It was easy to find Annette. Her striking features and cheery waving among a crowd of uptight individuals were not hard to miss. Wufei pulled Sally quickly toward the waving woman to take their seats as they were just the tiniest bit late to the event. Being held up by a phone call from Heero just when they were about to leave was unexpected. They’d missed their shuttle and took the next available one heading for earth which happened to be that same day. It was a miracle they made it in time when they were supposed to have arrived the day before.

“I can’t wait to see my baby,” Sally cooed while being lead around by the wrist. She was too busy surveying the surroundings of her youngest child’s school to notice his hurried steps.

They couldn’t have been able to afford the boarding school even if they worked three jobs, but he and Sally were at least blessed with smart offspring, the youngest of which managed to get a scholarship into Earth’s best boarding school. Sally didn’t want him to go, but Shen had grown attached to Alex since they grew up together. Where Alex was, Shen had to be too.

“Hold back, woman,” Wufei warned as they approached their table. “He’s at that age when he doesn’t want to be seen with his parents.”

“Hah! I think you’re talking about our daughter.”

Wufei rolled his eyes. Their older son Jin made the trip with them and was currently finding boys his age to cause trouble with. Their daughter, however, chose to stay home, or rather, stay with Uncle Trowa because her friends had a crush on him. She had the habit of indulging her friends and disinheriting her parents. Sally had warned the gaggle of girls that Trowa only liked blondes so the friends will be predictably showing up at his place with bleached heads. Thank goodness Trowa was not a pedophile. Those girls were pretty and tended to dress inappropriately.

“I’m glad to see you made it,” Annette greeted in a whisper, giving Sally a quick hug and Wufei a nod of greeting. “The kids are growing up too fast, huh?”

“Faster than they’re supposed to sometimes,” Sally quipped also in hushed tones to avoid disrupting the ceremony. “I never bothered with these school events when I was a kid, but it’s different now as a parent. I can’t get my boy to come home often enough to see him.”

“Ah well, I know what you mean. My son practically lives here,” Annette replied with a dismissive wave.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Wufei said. He looked at Annette, conveying to her his sympathy at having to deal with the consequences of mothering the Winner heir. Like Quatre, Alex’s dictated life lacked privacy. The boarding school, catering to the wealthy who valued discretion, shielded him from the public’s scrutinizing eyes, at least for now.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Wufei brought up when the announcements had been made and appetizers were served.

“His father isn’t showing up today,” Annette said before he could finish his question. “He’d apologized to our son profusely this past week to no avail. He’s just not fit enough for travel.”

“Burrowing under the covers, is he?”

Wufei, Sally and Annette looked up at the source of the question. In a lovely purple dress with an impeccably dressed husband behind her and an over-the-top pure gold stroller next to her was Dorothy Catalonia, now Mrs. Catalonia-Fitzgerald, fashionably late.

“May we join your table?” she asked in a deliberate but cordial tone.

“Yes, please,” Annette replied, holding her hand out in welcome.

Wufei felt Dorothy’s presence ominous, which he found odd, since he didn’t know her all that well. But, he did know the impeccably dressed husband. Kon, Heero’s former roommate who was inexplicably married to Catalonia, did not look half-bad in a tuxedo.

“Ah, Heero’s friends,” Kon said in an infectious, jovial manner. He was the exact opposite of his wife who took the seat next to Annette, leaving her husband to check-up on their pampered toddler.

“You have a child old enough to be in attendance at this school?” Wufei inquired because he did not expect the high profile couple to show up just when he was trying to go low profile. His previous discussion with Heero, the same one that made him late to the event, rang in his ear.

“Annette rescinded conservatorship of Quatre back to L4 by his own request.”

“Meaning they own him again. Heero, Trowa will not be pleased to hear this. If he has to hear it from someone then it’s not coming from me.”

“Lost your nerve, Chang? In any case, that’s not why I called. I’d rather we keep communications between the five of us minimal until this incident dies down. The Croc didn’t get out from maximum security on his own. He obviously had help and given that ECT was administered to Quatre by an L3 hospital right after he’d already stabbed himself, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was premeditated, possibly by the Preventers.”

