Disclaimer: I don't own the name 'Dirk Diggler'. It belongs to the creators of 'Boogie Nights'. Awesome movie. Wufei's song lyrics were created by my beta--reader DD! (I'm not the one for writing music)Thanks girl!

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Another Murder of Crows: Part 15

"Rock me baby! Rock me all night long!" Duo sang loudly, hanging out of the window while Sally drove and screamed...er...sang along with him. The capital of Sanc wasn't very big, but at the same time we didn't know where Frog's Lane was, and it was already night, which made driving down a solitary road to a six block street coined ‘Frog's Lane' because you can bar hop all night didn't make me feel any better.

"Rock me baby! Rock me all night long!" Duo quickly flipped himself on his back, his head in Sally's lap as he stuck both of his feet out of the window, and used his thumb as a microphone which both he and Sally sang into. I glanced to Wufei who only rolled his eyes at me and leaned forward to shout at the two of them.

"Are you sure that's loud enough?! I can still hear out of my right ear!" His only answer was Duo flipping onto his stomach now while still singing to his thumb, Sally providing the backup vocals.

"Morons," he muttered, smiling at me. Then his expression turned cautious. "Quatre, what's wrong? You've been quiet all night."

I scratched my head nervously before I whispered–well–stage whispered, because of how loud Tina Turner's voice boomed through the car, to Wufei what was bothering me.

"I–I was in the garden when you had your, um, conversation with Odin."

He looked as if he saw a ghost. "What–how? I didn't see you. What were you doing there?"

"I was there first," I said defensively. "I was sitting on a bench underneath that oak tree when you two barged in on me!"

"Quatre, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to put you on the defensive. I just–it was something that no one else was supposed to hear, that's all."

"I know, and some things that should not have been said, since he hasn't even proposed yet." I said more softly, so that only Wufei could hear.

"You don't approve?" He asked curiously.

"I don't approve about how its being done. It's like he's doing this to be mean, not because of love." Wufei seemed to understand.

"I'll talk to him later–"

"No, I will."

"Are you sure Quatre?"

I bit my lip so hard I almost broke the skin. "I'm positive."

"What are you two looking so glum for?" Both of us shot up to see Duo and Sally peering at us.

"Uh, nothing Duo, I couldn't make up my mind what kind of drink I wanted, but now I'm positive I want a Long Island ice tea."

He raised an eyebrow. "Quatre, you know you're a terrible liar."

I rolled my eyes, knowing that acting is my only way out of this mess. There is a lot going on that I don't want to explain. "Yeah Duo, I know I'm a bad liar, you know I'm a bad liar, everybody knows. Now can we go so that I can get my drink or what?"

I could see in his face that he really didn't believe me, but that he would go along with it anyway. "Whatever Cat, but if you want to talk to me, just say the word."

"I know I know I know. Let's go already!"

We all just about fell out of the short black limo, it was so close to the ground. Leaving it parked down the street from the first bar, we waded through the busy street, seeing college students taking a break from studying, or just young adults like us trying to relax from a rough work week. The first place that had the misfortune of us entering was a kareoke bar. We were surprised that we actually got a booth, the place was so packed. Soon enough a waiter came to us, taking our orders.

Sally ordered a club lime soda, Wufei had a cherry coke, Duo asked for a pina colada, and I asked for the Long Island ice tea. When he checked our ID's, he only stood there with a hand on his hip, looking at us grimly.

"Is there a problem?" I asked. I really wanted my drink. It's hot in here, probably from all of the people moving about...

"Yeah, there is," he said smugly. "I'm supposed to believe that your name is Jupiter, and that his," he pointed to Duo, "is Dirk Diggler."

I glanced at his name tag and almost jumped out of my seat in rage. "Uh, your name is Sox."

"Yeah, so?"

"So!" I shouted. Actually, I had to shout. The music started up and someone was wailing at the microphone. "So, your name can be Sox, but mine can't be Jupiter?"

