“Would you do it again?”

“Do what again?”

“Would you…?”

Would I do it again? I can’t believe the nerve of that man, the audacity of him even asking. He makes me so mad sometimes. I spent a majority of my day as near him as I could be, worrying about him; we were partners it was only my duty—nothing more. He is rude and insensitive and pigheaded and…and…brave and handsome…Why does he do this to me? He is insufferable; he probably enjoys it, the jerk.

“What are you doing here?” Nice way to greet me, but would I expect anything different? I just don’t understand the way he thinks, assuming he does think.

I had fallen asleep waiting for him to wake up after surgery, Major Sally Po had assured me it wouldn’t be long, but I was so tired that when I rested my head on the thin mattress next to him sleep came without my permission. He must have been awake before me, I suppose he was lying there just thinking about ways to torment me because the next words that came out of his mouth were “You look horrible.”

Sometimes I wish there was a way to board it up and prevent anything else from coming out. I’m sure people would view it as doing a great favor to the world. At the very least I should smack him, but I couldn’t and he knew my weakness, the brute, so I settled for, “Look in a mirror yourself.”

We made no further comments about our appearances, letting the conversation instead fall on our latest mission, the one that ended up in the Preventer’s medical wing, and that was when he slipped the question in.

“Would you do it again?”

“Do what again?”

My answer was innocent enough but I had entirely failed to cover up my surprise and he took that opportunity to deliver the crushing blow. That toad, that snake, he is so infuriating!

Thank you for nurses with bad timing. I left under the pretense that I still needed to fill Lady Une in on all the information we had gathered. Of course she already knew and, being informed that the injuries were not fatal, had previously already left, but he didn’t know that.

If I had been a lesser person I would have stomped down that corridor threatening to bite off the head of anyone I passed. I wanted to, heaven knows I wanted to. There is only a handful of people who know me well enough to know that was what I wanted. One of them was lying in a hospital bed, very likely overjoyed at making me mad.

I smiled a sickly sweet grin at the woman behind the front desk as she reiterated that I was signing out against Doctor’s orders. If she knew anything she would have pressed me to leave faster.

Quickly gathering my belongings I headed towards the door. As I left I carried myself with the grace and demure fitting of the surname that I carried like a heavy burden. Those green letters that spelled out the simple word ‘exit’ have never been so appealing to me as they are now. That thoughtless worm was probably smiling a smug and annoying grin right now. He may not show very many emotions in the company of others, but, like me, I’m sure when he is alone he is just like everyone else.

‘Would you do it again?’

The question repeated itself in my mind as I sat in the back of the car. To make sure I didn’t try to drive myself home the nurses so kindly called me a taxi and waited until it was well down the road before returning to their duties. The streetlights were just turning on and very few people could be seen in the rapidly darkening dusk. I repeated my address to the driver. When we reached the building he stopped and let me out, thanking me for the tip I had given him.

“Would you do it again… Would you be with me?”

His words echoed again and again in my ears; his voice was serious and soft and gentle, his onyx orbs had gazed into my own blue eyes as he asked. He is crazy and confusing and…sometimes I just don’t know about him. I thought we had agreed on a partnership of mutual hatred and then he had to go and say something like that. Be with him, yes, I was his partner, we had worked well together without any emotional attachments for over a year.

After Major Sally Po had married she retired from missions opting to serve as a medical officer. At the time I had been working for the Preventers; I knew Sally through only a few chance encounters but I had never spent any time with him before. Shortly after this change I was assigned as his new partner—lucky me. At first I thought he loved her; I could just imagine the mighty Wufei Chang in love with Sally Po. On our first assignment I justified his harshness as misplaced anger for losing her, but I soon found out that he was just being his usual charming self.

As I grew to know him better I did discover he held a fondness for his old partner, maybe not a deep love but he respected her, even if it wasn’t exactly displayed in a form that is easily seen. Occasionally he can do something that makes you see something else, that makes you think he isn’t half bad, but these times usually come when you’re at boiling point and ready to cause serious harm to anyone around.

