For Richer or Poorer - Chapter Seven [PG-13]

[wonderllama]

Disclaimer ? Don?t own. Wish I did. End of story.


AN: Many heartfelt thanks to the reviewers. You guys are really great. I don?t think I could say it enough. Many thanks to mafuyu hotaru for beta-ing.

I'd like to issue a warning: there is a bit of 3x4 in this chapter. I'm not sure how comfortable my audience is with yaoi, so I just wanted to warn you there is romantic 3x4 in this chapter. Skim it if you'd like to avoid it.

For Richer or Poorer

In the days of my youth
I was told what it was to be a man.
Now I?ve reached the age
I?ve tried to do all those things the best I can.

No matter how I try,
I find my way to do the same old jam.

Chapter Seven: Good Times, Bad Times


When Wufei arrived at the Sherwood building, he wasn?t surprised at the scene before him. The room was uncomfortably silent. The only person who looked up when Wufei entered the room was Duo, whose violet eyes gave a sad sort of hello. Duo and Heero were seated behind Heero?s laptop, Duo at the controls. He typed frantically, his face contorting into a frown every few minutes. Heero stood next to Duo, arms folded, eyes pouring over the information at the computer.

He didn?t see Trowa at first. Wufei had to give him credit for that. After five years with the Preventers, he prided himself on his ability to sense people out. But Trowa just stood near the window, motionless. The lights were rarely on in the Sherwood building, and it worked to Trowa?s advantage. If a sliver of moonlight hadn?t been splashed across his body, Wufei would have never noticed he was there.

It troubled Wufei that he couldn?t sense Trowa. He was giving off no emotion, no aura. Normally Trowa projected a sense of calm, but tonight it was absent. It was like a part of Trowa was gone, leaving a statuesque shell in its place. He cast a sidelong glance at the Heavyarms pilot before heading towards Heero and Duo.

?I?ve gotten confirmation of the arrest.? He finally spoke once he was in front of Heero and Duo.

No one questioned how Wufei had heard about it. Duo looked up and cracked his knuckles. ?It happened at 2300.? He checked his watch. ?Over and hour and a half ago.? The good-natured part of Duo had left his tone of voice, something Wufei hadn?t heard in a long time.

?Colonel Une was told that he?s been transferred to a high security cell in the jail.? Wufei said, trying to get one of the men to make eye contact with no luck.

?We?ll need blueprints of the jail.? Heero commented. His voice didn?t give away how tense he was. But by the way he stood, arms folded tightly, rigid posture, legs together, Wufei could tell Heero Yuy was upset.

?Blueprints??

Heero finally made eye contact with Wufei. His blue eyes were alight with rage. ?If we?re going to break him out of jail, we?ll need blueprints for the jail.?

Wufei sighed. ?There?s no way you?re getting in there.?

?It?s not a question of if we?re getting in there,? Duo said, piping up menacingly from behind the laptop. ?It?s a question of how. And when.?

Wufei glared. ?So you?re just going to run in there without a plan??

?Not without a plan.? Duo retorted. ?That?s why we?re trying to find the blueprints.?

?It worked with Libra.? Heero said, looking at Trowa, who still stood by the window.

?Libra was a different story.? Wufei insisted, arms folding. ?Someone gave us the information.?

?So give us the information, Wufei. You?re someone.? Duo snapped, his fingers flying over the keys.

?I don?t have them. The only people who would have blueprints on the jail would be Prince and Gisborne. And I doubt they?ll just hand them over.?

?Someone has to have something to help us.? Duo muttered, more to himself than anyone in the room.

Silence enveloped the room as the conversation died. Wufei unbuttoned the top button on his Preventer uniform. He ran a hand over his slick ponytail and looked at Heero. ?What were you doing at Kirkley?s Abbey anyway? That?s not even two miles away from the Police station.?

?Quatre overheard some officers talking about some of the poor, and how they hole up in the Abbey.?

Wufei scoffed. ?Obviously a trap. He?s a Gundam pilot. He should have known better.?

?He was trying to help these people.? Duo interjected angrily, abandoning the laptop and standing up.

?How is he helping them now?? Wufei asked bitingly.

?He?s not.? Trowa?s stoic voice cut through the conversation like a knife.

