I'm sorry this took so long to get out. I've been working a lot these past few weeks, plus getting ready for school to start again (only 8 more days of freedom left!), so I haven't had much time to write. But here it is, the last chapter! I've really had fun with this fic, let me tell you. Because honestly, how many Q/U fics are there floating about these days? Not many, I can assure you! And while H/U will forever be my fave couple, Quatre is just as cute and deserves the spotlight. I hope you're not disappointed with this last chapter. Read on and enjoy!
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"Come on now. They're not that bad..."
"But you told me they might want to kill me!" Quatre argued as he resisted Usagi's firm tugging on his arm.
"Oh, but that didn't stop you from delivering me to the wrath of Wufei last night," Usagi challenged as she dragged him up the stairs of the Hikawa shrine. As they reached the top she paused, turning to a nervous Quatre. "They just care about me is all," she said softly. Squeezing his hand tightly, she added with a wicked grin, "Besides, I won't let them touch you. You're all mine."
"Mmm, glad to hear it," he said, leaning down for a kiss.
Ducking out of the embrace, Usagi shook her finger playfully at him. "Now now, no distracting me from the task at hand. There'll be plenty of time for that later."
"Assuming I'm still in one piece," Quatre muttered as he allowed himself to be pulled by Usagi.
They stopped in front of a sliding door. Loud, muffled laughter could be heard from the other side. Taking a deep breath, Usagi slowly pushed the door open. Immediately the chatter stopped. "Hey, guys."
"Hey, Usagi," they all chorused, beckoning for her to join them.
"Um, I brought someone along with me, someone I want you to meet." Usagi was nervous, extremely nervous. More than anything in the world, she wanted her friends to approve of the man she loved, for she did indeed love him. While she hadn't told him so yet, she knew the feelings were there and that they would be returned.
"Guests are always welcome," Rei spoke up front her seat on the floor. She couldn't keep the curiosity out of her voice. Who had Usagi brought along?
Smiling in relief, Usagi stepped into the room, followed by Quatre. "Everyone, this is Quatre Winner."
To say that the women were shocked was an understatement. Their mouths literally dropped open, eyes wide. They had no clue that Usagi had a boyfriend! And they definitely knew that he was a boyfriend, judging from the clasped hands and the way they stood close together. This was totally unexpected.
Minako was the first to recover. "Usagi, he's cute!" she winked at them, making everyone groan and Quatre blush.
Taking a seat next to her friends around the table, Usagi scooted over to make room for Quatre beside her, then instantly regretted putting him next to Rei. When things got heated, and she knew that they inevitably would, Rei would be the first person to get angry. But she promised Quatre that no bodily harm would come to him, and she fully intended to keep that promise. Besides, they wouldn't act *that* irrationally, would they?
Oh, they would.
Taking the initiative in the awkward silence, Ami spoke up, "So, how long have you two been together?"
"One day," Usagi answered at the same time that Quatre said, "Six months." They looked at each other and chuckled.
"How is that?" Makoto asked, eyes narrowing at Quatre. "You're not some kind of stalker, are you?"
"Of course he's not!" Usagi burst in, insulted. But, if she were being honest... "Well, kind of," she admitted.
"What?" they all screeched.
"I'm a bodyguard," Quatre interjected once they settled down some. "It's my job to follow suspicious people and make sure they're not targeting my client. That's actually how I ran into Usagi."
Throwing glances between the two of them, Rei gathered, "So you were following Usagi around because you thought she was dangerous?" Her voice was low, calm, but Usagi could detect more than a subtle note of suspicion and anger. She knew she needed to squelch this fire, and fast.
"Technically, yes." Quatre saw that that wasn't exactly the right answer, so he continued quickly, "It might be safer to start from the beginning, when we first met." He glanced over at Usagi, silently pleading with her to help.
Giving him a reassuring smile, she turned to her friends as she took over the story. "That's right. We actually met six months ago, in a club." She wasn't about to divulge any more information than needed, just like they hadn't with Quatre's friends. There were just some things that needed to be left out. Besides, she'd give them all the details later. Much, much later.
But Rei, bless her wonderful memory, put the timeframe back to when Usagi had started acting less like her former self and more like a forlorn shadow of who she used to be. And she would bet anything that this man was the cause of that. It was just a feeling that she got from him. It was too much of a coincidence. "It was your fault," she muttered quietly to herself.
