Witness Protection Part 42
Common Ground
While being alone with Duo in my arms could have been an enjoyable pastime, knowing how much pain he was in sort of spoiled it for me. So I kept busy by toweling dry, combing, and helping braid his hair, before settling in to wait for our companions to return.
It seemed like forever before I heard the car pulling into the garage. And the very moment Wufei stepped through the door, my attention turned to getting Duo's foot treated and properly bandaged.
"How is he?" Chang asked brusquely as he held the door open for Catherine.
"Pretty uncomfortable," I hazarded, having felt each and every twitch or shiver as Duo suffered through the half hour of waiting. He'd tried to be stoic about it--but cradled in my arms he couldn't possibly conceal his discomfort completely.
Catherine held up a bottle. "Wufei--would you get a glass?"
"Scotch?" Duo asked, sitting up a bit.
"As a matter of fact," she grinned, "it is. Wufei and I decided a few shots might relax you before I go messing with your foot. We don't need you jerking it away while I work."
His eyes widened. "You're really gonna stitch it, aren't you?"
"I think we should." She took the cup Wufei brought out of the kitchen and poured a couple of fingers of scotch into it. "Just sip this for awhile, Duo. I want to boil some water and lay out the equipment on a clean tray."
She set the remainder of the liquor on the coffee table, and headed to the kitchen, with my partner at her side.
Meanwhile, Duo tossed back the scotch in record time, and reached for the bottle.
"Easy there," I chided, intercepting it and pouring another small amount into his glass. "Go slow. You had a huge shock to your system, and don't need to go overboard. It'll hit you hard when it kicks in."
He leaned back and smiled mirthlessly up at me. "Believe me, 'Ro. I know the effect liquor has on me. Tried to drown myself in it often enough."
"Yes, but this time you've lost blood and been nearly hypothermic. Hot cocoa would be better for you."
"But it wouldn't loosen me up enough to relax for stitches," he pointed out.
"No, I suppose not. But after she's done, you're having something more substantial."
Chang came to lean in the doorway. "Already thought of that, Yuy. I have soup warming up on the stove for afterwards."
"Aw, I didn't get to make stir-fry," Duo lamented.
"There's always tomorrow," I assured him.
By the time Catherine called Wufei to help carry out her medical equipment, Duo had consumed enough scotch to make him a bit--blurry around the edges. He wasn't outright drunk. But the tension had eased out of his body, and he had that slightly unfocused look in his eyes that seemed to indicate he was feeling no pain--in the figurative sense. I was sure he still felt that throbbing cut very keenly. He was just too--detached--to do anything about it.
"Ready?" I asked, brushing a kiss across his forehead.
"No--but that's pretty much beside the point," he sighed.
Wufei laid the tray of instruments and bandages on the coffee table and took a position halfway down the couch, between Duo and Catherine, so that he blocked my lover's view of the injured foot, and could hold the leg steady. Catherine had brought out a stool from the kitchen, and settled herself at the end of the couch, slipping on exam gloves, and using a flexible desk lamp to illuminate the work area.
"I'm going to unwrap it, Duo," she told him, her voice soothing and calm. "And then I'll clean it with a mild antiseptic. Sea water has natural antimicrobial properties, which should have minimized the risk of infection--but I don't want to take any shortcuts on a wound this deep."
"Yeah sure," he said tensely. "Just go ahead and do what you've gotta do."
"It'll sting a bit," she warned.
I tightened my hold on him, feeling a tremor as Catherine began rinsing the cut. "Shh," I whispered in his ear, letting my lips brush against it in an intimate gesture. "Don't think about it, love. Just focus on my voice, okay?"
"Yeah," he gasped out, closing his eyes and snuggling into me a bit harder.
"I brought a topical Novocain," Catherine said in the same relaxed, matter-of-fact tone, even as she was passing the used and bloody gauze to Wufei. "Once I put that on, Duo, you should feel only the slightest pain--mostly just pressure."
"Sounds swell," he ground out through gritted teeth.
I had to admit, Catherine worked fast. Once she swabbed on that pain killer, and gave it a moment to take effect, she wasted no time in applying antibiotic ointment and beginning the stitches.
"'Ro? What's she doing?" Duo asked, one hand gripping my forearm with bruising force.
"Oh--just dabbing on a bit of ointment," I lied smoothly, figuring if he couldn't feel the needle, he didn't need to hear about it.