"That's right. Now if you all get out of here, I won't have to throw you out."

I felt a slight tap on my shoulder, and turned to see Wufei holding out my badge. Duo already had his. We stood up and flipped our badges open so that he could see our names. "Actually, you are right. My name is Quatre Raberba Winner, and I'm one of the Preventers' leaders." The way a Preventer badge is made, there is no way to forge it, thanks to Heero. So when he saw it, his jaw immediately dropped to the floor. He knew we had the genuine article.

"Yeah asshole," Duo said, handing his back to Sally so that she could put it in her purse, "and we would like our drinks sometime tonight."

"Oh yes sir, right away!" And off he went. I handed mine to Sally, where she tucked it into her purse for safety. I heard Wufei snicker, and I turned to face him. "What's so funny?"

"The expression on his face was priceless," was all he said as he continued to laugh. I didn't care though. It was good to see him smile and laugh. If I had to scare that man to the point of death to make him smile then so be it.

After a few drinks, the night took a turn for the worst. Sally and Duo went on stage to sing. The thing is, Duo can sing. I mean he has a beautiful voice, but he doesn't sing like he can when in public. The only reason I know he can sing is because I've overheard him a few times, or caught him singing to himself. Right now though, he just wants to goof around and have fun. So, standing on stage, he and Sally started out with a song from the movie ‘Robin Hood: Men in Tights' where he was Robin Hood and Sally was Maid Marian. They actually acted out the parts. It would've been really funny...if we didn't know them.

"Help me my ancestors." I heard Wufei mutter under his breath. It was getting crazier. I almost died when Duo came over to our table, trying to give me a lap dance while singing ‘Arabian Nights' to me from Aladdin. Even though Duo was only playing, I've had quite a few propositions from other members of the audience–male members, and I really wanted to kill him. Of course, when Sally did her solo, she laid across our table, singing ‘Like A Virgin' while pulling on Wufei's clothes and flirting with other audience members. I felt a little bit of the pressure lift off of me and onto him. I'm not the only one being royally embarrassed tonight.

Little did I know, my last statement would be in vain. The waiter soon appeared, again, making sure we had everything we wanted. He has really been kissing our behinds since he found out who we really were, but he still overlooked the fact that three out of four of us were still not old enough to drink. That was a mixed blessing.

He returned a short time later with a tray full of shots of about five or so. Wufei removed the shot glasses from the tray, and took them to the head one at a time. After he downed the fifth drink, he placed the glasses back on the tray, where Sox disappeared with them, and turned to me with an undignified burp, staring. "What?"

"Fei, what did you just drink?"

He shook his head to clear it a little. "Vodka, I think. At least that's what I asked for."

"What?! Wufei, you don't drink, at all, and now you're taking shots like that? Did you have it straight or did you ask him to put some water in it?"

"What? Water? Why would I ask for water?"

"Oh no," I groaned, and let my head fall on the table. As soon as I did that, another man walked by, tucking a slip of paper under my hands with his name, number and address on it, before stumbling away. I lifted my head slightly and glanced at the paper, before turning around to see the man stand in the doorway, give me a wink and a very unsexy lick of his lips before he stepped through the door. Crumbling up the slip, I threw it into my empty glass and dropped my head on the table once again, before the waiter came by to take the glass up and leave a fresh drink.

"Duo, I am SO going to kill you."

***

An hour later we were still at the kareoke bar, laughing at the other people who were brave enough to step on stage. I was enjoying myself tremendously. It felt good to be out and about, away from the office, from work, from my responsibilities, everything. We need to do this more often. Finally, the last person came down and the MC called for someone else to sing.

"I'll dooo it." Wufei slurred.

"Uh, Fei, you're not entirely sober," I whispered as I stood up from my seat, helping him out of the booth.