I slammed my fist into the door, not such a good idea since I had several small cuts and bruises on my hand. After fumbling through my keys, dropping them twice, I hit the door again. This time it was harder and the contact sent a sharp pain up my arm. I turned around and leaned against the frame, resting my head for a second. My eyes stung, my arm hurt, my other arm was in a sling, and I was still mad at him. Why me? Self-pity. I must be slipping to a new low and it’s his fault—ruffian.

The key slid in and I opened the door to my apartment; although it was small it was still more space than I needed, seeing how I was never home anyway. I dropped my keys on the cherry wood table, glancing at the mirror perched just above it. The beast was right—I did look horrible, but really, did it have to be the first thing he pointed out? What a sight I must have been in the hall!

I stepped into the bedroom, taking my Preventer’s uniform off before completely walking through the doorway. It was more like peeling the thing off, it was so filthy; I’d been wearing it since the start of the mission, nearly thirty hours ago. I don’t know if I should burn it or just toss it out the window; the second choice is easier.

Why did I become a Preventer? I know it wasn’t so I could be partnered with him--that egotistical, self-centered sewer rat! I undid the sling and lowered my left arm slowly; the pain was almost unbearable, but if I could put up with that chauvinistic pig daily I could handle the pain. Penance…I joined the Preventers as a self-imposed retribution for my actions in the eve wars against the Gundams, nearly eight years ago; they were so kind, except for him. Now I serve to maintain the peace that they fought for. The frail peace that hangs in the balance every day, I cannot lose that. In a way that is why I remained a Preventer.

It feels so nice to be clean again, to put on a clean pair of sweatpants and a baggy T-shirt. I put the sling back on with a little more difficulty than it took to get it off. Carefully I hang the towel back up in the bathroom, catching another glimpse of myself in the mirror. Just taking a shower was an improvement, but my eyes were still red and blood shot, I had a bruise on my right cheek and several more on my back and arms. They were all accompanied with little scrapes and scratches, but they were nothing compared to Wufei’s.

The next task was to brush my hair, a luxury I hadn’t been afforded since yesterday morning. I picked up the comb and pondered for a moment on how to accomplish this when it hurt to raise my good hand to shoulder level. Now that I could rest and let my mind relax I realized just how sore my muscles were. My stomach growled, reminding me of something else I had managed to neglect.

The kitchen was a small area housing some cupboards, which were empty, a fridge that served well in it’s purpose for chilling leftovers, a stove, which was never used, and a microwave that was probably used too much. Tortellini, sounds good, I opened the lid to the container—maybe not. I settled for a meal of a compilation of the various remaining take-outs.

Would I do it again? As I ate the question refreshed itself in my mind. What did he really mean by that? I paced as I ate and wondered about the sanity of my partner. The little red light that blinked on my answering machine caught my attention as I walked for what must have been the third trip around the small living quarters. I dared to push the button and listen to the parade of voices as I finished my dinner. The last message was from Sally, just a brief lecture about following orders and staying in the hospital when one is injured. That was the last thing I needed -- to be reminded that I should still be there with that ill-tempered jackass. Wufei, why do you do this to me? He is so irritating and stubborn and…I need ice cream. Triple chocolate fudge brownie or French vanilla…better make it both.

I sat as comfortably as I could on the sofa, rearranging the decorative throw pillows. I let the first bit of vanilla ice cream melt on my tongue as I reached for the remote. The blue lines moved, rising and falling with the escalating music. The canon started so quietly I could barely hear it. As it crescendoed I realized what was playing; I pushed the skip button and listened to the slight mechanical noise as the stereo changed disks. Soon the room was filled with the sound of a full orchestra. I stuck my spoon into the deep brown substance on my frozen dessert, humming the tune along with the band.

The picture on the end table…Things seemed so different then; well, for example my hair was longer. Years pass and things change, nothing can ever remain the same; people change, I’ve changed and more than in outward appearance. If the true judge of who I’ve become is you, Quatre, then I have not changed as much as I have just learned to show the kindness that was already inside of me, and you showed me that. In your happiness I have found some of my own and in your sweet forgiveness I have found solace, but we knew then as we know now that we could never belong to each other as lovers, only as friends.

