One Night Part 9

Trowa leaned against the wall in the hotel conference room that had been chosen as 'neutral territory' by Winner and The Lady. Both players had sent 'teams' ahead to check out the premises and do individual sweeps. Trowa would've thought it was overkill, except for the evidence of yesterday. No one but Winner's employees had been told he was meeting Treize in that restaurant, and yet there had been assassins waiting outside at the end.

Who had sent the assassins? That was the question of the moment. Heero and Duo had been working on that little problem since yesterday- Winner had assigned them to it right after they had gotten Trowa back- and they hadn't found anything yet.

He looked across the room at Duo lounging against the wall, his braid hidden under a blond wig, tinted glasses resting on his nose disguising his eye color. He gave Trowa a grin, and tilted his head towards Heero.

Heero was by the door, back in his feminine guise, having a low voiced discussion with a man in a dark coat- one of The Lady's guards.

Trowa shook his head at Duo. He couldn't really believe the other man would want his lover dressed in a way that seemed to earn him more attention than usual. Duo was notoriously jealous- and yet, there was the guard, practically drooling over Heero, and Duo was not showing the slightest sign of wanting to rip his throat out.

How strange...

Trowa settled himself back against the wall, thankful that his own disguise was nothing more than a baseball cap with his bangs tucked up inside and dark glasses. Winner had requested that Trowa be able to remove his disguise quickly. Trowa wasn't sure of the reason, but knowing Winner, things would become clear eventually.

He checked his watch. The meeting was due to start soon; they should be arriving any moment.

"Ready?" Heero joined him, scanning the room one last time.

"Of course. I have no idea for what, but I'm ready."

Heero's lips twitched into a smile. "A lot is riding on this. If the Lady consents to a partnership, then so will Treize and Chang, and Winner will have a strong position to bargain from."

"And if she doesn't?"

"Then the Lady will most likely forge an agreement with the Queens, and the other two will stay with Zechs."

Before Trowa could answer, the doors opened, and Winner came in surrounded by his Maguanacs. He took his place at the table in the center of the room, leaning back in his chair with deceptive casualness.

He was barely seated when the door opened again, and a bunch of people in dark blue suits came in, a woman in the middle. Her long black coat had a hood, which was pulled up over her head, shadowing her face, making it impossible to see what she looked like.

The Lady.

She stalked across the floor and one of the blue-suited men pulled out the chair for her. Winner rose from his seat briefly as she took her seat, and then sat down again.

"At last we meet face to face," he said, a small smile curving his lips as he looked pointedly at her hood.

"Indeed, Mr. Winner, so we do." Her voice was sweet, but there was an undertone to it- of anger- Trowa thought. Why was she angry?

And she sounded familiar... did he know her? Was she with the Org before she had gone out on her own?

"I agreed to this meeting for one reason alone," she continued, "because I wanted to tell you how I am going to kill you."

The Maguanacs tensed. Trowa's hand tightened on the gun strapped to his waist. Heero shifted beside him and Trowa heard a faint metallic rasp.

Winner simply smiled wider.

"Hardly sporting of you, my lady, when I wanted to meet with you only to pass on information that I thought might be of interest to you."

He lifted a hand and Rashid produced a slim file folder. Winner took it and placed it on the table.

The Lady seemed hesitant- apparently she had expected her threat to cause a different reaction. She reached cautiously for the folder and opened it, scanning the documents inside.

"Proof of the Org's involvement in the attacks against my organization," she said after a moment. "Very valuable information, and I thank you for it."

Her voice grew colder. "But it is not enough. Not to cover what you took from me."

"Are you so sure I took it?"

She slammed her hands on the table. "I saw it with my own eyes! You KNEW his importance to me! You could have spared him!"

Trowa wondered what she was talking about. What had Winner done? Had he expected the information in the file folder to make up for a death? The Lady clearly had valued whoever it was... It didn't seem like the kind of mistake Winner would make...

Winner leaned back in his seat, still smiling.

"You still have much to learn my dear." He looked towards Trowa and beckoned. "Will you please join us Mr. Barton?"

Trowa blinked but did as Winner asked. What was going on? Why was Quatre revealing his identity to a roomful of people?

He stopped beside Winner's chair and waited.

"Hat and glasses, please Mr. Barton?" Winner prompted, and Trowa pulled them both off. There was a faint gasp from The Lady and a few of her people as well. "As you can see, Miss Bloom, I do not believe in wasting my resources."

Trowa found he couldn't breathe. Bloom? It couldn't be... Not...

But The Lady was already out of her chair, pulling her hood back as she moved to hug him... her eyes sparkling with tears.

"Trowa," his sister said as her arms enclosed him tightly.

"Cathy?" He gasped. He could feel her wet cheek pressed to his.

She was alive!

They held each other for a long moment in the silence of the room. Trowa struggling to come to terms that not only was Cathy alive- but she was in the game... a leader of one of the underworld groups... how? Why? And why not contact him before now?

"Where the hell have you been?" He demanded and then bit his lip. He heard her giggle.

"I could say the same for you." She pulled back a little ways, cupped his face in her hands just like she used to do. "I've been looking everywhere for you little brother. I only just discovered you were working for the Org a few months ago. They hide their agents well- as you must know-" That was true, he did. "I tried to bargain with Chang to get you free but he refused..." She kissed his cheek. "I am so glad to see you again."

He felt his chest ache at her words. "Cathy- I thought you were dead... I'm sorry- I should've looked for you..."

"You wouldn't have found me." She pulled further back and looked at Winner. "I agree to an alliance- you can name your terms for giving my brother back to me."

"It was my pleasure," Winner's smile was softer now. "I don't need to be repaid for this."

"Then I ask you for an alliance."

Winner leaned back a little in his chair, looking thoughtful. "I will happily accept- but, you need to know that Treize has offered to align himself with me if you do- and Chang along with him."

Cathy frowned for a moment. "They wish to be free of Zechs."

"Yes."

Her arms tightened around Trowa for a moment. "Chang refused to give Trowa his freedom because of Zechs- because Zechs wanted a hold over me. I will happily do anything to hurt his powerbase because of that. I have nothing personal against Chang- indeed; I want him and his people to be free of the Red King. I will ally myself with them as well."

"Then my lady, I accept your offer gratefully."

~*~

Trowa sat on the sofa in his sister's office, watching as she took reports, dealt with her people, and wondered when it would seem less strange.

Cathy was still Cathy, still his beloved, much-missed sister, but it was hard to reconcile the woman in front of him with the one he remembered.

His sister... the leader of the rival to the Org? How long had she been doing this? Was this why the circus was attacked?

He hadn't had time to ask her yet. Since they had left the meeting with Winner his sister had been a whirlwind of motion.

That had been another shock... leaving with Cathy...

Not that he didn't want to be with his sister, but...

He had made some comment about it, after the contract was signed and Cathy had looked at him, ready to go. Winner had waved his hand and said:

"My dear Mr. Barton, I don't expect you to continue in my employ now. You belong with your sister- I wouldn't dream of keeping you apart."

After everything... that was his farewell? Trowa knew that he shouldn't have expected more, not from Mr. Winner...

But from Quatre... From Quatre he expected more... and it hurt that he hadn't gotten it.

TBC...

 

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