Trowa firmly stifled his weariness and mechanically kept working away at it. He had moved his position from the flat near Midii’s small one room apartment to a quiet computer room in the headquarters of the Preventors. He had made a full report to Lady Une earlier that morning just after Midii had finally signed off. Now he was busy trying to track down her electronic trail that he, due to his foolish lack of foresight had missed out on witnessing as it happened. He had spent the past four or five hours winkling out all of the various places she had visited and trying to catch up to what information she had found. He hadn’t had any sleep at all that evening, but Trowa had gone without sleep for even several days at a stretch before so one night didn’t make that huge a difference to his ability to function. He was however quite affected by his sluggishness at tracing her signal for her electronic research into the future plans of her employers.

He wanted to know everything she knew by  the time she showed up to work that morning; but she had been all over everywhere on the net-links the night before and it was just taking him way too long to backtrack across all of her little sites, hack into them unobtrusively, decrypt them, then read and correlate the information. Midii was well-connected and she knew the inner workings of her forced employers like a French chef knew the inside of his kitchen; there was no way that any of the agents currently working for the Preventors, including himself or possibly even Heero, would have known precisely where to go, who to access, and what to look for when tracking down the Consortium and there would have been some serious gaps in their information even if they had been lucky enough to stumble across the plot to assassinate the leaders of the Unisphere Council. The thing that was frustrating Trowa was not only his stupid mistake in not adjusting the frequency of the bug on her private computer, but the fact that now he had to play catch-up. Playing catch-up with a professional was frustrating; she’d been very busy that night and he was having a hell of a time of it. It was now about seven in the morning and he’d gotten about a third of the way through her trail from the previous evening. 

Trowa was aware of the door opening and glanced up absently to see who it was; he was working on a rather high profile case right now and didn’t want some nosy person disturbing his work. It was Heero, and even better he came bearing coffee. One of the covered metallic mugs that preserved heat was wafting with steam bearing the welcome scent of Columbian ground coffee beans. They only served the best there at Preventors HQ, rank did indeed have its privileges, and besides Lady Une was a known coffee addict. She had stated that she had enough agents working long, odd hours that if she didn’t serve good coffee she’d probably be facing a mutiny… and she would likely be on the side of the mutineers.

“Une assigned me here to assist you,” he said by way of explanation. Neither Trowa nor Heero were ones for wasting words; Trowa accepted the coffee and the help with a nod of thanks as Heero slid into the terminal next to him.

With another seasoned professional the work did indeed go quicker; and when they were done a scant two hours later at approximately eight in the morning they my silent mutual agreement decided to celebrate by drinking another cup of coffee. The faculty break room on that floor wasn’t spectacular, it was mostly used by the office bunnies and coffee-walkers instead of field agent personnel, but it had the necessary requirements, couches, coffeepots and cappuccino machines.

“Une suddenly made this fete a top priority this morning and now I can see why,” Heero remarked quietly. They were the only two inhabitants of the room. “This would have been a disaster if she hadn’t caught it, even I didn’t see an operation of this magnitude coming and I’m always on guard when a collection of political targets and influential leaders are gathered in one place. I would very much love to know how you happened across those connections of yours.”

“It’s a long story… a very long story,” said Trowa. “And it’s not really the time or the place for it.”

“Understood,” said Heero not taking offense. Two lifetime soldiers knew that there was a time and a place for private tactical meetings, and a public breakroom on the cusp of morning rush-hour wasn’t one of them.

“Any luck with your reluctant charge?” Trowa inquired as a way to change the subject. The two of them weren’t convivial, but they did like to discuss pertinent matters as much as anyone did.

Heero scowled.

“No. She insists that my guard of her person isn’t necessary as she hasn’t had one single attack in years. She thinks the coast is clear,” Heero’s tone conveyed the obvious folly of that particular notion.

“On a battlefield or in sniper work, the only real chance at nailing your target is when they think the coast is clear,” Trowa said, agreeing with him.

“That was exactly what I told her, but she thinks that the time for battlefields and thinking like a soldier is over with. As much as I would love to agree with her, I work for the Preventors and I know better.”

