Ratings/warnings: OK (Oz/Kiwi spelling/grammar etc) – PG13 – angst, drama, action, romance, whumping.

Pairings: 3+4, 1x2, 5xR

Summary: A mission goes wrong and Heero and Trowa are missing, presumed dead. Duo, Quatre and Wufei refuse to believe it and plan their own mission, but will they be too late?

Author's note: Written for the Moments of Rapture mission get together contest – non 1x2 section.

Archive: http://dryerspace.fanworkrecs.com/shadesandechoes/protean/protean_wings.html

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Bandai, Sunrise and Sotsu Agency. I promise to return the characters in one piece, more or less, when I'm finished, but hold no liability for any physical injury or psychological trauma sustained by them in my fiction.

Dedication: For Sharon

Thanks to those who beta read, held my hand when I stressed over this, and gave me feedback and constructive crit: Linda, Misanagi, Ruth, Bast, haraamis and Caitlin.

Comments to: anne @ fanworkrecs.com

Lean on Me
by Anne

"He's not dead. He can't be." Quatre looked into Duo's eyes, and Duo flinched at the pain he saw there. "Heero's not dead either, Duo. I'd know, I'd feel it, and I don't."

Duo glanced over at the building they had escaped from and shuddered. Heero and Trowa had been just behind them, but there was no sign of them. He had to believe that Quatre was right for both their sakes.

"Are you all right?" Wufei came to stand beside them. His face was black with soot, his voice full of concern and anger, although he was trying to hide it.

"We're fine," Quatre said in a too calm voice.

/Don't do this, Q./ Duo knew that Quatre was trying to keep functioning. They all had their masks, their own ways of dealing with pain, but he couldn't bring himself to joke about this. Not when his partner, the man he had only just promised to spend the rest of his life with was missing, presumed dead. /Oh God, Heero. Don't be dead. You can't be dead. If you didn't want to go through with the wedding we could have eloped. This is a little extreme, don't you think?/

"Do you remember what happened?" Wufei placed one hand on Quatre's shoulder, another on Duo's. He would be there for them and help in any way he could. Heero and Trowa had...were his friends too.

"The mission was compromised," Quatre replied, not changing his tone, "and our orders were clear. Destroy the premises and retreat. We split into two groups. Duo and I planted our explosives. Trowa..." He stumbled over the name. "Trowa and Heero were to meet us in a pre-arranged location, and we were going to exit the building together, the same way we had entered."

"They were right behind us," Duo said. "Something went wrong with the timer on the explosives." He frowned, knowing he had set it correctly. "The last thing I remember is Trowa yelling. When I woke up the building was burning."

"You, Trowa and I were thrown clear." Quatre examined the ground. "Heero wasn't. Trowa went back in for him. I should have stopped him and gone in myself."

"And then it would be you and Heero missing," Wufei said, "instead of Trowa."

"Yes." Quatre said quietly. He shook off Wufei's hand. "Show me bodies, and I will believe they are gone. Until, then they are still alive. Now if you excuse me, I have a report to write."

"Screw the report," Duo said. "You need a stiff drink. We all do."

"No. I don't." Quatre shook his head. He smiled, and Duo felt a chill run down his spine. "We'll find them. I promise." And with that, Quatre turned on his heel and began walking back towards the shell of the building, ignoring the Preventers guarding the perimeter when they tried to stop him from entering. The whole area had been dampened down, and the fire had burnt itself out very quickly. Safety wasn't an issue, not for an experienced agent and Gundam Pilot, but Duo knew that Quatre would not be thinking of that. This was the last place he had seen Trowa. That was all that mattered.

Duo and Wufei exchanged a glance. "I'll go after him," Duo offered, in spite of his fear that he might find evidence that Heero /was/ dead.

"No," Wufei insisted. "You have your own grief to deal with. I'll go." He pulled Duo into a brief hug. "If they are alive we will find them. Heero has too much to live for, and he is a difficult man to kill. So is Trowa."

"Yeah, they are," Duo whispered, watching Wufei carefully pick his way over the piles of burnt timber. He twisted the ring on his finger, the partner to the one he had given Heero mere days before. At least, wherever Heero was he knew Duo loved him. "Come back to me, baby." He wiped his eyes with the corner of his sleeve. "Please."