"Yeah, well, it still feels kind of tingly--stinging."
"It'll be over soon," I promised, running my tongue very gently along the shell of his ear.
"Oh--oooh," he groaned, tilting his head to give me easier access. "Don't stop now," he urged.
Catherine glanced briefly up at me over Wufei's head, smirking at what she saw and winking one big, blue-grey eye. "Won't be long," she said confidently. "If the topical is working, I can go ahead and stitch."
She and I both knew she was already doing just that. But Duo didn't.
"Yeah--sure--whatever," he sighed, his attention completely on me as I bent to nibble the ear I'd just kissed. "Hey, Yuy?" he whispered far too loudly. "When she's done, could you take me to bed, hm?"
"You'll need supper first," I warned, brushing light kisses across his jaw.
"Just want you," he insisted, turning so his lips met mine.
I knew he was probably more than half-drunk, so I resisted the urge to just devour his mouth, and kept my kiss warm and gentle--restrained.
The sound of Wufei's throat clearing made me pull back guiltily, and elicited a protesting whine from Duo.
"What?" he demanded petulantly.
"I'd prefer not to watch your blatant display, that's what," came my partner's scolding voice.
"Well tough shit," Duo growled back. "If it fuckin' keeps my mind off my foot, I'll let Yuy screw me right here, Chang, whether you like it or not."
Wufei rolled his eyes. "That won't be necessary. Catherine is finished."
Duo looked down at his foot in surprise, just as Catherine was snipping the end off the gauze she'd wound around it.
She smiled warmly at him. "Yep--all done. And as soon as I tape the gauze securely in place and we put a clean sock over it for protection, you can have some supper and ibuprofen."
"You're done?" he asked incredulously. "But when? I thought you said you were gonna start just a few minutes ago."
"I was half finished by that time," she shrugged, smirking.
Duo looked suspiciously at me.
"She was," I admitted. "You didn't seem real interested in her progress when I was kissing your ear, so I didn't see the need to give you moment by moment details."
"You'll have to keep the bandage clean and dry," Catherine told him firmly, stripping off her gloves and adding them to the pile of waste on the tray. "After a day or two, when we change the dressing, maybe we can bring up some nice sea water for you to soak it in. Or you could even go to the beach and do it--as long as you wear flip flops or something. Sea water has healing properties."
Duo snorted skeptically. "Coulda fooled me," he grumbled.
"It was the bottle--not the ocean--that caused your injury," Chang reminded him.
"Yeah, but the ocean stung like a bitch once my foot was cut."
"It helped keep the wound clean," Catherine pointed out. "And luckily Heero had the presence of mind to carry you up the beach, so no sand got into the cut. That would've been hard to flush out." She stood up, reaching for her crutches, but Wufei quickly passed them to her. She blushed adorably as she tucked them under her arms. "Oh, thank you."
He gave her a small smile and a curt nod. "You're welcome." He stood and began gathering the used supplies. "I'll bring this along--why don't you go wash up for dinner?"
She nodded, hobbling off, and Duo frowned as he watched her go. "Hey, Chang--y'know Cathy's a little like family."
"Your point?"
"Just--don't fuck with her, okay?"
I blinked in surprise at his protective tone.
"Unlike you, Maxwell--I don't fuck with people," Wufei growled back.
"I'm just sayin'--"
"And I'm saying--I'm not like you and your kind!" snapped my partner. I didn't know if he was irritated at being caught showing interest in Catherine, or just tired and stressed, but I didn't think Duo was up to another of their altercations.
"Wufei--" I began warningly, glancing at the half-empty scotch bottle.
"My kind?" Duo asked dangerously.
"Criminals--street punks--gangs--" elaborated Chang.
He didn't say "gays," but it hung in the air nonetheless.
"We're back to that?" Duo demanded. "Jesus, Chang--isn't it about time you told me what the fuck your beef with me is?"
"Duo, relax," I urged. "You've had a hard afternoon, and more than a little scotch--"
"Fuck that, Yuy!" he cut me off, struggling into an upright position to glare at my partner. "I wanna know what your stick-up-his-ass pal has had against me from day one! I'm tired of his fuckin' mood swings and attitudes!" His eyes gleamed with anger. "Yuy's been makin' excuses for you, Chang--but I'm not buyin' 'em any more!"
"Excuses?" Wufei shot me a cold look. "You told him?"
