Before or After?

"Nothing, Middie Une. RTL is a trickster." Trowa steered the car with his gun trained on her. "I couldn't take the chance that you didn't believe me. You aren't carrying a child of a person named Finn or Gin. If you are pregnant, then you are carrying mine," he finished. "All the gundam pilots are involved in their own similar problem. Do you believe me?"

Middie looked at his gun. "Your sister is Catherine Bloom."

"I know what you are thinking," Trowa responded. "Her past looks like she could fit in that group, but she isn't a part of it. She hates war."

Middie didn't know what to believe anymore except that, once again, he could have killed her. He still didn't. There is a good possibility . . . he could be telling the truth then. "Why are the gundam pilots involved?"

Trowa took a minute to answer. "The Gundams took thousands of lives. To them, the pilots of those Gundams, we deserve their biggest dose of justice."

Did he gulp? Middie couldn't quite tell. Trowa never did that. His emotions were hard to read. If he did that?

"The theory so far," Trowa continued. "They want to kill you in the same fashion as our own mothers died."

Oh. That sounded like Revenge of the Lost alright. It made more sense too, as sad as it sounded. Middie rubbed her arm. "I believe you." No matter how much No Name's sister fit, it just didn't seem right. She watched him lower his gun. Then it's him. She could still be pregnant, but if she was, it was Trowa's. They want to hurt the pilots? Who could hurt him half as much as me being the one? Nobody. That's beyond cruel. 

"Before or after?"

Middle looked back at him. Before or after what? "What do you mean?"

"The injuries," Trowa said. "Duo said you were injured. Was it before or after they knew?"

Oh. "Both. Nothing near the stomach." There. That should make him feel better. Although? He still didn't look good. She couldn't risk asking yet, but she was wondering. How did his mother die? 

How was she supposed to die?

Piece of shit, that Trowa was not getting her! Middie was carrying his unborn nephew. "Mom, she's gone." Ooh, an earful. "I couldn't follow, it was the Trowa No Name guy. He didn't kill her though. He could've done it right here. She said back at the apartment, he didn't do it either. I think he's holding her." Yeah, it made sense. "I don't think he will kill her, but I think he's holding her. Making sure I do it. He even said she's pregnant, but that's probably just to twist the knife." Damn them. He didn't know if that part was real. He never personally killed anyone in his entire life. "Middie must be insurance. He only said that stuff before he grabbed her, trying to lure her out." His mom agreed that it made sense then. "I promise, I'll do it. I'll do it for Finn's memory, his kid, and the family. Meanwhile, spread the word." Yeah, the tough question.

Gin could live in one world or another. He could have had a mansion, his own ring of girls, and everything else under the sun. He didn't want that. He just wanted a normal life where he didn't have to watch his back for the rest of his. To get the kind of help he wanted though? "Fine, I'm in," he agreed. "Send out the word. Send out the picture. We need Catalonia. Alive only." If Dorothy Catalonia found her way back down, she wouldn't live long with the bounty he was putting on her. And that No Name, he better pray nothing happened to One Song! Like it or not.

Gin just officially got into the family business.

-------------------

Duo and Hilde's Place on Earth

"So, who's excited to be going home tomorrow?" Duo asked as he slipped down his shades. "Last night of Earth programming, but I don't mind. Kind of missing everything on high."

"The God of Death misses things on high?" Hilde teased him. "Well, regular Hilde misses it too. I'm really excited to go back. Earth was nice, but it's no vacation. I'll be happy working in the junkyard again instead of this fast food craze down here."

"Yeah, but don't take it too easy," Duo warned her. "RTL is still out there, and I don't want them nabbing you, to try for a second time."

"I know, Duo," she said. "I know that I was really lucky in this. Relena Dorlain and Dorothy Catalonia weren't at all. The woman that was supposed to have Wufei's baby too. She isn't pregnant but . . ."

"Yeah, that's gotta be harsh," Duo said. "It's never easy when the only ones you knew, and the life you led, get burned to cinders." He knew that firsthand. "Wufei knows that pain too. He's taking care of her until RTL is done for."

"I hope everyone stays safe and connected, so we can watch each other's backs," Hilde said. "No one can win if we all keep vigilant."

"No can do, Hilde-Babe," Duo said. "Heero's working for the people that want to kill Dorothy Catalonia. If he sees her, he's kidnapping her. If he sees Trowa too?" He winked and turned his finger into a gun. "Kapow. He's supposed to shoot him dead."

"What?" Hilde of course didn't understand. "Duo, that's insane! Why is your friend Heero Yuy working for the enemy?"