"Nooooo, I want. I want to siiiiiiiing. For my ba~by." He stumbled hard on the way to the stage, nearly falling over on the stairs. I turned to Sally to try and convince her to help me get him back down here, when I saw her dig in her purse and pull out a camera. So much for asking her. Duo was actually cheering and giving out cat calls, so I know he will not be of any help. Guess I'm outnumbered on this one.

Wufei didn't even wait for the MC to explain anything to him. He blatantly shoved him off the stage and grabbed the mic, not even waiting to pick out any music, singing to his own drunken splendor.

// Wu-bear, Winnie the Wu-bear!
Looking for swords, climbing Natuku trees.
Wu-bear, Winnie the Wu-bear!
Ranting about Justice all day, complaining about onna's too! //

All the men in the audience roared in laughter at Wufei's lyrics. The women mostly pouted and tried to boo him, but shut up immediately when he took his shirt off. A few cat calls erupted, then Wufei unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, allowing those AND his boxers to drop to the floor.

"Holy shit Fei!"

Duo's outburst made me realize that yes, Wufei did drop his pants in front of a crowded room and that no, this wasn't a nightmare, this was actually happening. Before I even knew it, I was on stage, pulling his clothes up all the while he was trying to walk away, wanting to look at some bright neon light.

"Ooooh, pretty colors..."

"Fei, stand still so that I can...uh...uh...get your pants up." I glanced to our booth and saw Duo on the floor, rolling around in laughter, and Sally taking pictures like it was her second job. The audience also found it funny, with loud cheers and applauding, and the occasional whistle added to the noise. I wanted to die.

Finally, I got his pants up and escorted him down the stairs, where audience members patted us on the back or blew kisses in our direction. Steering him to our booth, I threw down more than enough money for our drinks, grabbed Sally's purse, and half dragged–half carried Wufei out the door and into the street. Sally followed close behind me, practically carrying Duo. He was laughing so hard that he couldn't even stand up straight.

"Wow....I mean...man...that...was...classic," he finally managed to pant.

"We should go on back. He is not in any condition to stay out without getting into trouble–"

"No Quatre. I'll take him home. You and Duo can stay out if you want, but you'll have to catch a cab."

"That's fine," Duo said, "we'll probably be too wasted ourselves to drive back. Its better that way."

"All right. See you guys later." And with a tittering Wufei on her arm, they left.

After maybe half an hour of aimless wandering, we found a club that seemed to fit our...interests. Staring at the yellow and green neon lights that gave ‘Jumpin' Jacks' a spotlight on this compressed street, Duo and I entered the building, going from the noisy rumblings of honking horns and shouting to the pounding of loud music and bright lights. Now this is what I'm talking about.

"Are you ready?!" Duo turned and hollered at me, his cross and green glitter shining sporadically when the lights hit him.

"I was born ready!" I hollered back, my silver glitter and ring shining in a similar effect. Duo completely unbuttoned his shirt, and stretching his hands behind his head, I reached up and held his hands, both of our hands over our heads, and together we walked down the stairs like that, swaying and grooving to the heavy beats and bass of Madonna's ‘Don't Tell Me.' As we walked through the crowd to the bar, I could hear the murmurs under the breaths of the other men in the club, and could feel the slightest touches they gave us on our chests, hands, backs, even thighs, and it sent me on a high like I have never known. It feels like static electricity when someone you don't know touches you like that. You can feel their desire through their fingertips, you can smell it on their breath, you can see it in their eyes, and that is an incredible power and rush you have over that person. You are the master and they are the slave. I felt so sexy and desirable, knowing that I could have anyone I want in here, whenever I want, however I want.

We finally made it to the bar, where we released each other's hands, but made sure to stay close together. A place like this might be fun, but that won't stop anybody from trying to put something in your drink, especially since this crowd looked about 25 years old and older. Even though we dressed up, we still looked our age, and someone might try to take advantage for us, mistaking our youth for being naive.

"What do you want?" The bartender shouted, seeming a bit drunk himself.

"A Fuzzy Navel." Duo said.