All eyes turned to Trowa. ?He?s not helping anyone.? He continued. ?He?s sitting in a jail cell right now because his kindness failed him.? Trowa finally turned to the men. ?He screwed up.?

Wufei nodded. ?He did.?

?But so did we. We listened to him. We let him talk us into it. All three of us knew it was a trap, but we went along with it anyway.? He turned away again. ?Quatre?s just the one who got caught.?

The conversation died a second death. All four men sat in the uncomfortable silence. Duo started tapping his foot and casting nervous glances at Trowa, who stood motionless by the window.

?Are you going to help us or not?? Heero asked, glaring at Wufei as if he?d already answered ?no?.

Wufei looked pensively at Trowa and then to the floor. He shook his head and looked up at Heero. ?The only reason I?m letting you anywhere near her is because of Quatre.?

Heero stood a little straighter. Wufei noticed and scoffed. He let his hands fall to his sides and looked at Heero out of the corner of his eye. ?Relena should have a copy of the initial plan for the jail. Granted, the design has changed after those copies. But the structure is basically the same.? He didn?t look at Heero the entire time he spoke. There was a tense silence between the two of them.

?I?ll go tonight.? Heero said to Duo, who nodded his approval.

?Don?t alert any of her staff to your presence. She?s in danger whenever you?re around.?

?You?re not her protector, Wufei.?

Wufei turned to leave. ?Neither are you.?

v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v

Even if it was two in the morning, Relena just couldn?t sleep. Her thoughts were paradoxical: she was too hot, too cold; had too many covers, not enough; she couldn?t think of a single thing to say in her speech to the Financial Minister, her mind worked overtime thinking of all the things she?d never say.

She was turning the pillow over for the fourth time when she heard the soft swoosh of material moving. She closed her eyes and buried her head in the pillow. Now she was imagining things.

There was a creak in the floorboard. Her heart raced and she was wide awake. She slowly opened her eyes and saw nothing. She slowly turned her head, trying to make it look like she was still asleep. Her heart was pounding so loudly she was sure that whoever was in the room could hear it and know she wasn?t asleep. She opened her eyes a crack to see if there was anyone on her right. There was no one.

She breathed in deeply. Her insomnia was turning into hallucinations. She shook her head and decided to get a glass of water. She sat up in her bed and gasped. There was a man standing in the middle of her bedroom.

?I?ll call the police!? she breathed, hand reaching for the phone on her bedside table.

?It?s me.? The figure whispered, stepping into the moonlight.

Relena didn?t need to see him. She knew by his voice. Heero Yuy had just stepped out of her dreams, bypassed reality and headed straight for her bedroom.

Even though she was fully clothed, she pulled the sheets up around her. ?Heero.? She gasped. ?What are you doing here??

?There?s been an accident. We need your help.?

She got out of bed quickly and walked to Heero, examining him as she walked. ?What happened?? She asked worry etched into her features. She studied his face when she got near enough.

?Quatre?s in jail.?

Her eyes widened as they met his. ?No,? she breathed, shaking her head. ?Is he all right??

?We don?t know. That?s why we need your help.?

Relena nodded. She inched closer to him as every cell in her body screamed at her to back up. ?I?ll do whatever I can.? She said solemnly.

For a minute, he forgot why he?d come. She was standing two feet away from him, in a camisole and pajama pants. Her hair was loose and fell around her in waves of gold. As she moved forward he tried to push Quatre to the forefront of his mind. ?Wufei said you had the preliminary plans for the jail.?

?Yes, let me go get them.? Thankful for a reason to back away, Relena hurried out of her bedroom and shut the door quietly behind her.

As soon as the door shut, Heero let go of the breath he?d been holding. He looked around the room, taking it in. The last time he?d been here wasn?t all that long ago, but things were certainly different. He saw the foreign object on her bed, the one that he couldn?t recognize last time. He looked to the door, trying to hear if she was coming. When he was sure she wasn?t, he moved closer to the bed.

His heart dropped as he realized what it was. A teddy bear. The teddy bear. The one he?d given her.

She?d kept it.

He walked away from the bed, his back to it. He tried to even his breathing out, wondering why that little bear caused his heart rate to jump.

The door opened and Relena quietly entered the room, a rolled up piece of paper under her arm. ?We have to be quiet. If Pagan knows you?re here, he?ll be upset.?

?Because I?m an outlaw??