"Because it's not his enemy," Duo answered. "RTL is their enemy too, and Heero isn't just fighting for a quiet place to stay. He's going to need something extreme to hide the likes of Relena Dorlain. Where else are they gonna go?" He waved it off. "It's no different than Trowa working for Oz and busting Heero and Wufei."

"There is a difference. Heero is supposed to kill and hurt his friends."

"Don't see that difference yet," Duo teased her. "Look, I know about it because he told us. He told Trowa before he took the position to watch out for him, and Trowa is supposed to tell Quatre as soon as Relena is abducted by him."

"Abducted?" Hilde asked. "What do you mean abducted?"

"He can't just be working for that group, walk on up in a car and go 'hey-mother-of-my-child! Yo, how ya doin'? Listen I know you like peace and all but I just turned assassin for a bad group. So jump in the back already, Babe."

"Duo." Hilde sat on the couch. "I guess, it is what it is."

"Everybody runs their own lives the way they think is best," Duo said. "As for us, we are much better off high in the colonies, running the junkyard. Don't ya think?"

"Yeah." Hilde nodded. "It's a little surreal though. One day you think you're pregnant, and then you just aren't."

"So?" Duo took off his sunshades. "You're not sad about it, are you?" 

"I don't know how I feel about it," Hilde answered. "It feels like a waste I guess. All that drama, coming to Earth, and we leave the same as when we came."

"Yeah. Guess it does feel a little like running in circles with no new bundle of joy," Duo admitted, "but it's way better this way. I'm good at fighting and junkyard stuff, but I'd be lousy at the parenting thing. Sometimes you should just forget about the journey and concentrate on the destination. The destination happens tomorrow." Quarantine over. 

"It sure was a nasty quarantine. Happened so fast, and now, it just went over almost as fast," Hilde noticed. "Strange, huh?"

"Yeah. Might have been RTL. Might not have. Didn't feel so attached to the colonies I was going to put anything at risk though," Duo said. "So? Let's spend a little wealth for the night. Call up a nice joint, and put in some reservations."

Hilde chuckled. "Pizza. Got it, Duo."

Yeah. Soon, pizza wouldn't be their go-to 'nice meals' anymore. Back to the Junkyard. 

Back to a normal life.

Hotel in Nearby Colony.

"We'll stay here for now," Trowa insisted. "You are going to stay near me. RTL may still want to try something against you." Middie Une didn't ask any questions as he grabbed his phone. It should have happened by now. Heero should have had Relena.

As he promised Heero, he dialed up Quatre.

"Hello?"

"Quatre, it's Trowa. This is a warning for Dorothy Catalonia," he said clearly. "Heero is working for Duo's family. He is working for the Phillips, and he is supposed to find Catalonia on Earth."

"What?! Heero's working for the enemy?"

"Yes, and I can't get any word to Heero about anything else because if he spots me, he's supposed to outright kill me," Trowa finished. "Watch Dorothy Catalonia."

"I will. Trowa? You stay safe. Um. Did you . . .?"

"I have Middie Une," Trowa informed him. "We'll find out more truths when we go to Earth. Quarantine ends tomorrow. Quatre? What are you going to do?"

"Quarantines aren't new," Quatre said, "but . . . I've talked it out with Dorothy. We're going back to Earth."

"I had a feeling you were," Trowa said. "I trust you, Quatre. Don't risk getting in Heero's way."

"I won't. You make sure Heero doesn't see you either."

"I will." Trowa hung up and looked at Middie. She sat on the edge of the bed. "Lie down. You need proper rest. You haven't had proper rest in a bed for over a week I assume." She climbed onto the bed. 

"What do you want?" Middie Une asked. 

"I want you to come to Earth and take a pregnancy test there," Trowa said. "Not all the women who were supposed to be pregnant, had become pregnant. However, the only ones to be negative were those that lived out in the space colonies so far."

"Okay," she answered as she curled up on the bed more, seemingly enjoying the pillow. "Then what?"

Hm. "I want to protect the innocent inside of you, that is related to me. To do that, I will keep you hidden while I stop RTL." Trowa looked back at her, but she had already drifted off to sleep. Middie Une hasn't been in a bed for over a week. I doubt being captive gave her a bed too. Food. Water. She could be lacking on several essentials. Just because he didn't move fast enough. Blaming myself won't do any good now. I just need to get her back to a healthy state, and get her to Earth with me. 

Trowa would take her to the circus. Catherine could help her heal back to normal. Although Catherine hated the very idea of Middie Une, her heart would be too kind to turn her away. It's quite possible she might even see what I had seen about her. 

Middie Une had always been a good person, she was just trapped in the wars of fate.