“I’m not sure about that. Sure, the ECT was an irresponsible choice since he was already severely wounded, but it’s still a legitimate treatment option for bipolar disorder. It might just be a coincidence that the Croc saw the machine and used it on him because it was within easy reach.”

“That’s too convenient. Wufei, I’m positive they used the Croc to increase voltage to finish off what they started. You must be forgetting that one of the unsavory side-effects of ECT is that it could wipe out parts of your memory. In this case, the memory of ZERO’s blueprints that the Preventers couldn’t extract using this same asshole years ago and would rather destroy completely right now--”

“--before their former ally the PPM could get their hands on it.”

“Precisely.”

“I’m still not telling Trowa.”

“You shouldn’t. There’s a chance that the PPM still has something planted on him. I should have considered it before I asked him to come to the hotel.”

“He’ll still want to see Quatre.”

“Fine. He could file paperwork and seek approval with the L4 courts like everyone else. Quatre is safest under L4 custody right now because they will do everything possible to ensure the safety of their prized asset. They’re probably furious over the incident at L3’s hospital. I’m sure L4 would never do the same to him. And anyway, Quatre himself admitted he’s mentally unfit to properly take care of himself on his own at the moment. Let’s leave him be for now.”

“Kids at this school? We don’t have any old enough to attend,” Kon responded to Wufei’s inquiry. “This underage tot here is our one and only. I’m only here as an alumni representative. Didn’t Quatre tell you I went to school with him here, at the outer space branch? They temporarily moved this school to a hidden outer space mining satellite owned by the Winners during the Alliance era.”

“Quatre doesn’t speak of himself very often,” Sally replied for both of them. At the moment, Wufei would rather not have talked about him at all.

“He was quite the kid,” Kon continued. “We started out the same year, but he skipped ahead of everyone else, had an undergraduate degree by the time he was 13. He always said something about wanting to finish quickly so his father would let him come home.”

“Oh?” Sally said, suddenly interested. She folded her hands on the table and leaned forward in anticipation. “What was he like?”

Wufei had no intention of discussing Quatre any further than they already had. He couldn’t trust that any witnesses to their conversation would keep things confidential. Information always leaked, but it was too late for that now. Once his wife was interested, there was no stopping her.

“He was the number one crybaby in the entire school with a haughty attitude like you wouldn’t believe. Poor kid was teased and bullied all the time too ‘cause he looked like a girl.”

“Still does,” Dorothy said with a derisive chuckle. Wufei began to understand people’s general dislike of her. Though she may not mean to ridicule, it just seemed that way every time she opened her mouth.

“So how’s Quatre doing these days? I hear he needs a new kidney,” Kon brought up next, addressing his question to Annette.

“I’ve never heard of this,” Sally said in surprise. Wufei was not aware of this either and he had just been talking to Heero who he trusted knew everything.

“Forgive my husband for his lack of discretion,” Dorothy said without looking the least bit apologetic. She, at least, understood the concern with divulging too much sensitive information at such a public place. Case in point, their server appeared with their next course obviously taken aback by the news.

“The official announcement is going to be made by L4 in the next few hours anyway, so there’s no point in keeping it a secret,” Annette responded after a sip of her wine. “It’s true. His kidneys were fried during the last… incident. He’s on a waiting list for a new one.”

“How lovely it is, the pretense of a waiting list when it’s obvious that Quatre Winner is always first in line,” Dorothy quipped in a not so nice tone.

“Oh, he is,” Annette assured her, effortlessly keeping her composure. “…since he can’t demand to wait in line like everyone else. Surely you’re aware that, health-wise at least, he has no say in the matter.”

“Quatre’s turned out to be such a nice adult that I can’t see him stepping over others to get to the front of the line,” Kon said, effectively and unknowingly blocking the next scathing remark his wife had in line. Dorothy smiled at this but backed off.

“So, Mrs. Chang,” she inquired instead. “I hear your son is first in class?”

Sally, the ever proud mother immediately fell for it although Wufei thought he’d do the same if the question was directed at him.

