As soon as their little ‘vacation’ in Spain ended, he set out to find the person who would execute his plan. But he didn’t really know exactly HOW to go about finding Heero. The youth was INCREDIBLY hard to find. He didn’t even carry his own NAME. That right there was a problem.

Every spare second at home, and every free lunch hour, he would spend the same. Every possible internet service, every possible search engine, was put to use while he looked. Each came up a dead end. It was QUITE frustrating.

He wouldn’t have put such emphasis and stress on his urgency to find Heero, if he didn’t have a deadline of his own to meet. Sitting back in the leather office chair, his head connected with the back. Both eyes closed in slight exhaustion, relishing in the small pause to his hectic lunch break.

“You mean you’re not STAYING on L-4?” He asked, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.

“It was nice to see mi familia again Quatre.” She softly answered. Her eyes dodged meeting his, looking at the window instead. Stars slowly flew by as they journeyed back to the colony the two called home. “Even for all the wrong reasons.” Eyes closed with a small sigh. It was so CONFUSING. “I have to decide whether or not I want to go back to España, or continue to work at your company.” Her mind was already creating pros and cons of the two options.

He eyed her distracted form, eyes staring at part of the shuttle ahead. He would be lying to himself if he told her she should leave and be with her family. The past week with her was enjoyable, even as she said; for all the wrong reasons. He couldn’t fathom going to work everyday and not seeing her cheerful face; to not hear her soft soprano voice greeting him good morning.

Forlorn made itself known. He suddenly realized with a vengeance that he didn’t want her to leave. Not just because he would have to find another full-time secretary either.

One hand slowly covered hers. She startled immensely, and turned to meet his eyes. He looked sheepish and she smiled, letting him know no harm was done.

“Well,” He slowly answered, “all I ask is that you THINK about it. Weigh everything carefully in your mind. Take a week to decide. So next week on this day, come to me and let me know what you plan on doing. That way I’ll know whether or not to figure something out with Jenny.”

She nodded slowly, feeling that was fair enough. It would give her plenty of time. He was, as usual, being generous and compassionate with her feelings. Not demanding she decide right away, or even in a few days. No, something THIS big needed the full week to decide.

“Agreed.”

He smiled slightly and idly entwined their fingers. They stayed that way the rest of the ride.

That was two days ago. Ever since then, he ran himself ragged in his search. Burning the candle at both ends. And it was almost burnt out. Since he would spend almost all his time during the only lunch hour he had looking for Heero, and eating while he did so, any work he could do during that was put off till LATER. The problem with NOT having a partner...he had to do all that put-off paperwork himself.

But, not even with all the employees he housed in the building could do all his paperwork. He didn’t even want them doing one single sheet. If anyone did, they would ask questions; questions he didn’t want to answer. Even if they didn't, he wasn’t going to take any chances that it get back to Diva and her ask him what the matter was.

The whole ‘quest’ was starting to hurt more than just his work habits; it was also affecting his home life. Any work he was unable to finish went home with him. He would stay up as late as humanely possible to get it caught up and stay on top for the next day. He started cutting down his sleeping habits as a result, becoming even more tired as the search continued.

Oh, there was one road he hadn’t gone down, but he loathed trying it. That meant asking questions to people who wanted answers. Answers he wanted to keep secret. Especially to those he would need to contact.

He looked at the multiple engines on his computer, each saying a dead end in their own way. His eyes closed with a small sigh. ‘I don’t really have any other CHOICE.’

Sitting up slowly, hands went to his desk. Papers that were scattered about, even covering the vid phone, were moved aside to allow access. And to clean up a little. He wasn’t normally a messy person, but now was not one of his finer moments. With slow fingers, he dialed the long distance number and waited.

It rang a few times before being picked up. “Relena.” He greeted pleasantly.

“Hello Quatre.” Relena greeted, nodding slightly. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?”

He grinned wryly at her small joke. He chuckled softly, catching a large grin from her. Neither really had time to talk to each other, so it was a pleasure to see each other’s face. Even over a VID phone. “Well, I was wondering...is Duo still around?” He mentally cursed himself for not practicing what he was going to say before calling.

Her brow furrowed in confusion. “Yes, he’s still here.” She said, giving away her apparent confusion. A small grin broke out. “Still watching Hilde like a hawk if I’m right.”

He grinned and the two shared a small, caring laugh. “How IS Hilde?” He asked quickly, taking a small detour down the road he was on.

Blue lowered, lips bunching at one side of her face. “Well, she...well she’s doing...okay...”

His brow creased. “What’s wrong??” He worriedly asked. “Has something happened to her?”

Relena quickly met his gaze and gave a reassuring smile. “No, no! I’m sorry! YES she’s okay. The first week or two was shaky with her consciousness, but it’s passed. Now, she’s giving Duo hell for WORRYING about her and not eating.” They shared another small laugh.

His small worry faded, but only slightly. He breathed a small visible sigh of relief. He hadn’t known there was such a problem with her injuries. But someone of her small size WOULD have problem healing with the amount of internal trauma she received. He was glad Hilde made it through.

He mentally shook himself, going back to the task at hand. He had to hurry before his time was up. or Diva walked into his office. “Well that’s a relief. But about Duo...may I speak with him please?” Relena nodded and put him on hold.

He waited for maybe ten silent, hopeful minutes until Duo’s face replaced Relena’s. “HEY! Quatre, what’s up?” Duo cheerfully asked.

He smiled, not able to stay solemn for long from his friend’s happy-go-lucky exterior. But that’s all it was, an exterior. He shoved all that Relena told him about Duo and focused on the task at hand.

“Well, I have a question to ask you Duo.” He softly started. Eyes darted about his empty office, as if expecting someone to be hiding or a bug placed somewhere. He looked back at his friend, finding him watching him with a humorous, but curious, expression. “Do you know where Heero is?”

A brow shot up in shock, then quickly furrowed in confusion. “No,” He drawled confused. “I DON’T know where he is, Quatre. Sorry. What’s up?”

“Well-” His hands slowly twisted, out of sight from the computer. DAMN IT! All his hopes were placed on Heero’s capable shoulders. He knew if he asked Heero with this, his hacking skills wouldn’t leave any trace of the credit transaction. He didn’t value his skills much and he didn’t want to attempt trying it on his own. Heero was the one he first thought of and it just stuck in his head. “I needed to ask his help with a small...favor. But, I guess I can’t.” He softly sighed, feeling totally letdown. Even if it wasn't anyone’s fault...

Duo gave his friend a small, but strange, look, smiling slightly. “Anything I can do to help?” He offered.

