Hey guys! I am so sorry it's taken so long to update. The computer I use to write all my stories on died on me, so I had to start over from scratch and hand write everything so I could get onto this computer and type it all back up. (sigh)

The final chapter to Midnight Masquerade will be posted sometime next week.

Enjoy!

"Will you please sit down before you wear a giant hole in the carpet?"

Wufei paused in his endless cycle around the living room. "I can't just sit down."

Heero sighed as he watched him continue his maddening pace. "Listen, you're not going to make things any easier by exhausting yourself and worrying like this," he said, standing up and stopping Wufei in his tracks by placing his hands on his shoulders. "Quatre and Trowa are over at Irea's having a good time catching up with their family, distracting themselves from the inevitable. We can still go over there with them instead of waiting here like a ticking time bomb ready to explode."

"Duo will come here, not Irea's," Wufei replied for the billionth time that night, refusing to meet his Prussian gaze. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Wufei, do you really believe he's going to return so soon?" Heero asked gently, gaining his full attention. "After everything he's been through, I would be surprised if he came back in a week from now."

The barely suppressed turmoil flickered across Wufei's taut expression and he jerked away. "I don't want to hear that right now."

"I know you don't, but Wufei-"

"No."

Heero stepped closer, in his mind changing conversation tactics. "You are going to sit here and stew, working yourself up. If you don't step away from the situation and take a moment to breathe, you won't be able to approach Duo the way you want to if you're set to blow up at the littlest thing or on the verge of collapse."

Wufei narrowed his eyes irritably. "Thank you for reminding me how much you are a real pain in the ass when you want to be," he muttered.

"When dealing with someone as stubborn as yourself, I have to be," Heero smirked.

"Whatever. Let's go, I know a good place to relax at," Wufei said tartly, walking towards the door.

They walked out into the corridor, but instead of heading towards the elevator, Wufei turned to the stairwell and started going up.

"Where are you going? That goes up to the roof," Heero remarked, standing at the foot of the stairs.

"Exactly, come up here with me."

Heero shrugged it off and followed his Chinese partner up until he opened the door to the roof and a strip of murky red sunlight cut through the darkness. "I can't go out there."

Wufei looked back with a smile. "Yes, you can," he smiled wider and Heero by the arm, pulling him through the exit.

He instantly froze with his eyes clenched shut, waiting for the indescribable torture of burning to death that he knew came when a vampire went into the daylight. Nothing happened. No pain. Just a mild warmth across his exposed skin.

"And you thought –I- was melodramatic," Wufei snorted, removing his grip from his arm.

Heero opened his eyes experimentally and upon confirming the fact that he had indeed –not- burned to a pile of ashes, finally relaxed. "I don't understand."

Wufei chuckled. "Don't make me spell this out for you. Remember, human, not vampire. Duo brought me up here that night Treize and Zechs died," he said, his voice sadly whimsical. "We walked back from the house, and instead of going straight back into the apartment, we came up here. You never realize how much you really miss something until you get it back. Of course, you however, have never had the pleasure of experiencing a sunrise from a beautiful view. This is a very nice place to unwind after a stressful night."

Heero walked over to the edge of the roof with Wufei and examined the surroundings. The familiar star speckled blue black of night was melting away into a rainbow of purple, red, orange, and yellow that made the sky appear to be on fire. Looking down, the streets were easily triple the amount of people he had ever seen walking about at night as they all woke up and started their day. Everything was lit up with the reflections of the sun. "It's going to take a while to get used to this."

"Naturally."

He turned his back to Wufei, but he was staring intently down at the sidewalks below with a distracted, pained expression. Maybe he believed that the sheer force of his willpower would make Duo appear.

"Wufei-"

"How about we go get something to drink? We're obviously not going to sleep any time soon, and we're out of tea in the apartment," he cut Heero off abruptly, pointing across the street. "There's a café right there."

They headed back inside in a heavy silence that continued through the elevator ride to the lobby. The café was full of businessmen and women, young college students, and other different types of people as they entered. The girl working behind the register glanced up at the sound of the bell on the door handle jingling and broke into a grin.

"Hey Wufei! Looks like you pulled another all-nighter," she winked at them.

"Yes, it was a very long night," he replied with amusement. "You know how hectic it can get sometimes."

"I was wondering when you were going to show up, Duo never comes in here without you. He went and sat over at your usual table about ten minutes ago. Green tea with the ginseng, right?" she said, oblivious to the impact her casual comment about Duo being there had made. As she spoke, she took out two mugs, dropping a tea bag and pouring hot water into one. "But I guess you had to pick up this gorgeous guy on the way...what will you have, hot stuff?"