"Damn it, Trowa!" Quatre hissed the words under his breath. He kicked at the piece of blackened timber over and over. "Why the hell did you have to play hero? I would have gone back in. I would have died for..."

No! Trowa wasn't dead. He couldn't be. He wasn't allowed to be.

"I haven't told you I love you." Quatre's voice dropped to a whisper. "You're not allowed to die not knowing that."

"I think he knew," Wufei said gently. Quatre hadn't heard him enter what was left of the room. This was the last place he and Trowa had spoken. It was now burnt and blackened, an empty shell like his dreams.

"Wufei." Quatre blinked, trying to clear the fine mist in front of his eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm being an emotional idiot. Give me a few minutes and I'll be okay."

"No."

"Excuse me?" Quatre turned around to look at his friend. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" He immediately felt bad about his outburst. "I'm sorry. That was out of line. This isn't your fault."

"It's not yours either." Wufei walked over to Quatre. "I know you, Quatre. You're blaming yourself for something which is out of your control." He held up his hand before Quatre could protest. "The mission went bad. Our friends are missing." He was quiet for a moment before continuing. "If you weren't reacting like this, I would be more worried. If you don't grieve you won't be of any use to anyone, and I need you."

"Need me?" Quatre shook his head. He didn't feel particularly /needed/ at the moment.

"I don't believe Trowa and Heero are dead." Wufei kept looking at Quatre, his gaze never flinching. "I am going to convince Une to send in a team after them. We know these people have another base of operations. I am not ruling out the possibility that they could have been captured before the building was leveled."

"You do believe it," Quatre said slowly. "I can feel it."

"You're supposed to just know that I'm right and trust in me." Wufei's mouth curved up in a familiar smirk. "But for now, that will do." He laid a hand on Quatre's shoulder and squeezed it. "This team will have to be small, and the best. During the war you helped me to realize the importance of teamwork. A team functions better with all its members and at the moment we are two down. We need to rectify that. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

Wufei removed his hand and began walking towards what was left of the doorframe. Quatre followed more slowly, his mind already working through possible scenarios for the upcoming mission.

"One thing, Quatre." Wufei stopped suddenly.

"Yes?"

"After we have extracted them safely and completed the mission, you will tell Trowa exactly how you feel about him, or I will lock both of you in a soundproof room until you do."

Quatre blushed bright red. "You can't do that!"

"I can and I will. If you get a second chance take it with both hands." Wufei's tone grew serious, almost soft. "I lost someone I cared about and didn't tell her until she lay dying in my arms. Don't make the same mistake that I did."

"I won't." Quatre replied when Wufei was out of ear shot, unsure whether he made the promise to his friend, or to himself. He swayed, feeling something, no, someone, reach out for him, calling him, and he smiled, knowing the answer without a doubt. The promise had been to Trowa.

"I don't believe this!" Duo kicked one of the lockers as they strode past. "How the hell can she refuse this mission? I know she doesn't believe they're dead. Where the fuck does she get off spouting that protocol crap?"

"Duo," Wufei warned.

"It's okay for you," Duo continued. "I bet if it was Relena in there you wouldn't be so calm."

"Duo," Quatre repeated. "We are discussing this elsewhere. Okay?" His eyes were cold. Duo knew that he was pissed as hell about Une's decision.

"Okay," said Duo, giving Une's office door another glare over his shoulder. "But we're doing a damn sight more than just discussing. Heero and Trowa wouldn't just give up on /us/."

Wufei stopped, gave Duo a look that made him shiver and spoke very quietly. "I have no intention of giving up on anyone. I know you love Heero and you're worried about him, but just because he is my friend, and not my lover, does not mean I intend to let him, or Trowa, die." He shook his head and muttered something under his breath. "Don't you dare imply otherwise." And with that he turned on his heel and strode down the corridor towards the exit.