Relena smiled and looked up at him. ?Because you?re male.?

Heero?s lip curved upwards, but the smile couldn?t fight its way through. He followed her past the bed to a small desk. She set the paper down and rolled it out, placing paperweights and books on the corners so it stayed down. She turned on the small desk lamp and the writing on the white paper revealed itself.

She leaned down, trying to read it. ?These are old.? She commented, her finger pointing at the date, marked three years ago.

Heero nodded and leaned over her shoulder. ?Where?s the front entrance??

His eyes followed her finger as she moved it around, mouthing wordlessly. ?Here.? She finally stopped at a thick line. ?But I wouldn?t recommend that.? She moved her finger to another entrance, in the back. ?If you?re going to be unnoticed, here?s where you have the best chance of it.?

?Why?s that??

?It?s where they?d bring in the prisoners.?

Heero leaned down further to study the map. Relena swallowed thickly as his arm brushed by her bare back. She could feel the hairs on her neck stand, begging for the same attention, the same light touch. She turned her head a little to look at him.

?Heero,? she was trying to be as quiet as possible.

?Hn.? He was trying to read the map and not pay attention to the fact his arm was two millimeters from her back, or that when she turned her head, her lips were inches away from his. He was reading the map, and effectively not thinking about her. Not thinking that his heart was beating like he was running a marathon or that her bed was no less than six feet behind them. He wasn?t thinking about any of that. He was thinking about the jail.

She licked her lips, frustrated he wouldn?t look at her. ?I have to ask you a question.?

?Hn.? He wasn?t thinking about the way she just licked her lips. His full attention was on Quatre, and getting him out of jail.

?About the letters I sent you.?

Shame quickly devoured his lust, and suddenly all he wanted was to put space in between them. ?What about them??

Relena shivered at his tone. ?Did you keep them?? she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She hoped if she said it quiet enough, maybe he wouldn?t hear it.

But he?d heard it. ?Can I take the blueprint with me?? he changed the subject and started rolling up the paper.

?Would you just answer me?? She asked, her voice growing stronger, but her will growing weaker by the second.

He rolled the paper up and put a rubber band around him. ?It?s late, I should go.?

?Heero, I need to know. I need to know if you have them. Or if it?s possible someone else could have them.? Her voice lost more and more steam as she keep talking, the last part said in a self-conscious whisper.

He turned to her, the rolled up paper in his hand. ?Why would someone else have them??

?I just need to know if you have them, Heero.? Relena said, rising from her position at the desk, trying not to look at him. ?I don?t want to have a discussion about the letters. I just need to know if you have them.?

?Why do you need to know??

She looked up at him, wounded. Her eyes were distant and misting over. ?Do you have them??

Her gaze punctured his defense and he wilted like balloon loosing air. ?Yes.?

She blinked and looked up at him. ?So you have them? They?re safe?? she whispered, tears shining in her eyes, for a different reason this time.

He didn?t answer her, he just nodded. His head bowed and avoided her grateful look. ?I kept them. I know I didn?t write back?? He didn?t know where his sentence was headed as it left his mouth and it died right there between them. He didn?t have an excuse, and he certainly wouldn?t waste her time coming up with one.

She couldn?t watch him standing there, looking ashamed. She focused on a spot on the carpet. ?I just wanted to know you were alive.? She admitted, not trusting herself to look at him.

?Everything you said in those letters, I didn?t know how to respond.?

A red blush stained her cheeks, and she wished she?d turned the desk lamp off. It didn?t matter anyway. Heero was looking at the wall and decidedly not at her.

?Why did you keep them, Heero? Why didn?t you just destroy them?? her voice was a hurt whisper. It had suddenly become very hard for her to swallow, the room was too hot and he was too close to her. ?You should go.? She murmured, trying her hardest not to be mortified. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, and she thought that it might break through her rib cage.

Heero saw her out of the corner of his eye. Her arms were folded across her chest and her hair fell over her face, trying to mask the emotion on it. ?Why did you keep the bear?? he asked.

His question made all of the blood drain from her face. There was a long moment of silence between them before, ?It reminded me of you.? When it was clear he wasn?t going to respond to her statement, she continued. ?That bear is the only thing you?ve ever given me. And ? I needed something to hold onto.?

