[A.N.] Here is the next chapter. As we get nearer to the end of this story I hope you are enjoying the journey. Enjoy!

~Vixen


Constance smiled as she made her way through the house taking stock of the various improvements being made. Thiana had left a detailed floor plan involving all the repairs and changes that needed to be done in the remodel. Having taken charge of everything in Thiana's absence she had taken it upon herself to improve as many aspects of the daily lives of the villas inhabitants as possible starting with the overall activities and extending to the diet. After seeing Serene's habits of television, work-outs and junk food she had taken it upon herself to change the young girl's diet in a positive way. Within hours she had hidden all the snack cakes, thrown out the junk food and sweets and relocated all of the meats and cheeses. She decided it was time to start everyone on a healthier, more beneficial vegan diet.

She smiled as she remembered the first time Serene came into the room and asked where her usual array of snacks were She merely handed her a carrot stick and smiled.

"If you're hungry, have a carrot." The girl had wrinkled her nose in disgust and walked away.

This little war continued for a few days. The first night Constance had placed a fully vegan meal on the table Serene had poked at it with her fork and asked where the meat was. She merely smiled and told the girl that almoast all the necessary vitamins and minerals used in a proper diet can be found within a fully herbivorous diet. Serene had groaned and pushed her plate away and refused to eat but after a few days of coaxing and hours of hearing her own stomach growl Serene had finally settled down and consumed every morsel of food on her plate. She still felt the pride from her achievement. Yes, she had them all on a strict diet. The child had needed to learn portion control and the definition of a balanced diet. It wasn't that Thiana didn't feed Serene fruits and vegetables, it was more that the two girl seemed to have a fondness for proteins that came from their fast metabolisms, something Constance did understand given their background.

Nevertheless, she kept Serene on a regular schedule involving work-outs, dance lessons and play time with the kids. Tommy and Amy enjoyed their time with Serene, something that seemed to be mutual. She had started the play times as an exercise in tenderness and human interaction, something she'd known that, from previous experience with Thiana, was needed. Serene had taken rather well to the younger children despite the age gap. She smiled at the memory of Tommy calling Serene sissy. It had almost brought tears to her eyes as Serene scooped the boy up and hugged him, smiling. Yes, those play times were most beneficial in more than one way.

It would be time to being her next lesson soon. They had started Serene on ballet almost as soon as they'd been permitted to teach her. She had an uncanny knack for it that surpassed maybe even Thiana's, but only in the area of technique. Serene's form and execution was perfect but she lacked the spirit and passion that Thiana had always shown. Despite all the instruction in the world such passion was something that had to be found, not taught. She sighed and began making her way to find her young pupil hoping that maybe today would be that day when she'd make that discovery.


Serene clicked on the television and sat down on the plush sofa. She had just finished another enjoyable play time with Tommy and Amy. At first she had been hesitant being around other children, especially ones so much smaller and younger than her. She still didn't really know her own strength so she monitored her every move just to be sure she didn't accidentally hurt them. The two children however had become almost like siblings to her and helping them with their lessons was now one of her favorite times of the day. She had always wanted siblings and playing with them often made her think about the two she did have. She couldn't help but wonder what it might have been like if things had been different. If they'd all grown up together, her, Milliardo and Relena, playing and laughing together, would this have been how it was? Given the fact that she was from a different mother she highly doubted it. Still, it was nice to imagine. That brought to mind the greatest question she had. What would they do if they did find out about her? Would they be happy? Angry? Would they accept her. Part of her wanted to know but the other part of her didn't what if they rejected her? She'd handled a lot of hard things but the thought of them turning her away hurt more than she wanted to admit even to herself.

She grabbed one of the throw pillows and snuggled into it, turning her attention back to the television. She had snuck away while Constance was putting the kids down for a nap. Unfortunately for her, however, with the remote missing and the buttons taped she could do little else but watch the news. Tampering with the tape would leave evidence even she could not quickly erase and so broadcast after broadcast from various new anchors stated the condition of the UESN and the movements of popular diplomats, her sister being one of them.