Next to it is another picture; one that seemed to live in a fantasy of a time that could never exist. The cast-iron frame felt ice-cold in my hand, much like the somber subjects of the photo. Cold metal once heated to a malleable state, bent, shaped, and treated to show a rust-tinted wear. Formed into a rectangle border of roses; chilly flowers, unchanging, unfeeling, beautiful but not real. The same as him, shaped, molded like a man, handsome, but lacking passion, tenderness…or so I thought.

Why frame it? Why place the image behind a protective shield of glass? Wufei and me together, dressed in formal attire, portrayed forever in black and white. The photographer is unknown; I don’t even know how I got the picture, and we were both unaware of the camera at the time. Everything went wrong that night, and in a way something went right. The memory of that evening will never fade; the realization of who he could be if he chose. I put the picture back and then, remembering today, placed it face down. He’s still a tyrant…a nuisance…a beady-eyed ape!

I returned the unfinished portion of the ice cream to the freezer, spoon carefully concealed under the lid, then I retreated to my room. I sat on the bed slipping my toes under the satiny cool sheets. The sweet mellow fragrance of lightly perfumed lotion filled the area within the four walls as I slowly massaged it into my hands. Pushing up the leg of my pants and turning the bottle upside down, I applied a moderate amount of the lavender liquid to my leg. Carefully I rubbed it into my pale skin, being ever mindful of the large red welt on the side of my calf. Why bother to put on lotion when I know I am going to wear pants for some time to hide the evidence of the latest assignment?

“Would you do it again…knowing…would you be with me?”

Even now as I lay blanketed by burgundy colored cloth, everything surrounding me, cloaked in the darkness of a deep autumn night, my thoughts repeatedly returned to his question. Circles of rational thinking endlessly coming back to one nonsensical remark, one fleeting moment, one voice, and one man who plagued my mind. The shadows shifted on the walls; a small beam of yellow light pierced through the gap in the thick drapes, the hum of a car passing in the street below fell prey to the echoing sound of his words playing in my mind again, reigning supreme over all other thoughts. I need to think of something else…think of someone else.

The ceiling, although quite interesting in the early glow of morning light, failed to free my mind from his imprisoning hold. Wufei, I hope your night is as sleepless as mine; I wish that it be filled with every thought you had ever hoped to banish. This isn’t the best cure for my insomnia but it did keep my mind off of my own problems, if only for a brief moment.

‘Be with me’, three words that unraveled me. Simple words that were put together so calmly, yet placed my mind in turmoil. An answer…I need an answer; what would he say? Would he choose to live this life again?

It still hasn’t changed; the ceiling is still failing to lull me to sleep. The glowing numbers on the digital clock indicate that I’ve been lying here for two hours wide-awake. Maybe I’m too tired to sleep, maybe if I just close my eyes and pretend, eventually it will come. I can see him perfectly clear in the hospital, staring at me, asking me the question over and over again; waiting for an answer.

“Get out of my head, Wufei,” I half ordered the mental image of the Chinese man as I forced myself to keep my eyes closed. Just as in life he didn’t listen. So I guess I’ll have to settle for thinking of some other time. Focus…I need to focus on a memory or a place, any memory other than yesterday and any other place than that hospital. If I’m lucky maybe he won’t be there--after all there was life before Wufei Chang. The first images came quickly enough. Okay, I need to think of anything but yesterday and that. Think positive…better yet don’t think, just sleep. I tried to will myself to sleep again.

The telephone, if I still had my gun the telephone would be the next target. It hadn’t woken me up this morning; in fact I had slept until well after noon and was feeling much better for it, but the second I had placed my feet on the floor it rang nonstop. It was like they had radar on my every action. Friends, coworkers, doctors, all calling to see if I was okay, if I slept well, if I’d be back soon to finish the examination on all of my injuries. Their concern is greatly appreciated but any more questions will push me over.