"What?" Usagi asked. She could tell by the look on Rei's face that whatever she had said was not good, but there was no preventing it at this point. Better to get it out and over with.
"I said, it's all you're fault!" Rei accused Quatre with a snarl. "You're the reason she was so upset for the past six months, weren't you? You did something to her!"
"What did you do?" Makoto demanded through gritted teeth. She hadn't put two and two together, but she could tell something was up judging from Rei's reaction. Maybe the priestess had had a vision. She always was good at reading people.
"Calm down, you two," Ami tried in vain to suffuse their anger, but her attempts just weren't getting anywhere. She sighed, sitting back to allow what would happen, to happen.
Minako watched in fascination as Usagi, Quatre, Rei, and Makoto jumped to their feet. She sure as hell wasn't about to jump into the middle of things, but at least she had a good seat for when Makoto started throwing punches!
Usagi stood protectively in front of Quatre. While she was sure he was more than capable of taking care of himself, she couldn't help but feel responsible for putting him in this situation. After all, these were her friends acting irrationally! "Quatre didn't *do* anything!" she argued back. "It was just--"
"Just what? Just him being a typical male?" Rei sneered, clenching her hands into fists so tightly that her fingernails dug into her palms. "What did he do that shut you off from the rest of the world?"
"If you physically touched her, so help me..." Makoto growled, pushing up the sleeves of her sweater and taking a step toward Quatre menacingly.
"Are you insinuating that I might have hit her? Because if you are, I suggest you take that back," Quatre said each word slowly, deliberately. He was normally a calm man, but they were really trying his patience. And then, to say something as absurd as him hitting Usagi... Honestly! This was getting way out of hand!
"What are you going to do about it?" Makoto challenged, stepping around Usagi and getting in Quatre's face. "If you want to hit a woman, try hitting me!"
"Guys, please..." Usagi pleaded, trying to push them away from each other.
"No, Usagi. If she wants to fight, let her fight," Quatre smirked at the taller woman, making her seethe in barely controlled rage.
"Why, you little--"
"All right, I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice." Stepping between the two just before Makoto lunged, she forcefully pushed them away from each other so that they flew in opposite directions, sliding across the floor on their backsides. "Are you quite finished?" she snapped as everyone looked at her in astonishment. "Did this little display fulfill your violence quotas of the day? Because I've had my fair share. But if need be, I'll use more. Now, do I need to resort to drastic measures?" she turned her glare back and forth between the three, receiving three negatives. "Good. Now sit back down, and let me explain."
Once they were all in their respective spots, this time with Quatre sitting between Usagi and Ami, Usagi began her tale again, in a voice that dared anyone to interrupt her. "Like I said before, Quatre and I met in a dance club six months earlier. We were both pretty down, so we consoled each other." At this she blushed, leaving no room for doubt as to exactly what she meant by those words. "The next day, I left him my number, and he promised to call, but he never called."
When she said this, all four women shot Quatre a look, but Usagi came to his defense. "He didn't not call on purpose," she said quickly. "Something happened to the paper I wrote my number on, and he never got it."
"Then why didn't he look it up?" Rei asked, pointedly staring at Quatre.
"I was leaving on assignment that morning," Quatre explained. He had told all of this to Usagi, too, the night before. "I've only been back in town for a couple of weeks, and I've been too busy with my job to stop and coherently think about something as simple as picking up a telephone directory and doing a name search."
"And if *I* had thought about it, I could have gone through Winner Corp. and gotten his number," Usagi put in. "But I didn't, and he didn't, and it doesn't matter now. Let's move on." Once everyone's attention was focused on her, she continued. "At work last night, I happened to meet Vice Foreign Minister Relena Peacecraft, who was in disguise. But I recognized her, and we had a nice chat. That is, until two of her other bodyguards came in and whisked her away. Knowing that I knew she was in town, they set out to follow me around to make sure I didn't leak it to anyone, or go after her myself. Needless to say, a couple of bodyguards later, I happened to run into Quatre. We sorted everything out, and here we are now."
At the end of her story, all four women just stared at her, not quite sure what to say. Once again, it was Minako who broke the silence. "Well, if that's not a fairy-tale ending, I don't know what is!" she exclaimed with a bright smile. "I, for one, am happy that you two found each other again."
"Thank you, Minako. That really means a lot to me, to us," Usagi reached across the table and hugged her blonde friend. She turned towards the others, silently waiting, hoping, for some kind of positive response.