Stuck in his own thoughts, he went over whom he deemed almost as good as Heero when it came to computers. His eyes suddenly lit up. ‘Of COURSE! Why didn’t I think of it SOONER?’ He could’ve slapped his forehead at his stupidity, but not in Duo’s presence. He didn’t want to make a total idiot of himself...

Shaking his head quickly at Duo’s offer, he smiled his thanks. Even if Duo hadn’t come right out and suggested it, he still inadvertently gave him the thought. “No, I’ve got it covered Duo. Thanks anyway!”

Duo raised an eyebrow. “Yea, sure, anytime man.” He slowly drawled, not bothering to hide his bewilderment. “Keep in touch now.” He added pleasantly.

“I WILL. Bye Duo!” Not allowing the braided youth to say anything else, he terminated the connection.

“I am so stupid. I can’t BELIEVE I didn’t think of this before.” He muttered softly, berating himself as his hands moved. He shifted the stacks of papers away from the computer, making SOME room on his cluttered desk. He cleared all the search fields to begin again. This time, to find someone totally different.

“Trowa my friend, I hope you’re easier to find than HEERO is.” He softly prayed.

~*~*~

His search took an entire day to complete, but complete it DID. He was able to find the city Trowa was in, yet not the number to the train’s vid phone. It was more than he’d gotten with HEERO. He mentally thanked Allah and continued on.

It only took a little longer to find numbers of shops in the city. He called a few in different parts, asking questions about the circus’s whereabouts. One such person happened to know the number to the train, having called with questions about their acts and such. Hastily scribbling the number down, he profusely thanked the person and hung up.

He allowed a small silent moment, eyes glued to the number. He was almost there. Victory was almost in his grasp. Relief flooded him as he continued to stare, almost transfixed. A small, pleased smile graced his face. It was almost over. All the stressing out, worrying, and searching was finally paying off. ‘A good thing, too!’

Not wasting another minute, he called the circus’s only phone number...only to find that Trowa wasn’t there. He went into town maybe twenty minutes ago. The small victory he celebrated only moments ago seemed to laugh in his face. Mentally sighing, he gave a message to the person who picked up, asking him to please give it to Trowa as soon as he set foot in camp.

After the phone shut off, he slumped back in the chair once again. ‘I couldn’t have picked more PHYSICALLY stable friends, COULD I?’ He joked. Hands scrubbed his face in an attempt to not fall asleep in the comfy chair. He had too much work to do to allow that to happen. Even if he wanted to fall asleep, badly.

His part done, eyes opened and stared at the ceiling. ‘I’ve done all I can do.’ Those eyes slowly shifted to his desk, immediately finding what he saw distasteful. ‘Now I have to try and get all this done in the MEANTIME.’ He groaned. In his attempt to help Divinity, he almost ignored his paperwork while AT work.

‘It should be called HOMEWORK. I haven’t really worked on ANY of this at work!’ Smiling slightly, he leaned forward slowly, resolving to get on with it.

~*~*~

Fingers clacked over the keyboard with their usual swiftness. Typing up a document as normal, her eyes remained glued to the screen. Even as those fingers missed a letter, they never stopped. She could proof it later.

The small mistakes she made were result of her mind and where it was at. For the past three days she’d been thinking only of her life changing decision. And being what it was, which was MAJOR, she took as much time as possible to think about it. Too bad most of that time was at WORK. Whereas she normally blanked her mind when typing, it was filled with thoughts of pros and cons. Such a heavy decision kept screwing up her efficiency.

Some would say the choice was easy, that she was doing too much thinking about this. Sure it was easy, all she had to do was say yes or no. But getting to the answer was the problem. There was so much she had to consider.

On ONE hand, she could move back home. She would be able to see her family. She could once again live in the town she grew up in. She would be able to see all her childhood friends whenever she wanted. She could eliminate the rent and energy bills from her apartment by moving back home. It would certainly decrease some costs. She could sleep in her room night after night; in someplace FAMILIAR. She wouldn’t have to keep getting up before dawn and wearing business suits day in and out. She would be able to joke around with her brothers like they had when they were children, to play pranks for fun. She would be home in Spain, where she BELONGED. She wouldn’t have to speak English all the time. Sure it was nice, but not her primary language. She wouldn’t have to worry about not being able to afford groceries and not getting enough to eat. She wouldn’t have to live in such a dingy apartment.

But, on the OTHER hand, she could choose to stay on L-4 and continue to work. She would be able to keep the developed independence she relied on since the beginning of the move. Independence she was fierce to protect. She would be on her own, be able to do things in her apartment when she wanted to. She would have the entire place to herself instead of sharing a house with four MEN. Four men...and only one BATHROOM. If she kept her job, the bills’ due dates wouldn’t compile. She more than knew the downtime in looking for another job wouldn’t help those due dates any. Although she could be with her friends, possibly even work with them, she would have to endure the sympathy looks. She’d have to keep hearing how sorry everyone was over the loss of her mother. If she stayed, she wouldn’t be forced to deal with something that was too traumatic for her still. She wouldn’t have to see the same looks on her family’s face either. If she stayed...she would be able to see Quatre anytime she wanted.

Fingers immediately paused, her brow furrowing as she continued to stare at the screen. Well, she figured the LAST part was natural. He said they were friends after all. She knew he wasn’t one to go back on his word, especially not on something she deemed that IMPORTANT.

Except for work, she really didn’t have any friends. Although most were co-workers, they worried about her problems with the same intensity that she did, if not MORE so sometimes. Everyone in his building was understanding...but not to the point of pitying her.

No one pressed her for details, especially with the look she knew they could see in her eyes. The haunted, sad look. She couldn’t really get rid of it either, not until she dealt with her demons. And right now, she just wanted to make one decision at a time!

She also didn’t think that, if she DID go home, she would find a job that paid as well as this did. Save for the one she had during the war as a mechanic, NOTHING paid this good! That wage was helping to pay off their debts. If she left, the bills wouldn’t get paid any faster. Right now, everyone in her family worked to some degree to pay those bills. Along with other needs they had, things just weren’t getting met well enough. Especially not to HER satisfaction. If she had her way, everything would be done and OVER with by now.

She also knew she wouldn’t find as good a boss as Quatre. Although younger than her, he was a BRILLIANT businessman. He was kind and compassionate, yet knew when to be serious and down-to-Earth, especially at work. He didn’t push her to meet deadlines or to take on too much. Even though he knew she ALREADY took too much, he didn’t ask her to lighten the load. He let her do her job and didn’t tell her to change her tactics.

‘And he’s also your FRIEND.’

She couldn’t really believe they were such good friends after only a month’s time...well a LITTLE after a month. A small smile came to her face. Things changed a lot. Even though they were boss and employee, he managed to cut the names away. ‘Because he’s...your friend.’ She reminded, less convinced than last time. He didn’t WANT things on a businesslike level, not if he could help it.