I pondered over a few more demises for the loathsome invention, slightly smirking at the mental picture of its smoldering ashes. Why did they have to confiscate my gun? Obviously so I couldn’t use it against them, but still it would have easily taken care of the phone problem. At least the park was mostly empty, a small thing to be happy for, solitude, a moment to reflect, to think or not to think, whichever you prefer. Today I choose the latter; I won’t think, I’m just going to observe.

A short distance from the well-trodden gravel path grew a huge oak tree, its winding and gnarled branches spreading parallel to the grassy earth. The limbs were almost bare and only a few of the dry brown leaves lay scattered on the ground around the place where I like to sit. From here I can see the sun edging toward the far horizon. In the twilight hours only lovers walked the tree-lined paths. No children could be seen or heard; I kind of wish there were, maybe watching their activities would have kept my mind off of what I wanted to avoid. The questions, especially the ones I continued to ask myself.

Would you do it again? Overnight it had come to be something that I wanted to know. I don’t recall how I fell asleep, I only remember dreaming about one thing, clearly seeing it. I don’t place much importance on it but it became more vivid, especially now as I watched the couples walk arm in arm. The men used their jackets and bodies to shield their lovers from the brisk evening breeze.

It was the first time he had done it, one of those acts of flawless selflessness, the few and far between times when he amazes me and just as he becomes tolerable it’s over. I had been Wufei’s partner for a year and a half, maybe a little longer, when during a mission he had used his body to shelter me from the falling debris of an explosion. As soon as it was clear he stood, never offering his assistance as I dug important documents from the ruble. He never asked if I was okay and when I asked him any questions a gruff ‘humph’ was my only answer.

I could have blushed, if I had been the type of person who blushed. I can’t recall a time, even in my childhood, when my cheeks turned crimson from embarrassment. It came to me as I was sitting on the grassy knoll under the old oak tree; I had fallen asleep thinking of being in his arms. Picturing that day when debris and dark clouds blocked the sun, when he pressed his body against mine in a protective embrace, crouched so close to the earth I could feel it tremble. His mouth all but touching my ear, I can almost hear him breathing again, steady and deep, calm and smooth. The warm air flowing down my neck, his strong arms, I can still feel them.

I was right about the radar--as soon as I closed the door behind me it rang, and like a fool I picked the receiver up. If I had taken longer walking back from the park maybe I would have missed the call; but as it was, my pace on the way home was slower than a leisurely stroll.

The voice on the other line was easy to recognize as Major Po’s. Her tone was as friendly as always, and even without seeing her I knew that Sally was forcing the agreeable mood. Her choice of profession suited her; she was always serene and levelheaded on the outside, and when she was angered it passed quickly. I could only imagine what she had to deal with today, on top of her normal duties. I am positive that Sally will have a little bit of steam to blow off when she returns home to her husband.

All too readily I agreed to what she asked, hoping I wouldn’t regret it and wondering if there was a feasible way to accomplish the task. Isn’t it funny how everything seems to fall apart at once? In walking down the stairs had I subconsciously wanted to waste time? Three flights of stairs aren’t much but my muscles were still sore and it took longer than it should have.

Fate must be working against me; an unused taxi was parked in front of my building and we didn’t hit a single red light between my apartment and the Preventer’s med. wing. In the dim light it was hard to distinguish the red, orange, and brown leaves from the brick buildings behind them. The sky still glowed and a small part of the sun was visible over the hills in the horizon.

I stepped onto the mat and the automatic door slid open with a whoosh. Here, again, standing between neutral colored walls, I felt somewhat trapped knowing the exit sign won’t be as appealing as it was yesterday. Sally flashed a congenial grin at me as she rushed on to more trivial matters.