"I agree with Minako," Ami supplied. "This is great news."
"Thanks, Ames," Usagi hugged her too. She glanced at the other two, who were silent. With a disappointed sigh, she announced, "Well, we should probably be going then." She stood, pulling Quatre with her. The others stood, too.
Before Usagi could make it out the door, Rei touched her arm. "Could I talk to you for a minute?" she asked in a low voice.
Moving over to the other side of the room, Usagi stared curiously at her friend, hoping for some kind of explanation as to the angry outburst there. She was not disappointed.
"I'm sorry," Rei apologized guiltily, staring down at the floor. "I just worry about you. I mean, after that whole fiasco with Mamoru..."
Usagi held up her hands. "No need to dwell in the past. Yes, Mamoru did hurt me, but we're friends now. I know you guys think I can't take care of myself--"
"That's not it!" Rei's head snapped up in surprise. "You're the strongest person I know. We just don't want you to get hurt. It's hard to remember that there's no more threat to protect you against."
"You can't protect me from heartache, no matter how hard you try." Usagi pulled Rei into a hug, rocking her back and forth. "Sometimes a person needs to experience these things on her own. I think I'm stronger for it."
Releasing her friend, Usagi smiled as she blinked back tears. "I love you guys. You're my family, and you always will be. I'll always need you."
"Same here," Rei choked out as she tried to blink her own tears back.
"Good. Now then, we should be on our way." She moved towards the door.
"I'm not taking her away from you," a voice said from behind Rei.
She whirled around, now face to face with Quatre. "What do you--"
"I'm not going to hurt her, either. I give you my word."
Rei regarded him carefully. "There's something about you..." she muttered.
"You're different from the others, too. You see things they don't," he said in a low voice. "I hope you'll be able to see that all I want is to make Usagi happy."
Giving him a tiny half-smile, Rei replied, "Maybe in time."
That would be the best Quatre would receive. He quickly caught up with Usagi, who bid her friends farewell and led him out of the room.
"Well, that was a big success," she joked halfheartedly, collapsing in his arms.
"Don't worry; it'll all be sorted out," he assured her.
Giving a sigh, she continued, "I just think it's hilarious that my friends were so much more hostile than yours when they found out."
"That's because they only want you to be happy."
"As do your friends." Clasping his hand, they descended down the stairs. "You're right," she said finally. "We'll give it time, and everything will turn out wonderfully."
A few days later...
"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Relena asked Usagi. They stood outside the mansion, suitcases strewn about. The guys were bustling back and forth, packing and repacking the black Explorer parked out front.
"After a long talk, this is the final decision. It'll just be better this way," Usagi answered firmly. They had discussed their options long into the night, and they finally came to an agreement. There was no changing minds now.
"Well, we're going to miss you." Relena pulled Usagi into a hug, clutching the other woman tightly.
"Me too. But we'll see each other again," Usagi said brightly, forcing herself to stay calm and not cry.
"It's time to go," Trowa announced solemnly, gaining both women's attention.
"This is it, then," Usagi smiled bravely. They walked over to where the men were gathered. The first to approach her was Duo. "Duo, what can I say?"
"Nothing to be said, babe. This is the way things are," Duo gave her a lopsided grin and hugged her. "But if you're ever in need of companionship and I'm in town..."
"Duo!" she smacked his arm playfully.
Next was Trowa who approached. "Trowa, you were the first one to be nice to me, even though I was a suspect."
He gave her a tiny smile. The two of them had become fast friends in the past few days. He wanted to make sure his best friend would be happy with her, and he was more than sure that the two would spend the rest of their lives together. She really was something remarkable. "You're the sweetest suspect I've ever had to spy on," he told her, earning a chuckle in response. "Take care of yourself, all right?" He embraced her briefly before stepping away.
"Wufei..." Usagi acknowledged the Chinese man as he approached.
He looked like he was having difficulty choosing his words. Finally he said, "Well, you're not as annoying as I once thought you were."
Trying hard not to laugh, Usagi returned, "Thanks, Wufei." Much to his horror, she pulled him into a hug. He struggled to get loose, scowling at her once he did so. Everyone started laughing as he glared at them all.
Stepping up to Usagi, Hiiro just stared at her. She stared back, not breaking the gaze. This went on for a few moments before he said in a low voice so that only she could hear, "I trust you now." As she blinked at the words, he held out his hand.
