"Would you stop that?" Liam huffed, grabbing my attention. He sat behind the wheel, his long legs easily reaching the pedals, with his back leaning straight against the well padded seat. His eyes were hidden below the rim of his baseball cap, and his dark hair escaped in unmanageable clumps. He looked completely at ease driving the truck, yet it did not suit him. I could picture him driving a racecar, more than a truck.

"You haven't stopped scanning every damn thing we've passed since we pulled out." His green eyes glared at me like a teacher warning his student to behave. I nearly laughed. He was able to pull off the intense look, but nothing could phase me after seeing Heero Yuy's. My eyes were too tired to compete in a glaring match, so I surrendered by looking back out the window. It had been an hour since our journey began. I was anxious, and it was obvious.

"You need to pull off at the next rest stop." I quietly ordered while watching cows take shelter under a single tree in a field of grass. We had driven passed several farms, and I marveled at how much land and space there was on Earth. Liam kept his eyes on the road as he moved to pass a truck.

"We are making good time. We don't need to stop." He finished passing and glanced at me. I looked back, trying to show a look of determination, not the dizziness currently wreaking havoc in my head.

"Whoa, you are not seriously going to hurl again?" Clearly I failed.

"No." I curtly said and looked away, like a child pouting. A moment of silence passed until I broke it, finally finishing my train of thought. We had to stop. "Do you have electrical tape?" Liam nodded, and I imagined his eyebrows knotted beneath his baseball cap as he tried to figure out what I was up to. "Your plates, you were parked at Johnny's, someone might recognize them." I ceased his wondering.

He snorted in response. "You are paranoid! Who the hell would take the time to write down random license plates?" He looked at me while shaking his head in disbelief.

"The same people who lock a person in a trunk." The words snapped like a whip and his smile fell. I sighed, not meaning to say it aloud, but I was beyond tired. Managing my thoughts and what I was saying was difficult. Liam silently pointed to the small closet directly behind my seat.

"Top shelf, there's a small toolkit."

I carefully stood and stepped over the small cooler that was wedged between our seats and moved to the closet. His truck was older, but in good condition. He kept it tidy and somewhat organized. There was another small storage closet at the back of his seat and I could see it was filled with maps and random items. I spread my legs to balance myself as I looked into the closet Liam had pointed to. I found and pulled down the toolkit that was resting above a small selection of clothes. My eyes quickly scanned them, but I didn't see an extra pair of pants. Even if they were too large for me, I would have gladly put them on.

I placed the toolkit on a table tucked between the closet and a narrow bed against the back of the cabin. I carefully rummaged through the kit and victoriously removed half a roll of black electrical tape. I lifted the toolkit back onto the shelf and climbed over the cooler and nearly collapsed into my seat. I wiped away the sweat beading on my forehead, and fought back the urge to breathe heavily. Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back against the seat, waiting for the swaying to settle. I focused on the steady momentum of the truck.

"Another mile." Liam referred to the next rest stop and I held back a sigh. I hated being weak in front of others.

–

Liam parked the truck in the back of the lot, away from any prying eyes. Raising his eyebrows, he looked over at me. "You are not getting out of the truck. They will call the cops on me if they see," he motioned his hands at me "this."

"Fine." I couldn't disagree with him, he was right. I tossed him the tape. "Be discreet about it."

He rolled his eyes as he caught the tape. "Aye-aye sir." He saluted while opening the door and then gracefully hopped out. I couldn't see him as he walked around the truck and altered the numbers on his plates. Annoyed with my convalescent state, I leaned my head back against the seat and closed my eyes. I had to be on guard, but I needed just a moment.

I jolted back, my head smacking the passenger window, when I felt something land on me. My eyes popped open and I raised my hands in defense. An eruption of laughter had my eyes narrowing while my one fist turned into a single finger saluting Liam. He climbed into the truck with a wide grin gracing his face. Frowning, I gently checked the large gash on the back of my head from my kidnappers. The blood remained clotted, so I forced passed the headache and looked down to see what now rested on my lap.

A gray plastic bag with the words "Thank you" checkered about it had been the culprit. I must have dozed off long enough for Liam to walk inside of the rest stop and make some purchases. That annoyed me and made me vulnerable. I carefully opened the plastic bag, not trusting Liam, who was still grinning. No doubt he was replaying my startled reaction over in his mind. When I peeked inside I released a heavy sigh. Pants. He had bought me a pair of dark blue jeans. I lifted them out of the bag to admire them.