“J...jefe means what?”

“Boss.” She replied.

“Is there a REASON why you blatantly keep calling me sir or Mr. Winner?” He asked, genuinely wanting to know.

She looked at him and blinked, figuring he’d know by now. She TOLD him enough. “ASIDE from the ‘professional atmosphere’,” He sarcastically added, making quotation marks, “what’s the deal? You don’t ACT very professional all the time around here. But you’re hung up on calling me by a title that makes me feel like I’m twice your age.”

“Well...I’ve always been taught to respect my ‘elders’. Be they actually older than I, or by profession. I’ve had a job where I knew my boss’s first name and THAT job was one of teamwork, it wasn’t like all THIS.” She said, hands flaying around her at the surroundings.

“Well all THAT aside, I’m asking it a personal favor if you would TRY calling me Quatre once in a while.” A wry grin broke from his handsome face. “I don’t think it’d kill you to once in a while.”

“I’m glad you dragged me with you today.”

He raised an eyebrow. “DRAGGED you huh?” He joked, smiling dryly. Leaning away from the door, he stood near her bed and looked at what she was holding. “Admit it, you had fun.”

Her gaze left the piano composition and met his eyes. “Okay I admit it.” She softly agreed.

“What is that?”

She stood slowly and handed him the piano notes. “Something I was wondering if I should play tonight.” She said. “Just to play a little.”

“This Yanni sure knows how to play.”

“Yea.” She nodded slightly, looking at the floor.

His eyes strayed to hers from the offhand soft tone. The two locked eyes and stared at each other seriously for a small minute before she reached over and slowly hugged him. He was mildly taken aback, but wrapped his arms around her waist in return.

She didn’t really know WHY she hugged him, other than she just wanted to be held for a short time. It felt so good to wrap her arms around something and embrace it for however long he would let her. It was even nicer to feel that small comfort and strength he possessed wrap around her body with his arms. She didn’t know if she wanted to let go of him. Resting her chin on his shoulder, she looked at the far wall with dull eyes.

She eventually pulled away, just as she had initiated contact. It was slow, deliberate. Looking into his eyes gently, she smiled softly. “Thanks, I needed that.” She nearly whispered. His face was extremely close to hers. She felt as if she could drown in his eyes. His serious look made him seem all the more grown up.

A gentle smile somewhat appeared. “Quite alright.” He whispered back.

“You take good care of mi hermana, Quatre.” Enrique said, waving a finger at him.

Quatre smiled slightly. He nodded, feeling a little playful suddenly. “Mission accepted.” He joked. His smile only widened from the eldest brother’s confused look.

“You take care mi hija.” She hugged back with equal intensity, if not more so. “Call me when you get home, ne? Just so I know you made the trip okay.”

She nodded slightly. Homesickness started worming its way into her heart, and she hadn’t even LEFT yet. “Te amo, papa.” She whispered. He didn’t answer, just hugged her tighter. She figured if he said anything, he would end up crying. She knew that’s what SHE was doing.

After they pulled apart, everyone stood silently near the end of the shuttle’s stairs. No one really wanted to say goodbye, but she and Quatre had to leave. An arm slowly wrapped around hers, tugging her to the stairs. “Come on Divinity. You don’t want to get left behind, do you?” He asked, smiling slightly.

She looked at him. Yes and no burned on the end of her tongue. She KNEW she couldn’t say both... “No.” She softly answered after a pause. He helped guide her up the steps, walking in time with her steps. She didn’t look back because she knew if she DID she would run into her father’s arms and refuse to leave. She had to stay strong, even if each Barbados’s appearance was only a FRONT. It wasn’t like they were saying a true goodbye...

Now inside, she nearly ran to the closest seat, purposely sitting next to the window. Spotting her family, she waved like mad until they spotted her. Both sides spent their final seconds waving until the rest needed to move, so the shuttle could take off.

It didn’t take long for the small transport to get into space. She watched the stars go by with small interest. Mind and heart was battling homesickness along with other emotions.

“Are you okay?”

Her eyes slowly closed. ‘Damn it.’ She thought evenly. Weariness settled itself heavy on her as she looked into space. For a brief time, she was able to blank her mind and forget, but having him speak just put thoughts into her empty head, made her remember where she was and the circumstances that lay before her.

She turned to meet his eyes, seeing them overly concerned. Even if he didn’t say anything. She smiled slightly, touched at his ever constant worry over her well-being. “I will be.” She softly answered, having to think up a proper response.

He smiled slightly, encouragingly. One hand slowly went to hers, patting it slowly. “Well, I just want you to know that if you ever need to talk about something that you can come to me right?” He eyed her, trying to make sure she knew she could come to him if she needed to vent. He would ALWAYS make time if she needed to talk. Her eyes downcast. “I just wanted you to know that you can come to me if you ever need to get something off your chest.”

At length, she nodded slowly. “I understand...and I promise.” She nearly whispered.

He smiled pleasantly, as if the whole sad ordeal was behind them. “Good, because we’re friends. No matter WHAT you think.”

A nearby beeping caught her attention. Jerking her fingers away from the keyboard, the chair swung to the vid phone. Fingers quickly pressed buttons to pop the person’s face up. When they did, she came face to face with an INCREDIBLY handsome man. She felt her face heat up unconsciously and fought a girlish smile. “Mr. Winner’s office, how may I help you?” She asked, saying the rehearsed line. Thank god she didn’t forget like she almost did.

“I was told to call this number back. I believe Quatre is expecting my call.”

She nodded, not knowing why this strange man knew her boss. No...she needed to stop thinking like that. ‘He said you two were FRIENDS.’ She reminded herself.

She managed a small smile. “Just a moment sir.”

Swinging away from the phone, she groaned softly. ‘I SO hope I didn’t make as big a fool out of myself as I THINK I did!’ She mentally prayed. Moving the chair back to the computer, one hand went to the monitor. She tapped the device hinged to the side, taking the mute off. Tapping it again to connect the line, she cleared her voice to make sure it WAS on. Her voice sounded in the earpiece.

“Quatre?” She announced tentatively, making sure he was in his office. She hadn’t seen him almost all day; she didn’t know where he WAS at the moment. And he’d been very quiet lately, not really calling her on the attached ear device for most of the morning and afternoon.

“Yes Diva?” He asked. They both smiled on their respective ends.

“There’s someone on line one calling for you.” She reported. Her brow furrowed a little in curiosity as she mulled over the strange person on hold. “He said you were expecting his call?”

His eyes lit up. FINALLY! “Thanks Diva!” He quickly said. His hand went to the small intercom, cutting her off for once.

Not able to place his strange behavior, she shook it off and went back to typing. If he wanted to tell her, he would. But it was really none of her business. Besides, his urgency to terminate her call meant it must’ve been important somehow.