Grinning, Usagi took his hand, shaking it briefly. Then she tugged him forward and into a hug. He stiffened for a second, then relaxed and allowed his arms to encircle her before pulling away. "Thank you, Hiiro. It means a lot to me," she murmured.
He grunted in response, then stepped away.
Finally Quatre was in front of her. "Are you sure about this?" he asked her, eyes searching hers imploringly.
"I'm sure. I love you, Quatre. We're in this together, right?"
His eyes lit up at her words, as that was the first time she had proclaimed her love to him. Smiling softly down at her, he returned, "I love you too, Usagi." He leaned down and kissed her, then turned to his friends. "I guess this is it, then," he told them.
"Looks like it. We'll miss you, man," Duo said.
"Me too, but Usagi and I want to start building our lives together, so this was the decision that had to be made." He stepped forward and shook hands with his friends and partners in crime, then finally stopped in front of Relena. He smiled at her, adoration shining in his eyes.
Embracing him, Relena whispered, "You take care of her. And yourself."
"I will," he promised as he gave her one last squeeze and then released her. "And you take care of Hiiro and the others."
She grinned impishly and said in a low voice, "Hiiro I can keep out of trouble. The others will have to fend for themselves." She winked at him and then turned to the others. "Time to go, guys."
They all piled into the Explorer, calling goodbyes back and forth. Trowa, who was in the passenger seat, rolled the window down and told the couple, "We'll be back in a couple of months."
"Stay in touch," Usagi requested as they began to pull out of the driveway.
"Bye, guys!" Quatre and Usagi waved at them until they were long out the front security gates.
"Are you upset that you're staying here?" Usagi asked him, regarding his quietude as regret and sadness. "It's like you're leaving your family behind."
Gathering her into his arms, Quatre shook his head. "No, it's not. You're my family now." He kissed her deeply, arms holding up her lithe form. "Now let's go home."
Hand in hand, they walked up the stone steps and into Winner mansion, closing the heavy doors behind them.
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The end! For real this time. First off, I want to thank everyone who has read and/or reviewed this fic, because it really means the world to me. I also want to say that this gives me motivation to start trying to work on MSWG again. I think it was difficult for me to work on two x-overs plus all those HP fics too, so now I can concentrate on that one. And hopefully I'll be able to update it soon. If you want to know the next time I update MSWG, leave me your e-mail addy.
Thanks again for the wonderful support with this fic! I love each and every one of you!
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"Come on now. They're not that bad..."
"But you told me they might want to kill me!" Quatre argued as he resisted Usagi's firm tugging on his arm.
"Oh, but that didn't stop you from delivering me to the wrath of Wufei last night," Usagi challenged as she dragged him up the stairs of the Hikawa shrine. As they reached the top she paused, turning to a nervous Quatre. "They just care about me is all," she said softly. Squeezing his hand tightly, she added with a wicked grin, "Besides, I won't let them touch you. You're all mine."
"Mmm, glad to hear it," he said, leaning down for a kiss.
Ducking out of the embrace, Usagi shook her finger playfully at him. "Now now, no distracting me from the task at hand. There'll be plenty of time for that later."
"Assuming I'm still in one piece," Quatre muttered as he allowed himself to be pulled by Usagi.
They stopped in front of a sliding door. Loud, muffled laughter could be heard from the other side. Taking a deep breath, Usagi slowly pushed the door open. Immediately the chatter stopped. "Hey, guys."
"Hey, Usagi," they all chorused, beckoning for her to join them.
"Um, I brought someone along with me, someone I want you to meet." Usagi was nervous, extremely nervous. More than anything in the world, she wanted her friends to approve of the man she loved, for she did indeed love him. While she hadn't told him so yet, she knew the feelings were there and that they would be returned.
"Guests are always welcome," Rei spoke up front her seat on the floor. She couldn't keep the curiosity out of her voice. Who had Usagi brought along?
Smiling in relief, Usagi stepped into the room, followed by Quatre. "Everyone, this is Quatre Winner."
To say that the women were shocked was an understatement. Their mouths literally dropped open, eyes wide. They had no clue that Usagi had a boyfriend! And they definitely knew that he was a boyfriend, judging from the clasped hands and the way they stood close together. This was totally unexpected.
Minako was the first to recover. "Usagi, he's cute!" she winked at them, making everyone groan and Quatre blush.