"I wasn't implying that /you/ don't care," Duo mumbled, staring after Wufei. He turned to Quatre. "Guess I owe him an apology." He fidgeted with the end of his braid. Heero always said that touching Duo's braid helped him to stay calm when his emotions threatened to overwhelm him. Although a lot of people thought that Heero was cold and unfeeling, they couldn't have been more wrong. Heero was a very tender, loving man; Duo never would have fallen for him otherwise. He just had issues about trust, big issues, and not just about trusting others, but also himself. He had told Duo once that emotions were like a dam; take your finger out of the hole and you'd be overwhelmed by something both scary and wonderful all rolled into one.

"He'll be okay," Quatre said softly. "He's running on adrenalin and nerves at the moment. We all are." He tried to give Duo a smile but didn't quite manage it. One hand slipped into his pocket, his face twisted in pain, and he took it out again.

"What you got in there, Q?" Duo knew that Quatre hadn't eaten or slept much since the mission. None of them had. For twenty-four hours they had waited for the go ahead for this; twenty-four long hours spent tracking leads and discovering that the assholes' other base of operations was sewed up as tight as Fort Knox.

"Something Trowa gave me," Quatre sighed. "We were going out for dinner after this was over. I was going to tell him how I felt." He put his hand into his pocket again. When he pulled it out there was a piece of metal in his hand, the size of a small coin. "He gave me this yesterday morning and asked me to keep it safe for him."

Duo peered at it. "What is it?" He reached out his hand, wanting to take a closer look. "I'll be careful, I promise."

"It's gundanium." Quatre had gone very still, a slight smile crossing his lips. "He said I'd understand." His eyes glazed over and he rubbed at his chest.

The metal was light and finely polished, two halves joined together, fused together. Turning it over, there was a number engraved on the back.

"Twelve," whispered Quatre. He held out his hand and Duo placed the metal back in it. Quatre turned away from him; there were tears in his eyes. When Quatre spoke again his tone was bright and very business like. "Wufei will be waiting for us outside. We need to go."

"I'll be there in a moment, okay?" Duo replied in a choked voice. He tried to grin but couldn't.

"Sorry," Quatre said. He didn't need to elaborate.

"Don't be." Duo nodded towards the door. "Go tell Wufei we'll be moving out." He paused. "Trowa will be okay, Q."

"So will Heero." Quatre didn't wait for an answer, which was just as well because Duo didn't trust himself /to/ answer.

Instead, he placed a kiss on the ring on his finger, Heero's ring, and followed Quatre out the door.

Quatre lowered his binoculars and frowned. There did not appear to be any activity in the building, and yet he knew from their intelligence reports that two of the leaders of the organisation had been seen on the premises. He sighed. Two years later and the peace they had fought so hard for was still a tentative one. People like these so-called Protectors of the Earth didn't help matters. Their propaganda was dangerous, and their truth a construction of carefully thought out lies. No, that wasn't true. In fairness, there was some truth in their mission statement, but it was so intertwined with the rest, it was virtually impossible to tell the difference.

"Nothing?" Duo crouched down beside him. He growled when Quatre shook his head. "Fucking idiots. Must be keeping to the inside rooms. Not sure we can trust Masterton but it's the only lead we have." He twisted the end of his braid around his fingers.

"I don't trust him." Quatre sighed. "But at the moment we don't have a choice." He rubbed at his chest. "Trowa's in there. I can feel that he's close." He paused, his eyes glazing over before he gritted his teeth. "He's in pain. They both are. If those bastards have hurt them, I will kill them."

"Wait until we've interrogated them, and then you can have what is left." Wufei dropped to his knees and took the binoculars from Quatre. "As much as I'm reluctant to move without more information, I don't think Trowa and Heero can afford to wait while we corroborate the so-called facts Masterton has provided."

"They can't," Quatre agreed quietly. Logically, he knew that they were probably walking into a trap. Something about Agent Masterton had always felt 'off', although there had never been any proof to substantiate it, and Quatre was not about to admit his empathic abilities to Une or anyone else. The other pilots knew about them, and Relena, but he intended the information to stay within that circle of the few people he fully trusted.

"These guys were planning genocide. I doubt killing two more is going to bother them." Duo frowned. "Wonder why they are keeping Tro and Heero alive."

"Bait," Wufei said grimly. "Either that, or they are trying to obtain information from them."