It was so weird seeing Relena taking care of the issues that men three times her age seemed either too incompetent or merely unwilling to handle. It seemed so unfair, but then, life hadn't been fair to any of them. If anything, life had been more than cruel. She frowned as she remembered Thiana pouring over various reports and warnings from her data base spending all of her time trying to resolve all the world's little problems. It wasn't her job. There comes a time for everyone where they must finally step back and let people hand things on their own. Kit-Kat just never seemed to be able to do that.

The last time she had had enough time to watch the new an emergency bulletin had flashed on the screen showing footage of a bomb detonating on one of the colonies where a small peace conference was occurring. She had sat up straight on and stared, studying the footage closely, trying to catch and important details. Relena and Quatre were supposed to be there. She had been snooping into Kit-Kat warning system and listening to the radio broadcasts to follow up on this news. At the last minute Relena's presence had been requested elsewhere but Quatre had still been needed, making this news very disturbing. It was possible the bomb had been meant for the two of them or it could have been just to disrupt the conference. Whatever the cause the damage would be catastrophic. Her one comfort was knowing that Kit-Kat was on that very colony. Her friend had an uncanny sense of danger and most likely prevented any hard from coming to the blond Gundam pilot. She had started to get worried however, when relena was reported to have been missing for days. She may not have never met her but there was a natural concern that developed from the desire to one day actually meet her face to face. Something that might still yet happen given the fact that both Relena and Quatre returned from the situation unharmed and resumed their places in keeping the order of things in check. Just as she was beginning to get comfy, the television clicked off. She turned to see Constance standing in the doorframe scowling and tapping her foot.

"Time for your lesson." She said, with her brow raised. It was times like this that her teacher scared her more than Kit-Kat ever could.

Serene jumped up and smiled nervously, knowing she'd been caught. She loved her dance lessons and ballet was exciting. Ballet was new to her. As Dekim's substitute for Relena she had been taught all sorts of courtly dances from the waltz to the tango but he'd never found ballet to useful enough to have her learn it.

She reached the studio and quickly changed into her leotard, tights and shoes and then took her position for her routine. As they played the music she began to dance executing each move with the precision and skill required for such a dignified style. Each posture, gesture and position we as precise as she could possibly make it. Her form and movement was as poised and graceful as any ballerina that ever lived. It never took her long to catch on. Being raised as a soldier taught her that the faster you picked pick something up the greater your chances for survival would be. Trained to have almost a photographic memory, something Kit-Kat actually had, it was fairly easy to see things once or twice and then mimic them with almost perfect accuracy. Constance and Daniel, who had, in effect, become a surrogate aunt and uncle, even almost another pair of parents, had been working patiently with her to help perfect the various different dances she already knew. Ballet, however, was one of the most enjoyable.

"Very good Serene." He said as she neared the end of her routine. "Now finish the routine. Last few maneuvers." As she did her last pirouette she took her final pose. "And… done!" She finished and looked at them, smirking.

"What's the smirk for?"

"I did it."

"Yes, you did. Now do it again." Serene stared at him in disbelief.

"What? You said if I did it perfectly that time I could move on."

"Yes, but that wasn't perfect."

"I don't understand. I executed every maneuver with perfect accuracy. I followed the routine move for move."

"Yes you did, and we are both very proud of you for doing so, but you are still not understanding the true meaning of a perfect dance."

"But I've followed every instruction."

"Yes you have, but there's more to it than mere execution. Do you remember that I told you to embrace the soul of the dance?" He had although she hadn't known what he'd meant. She nodded. "When you dance for the sake of precision and technique the dance will be entertaining at the very least but something will be missing. When you dance for the soul of the dance, however, you breathe life into it and tell a story only you can find within yourself. And that, my little seedling, is why dancing has in fact survived these many years."

"I don't understand." She didn't. Dances weren't alive. They couldn't have souls. How could she dance for something that did not exist?

"Think of it like a heartbeat. Feel the pulse of it and let it drive you forward. Move with the dance and not against it. You will learn in time. Constance shall dance the same routine and then we will do the partnered version of it." Constance stepped forward and took the stance. Serene watched her carefully trying to spot any move she might have missed; a posture, a gesture. Something was different about the way Constance danced it. It was beautiful, captivating. Serene found herself unable to look away. For a moment she forgot to study the details and let herself enjoy the dance. Maybe that was the trick. Constance was doing something to make people want to watch her. Her body flowed in a certain way that made Serene begin to really think about how the dance really worked. Was that the soul of the dance?

