~~~~~~~~~Part 2~~~~~~~~~

A phone call had been made to Preventers Headquarters earlier that morning. It was Duo who had taken the message, yet was unable to confirm neither the call’s origin nor the person he had been speaking to. The message itself, however, had gotten everyone’s attention in full.

According to this ‘anonymous tipper’, the missing persons had but 12 hours left to live, if no one would be able to rescue them. He (Duo had been able to confirm that much, at least) claimed that their air supply was being cut off from their cells, thus ridding the Federation of the “traitors” once and for all. Not getting a word in edgewise, Duo merely listened to the eight-second-long information before the caller immediately hung up. Had the occasion been otherwise, the American Gundam pilot might have ignored it, passed it off as a mere prank call. But this was no time to overlook anything.

And that brought the Preventers’ unit to their current predicament. Duo and Wufei were in the process of searching the computer database for profiles of those reported missing, what connections exactly he/she had with the Federation, and so-forth. Sally was searching for all possible locations of the Federation’s hideaway, while Quatre was currently on the phone once more, this time with a valuable informant. If the information given to them was valid, then each and every person knew they didn’t have much time to figure this out.

“Okay, thanks a lot. I’ll call you if we need anything else. Bye.” As he hung up the phone, Quatre proceeded to run off the list of information he’d just received, “We’ve confirmed the Federation base to be located somewhere within a thousand-mild radius, on Earth along the coast of Western Eurasia…apparently underground. Does that help, Sally?” A nod and new round of furious typing answered the blonde’s question.

“Big-time.”

“Just out of curiosity, who exactly were you on the phone with just now?” Wufei wanted to know, not taking his eyes off the screen as he spoke. The answer shocked even him.

“Dorothy.” At the sound of the name, everyone simultaneously turned to look at Quatre in surprise, pausing their work in the process. The young Preventer shifted nervously in his seat as everyone stared at him. “…what?”

“Dorothy…as in Miss love-of-war Dorothy? Miss almost-helped-Milliardo-destroy-the-Earth Dorothy? Miss attacked-us-with-the-mobile-dolls Dorothy? Miss stabbed-you-in-the-abdomen-putting-you-in-the-hospital Dorothy? Miss--”

“Yes, her.” Quatre interrupted Duo mid-question. Though somewhat irritated with the braided boy’s line of questioning, Wufei had to agree with him.

“Are you sure we can trust her? For all we know, she could be part of the Federation herself, just trying to throw us off track.”

“No, I think we can trust her. She really wants to help, and she’s already given us a good lead.” The blonde youth backed his choice. He looked eye-to-eye with each person in the room, ignoring the smirk Duo was now giving him (for whatever reason the baka had going through his head at the moment).

“Whatever you say, Q-man,” he shrugged, still grinning, before turning back to his work. A few moments later, he turned around once more to face Quatre. “We’re got confirmed ID’s on all personnel reported missing, ‘cept for that girl Midii. I think we’ll need Trowa’s help on that one.”

“Thanks Duo.” Quatre began, “Do you know where he is?”

“Yeah, he walked out of here about ten minutes ago. Don’t know where he went, though.” Sally replied, eyes still on her work. This got the attention of the three ex-Gundam pilots.

“And you let him walk out of here?” Wufei questioned his partner, glaring in the process. Being somewhat used to him (and his tone), Sally unnervingly glared right back in response.

“Well, yeah…what was I supposed to do, block the doorway? What’s the big idea, anyways? I mean, the last time you guys were this uptight, Heero disappeared off of Peace Million…to go after…” Pausing mid-sentence, she thought for a moment before turning to Quatre with a questioning look. Knowing exactly what she suspected, the blonde nodded his head, confirming everyone’s suspicion.

Sighing in frustration, Duo slumped back in his chair, “It’s Déjà vu all over again. Just goes to show you, never trust the quiet ones…”

It wasn’t hard for him to figure out exactly where the Federation’s base was; Midii had told him the location of all five underground headquarters long ago—the only thing left to do was to confirm the continent they were on, which had been a snap. Of course, he couldn’t let anyone else know; this was something the boy had to do on his own. He had promised Midii long ago that he would always protect her, and was willing to keep that promise no matter what the cost.

Trowa quietly walked down the long corridor. There was no need to look back, as no one knew where he was headed. His footsteps echoed through the silence as he mentally counted each passing door: 29…31…35… and, finally, 37—the transportation room. A few quick jabs at the combination lock pad and he was in.

But he wasn’t alone.

“You didn’t think you could fool me, Barton, did you?” His emotionless voice maintained its usual monotone as he leaned against the P.H.’s jeep, arms crossed and head down.

Trowa, too, stood resolute at the situation, keeping his own expression quite neutral. “I’m going,” was all he replied, “and don’t think I’ll even let you stop me.”

The figure stood up strait, unfolding his arms, and turned to meet with the determined boy eye-to-eye. Trowa stood ready and waiting for whatever would come next. Needless to say, he didn’t quite expect for his comrade to reach into his left pocket, pulling out the keys to the vehicle. Clasping them tightly in his hand, the figure tossed the keys to Trowa, who unwaveringly caught them one-handed. “I won’t,” he answered, then turned to leave.

