A.N. Welcome back! As a reminder we don't own Gundam Wing or any of their characters. We just like to play with them. So please enjoy this chapter and review. We love to read what you think! ~ciao Minx

"So you're not mad?" Serene looked from her dinner of fillet mignon, roasted vegetables, and salad; to look over at Kit-Kat as she enjoyed the same meal.

"Mad about what?" Kit-Kat's small smile as she tasted the excellent meal perturbed Serene as the older girl acted as if nothing happened.

"You know what I'm talking about. That incident wasn't my fault, but it's still going to reflect poorly on the Estate."

"Oh never mind that: you have nothing to worry about." Kit-Kat kept eating and Serene could feel her confusion and anger start to rise. Kit-Kat had made a very big deal of why fitting in at this school would place the Khushrenada Estate and ALPHA Corp in a favorable light. However, now it seemed she could care less. It just wasn't adding up.

"What do you mean? A month ago you were saying how this was a necessity and I had to play my part as a ward of the Estate. I don't think getting in a fight where girls injure themselves is great publicity."

"You know Drizzy is a scholarship recipient from Alpha Corp." The statement was phased almost as a question but Serene knew it was anything but and that it didn't require an answer. However she couldn't stop from responding.

"Yes…"

"Well, as a scholarship recipient, one of the requirements are monthly meetings. I can't believe she never said anything though. Well, seeing how well that school is connected to the political world, I'm not really surprised." Serene narrowed her eyes. She had a feeling she knew what was going on but she wasn't going to say anything until she was sure.

"Spit it out Kit-Kat. You're starting to sound like Treize, and not in a good way." The girl's instant reaction of sticking out her tongue in response just had Serene raising an eyebrow.

"Ok, fine. ALPHA Corp supported 27 girls at that school. All war orphans. The strange thing I started to find was that none of them were a part of the varsity sports, higher awarded clubs, or asked to help at the events hosted by the school. Everything seemed properly handled to the outside world and—when asked— they all stated that they just hadn't wanted to become involved. When I heard almost the same thing from Drizzy, already knowing the only reason she wanted to attend that school was because of the connections; I knew something was wrong."

"Well you were right. Madame was a classist. She hated war orphans and was treating them worse than the non-war orphans. That still doesn't answer why…" Then it clicked. Kit-Kat had said she knew something was wrong. However, with none of the girls talking, she hadn't had any proof. It hadn't been until after the fight she got her chance to trip up Madame. Serene remembered the dark look of pure contentment upon Kit-Kat's face after replaying the recording for Romeo and herself. Serene had watched as Kit-Kat and Romeo set in motion events that should have taken much longer to set up unless they had already been planned for.

"I was a ruse." She was impressed and pissed off at the same time.

"Serene…"

"No, you sent me in there to draw them out. You knew they would never accept me and was banking on something like this to happen."

"That's not true. I might not have told you my suspicions about the place, but I didn't set you up to trap them. I needed an honest opinion of the place and I needed someone who could keep their cool if things got out of hand. I wasn't 'banking' on anything. From the very beginning I told you that if by the end of the session you didn't feel like you could stay there you would go back to have a year of private training with Treize. I truthfully thought nothing was going to come of it. You were making friends with Drizzy and—while the girls were awful—they weren't any worse than normal preppy teenagers." Serene cocked her eyebrow again at that last statement.

"Or so I've heard." Kit-Kat at least looked sheepish at that statement. "I didn't want preconceived ideas clouding what you observed. If I had told you my concerns, would you have let yourself really get involved?"

"You didn't give me a chance." Serene pushed some of her food around her plate. She felt like she was back with Dekim but worse. Dekim might have beaten her but she always knew her mission. This time, however, she was sent in blind to something that could have escalated out of control quickly; what made it worse, however: it had been set up by her friend.

"You're right… I'm sorry, but if everything was legit, I didn't want to ruin it for you. I wanted you to have a chance at something normal."