He’s standing! I can’t believe he’s standing, the idiot! The IV was already pulled from his arm; somehow he had gotten his shirt and pants back and had managed to put them on. From where I was standing in the doorway I couldn’t tell for certain, but I think he was balancing all of his weight on the bed. Wufei’s arms were folded across his abdomen in a threatening pose I had seen countless times and I knew it wasn’t because the senseless beast wanted to intimidate the nurses--he was most likely holding himself together. With his injuries, moving around probably made him feel like his body was falling apart; the only muscle he could have exercised without hurting himself was his mouth, which I’m sure he has used excessively today. It’s astounding that he made it that far, but even the body of an ex-gundam pilot can become exhausted; not that he’d ever admit to it or let it show. A man’s pride has always puzzled me and his was more perplexing than any other’s.

Now for the most difficult part of what I agreed to do—convince the immovable rock to stay put.

“Where do you think you’re going?” I folded my arms, mimicking the stance he had taken when I entered the room.

“Home.”

I knew the answer before I asked; what else would he say, it just seemed like the natural thing to say.

“You shouldn’t be moving, you shouldn’t even try to stand. Wufei, you need rest to heal.” Another statement of the obvious, but I wasn’t sure what to tell him or how to make him listen.

“I don’t need your orders, I know my own limitations.”

To prove that he could handle leaving, Wufei took a couple of feeble steps forward without the aid of crutches. Before that moment I had never known how much pure determination could move such a battered body. It was the only thing that could have possibly moved him—his will power.

He is an absurd fool to try and walk with a broken leg! ‘Broken’ may have been an understatement; I overheard one of the doctors compare it to a shattered glass. Almost out of reflex I was going to reach for my gun; it’s still gone though. I have lost count of how many times I had threatened to shoot him, either aloud or mentally, and just as many moments when he invited me to do it.

Asking him to stay won’t work, ordering him to would be worse, and threatening him wasn’t an option…that leaves very limited alternatives. If he wanted to make it worse by walking around, who am I to stop him, but I’m not going to let him…I can’t let him.

“If you insist, at least use these.”

He took the crutches I offered and proceeded to hobble out the door and down the hall.

“So how exactly do you plan on getting there, Master Chang?” I knew he would refuse to take a taxi or use public transportation looking as beaten as he does now. He stopped; maybe that was a bad choice of words or maybe I shouldn’t have said it with such a sarcastic tone.

“The same way I always do—drive.”

Drive…drive what? His car would be the intelligible answer but…that’s right, his car, it’s parked in the Preventer’s garage near the offices, which aren’t very far from the medical wing; big flaw in the how-are-you-going-to-get-there plan. Moving on…what now?…His keys; when we were brought in they placed all of our belongings in lockers. Everyone on staff would have orders to keep his things until a doctor or someone else signed him out.

“How are you going to get your things back? I’m positive Sally has ordered the nurses to keep them.”

I was walking by his side now, and all he had to do was slightly turn his head to glare at me. His practiced stern looks and harsh gazes would very likely scare any nurse into doing as he asked; I suppose that’s how he got his clothes back. Maybe Sally had hidden the rest of his belongings; I have heard she occasionally likes to play jokes to get her way.

“And if that doesn’t work?”

“Keys are not necessary.”

Am I that transparent? How did he see the reasoning behind my questioning so quickly? There was no more time for questions; we were already at the front desk. The nurse was a full-figured woman who refused to comply with Wufei’s demands. His anger was rising as she repeatedly denied him. Even though seconds earlier he had said he would make do without his things, Wufei wouldn’t give in.

“Here, I’ll sign for him.”

“Miss Catalonia,” the nurse seemed extremely hesitant, “are you sure you want…”

No, I’m not sure and I haven’t a clue as to what I want! I didn’t listen to the rest of her sentence; I didn’t have to—I knew were it was going. Excessive anger was as detrimental to his health right now as moving is; with this new ploy of helping I was just stalling.

“Dorothy.” Sally cast a wary sidelong glance at my bull-headed partner, and then proceeded to talk to me as if she had never acknowledged his existence. “Good news, you don’t have to wear the sling, but you should still keep your wrist bandaged for a couple more days.”

She walked past me and paused as she caught a glimpse of the form lying on the counter, my pen hovering over the sign-here line.