“Wait.” Trowa stared at the jingling objects in his hand a moment before calling out in curiosity. “Why are you letting me go? Why not stop me?”

The figure paused for a brief moment, keeping his back to Trowa the entire time, before giving his answer: “Let’s just say…I understand.” Without another word, he left the room.

Watching him leave, Trowa couldn’t help but give his comrade a slight smile in gratitude.

“Thanks, Heero.”

****************************

Cane was in better a mood than Abel had seen him in for a long time. Leaning back in his chair, he smugly crossed his legs over the console, putting his hands behind his head in relaxation. The multiple monitors showed the locations of nearly ever corner of the base…including the prisoner cells. Abel noticed, however, that Cane's eyes remained glued to one screen in particular.

"Still hooked on the girl, eh?" He asked his comrade, casually leaning against the wall. Cane gave no answer other than a sniff grunt. Abel wasn't sure if the man was enjoying himself, or whether or not he was regretting his latest decision. His expression was unreadable at times.

The air was rapidly thinning out in each cell. Many of the shocked prisoners, those who quickly realized what was happening, were calling out in both anger and fear. Some, like Midii, were too weak to do anything more than to subject themselves to whatever fate bestowed upon them. Some apparently didn't even care anymore (most likely, these were some of the first to be taken prisoner.)

Midii was, without a doubt, in the worst condition of anyone. Bruises covered her exposed skin, trickles of blood stained her clothing from minor cuts, and she had gone back to shivering uncontrollably…even though the temperature was near close to 70 degrees. She sat up against the wall of her prison, half-conscious, and unnaturally pale. Each breath she took in seemed more and more difficult to manage. Watching the sight made Abel want to wretch, but there was nothing he could do; Cane was the one in charge, and the only one who knew the codes for air-lock control.

A flicker of motion on one of the outdoor monitors caught the dark-haired man's attention in an instant. It was obvious that someone was attempting to enter the Base. Moving so fast he nearly tipped over the chair, Cane was up and about, directing the console to replay that tape.

There. A young boy, around 18, was entering the building. Caught in shock for a moment, the man quickly jumped to the first conclusion that came to mind. Without another world to Abel other than, "Watch the monitors," the man was up and about, swiftly exiting the room.

It was dark as Trowa walked the long hallways through the Federation Base. He had just taken out two of the guards with little effort…but that's what worried him. This was almost too easy. It's as if someone knew he were there, wanted him there. Muffled cries suddenly rang out through his ears, coming from on of the rooms. Placing an ear against the door closest to him, Trowa managed to place the sound to that room. There was no lock, so he walked right in. The door quickly shut behind him upon entering.

Looking around curiously for a moment, he found it to be one of the minor control rooms. Monitors showed the inside of every single prisoner cell, while audio speakers played out the cries for help. Trowa was surprised to see just how many had been captured; there were nearly three-dozen monitors along the wall. Walking closer, nearly mesmerized for the sight before him, Trowa quickly scanned the screens for what he came for.

He found it in one of the middle screens, just barely above eye-level and to the right. The boy recognized her almost at once, but gasped wide-eyed at the condition she was in. Her head was bowed down, her breathing coming in gasps, and either her audio speaker wasn’t working, or she remained almost completely silent, in contrast to the others’ pleas. Unconsciously touching the screen with his right hand, he whispered out her name: "Midii…" She looked up for a brief moment, almost as if she had heard him, but it was quite obvious she hadn't.

"So, I guess I was right." A deep male voice came from behind him. Abruptly turning around, Trowa came eye-to-eye with someone he had never seen before. To be honest, he had nearly assumed it was Heero behind him, but a closer look told him that this person was definitely not Heero. This man must have been at least a good five years older, and much more menacing. He stood looming over the boy with dark, semi-unruly hair and dark, cold eyes…even darker than Heero's, and even colder than darker.

The man in front of him gave an amused smile as he stood in the doorway, his shadow casting out over the room from the light in the hallway. "You must be Trowa, then?" he asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.

"Who wants to know?" His voice came out much more casually than he felt at that time, as seeing Midii had aroused an anger the boy hadn't experienced for so long.

"Well, now…seeing as she's told me all about you, I'd figure she may have told you about me. Guess not." Standing up, Cane swiftly walked into the room, and straight up to the monitor. "You can call me Cane. I was Midii's…shall we say…object of interest year ago." Turning his head towards Trowa, he gave a taunting smirk, daring him to say something.

The blood boiled in Trowa's veins to hear this person talk of his Midii that way, but years of training told him to remain as quiet and calm as possible, so as not to loose control.

"Prove it." He stated, attempting to call the man's bluff. Unknown to him at the time, Cane came prepared for this, replying without missing a beat.