"What's normal?" Serene knew what Kit-Kat was trying to do but it would never work. "Normal is different for each person, and it's decided by each person. You can't decide for me. I know you're trying to do what is in my best interest, but you don't have to. You don't have to be or set something special up for me. No matter what happens, my life is never going to be the same normal as someone with a different past. Trust me to make my own choices and just be truthful with me about what is going on."

"Ok…deal." Kit-Kat smiled at her and everything settled. It didn't matter anymore. Serene took her first bite and gave a small groan of delight. The food from the school was awful and she was starving.

"So…That's it? We're good?" Kit-Kat quizzed

"Yeah, you lied but you apologized. I'll be going to finish my schooling with Treize for a year and then we'll talk about what comes next together."

"Really?" Serene gave a curious look at Kit-Kat not knowing why she was pushing the issue.

"Really, I understand what happened, and I can't really blame you. I don't like it but I probably would have done the same thing. Besides, like I said, YOU apologized and we're good." Serene went back to eating and it wasn't until she was almost done that she realized that Kit-Kat hadn't. She was staring unseeing and Serene knew she was thinking or planning something.

"Kit-Kat?"

"I have a trip I need to make. It won't be long and while I'm gone you can hang out here at the condo. If you want you can even have Drizzy over. Over the next few days the school will be shut done for investigation. Make it a girl's week. Eat too much, watch too much television, and let Drizzy drag you around the city, or do nothing and veg. I need to make a phone call." With that Kit-Kat left the table and Leila raised her head from the corner of the room before giving a curious mow. That in turn had Toby raising his head to inspect what was happening.

"Don't ask me…" Serene said as the cat looked after Kit-Kat. "She's your owner."

The artificial light from the colony's 'day' filtered through the window at such an angle that she could see each individual dust particle as the air current moved them around the office. They would move in and out of her vision in an almost hypnotic rhythm. She didn't need to look at the her watch to know that it was 1:47 pm. No, she had been mentally counting the time ever since walking through the doors to have this meeting with the Colony's Foreign Minister at one.

It wasn't like this was an important meeting for the betterment of others. It was a personal one: a personal meeting that she was starting to realize wasn't going to happen. The slight hope she'd allowed herself to have during the morning was completely gone, and by the looks the secretary kept sending her, this meeting had been on the list. Her inner sigh told of the hurt but she didn't show it to the outside world. She was thankful for Romeo standing behind her because she had a feeling this wasn't going to end pleasantly.

Romeo shifted slightly and she realized she'd been too still for an unnatural amount of time. She didn't have the urge other's had to move. She could sit for hours reading, thinking, or writing with the most minimal of movements. It probably also came from the fact she'd been trained to scout and wait for the right moment to attack. One needed to be able to stay still for long periods of time in the line of work she was trained for and so for her it was natural. Yet, it didn't work so much in real world dealings. People became unnerved when someone could be that still, so to relieve some of the tension she re-crossed her legs, an action that just seemed to increase the unease. She had to stop the smile that came when Romeo choked on a laugh from the outcome.

'1:52 pm' ticked into her mind and she went to stand up. 'Quatre, why?' She mentally asked herself. She'd wanted this meeting to explain things and apologize for what must have been a mental punch in the gut. She'd set the meeting up herself just three days ago. It seemed, however, that Quatre really didn't want to talk.

"Ms. Khushrenada, I am so sorry." The secretary stumbled over her words as she rushed around her desk wringing her hands.

"It's my fault. Mr. Winner had…had a lunch meeting that had to take place and… and it was only meant to take half an hour. So…so I placed it before your meeting… I tried to…to call, but his phone went to voicemail." Thia tried not to role her eyes at the poor woman's lies. The stammer was annoying but she didn't want to lash out at her for covering for her boss, so instead, she took a deep breath and smiled.