“That’s my boy,” she said, beaming. “I’d like to think it comes from me, but I’ll relent this time and admit that it’s all from his father.”

Wufei snorted but did not say a word. He’d rather not have argued about it. Sally was no moron, but she liked giving him the credit for their gifted children.

“Quite the genius that son of yours. I hear he beats Winner at every turn.”

“Now, now, Dotty,” Kon interjected, finally becoming aware of his wife’s painfully blunt and antagonistic responses. “I’m sure he has his own strengths.”

Before the situation could escalate any further, Shen suddenly showed up next to Wufei. He almost hugged his son for saving them all from the increasingly awkward situation but refrained from any public displays.

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with the rest of your class?”

“Dad, Jin won’t leave me alone. He’s making fun of me ‘cause I’m friends with Alex and he said Alex is a pussy for letting the other kids say crap about his dad.”

“Shen! Watch your language, young man,” Sally quickly scolded before stalking off to look for their older son who was not part of any of the school events and was most likely causing trouble with Shen's classmates.

“He’ll let up once your mom is done with him,” he assured his son. He didn’t know what else to say with Alex’s mother also at the table.

Annette remained where she was seated, looking decidedly irked but nevertheless controlled as she took a sip from her wine glass. There went his theory that Alex looking more like his mother would prevent him from being bullied. She must have cursed the father just the tiniest bit for causing the boy all this grief.

“Shen, was it?” Dorothy’s voice came through once again.

“Yes, ma’am,” his son responded reflexively, mildly surprised that he was addressed.

“I hear Winner’s son is fairly athletic.”

“He does all the sports. He’s got the perfect name for the jerseys too.”

“The program for today indicates Winner taking part in a fencing demonstration. Are any of the uncouth youngsters speaking ill of his father taking part as well?”

“Uh, huh.”

“Then worry not, child,” Dorothy said with a smile. “Rest assured your friend will marvelously defend his father’s honor.”

Shen beamed. Wufei was surprised at how well Dorothy addressed a child when a majority of the adults in the table probably wanted to slit her throat. If she were a kind person after all, he wouldn’t be surprised. Annette seemed to appreciate the reassurance as she sent a grateful look her way.

“Thanks, lady,” Shen said before running off.

“Ma’am, and don’t run,” Wufei corrected though it no longer reached his satisfied son’s ears.

Sally returned just in time for the next event, the fencing demonstration, with a disgruntled Jin in tow.

“Now sit tight and watch how he’ll beat the living snot out of those other boys,” Sally said with a cross of her arms.

“Sure, with a wimpy-ass sword.”

“Jin and mom, language,” Wufei warned the both of them.

“Yes dad,” they both responded with Sally’s tone whinier than her son’s. Kon couldn’t help but snicker as he jabbed his elbow at Wufei’s ribs.

“You are one strict guy,” he said.

Wufei paid him no heed.

True enough, when it came time for Alex to show off some skill, he did not disappoint. All the rage of an angry son came rushing out with every controlled attack that left no room for interception. The fierce but graceful attacks seemed relentless before they suddenly waned and Alex was now sending an invitation for his opponent to come at him. His adversary attempted a daring lunge, missing his target though he was open. The boy was completely caught off guard when his foil was quickly repelled at the next attack. Alex finished him off by dropping one hand to the floor and lunging forward, a beautiful Passata-sotto, that hit his surprised opponent gently on the torso. The other boy’s foil dropped as Wufei heard Sally’s breath get caught in her throat.

“Bravo!” Dorothy exclaimed, standing in ovation. Wufei was too surprised to follow suit. He’d forgotten that this was the same kid who Duo told him had outsmarted his son Jin at the tender age of six months. Those moves were too calculated, too deliberately aimed at humiliation to be a coincidence. What he had seen was Treize’s tactical abilities delivered in a completely different way. Finishing off a ferocious attack with a barely-there hit was a hard blow to the opponent who probably felt mortified at having been beaten by such a seemingly effortless touch. He knew the feeling exactly. It was insulting and the other kid had no ordinary skills either.