"You're Trowa; her current boyfriend. Although you haven't seen her for quite some time, I'm sure. Who knows…maybe you're not even together anymore…. Anyways, you met that day she was sent to betray your missionary cluster…her first, and last, mission. Also, if I'm not mistaken, you gave her a gold cross necklace some time ago. I'd think it'd be crucial to mention that it's no longer in her possession, however." To be honest, Cane knew little more of the boy than Trowa assumed he did, and most of his replies were guesswork. Yet, if he played his cards right…

"Not bad. Seems you've done your research." Trowa responded, sounding a tad amused. This only angered Cane, but he, too, realized that remaining calm was the only way to win this game, "although, if you really knew all that much about her, then you would have realized the only reason why she doesn't have her necklace is because if fell off when you captured her."

The two stood eye-to-eye. The game was set…the objective, clear. Now, it was all a matter of who would crack first.

****************************

Just as Cane had ordered, Abel was sitting back in his chair, watching the console in front of him. Most of the prisoners had ceased their screaming and pleading, making his job a tad easier on the conscience. His eyes occasionally focused on the bottom left-hand screen; it showed the minor control room. There, Cane was at a standoff with a young boy whom Abel didn’t recognize, but assumed his comrade did. The uniform indicated that this boy was a Preventer, obviously here on some sort of rescue mission. And yet…not only did he come alone, but Cane was just talking with him. At least, that’s how it appeared, as there was no audio for that particular room.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Abel pondered the situation, silently counting off the seconds as they ticked away on his watch.

*BEEP-BEEP*BEEP-BEEP*

Within half a minute of the man’s meditating, his cell phone rang. Keeping his eyes closed, he swiftly picked it up from its usual case on his belt and answered.

“Abel here. Speak.”

“They’ve figured it out.” A voice spoke from the other line. “I’ve got a new assignment for you.”

Sitting up straight in his seat, Abel listened intently for a good moment before confirming his orders, hanging up, and turning to the console. This latest mission would require precise timing and intense concentration. He just hoped he could pull it off.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to any inside the Base, members of the Preventers’ Special Rescue Unit were gathering outside.

“Troops in position?”

“Rodger that.”

“All right, men, stand down for now, but be ready; when I give the signal, we move in.” Commander Une was at the front line of the rescue mission. A small army, at the most a dozen soldiers, was waiting just outside the Federation Headquarters facility, waiting for their chance to enter. The four ex-Gundam pilots, as well as Sally Poe, had gone ahead in to locate the missing personnel and report when backup was needed.

*If* it’s needed, Une reminded herself, thinking of just exactly who was in there, but you can never be too careful, especially in a job like this…

****************************

It hadn’t occurred to either of the two just how silent the room had suddenly become until the monitors went out. A frown appeared on the dark-haired man’s face as he muttered something under his breath. Trowa could just barely make out the words, “…have a talk with that moron later…” before Cane once more turned his attention to their previous situation.

“Where is she?” Trowa finally spoke up, anger clearly showing in his voice. This time, Cane didn’t smirk as he folded his arms.

“You must think me a fool to tell you. Think I went through all that trouble just so you can play hero? Guess again, Romeo.” Somehow, he had managed to make his way in front of the only entrance, also the only exit. The light shining from the hallway left his face in the shadows of the room, now almost completely dark, enhancing his villainous features.

That did it; Trowa responded with faster-than-lightning speed, drawing his gun from its holster. But before he could bring it upright, Cane already had a gun of his own, aimed directly at the boy’s heart.

“Oops! Too slow.” Cane replied, speaking as casually as if it were merely a game to him. Once again, his menacing grin was plastered on his face as Trowa slowly pulled back his gun in defeat. “So much for saving your little damsel in distress. I’d tell her you’re sorry for failing her, but in a short amount of time, you’ll be able to tell her yourself, anyways. It’s really a shame,” he continued, aiming his gun for the kill, “she was such a looker, and coulda been mine—coulda lived—but choose to remain loyal to you. Now, if only she had been loyal to us!” Snarling with anger over the memories of his rejection, Cane pulled the trigger.

*BANG!*

A shot was fired. A body fell.

****************************

Quatre looked on as many of the doors easily came open. The first two-dozen rescues were simple enough; each person had been conscious enough to walk on his/her own feet, merely needing escorts to show them the way out. The next six were also conscious, but had to be carried out, requiring minor medical attention. For some strange reason, there had been few guards around the area; they had expected much more security from such a large organization. Those that had been guarding the area had quickly been taken out by subtle attacks from Duo and Heero, which made the blonde ex-Gundam pilots a little uneasy.