“She’ll come around,” Trowa assured him. “Even if this building doesn’t get blown to high havens or any of the people in it shot, which it won’t, you could still use the attempt to cement your case.”

“So there is a good side to this mess after all,” Heero said judiciously sipping his coffee.

“I don’t know if Lady Une told you, but even though you know something is happeneing that night you’re to pretend that you don’t know about it. The information goes no farther than yourself and you’re not to indicate that you suspect anything out of the ordinary.”

“I’ve been briefed,” Heero said dryly. “But the way you said it makes it sound like you have a personal stake in it…” He trailed off, making it not quite a question.

“Let’s just say that I want to see this business drawn to a good conclusion as much as you do.”

Heero was content to leave it at that. That fact alone demonstrated that he had placed a large measure of trust in Trowa and his ability to handle matters. For a solitary soldier who had been trained to rely on himself alone to handle all emergencies to simply let a matter of some grave importance drop trusting in his compatriot to manage matters showed a great deal of trust.

“… Still think you’re mistaken about those two,” The slightly morning-cranky voice of Wufei drew near to the door as it opened to reveal him and his partner in the middle of a discussion on his way to the coffee room.

“Hello? Where have you been?” Sally inquired looking at her partner as if he were this incredibly dense person who didn’t have a clue. “Everyone in both OZ and the Alliance knows about Zechs Merquise and Lieutenant Noin; it was only a matter of time.”

“He said himself that he couldn’t become accustomed to peace,” Wufei argued. “Why would he give in so suddenly?”

“You make it sound like she’s been importuning him at every other moment with requests to settle down and start a family,” Sally said nodding a good morning to Trowa and Heero as she poured her coffee. She had a folder, likely with her latest mission report in it, cradled in the crook of her left arm as she held her steaming mug in her right.

“Are you saying that she hasn’t?” Wufei asked archly (for him anyway). He took the pot from her and poured his own mug full as she added cream and three spoons of sugar to hers. “Given her obsessive pursuit of him at the end of the wars, that would be the likely conclusion to come to Sally.”

Well I’ll have you know that she’s been very restrained,” Sally said righteously. “There is such a thing as a biological clock Wufei, maybe Zechs just felt it was time to make his “understanding” with his childhood sweetheart a little more permanent. Well, the fact that three other guys had made it clear that if he wasn’t interested, they sure as hell were, could have had something to do with it.”

“Humph, I suppose jealousy can do strange things to a man,” Wufei grumbled.

“So the idiot finally had one good idea,” Midii’s voice said from behind them. “And it’s about fragging time too.”

“That’s what I said,” Sally said nodding emphatically.

“She’s had the patience of a saint with him. I don’t know if I’d have stuck around after my boyfriend was declared legally dead,” Midii joked. “Good morning Trowa.”

“Good morning,” he said in his restrained manner.

“It’s said that Buddha could forgive only three times, and I know he’s used up at least two,” Sally continued.

“I think trying to drop a space fortress onto the Earth should count as two,” Midii argued. “What do you think he did for all of that year he was missing?”

“Hair care treatments?” Sally suggested impishly.

“Either that or trying to come up with a cool new name for his big comeback,” Midii deadpanned, her eyes sparkling with repressed mirth. “I swear, he changes his name more often than his underwear.”

“And how would you know that?” Sally inquired archly, grinning.

“We’re not even going any where near there,” Middi said, pantomiming dropping it like a bad habit. “He’s scary.”

With that she took her cup of coffee and left the break room with a wave at the assembled company. Trowa silently followed her out. Heero was left staring after his normally anti-social compatriot with a look of speculation, Sally too looked like she was speculating; she was grinning.

“What is it that makes you smile so, this early in the morning?” Wufei grumped.

“It looks like love is in the air,” was all Sally said as she sipped from her coffee and turned her attention back to the reports stacked in her arms.

* * *

Midii felt like she’d barely gotten any sleep at all the previous night. Her head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton, she felt disconnected, as if she were watching all of the world from a security monitoring room somewhere outside of her body. After all of this was over, a long break and some time to relax with her family was definitely in order. Provided she could get her family out of this, but she couldn’t even afford to drop her guard for a moment. She just wished she could talk to someone, she trusted Trowa, she really did; she loved him and it hurt her not to be able to be honest and straightforward with him.