"I'm tired of looking at your skinny white legs." Liam started the truck and it rumbled awake. I looked down to see what else he had bought. Sports drinks, granola bars, and deodorant. I lifted the deodorant out and raised my eyebrows.

"That bad?" I inquired.

He nodded. "The windows are staying down." He pointed his thumb back towards his sleeping space. "You can clean yourself up back there."

Nodding, I grabbed the pants and deodorant and carefully stood from my seat. He had surprised me with his thoughtfulness. Not just the pants, but I needed the drinks and food more desperately than I wanted to admit. I paused while climbing over the cooler nestled between the seats.

"Thank you."

He nodded, brushing it off, while keeping his eyes on the approaching ramp as we accelerated and left the rest area.

–

My mind was drifting out to sea, I felt like I was in a small boat lightly being rocked by waves that gently reassured me it was okay to let go. My destination was sleep, but I did not trust the sea, calm waters were too rare. The waves began to heave and I struggled to reach the shore to stay awake. I forced my eyes open and shifted in my seat.

"Go back and lay down already." Liam ordered for the fifth time.

I gently rubbed my eyes, minding the bruise on my one cheek, and hissed when my arm began to throb. The bandages would have to be changed soon. A headache continued to hum behind my eyes,and I reached to the side where my cup holder held the sports drink Liam had purchased. I took a gulp of it, still trying to hydrate myself.

"I'm going to need to contact someone soon." I placed the blue colored drink back down in the cup holder, for the fifth time ignoring Liam's request. He sighed at my stubbornness. We were four hours on the road now. I was less anxious the further we drove, but I still refused to let my guard down. My eyes began to close again, it was becoming more difficult to remain alert as my body protested with each mile.

"Okay, sure. We can make a call when we stop for lunch." Liam's eyes abandoned the road to look at me. "And you need to take care of that." He focused on my left arm.

"Sure thing Mom." I rolled my eyes, annoyed that he was right and stating what I already knew.

"Smart-ass. Just like him..." He trialed off as his hand reached across the large dashboard to check his stats. I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him. We returned to silence and I knew I wouldn't be able to stay awake much longer if it continued. I debated if passing out was better than starting a conversation and opening myself to questions. Clearly Liam was comfortable driving in silence, he was used to it. My eyes became heavy and I sighed.

"Who?"

He looked at me, not hiding his surprise. I raised my good shoulder in a shrug of defeat. "I don't want to pass out." I admitted my need to converse and he smiled. I wasn't sure if it meant he understood, or if he was thinking about me passing out.

"What, twenty questions?" His eyes shined with a taunting amusement.

I released another sigh and turned to the window. It wouldn't be the worst interrogation I had been through, but I couldn't tell him anything. If we were captured, it was safer for both of us if he knew nothing. I guess I would have to give into sleep.

"I'm an open book." He continued, pulling me back before I gave up. "You can keep your 'mystery boy' title," he paused "I like a good challenge" he finished, as if he had accepted one. I turned to look at him and he caught my gaze. I silently waited, judging his response. I wasn't sure if I liked it.

"My brother. That's who you remind me of." He refereed back to his previous comment and answered my question. "He's about your age, taller though." He glanced at me, hoping for a reaction. I stopped myself from snarling and smiled at him instead.

"Lucky for him, he must be good looking."

"You're both cocky, but looks I'm not sure of. You ain't lookin' too pretty." He pulled his baseball cap up for the first time to run his fingers through his hair and then pulled it back down.

"I've seen better days." I admitted, knowing I looked like hell. "Why a truck driver?" I placed the focus back on him.

"My brother and I were separated when we were evacuated during the revolts." He graciously accepted the burden of the conversation. "I started driving after, not having anyplace to go back to, and I figure my odds of meeting up with him increase the more I travel." He leaned across our seats and snapped open the cooler to remove a bottle of water. He took a long gulp of it and then set it aside in his cup holder. "Mom died during the revolt, so I keep looking. That's what she would want."

I silently took in what he openly shared. I was never able to talk about my past, I wanted it locked away. Liam seemed to do it with such ease. I was envious of him and curious how he did it.

"Your mom alive?" He asked. A fair question since he had shared so much, and it was a safe question that I could honestly answer.

"Maybe." I shrugged, I really had no idea. He frowned at my response and we both returned to the silence.

–

We pulled into another rest stop for lunch. My balance was unsteady and Liam had to help me down from the truck's high step. He parked near a row of phone booths and I made my way over to them while he headed inside to find us something to eat. I checked the voicemail box and was glad to hear a message from Howard, confirming that he had received mine. I called back and left him a new message. Liam would be taking me to a town on the border of Pennsylvania and Ohio. I gave Howard the location and guessed we would be arriving by nightfall.