“How many more left?” Duo questioned, bring the boy out of his trance. Mentally counting those they had already rescued, he was quite surprised to find out how well they were progressing. Apparently, only a few remained.

It was Quatre who blew open the final cell. The other prisoners had all been taken outside, where they met with the backup troops for support. Only the Gundam Pilots were left for the final rescue.

Quatre knew, even before he opened the door, who would be inside, “Midii?” he called out quietly, getting no response. Puzzled, he opened the door a little further. The room was very dark, even more so than the other cells, and he had to adjust his eyes for a moment before he was able to see. At first, it seemed to the boy like the room was empty.

“Midii?” he called out again, a little louder this time. Once again, no one responded. The blonde was just about to turn around, when his eyes caught focus of something leaning against one wall, hidden in the shadows. He immediately rushed over. His heart went out to the girl as he saw the condition she was in. Fearing for a moment he might have been too late, Quatre checked her pulse, only to thankfully find it there, if rather weak. Brushing a few of her blonde strands out of her face, the boy gently tried to awaken her.

“Midii….Midii, can you hear me?” he questioned softly, giving her wounds a once-over to see how bad they were. After a moment, and to Quatre’s great relief, she stirred slightly.

“Mmm…T-Trowa?” She whispered, not even possessing enough energy to open her eyes. Her voice quivered with fear and uncertainty.

“No. A friend.” Quatre answered back, really wishing that Trowa was there at the moment. “I’m going to get you out of here.” Either she had fallen back unconscious, or had no energy left, because Midii gave no reply. Gently lifting the frail girl up, Quatre proceeded to carry her out.

“Hurry, guys! She’s in bad shape!” he called out to his comrades the second he exited the cell. Wasting no time, he quickly turned the girl over to Heero, who told him he’d bring her to where the medical aid was. Then, along with Duo and Wufei, Quatre ran off in search of Trowa. No one had seen him throughout the duration of the rescue.

They could only hope they weren’t too late.

****************************

Normally, the boy was never surprised by anything. His training as a soldier had long ago taught him to be as aware of his surroundings as possible. And yet, he couldn’t help but be taken aback from the scene that played before him.

The man that Valerie had described to them (the one with the red hair and freckles) was standing before him now, gun in hand, over the body of his supposed partner. Without a sound, he placed the weapon back in its holster before turning to Trowa.

“Who are you?” Trowa finally broke the silence between the two, also putting his own gun away. Walking over, the man stuck out his hand to shake with Trowa’s.

“Name’s Abel. I guess you can say I’m a rather close, personal friend of someone you know. I also happen to work for a smaller, secluded branch of your ‘Preventers.’ In order to discover what the Federation was up to, I had work undercover—from the inside—and figure out a way to stop them. I’ll tell you one thing; it’s definitely not easy playing the villain!” Placing one hand behind his head, he laughed, “Don’t blame me, though; it was her idea in the first place.”

Trowa raised an eyebrow. “Her?” Leaning down, Abel whispered something into Trowa’s ear. The boy’s eyes widened in surprise…no…shock.

“I would never have guessed.”

A fit of coughing coming from the ground interrupted Trowa’s most interesting conversation.

“Traitor…” Cane managed to hoarsely spit out. “I’ll deal with all you traitors…just as I…planed...”

“You mean you’re the leader of this operation?” Trowa asked, already knowing the answer. Why else would such a minimal amount of security be around? This wasn’t the work of the Federation after all, but merely one of its last few members still out for revenge. It was personal.

Cane, clutching his wound, smirked one last time. “That’s right…Romeo…It’s all me….” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small hand-held remote. “I…will win this…I’ll punish those…who betrayed…our, no, MY Federation…even if I…must destroy the base…as well….” Pushing the button, he finally collapsed, dead.

The alarms ran out through the building as a computerized voice announced, “30 seconds till self destruct…29…28…”

“We’ve got to get out of here!” Abel shouted, ducking his head as the ground shook, breaking some of the ceiling loose.

“But…” Trowa began. He still hadn’t forgotten about Midii and the others.

“Don’t worry; right after I turned the monitors off in this room, your pals managed to get them to safety …now come ON!”

Running faster than ever before, the two managed to make it within range of the exit as the computer continued its countdown.

Seven…six…

“Trowa!” He heard a voice call to him; it was Quatre, Duo and Wufei right behind him.

Five…four…three…

“GET DOWN!” someone shouted as they ran out into the open.

Two…one…

The ground shook with a fury as the underground base exploded in a magnificent display of fireworks. The five watched from just over the hill as the last remaining evidence of the Federation Base, and Cane, was finally destroyed.

****************************

The room was just barely silent; save for the sound of the heart monitor’s steady beating. Quatre, standing just outside the room, looked in through the window from the hallway. All around him, half a dozen nurses and doctors were working to tend to those rescued from the blast. Yet, the boy was oblivious to the buzz going on around him as he silently watched the display going on right in front of his eyes. He almost didn’t even hear Sally walk right up next to him.

