time wondering about what the five of us got up together. Quatre in particular, for some reason. Apparently, there was even a series of pulp novels detailing Quat's exploits with the Maganacs at a secret desert base in Arabia, with the plots heavily featuring flying carpets and sex-crazed genies and Quatre infiltrating Oz functions dressed as an exotic dancing girl...

I'd never quite had the heart to tell Zechs that, back during the war, Quat´s idea of unspeakable perversion had been doing it naked with the lights on.

'You're cranky today, Maxwell, aren't you? Is it the usual Tuesday stuff?'

'Everything,' I muttered, feeling just a little bit guilty. I'd sulked in silence while we were in the car, then I'd been sniping at him ever since. 'It doesn't help when you and Wufei start an argument first thing in the morning, and he throws us both out of the house so he can have some 'quality time' with Trowa, without us getting in the way.'

'That was more your fault than mine,' Zechs retorted, attack definitely being his preferred form of defence. ''Fei thinks you should be the supportive, sympathetic one where Trowa's concerned; instead of treating him like it's all his fault.'

'I am not! I'm just...trying to see Quatre's side as well. And you're the one who was asking him all those embarassing questions over breakfast.'

'I was just trying to make polite conversation while you and 'Fei were having your glaring match. He's been friends with you two for years; it seems only right that I should get to know him better.'

'Well, maybe you could start off by asking him something a little less personal than what sexual positions he prefers.'

We'd reached the cash register at this point, and were getting some weird glances from the girl serving. Probably a good time to call a brief truce.

The market has a little cafe - nothing fancy, just a few rickety trestle tables and benches under a tattered awning - but they do the best clam chowder I've ever tasted.

'You want me to go up and order?' I dumped my parcels around the one unoccupied table, fortunately a little way from the others.

'I'll get this one. You stay there and guard the vegetables from any potential celery thieves.'

Yeah, like that's really going to happen.

'I suppose you want your usual? Chowder and a roll.'

'Please. And an iced tea.'

'Predictable as always.' I grinned back at him, mutual apologies offered and accepted. All back to normal.

'So...why won't you tell me whatever Trowa told you yesterday? I assume he did tell you what happened between them.'

We were both about half-way finished when he asked; actually, I was surprised he'd managed to hold off for so long. Patience isn't usually his strongest virtue.

I nodded. Damn. Didn't want to think about what Trowa had said.

'Zechs. Can we please not do this now? It's just - really confusing. And I think - whatever I do - I'm going to end up losing another friend.'

His turn to nod. I know, I should have been glad he wasn't going to press the issue, but instead it somehow made me feel worse; that he felt I needed to be handled carefully.

'You can tell me anything, Duo. You know that. I won't even tell Wufei if you don't want me to. Even if you're determined to defend Winner as usual.'

'I don't know if I am. That's the problem.'

Oh, I'm not quite so blind regarding Quatre Winner as Wufei, and Zechs - and probably everyone else in the known universe - seem to think. Not quite. He probably knows me better than anyone, and he can play me with the same virtuosity that he plays his violin, or the world's press. But he is my best friend. The first real friend I ever had. And I knew, I knew, that there was no way he would have mentioned Heero's leaving unless there he had a seriously compelling reason. It was manipulative; yes, of course I could see that, but I could also see why. Quatre was the one who'd been there for me after Heero, he would never mention that time in my life unless it was necessary, unless he wanted me to know the exact magnitude of the pain he was feeling.

I do realise this sounds insane, but in some freaky weird way, it had made me feel - that he was somehow in control of the situation. That he knew he'd messed up with Trowa, big time, but that he was going to put things right, and they'd be together again, somehow. Even if he had to dredge up my worst moments to convince me how vital it was for me to help him.

The most recent message, the one that was still echoing in my head eight hours later, had been the most painful by far, Quat sounding so broken, so hopeless, like he'd given up.

'Duo? Duo, it's Quatre. I - I'm not sure why you won't answer any of my calls; I suppose you must have talked to Trowa. Duo, please, if he contacts you again, can you just say it's all my fault? All of it. I don't care what he did. I understand. Can you please just tell him I love him? I'll always love him. That's all.'

'Duo, if you don't eat that soon, it's going to be cold.'

'Oh,' I hadn't realised I'd just been swirling my spoon around and took a mouthful. It was already pretty cold, actually; I'd obviously zoned out for quite a while. I ate it anyway; it takes an awful lot to convince me to leave food uneaten.

When I eventually mopped up the last few drops, Zechs was looking at his watch.

'Just after one, Duo. We probably should go, or you'll be late.'