Chapter 7 Sweet just doesn’t cut it

Dorothy paused before glancing back at the still smiling woman and then at the small folded up piece of paper she held in her hand. The woman raised a hand waving cheerfully ‘goodbye’. Dorothy returned the gesture a soft smile blooming on her face as she almost skipped outside to the car. The bubble of happiness that barely kept her two feet on the ground popped as she spotted the casual figure that leaned against the side of his car. At least as casual he could look with the dress shirt and slacks. Leaning against the car that she was borrowing. At least she had been until he showed up. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for the confrontation.

You knew this was going to happen. She scolded herself, almost shocked at herself when she replied to her own thought.

Yeah, but I want at least a few weeks before he even started looking for me…

Well, he’s here now. Might as well get this over with. She smiled at him as she dropped her purse in the car before leaning against the car next to him.

"It’s nice to see you, Miss Dorothy." He greeted his voice distant but polite causing her to wince. Great, I’m back to being Miss Dorothy.

"It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Winner." She replied. If he’s going to go back to being formal then so can I! She thought defiantly. "What brings you way out here?"

"I needed to know why a close friend suddenly left without even saying goodbye." He replied his voice turning soft as he turned looking her straight in the eye.

"Maybe, the friend need to find her own place in life."

"But she already had a place. One by me."

"Maybe, it wasn’t really her place. She might have had a spot but never one she could truly claim."

"But I would have claimed it for her and given it to, my friend." His blue-green eyes darkened slightly. "It could have been her place, if she would have shared it with me."

"You and who else?" Dorothy asked in return.

"What?" His face was filled with confusion as he tried to decipher some hidden meaning from her question.

"Maybe, this friend didn’t want to share you with everyone else." She hinted.

"But I thought she knew… I don’t want to share her with anyone else, either and there is no one else she had to share me with."

"You have a lot of red-capped friends." She paused, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples as she felt another headache coming on. "Too many."

"Dorothy?" A warm hand slipped under her chin as on of the fingers caressed her cheek soothingly. "Have they been bothering you? I told them to stay out of your way, but…" She held up a finger, silencing him as she slowly opened her eyes.

"They’ve been really sweet, but that’s not my place, Quatre. It not just them. It’s a lot of things. I have a place and it’s just not there. It’s here, now. Goodbye, Quatre. It’s been really nice, but…" She trailed off climbing into the car. While Quatre just stood there looking at her numbly.

A life. She’s finally found herself, her own life. Without me. She doesn’t even realize that she holds both of our lives in her hands. Doesn’t she know how much I wanted to be the one to help pick out a home with her and have work side by side with me in my company. In my life. With me. Forming our life. He thought glancing over at the blonde that was about to run out of his life.

Sally glanced up as the door to her apartment slammed shut and footsteps angrily marched toward her. She folded up the last shirt placing it in the medium-sized suitcase before acknowledging his presence. He was leaning against the wall his whole body tensed as if he was ready to pounce at her at any minute.

"Onna, just what do you think you’re doing?" He demanded his black eyes following her every move as she closed drawers and cleaned up the mess she had made packing. She could almost see him mentally smack himself as she continued to ignore him, before he opened his mouth again, "Sally, what do you think you’re doing?" He asked re-wording the question.

"I was going to stop by Noin’s then maybe stop by L2. I haven’t seen Hilde in a long time." She started.

"You didn’t even consider informing this to me?"

"Why would it matter, I’m just a ‘weak onna’?" She shot back her eyes flashing angrily at him. She stepped forward displeasure etched on her face. "But this ‘weak onna’, can still kick your sorry posterior. Wufei, so back off. I don’t need you protection. Go find someone else to feel superior to." His onyx eyes narrowed at her.

"I thought we were partners, but you just decide to take off without telling me. You’re always nagging at me about equality and then you just take off?! How is that treating me with the respect you want from me? And for your information. You. Do. Need. My. Protection." He replied reverting to the one-word sentences he used only when someone had pushed him too far.

"No. I. Don’t. I’m a grown woman, for crying out loud. If you want someone to bossy around and take care of get a dog."

"Woman…"

"Don’t you woman, me either!"

"Hilde’s gone." He quickly cut in his voice lowering.

"I am not a helpless female!" He narrowed the space between them until they were face to face.

"I have a name and I…" Her words were cut off as he reached forward grabbing her shoulders and shaking her until her teeth chattered. When she was finally silent he released her shoulders repeating his earlier statement.

"What do you mean Hilde’s gone? Why hasn’t Duo done something? How long ago did this happen? Why wasn’t I told earlier?"

"Woman…" He growled. She immediately stopped the endless flow of questions, staring at him with worry itched on her face for her German friend. "She left a few days ago and that insufferable baka Maxwell is doing something. But I wouldn’t be surprised if that braided idiot is the reason she left." He answered glaring at her. She turned quickly zipping up her suitcase before storming off to the bathroom. Snatching a medium-sized black box off of the counter she hurriedly stuffed it full of the necessities. Then headed back into the room, only to find her bag gone and Wufei sitting on the bed where the indent of the heavy suitcase was still outlined on the quilt. Sally narrowed her eyes at him, wondering exactly what he had done with her suitcase.

"It’s downstairs, in the trunk. We’d better hurry if we don’t want to miss our flight." He commented standing up.

"We? What we?"

"You can’t just go running around the country by yourself." He answered turning to study her. By the firm set of her lips and the determination that shined out of her eyes, he knew it would be a long time before either one of them got on that shuttle. Good thing, he’d already moved hers back to a later flight and added his own name to the passenger rooster.