"Torture information from them," Quatre corrected, rubbing at his chest again. "We're going in, but as carefully as we can."

"No blowing the place up or shoving a gun up someone's ass till we're done?" Duo blinked in mock dismay. "Stealthy. I can do that."

"My version of stealthy, not yours." Quatre shook his head. "I doubt we're going to avoid some kind of show down. In fact, I'm rather counting on it. We complete our previous mission /and/ rescue our own." Taking a knife from his belt, he ran his finger down the metal, his voice cold. "This is personal."

"Way personal." Duo glanced at Wufei and they exchanged a look. Quatre chose to ignore it. He could keep the mission and his personal feelings separate. They would get Trowa and Heero out, and depending on their injuries, show their captors just why it was a very bad idea to piss off Gundam pilots.

"I've been trying to work out exactly why they captured Trowa and Heero." Quatre stared at his knife for several more minutes, biting his lip as he remembered the last time Trowa had acted as target practice for Cathy. Although Quatre trusted Trowa's sister, he could never bring himself to watch until after the knives had found their target and he knew Trowa was safe.

"Information, and they were in the wrong place at the wrong time," Wufei said, pulling his gun out, examining it carefully, and putting it back in its holster. His voice was calm, but Quatre could feel the anger radiating off him in waves.

"Something isn't adding up." Quatre replaced his knife in his belt pouch. "The building was on fire. Why stop to grab them? Wouldn't it be more sensible to get out and save yourself and salvage whatever you could? It was their base of operations. Unless..." He paused, thoughtful.

"Unless what?" Duo looked at him sharply. "C'mon, Q. Give. We need all the information we can if we're going to take these bastards down."

"Unless they knew we were coming and had already stripped the place of what they needed." Quatre frowned, not liking the conclusions he was drawing. "We know they want the colonies to be totally independent and think the current peace is just a ploy to lower their defences to allow Earth to take over again."

"But that's bullshit," Duo exclaimed. "It's all about working together now. One people, it doesn't matter who lives where. That's one thing we did achieve." He stopped. "Oh. Fuck."

Wufei raised an eyebrow. "My thoughts were slightly less eloquent, but if you're both thinking what I am, yes." He looked at Quatre. "Are you?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense." Quatre's eyes glazed over for a moment while he attempted to focus his empathic abilities on Trowa. He had always been able to sense him more clearly than the others. Letting out a hiss of pain, he gave their friends a weak nod. "We were instrumental in bringing about this peace they are convinced is false. This mission was an important one; rumours of a bio-weapon would be enough to ensure at least one Gundam pilot on the mission team." There had been theories circulating for years about the identities of the pilots, and that at least one of them, if not all, had joined Preventers.

"Why Trowa and Heero? Why not one of us?" Wufei's brows furrowed.

"Tro went back in, we didn't?" Duo shrugged. "Unless someone recognized him or Heero, or both. Got to be some ex-Ozzies in this lot. We were all captured, except for Trowa. He said he destroyed Deathscythe to stop his cover being blown. It might not have worked as well as he thought."

"They went back in," Quatre said. "We didn't." If only he had gone back in, instead of Trowa, Trowa would be safe.

"So we're probably walking into a trap." Duo's expression was grim. "Nothing like upping the ante. Been a while since we've been able to really go Gundam pilot on someone. Blowing bad guys into little tiny pieces is kind of appealing."

"This is not vengeance," Wufei warned. "This is a rescue mission. Going in there in that frame of mind is dangerous for all of us."

"What frame of mind?" Duo grinned, his expression wide-eyed and far from innocent. "I know exactly what the objective of this mission is, Fei. Just don't get in my way, and I won't get in yours."

"We move out now," Quatre interrupted. The building was still disturbingly quiet. Waiting any longer was not going to achieve anything. He only hoped they hadn't left it too late. If they had, Duo would not get the chance to play chop up the bad guys. No, Quatre had something far more satisfying in mind.

Duo pushed himself back against the wall, peered around the corner, and gave Quatre and Wufei the all clear. Something wasn't right and not knowing was driving him nuts. He couldn't shake the idea that they were expected. Hell, he knew they were. Kind of these assholes to go to all this trouble, but really, they shouldn't have.