“Why do you think he never told us about her?” she asked, motioning towards the two inside.

Quatre shrugged, “I’m not sure. To be honest, I don’t even know if he even remembered Midii because of the amnesia. He said her name often, but couldn’t seem to place anything else along with it before now…” tearing his eyes away from the couple, he turned towards the female doctor, “Is she going to be okay?”

Sally gave a quick glance to her notes before answering half-heartedly, “It’s really hard to say. The bump on her head gave her a slight concussion; she was pretty dehydrated from lack of fluids during that time; worst of all, she was suffering from a mild case of pneumonia; other than a fever, she’s recovered from it so far, but there’s no telling how bad it affected her. We won’t know until she wakes up.” She looked up from her papers, towards Quatre, then focused her sight towards back in the room, “For Trowa’s sake, I hope she’ll be. He hasn’t left her side once since we allowed him in.”

Trowa easily heard him walk into the room, but didn’t bother to turn around. He already knew who it was.

“You’d really like her, Quatre.” He spoke up, speaking to the boy behind him while keeping his eyes on Midii. “I’m sure of it. You know, in so many ways, she’s very much like you.” Trowa held her hand in both his own; nervous at how cold it felt to him. His voice quavered only in the slightest, but still Quatre noticed. Even more so, he noticed the tears threatening to spill from his friend’s eyes along with the one that finally did. Taking a seat across from him, Quatre couldn’t help but smile at his comrade despite the current situation.

“You love her.” He stated quietly in realization, his voice barely above a whisper.

Trowa turned to the male blonde, “…more than I ever though I would.” He replied quietly, before turning his attention back to the girl in question.

“You know she called for you.” Quatre continued on, “when I tried waking her in the cell, your name was the first word she spoke.” Trowa didn’t respond to this, and for a moment, Quatre wasn’t even sure the boy had heard him. Before he could speak up again, however, he finally got a response…but not from Trowa. The girl stirred softly in her sleep before her eyes fluttered open. Squinting from the bright light, she looked around for a minute, trying to figure out where she was.

“Midii?” a voice called from her left. She turned her head, and met her eyes with emerald pools. She gave a weary smile, before closing her eyes again.

“I’m dreaming again, I just know it.” She finally spoke, then opened her eyes once more, “I have to be.”

Trowa shook his head, smiling one of his rare smiles, and told her she wasn’t. Midii tried to get up, against both boys’ protests, and finally managed to get herself to a sitting position. Trowa then introduced her to Quatre, who gave a reassuring smile in reply. After thanking him whole-heartedly for saving her, another question was brought to Midii’s attention.

“What ever happened to…my captors?” she asked, being careful not to identify one in particular by name.

“Who…Cane?” Trowa questioned in response, knowing exactly that was whom she was thinking of at the moment. Midii’s eyes went wide at the name.

“You…met him….” Receiving a nod in response, she went off into a fit of hysterics, “Honest, Nanashi…I didn’t know…I swear…he lied, I’m sure…he was just-” But before the girl could give herself a heart attack, Trowa put a finger to her lips to silence her.

“Don’t worry; I know.” Smiling through her fresh tears, Midii visible relaxed before putting a hand to her head.

“Ugh…my head hurts,” she complained, drawing a small laugh from her two visitors.

“That’s what a concussion will do to you,” Quatre replied, doing his best to lighten the mood, “a good month or so of rest, and you should be better. The doctor said once you wake up, you’d be fine.”

“A month?” She wearily questioned, over-dramatizing the situation a bit, “What am I going to do locked up here for a month?”

Trowa chuckled. Same old Midii. “How about get well? Does that ring a bell to you at all?” All the meanwhile, Quatre was slowly backing away from the couple. Watching as they quietly laughed and smiled together, he couldn’t help but feel happy for his friend. Just as he turned to leave, the boy nearly ran into a woman standing right in the doorway.

“Oh, hi, Va—“ he began before she put a finger to her lips, silencing him. Getting the picture, Quatre whispered a goodbye, and left the room.

Valerie, on the other hand, stood in the doorway of the hospital room, oblivious to its two occupants, and she watched the scene before her. Her heart all but melted as she watched the love in their eyes and the laughter in their hearts as they reunited; her smile only grew wider as she saw “Nanashi” bend down to give the girl a small kiss on her forehead as she slowly dozed off, before whispering goodnight. It wasn’t until Trowa got up and turned to leave for the night that he noticed they were being watched.

“Valerie…” he began, but didn’t know what else to say. The middle-aged woman gave him a proud smile.

“I always knew…you two were meant for one another.” She whispered, so as not the wake the sleeping girl. “Ever since you were younger, I could see it in your eyes.”

Trowa looked upon the woman whom he had known as a mother for so long. He was quite surprised when she reached out, giving his a quick hug, but nevertheless returned it.

“Take care of her, Trowa. Protect her” She whispered in his ear.

He replied, as they pulled apart, looking back over at the one he had come to love over the years, “With my life.” And of course, as he normally would for no one else, he said it with a smile.

