Quatre watched for me every day at lunch time, staring at the door for long periods of time. The nurses said it was weird and wanted to sedate Quatre, but I knew he was just very lonely for master and myself. Quatre liked to be around people, and despite his fears was very affectionate. It was hard for him to be alone, like he was a lot of the time at the hospital because the nurses were so busy. The stark white colors didn't help either, for they seemed to drained the life out of the place. I knew that by coming to see Quatre everyday, by talking to him for several hours, I was letting him know that I hadn't forgotten him, and that master hadn't forgotten him, and that he still had a place to go back to.

"...you will have to tell your master about this eventually," I heard the doctor say as I approached Quatre's room. The door was slightly ajar, and I could see the doctor sitting in a chair, my chair, next to the bed, talking in serious tones to a somber looking Quatre.

"I will, just... not yet. I've been such a bother already..."

"I understand," the doctor said compassionately, handing the blonde boy a bottle of pills. "I can give you this much for now, but your master must buy more when it runs out."

"Thank you," Quatre replied, quickly hiding the bottle in a drawer next to his bed, unlike the other bottles of medicine, which were sitting in plain view on top of the cabinet. I decided it was time to make my entrance and pushed the door open, startling the two occupants. Quatre swiftly covered the traces of shock and guilt on his face, greeting me warmly.

"Heero," he smiled, only it looked a little more strained than usual, "I'm so glad you came."

"I'll be taking my leave now," the doctor said, patting my shoulder as he left. "You take care of him now. He's a good boy," he assured, then left the room.

What a suspicious sequence of events. But I ignored it, for now. The doctor would not give him anything harmful, and Quatre was fairly reliable himself, so I had a hard time believing that it was anything very bad. I wouldn't report him and, without a direct confrontation, there was really no way to make him tell me. So I would wait to see how things progressed.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Better, but I'm still sleeping too much."

"The nurses say your not sleeping enough."

"That's not true. I just wake up when they come in. I can, kind of, tell when they're coming, and it wakes me up."

"Oh. So you are sleeping well?"

"Yes. I'm trying to gain my strength back. I want to go back to master. And I feel bad about making you stay here all day while master goes to parties."

"It's alright, I'd rather be here," I let slip, then instantly knew my mistake.

"Why?"

"You know I hate parties," I covered, but Quatre wouldn't have it. He had the uncanny ability to read people, which he had used on me several times in the last few days.

"What's the real reason?" he asked, and I could do nothing but tell him.

"The master is purchasing another slave," I replied, and saw the implications of this action dawn on him. Quatre, master, and I had formed a relationship that was close and caring, a relationship that was rare among slaves and even rarer between masters and slaves. Another slave, one different from our original relationship, could put everything off. It could force one or more slaves out of the equation, or completely change the scenario.

"I-is he replacing me?" Quatre asked me, his voice shaking slightly.

"No," I assured immediately. The master asked of Quatre's health almost every night, sometimes asking me to send his love before I left. Quatre, I think, didn't believe me about this and thought I was making it up, but master certainly hadn't forgotten him.

"Is he... Is he replacing you?" he asked, the fear still in his voice. My answer was hesitant, and not nearly so convinced. After all, I was the one who had messed up at Master Scrub's party, and who hadn't noticed Quatre's sickness and let it get this bad. Perhaps hurting Quatre had finally pushed master over the edge of what he would forgive me for.

"I... don't know," I replied honestly. There were tears in Quatre's eyes, and he reached out and took my hand. Our bond was special, because a slave is never allowed to have friends, and that was what we were. Quatre spoke no words, knowing that there was nothing he could say to make me feel better, nor to change the situation. Still, feeling the pain he felt for me, knowing someone cared so much, gave me hope.

"When is he coming?" Quatre asked after a long period of silence.

"Tonight," I replied and saw him flinch.

"So soon?"

"Master picked him out yesterday. Apparently he and Master Marcel had an agreement for him to get one of the Duke's slaves. It really doesn't matter. There's nothing to be done now."

"But... surely master won't leave you. You're his first slave."

"Not all masters are so sentimental. It would not be unheard of for the first slave bought to be the first slave to go."

"Stop it!" Quatre snapped, fisting his hands in the sheets. "You can't think like this! Master would never do such a thing to you! He's not that kind of master! Just... Just leave me alone!" he sobbed, and I could see that I was upsetting him, so I quietly got up and left.

At the doorway, he called to me, saying my name as though he was calling for help.

"You-... You'll come back tomorrow, won't you?" he asked, his voice shaking, tears threatening.

"If I can," I replied simply. I wanted to assure him, but I didn't want to have to break a promise. If I were... replaced, then my new master would not let me come see Quatre. If I had a new master. If I were even alive.

I shut the door to Quatre's room with a sense of foreboding. I didn't want to return to master's apartment, but I knew better than to put it off with no where to go. It wasn't late by the collar schedule, but I knew that master was not really adjusted and would go to sleep early if he could. There was a sixty-six percent chance that he was either still out or sleeping.

Chance won out, and when I got in I found that master was, indeed, already asleep, his new slave curled beside him. I padded to the doorway, but couldn't see well enough to tell more than that he was tall and slender. He wasn't extremely close to master as they slept, but their foreheads pressed together, and I could tell that already they were starting to bond.

Standing in the doorway, watching them, I felt like a child looking into a window. I could see what I wanted, but there was a barrier between us. I could see the warmth I craved, but I was so afraid of losing the light from just looking that I dared not move out of the cold. I could not bring myself to enter, so I turned away and walked back to the den.

Once there, I found another dilemma for myself. I was sure that I couldn't enter the bedroom, but I was not sure where I could go. I had never officially been told that I could sleep in the slaves quarters, so there was no saying that master didn't want me to sleep by the door.

Overcome by this indecision, I eventually settled for resting on the couch. It would be close enough for me to hear if master called me, but far enough away that I could block out the sounds if they decided to... become better acquainted.

I allowed myself to sink into the corner of the couch, pulling my legs up and resting my arms on my knees. It was strange. I knew that all the rooms at Collar were kept very warm because of all the naked slaves. So why did it suddenly feel so cold?