Find Heero and Trowa and get the hell out of Dodge. It was a good plan as plans went. Duo preferred having his enemy in his sights and knowing the odds, even if they weren't in his favour.

The building seemed just as deserted inside as it had appeared from the outside. There had been no security, the doors opening immediately. Quatre seemed sure that the other pilots were being held in the centre of the building. It made sense, as it was easier to protect a smaller area, but it also meant they could be stuck like rats in a hole.

Duo looked up at the flash in the corner of his eye. Security camera, hidden, but not quite well enough. Yes, it was a trap all right. /Into the lions den?/ he mouthed, pointing to the camera.

Glancing at each other, and then Duo, Wufei and Quatre nodded. Quatre raised his gun and fired a shot, taking out the camera. "Now the fun starts," he muttered.

It didn't take them long to get through the empty corridor ahead. The door at the other end was locked. Duo made short work of it, while Quatre and Wufei covered him. Entering the room behind the door, they heard a hoarse voice, little more than a whisper.

"Get out! God, get out. It's a trap!"

"Oh God. Trowa." Quatre took a step forward. Duo laid a warning hand on his shoulder, biting down his fear. Heero wasn't there. Where was he?

Trowa was tied to a ring in the wall in front of them, his arms above his head, his feet barely touching the floor. His shirt was ripped, his upper body covered in bruises and dried blood. One eye was swollen shut, the other looking at them, looking at Quatre. "Get out," he hissed. "They're waiting for you. They know you're here."

"I'm not leaving you." Quatre's voice was firm, his look stubborn. There was no point even attempting to argue with him in this mood. "If they know we're here, we'll have to move quickly." He turned to Duo and Wufei. "Go find Heero. He's close. I can feel him. We'll meet you at the door at the end of this corridor. We are not leaving anyone behind."

"I'll help you with Trowa while Duo finds Heero." Wufei met Quatre's look with one of his own.

"No." Quatre shook his head. "You're wasting time. Go." His voice choked, his fingers already pulling at Trowa's restraints. They were shaking. "Please, Wufei. We haven't got time to argue. I'm armed. We'll be okay."

"I heard them talking," Trowa interrupted weakly. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off Quatre. "Heero's in the room next door. They didn't want to risk keeping us together."

"We're collecting you guys on the way back when we've gotten Heero, okay?" Duo started moving out. He could understand Quatre wanting a few minutes alone with Trowa, but that didn't mean he was going to let him take any unnecessary risks. "Do what you have to, and that's it. Not hanging around waiting for these assholes to go for broke. Got it?"

"Got it," Quatre replied absently.

Duo hoped like hell that Heero hadn't been beaten the way Trowa had but knew that hope was in vain. He'd kill these bastards, and make them pay for what they'd done. Get Heero and Trowa out of here and then come back and finish things off properly.

"Trowa," Quatre whispered, the last of Trowa's restraints coming loose at last. "I'm sorry." He caught Trowa as he fell and stroked his face, not caring what Trowa thought.

"It's okay, Cat," Trowa whispered back, placing his hand over Quatre's. "You have nothing to be sorry for." He swayed on his feet. Quatre placed his arm around Trowa's waist.

"We need to get out of here." Quatre shifted, getting a better grip on Trowa. He glanced around the room. It was small, barely bigger than a cell, windowless and dark without the light from the open door. Quatre shuddered. No light and being tied to that damn ring for days would wear down any prisoner, even without the physical abuse Trowa had suffered.

"You shouldn't have come back for me," Trowa kept looking at him. "They want all of us, to make an example of us. They don't know who you are. I wouldn't tell them." He swallowed and then coughed; it was a dry hacking sound.

"There's no way in hell I was going to leave you." Quatre waited for Trowa to stop coughing. "They broke a couple of ribs, didn't they?" He sighed. "I should have been the one who went back for Heero."

"Why?" Trowa shook his head. "I've already almost lost you several times. I couldn't do it again." He paused. "When we get out of here, there's something I want to tell you."

"There's something I need to tell you, too." Quatre started walking them towards the door of the cell.