~*~*~

Hands went to the vid phone, quickly pressing buttons. He HOPED he didn’t have to wait until the end of the day for Trowa to get back to camp. The stress of waiting started wearing off as soon as Trowa’s face came onto the screen.

“Hard at work as always Quatre?” He joked, not bothering to greet him properly.

A joyful smile met his joke. “Trowa!”

The smile was returned, though less intense. “How are you my friend?”

“It’s good to see you again, even like THIS.” Indeed it WAS good to see his friend after a long, hard month. He missed Trowa’s quiet, thoughtfulness. It was a far cry from what he’d been surrounded in the past month. He didn’t even know how to spell serenity! But he sure as hell knew how to spell INSANITY! Seeing Trowa again, he felt calm, as if they were standing side by side. Even though it was only over vid phone.

A playful gleam entered Trowa’s visible eye. “Going to talk me into persuading the headmaster to perform out there?”

Quatre’s smile dissipated, those bluish eyes turning serious. The mission he created. In his eagerness to get back with Trowa, he forgot all about it! “Not this time my friend, I need your help.”

Trowa turned serious as well. “Name it.”

He ducked his head, not really knowing how to delegate his plan. He mentally sighed. Now he wished he spent more time figuring out what he wanted to SAY to Trowa and less time worrying he’d ever call BACK.

“I want you to change some credits from one of my accounts.” He stared at his fingers and toyed with a nail.

“Then have one of your accountants do it.”

His head shook and looked into Trowa’s eyes again. “I came to you because no one at the company can know about it.” A half smile appeared. “Kind of a surprise if you will.” The rest of the smile appeared. “Besides, I’m a better strategist than hacker.” He turned serious again. “I need you to transfer 100,000 credits from my account to another.”

Trowa’s eyes widened slightly. “Do you have the numbers?”

“Only to MY account. This’s where your hacking skills come into play. The money goes into a friend’s account, but I don’t know the code so you’ll have to find it.” Trowa smiled softly, making Quatre blush a little from modesty.

“What’s the name?”

“Barbados. Manuel Barbados. I don’t know the bank name, but you could cross-reference that with Maria Angel Barbados. Angel is her maiden name.”

Trowa nodded. He didn’t seem to notice the practiced accent He suddenly adopted to do the names justice. Either that or he didn’t really care.

“Which account do you want it taken out of?”

Blue was obscured, as was his attention. It returned a second later as a piece of paper was held against the screen. “This’s my personal account. The password is Sandrock.” Trowa raised a slight jestful eyebrow, causing him to duck his head with an embarrassed smile. Well...he needed a password he wouldn’t readily forget, and there was NO way he’d forget Sandrock.

“There’s no computer HERE. I’ll have to go into town and find one. We have a show to do and that will last hours. It will most likely be LATE before I can slip away.” He slightly warned.

He nodded. “Whatever it takes. I’ll be here for a while, give me time to play catch-up. Call back with that number I gave when you’ve confirmed it.” Which he planned on doing while he waited. Maybe, if he was LUCKY, he could make even by the end of the day. If lady luck was even MORE helpful, he could get a little AHEAD.

Trowa nodded. “So who are these people?”

His smile dropped, face laced with sadness. “Parents of my secretary. Good people who’ve just fallen on hard times, but too proud to accept help.” A wistful smile appeared. Indeed. If ANY of the Barbados found out what he was doing, he’d have an earful of it. And, knowing Diva’s temper, he REALLY didn’t want to tempt fate.

“Is it someone special?” Trowa half-teased.

The smile changed and a tinge lit his face. He didn’t know how Trowa ALWAYS managed to guess what was going on, but he did. Even though he considered her his good friend, lately he was thinking of her differently. He was wondering what caused the change, but couldn’t find any real specific ideas. It always left him clueless, but with a fuzzy feeling in his heart.

“We’re good friends.” He outwardly explained. “But she won’t accept my help.” His smirk turned evil. “What she WON’T know won’t HURT her, so make sure you don’t leave any trace to EITHER of us.”

Trowa raised a slight eyebrow. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” He answered sarcastically.

He knew Trowa wouldn’t be so sloppy. But something like this left no room for error and he felt he needed to warn Trowa, just in case. He had to make Trowa see just HOW important this was.

“Then I shall hear from you soon Trowa.” Both nodded and cut the communication lines, preferring not to say goodbye.

Sitting back in the leather chair yet again, he looked at his desk with small distaste. ‘Back to work you.’ He ordered humorously. ‘No time like the present. And I’ve got all NIGHT to get caught up.’

~*~*~

The day wore down, but still no word from Trowa. He busied himself almost to the breaking point in his fervor to get caught up. He hardly stepped outside his office, hardly even got out of his chair. He was thankful, at SOME points, to not keep glancing at the clock. There were a few hours where he stopped checking the time, stopped wondering if it was any later than when he last looked.

Stopping outside his door, she was hesitant to knock. People that passed by his door on their way out for the day said they hadn’t heard a peep for HOURS. Some didn’t even know if he was still around. She knew that was idiotic because she would’ve SEEN him leave. Even if she was busy typing, he would’ve spent at least two seconds telling her goodbye on his way out. If indeed he had left for some unknown reason. But she felt he was still inside, just working harder than normal.

Her brow furrowed in small curiosity. She didn’t really know why he was working himself to the bone the past few days. It wasn’t like him somehow, but he was doing it regardless. She was more than concerned, especially when he would go hours without asking for his schedule, or even call her into his office and talk during lunch. It was very curious indeed, but she didn’t dwell on it much. If the man was busy, she lent him all the space he needed. It wasn’t like she didn’t have stuff to do.

Shoving aside all bashful thoughts, she knocked softly. Not hearing anything from the other side, she grasped the knob. ‘I almost feel like I’m only an intern and this’s my second day at work.’ She mused, smiling slightly. With that thought of her foolishness, she turned the knob and slowly opened the door.

Her brow creased in concern as she first laid eyes on him. He was nearly hunched over the thick glass desk, small orderly stacks of papers about his arms. One hand held up a single sheet, eyes roaming over the words with a look of almost total concentration.

She leaned against the doorway with a sudden urge to watch him. It was unexplained and she didn’t know why, but she went with the feeling. It allowed her to see the small bags under his eyes, even from the distance. His lack of sleep flared her protective, motherly instincts. She instantly wondered why he was depriving himself of sleep and felt like chiding him on it. Even if, in a way, she did so as well by arriving so early and leaving so late everyday.

She softly cleared her throat after a moment, since he didn’t seem to take any notice of her yet. His head jerked up from the document, giving her a small tired smile after a second. That protective urge to chide him flared again at how haggard his eyes seemed. “Are you going to quit for the day Quatre?” She softly asked.

