“Still holding a grudge against me, I see. Well, can't we pretend, just this once, to tolerate each other?” ( said by Dorothy to Heero in part 1)

Care to find out what Heero's grudge against Dorothy is?

Contains: Dx1xD, 2+1+2

“If they're happy…then maybe we should leave them alone…”

Heero couldn't believe those words came out of his mouth. Apparently, Dorothy didn't either because his comment was met with a dainty scoff. But, he'd meant those words. Just why did they sound farcical coming from his lips?

Heero was back at the apartment he rented the day before. He stood by one of its windows, peering out at the street below. The traffic seemed to flow by at a snail's pace. He could hear a couple of frustrated drivers lay on their horns. The bleating was almost incessant, but it didn't bother him. If only the noise was loud enough to drown out his thoughts. They were the only things he was left with in the empty, unfurnished apartment.

Perhaps, he'd forgotten how crafty Dorothy was. After his comment and her scoff, she didn't make an issue of her prior proposal to intercede on their exes' relationship. Heero's fingers touched the dusty wooden window before him. No, she played it smart. She told him she couldn't force him and that she had to fly back to her estate. And then, she walked away without a second glance, leaving him to stew.

He didn't watch her go. He heard her heels click across the asphalt path, before looking down to consider the ants at his feet. He was already in trouble.

Heero focused his gaze on the street below. Just as he expected, the bleating did little good. The drivers were still caught in their sluggish procession.

He was in trouble. The thought wouldn't leave him. He hadn't told her 'no', not directly. Was he considering it? How could he when any contact with Dorothy spelled nothing but scandal? But in the past…even with the turmoil she brought…wasn't she the one who indirectly pushed him and Duo together?

Heero scowled at nothing in particular. He still hated her, and that was the danger.

He closed his eyes, hating her and hating himself for allowing the memories to resurface.

Five years before, he'd left Preventers and part of him believed his sudden departure inspired the others to leave as well. Because shortly after he left, one by one the pilots followed his lead. He was sure they all had their own reasons for parting with the job that had become their lives. And, he was sure of two things in particular: he was Duo's reason and Dorothy was his own. He bit his lip, causing the soft flesh to suffer.

~*(Begin Flashback)*~
Occasionally, Dorothy would come to visit him or, as he thought of it, come to frustrate him with her presence. He tried everything: the cold stares, a brusque manner, even threats of bodily harm, *yet* she continued to taint the sanctity of his office. His office…he liked the sound of that. Heero looked around at the immaculate but spacious enclosure. On his desk were his laptop, some orderly files, and the occasional writing utensils. Was this his and his comrades' reward for two wars well won, first against White Fang and then against Dekim? At Preventers, the five pilots all had their own offices, each one modified to suit his own tastes. Heero's office sported the essentials, but the view was what made the office more than his workplace. A green, open field greeted his gaze as he peered out the window. It was peaceful and quiet. Just that little amount of serenity was enough for him to remember why he fought so hard in those arduous years past. The promise of peace…

He heard the door to his office swing open. Only three people ever had the audacity to come into his office without knocking: Duo was one, Relena was another, and Dorothy was the dastardly third.

He saw a small, white box appear in the doorway. And then he saw what carried it: pale, long hands with smooth looking fingers. He prepared his usual scowl, but he already had his doubts about its effectiveness.

Dorothy's head appeared above the box. “I know, what you're going to say: 'Leave before I throw you out.' ”

“You're wrong. I was going to call security.”

Pink lips curled into a smile. “Again? I hope you realize no one takes those calls seriously anymore. I'm relentless. You know this.”

“And dense, apparently. You're not wanted. Stop coming here.”

Her voice took a singsong tone. “Duo and Quatre would beg to differ. They like my dessert deliveries.” She lowered her voice. “But, Trowa …I'm not too sure about. Between you and me, I think he has weight issues. There's watching your figure and then there's anorexia.”

“Why do you keep coming here?”