~~~~~~~~~Epilogue~~~~~~~~~

The brilliant ballroom was slightly less than overcrowded with the familiarity of warm and friendly faces; no doubt Relena had gone out of her way this time. Pale lavender curtains draped over the large windows on either side of the room, contrasting perfectly with the beige-colored walls, and the marble flooring. A number of chandeliers hung from the ceiling, filling the room with a sparkling light: a truly magical sight to behold.

And amidst this array of magic, a young blonde-haired couple, neither of them past the age of 19, stood out from the rest of the crowd as they danced away. Unlike usual, the girl had a quite tranquil look upon her face as she stared into the eyes of her fiancé. Yes, fiancé; on occasion, the lighting in the room would reflect upon her right hand, revealing a shimmering diamond ring.

One man in particular noticed this exact detail. It wouldn’t be very hard to spot who it was—just look for the guy wearing a long braid in his hair, wide eyes, and a jaw dropping so hard you wouldn’t be a bit surprised if it hit China.

“I don’t believe it. I just don’t believe it,” he muttered to himself, “Dorothy Catalonia. THE Dorothy Catalonia…engaged? To *him*?”

“To who?” A voice spoke up from behind. Duo temporarily turned to face the speaker, then back to the dance floor.

“To…to…” he began, before his comrade finished his sentence for him.

“Abel?”

Duo turned once more, the surprised look only magnifying, “Wait a sec; you knew about this, Quatre?” The young blonde-haired man shrugged his shoulders slightly.