I made my way back over to the truck and leaned against the door, studying the clouds above. It was an overcast day, but I could tell the sun was still trying to come out, fighting for a few moments of time before being forced to retreat into the night. For once I hoped it failed. I had learned to appreciate the sun's warmth while on Earth, but I knew its intense light would not help my incessant headache. A dreary day suited my mood.

I heard Liam approaching and watched him walk passed with two brown bags and a tray holding large drinks. He made his way across the parking lot to a small grass area with a few scattered trees and placed the food on a picnic table. I pushed off of the truck, my grumbling stomach leading me, and made my way to the picnic area.

"The food options are pretty limited." He slid a bag across to me as I sat down. "But it's better than a vending machine."

"Better than rations." I added. I felt Liam watching me and I quickly brought my attention to my bag. I pulled out a wrapped sandwich and a green apple. Carefully, I unwrapped the sandwich and smiled. Ham. My favorite. Liam noted my satisfaction.

"Made the right choice?"

I nodded yes. "Thank you." I raised the sandwich in appreciation.

"Did you make your call?" He bit into his sandwich and spoke with a mouthful of turkey.

I nodded yes while I chewed and reached for my drink to help swallow it. After taking a gulp of soda I sighed. It had been a long time since I had the pleasure of drinking a large soda. "I told him we would be there tonight."

"Good." Liam took one last large bite of his sandwich. "Then we," he swallowed, "have time to clean up." He slurped the rest of his drink while I continued to eat my sandwich, amazed at how quickly he devoured his.

"They have a small washroom inside." He picked up his apple and began to toss it back and forth between his hands.

I paused before taking another bite of my sandwich. A shower sounded wonderful. At the moment, washing my hair would be better than detonating an OZ base. I frowned, showering would be too difficult though, and I did not have the energy to do it. "I will just change my bandages and clean up when I get back." I took the last bite of my sandwich, thinking I wasn't sure where 'back' was.

"Nope." Liam caught the apple and examined it, trying to find the perfect spot to bite in. "I will leave your ass here unless you take a shower." His mouth wrapped around the apple and a loud crunch and sucking noise followed. He pulled the apple away from his mouth, chewing like a horse. "You need it."

"I'd still rather hold off. It's not safe." And it was going to hurt like a bitch. I picked up my apple, but I did not want it after watching Liam annihilate his.

"Your choice." He smiled and stood up. "Stay here or shower." As if to emphasize he meant it, he grabbed his garbage and strolled over to a trashcan and dropped it in and continued on to his truck. I sat still. I could call Howard and give him a new pickup location...but the more messages I left the more likely it was for something to get mixed up. I grumbled and my head fell down in defeat.

–

Liam stood guard outside of my shower station, watching the door. The place was not busy, and currently no one was in the washroom with us. I tugged my new jeans off first, saving the difficult task of removing the shirt for last. I hung them with my boxers on a hook on the backside of the door, assuring they would stay dry. With a sigh, I readied myself to take my shirt off. I pulled my right arm inside of the sleeve and pulled it up, so that the shirt hung around my neck and my injured left arm, revealing my bruised ribs. Sighing again, I began to tug the shirt over my head with my freed arm. As hard as I tried to hold it back, I moaned in pain as my arm burned and felt like it was in a meat grinder. My ribs screamed as I tried to bend to yank the shirt off. Could I shower with it halfway off? I looked at the nondetachable rusting shower head above. Nope.

After the second strangled yelp of pain I heard Liam through the door. "Shirt?" He inquired. I rolled my eyes. What the hell else would it be?

"Yes." I clenched my jaw, holding back what I really wanted to say to him. My mood had quickly turned foul and I blamed him for it, and for the pain I was in. The door opened and Liam stepped in without asking.

I glared at him, the shirt halfway over my head. He snorted at my predicament, and keeping his eyes above my waist, he strolled over and yanked the shirt over my head and down my arm. I yelped as it tugged across the wound.

"Son-of-a-bitch." I growled while cradling my arm.

"You're welcome." He turned and left, closing the door behind him.

–

Thirty tiring minutes later, I finished washing and managed to rinse my hair out fairly well. I left it in the messy braid and cringed thinking about how difficult it was going to be when I tried to brush it. My whole body ached and the water made the scratches that littered my bruised skin burn. I slipped back into my boxers and jeans, but left the shirt off. Liam knocked, having heard the water stop.