“It's quite simple really: penance.” She stepped into the room and closed the door with a swing of her hip. “Today, I brought cheesecake smothered in a lovely cherry topping. You will eat this. Even if I have to force-feed you.”
~*(End Flashback)*~

Heero let his forehead rest against the window. “Penance, my ass,” he whispered. He knew exactly why Dorothy came to visit him. It was all about Relena, plain and simple, and her competition with said diplomat. From adolescence to adulthood, nothing had changed.

~*( Begin Flashback)*~

He'd refused the dessert and was bent on ignoring her. His plans were thwarted as she sat on his desk. He saw her skirted bottom perch itself mere inches from where his hand lay.

Azure eyes laughed at him. She brandished a fork. “It's a half an hour till quitting time. You're too efficient to have work left over. You can't fool me.”

“Don't you have some poor man's soul to steal?”

Dorothy frowned at him. “A creative insult…you really are angry? Not just your usual sulky self?”

He wanted her off his desk. He watched in disbelief as she opened the box and began picking at the dessert she'd brought for *him*. He watched her carry a particularly ruby, gooey cherry to her lips.

“Hmmm…” she murmured as she relished her first bite of ecstasy. “It's heavenly. You don't know what you're missing, Heero.”

Heero sat back in his chair, trying to put some distance between them and trying to figure out an expedient way of getting her out of there. “Relena is supposed to arrive today.” It was more of a statement than a question. But, it got the desired result.

Dorothy choked on her second bite of the dessert. “Well, yes…” She was well aware of Miss Relena's return to Earth from her all too brief two-week trip.

“You mentioned penance. Perhaps, she could use a helping.”

“No need to get snide, Heero.”
~*(End Flashback)*~

Snide? He was beyond snide. And, that was what led to his downfall. He'd let her get to him. The laughter, the haughty smirks, the whopping doses of coquetry, all of it basted him with a layer of… He couldn't think of an adequate word to describe his frustration.

All in all, it boiled down to one thing: he resented her, yet she seemed to thrive on his exasperation.

~*(Begin Flashback)*~

The dessert-laden fork wavered inches from her mouth. “If Relena brought you this, would you eat it?”

“I'm not hungry.”

“That's not an answer. Would you? If she came in here with expectant eyes and a submissive smile, would you take it?”

“That isn't like her.”

“With you, she can be that way.”

“That doesn't concern you.”

The fork was lowered and placed in the box. “I think it does.”

He actually looked up at her. He watched her place the closed box to the side. There was silence, complete silence.

“Have you bedded her?”

The question knocked the scowl from his face.

“Have you taken her?”

“…”

“Do you need me to phrase it another way? Or, will you answer the question?”

His voice was low and threatening. “Get out of my office.”

“Is that a 'yes'?”

He got up. If he couldn't get her to leave, he'd leave himself. He stood up and was about to walk away when he felt a hand seize his arm. He looked down at the offending body part.

“I can assure you I'm better,” he heard her say.

He couldn't even blink. When her hand squeezed his arm, he managed to come out of his staggered state. He attempted to pull his arm from her grasp, but she refused to release him. She made it a two-handed effort when he increased his resistance. Her hands slipped down the sleeves of his shirt until, finally, she was tugging him by the hand.

“Get off!” With a final jerk, he ended up yanking her off the desk. It was a mistake. She fell into him.

A heavy dose of perfume surrounded him. He managed to push her off. She steadied herself against his desk. She began to laugh softly. “Perhaps, you do hate me.”

He made no attempt to disagree with her. The thin, severe line which represented his mouth faltered as she began to argue *for* him.

“No, you're wrong. I, Heero Yuy, don't have enough emotions to hate. That distasteful frown? It's just a means to keep people away. I feel nothing. I'm too perfect to feel anything.”

“Shut up.”

“And that Dorothy? Forget about her. She's just another bother.”

“Stop it.”

Her voice grew louder and bolder with each verbal blow. “And the niceties? You mean the frivolous expenditures? Who needs them? I'm made of stone, hard, cold, impenetrable stone. But it suits me just fine. What was good for the war is good for--”

“I said stop it!”

She stared up at him. His nostrils flared. He was unprepared for what she did next.