"Just black coffee," Heero answered, choosing the first thing his eyes landed on. He had never done this sort of thing before, he should have asked before they came in here.

The girl didn't seem to notice his confusion and handed them their mugs. "Here, take this back with you," she vanished behind the glass counter full of cookies, cakes, and breakfast food, and reemerged with a very chocolate filled slice of cake. "On the house. Duo seemed pretty down when he came in, so maybe his favorite dessert will cheer him up some."

"Thank you."

Wufei didn't even want for his change, he just took off away from the register like a rocket with Heero trying to keep up. They weeded their way around the café until Wufei halted near a semi-secluded booth in the back corner where their violet-eyed quarry sat.

Duo looked out of place still wearing the purple silk shirt and tight pants, both having seen better days judging by their rumpled state, and his tangled, partially braided hair hanging in a mess down his back. Even with his long shaggy bangs shrouding his face, the paleness of fatigue and anguish was obvious as he stared out the window, lost in some inner musing. The cold cup of coffee in his hands was untouched.

Heero stayed put as Wufei approached unnoticed and slid the plate with the chocolate cake onto the table. "Sonya thought you needed cheering up, so she sent this back with us," he said softly.

Duo nearly jumped out of his skin. "Sorry- 'Fei!" his voice was full of uncertainty and vulnerability.

"Please don't run on us this time, wo ai," Wufei implored, setting his mug down and sitting next to him.

"Us?" Duo looked up immediately and his eyes widened. "Heero...but how?"

"I asked myself the same question, believe me," Heero replied, sliding into the seat across from them.

"In the sunlight and drinking...black coffee? I –must- be hallucinating right now."

"No, but you are the reason I am here. In the sunlight and supposed to be drinking this stuff, thought I don't know what it is," he gave his mug a cautious sniff.

"How am I the reason?" The vulnerability returned. "All I did was nearly kill you."

"Exactly."

"Heero, don't make it worse than it has to be," Wufei frowned before turning back to Duo. "When you...or whatever you –were-...bit him, he turned human."

"Oh," he looked away from Wufei and Heero. "I'm still trying to piece everything together...it all hit me last night in such a rush. I didn't know what to do or to think. I'm sorry...I don't think I can say that enough, ever, if what I can remember is right." Duo reached over and tentatively touched the fading bruises still visible on Wufei's throat, then suddenly dissolved into tears.

"I am so, so sorry! I don't even know how you two can stand being here with me after everything I did-"

"It wasn't you! It was Dorothy and her mind games," Wufei insisted passionately, grasping Duo's shoulder. "None of this is your fault."

"In fact, I should be the one apologizing," Heero added. "She was my mother. Why do you think she sent you after both Wufei and myself that night? I was a disgrace to the family name AND the worst kind of betrayer."

"Yeah, but she would have never known if-"

"Now how in the hell were you supposed to defend yourself when you're shackled to a wall? There would never have been a way to have kept Dorothy from turning you and being able to see into your mind," Wufei interrupted.

Duo was quiet for a while, wiping his tears away with the sleeve of his shirt. "What about you, Heero?" he asked finally, his expression guarded.

"What about me?"

"When you're...one of them, can you smell the presence of another on someone close to you?"

Both Heero and Wufei shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, that was how I had known Wufei had been with you back when I was trying to kill him."

"So then it wasn't my imagination last night."

The unease spiked up dramatically. Wufei cleared his throat lightly and tried to ignore the delicate red blush creeping up his cheeks. Heero leaned forward as his hands went back through his hair. "I can explain-"

"What's there to explain?" Duo raised an eyebrow, staying as calmly neutral as he had before. Then he cracked a crooked grin. "Wufei and I had been doing the 'if only he wasn't a vampire' discussion for months now. I'm just miffed that I wasn't there to watch."

Just having taken a sip out of his mug at that statement, Wufei choked and nearly sprayed his tea all over Heero's face. "S- say what!" he gasped.

"My sentiments exactly," Heero replied, giving Wufei a slightly amused look. "When were you going to tell me that you and Duo 'discussed' making your twosome into a threesome?"

Wufei mouthed soundlessly, looking incredibly like a fish out of water.

Duo smiled tiredly. "Can we go home?" he asked, breaking the lightened mood. "I want a long, hot shower and clean clothes before we really dive head first into this emotional mess."

"Now would probably be good, since I'm sure Quatre and Trowa will probably be at Irea's all day," Wufei agreed, regaining proper use of his vocal functions.

"Let's go."

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