"I'd like an Amaretto Sour please?" The bartender smiled pleasantly and immediately got our drinks before wiping the bar down and going to another customer. Duo and I leaned against the counter, drinks in hand, and perused over the crowd, watching some people dance, or others sit back and talk amongst themselves. So far everything seems cool, nothing too garish or troublesome going on, just a bunch of people trying to relax and have a good time.

A few drinks (and a slight buzz) later, the music started to pick up. The next song played was from Rob Zombie's ‘Dracula'. Quickly finishing my drink, I held out my hand to Duo, who took it, and escorted him down the aisle to the middle of the dance floor. We did the same routine as always, maybe standing four inches away from each other, but not touching, and danced as seductively as possible. The music was fast and hard, causing us to thrash our heads about, my hair falling in my eyes and Duo's hair whipping all about him, some coming partially out of the ponytail holder. My hands would be raised above my head, doing nonsense patterns in the air, before coming down and running them over my chest, stomach and behind, then resting them on Duo's hips.

Duo did the same thing more or less, as we danced feverly, not for ourselves but for those watching us. Like Duo said, tonight the world revolved around us, and I wanted to bask in it. I thrived in the attention we were receiving, and couldn't wait for someone to ask me for a dance.

The next song began immediately, this one called ‘Living Dead Girl' by the same artist. Duo and I were still dancing together when I felt the heat of another body behind me and a pair of nails digging themselves in my leather pants, raking themselves up my thighs. Somebody else approached Duo and he started to dance with him, so I focused on the person behind me. His breath was cold against the back of my neck, but I enjoyed the shiver that ran down my spine. My fingers dug along the back of his blue jeans as his hands roamed over my chest and neck. Once he got to my face, his thumb trailed along my lips, adding a bit of pressure on them. I opened my mouth and gave the digit clearance, sucking on it and enjoying the flavor of bubble gum.

He pulled out his thumb and ran the slick appendage down my neck when I felt something wrong. The room, the music, everything, seemed a mile away from me. The lights weren't as bright, the music wasn't as loud; all of my senses dimmed dramatically. The next thing that I was aware of was me being guided out of the club, my capturer still behind me, weaving in and out of the crowd. Suddenly, there was a loud screech and slam, like a door being opened and closed, and a cool breeze blew along my chest, signaling that we were outside. The droned out sound of laughing and noise meant that we were outside–in an alley.

My back was pressed against the brick wall of the building, my eyelids fighting to stay up. His hands wandered all over my body, his teeth nipping and grazing at my neck and chest. My hands clung to his back, kneading the muscles. This is what I wanted, actually. To be touched. To have someone do anything I want, anything that I ask them to do. I didn't want to fight this at all.

Curiosity won out though, when I wanted to know who my might–be lover is, and I cupped his face in my hands and lifted his head up to see who he was.

He had the bluest eyes I have ever seen. Just looking at them sent a shiver coursing through me. I was about to say something, who knows what, when he leaned down and kissed me. Hard. At first, I wanted to drown myself in it, until I remembered the familiar taste.

He tasted like that guy at the mall. He tasted like Duo did two years ago. He tasted like that man in my dream.....

Without even thinking I brought my knee up, knocking him back for a moment. The adrenaline was rushing through my blood, but something was still wrong with me. My vision was very fuzzy around the edges, causing me to squint, and my reflexes and movements seemed to be slower and jerky. He recovered quickly and made a lounge for me, when another fist came into view and knocked him back. Something grabbed me on my shoulders and spun me around. That something was Duo.

"Quatre, are you alright?!"

I saw Duo look up fast before he pushed me aside. I hit the floor in a big heap, none too gently, and saw out of the corner of my eye that the guy was on top of Duo, trying to strangle him. I got up as fast as I could and ran at him, knocking him off of Duo, and sending us both crashing to the ground. I landed on my stomach, face down, and before I could move he was sitting on my back, about to grind my head into the asphalt. At that point I couldn't move.

