I don't want to be here, I want Trowa, I just wanted a nice quiet day and no, some idiot has to try and kidnap me. He frowned in a cute little pout. First things first, I'm firing that gardener. And who the heck was that other guy? I sure didn't recognize him. Maybe Trowa would. If he was here...

Quatre sighed and kept moving. He put one foot down and felt something crack and squish beneath it. He whimpered hard. I hate insects! Heart racing in his chest, he sped up as fast as he could...

...and promptly slammed his face into the wall. He put his hands up to his offended nose and looked behind himself. If I'm lucky, they don't know I'm gone yet. I can just--

"He's gone! He got out in an access panel!"

Quatre rolled his eyes. Nope, they know now. Turning his attention back to the wall before him, he tentatively put his hands out and prayed he wouldn't find anymore bugs or spiders or cobwebs. To his delight, he discovered that the tunnel veered off at a hard right and extended farther into the darkness.

"Well, I can't go back, so I'd better go forward." He grinned when he discovered this space was larger than the previous tunnel and he could actually run along the path. Keeping his hands out to ward off another collision with a wall, he took off.

Minutes later, he spotted a little light just beyond a large metal grate ahead of him. He pulled to a stop in front of it and pushed as hard as he could, but he couldn't budge it. In the dim light, though, he could see a large pipe running horizontally over the grate.

Perfect, he smiled, reaching up and firmly placing his hands on it.

A split second later he hissed and drew back, holding his hands close. Nothing but boiling hot water running through that pipe, it seemed. Okay, not perfect, but I can still use it. Unbuttoning his shirt, he wrapped the cloth around his hands to shield him from the bulk of the heat, then tried the maneuver again. He pulled his slim body up and kicked violently against the grate once, then twice. He started to feel the hot metal through the shirt, but he could also feel the grate coming loose. Taking a breather to cool his hands down, he backed up a little down the tunnel, then took a running leap at the pipe, kicking forward with all his might. Without warning, the metal grate exploded out. Quatre's eyes widened in surprise as he sailed out with it.

He landed hard on his rear, sliding across the smooth floor until he came to rest against a washing machine. Blinking, he glanced around himself and started to laugh. He recognized the laundry room.

"I'm still in the mansion," he whispered. "I can't believe this. This has to be some kind of joke. Duo must be doing this."

"There he is!"

Quatre stared back down the tunnel and spotted one of his kidnappers squeezing through the narrow space. It was the stranger, and he was somehow managing to force his way around the corner, gasping for air. The stranger held one hand up, brandishing a handgun and aiming at Quatre.

The little blonde gasped and darted to the side, barely avoiding the first bullet as it tore into the washing machine. Forgetting his shirt, he ran alongside the wall, trying to find either a weapon or a good hiding place. All he could see was a handful of other washing machines.

Trowa ran through the hallway towards the front stairs, sliding down the banister much as Quatre usually did. Landing nimbly on the floor, he sped to the kitchen and opened the door leading to the basement. Holding his handgun up cautiously, he quietly stepped down the dark staircase and held his breath at the bottom, glancing around the corner. All he found was a long, unlit corridor. He slowly edged along the wall, knowing he was in plain sight and wondering if he would spot the kidnappers before they saw him.

*Crack*

Trowa was running full-tilt before he realized it. He knew the sound of a gunshot, even muffled between the thick walls. Please, Quatre, please, be all right. Be all right.

Trowa, where are you? Quatre thought frantically, staring at the door on the far side of the room. It was the only exit he had now that the vent was blocked, and if he made a run for it, he would likely be shot. If he stayed, though, the strange man with the gun would eventually make it through and shoot him.

Trowa should be home by now, hasn't he noticed I'm gone? He sighed and shook his head. No use worrying about it now. He pressed himself to the wall with the grate and eased as close as he could before the stranger would spot him, then lunged forward.

"Hey, stop!" the kidnapper yelled, firing off two rapid shots.

Quatre felt the heat from the bullets pass inches from his back, but it only made him move faster. He grabbed the door and flung it wide open...just as the second kidnapper was about to come in. Quatre's eyes immediately dropped to his waist, noting somewhat irately that he didn't have to lower his eyes far.

No, I was wrong. I *hate* being short. To his dismay, the gardener held a large handgun aimed directly at him.

"What the--?" the kidnapper gasped, momentarily surprised to see his prey opening the door for him.

A spec of orange and blue to the right caught Quatre's attention. Laundry detergent! He shoved his hand into the half-open box, grabbed a fistful of bleach, and hurled it into his enemy's face. He dodged to the right as he did, narrowly missing the bullet as the kidnapper fired reactively.

"Owww! Shit, you little bastard! Get back here!"

"I'll get him!" came another voice.

Quatre looked up and saw the stranger, who'd been stuck in the maintenance shaft, somehow pulling himself out of the wall. He couldn't grab their guns while they were pointed at him, and now both of his exits were blocked. Unable to go anywhere, Quatre scrambled back against the wall and wished that one of the maids had left a bazooka or something equally as powerful on the floor.