He leaned back in the chair; feeling like it was a comfortable haven from all the rules he immersed himself in for so long. His eyes remained closed as his tired brain leaned against the leather. “What time is it?” He softly asked, hearing the tiredness to his voice. He almost winced at how bad it sounded; he needed a VERY long nap.

She slowly padded through the threshold, silently closing the door. She leaned against the newly closed door, still eyeing him with distain. He KNEW better than to run himself ragged! “It’s six thirty Quatre.” She answered, taking a few steps into the room.

‘Already?’ His eyes went to the clock. He was almost amazed he’d been able to concentrate that long. The last time he looked the clock was around five. His eyes opened when she stopped before the edge of his desk. He gave her a small lazy smile, not having any energy for much else.

“Everyone is gone by now. Many were wondering if you already left.” She softly rambled. He seemed to sink into the chair, using it as a crutch to keep his arms and head afloat. To keep his whole body from toppling onto the carpet. She looked on with concern and worry. What was happening that made him so weary? “I would’ve gotten some more done, but I don’t want to stay too caught up.” She joked softly.

His eyes closed again, but a smile played across his face. He chuckled softly, knowing how much she worked herself. But right now, he wasn’t one to talk.

Her feet walked next to his chair, almost by impulse. She didn’t really know what she was doing, but knew she couldn’t stand seeing that tired, drained look on his face. It was like he was faced with a great burden. She didn’t like knowing he was facing some secret problem she wasn’t able to somehow help with.

Almost touching the black chair, one hand slowly reached out and rested lightly on his head. The look on his face just made her feel bad emotionally. It almost hurt somehow, knowing there was really nothing she could do. If it was just work, it was something he needed to do himself. But that didn’t make it any better in her eyes. Age-old maternal instincts flared as she ran fingers slowly through his hair.

He didn’t honestly know what Divinity was doing, but he SURE as hell wasn’t going to stop her. Toying with his hair felt too good! Held fatigue started catching up with him and his eyes closed in drowsy bliss.

Her face melted into a kind and tender look as she eyed him. He looked so peaceful, such a different change from only moments ago. She was glad to be able to help him somehow. Just seeing that look on his face made her feel helpless. She didn’t really want to bother him with problems he might not want to share with her, but she wanted to help wherever she could. And the simple action seemed to do wonders for him.

Even so, she couldn’t help but feel a small bubble of sarcasm float to the surface. “Don’t fall asleep on me amigo.” She softly spoke. “You lock up, remember?”

He broke out into a smile and popped an eye open. The playful side was a little perturbed that she ruined the silent, content mood. She giggled and backed away from his sudden playful attempt to swipe at her.

He didn’t know what caused his second wind; it may’ve been the way she laughed, or the look on her face, maybe even the bright light in her eyes. All he knew was, he got out of that comfortable chair with the intent on catching her and making her pay for that small comment.

He chased her around his office, the two dodging furniture, she using it as a barrier between the two. She didn’t really get far in those heels, not on such thick carpet! He caught up to her in no time, even after dodging furniture. Their hands clashed; hers trying to keep his away, his trying to get past her defenses.

It took a few attempts, but he was able to take her scrunchee out. Despite all her protestations and laughter, he duly messed up her hair as retribution, smiling evilly as he did so.

In a last ditch attempt to save her from a half an hour brushing job on the quickly forming rat’s nest, one hand jabbed him in the side.

He yelped, having been poked in a rare ticklish spot. He backed up a few steps, feeling the tides turn.

She grinned like a predator stalking prey. “ASI,” She drawled, “¿Está cosquilloso, eh?” She leered.

“What?” He asked, blanking on the unfamiliar word. It was his mistake, as he forgot the momentary ‘peril’ in front of him.

Both hands extended as she nearly ran toward him, meaning to show instead of tell. She hadn’t gone very far before nearly kicking off the annoying heels, making it easier to go after him. He was now on the defensive, batting her attacking hands away, trying to run as she did so. They led another chase around his office, dodging furniture and sprinting across empty spaces.

Ten minutes passed before they collapsed on the furniture group, Quatre calling a truce through what air he could drag into his lungs. His stomach hurt too much from laughing!

Time seemed to lose all meaning as the two played around. They acted a lot more like the teenagers they forgot they were, and a lot less like the businesspeople they tried to be. He could hear Divinity panting for air, same as him. The giddiness of exercise and the chase was still readily fresh in his mind. He hadn’t had so much fun since their small trip in Spain.

At length, his breathing returned to normal. Staring at the ceiling, both arms rested over his stomach. His body took up almost the entire armchair in his sprawled position. Feeling content come in large waves, he smiled slightly. He was more than content; he felt a lot like his old self, whatever that was. But whatever that was, he hadn’t had so much fun in forever.

His eyes turned to the figure copying almost his exact stance on the couch. His smile widened a little more. He had her to thank for it. “Divinity?” He asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

“Yea?” She asked, also staring at the ceiling.

“Thanks.” He softly answered, looking back at the ceiling.

A smile broke through her face. “De nada Quatre.” She nearly whispered. “There is REALLY nothing to thank.”

Slowly she sat up and looked at him. At length, he copied her. A twinkle shone in her eyes. “I bet those papers are looking more doable now, huh?” She smiled wryly.

His gaze landed on the stack of papers, some having gotten messed up in their play. He knew she was right by how well he seemed to stare at them, not finding anything repulsive about his forgotten work. It didn’t seem so heady now, thanks to her. Even though, he still didn’t want to go back to it. Not after quitting on such a high note. His nose wrinkled slightly.

She smiled. “Guess not?” She asked through soft laughter. He looked at her and the two smiled.

He didn’t want to end it, not NOW. He was having so much fun just being with her and her antics. He didn’t want to say goodbye just yet.

An idea hit and his gaze turned thoughtful. “You wanna go get something to eat?” He asked, still staring into deep brown eyes.

Lips pursed minutely. It was late and she needed to get home. She had to come back again tomorrow, bright and early as normal. She still hadn’t made a decision yet. She had a lot to think of still...

Her stomach growled suddenly, making him laugh and her blush. She smiled sheepishly. She would’ve gone home and made dinner ANYWAY... “¿Por qué NO?” She asked, shrugging.

He smiled and stood, walking to her. He stopped and held a hand out, ready to help her up. She took it, and with a sudden mirthful idea, tugged harder than she needed to. She ended up steadying both of them when he unexpectedly came forward from being off-balanced.

She smirked from his playful scowl. “Let me get things put together and we’ll be out of here in ten.” He vowed, going for his desk.

~*~*~

The two reached her apartment building a little before nine. They would’ve stayed longer, but she protested that she would look like him if she didn’t get to bed before too much longer.