Relena felt like she might hurl. All of the things she ever thought of saying to Heero were spilling out of her mouth, and no matter what she did, she couldn?t keep them in.

?That?s why I kept the letters.? His voice cut through her thoughts, bringing her back to reality.

She finally looked at him, processing his words. Her eyes were shinning with unshed tears. ?What??

?That?s why I kept them.? He repeated. ?Because I needed something ? to hold on to.?

He closed the space between them in two swift steps and gathered her in his arms. The blueprint fell to the floor, unnoticed. Her arms instinctively laced around his neck. They held each other as if they?d been together for years. In some ways, they had. Whether they would admit it to anyone or not, they had both been thinking about this moment for a long time. Relena knew exactly where her hands would go; Heero knew he would hold her at the small of her back, so he wouldn?t hurt her.

?Heero,? she whispered, her eyes searching his. He couldn?t stand it a moment longer. His name was on her lips, but he wasn?t. He closed the distance between them and kissed her.

He could faintly taste her toothpaste as he deepened the kiss. His mouth coaxed hers to open for him, and she didn?t need much convincing. As his hands roamed the small of her back, he realized he was trying to respond to everything she?d said in her letters.

It felt so good that it hurt. It ached. Every cell of her body ached for him to touch her more, kiss her more deeply. His hands on the small of her back pushed her towards him, trying to eliminate any space between them.

Relena pulled away slowly, wanting the feeling of his lips on hers to last forever. She could feel the warmth slowly flow out of her as reality set back in. ?You have to go.? She whispered. Their eyes were closed, their foreheads touching.

?I could stay.? He leaned in to kiss her again.

She smiled and pulled further away from him. ?You?d never leave.? She untangled her hands from around his neck and he slowly let her out of his grasp. ?You have to go get Quatre.? She reasoned.

He nodded. ?When we get him out, I?ll come back. And we?ll pick up where we left off.?

His words made her crave his touch, but she didn?t reach out for him. ?Yes.? She whispered.

Heero picked the blueprint off of the ground and looked at her one last time before walking out through the balcony and disappearing into the night.


v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v

?I have a plan.? Heero said, entering the room to find it just as he?d left it.

Duo looked up from the computer, but Trowa didn?t move. ?Are you gonna share it with us, or are we supposed to guess?? Duo asked, his gaze moving back down to the screen.

?We have to do it at dawn. Before Gisborne arrives at the jail.?

?Heero, that gives us like an hour to plan this.? Duo griped, closing the laptop and glaring.

Heero laid out the blueprint on the table that sat in the middle of the room. ?Here?s the main entrance.? He pointed to it. Duo got up from the laptop and moved to the table. He looked at where Heero was pointing.

?And this is the back entrance. Where prisoners enter.? Heero gave Duo a sidelong glance.

Duo noticed the look. ?What?? he asked. He looked from Heero to the prisoner entrance several times before he understood and sighed. ?This isn?t going to end well for me, is it??

?We just need you to be a prisoner long enough for Trowa and me to get in.?

?What, so we?re gonna chain me up and take me to jail??

?That?s pretty much the plan.?

Duo looked to Trowa. ?Are you hearing this??

?Yes.? Trowa responded.

?And you?re okay with it??

?You?re not staying in the jail, Duo. It?s just a way to get in.? Trowa said, back still facing them.

?I?m just saying, why does it have to be me? Why is it always me who gets thrown in jail? Why can?t it be Heero for a change??

?Because you look like a prisoner. And too many people know what I look like. We?d never get past the front gate.? Heero responded, smoothing out the blueprint, avoiding Duo?s glare.

?Yeah, whatever.? Duo scoffed. ?Do I get to punch you this time too??

Heero?s eyes violently flashed up at him. ?Do you want to walk into the prison, or do we have to carry you in? Because this thing could be just as easy with you being unconscious.?

Duo rolled his eyes. Heero?s threats didn?t really faze him anymore. He walked over to Trowa. ?Are you going to be okay doing this??

?I?ve thrown you in jail before, Duo. Twice, in fact.?

Duo sighed and scratched his head. ?Yeah I remember.? He put his hand on Trowa?s shoulder. ?I meant, are you gonna be okay getting him out of jail??

?It?s a mission, Duo. There?s nothing to be okay about.?

?You know, it wouldn?t kill the both of you to admit you have emotions.? Duo said loud enough for Heero to hear. ?Everyone has them.? He looked back at Trowa.

