Operation: Lost Boys Part 15
Duo felt his heart breaking. 'Not again! Oh GOD, PLEASE not again!' After another minute, he called out. "Don't DO this to me, sis! PLEASE!" He noticed that Wufei was being awfully quiet. "Wu... don't spaz out on me, pal."
Heero frowned and knew that if she didn't respond, they would have to initiate a rescue because he sure as hell wasn't going to leave her behind. "SIREN! REPORT, DAMMIT!"
Much to everyone's relief, the communicator crackled into life. "Geez! CHILL OUT! It took me longer than I expected to get to my suit, Zero, so don't get your spandex into a bunch! Some jerk tried to get fresh with me."
Wufei's voice was full of concern and relief. He also sounded as if he had been crying. "Are you all right?"
There was a wistful sigh on Harmony's end. "Yeah... just got a really nasty cut!"
Duo winced. "Do you need a doctor?"
There was a pause before Harmony answered with a slight giggle. "No... I need a beautician! The bastard got my braid!" Then she sniffled a little and cleared her throat. "Come on! Let's blow this peanut stand. Does anyone know what happened?"
Duo frowned at Harmony's tone... she sounded distressed. "Negative on that, sis. Zero thinks we might have a leak. You sure you're all right?"
"Yeah... my head feels funky, though. I probably look awful!"
Heero started the retreat as Wufei's voice crossed the communications band.
"You would look beautiful bald, Nataku. Are you unharmed otherwise?"
"More or less, airen! As I said... someone got fresh. He's gonna be singing high notes until he's ninety, though." Then she cut off the communication.
*****
When they arrived back at the safehouse, Duo punched his harness release button and hit the ground running. He was the first person to reach Siren as Harmony opened the hatch. He paused as she pulled her torn jacket off. "C'mere!" Inside he was seething. 'Got fresh, like HELL!'
Harmony gladly let Duo pull her into a fierce and frightened hug. "I'm okay, bro! Really I am!" Then she sniffled as she buried her face in Duo's shirt. "I... I've been wanting to cut it anyway!"
Duo held his sister as she sobbed. He grinned a little at the confused looks thrown towards them. "Hey... a girl's hair is her life! Still..." He pulled her closer. "I'm glad you lost your braid rather than your head. I would never have gotten over it."
"I know that, Duo. In a way, Mama was right! The idiot aimed for the braid thinking it was my head. Had my braid been much shorter..."
Wufei wrapped his arms around Harmony from the other side. "Do not even THINK it." He kissed the cheek that was starting to bruise. "You are safe, that is all we care about." He looked at Duo briefly, knowing that he'd agree. "You need to rest... we all do." He nodded a thanks to Duo as he lifted Harmony into his arms.
Heero walked over to Duo and yanked the braided American into his arms, knowing that the whole thing shook Duo up more than anyone else. "It's okay, Duo. She's all right!" He tightened his hold as he waited for Duo's trembling to ease. He kissed Duo's neck. "I wouldn't have left without her, Duo. Damn the mission, she's more important! I just lost my mother. I wasn't about to lose Harmony as well." He looked up as Madame Heatherfield entered. "What the hell happened? You look like you're pissed!"
"I AM pissed! J had the others send you all straight into a trap!" She growled and said something very unladylike. "He's acting like a spiteful baby who didn't get his way when it came to his favorite toy!"
Heero's eyes narrowed. "He wanted to get us killed. He didn't think that Harmony was good enough, so he figured she'd get captured. J knows that I wouldn't leave a teammate behind. There are two reasons for that. First one... we could not afford the leak she might have posed. Secondly, and more importantly, she's too important to us as a friend and then some. Because of her, we're more than a team... we're more than friends. We're a family."
Mme H smiled almost lovingly at Heero. "Now you know my true purpose for starting the operation. You are no longer lost, are you?"
Heero blinked.
*Flashback*
"Are you lost?" A girl's smiling face shadowed against the artificial lighting. Nearby, a puppy sat and wagged its tail "I said... are you lost?"
He sat up and sighed almost wistfully. "I've been lost since the day I was born."
*End Flashback*
Heero blinked again as the memory of the dead puppy and the ruined teddy bear flashed through his mind. Oddly enough... it didn't hurt as much. He glanced at Duo and back up at Madame Heatherfield and gave her a slow smile. "No... no I'm not."
*****
Later on, Wufei fought the grin that tugged at his mouth as Duo paced nervously. "Calm down! You would think she was undergoing massive surgery."
Duo stopped and ducked his head to hide his own grin. "Yeah, well... She said she was gonna do something interesting, and I'm worried that she'll have her hair dyed purple... or something like that!"
Heero let out a single laugh. "Is that what you would do?"
Quatre smiled as Duo blushed. "Harmony is more level-headed than that. She's not going to do anything too extreme."
Triton merely looked up as the front door opened. "She's back."
Duo ran to see what Harmony had done and froze. "Woah, sis! You look AWESOME!"
Harmony's hair fell just a little past her shoulders in little ringlets that spoke of the spiral perm she had gotten. There were also several golden highlights in her hair... a sun-kissed effect that looked dazzling on her. She had half of her hair pulled into a clip. "Well? What do the rest of you think?"
Heero grinned. "Duo must be happy that you didn't dye your hair purple." He let out a laugh at her expression.
Duo ducked his head to hide his blush. "I did say that, huh?"
Harmony let out a breath. "Okay... everyone ready? We've stayed here too long."