Stopping at the curb, he offered to walk upstairs with her, but she declined. She joked, just before she shut the door on him, that she didn’t want him wearing himself out anymore than he already was.

She gave a small wave through a humorous smile as she walked to the building’s main door.

He watched her go with a small fuzzy feeling in his heart. That small comment meant more to him than their time together from his office up till when he dropped her off. Shaking his head, he looked to the front of the car and the driver sped away for home.

One hand propped his chin up as he stared at the passing scenery, not seeing one bit of detail. He was still processing the amount of fun he had earlier. They didn’t really go anywhere fancy, but they didn’t bother acting like businesspeople. They acted like they were supposed to for teenagers.

That almost got them thrown out of the small, quaint restaurant. Neither really cared, even if they were making a little too much noise for the respected level. Her jokes were just too funny for him to not laugh at. And his snide comments after them only made her laugh in return.

After buttoning up the pajama shirt, he walked to the large bed and pulled the sheets back. His body shimmied to the center and positioned the blankets. He lay on his back for a while eyes closed, but sleep wouldn’t come. He turned to one side and faced the window. A shaft of artificial moonlight shone through a crack in the curtain. A small smile appeared as he stared at the crack, not finding the light bothersome.

He didn’t really know the reason for the sudden attack of insomnia...well not quite. He was exhausted from a full day’s events, but he hadn’t heard from Trowa yet. One reason he stayed so late. He didn’t know the time difference on his colony and Earth, but he hoped it was off. That would allow Trowa to get his ‘task’ done sooner, and relieve some pent up tension.

He abruptly sat up and punched the pillow in frustration. He immediately plopped down after, as if that small release was supposed to help him sleep. To no avail.

He stared at the dark ceiling, shadows from the white light playing with it. He sighed softly. Hands scrubbed his face. Now was NOT the time for him to not fall asleep! He deprived himself of it for too long during the war, and he was doing it AGAIN. It wasn’t a hard habit to break exactly, unless there was so much on top of him that the stress overrode his need for rest. If that was going to be the case, then he was NEVER going to get to sleep!

He sighed, wondering what Diva would think when he went to work tomorrow with worse bags under his eyes than he already had. She pitched a total concern fit already; he didn’t want to worry her anymore. She was ALREADY taking on too much as it was, with work and the decision to stay or leave.

A soft smile appeared as he thought of her, pictured her face. He hoped she would stay around. He really couldn’t picture work without her. She was so friendly and kind, and such a good worker. She was worth twice the wage he paid her an hour...and he was well aware of what he paid her.

Although he knew her wages, and all the overtime she logged since she came to L-4, he was still doing this. He was still having Trowa transfer those credits to her account to help her. He didn’t want someone as hard working as her to continue on like she was. She was burning the candles at both ends. He knew what that was like, mostly because he was doing that now.

He turned away from the light, adjusting the covers as he moved. He really didn’t know when his thoughts turned the way they had, but he was STILL guessing on the solid week in Spain. Just a glimpse at her true self must’ve done him in. Sure, he respected all her worth ethics and habits, but he didn’t want that from her. He wanted her as his friend. But he didn’t know if the small attraction he felt was just a silly crush, or anything ELSE. It would require a week of thought in its OWN right.

Suddenly, he yawned. ‘Figures.’ He sleepily thought, blinking heavy lids. Just when he WANTED to fall asleep, his mind wouldn’t allow such a privilege. Having accepted the long night with no sleep, he occupied himself with something he wanted to think about. Now he was able to sleep. It never FAILED.

Closing his eyes, he pictured her smiling face behind those heavy lids. Her Spanish accent rang in his ears as he finally dropped off.

~*~*~

Logging up the computer the next morning, she grabbed the pile of papers and started sorting through them. Her eyes roamed over what needed to be done first, more than a little bored. Half her mind was still wondering what was going to happen. She was very aware of the comfortable feeling during this hour. She was totally content, even IF she had a lot of work to do already.

A soft beeping, along with a constant red flash, caught her attention. Thankfully dropping the papers, she moved to the vid phone and checked for messages. What popped up utterly confused her. It wasn’t the fact that the message was written instead of a picture message, but the content itself.

Her brow furrowed in utter curiosity. ‘It’s done. T.’ She wasn’t able to find meaning to the three simple words, even though she tried. Her lips pursed. ‘Wonder what THAT means.’

Hearing shoes in the lobby, she smiled at Quatre’s pleasant face. “Morning amigo.” She greeted. After that, her eyes immediately went back to the screen, one finger rubbing her chin absently.

“Hey Diva.” He returned. “¿Qué pasa?” He eyed her for a reaction, but she seemed totally focused on something. Furrowing his brow minutely, he walked behind her desk to see what captivated her. “What’s this?”

She jumped and whirled the chair around, seeing the stark white shirt. Feeling a small blush start from where she was staring, she looked up. “I have NO clue. I can’t figure it out.” She muttered thoughtfully, turning back. She leaned back in the chair, still staring at the message. “Wish whoever left it was a LITTLE less vague.” She sighed slightly.

He ran the short message through his head a few times before it clicked. His eyes widened and he fought to slap himself from his own stupidity. ‘Of COURSE!’ He mentally groaned. ‘SMART one Winner.’

Stepping back, he realized Divinity was watching him again. He looked at her curious face and smiled slightly. Now was when he had to improv.

“Do you know what it is?” She asked, looking at him. His face changed drastically, as if he knew what the strange message was.

He nodded slowly, wracking his brain. He didn’t want to lie to his good friend, but he’d be damned if he told her what he did! It seemed he had no choice though, even IF the ends justified the means.

“Well,” He started, still fumbling, “it’s a message from a friend of mine.” He went to the depths of his memory, remembering something he forgot about ENTIRELY. That would have to do. “I was talking to him yesterday, one reason I was around so late. I was waiting for him to get back to me on our conversation.”

“Why?” She queried.

He almost startled, having somewhat forgotten she was there. It was as if he was practicing what he was saying alone, rather than standing in front her and saying it. “Before I left Earth, I told him to see if he could get his boss to bring the circus he works in to L-4. I offered to pay for travel and lodgings, but he had a show last night. I’m assuming that’s why he was so late in returning it.” He looked at the message, seeing his ‘plan’ convey it perfectly. “I’m presuming he was able to speak with the headmaster, but I’ll call him back to be sure.”

Not allowing her to speak, he grabbed the briefcase and left the receptionist’s area. He suddenly stopped and backtracked, resting a hand over the counter. “Did I have any meetings later today?” He queried, almost sheepishly. He was in such a hurry to get back to his friend, he forgot work.