"No! Not about--her." I met his scowl with one of my own. "But it's time you did. He has a right to know what started your attitude--why you keep getting stuck on what he used to be--"
"My personal life--"
"--keeps interfering with your judgment," I pointed out.
He frowned deeply, reaching a hand to massage his temple--only suddenly Duo caught his wrist in a firm grip. "Talk t'me, Chang," he said firmly, his eyes catching and holding my partner's. "Jus' give me a good reason why you blame me for something you lost, and we can get all this dancing around the issue over with." He gave a crooked, slightly-tipsy smile. "I might even let ya belt me one, if I feel like I deserve any of the shit you've been shoveling my way."
At that, my partner just wilted, pushing aside the tray and sinking down onto the coffee table. "You don't deserve it," he admitted in a defeated voice.
"I'm glad to hear that," replied my lover. "Now you wanna tell me what I was takin' the blame for?"
"I--" Wufei looked at me and I nodded for him to continue. "Look, Maxwell--it wasn't you. It's never been about you. But--when I was much younger I lost someone I loved very much--to a gang leader. He cost me her love, and he cost her, her life."
Duo frowned thoughtfully, waiting for Wufei to continue.
"Meilan was my childhood sweetheart," Chang elaborated. "She was that 'pretty little Chinese girl' you've been taunting me about. And when we were in high school she met some gang leader in Chinatown." He sighed, his dark eyes distant. "They bumped into each other and she spilled her basket of fruit--he helped her pick it all up--he and his boyfriend."
Duo's eyes had widened in his still-pale face, and he looked rather fixated on Chang's story.
"She laughed about the incident at first--but I noticed she soon found more excuses to go back there--and more fault with her parents, and me, and our relationship." He shrugged slightly, looking down at his hands which were twisted together in his lap. "The next thing I knew, she'd dropped out of school and run off with him." He gave a short, bitter laugh. "Apparently he wasn't just interested in guys."
"Not gay," Duo said quietly. "Bi-."
"I might have been able to get over losing her to him," Wufei continued. "Eventually. But less than three months after she left home, her parents and I were called to the morgue to identify her body." His hands were now busy twisting the fabric at the hem of his shirt into a tight knot. "She was killed in a drive-by shooting."
"M-meilan?" Duo stammered out, sounding drunker than I'd thought he was.
Chang looked at him questioningly.
"You said her name was--Meilan?"
"Yes. Long Meilan--and before she was swept off her feet by a piece of street trash, she was my fiancée."
Duo pushed away from me, struggling to get to his feet.
"Whoa--Duo! What are you doing?" I asked in alarm, quickly getting up to steady him, as he clutched the comforter around himself and tried to hop away from the couch.
"I--I need to use the bathroom!" he blurted, clutching my shoulder for support, his injured foot unable to bear weight.
"Right now?" I demanded.
"Yes, now," he replied through a tight jaw. "Just get me the fuck to the john, all right?"
I wrapped a supporting arm around his waist, taking most of his weight, and exchanging a quick, puzzled look with my partner before escorting him down the hall.
"Do you feel sick?" I asked with concern, wondering if he'd consumed too much alcohol, or if he just needed to use the toilet.
"Kinda," he admitted, hopping ahead of me as we reached the door, and moving to shut it.
But I was right on his heels, and stepped into the small room with him.
"A little privacy, Yuy?" he asked with a scowl.
"As you pointed out earlier, I've seen your bare ass," I reminded him.
"I don't need you to watch me take a leak!" he snapped.
"You aren't here for that," I replied curtly, studying the wild look in his eyes and the even paler complexion of his face. "Talk to me, Duo."
He sank down on the lid of the toilet, and I closed the door and locked it behind us, a sudden horrible suspicion settling like a block of ice in my stomach. "You know something about Meilan's death, don't you?"
He nodded, and my breath caught in my throat. If the Reapers had been the ones responsible for the drive-by, I wasn't sure how Wufei would react. He could prove far more dangerous to our witness than any ten of Khushrenada's hit men, if he thought Duo had a hand in Meilan's murder.
My lover's silence was tearing at my nerves. "Damn it, Duo--talk to me!"
He glanced up from under his bangs, wincing at my expression. "It's not what you're thinking," he said defensively.
"I sure hope not!" I blurted. "Tell me you and your friends weren't the ones who killed her."
He gaped at me, hurt and anger vying for control on his face. "You fuckin' think I'd do something like that?"