That one round demonstration could have lasted three minutes or five seconds with the results being the same. The audiences clapped, stood and cheered after Dorothy. Annette couldn’t have been more proud. Wufei swore he felt a chill as Alex took out his mask and bowed politely at the audience. He seemed to be sending a frightening message to all those who witnessed that they were not to disrespect his father lest they face his quiet wrath. Even in the way he defended his father, Alex was nothing like Quatre. The charismatic Quatre used choice words to uphold his father’s honor. Alex, quieter and more reserved, did it by example.

Moments later, Shen came back to the table with a subdued Alex.

“That lady said you’d beat them up in front of everyone,” he said, proudly pointing at Dorothy. Kon roared with laughter.

Alex, though unprepared for his friend’s remark, greeted everyone at the table cordially.

“Amazing display, kid,” Kon remarked. “You could probably teach me some moves, so I wouldn’t get beaten by my lovely wife here too often.”

Alex nodded in response, but didn’t say anything. The kid could compete with Trowa on equal grounds when it came to speaking the least. He made the atmosphere heavy with silence. His mother, who seemed resigned to leaving him be with his mood, did not address him.

“Do you still talk to Rayne?” Sally inquired to lighten the mood. They were quite sure that Duo’s daughter had a crush on the boy, much to Duo’s chagrin.

“Not often,” Alex responded with a shrug. The boy was obviously not interested. Poor girl. “But Shen does all the time.”

On the other hand, Wufei noticed his son blush at the disclosure.

“Hey, you said you wouldn’t tell!”

Wufei smelled the beginnings of unrequited love. This was going to be a headache soon, for Duo too unfortunately.

“It looks like Alexander is much more interested in becoming a conqueror,” Dorothy commented, a delicately plucked eyebrow lifting in suggestion. “Much like Treize Kushrenada.”

When she looked at him at her last statement, Wufei felt a brief connection between them and it became apparent that he was not the only one who thought Quatre’s son had the makings of an excellent dictator. It was a frightening prospect. He knew that Quatre tried his best to be a good father, but he hadn’t been able to do much of it lately given his delicate mental state. All Wufei knew was that Quatre had better not piss the child off so much lest he accidentally create a monster.

“And then she threw the knife at the guy and he didn’t even blink. I was so not scared.”

“You were peeking through your fingers.”

“No fair, dad. You said you wouldn’t tell. You were doing the same too.”

The side of Trowa’s lips lifted the tiniest bit listening to the banter between father and daughter. Duo and Rayne were currently in his company, relaying the circus act they had just seen while visiting with him. He himself was on leave from the colonies, hiding in his old circus troupe. He had commented to Duo on how strange it was to spend Valentine’s Day with his child in the circus where zero romance circulated, to which Duo admitted that things were a bit rough with Hilde at the moment. Much like him, he too was in hiding.

“Did you want to see the animals?” Trowa asked. They were starting to phase out the animal acts and sending them off to well-equipped zoos to retire. He admitted that he was a bit saddened by the manager’s decision, but thought it best for the animals to live comfortably away from the glare of the harsh circus lights. Acrobats were starting to take up more of the acts these days and the animals were becoming a rare sight.

“Sure!” Rayne said, excited to see normally wild animals up close.

“No touching the lions,” Duo warned. “They’ll bite your hand off.”

Trowa could have protested in defense of the usual predators’ good behavior but did not. After all, he wasn’t the parent.

“So, Trowa,” Duo said, pulling up closer to him while Rayne excitedly asked permission from the animal trainers to get close to the elephants. “I know Heero will chop my balls off for contacting you, but why are you all the way down here and not up there in the colonies following through with that declaration you made about Quatre?”

“It’s long and complicated,” he responded. He certainly did not want to be on the Earth when the one he so shamelessly claimed was back in the colonies, again refraining from communicating with him.

“I’ll have to say, man, that was not very nice of you putting him on the spot like that,” Duo said, putting his hands behind his head and looking up at the clear skies above. “But it was just about the most romantic, least expected thing you’ve ever done. I always knew you had a thing for him, but you just kept knocking down my suspicions time after time.”