As Constance made the final few maneuvers finishing with perfect form Serene found herself intrigued. Discovering that secret, the soul of the dance was now her new mission. It was very rare that she let herself consider anything a mission but this was the exception. She had to master this, to find the missing technique, no matter what.

If Constance's dance was perfection, than their duet was a stage above that. As Constance and Daniel partnered off and began their dance she found herself mesmerized. What was it they were doing that set them apart? The way they moved was perfectly synchronized. Every move of his hand was echoed by Constance's own. Their bodies moved with finesse and a symmetry that she had never even imagined existed. She wanted that, to look the way they looked, to find whatever it was that fueled their dance and brought it to life. When their dance ended, he leaned forward and gently kissed Constance, something Serene was not really familiar with. She'd seen kissing in the movies, she'd watched but never really understood what the point of it was.

Now, looking at Constance and Daniel she felt an ache inside her chest and the flash of a memory of a young boy with intense green eyes, one obscured from view by his abnormally long bangs, came to her mind. It seemed like a whole other lifetime ago that she saved him that day and seeing him again on board Peacemillion had made the memory fresh enough that it made sense that it might resurface... but why now? She heard in her mind a conversation lost in another place at another time:

"Um… Serene… what's a kiss?"

"What? You don't know what a kiss is?" Serene found herself dumbfounded. How could Kit-Kat not know what a kiss was.

"Nope."

"A kiss is where a mommy or daddy or a man or woman press their lips together or to like your forehead or cheek. My mommy used to kiss me on the cheek. Like this." Serene demonstrates on her hand.

"You mean she did that to the Prince? Gross." Kit-Kat's look of disgust made Serene giggle.

"It's not gross. It's sweet."

"Nuh-uh. Boys are gross."

"Yeah, but he wasn't a boy. He was her prince, so that makes it different, see?"

"It's still gross. I'll never kiss a boy. That's for sure."

"Me neither." The two girls giggled in unison…

She mentally shook herself. Why all of this came to her mind now was beyond her but it was time to focus on her dance. When they stepped aside and motioned for her to take her stance she did so. As the mournful, longing sound of the ballad from Swan Lake began to flow through the room she found that her body began to move almost of its own accord, the picture of those green eyes still in her mind. At the end of her routine she felt more drained than she ever had. Daniel and Constance began to applaud. She was only half aware as they both gathered her into a group hug.

"Well done, seedling, well done." At that moment she felt, for the first time in her life, like she'd done something worthwhile.


Treize sat peacefully in the study, a glass of chardonnay to his right as he read his book in the soft lighting. The remodel of the villa made it rather noisy during the day and he found his evening read to be the most pleasant way to relax. Thiana was paying top dollar to not only repair the damage but to add on for the sake of their "growing family." With Constance, Daniel and their two young ones in the house it made things rather cramped. Speaking of cramped he looked up out of the corner of his eye to see Serene enter the room rather sullenly. She took a seat on the loveseat across from him, silently, leaning her head on her arm on the side. She was troubled by something. She sighed.

"Is something bothering you?" He asked, turning a page in his book. He watched her for a moment, waiting for her reply but when none was given he turned back to his book.

"Well I…" he put his book down and looked at her, ready to listen or offer his advice as needed.

"Yes?"

"Nevermind." He sighed.

"Very well then." He picked up his glass of wine and raised it to his lips to take a drink but paused as she spoke again.

"It's just…" She stopped again and he couldn't tell if it was embarrassment or uncertainty. Still, he waited again, putting down his glass and staring at her.

"Yes?"

"Forget it."

"Of course." He opened his book again to return to his place when she interrupted him yet again.

"It's just that I've been thinking about something."

"Really?" He smirked as he placed the book down. "I couldn't tell." He motioned for her to come closer and she did, taking a seat on the footstool of his chair. "Tell me."

"Well, this morning I was at my dance lesson with Constance and Daniel and they kept saying that it wasn't perfect even though I was doing each move correctly."

"That sounds like something they would say." He didn't know how he knew that. He just did. The words seemed very familiar to him. "Is that what's been bothering you?"