“Yeah; Dorothy told me about it a few weeks ago over the phone. It was a family-planned thing. You know, engaged since birth.” Turning to face the couple, he smiled, “Luckily for them, they get along so well. To be honest, if you ask me, I think she really loves him.”

“Wait a sec,” Duo stood looking more confused than ever now, “I thought…you…and …”

“Who, me and Dorothy?” Quatre looked at him strangely, “Whatever gave you that idea?”

“B-b-but…” Duo began before hanging his head, sighing, “Oh, I give up…I must be loosing my touch…”

Interrupting this semi-melodramatic scene, Quatre spoke up, pointing out another couple on the floor, “Hey, check it out, Duo. Wufei’s actually out on the dance floor!” Picking his head up, Duo saw…to say the least, something he would NOT have expected.

It looked like Wufei. It sounded like Wufei. But it sure as hell didn’t act like Wufei. The former Chinese Gundam Pilot was waltzing with a young girl around his age, laughing as they carried on a conversation. Even stranger, the girl looked an awful lot like Wufei himself, though her hair was in pigtails rather than a tight ponytail.

“Okay, this proves it:” Duo moaned, throwing his hands up in the air in defeat, “I’m not only loosing my touch, I’m loosing my mind right along with it!”

Outside the mansion, the quiet murmur of music just barely reached the ears of Trowa and Midii, who were desperately seeking some time to themselves after the previous month’s fiasco. It was Relena who had suggested the garden; not only had the gardener just recently planted fresh begonias, but it would be all-but-deserted with the party going on inside.

“Relena sure knows how to host a party, huh?” Midii spoke up, breaking the comfortable silence as she bent down to examine a bed of white and pink roses. Beyond those, she could spot numerous more rose beds; one of each color. Except for Black, of course. When she didn’t get a response, the young, newly-18-year-old (for that night also happened to be Midii’s birthday) stood and turned to face the one she was speaking too. Dressed in a traditional black tux outfit, minus the tie, Trowa was more of a Prince Charming tonight than ever before. Of course, Midii, too, looked like royalty in her pale-pink formal dress; it was off-the-shoulder, came down to her ankles, and had ¾ length sleeves. Other than the light “puff” collar, it had no other designs to it (Midii was never one for formal wear).

The first thing she noticed was that Trowa’s attention wasn’t on her. The brown-haired boy was quietly starring up on the balcony, as if he saw something. After a moment, he gave up and turned his attention back to a now very curious blonde.

“Did you see something?” she asked, receiving a shake of the head in response.

“I though I might have. Just forget about it. I want to show you something.” Just as Trowa suspected, this easily drew Midii’s attention as her never-ending curiosity found a new target. Telling her to close her eyes (and receiving a pout in response), Trowa slowly led her down one of the more secluded pathways. They walked for about two or three minutes before he told her to stop and look up.

Midii did what she was told, catching her breath in her throat at the sight. From where she was standing, the youthful blonde could see the vast sea of stars above her through the scattered clouds in the sky, each one twinkling merrily from where it shone. Trowa pointed out one twinkle in particular to her.

“See that one, right there? Know what it is?”

Midii, her eyes filled with recognition and remembrance, managed to whisper, “It’s…L3. Where we used to live.” Her eyes rimmed with tears at her next sentence, “…where we were…separated.” Trowa, as if he didn’t hear that last sentence, responded by now telling her to look down. This, she obeyed also, gasping at the sight.

Somehow, the remnants of the garden took on almost the exact same appearance as the park where the couple had spent their last night together. Everything from the wide-open space, to the flowers located in the nearby bushes, to the delicately-carved wooden bench off to the side. Her eyes scanning her surroundings in wonder, Trowa carefully led her over to the bench and motioned for her to sit down.

“Everything’s the same.” She spoke up finally, a smile on her face, “Well…almost.” She added, “You’re not going anywhere this time. Not if I can help it.”

This forced Trowa to grin and even chuckle a little. Then, for the first time, Midii finally noticed he seemed to be hiding something behind him. Curiosity kicking in for a record-breaking third time in one night, she tried sneaking a peak, but to no avail. “Okay, I surrender! What’re you hiding, Trowa?”

Giving in, the boy held out his hand to reveal a small velvet box. In fact, it was very similar to the one he gave her with the cross inside. “I noticed you lost your cross some time ago, so I got something to replace it.” Midii reached for the invisible chain she often forgot was no longer there, then changed her mind and carefully took the box from him.