"Damn it, Cat." Trowa stopped, bent his head, and kissed Quatre full on the lips. Quatre leaned into it, his arms dropping to his side, tasting, no savouring, the touch, wanting it to last forever. His mind told him that they shouldn't be doing this, that it wasn't the time or place, but god it felt good and he'd wanted it for so long.

When they broke apart, both of them were breathless and flushed. "If we don't get out of here, I wanted you to know. I almost left it too late last time. I love you, Cat."

"I love you too, Trowa." Quatre traced Trowa's lips with his fingers. "We are getting out of here. That kiss was only the beginning."

A clapping sound came from the open doorway. They both looked up, Quatre reaching for his gun.

"Use that and my men will kill your boyfriend." A woman stood framed in the doorway, two men standing in front of her, both their weapons trained on Trowa. Even if Quatre could take out one of them, he couldn't stop both at such close range. He let one hand drop to his side, the other arm still supporting Trowa.

She chuckled, her mouth turning up into a smirk. "Mr. Winner. I must say I didn't expect you to be one of the dreaded Gundam pilots. But then, looks can be so deceiving, don't you think?"

"Not always," Quatre muttered. "I'd never mistake you for a lady." He glared at her, his free hand making a fist. She was responsible for what had happened to Trowa.

"Manners." She took a step forward and slapped him across the face.

Trowa growled deep in his throat. "Do that again and I will kill you," he warned her.

"Dead men shouldn't make idle threats." She smiled. Quatre tightened his grip around Trowa's waist, moving to put himself between them. "I must apologise for my lack of manners. You can call me Michelle."

"I'd prefer to call you something else." Quatre didn't see the point in wasting small talk with this woman. "But I won't waste my breath." He was losing his battle to retain his self-control.

"Sensible plan." Michelle nodded to one of the men. "Go see what's keeping Charles. It shouldn't be taking him this long to retrieve our other prisoner." He nodded curtly, walking past her into the corridor and disappearing from view. She examined the paint on her nails. "This will be even better than I anticipated. You've been loud in your support for the Earth Colony Alliance, Mr. Winner, and no wonder. I guess you can't take the Gundam pilot out of the man after all."

Trowa doubled over coughing. The other man lowered his gun. Michelle glared at him. "Keep your guard up. They're dangerous, and we need them. A blood sacrifice is rather fitting, don't you think. Blood in exchange for all the lives you've taken, all the unborn children you've killed to further your cause. Blood to start our own campaign. Karmic justice is just what the Earth deserves. It's time they got a taste of their own medicine."

"You're crazy." Quatre shook his head. The information they had received about the bio-weapon had been linked to population control, but he hadn't wanted to believe it. The low birth rate in space had not been engineered; it was an unexpected side effect from the conditions. It was something he knew about on a very personal level as his mother had died from complications after his birth.

"I am in control," Michelle pointed out. "Put down your weapon." Quatre didn't move. She glared at him and nodded at her associate who took a step closer to Trowa. "Now!"

Lowering his weapon, Quatre kept his eyes on her. "Revenge is never the answer," he said quietly. "There is always another way. Children are innocents. We fought to protect those we cared about; that has never changed."

Where were Duo, Wufei and Heero? Hopefully, they would stay hidden. There was no point in putting all of them at risk. If the Protectors of Earth were planning to use this bio-weapon it was important to discover just how far they had progressed. That information was the priority, no matter how much he wished to make this woman regret what she had done to the man he loved.

"No one is truly innocent." Michelle shook her head. "It's all about the greater good, about sending a message to the people. It is time for we colonists to take back our birthright."

Trowa snorted but said nothing. His breathing was laboured; he was in pain and Quatre was supporting more of his weight the longer they stood there.

"The prisoner's gone!" The man Michelle had sent to look for Charles skidded to a halt. He was breathless, sweat beading on his forehead. "I've searched the immediate area and there's no sign of him."

Sirens roared. Michelle cursed under her breath. "Fuck! The control room." The man holding the gun on Trowa turned towards her.