"I need to hear you say you didn't," I said firmly.
He opened his mouth, and I could tell a vicious "fuck you" was on the tip of his tongue.
"Duo--please!" I added quickly.
He hesitated, anger flickering in the dark eyes, and then he sighed and shook his head, looking away. "I didn't do it; none of the Reapers did."
I let out the breath I'd been holding, and moved closer, dropping to my knees in front of him and taking hold of his shaking hands. "Please don't be mad at me--I had to ask."
"I know you did," he admitted wearily. "But what would you have done if I said yes?"
What indeed? There was no statute of limitations on murder. If Duo had participated in a drive-by shooting, he'd be an accessory at the very least. And as the only surviving Reaper, he'd take the fall for all of them.
If I could bring myself to arrest him.
I looked up into the indigo eyes, shaking my head helplessly. "I'd have lied my ass off to Wufei and anyone else who asked," I told him frankly. "Nothing can bring Meilan back. And nothing could make me let you be punished for her death."
He looked at me with a searching gaze. "You'd forgive me a murder?" he asked incredulously.
It was my turn to look away uncomfortably. "I'd forgive you anything," I admitted in a whisper.
The next thing I knew he was in my arms, his face pressed against my shoulder as he clung tightly to my waist. "Goddamn, I don't deserve you!" he said hoarsely, in a show of emotion I attributed to the liquor he'd consumed so recently.
We ended up on the floor of the bathroom, with him in my lap and the comforter pulled around both of us as he poured out the rest of the story.
"I told you before that I was in love with Solo, right?"
I nodded, feeling a familiar twinge of jealousy. "And was it mutual?"
"Yeah, I guess. Not that we ever-- I mean, he knew what had happened to me, and he took things slow. We never even had sex--not really--just made out a little." He gave a rather wicked smirk. "Okay--a lot. An' he taught me to give a blowjob that'll melt the knees right out from under ya."
"No shit." God, I remembered how that felt.
Duo shifted on my lap, and my body reacted automatically, drawing a husky laugh from my lover. "Should I--take care of something--before I continue?" he teased.
"Just finish the story," I said through clenched teeth.
"Well--before Solo and I--consummated the relationship, he met a pretty little uptown Chinese girl and fell head over heels for her."
"Meilan."
He nodded, his face somber.
"He dumped you for her?" I guessed.
"Yeah," he said bitterly.
"And what about the drive-by?" I asked, trying not to let my naturally suspicious nature make me ask the obvious question--one I knew would hurt my lover.
But he seemed to know what flashed through my mind. "Wondering if I was jealous enough to want her dead?"
"I know you better than that," I said firmly.
He gave a wistful smile. "No matter how much I wanted Solo back, I'd never have hurt her to get it."
"Do you think I ever doubted that?" I demanded, pulling him a little closer.
"No," he admitted, with a soft chuckle. "Sucker," he added fondly.
"Only for you," I assured him, nuzzling the side of his neck, until he squirmed and gasped. "Now--how'd the shooting happen?"
"Oh, not fair," he breathed. "You turn my brains to mush and then start interrogating me?"
"They teach it at the academy," I said with a teasing grin.
"Hm. Anyhow--the shooting--it was a rival gang, trying to nail Solo. Meilan being there--it was just bad luck," he said wearily. "We went over an' over it--but everything happened so fast, there was no way we could've seen it coming."
"You need to tell Wufei," I said quietly.
Duo looked up at me quickly--sharply. "Why?"
"C'mon, Duo--he's got to be wondering what made you bolt for the bathroom."
"Can't we just tell him I drank too much scotch?" came the hopeful reply.
I gave my lover a stern look. "Listen to me. This has been a sore point with Chang all along. Maybe he needs to see it from your perspective--to hear what you have to tell him. Maybe it will give him some closure."
"And maybe he'll hate me even more."
I shook my head. "Not 'Fei," I assured him. "He already likes you--you know that. It's just that sometimes his ingrained hatred for gang bangers gets the best of him, and he can't help but throw a little spite your way." I rubbed his back soothingly. "You two both lost something, Duo. Maybe talking about it will bring you closer; mend that rift you started out with..."
He sighed deeply. "Have it your way, Yuy. But if he kills me, don't say I didn't warn you!"
I chuckled, helping Duo up, and then gathering him in my arms to carry him back out to the living room.