“He shouldn’t be left alone in his condition.” Sally said this without gaining Wufei’s attention, but everyone present was aware of this fact and I wasn’t volunteering for the job. Almighty Master Chang was spending the night here; I just need a way to convince him that that’s what is happening.

I could let him try and hobble all the way to the car; it might put some sense into his head. No that’s too mean, and I’d have to watch. To see a powerful man like him in so much pain, even if he wouldn’t admit to it, would be too difficult to endure and he still did deserve some praise, even if he was an arrogant dope. I hurriedly signed the form and the nurse handed me Wufei’s belongings. Why am I doing this? For an instant it felt like aiding and abetting the enemy, and in a way I could view it as such.

His keys were on one plain silver key ring—figures. They were easy to spot sitting there among his few possessions. I quickly grabbed them and to my surprise, though Wufei saw it, he didn’t say anything.

“I’ll bring the car over and I’ll drive you home.”

“Fine.” He folded his arms again and leaned against the wall, faking that the contact didn’t hurt.

That was too easy; he didn’t protest, he didn’t yell. Wufei didn’t insist that he didn’t need any help—especially the help of a woman. Maybe being around him so long has made me cynical, or maybe I’m just paranoid, but something isn’t right. Things definitely aren’t normal, although it is hard to judge just exactly what normal should be. Maybe Wufei had gotten hit on the head harder than the doctors’ thought, or it could be me; he hadn’t mentioned yesterday but then we hadn’t said much to each other.

I found his car parked in the lonely garage. The outside was clean, the inside was bare—there wasn’t even trash on the floor. How am I going to make him stay? I could take the car and drive away without him…bad idea; the consequences aren’t worth it. It seems as if I’m taking a step in the wrong direction; I want him to stay in the Preventer’s medical unit and I agreed to drive him home. I don’t know how this is going to work, but I do know he is not spending the night alone at home and I’m not going to let him hurt himself even more!

‘Would you do it again?’ He hasn’t said a word since getting in the car; he hasn’t glared at me or ordered me to do anything, but occasionally I catch a glimpse of his onyx eyes and they seem to be asking me, waiting for an answer. Will he ask again, in words; will he try to find an answer? Was it something he asked to torture me? Did he want an answer or did he just want to make me mad? Can I answer? The silence was almost worse than when he asked, because in this silence my mind led itself places.

It is a beautiful night though, a little chilly, but it was like the cold made the stars shine brighter. The drive was a short distance; his home is a little ways out of the city, the surrounding mountains cutting off the view of the lights. We were almost leaving the busy streets now, only a mile or so and I’d be on the winding road that led to the small community of about a dozen houses in which he lived. I’ve been there a couple of times and in the day it was a very picturesque drive…I wonder what it looks like with the changing leaves? Too bad it’s too dark to see them, but I’m sure the reflections of the moon and the stars off of the water in the small ravine are lovely.

“You never answered my question.”

“What?”

Not the perfect time to play dumb; he knew I had heard him and I couldn’t pretend that I didn’t know what question he was talking about because it had continued to dominate my every thought since he had first asked it. He sat in silent expectancy as I pretended he wasn’t there. How could I possibly answer him?

“Pull over.”

I’m trapped…cornered; there is nowhere to turn, no excuse to leave, no possible escape. He knew what he was doing the entire time, and people think that I can be conniving!

“I’m not taking orders from you right now Wufei.”

What now? So many emotions were running through my mind, so many ways to react. I knew every feeling; anger was the loudest, not the strongest but perhaps the easiest to act on. I won’t let it control me, I won’t let anger over take everything else; I’ve grown stronger.

“Stop the car now, Dorothy.”

My reserve was starting to fail as he ordered me in the same demanding tone as before.

I pulled the car to the side of the road, parking it under the last streetlight before we left the city. He got out of the car and stood a few steps from the open door; I followed his lead, taking the keys from the ignition.

“Why are we stopping Wufei?” I waited for his response, standing with the car between us. He walked toward the lamppost—if you could call it ‘walking’.

“I want an answer to my question.”

If I had an answer I’d give it to you. I want to be…I can’t believe I’m doing this; I walked around the car and stood next to him. All of my common sense must have vanished.