Taking a seat next to her friends around the table, Usagi scooted over to make room for Quatre beside her, then instantly regretted putting him next to Rei. When things got heated, and she knew that they inevitably would, Rei would be the first person to get angry. But she promised Quatre that no bodily harm would come to him, and she fully intended to keep that promise. Besides, they wouldn't act *that* irrationally, would they?
Oh, they would.
Taking the initiative in the awkward silence, Ami spoke up, "So, how long have you two been together?"
"One day," Usagi answered at the same time that Quatre said, "Six months." They looked at each other and chuckled.
"How is that?" Makoto asked, eyes narrowing at Quatre. "You're not some kind of stalker, are you?"
"Of course he's not!" Usagi burst in, insulted. But, if she were being honest... "Well, kind of," she admitted.
"What?" they all screeched.
"I'm a bodyguard," Quatre interjected once they settled down some. "It's my job to follow suspicious people and make sure they're not targeting my client. That's actually how I ran into Usagi."
Throwing glances between the two of them, Rei gathered, "So you were following Usagi around because you thought she was dangerous?" Her voice was low, calm, but Usagi could detect more than a subtle note of suspicion and anger. She knew she needed to squelch this fire, and fast.
"Technically, yes." Quatre saw that that wasn't exactly the right answer, so he continued quickly, "It might be safer to start from the beginning, when we first met." He glanced over at Usagi, silently pleading with her to help.
Giving him a reassuring smile, she turned to her friends as she took over the story. "That's right. We actually met six months ago, in a club." She wasn't about to divulge any more information than needed, just like they hadn't with Quatre's friends. There were just some things that needed to be left out. Besides, she'd give them all the details later. Much, much later.
But Rei, bless her wonderful memory, put the timeframe back to when Usagi had started acting less like her former self and more like a forlorn shadow of who she used to be. And she would bet anything that this man was the cause of that. It was just a feeling that she got from him. It was too much of a coincidence. "It was your fault," she muttered quietly to herself.
"What?" Usagi asked. She could tell by the look on Rei's face that whatever she had said was not good, but there was no preventing it at this point. Better to get it out and over with.
"I said, it's all you're fault!" Rei accused Quatre with a snarl. "You're the reason she was so upset for the past six months, weren't you? You did something to her!"
"What did you do?" Makoto demanded through gritted teeth. She hadn't put two and two together, but she could tell something was up judging from Rei's reaction. Maybe the priestess had had a vision. She always was good at reading people.
"Calm down, you two," Ami tried in vain to suffuse their anger, but her attempts just weren't getting anywhere. She sighed, sitting back to allow what would happen, to happen.
Minako watched in fascination as Usagi, Quatre, Rei, and Makoto jumped to their feet. She sure as hell wasn't about to jump into the middle of things, but at least she had a good seat for when Makoto started throwing punches!
Usagi stood protectively in front of Quatre. While she was sure he was more than capable of taking care of himself, she couldn't help but feel responsible for putting him in this situation. After all, these were her friends acting irrationally! "Quatre didn't *do* anything!" she argued back. "It was just--"
"Just what? Just him being a typical male?" Rei sneered, clenching her hands into fists so tightly that her fingernails dug into her palms. "What did he do that shut you off from the rest of the world?"
"If you physically touched her, so help me..." Makoto growled, pushing up the sleeves of her sweater and taking a step toward Quatre menacingly.
"Are you insinuating that I might have hit her? Because if you are, I suggest you take that back," Quatre said each word slowly, deliberately. He was normally a calm man, but they were really trying his patience. And then, to say something as absurd as him hitting Usagi... Honestly! This was getting way out of hand!
"What are you going to do about it?" Makoto challenged, stepping around Usagi and getting in Quatre's face. "If you want to hit a woman, try hitting me!"
"Guys, please..." Usagi pleaded, trying to push them away from each other.
"No, Usagi. If she wants to fight, let her fight," Quatre smirked at the taller woman, making her seethe in barely controlled rage.
"Why, you little--"
"All right, I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice." Stepping between the two just before Makoto lunged, she forcefully pushed them away from each other so that they flew in opposite directions, sliding across the floor on their backsides. "Are you quite finished?" she snapped as everyone looked at her in astonishment. "Did this little display fulfill your violence quotas of the day? Because I've had my fair share. But if need be, I'll use more. Now, do I need to resort to drastic measures?" she turned her glare back and forth between the three, receiving three negatives. "Good. Now sit back down, and let me explain."