"Hey!" he protested. "I c'n walk, y'know."
"You're to stay off that foot," I reminded him, maneuvering us around the door in the close quarters, and out into the hallway. "Besides, I like having you helpless in my arms."
He snorted wryly. "Helpless? Me?"
I nuzzled his neck, and he went limp, moaning quietly. "O-kay," he sighed. "Helpless."
Smirking, I carried him out and laid him back on the couch, catching a questioning look from Chang, as he set a bowl of soup down on the coffee table.
"I brought out that food I mentioned," he said, eyeing Duo rather warily. "Feeling better?"
Duo nodded, looking a bit sheepish as he arranged his blanket around himself. "I wasn't sick, 'Fei."
My partner cocked his head.
"Sit, Chang," I said firmly, gesturing him to the chair at one end of the couch. He settled into it, and I looked back at Duo. "Go ahead," I urged.
He edged over so he was up against one armrest, turning to face my partner, still looking a bit hesitant. And then he gave a frustrated huff, his indigo eyes somber. "Okay, Chang," he blurted without preamble. "You were straight with me--finally. An' it's time for me to return the favor."
Wufei raised an eyebrow, his face guarded. "Does this have to do with why you ran out on my story?"
Yeah, his detective's mind was working overtime. Now that he'd set aside his obliviousness about my sexual orientation, nothing was going to get past him.
Duo nodded, swallowing hard.
Chang's dark eyes narrowed. "I swear to God, Maxwell, if you tell me your gang had something to do with Meilan's death--"
"Chang!" I said sharply, glaring at my partner. "Hear him out before you jump to conclusions. Duo had nothing to do with killing Meilan."
His taut posture relaxed just a little, though his hands were gripped tightly on the armrests of the chair. "Go ahead then, Maxwell."
"I--" Duo faltered, glancing at me for reassurance.
"Go on," I urged. "You both need to get it all out of your system."
He nodded, turning back to Wufei. "I was the one Solo dumped for Meilan," he blurted quickly, as if afraid of losing his nerve.
Wufei didn't say anything, though his jaw tightened fractionally.
Duo looked at me as if to ask what to say next.
"Wufei?" I prompted carefully.
He gave a slight shake of his head. "Are you sure we're talking about the same people?"
"Yeah, I'm sure," Duo assured him, gaining confidence from Chang's mild tone. "I was with the Reapers; Solo was our leader. We'd been boyfriends maybe a year or so when he met a pretty Chinese girl and fell head over heels--dumped me an' took up with her."
"She ran away from home," Wufei said quietly. "She ran away from me, too." His dark eyes fixed accusingly on Duo, who held up his hands in denial.
"Don't blame me, 'Fei! D'you think I liked it that she stole my boyfriend?"
"At least she didn't get him killed!" Wufei blurted.
"Might as well have!" Duo shot back, his own temper flaring. "He was never the same after she died."
That simple statement seemed to take the wind right out of Chang's sails. He sank back against the seat, blowing out a deep, sorrowful breath, and raised a tortured gaze to Duo. "So...he really loved her?"
"Shit, yes," Duo said bitterly. "He fuckin' worshiped the ground she walked on."
"Did he know she was pregnant?"
Duo's expression darkened. "Yeah, we all did. You'd have thought it was the second coming of Christ the way Solo carried on about it...about what he was gonna do for her an' the baby...how he'd have to leave the gang and find a job that would provide something for them." His eyes were a little too bright, and he blinked them rapidly. "All the time I knew him--loved him--an' he never talked about making a life for us outside the gang. She comes along an' all of a sudden he wants better things outta life than 'livin' in a warehouse an' eating out of dumpsters.'" A bitter smile twisted his lips. "But then, she wasn't 'gutter trash,' was she?"
Wufei's jaw dropped as he recognized his own term for Duo thrown back in his face. "When I called you that, Maxwell, I had nothing to go on but what your rap sheet said." He squared his shoulders slightly, raising his chin. "All I knew of gang members and people with rap sheets like yours was that I'd had my happiness stolen by them. I was angry...angry that your--friend--took Meilan...angry that being at his side was what cost her life...angry that she was left to die alone on the street..."
Duo shook his head. "She wasn't left, 'Fei. And she didn't die alone. Near as I could tell in all the chaos, the first shot ended it. We had to drag Solo away before the cops--"
"You were there?" Wufei demanded, half-rising from his seat.