?He trusted us. He trusted me.? Trowa?s voice was distant, like he was recounting a story he?d heard a long time ago. Duo kept his hand on Trowa?s shoulder, trying to convey his sympathy.

?He knew the risks.? Heero said from across the room.

?I?m supposed to be able to keep him safe.? Trowa responded turning to look at Heero. The two shared a look and Heero couldn?t hold Trowa?s gaze. He knew the feeling. He and Trowa were the strong ones. They were supposed to be able to protect those they loved. In Heero?s case, it never worked out that way. Everything he touched seemed to die, everything he touched was doomed. He tried hard not to think about Relena and their kiss. If something happened to her? he wouldn?t be able to protect her. And he?d be as useless as Trowa felt.

?We?ll get him out. He?s a strong guy. He?ll be okay.? Duo reassured Trowa with a firm clap on the back

v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v

Quatre wasn?t in the least bit okay. And his strength was failing him. He felt something wet trickle down his mouth. Mustering his strength, he brought his hand to his mouth to wipe it away. As his hand fell back down to the ground, he caught a glimpse of it.

A red smear had appeared on his pale white skin. He closed his eyes trying not to slip into unconsciousness, but the dark seemed so inviting.

His thoughts were interrupted as the door opened. The metal clanking made an ominous sound that echoed through his mind. He?d been here for three hours, and those sounds were evoking terror in his soul. He licked his lips and found the metallic stringent tang of his own blood. Leaning his head back against the concrete wall, he knew. There would be no escape this time.

v-v-v-v-v-v-v

Commandeering a police vehicle was easy. Stripping the two officers of their uniforms and badges, leaving them unconscious on the side of the road was easy. What Duo didn?t find easy was sitting in the back of a police car, hands cuffed behind his back. This was happening much too often for his taste.

?Are we there yet?? He asked, doing his best to be obnoxious.

Heero looked in the rear view mirror and glared. ?Would you just shut up??

Duo rolled his eyes and slumped even more in the backseat.

Getting by the front gate wasn?t hard. Finding the back entrance and bullshitting the two idiots at the back gate was so easy a child could do it. But Heero couldn?t fight the feeling in his stomach that the hardest part was yet to come. Too many things could go wrong.

Heero drove the police car towards the jail, trying to outrun the sunrise. The sky was still a dark blue, but the faintest part of the horizon was lightening to lavender.

?Showtime.? Duo murmured as the car pulled to a stop. Heero and Trowa exited the car and Trowa stood at attention at Duo?s passenger seat door. He pulled Duo out roughly and forced him to walk in front.

The prisoner?s entrance was different than the blueprints had suggested. There was a walkway with chain fencing. Barbed wire topped the chain link, daring anyone to try and pass over it. The pathway led straight to a solid metal door with two police officers guarding it. Even though it was still dark outside, both men wore sunglasses.

They made it to the door just as the first light was peaking over the horizon. There were two police officers at the door, both wearing a ridiculous amount of Kevlar and cologne.

?What?s this?? One asked as Trowa and Duo neared.

?We caught him trying to break into the bank.? Heero responded, falling into the character a little too much, feeling a little too comfortable in his police uniform.

The other police officer raised an eyebrow. ?We weren?t informed of this.?

?We have reason to believe he?s trying to copycat all Heero Yuy?s bullshit.? Trowa said, glaring in Duo?s direction.

?Sitting in jail will give him some time to think about what side of the law he wants to be on.? Heero added.

The two officers looked at each other. ?If we?re admitting a new prisoner, we?re supposed to alert Gisborne.?

Heero looked at his watch. ?Fine. You call him at five in the morning.? He looked back up at the officers. ?Or we just let him know when he arrives in an hour. Your choice.?

In all reality, if these two men called Gisborne it was all over right here. The costume was good, but Gisborne would be able to recognize Heero through it. Heero continued to stare at the two officers, trying to wear their will down.

It worked. One of the officers nodded and opened the door. ?You?re doing the paperwork.? He said as Trowa forced Duo through the door.

?Understood.? Heero responded as the large steel door closed behind them.

Once they were inside, there were no officers around. Trowa fished around in his pocket for the handcuff key. Deftly turning the key, he gave Duo a pat on the back to tell him they were unlocked. Duo threw them off and grabbed his wrists.