Once they were all in their respective spots, this time with Quatre sitting between Usagi and Ami, Usagi began her tale again, in a voice that dared anyone to interrupt her. "Like I said before, Quatre and I met in a dance club six months earlier. We were both pretty down, so we consoled each other." At this she blushed, leaving no room for doubt as to exactly what she meant by those words. "The next day, I left him my number, and he promised to call, but he never called."
When she said this, all four women shot Quatre a look, but Usagi came to his defense. "He didn't not call on purpose," she said quickly. "Something happened to the paper I wrote my number on, and he never got it."
"Then why didn't he look it up?" Rei asked, pointedly staring at Quatre.
"I was leaving on assignment that morning," Quatre explained. He had told all of this to Usagi, too, the night before. "I've only been back in town for a couple of weeks, and I've been too busy with my job to stop and coherently think about something as simple as picking up a telephone directory and doing a name search."
"And if *I* had thought about it, I could have gone through Winner Corp. and gotten his number," Usagi put in. "But I didn't, and he didn't, and it doesn't matter now. Let's move on." Once everyone's attention was focused on her, she continued. "At work last night, I happened to meet Vice Foreign Minister Relena Peacecraft, who was in disguise. But I recognized her, and we had a nice chat. That is, until two of her other bodyguards came in and whisked her away. Knowing that I knew she was in town, they set out to follow me around to make sure I didn't leak it to anyone, or go after her myself. Needless to say, a couple of bodyguards later, I happened to run into Quatre. We sorted everything out, and here we are now."
At the end of her story, all four women just stared at her, not quite sure what to say. Once again, it was Minako who broke the silence. "Well, if that's not a fairy-tale ending, I don't know what is!" she exclaimed with a bright smile. "I, for one, am happy that you two found each other again."
"Thank you, Minako. That really means a lot to me, to us," Usagi reached across the table and hugged her blonde friend. She turned towards the others, silently waiting, hoping, for some kind of positive response.
"I agree with Minako," Ami supplied. "This is great news."
"Thanks, Ames," Usagi hugged her too. She glanced at the other two, who were silent. With a disappointed sigh, she announced, "Well, we should probably be going then." She stood, pulling Quatre with her. The others stood, too.
Before Usagi could make it out the door, Rei touched her arm. "Could I talk to you for a minute?" she asked in a low voice.
Moving over to the other side of the room, Usagi stared curiously at her friend, hoping for some kind of explanation as to the angry outburst there. She was not disappointed.
"I'm sorry," Rei apologized guiltily, staring down at the floor. "I just worry about you. I mean, after that whole fiasco with Mamoru..."
Usagi held up her hands. "No need to dwell in the past. Yes, Mamoru did hurt me, but we're friends now. I know you guys think I can't take care of myself--"
"That's not it!" Rei's head snapped up in surprise. "You're the strongest person I know. We just don't want you to get hurt. It's hard to remember that there's no more threat to protect you against."
"You can't protect me from heartache, no matter how hard you try." Usagi pulled Rei into a hug, rocking her back and forth. "Sometimes a person needs to experience these things on her own. I think I'm stronger for it."
Releasing her friend, Usagi smiled as she blinked back tears. "I love you guys. You're my family, and you always will be. I'll always need you."
"Same here," Rei choked out as she tried to blink her own tears back.
"Good. Now then, we should be on our way." She moved towards the door.
"I'm not taking her away from you," a voice said from behind Rei.
She whirled around, now face to face with Quatre. "What do you--"
"I'm not going to hurt her, either. I give you my word."
Rei regarded him carefully. "There's something about you..." she muttered.
"You're different from the others, too. You see things they don't," he said in a low voice. "I hope you'll be able to see that all I want is to make Usagi happy."
Giving him a tiny half-smile, Rei replied, "Maybe in time."
That would be the best Quatre would receive. He quickly caught up with Usagi, who bid her friends farewell and led him out of the room.
"Well, that was a big success," she joked halfheartedly, collapsing in his arms.
"Don't worry; it'll all be sorted out," he assured her.
Giving a sigh, she continued, "I just think it's hilarious that my friends were so much more hostile than yours when they found out."
"That's because they only want you to be happy."
"As do your friends." Clasping his hand, they descended down the stairs. "You're right," she said finally. "We'll give it time, and everything will turn out wonderfully."
A few days later...