She reached out a hand to touch his chest. “So, it lives.” The same long, pale hand that presented him the dessert box palmed the area over his heart. “Ba-boomp…ba-boomp…ba-boomp ba-boomp ba-boomp ba-boomp…” Her chant sped up to match his heart rate.
~*(End Flashback)*~

Heero opened his eyes to look at the now clear street. He was in trouble.

She'd broken through. She'd made his heart race.

~*(Begin Flashback)*~

He was stricken by the touch. It didn't necessarily feel good, but it was there as a warm, solid reminder of her invasion. He saw her for what she was: manipulative, untrustworthy, and undeniably close. He could feel the pulse beating at his temples. He felt his hands tightening into fists. Would he actually strike her?

His eyes fell to her cherry-stained lips. She was laughing at him, again.

“So, rigid, Heero.”

Her leg slipped between his long parted ones. She raised a bent knee and rubbed it at the inside of his thigh. There was more laughter on her part. And then he realized he was shaking… with anger. His hands unfurled and he found them clutching her arms. He broke all his rules about contact and shook her. “*Stop* laughing at me.”

Her hair rippled behind her. “Never.” Her hand clutched at his shirt. He felt the fabric pull tight against his chest.

All those violent underpinnings he thought died years ago came back in a flood. He wanted to wipe that smile off her face, to shut her up once and for all. He didn't care about her or about how she felt.

Her knee rose higher, nudging at the base of his crotch.
~*(End Flashback)*~

And, like a fool, he allowed her to egg him on. Heero raised his head and let it fall to bang against the window. Bakayaro.

“Trust your emotions,” he scoffed. With Dorothy, that mandate never should apply.

~*(Begin Flashback)*~

He didn't think. He just acted. He picked her up by the hips and dropped her on the desk. She groaned as she made sudden contact with the unforgiving surface.

“A little less rough, Heero. Just a tad.”

He didn't hear her. But, through the haze he saw her use one dainty finger to edge his laptop off the desk. The sound of the laptop fracturing as it made contact with the wooden floor didn't jar him from the ill-fated course. Instead, it acted as his breaking point. He didn't back up that day's work to a disk. For some reason, he'd hesitated earlier.

He felt himself snap. He reached out to capture the delinquent hand of hers. He'd take the day's work out of her hide.
~*(End Flashback)*~

Heero couldn't recall what happened clearly. Everything was one big jumble. But, he was quite sure he forgot about Dorothy. All he saw was a squirming, willing form beneath his own. He remembered full, pale breasts with pinkish nipples, hands that wasted little time unbuckling his pants, and smooth legs... He remembered he couldn't smell anything but a heavy floral scent. It was like he was buried under a mound of freshly picked hyacinths. It saturated him, dizzied him, and infuriated him as he realized he couldn't escape it. And then, something else broke. This time it wasn't him and this time it wasn't the laptop…

~*(Begin Flashback)*~

There was no foreplay between them, no kissing, no signs of affection.

She was under him. Her legs kicked at his pants pushing them down to his ankles. He restrained her hands. He breathed hard against her as he settled himself above her juncture. He was at the point of taking her, bedding her, or whatever asinine term she used to describe this.

“Just do it.”

Once again, he didn't hear her. He only saw reddened lips move and his body told him to surge forward. And, he did. But, the destination was never reached. There came the sudden raucous sound of shattering glass. His head snapped to the side. His eyes darted to the door.

Wide, startled blue eyes stared back at him and what he was doing to Dorothy. They took in Dorothy's splayed panting form, his naked taut rear as it was caught mid thrust, and their flushed, harried features.

Heero found his voice. “Relena…” His gaze went from her horrified expression to the pile of glass at her feet.

She was barely audible. “I-I brought you a gift.”

Why couldn't he move? He saw her hands begin to shake. For a moment, her entire body wavered. He thought she'd faint dead away. But, she surprised him and flew out the door.

He glanced down at Dorothy, suddenly aware of what he'd come close to doing. The erection he sported only moments earlier sagged instantly. His skin reeled at the sight of her blank expression as she murmured, “A transgression shockingly rendered...”

He moved away from her. His feet hit the ground and he yanked his pants to his waist. He didn't look at her. “You set me up.”