"Finished?" He shouted through the closed door. I ignored him, annoyed at how sore I was and how much I just wanted to lay down. He knocked once more and then opened the door while I was examining my arm. The skin around the entry wound was black and green and it was tender to the touch. Liam avoided the small puddles left on the tiled floor as he walked over to me and lifted my arm.

"Dammit!" I cursed as he tugged it and the pain shot through me like a derailed train, catching and pulling at every muscle as it flipped and crashed.

"Stop squirming." He ordered. "This is badly infected." He held onto my arm and glared at me. "Why the hell didn't you say anything?"

I began seething through my teeth. "I can handle it. Now let go." I could feel drops of water trailing down my cheeks from my wet bangs plastered to my forehead.

"If you could handle it, then why did you let it get this bad?" He spat back, gripping my wrist.

He had no idea who he was talking to. I knew how to treat a wound, but I also knew when it was more important to run then worry about injuries. He was treating me like an ignorant child, when I was anything but that. I yanked my arm away from him, the movement rubbing the tendons in my previously dislocated shoulder.

"Let go." I swallowed back the pain as my anger grew.

"No." His eyes narrowed, challenging me. My free arm swung up, my fingers clenched in a fist, and landed right between his eyes. He stumbled back in shock and I grinned. Now I would see how his pretty little nose looked broken.

His hands went to his face and covered his nose and his eyes turned dark, intensely starring at me like a lion before it pounced. He pulled his hands back and I was disappointed to see that I hadn't broken it, but he would be marred with a good bruise. Satisfied that he would at least have a bruise, I could feel my anger begin to slip away, and with it, my energy. I was so damn tired. I felt the blow on my cheek before I could block it. My head snapped to the side and I fought to keep my balance. He was fast and I was a fool for not paying attention to him. The taste of blood began to fill my mouth and I spat it out onto the yellowed tile, it mixed with the water slowing heading towards the drain.

My anger flickered back on and I charged him in a wave of fury, but my bare feet slipped on the wet tile. Before I could reach him I began to fall backwards. My muscles tightened, preparing for the fall. I curled in as best I could to protect myself. This was going to hurt. It felt like the ground jumped up and yanked me down as I slammed against it. I managed to keep my head from connecting with the tile, but my neck snapped with the jolt and it felt like my ribs had been crushed as I curled inward and fought to breathe. I gasped, fighting to fill my lungs with air. My eyes squeezed shut.

Worst fucking week ever.

I felt Liam's hands gently grab my shoulders while I tired to decide if I should stay cradled gasping for air, or stretch out to release the pressure on my ribs. Neither were comfortable.

"Damn. Are you always such a hotheaded asshole?" Liam chided as he moved me to my side, trying to help me breathe through the pain.

"Are you-" I gasped, "always such- a prick?" The words were a whisper over the ringing in my ears. I over did it, and now I was paying for it.

"Guilty." His truthful response made me grin despite the dots I saw when I opened my eyes. I was getting a migraine. "Come on." He carefully began to lift me up. My jeans were now soaked. I hated wet pants, they were the worst. I closed my eyes as I felt the room sway.

"Gonna—sick." Was all I could get out before the soda and ham sandwich came up. Liam quickly shifted me to face away from him as I heaved up the chunks. He held onto me and said nothing as I spat out the last remnants of lunch. I must have looked really pathetic, because he didn't even make a sarcastic comment. He waited another moment before slowly pulling me into a standing position.

"Let's go. You need to lay down and I can use the bandages Joe packed to fix up your arm." I said nothing as he grabbed my shirt to tug over me before leading me to the truck.

–

"Let's go Sleeping Beauty." The words chiseled through my wall of sleep, slowly cracking it until I woke up. I had passed out after making it to the truck. I remembered Liam changing the bandages on my arm, but I needed more than a fresh wrap on it. Now I fully felt my soar muscles from my fall in the shower. I looked up to see Liam leaning over me with his olive eyes, but this time deep purple blotches were under them and his nose had a red bump. I would have smiled at the memory of punching him, had my head and aching muscles not reminded me of the fall that followed immediately after.

"We're here." Liam stepped back as I tried to make sense of his words. Where was here? I began to close my eyes, not caring. The pain faded when I slept, so why stay awake? No. I had to wake up, it wasn't safe. I heard the truck door open and his words came back to me. Here. My eyes opened in realization, the pickup location. Howard would be waiting.