“Dorothy,” he paused after saying my name and his voice changed; it somehow became softer, tender, concerned. “Would you do it again?”

I still didn’t have an answer…I still couldn’t answer. I knew what the question meant now and I wanted to tell him but I wasn’t certain myself. How could I live my life again, take everything to do over, the good and bad, the trying times, the sorrow? I’ve lost so many people, I’ve hurt some—more than I could ever repay, I’ve done so many things I am not proud of. He knows that and he knows that at so many times I have doubted myself.

“Knowing everything, would you do it again, would you be with me? Dorothy if you had the choice, could you be with me?”

Wufei is so handsome and right now at this moment he has an honesty and a gentleness I have never seen before. I’ve always known it was there, ever since the night in the black and white photo. I can’t let him influence my answer; I cannot tell him what he wants to hear for fear of hurting him. This is something that has grown bigger; I need to know for certain what I would truly do.

To live everything over, to come to this point again; but I don’t know what will happen after this. I’m trying to see where I am, where I’ve been and what it led to with an objective view, knowing my life and myself. Do I want it to lead here? To come to the Preventers where I gained a perspective of myself, to take what comes after this with no regrets; is that what I want?

I looked to the sky, knowing that the answer wasn’t there. My past was there though, some part that would be the hardest to relive knowing the result. I glanced back at him, his influence in my life could never be overlooked; my answer was with him.

“Yes.” He moved his hand toward me; I pulled my head back. I think I saw a slight smirk as he lifted a leaf from my hair.

“Could you repeat that? I didn’t hear you.”

Wufei trying to flirt; not cute, but I couldn’t hold back the small smile.

“I said ‘yes’. Is that answer satisfactory?”

“Hmm.”

I stepped closer to him; our chests almost touched as I placed my hand on his arm. It is so cold and he isn’t wearing a jacket—silly dolt. “Are you going to get in the car now?”

“No.”

Good, my answer didn’t change anything. “It’s freezing.”

Wufei inclined his head, “Hmph.”

This is going nowhere fast. He leaned in and pressed his cheek against my forehead, tenderly kissing it as he pulled away. I wasn’t really as surprised as I thought I would be. I went in this time, giving him a hurried kiss, crushing his lips with mine and breaking the contact before he could respond.

“Can we go now?”

As I turned to leave he grabbed my arm, stopping me and spinning me around to face him; his expression hadn’t changed, incredible. Our lips locked in a passionate kiss as he pressed my body close to his; his muscles stiffened in pain but he didn’t release me. I returned it and he deepened the unexpected sign of affection. He broke it off a little sooner than I wanted him to and drew back, looking into my eyes. It wasn’t as romantic as it could have been if he wasn’t so cold. Why couldn’t the night have been a tad bit warmer?

He pulled farther back and said, “Now we can go.”

No arguments here! I spun the key ring around my finger and caught the keys in the palm of my hand as I walked to the car. But this still doesn’t solve how I’m going to get him to stay in the Preventer’s medical wing.

I turned on the ignition and pulled the car onto the road, heading in the same direction in which I had started. The view in the dark wasn’t as impressive as the day and I didn’t get to see the multicolored leaves, but it was silent and this time nothing was plaguing my mind. We approached Wufei’s house and I slowed down, pulling toward the driveway.

“You know this doesn’t change anything?” he said, facing me as I was about to stop the car. “Let me out, I can the walk the rest myself.”

I cocked my head a little to the side, locked the door, drove past his house, made a U-turn and said, “You’re right.”

There’s an expression I’ve never seen; a look of complete bewilderment on Wufei’s face, but it passed quickly. I’m glad I didn’t miss it; his face was priceless.

“Where are you going?”

“Back to the hospital.”

“You said you were driving me home.”

What happened to the pleasant mood? He didn’t seem at all amused.

“I said I was going to drive you there, I never said I was going to let you stay.”

“Fine.”

I approved of that answer; I glanced at him as he shifted in the seat to a more comfortable position.

The End

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