“What--”

“You knew she'd come here.”

Dorothy sat up, but he didn't give her the time to explain herself. He bolted out of the office in pursuit of Relena.

In his haste, he crashed into the solid form of a meandering Duo.

“Heero, what the hell did you say to her now? She threw up down the hallway.”

“Get out of the way.”
~*(End Flashback)*~

Dorothy sighed as the limo curved down the winding entrance of her estate. It would have been a pleasant flight home if it weren't for one thing: her meddlesome conscience kept nagging her, not so much about what she was planning for Duo and Quatre (those two deserved what was coming), but Heero… hadn't she played with his head enough to last a lifetime?

She wondered if he ever thought about it, that day five years ago. A soft noise escaped her throat. She doubted it. She was the only one who'd want to remember that day. She'd come so close.

~*(Begin Flashback)*~

For so long, Heero was everything. She wasn't in love with him, not by a long shot. But, there was something about his dark stare, petulant expression, and indifferent manner that piqued her curiosity. Could he be broken? The question plagued her. She thought about it nightly and pondered it as she watched Relena fawn over Heero's accomplishments in the past years. Was he human, this boy turned man? Had he learned how to feel? Had he changed since the first time they met?

She remembered the moment, the fencing match where she'd wounded him and he'd stared back at her as if she was a bothersome variety of insect. Could he feel? Could *she* make him feel? It had become sort of a quest for her. And, she was so close to victory. She felt it as his hands grappled her hips, as he dropped her onto his solid desk, as his hands tore at her clothing…and the look in his eyes…'blank' was the only accurate description for it. But, he was there, breathing heavily over her, positioned between her legs, ready to give her the victory she'd thought was only fantasy.

“Just do it,” she heard herself say. To her ears, it sounded more of a plea than a command.

She closed her eyes. The entry never came.

A jarring sound caused her eyes to fly open. It took her a second to realize that the sound was the shattering of a grand quantity of fine glass. She looked at the cause. Her mind couldn't quite acknowledge the information her eyes transmitted. But, the confirmation came when Heero murmured, “Relena…”

Dorothy felt her face loose expression. Miss Relena…she'd forgotten all about her. She watched said distraught heiress flee from the room. She could only murmur, “A transgression shockingly rendered.” It was an accurate statement, but the timing for its utterance couldn't have been more unsuitable. The game, or whatever it was, had ended.

She didn't even feel Heero move away from her but she did hear him as he said, “You set me up.”

“What--” She realized he'd managed to pull up his pants.

“You knew she'd come here.”

She sat up. He left to chase after Relena before she had a chance to defend herself. In truth, she knew Relena would show up. It was only natural for Relena, on her first day back on Earth, to want to stop in to see the man she believed she was in love with. Any boob could have figured that out. Heero should have figured it out. But, set him up? No, she'd forgotten everything the minute she felt his heart beating against the palm her hand. At that point, Relena was the last person on her mind. There was no plan. Everything that happened had been under no one's control, especially hers.

Dorothy heard voices coming from outside the office…Duo's and Heero's.

“Heero, what the hell did you say to her now? She threw up down the hallway.”

“Get out of the way.”

Then she heard footsteps running away down the hallway, one set of footsteps she assumed to be Heero's.

Then she heard Duo mumble, “What the hell is his problem?” Dorothy assumed he got his answer as soon as he stepped into Heero's office. His gaze went from the pile of glass before the doorway, across a span of waxen floor, past the fallen dessert box, to her centerfold position on the desk.

She looked up at him. She could see him struggling with his face. He was shocked, obviously. But she saw other things flash across his countenance. Dismay? Disgust? Anger? She couldn't be sure. It all happened as fast a stroke of lightening. Of course, in this highly awkward situation, she retreated to her usual teasing manner.

She heard herself ask, “Did you enjoy what I brought for you, Duo?”

He went slack-jawed. “...”

She reached to pull the remains of her blouse over her exposed bosom. “The Boston Cream pie?”

He didn't answer her. He left.