Quatre released his grip on Trowa, lunged at the gunman, knocking him to the ground, the gun dropping to the floor and skidding across the room. Trowa dived, picked it up and fired it at the man, aiming at his shoulder. He went down, and so did Trowa in a dead faint, still gripping the weapon between his fingers.

"Drop your gun, Winner!" Quatre looked up to see Michelle pointing a gun at him. Damn it. Smiling she moved her hand, her finger tightening on the trigger with Trowa squarely in her sights.

From his position on the floor, Quatre knew he couldn't get to his feet fast enough to stop her. Trowa was unconscious and unable to defend himself, and although there was no way in hell Quatre would allow this bitch to get her hands on him again, logically he knew he was out of options.

A voice came from behind her. "No, I think you need to drop /your/ gun." Wufei stepped into the room. "Shoot either of them and you will die. I promise you that."

"Ah, I'm guessing you'll be another of those scary Gundam pilots." Michelle shook her head. "I suppose I'm meant to be terrified, drop my gun and do what I'm told." Her expression hardened, her aim not wavering. "I can still shoot one of them, so I still win." She laughed; it was cold and sent a shiver down Quatre's spine.

Her finger tightened on the trigger.

"No!" Quatre yelled. He fired. Although he probably wouldn't stop her, he still had to try.

Michelle jerked as the bullet struck her, throwing her shot off-target. It missed Trowa completely, grazing Quatre as it passed. He hissed, looked down and swore, his leg buckling under him when he tried to stand.

Wufei muttered something under his breath. Michelle looked down at her stomach, and lifted her hand. It was covered in blood. "Blood sacrifice," she whispered. "You haven't won, this is just the beginning." She fell, and Wufei didn't move to catch her. "Fucking bastard." He turned his back on her.

"Trowa," Quatre said between clenched teeth. "We need to get him out of here." He edged along the floor until he reached Trowa and pulled him close.

"I need to get both of you out of here," Wufei said, shaking his head. "How's the leg?"

"Hurts like hell, but just a graze." Quatre checked Trowa's pulse, sighing in relief when it was steady. He took a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it down on the wound. "I'll be okay, might be a while before I can put any weight on it, though."

"I'm calling for backup." Wufei already had the phone out of his pocket. "Heero's in about the same state as Trowa. Duo's with him. I've found the information we needed. The idiots left their computer network wide open and were kind enough to make us a handy back up disc too."

Quatre nodded. The room was growing dark; his vision was blurring. He tried to focus, but he felt like he was floating. The cloth beneath his hand felt wet and sticky. "Trowa..."

"Agent Chang, ma'am. Code 301. Proceed with caution. Three agents down, and we need an ambulance."

"I'll leave you two alone now." Relena smiled and stood. "If there's anything I can do, let me know."

"I appreciate you coming to see me," Heero said, leaning back on the pillow, his eyes half closed. He was looking a lot better than he had a few days before, but the doctors said it would be a slow recovery, even taking into account his metabolism. The assholes had really worked him over, and Duo felt proud that Heero had not given them the information they had wanted. The disc they had retrieved from the control room would put all the members of the Protectors of Earth, including Masterton, behind bars for a very long time.

Duo nodded and gave Relena a grin. "He's such a polite guy once he stops threatening to kill you."

"You're a very good influence on him, Duo." Relena returned the grin and winked. "Just make sure you behave yourselves until he's feeling better. It wouldn't do to tire him out before the wedding."

"You got it, princess." Duo squeezed Heero's hand, his thumb stroking his fiancé's ring. They had moved the date of the wedding forward a few months. After nearly losing Heero, Duo didn't want to wait, and Heero agreed. They might have the rest of their lives together, but they both wanted to spend as much of that as they could together; preferably as a married couple.

"Good thing Wufei's finally going to make an honest woman of her," Duo said after Relena left the room. "They work well together."

"Yes, they do." Heero shifted and winced.

"You okay?" Duo frowned. It had freaked him out more than he'd wanted to admit when they had found Heero. Duo had wanted to kill the people responsible but had been forced to admit that Wufei was right. Revenge was not justice, and the movement did not need martyrs to further their cause. It was unfortunate that Michelle had died, but it had been in self-defense.