?Those things chafe.? He murmured, shooting a look at Heero, who wasn?t paying attention.

Heero was looking around the gray corridor. A few fluorescent lights were on, but they barely lit the dingy hallway. If colors induced moods, Heero would have to say they were going for ?hopeless?. Everything was covered in a dreary shade of grey, as if everything around them was monochrome.

?Take a right.? Heero instructed, his voice barely above a whisper. Carefully walking down the hallway, Heero and Trowa had taken their guns out of their holsters. Heero held the flashlight under his gun, lighting the way as he went. He motioned to Duo and Trowa behind him to take a left.

Peeking around the corner, they found another steel door, this one unoccupied. Trowa walked in front of Heero to the door. He looked like a man possessed. ?He?s in here.? He said quietly, not bothering to look at back at his comrades.

?You?re sure?? Heero responded just as quietly.

Trowa nodded and opened the heavy door as quietly as possible. It made a shrill whine at being dragged across the equally metallic floor. The three men slipped into the room. This room was as equally monochromatic as the rest of the jail. In a world with such technological advances, this jail had been built free of them. Grotesque steel bars enclosed men in small spaces, proving that the simplest ideas worked best. The only piece of technology was the gate mechanism that kept the bars closed. Apparently that, they?d trusted to technology. There was a door on the other side of the cell. Instead of taking them out of their cells by opening the gate, they must have opted to take the inhabitants of these cells out the back.

Quietly, they walked down the aisle, finding cell after cell empty. Reaching the end of the corridor, they realized they were the only criminals in this wing of the jail. And that wasn?t good.

?Where is he?? Duo wondered aloud, keeping his voice down to a whisper.

Trowa looked through the bars into the empty cells, wondering if this was some kind of joke. He finally came to the end of the corridor. He raised his hands and rested them on his head in frustration. He looked at the computer lock on the side and jammed the butt of his gun into it.

The screen flashed and then words appeared. Trowa looked closer. NAME UNKNOWN. Associated with Heero Yuy it read. Apprehended at 2100. 13 AUG 201. EXECUTION DATE TBA.

?He?s here.? Trowa whispered in breathless anticipation. ?He?s here!? He called out to Heero and Duo.

Before Heero or Duo could react, a buzzer sounded and each back door of the cell opened. The three men ran for the open door at the head of the room. The sounds of men grumbling and shuffling filtered through the room. Leaving the door open a crack, Heero, Duo and Trowa hid on the other side of it.

?Breakfast in an hour.? They heard before they heard the buzz again and the sound of the all of the door closing at once.

?Now what?? Duo hissed, shooting a look at Heero.

?We go in and get Quatre.? Trowa responded, his hand on the door handle, pulling it towards them.

Heero put his foot down, stopping Trowa from opening the door any further. ?If we go in there now, they?ll all see us. It?ll be a riot.?

Trowa glared at Heero. ?What else do you suggest? We have to go in there and get Quatre. And we can?t wait. Every second we stand here, we?re running the risk of someone walking down this hallway and seeing us.?

Heero couldn?t argue with him. Not only did he know Trowa was right, but Trowa was in no mood to be fought with. ?All right. Duo, you and I will go in first and try to keep the other prisoners quiet. Trowa,? he turned his attention to the green eyed pilot beside him. ?Find Quatre and get him out of there as quickly as you can. We can?t afford to mess up.?

?I understand.?

The giant metal door swung open, making a loud scraping noise. Every man in their cells looked up. Heero and Duo took no chances, raising their guns and calling for quiet.

Trowa rushed ahead to the end of the corridor where he had read Quatre?s stats. He looked quickly down to the cell?s inhabitant.

Quatre looked up, trying to identify the source of the noise. His eyes met Trowa?s. ?Trowa??

Trowa urgently broke the locking mechanism.

The door flew open and Trowa raced in. Quatre was huddled on the floor. He reached his arms out like a child and Trowa?s engulfed him. He buried his head into Quatre?s neck, not caring that there was dried blood and sweat on it.

?I thought I?d lost you.? Quatre whispered, clearly in pain, but too happy to be feeling it at that moment.

?You?ll never lose me.? Trowa said, his statement only intelligible to Quatre. ?You could never lose me.? He said, arms tightening around Quatre.