"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Relena asked Usagi. They stood outside the mansion, suitcases strewn about. The guys were bustling back and forth, packing and repacking the black Explorer parked out front.
"After a long talk, this is the final decision. It'll just be better this way," Usagi answered firmly. They had discussed their options long into the night, and they finally came to an agreement. There was no changing minds now.
"Well, we're going to miss you." Relena pulled Usagi into a hug, clutching the other woman tightly.
"Me too. But we'll see each other again," Usagi said brightly, forcing herself to stay calm and not cry.
"It's time to go," Trowa announced solemnly, gaining both women's attention.
"This is it, then," Usagi smiled bravely. They walked over to where the men were gathered. The first to approach her was Duo. "Duo, what can I say?"
"Nothing to be said, babe. This is the way things are," Duo gave her a lopsided grin and hugged her. "But if you're ever in need of companionship and I'm in town..."
"Duo!" she smacked his arm playfully.
Next was Trowa who approached. "Trowa, you were the first one to be nice to me, even though I was a suspect."
He gave her a tiny smile. The two of them had become fast friends in the past few days. He wanted to make sure his best friend would be happy with her, and he was more than sure that the two would spend the rest of their lives together. She really was something remarkable. "You're the sweetest suspect I've ever had to spy on," he told her, earning a chuckle in response. "Take care of yourself, all right?" He embraced her briefly before stepping away.
"Wufei..." Usagi acknowledged the Chinese man as he approached.
He looked like he was having difficulty choosing his words. Finally he said, "Well, you're not as annoying as I once thought you were."
Trying hard not to laugh, Usagi returned, "Thanks, Wufei." Much to his horror, she pulled him into a hug. He struggled to get loose, scowling at her once he did so. Everyone started laughing as he glared at them all.
Stepping up to Usagi, Hiiro just stared at her. She stared back, not breaking the gaze. This went on for a few moments before he said in a low voice so that only she could hear, "I trust you now." As she blinked at the words, he held out his hand.
Grinning, Usagi took his hand, shaking it briefly. Then she tugged him forward and into a hug. He stiffened for a second, then relaxed and allowed his arms to encircle her before pulling away. "Thank you, Hiiro. It means a lot to me," she murmured.
He grunted in response, then stepped away.
Finally Quatre was in front of her. "Are you sure about this?" he asked her, eyes searching hers imploringly.
"I'm sure. I love you, Quatre. We're in this together, right?"
His eyes lit up at her words, as that was the first time she had proclaimed her love to him. Smiling softly down at her, he returned, "I love you too, Usagi." He leaned down and kissed her, then turned to his friends. "I guess this is it, then," he told them.
"Looks like it. We'll miss you, man," Duo said.
"Me too, but Usagi and I want to start building our lives together, so this was the decision that had to be made." He stepped forward and shook hands with his friends and partners in crime, then finally stopped in front of Relena. He smiled at her, adoration shining in his eyes.
Embracing him, Relena whispered, "You take care of her. And yourself."
"I will," he promised as he gave her one last squeeze and then released her. "And you take care of Hiiro and the others."
She grinned impishly and said in a low voice, "Hiiro I can keep out of trouble. The others will have to fend for themselves." She winked at him and then turned to the others. "Time to go, guys."
They all piled into the Explorer, calling goodbyes back and forth. Trowa, who was in the passenger seat, rolled the window down and told the couple, "We'll be back in a couple of months."
"Stay in touch," Usagi requested as they began to pull out of the driveway.
"Bye, guys!" Quatre and Usagi waved at them until they were long out the front security gates.
"Are you upset that you're staying here?" Usagi asked him, regarding his quietude as regret and sadness. "It's like you're leaving your family behind."
Gathering her into his arms, Quatre shook his head. "No, it's not. You're my family now." He kissed her deeply, arms holding up her lithe form. "Now let's go home."
Hand in hand, they walked up the stone steps and into Winner mansion, closing the heavy doors behind them.
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The end! For real this time. First off, I want to thank everyone who has read and/or reviewed this fic, because it really means the world to me. I also want to say that this gives me motivation to start trying to work on MSWG again. I think it was difficult for me to work on two x-overs plus all those HP fics too, so now I can concentrate on that one. And hopefully I'll be able to update it soon. If you want to know the next time I update MSWG, leave me your e-mail addy.
Thanks again for the wonderful support with this fic! I love each and every one of you!