At least that was the way the report had been worded. After discovering that Michelle had been the person giving the orders, Duo's personal opinion was what she truly deserved was to burn in hell. He could only hope that was where she was now.

But he wasn't going to waste time thinking about that. He had more important stuff to deal with. Heero needed him, and Duo was going to make sure he wanted for nothing.

"As okay as I'm going to be with four broken ribs, extensive bruising and an infected knife wound." Heero's voice was calm and very matter-of-fact.

Duo counted to ten slowly in an attempt to keep his temper in check. "Fuck, Heero. The doctors said you're damn lucky to be alive. You don't have to downplay your injuries for me. I'm a big boy now."

"I know that." Heero's lips moved up into a smirk. "I'm looking forward to reacquainting myself with that fact once we get home."

"Guess it's my duty as a good boyfriend to make sure all your needs are met."

"Fiancé," Heero corrected. He looked down at his ring. "All the time they were hurting me, I kept thinking about you, about our future together. I told myself that I couldn't die, that I had to be strong for you." He smiled, and Duo swallowed. He loved it when Heero smiled; it said more than words ever could. "I love you. You are my strength, Duo."

Duo leaned over and kissed Heero. "You've always been mine, Heero. I love you too." He lowered his voice. "You need to get yourself strong for me so I can show you exactly how much."

"Moving in together doesn't mean sharing the same hospital room," Trowa said. "One day you will learn not to play the hero."

"I'm fine," Quatre protested, not happy that he was being forced to stay in this place for another day. "It was just a graze." He gave Trowa a look. "Besides, I wasn't the one who went back into a burning building."

"You would have if I hadn't done it first," Trowa pointed out, quite logically. Damn it, Quatre hated it when Trowa did that. "You've also lost a lot of blood and the rest isn't going to do you any harm. If you try to leave I'll tie you to the bed myself."

"Is that a promise?" The words were out of Quatre's mouth before he realised what he had said.

"It might be," Trowa said softly, a hint of amusement in his voice. "I thought you liked being with me."

"I do, but I'd prefer it if we had more privacy." Quatre was feeling frustrated. He and Trowa had finally admitted their feelings for each other, but were now stuck in twin hospital beds unable to act on them. They had stolen a few kisses earlier that morning, only to be interrupted by the nurse on duty coughing loudly in the doorway and telling Trowa off for being out of bed. Yes, they knew they both needed their rest in order to recover properly, but lying in each other's arms and kissing was something they needed just as much. Quatre knew how close he had come to losing Trowa and now that they were together he didn't intend to ever let him go.

"I'd prefer that too, but it's only for a couple of days." Trowa leaned back on his pillows. His bruises were beginning to fade, but they covered a lot more of his body than Quatre had first thought.

Fighting the urge to crawl into bed with him, Quatre shifted his focus to the coin shaped piece of metal in his hand. "Are you sure you don't want this back?"

Trowa shook his head. "It's yours. I had it made for you."

"You asked me to keep it safe for you." Quatre's fingers curled around the smooth metal; it was a piece of Trowa he had carried with him since the original mission, and he didn't want to give it back, but it wasn't his to keep.

"I was going to give it to you over dinner." Trowa was silent for a moment. "I'm not sure why I gave it for you before the mission, but I wanted to make sure you had something to remember me by if things went bad." He swallowed. "It's also a good luck charm, and it was important that you stayed safe, especially with your tendency to put yourself at risk to protect those you care about."

Quatre raised an eyebrow. "/My/ tendency?" Even in the last few days he had noticed that Trowa had a romantic streak a mile high, but only in private, only for him. He smiled. "Thank you, Trowa. I shall treasure it always."

"It's two pieces," Trowa explained. "Heavyarms and Sandrock. They always worked better together than apart, just like we do."

"Just like we do," Quatre repeated, his vision blurring with unshed tears. Two pieces melded together, brought together through a common goal, fighting a war so that others wouldn't have to.

"I love you, Cat." Trowa's voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper.

"I know." Quatre replied, his hand on his heart. "I can feel it. I can feel you." He looked at Trowa, reached out his hand, Trowa's fingers wrapping around his as they met half way. This felt right. Trowa felt right. He always had. "I love you too."