"I'm sure it was all a misunderstanding. Might there be…" She never finished that statement as the elevator dinged and slowly opened followed by laughter spilling out. The three turned to see Quatre and a petite blonde stumble into the reception room. Thia froze as she watched the two walk towards the reception desk. She could hardly breathe as ice ran down her spine and everything in her vision became hyper-focused.

"Mrs. Summers, would you please help my new friend with filling out the HR report that's needed for a new employee." She felt Romeo stiffen behind her and she had to clench her jaw to keep from saying something she would regret. She couldn't take her gaze off of him and the new 'employee'. Was that what he stood her meeting up for? She hadn't realized how wrong she was about everything. She had an idea that she might have hurt him; had regretted not forcing him to listen at the ball, but for him to do this? The hope that there had been a connection between them that would be able to overcome what had happened was gone. Not just gone, but ripped to shreds and stomped on. She was so focused on not clawing the woman's eyes out (a feeling that she didn't want to analyze too much) that she didn't realize it was just Quatre, Romeo, and herself in the reception area. It wasn't until Romeo gave a small cough that she snapped out of it and she felt the chill that had settled fill her whole being. The pain disappeared, and her whole body became deathly relaxed.

"Quatre…" The silence that settled between them was awkward and full of tension. It was so quiet that they all could hear the second hand ticking away from the hanging clock. No one moved a muscle and she felt the ice that ran though her veins reach her heart and take up residence. She was done.

"Well, it seems that you had a very important reason for missing this meeting. I know I'm not as important as a political officer, but even I know this was in poor taste." Thia collected her purse and started to walk past him. She couldn't help the small sadistic smile that formed as she saw him give into her presence by the slight tilt of his head baring his neck to her when she leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"One piece of advice," She could feel the tension running through him and hear the shallow breaths that were just short of panting. Not one part of her person touched him but sparks seemed to crack in the inch gap. "It's not smart to dally with the interns." She lightly blew into his ear enjoying the shudder that quickly followed. The ding alerted them all to the opening elevator doors and she knew his two o'clock appointment had arrived. "Wouldn't want to ruin the 'Golden Boy' image now would we?" She stepped away and gave a small laugh as his upper body followed making him have to step to maintain his balance. He was just too fun to play with, and with the way he had treated her today she wasn't going to censor how far she pushed him.

"Well this has been an enlightening meeting. Thank you, Mr. Winner for your time, but it looks like you're a busy man." The men that walked out of the elevator parted for her as she walked through their midst.

While she walked past, each man (including the colony representative from L8933 who was happily married) turned to watch her movements. They couldn't help it. They stared as the elevator opened back up and she entered followed shortly by her guard. The smile she gave when she turned around had each of them blushing and feeling like school boys. The glare that came from the guard as he stepped in front of his charge as the doors shut had everyone quickly looking away. A strained "Gentlemen" followed by a clearing of one's throat caught everyone's attention.

"If you please, I'd like to welcome you and direct you in to my office so we can start our meeting." Quatre coughed again at the end before taking a deep breath to calm himself. Not a word was spoken as everyone filed into the office and no one brought up what had happened just before in the secretary area ever again.

"So how did you're trip into space go? Treize asked as he walked into the workout room just in time to see the wooden dummy splinter apart. "I take it not too well." He continued walking over to the resting bench before sitting down and patting the area next to him.

"Come, sit down, and take a breather." He paused, and finally examined the destruction. "I almost feel sorry for the wood." The glare she sent him told him more than he needed to know. The meeting had gone horribly. She'd informed him she was going into space about a week ago for a personal meeting; if other matters were handled while out there it would be an added bonus. Even though she had brushed it off in their earlier conversation he knew this was something important. He was extremely curious to find out what happened but before he could ask he was shocked and lost his train of thought as she walked across the gyms floor to join him on the bench and drank from the water he held out to her.

He'd always seen her femininity even before she'd come into it. He recognized the dark allure she could possess as an adult and had taken pride in it as a father would of a beloved child. Yet, he never could imagine what it would really be like when she matured into it. He had the sudden urge to lock her in a room and never let her out. She was a new danger to men, more so than she was before. Because now he understood a father's protection and he wanted to blind anyone that looked at her with ulterior motives. Something had happened that had changed her inner fire.