"Well, no. Not exactly." She began to fiddle with her fingers, a nervous tick she'd picked up during the time that he'd known her. This wasn't normal behavior for her. He knew what she'd been through and the fidgeting she'd recently picked up was that of a nervous young teen rather than that of a trained soldier. He smiled softly.

"Well then, please continue." He crossed his legs and leaned forward to brace himself for whatever she said. Something told him he was going to have a bomb dropped on him.

"Well you see…" She fidgeted with her hand again. "Constance and Daniel wanted to show me how to really dance, to find the soul of it, so she danced alone and then they dance together and it was so beautiful and then at the end he kissed her and…" She paused and looked up at him, a small blush tingeing her cheeks, another behavior she didn't usually exhibit. "It made me wonder…"

"Wonder what? You can tell me anything."

"What is it like to be kissed?" Treize stopped, completely surprised as she blurted out her question. He shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat. She could have asked Constance or Daniel yet she chose him, a fact that was as touching as it was scary. He smiled and reached over, poured himself some more chardonnay and took a long drink. He had a feeling he'd need it.

"Well, I still don't remember much about my past, but I do remember that kissing someone can be a very enjoyable experience, especially if it is with someone you care about."

"Really? I always thought it might be gross."

"How so?"

"I don't know. Boys are…well…."

"Yes?"

"Well… I used to think that boys were gross."

"I see, and you don't now?"

"Well… it's weird…" He put his glass down and waited. "There's this boy… I met him a long time ago but I saw him again and he… well… I've been thinking about him. Is that weird?" His mind began to roam over the possible incidents where she might have met a boy, instantly feeling protective. Little Serene had her first crush. He smiled gently.

"No, my little fox cub. It's actually quite normal at your age. Every girl gets at least one crush in her young life. Any chance you might share with me who this boy is?" Her face got really red and she looked away. "Alright, very well, you don't have to tell me. I'm here if you want to though." And he hoped she would. It bothered him more than he thought it would that some strange boy might be sneaking to the villa and romancing the young girl. His thoughts were interrupted as Constance called for Serene, breaking them out of that uncomfortable moment. Serene rose to respond but stopped and turned back to him, smiling softly.

"Thanks, Treize." As she left the room he released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as a big sigh. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his hand down his face. That had been hard but not as hard as he'd imagined. Why was all of this so familiar? The Talk about boys? The conversation about Constance and Daniel? Something seemed so familiar but he just couldn't place it. Who was he? His lack of knowledge of his past was bothering him more with each day. He could feel them, the memories, but they were all just out of his reach. He got a flash of a young girl with unruly brown hair and black-blue eyes twirling in a white dress. He heard her laugh and saw her cry. Visions of roses and military emblems crashed through his mind all at once. He stood and stumbled to the door, horribly disoriented. Serene came around the corner just then and stopped as his eyes locked with her hers. Blue eyes, ice blue, so familiar from another time and place… another face… As she reached him, he fell mumbling the first name that came to his mind.

"Panther…"After that, he vaguely felt her hold to support him as his world went black.


Serene rounded the corner to tell Treize that dinner was ready. She did feel better after having talked to him about things. Having never known her father and the only real men in her life had been the doctors, the soldiers, and Dekim. Treize's advice and guidance was appreciated more than she could ever express. Before meeting Daniel and Treize she had felt that all men were cold and crude and manipulative. Having them in her life opened her eyes to what men could be, especially seeing how Daniel treated Constance and his children. She realized as time when on that she had something she always wanted, something she'd been missing; a family. It was a weird feeling and one that she hadn't had since she and Boy and Kit-Kat were together so long ago. She smiled at the thought but the expression didn't last as she rounded the corner. Treize was leaning on the door frame, his hand on his head, groaning in pain. She ran to him and grabbed him as he fell, unsure what to do.

"Panther…" he gasped before he passed out in her arms. She screamed for Constance, or Daniel, anyone who could help her. She could carry him easily by herself, but unsure of what exactly was happening she didn't want to move him. As help arrived she grabbed the phone and sent an urgent message to the only person she knew could truly help him. Three little words she knew would reach her no matter where she was.

GET HOME NOW

As the message sent she said a quiet prayer to whatever deity may be above if there was one at all, to make everything would turn out alright.