So much for an attempt at humor.
~*(End Flashback)*~

Dorothy was in the drawing room of the main house on her large estate. She'd perched herself on the edge of a white lush sofa. A marveled expression marked her. It had been years since she thought of that interchange between herself and Maxwell. Her memory always seemed slippery when coming to him.

~*(Begin Flashback)*~

She donned the leftovers of her clothing and thought it best to make a hasty retreat. She'd driven to the Preventers agency. Her yellow car was out front, which meant she had to pass through the same route she'd used before. If there existed a dignified way of exiting the agency, she'd attempt to find it. She found her shoes and managed the semblance of a sure walk. She made it out of Heero's office with her usual half-smile set in place. Here came the first ordeal. For some peculiar reason, all the former gundam pilots' offices occurred down one span of hallway. Heero's was at the end of the hallway preceded by Duo's, then Trowa's, then Quatre's and then finally the always absent Wufei's. Of course, Duo's office was empty. After their brief exchange, she'd heard his footsteps dash away from Heero's office. Trowa's door was closed. Yes, she could make it down this stretch without incident. Well, that's what she thought until she heard an inquisitive voice ask, “Dorothy?”

She halted at the sound of it. It was mature with a hint of virtue. “Quatre Raberba Winner,” she murmured in soft acknowledgement. For some reason, she had the habit of saying his entire name each time they came into contact. It was especially bizarre on her part since they saw each other weekly due to her dessert deliveries… and since she'd stopped in on him only an hour before.

She turned to face him.

“What's happened to you? Come in here before--”

“Before someone sees me,” she finished for him.

“Well, yes.” He gestured for her to enter his office.

She didn't move at first. He continued to hold the same position. Her half-smile faltered as she finally gave in.

He closed the door behind them.

Had she been in a better mood she would have found herself hard-pressed to stifle a chuckle. She could see his discomfort. His gaze tried to fall everywhere but on her. She could understand why. Her clothing was in shambles. One hand held the remains of her blouse over her amble bosom and there was a huge tear up the side of her skirt…it ran almost to her waistline. Thankfully, she'd managed to find the obscure place where Heero's mad toss had sent her panties flying. With the bra, she wasn't so lucky…

“It isn't my nature to be suspicious, but I feel I can rightly assume you are the center of all this.”

“ 'This'? That's a rather roundabout way of referring to the current scandal rocking our worlds, wouldn't you agree?”

He didn't answer her. She watched as his hands tugged his shirttails out of his pants.

“What are you doing?”

He undid the shirt buttons. “You shouldn't--” Red-faced, he pulled off the shirt and handed it her. A white vest continued to cover his chest.

An expression that wavered between amazed and perturbed crossed her features. She took the shirt and watched as he turned around to give her privacy. But his stance didn't keep him from talking.

“Miss Relena arrived hopeful but left in hysterics, Heero's disappeared, and Duo left in haste as well. Then, I see you walking down this corridor--”

“Dressed as every sailor's whore.”

Startled by the comment, he actually turned around. “I never said--”

By then, all her distressing assets were completely covered. The oversized shirt managed to cloak the area from her neck to the middle of her thighs. “You didn't have to. I'm quite aware of how 'this' all looks. And, you'd like to hear my face-saving take? Or, should I tell you everything, even what you don't want to hear?”
~*(End Flashback)*~

She was quite surprised at Quatre's reaction. She expected him to nod perceptively, to comport himself in a judicious manner and to refuse to take sides. She had never been more wrong. He frowned, actually frowned at her. That gentle expression she'd seen him greet even Heero's most crass moments had been nowhere in sight.

“It seems I can corrupt almost anyone.” She was bit dismayed by her somber tone.

~*(Begin Flashback)*~

“You've gone too far, Dorothy.”

Was that really anger she heard in his voice?

“I want you to stay here until everyone leaves for the day. But, after that, I think it's in everyone's best interest that you stop visiting.”

“Is that an order, Winner?”

“No, it's a recommendation. But, knowing you, you'll disregard it.”

“What are you saying?”

“You're still playing the same games.” He pinned her with a reproachful blue-green gaze. “And, it was only matter of time before your actions caught up with you. It's unfortunate that you took three others down with you.”