The last time he'd seen her change like this was when she'd asked why she wanted to claw Noin's eyes out. It was different now; she was fragile in such a way that he knew something had broken. It had been coming for a while if he was truthful with himself. Their conversation from her birthday crossed his mind and he finally understood. His Panthers heart had been broken. He wasn't a stupid man but he would admit he was slow in this instance.

It was as he recognized the self-preservation of a broken heart he could guess who had broken it. Zechs, and someone he didn't know. Zechs had been the first: an innocent crush of a young girl handled poorly by an older but still young boy; painful but tolerable. Misunderstood feelings between two people who were better friends could do damage but would smooth out after a while and reform if given the chance. It could be a bond that would be stronger for the break.

Yet, this second one was new. It was fresh, exciting, and probably pure chaos. He could see it now, and his heart hurt for this innocent girl cut by emotions she didn't understand. Something had happened, and—while if lucky girls became women through love—some realize the hard truth of male and female relationships through pain. He wanted to curse at why she couldn't have learned from the good. No, she learned through the pain and she fought back with the only thing she had her own inner essence. It was essence that drew men and women to fight for her. There were just some women that—no matter what—people were drawn to them, and his Panther now used that draw as a weapon to attack not understanding what she was doing; for if she did he knew she wouldn't be using it now.

He gave a small prayer, hoping someone would hear, for Serene to learn the same lesson in an easier way than Thia had. He debated for a moment if Serene would ever allow herself to get that close with a male, before her question, once upon a time, about kissing came to mind. That simple question told him that if she was brave enough to take the step, she would get that close. The calmness that had settled between them was slowly filling with a nervous tension and he knew this was him moment to ask.

"Ready to tell me everything?" It took but a second before she was spilling everything about the trip to visit a 'Quatre Rebarbra Winner'. Instantly a face appeared in his mind and he was mentally tearing it apart as the father instinct become just a little too strong. By the end of the story he was ready to let his secret about being alive go and have a personal private chat with the young man, but he schooled his features because she didn't need that at the moment. When she told of how cold she'd gotten and how she'd enjoyed using her words like a knife to try and hurt him the same way she had been feeling he knew she needed to meet an old friend of his.

"Treize, he blew me off…He had to give the ok for that meeting with me and then he decided to leave me sitting there for an hour without any word." Anger, heavy and dark, filled every word that left her mouth. "Then he walked in with his giggling lunch date, and gave her a job."

"Panther," so many words ran through his head. Words of advice about everything but he had an idea they wouldn't help at the moment, "all I can advise is to move on right now. You're not in politics, so you won't have to deal with him that much. You have time to collect yourself before the next encounter. As for the enjoyment of 'playing' with him, as you put it, I have an old friend I want you meet who can help you understand what's happened, and what it all means.

"Ok…" she seemed to collapse internally and he gently placed his arm around giving a small squeeze.

"It's going to be ok. That urge to 'play' is natural, but you need to learn to control it like everything else. It's also why Mathews was so upset during the vid call."

"Romeo? He never said that, and you were eavesdropping!" She glared at him before looking down and asking quietly. "What makes you think that's what made him upset?" she blushed slightly for-while she was a young adult-her naivety came out in moments like this.

"Only because I care… He sees you as a little sister and in doing so he has a natural reaction to want to protect you against unwanted attention. He was upset because he didn't like how people were starting to look at you and he knew you didn't understand how you were beginning to affect them. Mix that with you then telling him to back off and stop being over bearing, well, let's just saying this new training will calm both of you down."

"Alright, I'll meet with her."

"Good, I know Mistress McKella will be delighted to meet you."

"Mistress?" She gave him a very suspicious side glance. "Where are you sending me?"

"Oh, it's nothing terrible. You'll see. Now let's go have lunch before you have to go back to the city."