I slowly sat up in the small bed and pushed the covers off of my legs. They were bare again, Liam had hung my jeans up in the hopes of drying them. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and planted them on the floor. I rose to reach for the pants, but sat back down as the cabin spun. I noticed how hot and clammy I was then. Fever from the infected wound. Gritting my teeth, I carefully stood up and snatched the pants and tugged them on. I was almost out of this, just a little more to go.

Liam opened the passenger door for me and stood waiting to help me down. "Who are we looking for?" He asked as his hand grabbed hold of my arm and stopped me from falling. I closed my eyes but it didn't stop the nausea, so I opened them again.

"Bald guy, skinny, goatee." I looked across the rest area's dark parking lot. The station was a few paces away, but between us was a sea of black tar threatening to drown me.

"You can wait here and I can go look for him." Liam held onto my arm, his voice carried a note of concern.

"No. Let's just get there." I began to step forward and he followed beside me, not letting go of my arm.

Sliding glass doors swooshed open as we approached the building and a blast of cold air smacked my face and I shivered. Liam's eyes scanned the small building as he led me to a bench beside travel pamphlets and sat me down. I closed my eyes again, demanding the room to stop spinning.

"Duo?" Liam nudged my shoulder and I opened my eyes to see why he sounded concerned. A young man approached us, his face tight with annoyance. I sighed and Liam stepped between us as the man approached.

"Heero." I greeted him with a grin that quickly turned to a grimace as my arm throbbed.

"You know him?" Liam looked down at me. I nodded yes, assuring him that it was okay. Heero remained a few steps away, examining us. I nearly laughed. We were quite the sight. I looked half dead and Liam was sporting the black eyes I had given him.

"Duo." My name hummed from his lips and a small smile formed, mocking my current state. "You are looking well." His arms folded across his chest. Liam's hand was still holding my arm and I could feel it tighten slightly, he did not feel comfortable with Heero. He watched him with the sharp eyes and distrust of a wild dog.

"Yes. I had myself a nice little holiday. Did you miss me?" I began to stand and Liam assisted me, his eyes not leaving Heero.

"Trowa almost went on a trip, but unlike you, he managed to avoid it." My eyes widened, so I was not the only one they had targeted.

"Do we know who planned our trips yet?" Heero nodded yes, and I knew I would be fully briefed in privacy. "Where's Howard?" I asked, still surprised it was Heero picking me up.

"He contacted me through the Scientists." I nodded and took a step forward, Hereo's eyes taking in my injuries, like a machine collecting data.

"He'll need help." Liam stated as I was passed over to Heero like a bag of potatoes.

"He'll live." Heero's monotone voice replied.

"Thanks Heero. Always were a pal." I sarcastically said while rolling my eyes at him. I looked to Liam who was trying to figure out the odd relationship before him. He sighed, a sign that he was giving up.

Heero turned to lead me away, but I stopped him and looked at Liam. "Thank you." I had been saying those two words a lot. I did not want to admit it, but I knew I would not have made it without his help. He nodded, his bruised eyes studying mine.

"Take care of yourself." He emphasized the words, hoping I would heed them. Heero began to turn again, his mission had begun upon retrieving me.

"Your brother is lucky to have you." I said over our shoulders, watching Liam as Heero led me forward. "Even if you are a prick."

He grinned and saluted me as the doors swooshed open. I smiled and flicked him off, saying a proper goodbye, before turning around.

Heero guided me across the parking lot and I sighed in exhaustion.

"You okay?" He asked. I smiled, knowing the question was a show of concern. I felt honored to receive it.

"I will be." It was finally over. My life had been saved by strangers and I knew that in the near future I would rely on that to keep going. It could get lonely fighting, but it didn't have to be that way. I could feel myself letting go and slipping into unconsciousness. It felt like I had been holding my breath for days, struggling to keep it all in. Now I released it with one final sigh.

"Rest. I got you." Heero's words drifted down to me and I could feel his grip tighten around me, committing to his words. I listened to him and let go, allowing the darkness to gently wrap around me, knowing that I would be safe when I awoke.

END

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Satisfied with the ending? When I first began this story all I wanted to do was write about Duo being trapped in a trunk...the story developed a lot more then I intended. I enjoyed creating Liam's character, I hope you found him intriguing or entertaining...and I hope the last chapter didn't jump around too much. Let's face it, I could write about Liam and Duo's adventures for a long time, so I had to keep it moving. Also, I hope it is okay I didn't go into detail about the kidnappers. Had I done so, it would have developed another side story when I wanted to stay focused on Duo and his point of view.

Let me know what you thought!

It's been a fun ride (perhaps not for poor Duo).

Out!