I heard some grunting, before I saw Duo land right next to me, hard on his back. The force of how hard he landed knocked the air out of him, causing him to arch his back in pain as well as cough up some blood.

"Duo!" I screamed and reached out my hand to touch him when I felt our assailant's fingers intertwine in my hair, and my head being pulled back, then....nothing.

A body flew into the garbage cans, knocking them all onto the ground, with two actually rolling away. Peering over my shoulder I saw Heero standing there, his jeans and white t-shirt with his black trench coat blowing in the breeze. Trowa stood maybe half an inch away from him, appearing completely calm. At least Heero seemed upset.

"Get lost." Simple, but effective.

I couldn't see the guy's face, my vision was really starting to black out, but I could feel the sneer he gave Heero before crawling to his knees and slithering away. An arm wrapped itself around my waist and I was hoisted up to my feet. Heero picked Duo up and together they half carried us to Heero's suburban. Duo and I were heaved in the back seat where Heero drove and Trowa sat in the front. Before we pulled off though, I guess Heero couldn't resist giving us a glare on general principal, before honking at some party goers crossing the street and pulling away from the curb.

***

"Oh, so you think you would've been coherent enough to call a taxi! You couldn't even put the guy into a decent choke hold Duo!"

"Heero, give me a break! Shit, I'm tired, I'm sweaty, and I'm drunk. Me and Cat weren't planning on getting into a fight tonight, okay?! A few drinks, some dancing, maybe some sex, and we would've called it a god damn night! Why were you following us anyway?"

Duo and Heero have been arguing ever since we got on the road. I was trying to fight off whatever was wrong with me, my stomach kept rumbling, somehow agitated by the alcohol, even though I didn't have very much, and Trowa stayed quiet, not surprisingly. I felt like an elephant was sitting on my head. Uhg. And their shouting wasn't helping me either. "You guys, you're not even a foot away from each other, you don't need to shout!" This last part was said a lot louder than my head liked, so I shut my mouth, trying to hold my head together.

"Quatre, I don't even want to hear anything from you. That guy was about to open your skull when we arrived!"

"You still didn't answer my question! Why were you and Barton following us?"

"Duo, I do have a first name..."

"Oh you shut the fuck up! I'm NOT talking to you! This is between me and Heero. Why you're even here is a mystery to me–"

"Duo, I swear to your God that I'm kicking your ass when we get back!"

"Bring it on soldier boy!"

"Guys, pull over. I'm gonna throw up."

"What? Quatre, you didn't even have that much to drink..."

"Pull OVER unless you want pina colada on your seat!"

"Wait wait wait! I'm pulling over. Shit!"

Heero pulled the car over and before it even came to a complete stop I bolted out the car, emptying my stomach alongside the road. Duo jumped out right after me and held some of my hair out of my face, rubbing a soothing circle on my back. I do this WAY too much.

When I was finished, I wiped my mouth with the back of my sleeve, and stood up. Heero and Trowa were standing very still, scanning the area. I looked back at Duo, and noticed him doing the same thing. Glancing around, I found that we weren't alone. The area Heero pulled over in was very bare. I mean, there was plenty of grass, but that's about it. No trees, no bushes, nothing. The bright light from the moon illuminated black bulky things in the grass. Whatever they were, there was a lot of them. Fifty, maybe more. Another thing was that it was totally quiet. Crickets weren't chirping, and the fireflies weren't out. It seemed as if that whole area was dead. Nature is quiet, but there is such a thing as being too quiet. This quiet was unnatural.

"Everybody in." Heero didn't have to say it twice. Duo and I didn't have a problem booking it into the suburban. Drunk or not, we knew trouble when we saw it. Once we locked the doors and fastened our seatbelts, Heero drove off sharply, speeding us ahead.

Duo was looking out the back window at the field we just left, staring at something.

"What is it Duo? What was that?"

He turned to me slowly, his usually bright and cheerful eyes flat and dull. In Shinigami's voice, devoid of any emotion, he said, "Its another murder of crows."

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