Heero had made it to the cell and looked in. ?Can you get up?? He asked quietly, trying to let sympathy filter through his soldier mask.

Quatre nodded. He leaned on Trowa?s shoulder and stood to the best of his abilities.

The other inmates were getting louder now. Quatre limped out of the cell with Trowa?s help. Duo had kept his position by the door. He smiled brightly as Quatre exited the cell. He opened his mouth to speak, but Heero quieted him with a look. ?No time.? Heero whispered harshly.

Quatre, with help from Trowa, managed to hobble to the metal door, where Duo stood sentinel. ?Man, am I glad to see you guys.? He croaked out, managing a smile on his bruised face.

?Come on,? Duo said, with the same relieved smile. He pushed the door open and the four men went back the way the came, into the grossly dismal hallway.

Heero took the lead, prowling through the hallway, painfully aware of the silence. He stopped the march as they got the first corner. He put a hand up, signaling to the three behind him to stop. They followed his orders, staying as close to the grey concrete wall as they possibly could.

Cutting through the silence were footsteps. They were getting closer, louder and more ominous with every passing moment. They heard the crackle of radio silence from a walkie-talkie.

Heero was ready. His heart rate was at a deadly calm, and the service gun that had accompanied the stolen uniform was brought close to his chest.

As soon as the man rounded the corner, Heero slammed the butt of his gun into the man?s forehead. He crumpled to ground. A loud gasp caused Heero to look up. The unconscious man had a partner, who at that exact moment had taken to running the opposite direction, his walkie-talkie in hand.

Heero cursed under his breath and took off after him, disappearing down the hallway.

Duo walked around the corner, signaling to Trowa and Quatre that it was safe. He looked down and kicked the unconscious guard. ?So much for leaving here quietly.? Duo got down and picked up the walkie-talkie that was suddenly active.

?Nothing Heero does is quiet.? Trowa said trying to peer around the corner. Quatre winced, trying to smile.

The radio crackled to life. ?Code 7-4-2! Intruder alert! I?m in pursuit -?

Duo clicked the power button and walkie-talkie went silent again. ?So I?m assuming we?re gonna go have to clean up Heero?s mess.?

?No need.? Heero had reappeared, barely out of breath, the sleeve of his uniform torn, but no other visible scars. He wiped his mouth and looked at his hand, checking if he was bleeding at all. When his hand came away clean, he looked back up at his comrades. ?I?ve taken care of it. But reinforcements are on their way. We have to go now.?

Heero led them through the hallways, stealthily checking around the corner each time. They made it back to the main hallway without incident.

?There they are!? the call came from behind them. Heero and Duo took off at a run to the door leading back outside. Trowa dragged Quatre quickly after them.

The giant door needed some prodding, but Duo got it open. The two officers still stood sentinel outside. They looked at Duo and Heero quizzically. Before they could say a word, Duo punched one of them in the face, and he sunk the ground. The other swung at Duo, but Heero was too quick. He caught the fist in the air and hit the other officer in the stomach. He doubled over in pain and sank to the ground.

Trowa and Quatre exited the door. Quatre fell to the ground, clutching his side. Trowa pushed the door closed. The metallic latch on the door wasn?t half as loud as the rain of bullets on the other side of the door.

?Duo, short-circuit it.? Heero called out. He looked up, trying to find the stolen police car they had driven in. By some stroke of luck, it was still there, parked about 300 feet away from the entrance.

Duo ripped off the electronic panel on the door. He ripped some of the cords out of the wall, hastily connecting and disconnecting circuits. ?It won?t hold them for long.? He called to Heero.

Trowa kneeled down and put Quatre?s arm around his neck. He bit his lip and pulled Quatre to his feet, with some difficulty. ?Come on, Quatre. We?re almost there.? He said, walking towards the police car.

Duo jumped up and ran to the police car, where Trowa was helping Quatre into the backseat. ?Seriously, Heero, gun it.? He said once he?d thrown himself into the passenger seat.

Heero obeyed, stepping on the gas, jarring everyone in the car into their seats. The car sped back towards the entrance. A loud horn blared through the silence of the morning.

?Shit, that?s for us.? Duo said, looking out his window towards the door.

Heero cursed under his breath and stepped down harder onto the gas pedal. The car roared in response and quickly picked up speed.