“Three? Only Heero and Relena--”

“You're forgetting Duo. He's just as involved.”

Dorothy frowned. Duo. She hadn't even considered him.
~*(End Flashback)*~

Dorothy was startled out of her reverie as a composed voice called from the doorway, “Miss Catalonia, you have a guest. Shall I bring her into the drawing room?”

She looked back at Sergei, her current butler. “A guest?” She wasn't expecting anyone. “Who is it? I really can't stomach company right now.”

Sergei cleared his throat. “She asked me to remain closed-mouthed regarding her identity. She said she wanted to surprise you.” Sergei backed away from the distasteful expression on his mistress's face. He watched her long, forked eyebrows scrunch to half their total length.

“Fine, I'll play along. Let this mysterious woman in.”

Heero sat on the floor of his apartment. Should he order the furniture from his old apartment to be sent here? Was he actually considering staying? In this city where, supposedly, Duo and Quatre were dwelling? Could he? Would he?

~*(Begin Flashback)*~

He didn't find Relena, not after scouring the floor or by the entrance, or the other levels. She was nowhere to be found. And, the eyes… all of them staring at him. He had an idea of how gossip-worthy everything appeared. He was quite sure Relena's emotional exit had been witnessed by a good number of workers. And, he was well aware they believed he was responsible. It was simple logic. Vice Foreign Minister Darlian came there to visit him, not her brother (Zechs was in a different building altogether). And, if she left in hysterics, he was the only one who could have led to her distress. Not good. He wanted it to stop: the whispering, the nowhere-near-covert glances at his disheveled form... He wasn't self-conscious by nature. Normally, he wouldn't have given a rat's ass, but it was everything that went down that day which rendered him susceptible to scrutiny. He could still smell Dorothy. His stomach turned as he pictured the flash of her bare chest as he clawed her shirt open. How had she done it? How had he lost control?

He turned and took long strides to the nearest men's bathroom. He stood over the sinks. He had to get her scent off. It was on his clothes, on skin, mocking him and his stupidity. He turned the faucet on and brought handfuls of cold water to his face. It wasn't enough. He continued to slap handfuls to his face. Over the running water and his own noises of self-contempt, he didn't hear Duo enter the bathroom.

He had no idea how long Duo had been standing there. But, as he looked from the sink, with his face and half his hair drenched by his efforts, he became aware of the braided man.

“You'd do that with her?”

Heero turned from the mirror to Duo. “Leave me alone.”

“You'd go that far with *her*? Dorothy?”

“Don't do this.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. Is this a bad time? Should I schedule an appointment for when you're in deeper shit?”

“…” Heero could only stare back at him. He didn't have time for the American's sarcasm. He frowned. But, was it just that? He could sense more, other than the anger and disgust. Was it anxiety? “I can handle Relena.”

“I'm not worried about Relena. She's finally realized what a louse you are. Perhaps, she's the smart one.”

“Not now, Duo.”

Heero knew what was coming. Over the years, everything that had passed between them was leading up to a final moment of resolution. But, why at this time? Was it because Duo now had one up on him? A reason to upbraid him? Proof of his fallibility? They needed to confront one another. They'd been dancing around the issue for *years*. The need was there lurking as a backdrop on those late nights each spent at the office (which coincided too often to be just a matter of chance), as a glint behind the lingering gazes, and as an undertone to the exchanged potshots regarding why neither of them could find a woman worth their time…

Heero couldn't scowl. He didn't have the energy or resolve for one. He watched with a blank expression as Duo approached him. His wet bangs sent water dripping down his cheekbones to slide over his chin and neck.

Duo stopped a foot in front of him. Angry eyes locked on Heero's dead gaze. “Why her?” Something unnamable flickered in Duo's eyes. “Instead of me?”

“She made me angry.”

“So, that's the missing piece…you could have saved me a lot of time, Heero.”

Heero watched Duo's shoulder jerk. He saw the motion coming. He caught Duo's fist in hand.