“How so?”

“Really? You have to ask?” Duo responded, his voice incredulous. “When we were kids, you were all over him. I mean, you were holding his hand and kissing his cheek all the time and the guy didn’t know that just wasn’t normal for friends. Then one day, he realizes what all that meant and just like a switch, you treated him like some kid following you around all the time.”

Trowa refrained from responding. Nearby, his ever-present bodyguard let out a snort.

“Ralph, what the hell?” Duo said upon realizing company. “Does Quatre pay you to listen in on Trowa’s conversations too?”

“I’ve wanted to bone that blond since the moment I first saw him flirting with No Name here, but you’ve got to do what’s honorable sometimes,” Ralph said, emerging from the shadows. “In this case, I respect this loser here for ditching the smoking hot blond as fast as he could. Otherwise, the little cherub would have been too busy with his pretty face constantly attached to this loser’s dick to make any monumental changes to the way we live post-war.”

“Getting philosophical now, are we?” Duo retorted before sighing. “Doesn’t mean he has to be treated like shit to do what he’s supposed to do. If I were him, I’d have stabbed myself to death too being surrounded by ungrateful assholes asking for more.”

“Duo,” Trowa warned. “I’d rather not talk about--”

“How he’s dying?” Duo said, his hands going for his waist. “I’ve never seen anyone deteriorate this slowly and I can see it all because he’s got every camera in the Earth Sphere trained on him. If we’ve got to sacrifice such a nice guy for the benefit of many then what was the point of going to war in the first place?”

“Someone always has to be sacrificed,” Ralph said with smirk and a very valid point. “The only reason why you’re in upheaval is because that someone happened to be your friend.”

“Everyone, the soup is ready,” Cathy called from her trailer with a melodious voice, effectively interrupting their discussion. “Come get it while it’s hot.”

Trowa thought he saw Duo choke. He couldn’t blame the guy. One taste of that soup and you’d develop a gag reflex to everything she attempted at the kitchen.

“He’s the wrong guy to sacrifice,” Duo made his final point before leaving to pick up Rayne for dinner.

“Your opinion on that?” Ralph questioned him.

“My opinion doesn’t matter,” Trowa responded. “Quatre makes all the decisions these days.”

“You’re his publicist, I know.”

“Do you know what a publicist’s job is, Mr. Barton?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then I suggest we get you one. Mr. Winner, I’m sure, won’t mind covering the expenses when he’s already hired you a bodyguard. I’d volunteer myself, but I’ve already got my hands full with him.”

“I don’t need one.”

“After what you did yesterday, you definitely need one.”

“Please stop calling me.”

“You’ll still have to hear a message I’m delivering.”

“I have other people for that.”

“Unfortunately for you, Mr. Barton, Dr. Yuy will not be diligently delivering you news anytime soon.”

“…”

“Yes, I now know the connection between you three, or rather, you five. That’s how bad this has become. Let’s keep it simple now. Either hire a publicist who will divert attention elsewhere or hide yourself.”

“I will pick from my own options.”

“No, Mr. Barton. Managing to turn a famously hardened control freak like Quatre Winner into a blushing school girl just made you the number one target of not just the media, but all his opponents. At this point, you have no other options than the ones I’ve given you. But I will admit that there are several more positives than there are negatives. Do you know why the stock markets soared? It’s because the investors saw that the uncontained and unpredictable Quatre Winner was easily reigned in. They saw stability. They saw the leader of the company settling down with someone, not going around sleeping with hopped up rock stars and downing pain killers like they were mints. I saw you as the answer, but he refuses to use a sham relationship with you for his own purposes.”

“Then what is he going to do?”

“Rehab. He came up with that when our team kept on pressing on about utilizing you for publicity. He made a good point. Signing up for rehab shows more stability and demonstrates a genuine desire to control himself. Congratulations, Mr. Barton. He’s argued you out of a considerably more intense line of fire. Unfortunately, that also means he's sending you a big 'no' on that relationship you want with him.”