She quickly pulled up his schedule, eyeing it expertly. “Not anything until AFTER noon.” She reported, looking at him again. He nodded and with a small wave, left.

She watched him go with an utterly baffled look on her face. ‘I don’t think I’ll EVER understand the random acts of ANY man.’ She lamely joked, shaking her head. With a small sigh, she went back to sorting the piles.

~*~*~

He was able to get a hold of Trowa before anything major started. He reported the small slip in the mysterious message, and the quick explanation he had to give his friend to save the quest’s ‘subtlety’.

He explained that the idea was too good to let stay as a ‘lie’ and asked his friend if he would be able to persuade the headmaster to come to L-4. He repeated his offer, figuring that it wouldn’t be THAT hard to lodge everyone. The mansion was more than big enough.

His friend agreed with him, also finding the offer more than fair. He also agreed to speak with the main boss and promised to get back to him before his day at work was finished.

The promise held true. Trowa returned his call two hours later, just before he was to hold his first meeting. He reported everything positively, but with a small problem. The tour they were in the middle of didn’t finish until the end of the month.

He assured Trowa everything was fine and finished making arrangements for next month. He terminated the connection and hastily walked to the meeting room, mind whirling. He was a little down that he would have to wait so long to see his good friend again, but all would be well. He would get to see him period which was good ENOUGH.

~*~*~

The end of her trial came to a close as the week’s ending lunch hour started. Going to the speaker on his desk, he requested her presence in his office, not needing to ask anymore than that. They BOTH knew what today was. One waited with crossed fingers, the other a little nervous.

Padding her way to his office, she paused in front of the door. She was scared in some way, though she didn’t really understand it. Even though she made her choice the day before, she didn’t want to answer him prematurely. She used that extra day to be totally sure that what she wanted to do was the right choice. It was actually easy to pick yes or no. Once she stopped using her head and let her heart take over, it all became clear.

Taking a deep breath for courage, she tightly gripped the knob and swung the door open. She gave a small greeting nod when they locked eyes.

He stood from his desk without a word and met her in the center of his office. “Why don’t we go sit over there.” He thumbed to the furniture. “It’s more comfy that way.”

She nodded with a small smile, the two silently sitting across from each other. Hands nervously folded as she stared at them, almost afraid to speak.

He eyed her persona and wondered what she was scared of. “Diva?” He softly queried.

Her eyes jerked to his and she smiled at her frenzied emotions. “Sorry.” She softly apologized. “It’s just been a stressful week.”

He nodded in understanding. “You’ve made your choice then?” He asked, trying to keep any dejection from his voice. He didn’t want her to see his sorrow if she decided to leave. He needed to be strong and support her in whatever choice she made. Even if he was hoping she’d stay around.

She nodded slowly, staring at the plush carpet underneath them. “I HAVE.” She responded slowly. She looked into his eyes, seeing he leaned closer somewhat. “I’ve decided to STAY.” She reported, seeing relief flood his eyes. He almost slumped back in the armchair, smiling widely. She looked at him, slightly curious.

“I’m GLAD.” He softly voiced, looking at her earnestly. “I’m glad you decided to stay.” She smiled self-consciously. He leaned forward again, resting elbows on knees. “But, what swayed your mind to stay HERE, when you wanted to go HOME?” His eyes narrowed inquisitively.

She looked at her fingers as she toyed with a nail. “There was a LOT to think about really.” She softly started. “I would be able to see mi familia again. That was the BIGGEST thing to overcome. I would be in España, with all my childhood friends, speaking MY language. If I left, rent and energy bills would be eliminated. I could find a job at home, where I know everyone already. I could sleep in my own bed, in the home I grew up in.” A small, wistful smile tipped her lips.

“But if I stayed, I would be able to continue living on my OWN.” She looked at him. “I am VERY independent, as what I was taught since I was little. ALL the Barbados are that way.” Her head shook in helpless amusement. “Also, the bills’ due dates wouldn’t compile. I knew the downtime in looking for another job wouldn’t help those dates any. And living at home, with four grown men and one bathroom, has its downsides too.” Her eyes crinkled through a mirthful smile. He grinned and chuckled softly.

Her smile suddenly disappeared, and she looked at her hands again. “I’m also not READY to go home, to face the memories as such when we were there. Mi madre was all over the place, even though she was dead.” Her eyes misted ever so slightly. “I just can’t HANDLE it yet. I haven’t even allowed myself to truly believe she’s gone. I don’t WANT to hear my friend and family’s sympathies. I don’t want to see those looks of pity.” Her eyes narrowed from a small flame knowing that would happen.

“Well I can’t say you haven’t thought it over pretty well then.” He softly joked through the uncomfortable silence. She smiled slightly, momentarily. He suddenly moved, sitting next to her. His hands gripped hers, trying to gain her attention.

“I’m delighted you’re staying here Divinity.” He honestly said, staring seriously into her eyes. She met his gaze. “I was a little afraid that you’d leave. Not because I’d have to give Jenny your hours, or hire someone else, but that I’d lose the chance to SEE you everyday. You’re my good friend, and you mean a great deal to me.”

He blushed slightly when he realized what he just blurted out. “It was also a stressful week for me as well...” He gave a small lopsided smile, feeling utterly self-conscious after just telling her his deepest thoughts about her situation.

She blushed deeply and looked away, smiling widely. His honest speech touched her greatly and something in her heart pinged. Ignoring it, she looked back to his eyes, finding him still staring at her. She felt that blush increase.

At length, she patted his hands encouragingly, feeling a little bad that she worried him. “Well I’m sorry that you worried about my decision Quatre.” She softly apologized. She suddenly smiled. “But I’m here to STAY, ne?”

He smiled as well. “For as long as you want.” He finished lightly. They both chuckled slightly, averting their gazes. He stood up slowly, lowering a hand to help her up. “Now that that's over, I’m ordering us LUNCH.”

She laughed helplessly, shaking her head at his strange behavior. He cast a quick look to her, seeing her mouth open. “And I’m PAYING.” He ordered, authority in his voice.

Her mouth clamped shut with a sheepish smile.

~*~*~

The once stressful day finally wore to a close, the office nearly empty. He tried watching Divinity as much as he could throughout the day, trying to find any indication that she’d seen the change to her account. Even though, as discrete as he was, there was no change to her expressions. He wondered if she would ever check her account. But it had been four days already and he patiently waited that long, MORE time wouldn’t kill him.

Logging her work screens down for the day, she pulled up an internet service. Typing in her bank in the search field, she waited while the service searched for her. Today was Friday, payday, and she wanted to make sure her check had been deposited. She planned on getting a few bills paid on before she forgot.

When the main screen popped up, her fingers typed in the account number. A beeping sounded before she pressed enter and she quickly went for it. Her account could wait.