Duo was unphased by the capture. His teeth glinted behind his supple lips as he said, “Reflexes, check.” He stepped closer in an attempt to edge Heero against the sink.

Heero locked his form in place, refusing to be moved. He felt every part of himself tighten.

“Defenses, check.” Duo's fist was still trapped in his grasp.

A long, solid hand reached up to first touch Heero's wet bangs, then his cheek, and finally his mouth. The fingers lingered on Heero's lips. “Malfunction, no response.” Duo leaned forward and pressed soft lips to the fingers covering Heero's parted mouth. His fingers worked as frustrating barrier between their lips.

Heero's blank expression morphed into one of fright. He couldn't move, even if he wanted to do. And, as he would soon realize, it would have been in his best interest if he had.

He felt it at the same time Duo's fingers moved from his lips, the feel of Duo's knee colliding with his groin. He doubled against his braided comrade turned tormentor. Through the haze of pain and disbelief, he heard Duo say, “I thought I'd hit you at your weakest point. Funny, you seem to do much of your thinking with it.”

He'd released Duo's fist upon the jarring contact. He felt both of Duo's hands pushing him off and against the sink.

Then Duo's bitter tone cut through him as he said, “Give my regards to Dorothy.” And then, Duo began to move away.

The motion was instinctual. Heero's hands clutched at Duo's retreating form. They managed to grab him by the sleeves. “You leave and she's won.”

“So, there's a spot reserved for second place?”

“There's no humor in any of this.”

They both heard the door to the bathroom push open. A man with unruly auburn hair stepped in. “Uh…” He peered at his questionably positioned supervisors and beat a hasty retreat. The door slammed behind him.

Heero was too tired to be annoyed. It seemed his esteem was suffering new disgraces every minute. A decision had to be made. The words came without forethought. “Leave with me. Leave all of this behind.”

In one of those rare moments, Heero watched as Duo's lips moved soundlessly.

“Let…” Heero frowned. Why couldn't just say what they both needed to hear? He pictured Dorothy as she placed her hand over his chest. He heard her voice as she chanted, 'Ba-boomp… ba-boomp…ba-boomp, ba-boomp ba-boomp, ba-boomp.' He closed his mind to the recollection. His eyes lingered on Duo's shaken expression as he whispered in a soft tone that was alien to him, “Let me make it up to you.”
~*(End Flashback)*~

That night Heero left everything behind and…Duo followed.

Heero glanced at the dusty floorboards of the apartment. In a bizarre bout of fortune, Dorothy had handed him victory and…now she was promising it again. She was right. He wouldn't have to do anything. Just the fact that they were in each other's company would set Duo and Quatre on edge. Given their history, an alliance between them would only mean one thing.

And, Heero was having none of it.

There would be no games, no lies, no getting chummy with Dorothy. He'd go to Duo and set things straight. He'd quell his doubts and tell him what really happened that night he drove them to the church. It wasn't about getting Duo back. It was matter of closure. And, if his former lover chose to take him back and drop this nonsense about children, it was perfectly fine with him.

In fact, that's how he wanted it.

Dorothy waited impatiently in the drawing room. What was taking Sergei so long? Fifteen minutes had passed since he left to bring in the mysterious guest. Before she could make a noise of disgust, there came a soft knock.

“Sergei, come in.”

“The last time I checked, I wasn't 6 feet tall, brown haired and green eyed. And, I haven't quite mastered a Russian accent.”

That voice. Dorothy turned around as the door to the drawing room slid open to reveal a teenage girl. Her short, red hair was swept away from her face and her large, vibrant blue eyes revealed a spirited personality.

Dorothy was met with a smile as the girl said, “I thought I'd pay a visit to my charming Aunt Dotty.”

'Charming Aunt Dotty' was nowhere near amused. “First, it's Dorothy not Dotty. Call me that again and your hair won't be the only thing that's red.”

“Well noted.” The girl's smile turned from amused to cheeky.

“Second, I'm you're cousin *not* your aunt. Why can't you ever keep that straight?”

Dorothy found herself scowling as Mariemeia tucked a wayward red strand back in place before saying, “It's quite obvious. Your irritation brings me great delight.”

Part 3