"Yeah, I was there!" came Duo's equally heated reply.
I think Wufei still wanted someone to blame, because his eyes narrowed accusingly. "So why didn't you do something to stop it? Why didn't anyone stop it? Or try to protect her? Or at least stay until the paramedics arrived?" His hands clenched convulsively. "Or were you just glad the competition was out of your way?"
I tried to stop them, before things could escalate. "Look, Chang. It was a rival gang--"
Duo interrupted me and got right in Chang's face. "Don't you fuckin' accuse me of shit like that! No one could've saved Meilan. It all happened so fast there was no time to react until after the fact." His eyes were suspiciously bright. "D'you think it doesn't bother me to know it should've been me? If I'd been beside Solo--if his arm had been around me, instead of her--"
"I wish it had--" Wufei cut himself off abruptly, shaking his head. "No--that's not--"
But Duo gave a shrug, dashing at his eyes as if willing the tears away. "Go ahead an' say it, 'Fei. Solo did."
"Shit!" I blurted, unable to keep from grabbing him and pulling him into my arms. "He was a fool, Duo!"
How could he have ever said something so cruel--and to the man I loved?
Duo just clung to my shirt, trembling a little at the bleak memories.
I felt a touch on my arm, and looked up at Wufei, who gestured to Duo. "Let me?" he asked. "I think--I need this." He took my place at Duo's side, and the braided man buried his face in the offered shoulder, choking back the sobs that tried to escape.
"Hush," soothed my partner, his voice uncharacteristically tender. "That was a long time ago," he pointed out. "And I'm sure Solo didn't really mean what he said. He was grieving...and he was foolish."
Duo nodded, seeming to regain a little of his composure. "Told you how much she meant to him--" he muttered, surreptitiously drying his eyes on the corner of his blanket--or maybe it was Chang's collar. "Dunno why it still gets to me--"
"If you hadn't downed half a bottle of scotch, I'm sure it wouldn't have," Wufei said kindly. His own eyes were a bit teary. "I have no such excuse."
Duo flung his arms around my partner. "Sure ya do," he said warmly. "You lost just as much--"
"Then perhaps--we have a lot more in common than we thought?" Wufei hazarded.
"Yeah, maybe."
"We'll have to talk more and figure that out, won't we?" came the firm reply.
"Y'really wanna associate with street trash?" teased Duo.
"You aren't, and even if you were, the answer would have to be 'yes.'"
The smile my lover gave Wufei was brilliant and genuine. "Yeah, you're okay, Chang."
"So are you, Maxwell. So are you."
I glanced up in time to see Catherine leaning in the doorway of the kitchen, her rapt attention on the two on the couch. She gave me a small, sad smile and turned back into the kitchen, making a gesture for me to follow.
"Um--I'll go bring out more soup," I offered. "We can all eat in here." I left Wufei and Duo still settling into their newfound understanding, and followed the girl on crutches.
She was at the counter, already starting to fill up more bowls.
"How much of that did you hear?" I asked, walking over to get a tray for the bowls.
"Enough." She gave me a sidelong glance. "I could certainly guess that your stiff-necked partner and Duo have had a rather adversarial relationship."
I gave a wry snort, feeling no need to elaborate.
"But I'd never have figured out how closely their pasts were connected," she added. "I think it's good that they finally aired everything out. Now maybe they can move forward with more mutual respect."
"I certainly hope so." I put a bowl of biscuits on the tray to go along with the soup, and then decided the girl deserved fair warning about my partner. "Catherine--if you're planning to discuss any of what you overheard with Wufei, I'd tread lightly. He's not overly forthcoming with personal information."
She just gave me a patient smile. "He is if it's properly coaxed," she told me cryptically. "We talked quite a bit on the way to the grocery store this morning and the clinic this afternoon...though he didn't share anything quite as intense as what I just heard." She maneuvered her crutches back under her arms. "Don't worry--I won't pry into his personal life unless he volunteers information. And, who knows? We may have more in common than he realizes."
"That would be nice." I honestly hoped they did find common ground. Even if Catherine didn't become the love of Chang's life, God knew he could use more good and understanding friends. She certainly seemed to be that, to both Duo and Trowa, and I had no doubt she'd offer the same to Wufei.
On the other hand, having discovered true love and knowing how it had changed my life forever, deep down inside I hoped my friend and colleague would find the same.
TBC...
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