?Security checkpoint!? Duo warned as he hurriedly snapped his seat belt on. Heero burst through the yellow wooden blocker. It cracked in two, with one part still on the top of the car.

Topping around 70 miles an hour, the car sped through the gate of the jail before it even started to close.

Duo gave a whoop of joy when they were out into the streets. Heero allowed himself a smile as they drove towards the Sherwood building. He looked in the rearview window and caught Trowa?s eye.

?Call Wufei. We?re going to need a doctor.?


v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v

?Thanks for coming.? Quatre said after taking a sip of water.

Sally Po smiled and finished packing the gauze into her medical trunk. ?My parents would be deeply disappointed if I had abandoned my medical training.? Her hair was a little shorter now, coming to her shoulders. Instead of braids, she wore it in a loose ponytail. She looked up at Quatre. ?So, no strenuous activity. And let your shoulder rest for a day. It was dislocated pretty badly. Take a day and rest. Doctor?s orders.?

Quatre smiled at her. ?I will.?

?You pilots are just intense.? She said, shaking her head. She closed her medical bag and looked up at him. ?How did you get these wounds?? Before he could answer, she put her hands up. ?You know, I probably don?t want to know.?

Heero entered the room and leaned on the door frame. ?How bad is the damage?? He asked, briefly looking at Quatre before concentrating on Sally.

Sally turned to face him. ?Dislocated shoulder. The rest are just cuts and bruises. The doctor in me wants to take him to get some tests for a possible concussion, but I think I know you well enough to know that?s not going to happen.?

?He should stay here.? Heero said, his voice firm.

?No, he should get an MRI. But he will stay here.? Sally corrected, quietly challenging Heero?s authority.

?I should stay here.? Quatre interjected, uncomfortable that people were arguing about him. He was defiant. ?I?ve caused them enough trouble.? There was an apologetic look in his eyes, but it was fleeting as he turned to Sally. ?I really appreciate you doing this for me, Miss Po. I know what stress you must be under.?

Sally smiled. ?Thank Wufei. He?s the one who told me to come out here.? She put a comforting hand on Quatre?s shoulder. ?And you?ve earned the right to call me Sally.?

He returned her smile. She gave a nod of respect to Heero before she exited the room, leaving Quatre alone with Heero.

?You?ve been through a lot because of me.? Quatre spoke up, keeping eye contact with Heero.

Heero was stoic. ?It?s fine.?

Quatre shook his head. ?Being there, it made me think. And I?ve come to a conclusion. It?s always me. It?s always me who gets into trouble. I?m the one who needs rescuing.? He looked down at the floor. ?I?m the one who?s weak.?

?Not weak.? Heero finally spoke. ?Misinformed.?

?I had this feeling,? Quatre confessed, tearing his gaze away from the floor and back to Heero. ?I had this feeling that something was going to go wrong at the Abbey. But I just ignored it.?

Heero pushed himself off of the door frame. ?You?re too kind. But,? he paused, searching for his words. ?it?s not a flaw, Quatre. If we?re going to survive in this world without being soldiers, we?ll need kindness.?

?Are you kind, Heero??

It was Heero?s turn to look away. ?I don?t know.?

Quatre nodded. ?I think you are. What you?re doing for the people of this town, that?s kind.?

?You should get some rest.? Heero said, leaving the room and ending the conversation.

v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v

It?s here that I would like to make a quick defense of my choices in this story. I got a review recently that raised the question about why it?s Quatre that gets picked on. (They didn?t word it exactly that way, I?m loosely paraphrasing). And I wanted to give everyone the reader?s digest version of my reasoning:

I think Quatre is the one most likely to let his kindness lead him into less than savory situations. I don?t think he?s weak at all, just that he believes in people more than the rest of the pilots. I love Quatre dearly, and never want to insinuate he?s a little girl compared to the others. I think he has his own strength, which will manifest itself later in this story.

[samta22]

Great escape!!!!!

[HiFreak]

Ok this fic just became one of my faves, don't know how I've missed it till now. Even though it seems out of character at times, I like how you adapted GW universe to the Robin Hood tale. Just one thing, in ch.2 you had Heero look at the bed and recognise the Teddy bear, contradicting him not knowing what it was in this ch. Other than that great job, hope update comes soon!!

[Nihal]

it was worth the waiting