Heero nodded. "The suits have been transported, the civilians evacuated, the network backed up and downloaded into an untraced computer that's with one of Quatre's sisters, Relena and Hilde left for the Sanq Kingdom and Sally, Catherine and your mother will meet us at the new safehouse."
Harmony nodded. "Good. We can't take the risk that J has compromised this mansion." She sighed sadly. "I know it's practical, but... I don't have to like it."
Quatre nodded. "None of us like it, but until we track J down... we can't do anything."
Triton spoke up. "We're taking three cars. The bus is too conspicuous. Wufei, Heero and I have different ways to get to the same place. We leave in three minutes." He looked around the foyer and felt a small bit of anger. 'I wish we could stay and defend this place. We were all... happy... for however brief a time.'
Quatre placed a hand on Triton's shoulder and smiled sadly. "It's too dangerous. I know that it was a real home to us, but... it isn't safe for us to stay."
Harmony smiled. "Hey... this place can be rebuilt, no biggie! It's a house... a BIG house, but a house none the less. An old saying states that home is where the heart is. Cliché, I know, but true. As long as we stick together and remember that we're a family... we'll be home no matter where we go."
Duo chuckled as he shrugged into his coat. "Geez! Can you get any MORE sappy?"
Harmony blew a raspberry at Duo. "Yep, but I don't want to give Heero cavities or make Triton sick with the syrupy sweetness I could come up with!" She smiled as Wufei arched an eyebrow. "As for you... I know that you LIKE my sappy side, so I wouldn't make you ill." She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her chin on his shoulder to whisper in his ear. "Besides, airen, if you DO get sick... you get me to nurse you back to health."
The other four watched as Wufei turned his head to kiss Harmony. Duo proceeded to time them. Two minutes later, Duo cleared his throat. "Sorry to burst your bubbles, but we gotta book in thirty seconds."
Harmony blushed. "All right, then... let's move out!" She wrapped an arm loosely around Wufei's waist and leaned against him as he responded with an arm around her shoulders.
*****
Duo hunched down a little more. "Why doesn't the heater work?" He rubbed his hands together.
"I don't have the time to find out. There's a blanket in the back seat if you want it." Heero watched as Duo turned and grabbed the quilt. "Got it?"
"Yeah. Man I'm really starting to hate the cold!" He glanced at Heero and frowned. "Aren't YOU cold?"
Heero nodded. "A little, but I have to drive." He smiled over at Duo. "You can warm me up when we get to the new safehouse, ne?"
"Heh heh! That's a mission I'll accept any day!" Duo sobered a little. "You sure you want to, though?"
Heero nodded. "Yeah. I'll cry and pour my soul out to you in the morning. I need to talk to someone about it, and you're the best person on my list." He stopped at a stop sign and leaned over to kiss Duo. "Tonight... tonight I just want to reassure myself that you got out of that trap unharmed. I have to get you cooled down, washed up and sated... remember?"
Duo blushed as he remembered his words upon giving his status to Heero. "Yeah... but this time, Hee-chan, don't hold back. I won't break if you're a little rough."
Heero groaned. "Ryoukai!"
*****
Triton led Quatre into the house and smiled a little as Catherine and Minuet fussed over them a moment. "Are the others here yet?"
Catherine shook her head. "Nope, but it sounds like Harmony and Wufei are here. Heero's car made more noise."
As if on cue, Harmony bounded into the house and ran up the stairs.
Wufei chuckled as he entered. "She's been wanting to play little mother with us since this whole thing started." He watched as she ran down the stairs and almost dove into the linen closet. "She needs the diversion. Besides... the house is a little chilly."
Minuet took Wufei's coat. "That's because we only just managed to coax the heater into working. I've started dinner going and it should be ready by the time Duo and Heero get here."
Triton frowned. "I hope that car of theirs is up to this weather."
*****
"WHAT?" Duo groaned as he sank into the seat. "How can the car die NOW? We're about... what?"
Heero looked at the map. "We're five miles from the house."
Duo blinked. "Five miles from the house!?!"
Heero frowned and tried to start the car. It didn't even make a sound. "Guess we'll have to walk. Come on."
"Hang on a moment!" Duo growled and dug in his pockets. "Ah-HAH!"
Heero tilted his head as Duo pulled out something that looked suspiciously like... "A cell phone?"
"No way we're gonna walk five miles... you just got over that cold, I don't want you catching another one." He pressed several buttons and waited. He grinned after a bit. "Hey, sis!... No, I'm Fine!... Heero's fine, too! The car, on the other hand, needs to be taken out back and shot." He glanced out the window. "We just passed the corner of Clyde and Brian... Heero said it was about 5 miles. Yeah!... You CAN? GREAT!... Hm?..." He grinned at Heero. "Oh... I think I can manage.... What?... HARMIE! Get your mind out of the gutter!..." He shook his head and chuckled. "Yeah, I sure am. See ya soon!" He shut the phone off. "Someone will be here in about ten minutes."
"What are you?"
"Hm? Oh! A bad influence. Harmony knows the heat doesn't work in this old lemon, so she told me to find a way to keep us warm." He smiled and nudged a little closer. "You can guess what she said." He unwrapped the blanket and offered one end to Heero.
Heero sighed and wrapped his arms around Duo, smiling when Duo reciprocated the hug and enfolded him in the blanket. "I'm still looking forward to getting you to the safe house."
"Mmm-hmm!" Duo closed his eyes as a wave of contentment washed over him.
TBC...
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