~!~ ~!~

Chapter 2:  "I think we're through with dinner."

~!~

Quatre and Relena managed to talk Sally and Wufei into sitting at the same table for dinner.  Quatre seated them at opposite ends, afraid they would start throwing dinner rolls and couscous at each other.

Heero pulled out Relena's chair on one side of Sally.  "Thank you Heero" she smiled as he pushed the chair in for her.

Duo immediately plopped down on her other side.  Heero, still standing behind Relena's chair, glared at him.

"What?" the God of Death asked, blinking innocence.

"Move" Heero growled in a dangerous, low voice, one hand reaching for his gun.  Duo immediately shot out of his chair and ran to the other side of the table, next to Wufei.  Heero sat down in the newly vacated seat.  When he wasn't looking, Duo stuck his tongue out in Heero's direction.  Heero glared at Duo again, to be on the safe side, when Relena laughed lightly.

Quatre smiled at the antics of his friends as he sat at the head of the table.  Wufei glared at Duo, not pleased to have to sit next to the Braided Baka for dinner.  Duo was used to ignoring Wufei, however.

Dinner was peaceful, if silent, for fifteen minutes.  Sally couldn't stand Wufei's smug face anymore, and tore a small piece of bread off, rolling it into a ball.  When no one was looking, she threw the projectile across the table, pinging Wufei in the forehead.

Wufei jerked his head up and searched the table, ready to pounce on the culprit.

Trowa dropped his head, hiding behind his bangs, pretending he hadn't seen anything.

Wufei gave the appearance of relaxing, and went back to eating.  This time, a piece of bread bounced off the top of his head and landed in the middle of his plate.

He looked at Sally, scowling, but she seemed absorbed in conversation with Relena.  Frowning, Wufei turned to look at the Number Two suspect.  02, however, was shoveling food in his mouth without noticing anything going on around him.

Duo briefly looked up and flashed a grin at Wufei before returning to steam shovel mode.

Wufei, disgusted, turned back to his plate.  He kept up a constant surveillance, however.

Duo wondered what Wufei's problem was.  The Wu-man kept glaring at him.   Duo snuck a piece of bread into his lap.  He tore off a corner, and rolled it into a little ball.  From his lap, he popped it up at Wufei.

The ball bounced off Wufei's nose and landed with a splash in his water glass.

This time, Wufei had been watching. With a snarl, he turned to Duo and delivered an upper cut to his jaw.  Duo fell backwards off his chair, surprised.  Quatre and Trowa leapt on Wufei to hold him down.  At the other end of the table, Sally and Relena stood up to see what was going on.  Heero alone remained seated, calmly continuing to eat.  And maybe smiling a little.

"Wufei!  What the hell was that for!?" Duo shouted, rubbing his jaw.

"You dishonorable baka!" Wufei cried.  "You've been throwing bread at me!"

Everyone was quiet for a moment, pondering the implications.  "Was some bread really worth that?" Trowa asked.

"You idiot!" Sally shouted.  "That was me!"

"Injustice!" Duo shouted.

Relena snickered.

"I saw him throw them" Wufei insisted, frowning.

"I only threw one" Duo whined.

"Hmph" Wufei grumbled.

"Apologize" Sally ordered.

"To him?  Never!"

"Damn you Wufei!  You can never admit when you're wrong, can you?"

"cough Mariemeia cough" Duo said from the floor.

Wufei lunged, but Trowa and Quatre managed to catch him.  Duo scrambled away backward.

Two Maganacs burst in.  "Quatre-sama!  We heard fighting!  Are you all right?"

"Yes" Quatre smiled, still holding on to Wufei's arm.  "I think we're through with dinner, though."

"I wasn't" Duo complained, but then groaned and clutched his jaw again.

"You won't be able to eat for a while" Heero observed.  "Maybe your jaw will have to be wired shut" he sounded hopeful.  Relena kicked him under the table.

~!~

Everyone wandered away after dinner.  Heero and Relena snuck into her room to sleep.  Trowa noticed, but being Trowa, said nothing.  Wufei and Sally were put at opposite ends of the house.  Quatre hoped this would work better then the table.

After everyone else had disappeared for the evening, Quatre slipped into his study.  He rang up a number that was very difficult to get a hold of.  He was jittery; he wasn't looking forward to making this call.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Noin!" Quatre sighed with relief.

"Quatre!" she looked pleased to see him.  "How is everything going?"

"Not bad" he smiled, feeling tired.  "Everyone's here.  Miss Relena's safe.  All the Gundam pilots are here.  30 Maganacs are on the grounds, the rest are in strategic locations all over Earth and the Colonies.  Preventers are here, as well.  Tell Mr. Marquise he can sleep tonight."

Noin smiled.  "Thank you, Quatre.  You're a wonderful friend."

Quatre blushed.  "It's less then Miss. Relena has done for us," he insisted.

"Good night, Quatre."

"Good night, Ms. Noin."