<I wish I could tell him everything,> she thought whistfully. <But what if he doesn’t understand? What if he thinks I’m betraying him all over again? I can’t take the risk, if I get him involved in this he’ll get hurt. It will be better for everyone if I just continue carrying my burdens alone.> She could hear his quiet footsteps fall behind her, she wanted nothing more at that moment than to just pause, lean back and let herself fall into his arms. She had always had to be the strong one in her family, the Protector, the Provider… She’d grown up depending on no one but herself, just once she’d like to be the one that someone protected, she’d like to have someone take care of her for a little while. She’d give a lot just to feel truly safe, truly cherished, just for a little while. If she could just afford to trust him…

But she couldn’t. The situation was too dangerous, and she was already in too deep. Now was not the time for weakness, she had to be strong, she had to be ready to do what she had to. It wouldn’t be easy but she had to be ready to cut all ties to the man she loved and disappear. Everything had been moving so fast, and it was continuing to move fast; she was just going to have to make certain she was faster. She couldn’t afford to let her guard down, especially not around him. Those beautiful eyes of his always felt like they saw straight through all of her defenses and into the places she would preffer to keep hidden; her vulnerability, her worry and fear, her doubts about herself, her guilt. He could only imagine what he would think of her if he found out she had been forcibly hired by the Consortium to infiltrate the Preventors and send back data on their movements; that she had in essence put the safety of her family over the peace of the entire Earth Sphere. If allowed to spin out of control the Consortium could conceivably be a real threat to peace worldwide as well as up in space. She just had to figure out a way to nail them before things got truly unwieldy.

She’d be able to plan ahead about how to do just that if she could only find a little time to herself. All this walking around being constantly guarded was wearying to say the least. Nanashi had been tough to fool when he’d been a kid, and time had only increased his powers of observation. That was one of the reasons why she loved him so, and also one of the reasons why she feared him the most out of anyone. He meant so much to her, and she was sent to betray him again. Fate certainly seemed to have it out for her… perhaps it was kharma for all of the people who had died because of her; she would always be set against the one man she truly loved. She hadn’t wanted to do it then and she didn’t want to do it now.

<But now I’m older,> she thought with some hope. <I don’t have to repeat the same mistakes. I can figure out a way to make this work, I’m smarter and I have more experience. Even if I am just as desperate I think I can make this work. It doesn’t matter what he thinks of me, as long as I know he’s safe, and my family is okay, that’ll be enough.>

Midii had been so involved with her own thoughts and troubles that she failed to look at the floor she was walking on an the heel of her stiletto shod foot turned on an irregularity in the linoleum. She momentarily weaved and caught herself against the wall before quickly righting herself.

“Miss Une,” he said softly from just behind her. “Are you alright Miss Une?” He had her at the elbow. How often had she wished for someone to catch her when she fell? Life as a spy wasn’t something that came with safety nets, it was dangerous and precarious, a dance along the razors edge between life and death.

She couldn’t help it, she couldn’t resist it. He was standing there so close to her; and he looked so steady, so strong, that she needed to feel that strength supporting her for just one tiny heartbeat. For just one moment Midii gave in to her own weakness and let herself fall back against him. Her slight weight was caught against his hard muscled chest and his arms automatically held and supported her.

<So this is what happiness is like,> she thought as she closed her eyes to let the world disappear for one brief moment before she had to pull away and stand on her own in the cold again. She felt so warm, so safe there. The world with all of its intrigues and machinations, with all of the life and death stuff she was involved in just melted away as she closed her eyes, rested her head against his shoulder, and let him support her.

Then the moment passed and she reluctantly pulled away.

“I’m fine, I just didn’t sleep very well last night,” she explained. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.” With that she firmly marched herself down the hall and into the space she was currently using as an impromptu office for her trial period.

Trowa stared after her for a long moment wondering silently what that had all been about. It seemed that living her life on the edge was beginning to wear her down. Part of him missed the warmth of her soft frame melted against his own fiercely, even though it had only been for a few brief seconds.