“You got me a new one?” She questioned. Trowa shook his head, confusing the girl…until she saw what was inside.

The light from the stars was quite dim, and the moon was no more than a sliver of a crescent hidden by a few dark clouds, but it was enough for her to be sure she wasn’t hallucinating. A faint glimmer was, indeed, coming from inside the box…from the single, solitary diamond ring in the box.

As if that wasn’t a big enough shock, the blonde-haired girl looked up, only to see Trowa down on one knee. He didn’t say anything at all, but the look in his eyes was unmistakable. Midii had to close hers for a moment. She had no idea whether to laugh or cry for joy.

In the end, she did a combination of the two. Nodding her head in response (having lost her voice somewhere along the line), the two stood up and embraced one another tightly.

“Happy Birthday.” He whispered in her ear. It was one of the happiness moments in their entire lives. And you know what? The first droplets of rain were beginning to fall to the ground….

Miraculously, the pair managed to make it back to the mansion without getting very wet; their clothes were just barely damp. No sooner had they stepped into the ballroom, when they were greeted with two familiar faces.

Midii smiled as she greeted them, “Dorothy!” she exclaimed, having become familiar with the slightly older girl in the past month, then turned to the man standing next to her. “…Abel?” She finally asked after a moment, quite surprised. He grinned back sheepishly at her expression.

“Yeah, it’s me. I know, I know; what happened to the red hair, right?” he responded without missing a beat, then jerked a thumb at his fiancé, “That was only a temporary disguise courtesy of Madame Stylist over here.” (At this point, Dorothy playfully smacked him in the stomach for the comment) “She figured, working undercover and all, I needed one. But this is the real me.”

Midii gave him a playful wink, “Well, I think the real you suits you better; you look so much younger than with the disguise!” She then had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing as Trowa raised an eyebrow at her.

Dorothy, slightly amused at the scene herself, extended a hand towards Midii, “I do hope there’s no hard feelings over these recent events, that you’ll accept my apology. I honestly never meant for you or anyone else to get hurt, but I guess things didn’t quite work out as planned. If you don’t mind my asking, perhaps we can get together sometime, get to know one another better?”

Midii gave a friendly smile, “That would be nice.” and the two females shook hands. But before Midii could pull away, Dorothy flipped the younger girl’s hand over to get a good look at it, and smiled knowingly as she saw the diamond.

“It seems we have more in common than we thought.” She commented, giving her a knowing-smirk and motioning towards her own engagement ring. Midii responded by blushing a light shade of pink.

Away from all the excitement, Relena stood leaning up against the wall, eyes closed shut, hands behind her back, and forming a peaceful smile as her mind wandered. In the background, she heard little more than the excitement buzz of friendly chattering, and the rhythmic music faintly playing. Rarely did the young Vice Foreign Minster get moments like this to herself, and enjoyed them greatly.

“I know you’re there.” She spoke up suddenly, seemingly talking to herself. In the next moment, however, a figure was at her side, emerging from the shadows behind.

He couldn’t help but smile as he replied, “Why is it I can avoid the top security systems of the world, but not you?” Opening her eyes, Relena turned to face him. As they did so often before, the two locked eyes before Relena answered his question.

“I can always find you.” She whispered, placing one hand over her heart, “My heart can always find you…no matter where you are.” He placed one hand over hers for a moment, and they wound up pulling away with their fingers intertwined.

“I’m sorry I can’t be with you more.” Relena smiled at this.

“Don’t be. It just makes moments like this even more special.” With her free hand, she brushed a few strands of his hair out of his eyes, drawing a smile from him at her touch. “I love you, you know that.”

He never responded to her last sentence, but she knew he heard it. The look in his eyes told her so. “We should probably go join the others.” He said after a minute. Agreeing, Relena broke eye contact, and the two started to head over towards where their comrades were gathering.

“…his WIFE?” they heard a voice call out suddenly. The next instant, there was a thud as that same person passed out (most likely in shock).

Stopping dead in their tracks, there was a moment of silence, before Relena burst into giggles. “Something tells me Duo just met Meiran.” She explained to Heero, who was looking at her questioningly.

“Who?”

Still laughing, she led him over to where she knew everyone else was gathered. “You’ll see…”

~~~~~~~~~THE END~~~~~~~~~

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E-mail ~J.C.~