"That's it, we kill him now and just take the money when they send it!" the gardener yelled, red stinging eyes glaring at Quatre.

"No."

*Bang*

Quatre winced as half of the gardener's head flew up against the walls and floor, staining the ground red. A broad smile broke over his face as Trowa came in, gun held up and locked onto the second kidnapper.

"Trowa!" Quatre yelled, running forward and putting his arms around his lover's waist.

Trowa allowed himself a brief second to glance over Quatre and make sure he was sound, and he settled his arm over the blonde's shoulders, holding him tight. As he looked back up at the stranger, his eyes opened wide. "Thomas?!"

Quatre looked up at Trowa in shock. "You know him?"

"He works at the circus," Trowa nodded. "Takes care of the elephants. Why would he...?"

"You ever try taking care of those things?!" Thomas yelled. "So damn huge and they don't ever follow directions and damnit, they eat like garbage disposals and then when it comes out...it's terrible, and I had to...I had to get out somehow!"

"You couldn't have just changed jobs?" Quatre asked softly.

Thomas blinked, as if an unknown truth had just hit him. Then he shook it off and screamed out "I couldn't! The elephants, they'd follow me, I know they would, just to screw me up again!"

"I don't think we can reason with him anymore," Trowa whispered, and pulled the trigger.

*****

"My apologies, Master Quatre," Rashid sighed, "I should have been here."

Quatre looked up with a forgiving grin from his desk. "It's all right, Rashid. You had to work on those deals, and besides, no one knew I was going to be kidnapped. Speaking of which, did your trip go well?"

Rashid smiled despite himself. "I would say so, yes. I've managed to secure a large area of land in the Sahara for a relatively low price."

"There is an oasis, right?" Quatre asked.

Rashid chuckled. "There are several, along with a handful of deep wells the owners did not know about."

Quatre laughed. "They never went in deep enough to find them, did they?"

"And I certainly was not about to tell them," Rashid nodded. He noticed the clock on the wall and rose abruptly. "It's nearly three. I promised the men I'd have them going by four."

"I'll see you around, then," Quatre smiled. "Let me know when you get there."

Half an hour after Rashid left, Quatre heard soft footsteps coming down the hall on the long rug. The fact that he could barely hear them told him that it was Trowa and that his tall lover was being kind enough to let him know he was near. He bounded up from his chair and ran to the door, throwing himself into Trowa's waiting arms.

Trowa laughed as Quatre wrapped his legs around his waist and smothered him in kisses. He carefully walked to one of the plush chairs and set Quatre down, kneeling down after him so he could lay his head in the blonde's lap. "Did you miss me?"

Quatre's soft fingers ran through his hair and down his throat, heading firmly down between his shoulder blades to make him arch slightly. "Of course. I was miserable...but I knew you had to go again. Is everything taken care of?"

"Mm-hmm. The doctors said that when Thomas recovers from the bullet wound, he's going to be transported to a high security mental institution."

"That's good," Quatre sighed. "And your circus?"

"Oh, we found someone who was willing to take over his job. And they finally managed to round up all the lions Duo's kids had let loose...and calm down the clowns Heero freaked out."

"I didn't know Heero hated clowns."

"He doesn't. They tried to sneak up on him."

Quatre giggled. "And how many guns did Heero have on him?"

Trowa sighed. "I'm just glad none of those orphans have Duo's propensity for pick-pocketing, or else they'd have a small army on their hands."

Quatre smiled, but he closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself for his next question. "And when will you be going back?"

Trowa looked up at him, placing his hands on Quatre's face. "Hmm...maybe...never?" He grinned when Quatre froze in surprise. "Thomas knew where to find you by following me. All he had to do was find a disgruntled employee. I'm not going to endanger you anymore."

"But...they're your family..." Quatre protested mildly, unable to hide the fact that he was delighted.

Trowa eased up onto the chair, dragging Quatre into his lap so they could both sit comfortably. "Yes, but you're my little angel, and I have to take care of you. You may be brilliant, but you can be exceedingly silly at times."

"Trowa, you've already scolded me about this," Quatre sighed.

"Yes, and I'll scold you as long as I think I need to. Are you going to build up your security like I told you to?"

Quatre nodded with a tiny smile. "Yes, I will."

Trowa chuckled. "Well, I'm going to have to keep you absolutely safe, and that means I can never leave your side."

"You promise?" Quatre whispered.

Trowa dug into his pocket and pulled something out, grabbing Quatre's hand at the same time. With a long kiss, he slid something onto Quatre's right hand. It sparkled in his peripheral vision, but only when Quatre broke from the kiss did he gasp in joy.

It was a diamond ring.

"Oh...Trowa..." happy tears sparkled in his eyes. "Yes!"

He threw his arms around Trowa again, almost knocking him off the chair. The tall boy laughed and kissed him. "I'm glad you like it."

"But...won't you be giving up almost everything?" Quatre wondered. "Your family, your circus..."

Trowa grinned and admired the way the diamond glittered on Quatre's pale skin. "It was either that life or a life with you. My little angel, I had no choice."

The End