She checked the clock. ‘Last call for the day.’ She thought, pressing buttons. Her eyes met her youngest brother’s and the smile she pasted on earlier changed to a genuine one.

“Hola Martin.” She greeted enthusiastically.

“¡Diva! ¡NO VA CREER ESTE!” He nearly yelled.

“CALMA Martin, CALMA.” She lightly ordered.

His head quickly shook off her order. “¡Oye, no PUEDO calmar!” He denied jovially. “Have you checked your relato??”

“I was just about to.” She humorously responded. The irony of her situation was rather FUNNY. “¿Por qué?”

“¡Cheque lo, CHEQUE lo!” He ordered, almost madly.

She quirked a brow at his strange behavior, but nodded. “Dame un minuto.” She placated, rolling the chair back. She pressed the enter button and waited while the engine brought up her account. The second she found the amount in the bank, her mouth dropped, eyes quickly widening. Her head swung back to her smiling brother, struggling to find her voice. “¡¡NO...NO...LO CREO!!” She nearly shouted.

“¡Dije tú, DIJE tú!” He joked happily.

She gawked at the screen, not believing her eyes. The account had to’ve been wrong. She KNEW she didn’t have 101,100 credits there! The 1,100 she knew was from this week’s check...but the rest was a complete mystery.

She quickly rolled back to the vid phone. “¡¿Qué PASO?!” She nearly shouted. Eyes jerked to her surroundings, finding a few workers milling about. She meekly smiled and remembered to keep her voice down. She looked at Martin again, eyes demanding an answer.

“Oye, YO no sé.” He helplessly shook his head. “Papa went to el banco, just to make sure you had enough a pagar las cuentas. When he went to bank, ESTE pasó!” His head shook at the amazement of it all. “Oye, pienso que es un acción de DIOS!”

She smiled at her baby brother. “¿Y todo está CORRECTO?” She queried, still a little skeptical.

He nodded vigorously. “Papa had them check it MANY times, pero it STILL came OUT that way.” He reported. It was a shock for them all, but one pleasant surprise.

She felt a smile bloom and didn’t bother hiding it. Regardless of what her brother thought, she had to agree with him. “¡Este ES un acción de DIOS!” She repeated. He nodded quickly.

She felt utterly excited with this new situation. THAT many credits would pay off all her family’s bills, and keep them okay for a while. She wanted to get up and shout, jump around, do something. An idea suddenly hit. “¡Martin, necesito IR! Gracias por llamando. I would have done so when I found out. Este salvame de llamando.” Her brother snorted humorously and she waved before terminating the call.

After the screen blanked, she jumped from the chair with a joyous shout. She managed a few jumps before restricting her silly behavior. It didn’t dumb down all the way though. Not bothering to log down the computer, she nearly ran from behind her desk, heading down the hall.

~*~*~

He started filing papers he planned on taking home into his briefcase. The door suddenly swung open and he immensely startled. He relaxed when he saw only Divinity standing there, but narrowed his eyes. She sure was acting excited! It suddenly hit him. ‘She finally CHECKED it.’ He thought, fighting a wide smile. His lips still tilted, her infectious behavior leaking to him.

She was careful not to bash the doorknob against the wall. Gripping it tightly, she relaxed her hand when the muscles started protesting. “¡Oye señor, NO VA CREER ESTE!” She enthusiastically said.

One brow rose as he stared at her. She quickly walked in and shut the door. Keeping it from slamming, she nearly raced to his desk, skidding to a halt in front of him. Both brows rose as he looked at her, and she easily laughed.

“What’s going ON?” He asked, feeling happy she was back to her old self. She was better than her old self; he’d never seen her like this before!

“¡Oh señor, este es increíble!” She continued. She suddenly grabbed his arms shaking them. “¡No va creer este! INFIERNO, YO no creo este!”

He stood from the leather chair and placed both hands on her shoulders. “CALM DOWN Diva.” He humorously ordered.

Her head shook quickly. “¡No PUEDO calmar! ¡Este es un acción de DIOS!” She pulled away from his hold and hugged him quickly. When he pulled away, she shook him lightly. “¡No tengo preocupar sobre DINERO ahora!”

He caught VERY little of what she was rambling about. He gave her a meek smile. “English...please?”

She laughed again, shaking her head with a wide smile. “Lo siento señor.” She apologized. “I’m just so EXCITED! Now I can stay here and not have to worry about money anymore! Do you know what this MEANS señor??”

“¡Para LLAMANDO me ese!” He suddenly retorted, trying in vain to scowl at her. He didn’t really mean to speak entirely in Spanish, but she caused it. She smiled widely and he felt no remorse for doing so.

“You’ve been learning on your OWN.” She proudly responded.

He smirked. “Well I HAVE to. You’re not making it EASY here!” He joked, poking her lightly.

She yelped and grabbed his finger. “Well, I’ll have to schedule another lesson for you.” She joked, chuckling easily. She felt so free now! All the worries since her mother was sick, everything that plagued her for so long, all was suddenly lifted off her back! She felt like she could FLY.

“NOW,” He broke in, “tell me what’s going on, in ENGLISH.”

She laughed again, the delightfulness of Martin’s call coming back to her. “Aye señ-“ He looked at her pointedly and her mouth clamped shut, “QUATRE,” He smiled slightly, nodding, “you’re not going to BELIEVE this!”

“Well it seems I never WILL, unless you TELL me!” He joked. She poked his side and he backed away quickly. “And STOP THAT.”

She giggled and abruptly turned to the living room group. He followed and sat next to her, waiting for her to explain. Even though she would tell him everything, he already knew what she was going on about. But he still wanted her to translate somewhat! “So,” He began, “what’s this un acción de DIOS comment you made?”

“An act of GOD Quatre.” She excitedly answered. She gripped his upper arms, shaking them lightly. “It’s an act of GOD! I don’t have to worry about MONEY anymore!” She shook him again and he wiggled from her hold, grabbing her hands, trying to calm her a little. Also so she would stop SHAKING him!

She entwined their fingers excitedly, feeling better than she had in a LONG time. “Don’t you SEE Quatre?” She nearly gushed. “I’m FREE! All the worrying about MONEY and JOBS, trying to pay my mother’s BILLS... It’s over! Whatever happened is TRULY an act of God!” She quickly hugged him again, feeling grateful tears come to her eyes.

He smiled, wrapping his arms around her in return. He didn’t mind she thought of the transaction that way... LET her; it would keep him from having to explain himself.

His heart warmed as they continued to hold each other, Divinity nearly bouncing in his arms from her joy. He didn’t mind one bit that he made that large a transfer. She was happier than he’d ever SEEN her, and that’s all that mattered. If it meant she stay this way for eternity, he’d do it again.