Chapter Twenty-Seven
A New Perspective

"All right, thanks, Duo," Heero said before ending the call. He was well aware of the disapproving look Relena had been giving him since she sat up in bed, listening to the conversation he had been having with Duo. Which was why he decided to get out of bed and head toward the other side of the bedroom.

"You sent Duo to check on her?"

"I sent him to check on them," Heero corrected her as he walked back towards the bed. "I just want to make sure nothing is going on between them."

"Heero, if something was going on between them, it's none of your business."

"I don't want them getting involved," he said sternly. "It would only complicate matters more than they already are."

"They're adults and they're allowed to do whatever they please," Relena sighed. "But I don't think any kind of relationship in that context is going on between them."

"How do you know?" Heero arched a brow at her.

"From my understanding of what Serena has told me, they're not in any kind of relationship. Trowa's nice to her. He treats her like a person and not some incompetent child," Relena pressed her lips together into a fine line. "Heero, they're friendly towards each other and that's it. Serena has been working hard the last two days. Our conversations haven't been that long. If anything she's stressed about trying to get through all those personnel files."

Heero was well aware of it. Serena had called him earlier in the day to discuss her latest report. So far she'd discovered forty people. Which was too big of a number, even for him. Serena was concerned that if there were more, how would they be able to arrest all of them? She sounded sincere over the fact that she didn't know ROE's reach had extended this far, and that there was still a possibility that there were people she had missed.

It seemed that this Edwards guy, or whoever was in charge, had sent multiple members of the organization to infiltrate Preventers. It wasn't just one location either. All five Colonies had individuals along with all their headquarters on Earth. While what Serena had said didn't sit well with him, Heero tried to reassure her that they'd do whatever it would take to bring them down. But she was still worried. Which made him worry. For once they were both on the same page.

"Maybe you're right," Heero sighed.

"I wouldn't worry about it. Focus on what needs to happen now, and be grateful nothing else has happened," Relena smiled softly at him.

Relena was referring to Watson's attempt on her life. Since then, nothing else had happened which Heero was grateful for. There were no clues that anything else was going to happen, but didn't stop Heero from worrying about her safety.

The media had gotten wind of a vague story about what had happened that day. They were able to make the public believe that the fire alarms had gone off and people did what anyone would do in a situation like that, run. The President had agreed to keep the whole thing under wraps but he wanted to be informed of any new findings related to the case.

Which meant that they had a meeting next week with him. But this time he had pretty much told Une, in the nicest demanding way possible, that Serena needed to be there. Heero knew that Klein had yet to meet Serena. But if he were to be completely honest, he wasn't happy about the prospect of her being there. Serena hadn't come to any other meeting and she hadn't been back to HQ since she left. But once again Une had agreed to allow Serena to come to the meeting.

That unsettled him more.

Heero didn't understand why Une had agreed, especially if they were supposed to be keeping Serena under lock and key. No one, outside of those who already knew her, were supposed to be aware. It was a need-to-know basis and Heero felt that too many people already knew about her. So why bring Serena in for the meeting? She could easily video call in from Trowa's apartment, but Une had informed him that Serena needed to be there in person.

Which only left him with more questions. Why was it so important to have Serena there? What was this meeting going to be about?

As he climbed back into bed, he glanced at Relena as she settled herself back onto her pillows. Maybe he could find out before the meeting took place? And he knew exactly who he could ask to find out for him.

It had been several days since the night Trowa had kissed Serena, and subsequently, the night they almost slept together.

The following morning had been awkward, to say the least. Serena had avoided him by hiding in her room. When Trowa got up, he went out into the kitchen to find that Serena hadn't made any coffee. It wasn't like her, but Trowa had tried to brush it off. He made their coffee, making sure to leave enough for her.

After he had showered and had gotten ready for work, Trowa left his bedroom to once again find the apartment quiet, but when he went to check the coffee pot, he noticed it was empty. Trowa decided to make some more, in hopes that maybe she'd come out to get a second cup, but his idea didn't pan out. Serena stayed in her room, likely waiting for him to leave. Grabbing one of his travel mugs, he poured himself another coffee, once again leaving the rest for her.

Before Trowa left, he walked back into his bedroom, grabbing Serena's bra that she had left on the floor the night before. He placed it on the island and gave the hallway that led to her room one final look before he left.

Work had gone by with no messages or calls from Serena. Trowa had spent the day thinking over everything that had happened and decided that giving Serena some space would be a good idea, and maybe even help him to figure out what to do.

He had come home that night to find Serena in the kitchen, finishing up their dinner. Trowa kept things casual between them and even went as far as to move his seat a little further away from her. Their dinner had been quieter than normal and after they both went their separate ways for the remainder of the evening. Normally they'd spend that time together on the couch talking, or relaxing before bedtime.

The next morning had been a little more normal, Serena was out in the kitchen, coffee already made and she was making some breakfast. Trowa continued to keep his distance and it seemed Serena was doing the same. She didn't speak to him, but she had made sure his travel mug was ready for when he left for work.

When Trowa had returned home for the evening, he found her waiting in the kitchen for him, and to his surprise, Serena had asked how his day was. They had talked a little during dinner and after he was surprised once again when Serena joined him on the couch. Though she sat on the opposite side, with the book she had been reading. Serena had continued to speak with him, even when Trowa decided to head into his room for the night, she had even told him goodnight.

Trowa was confused by the change, but maybe it was a good thing? He planned to keep his distance, but he was grateful she was at least speaking to him again. He was hoping in time, they could discuss the situation and what had happened.

That was until the following day.

Trowa had come out of his room to find Serena in the kitchen, in a set of pajamas he had never seen her wear. The tank top part left little to the imagination and the shorts, he wasn't even sure he could classify them as shorts, showed off her backside. Serena was leaning against the island, coffee cup in hand as she stared at her laptop screen. She paid him no attention as he moved around behind her, getting a mug of java.

It wasn't till he got home that evening that his plan to continue to keep things casual started to undo itself. Serena had gone from keeping her distance to going back to how things were before they had kissed. But it seemed as though Serena was going as far as to flirt more with him.

Trowa had to admit that he was enjoying it. Maybe a little too much, considering everything, but he couldn't help himself. He still wanted her, more than he ever wanted anything else. Everything about her was intoxicating. Even though there was still a fine line he wasn't sure he should cross.

He had stolen a kiss from her and it seemed she had enjoyed it as much as he had till Duo showed up. Then she had quickly shut herself off from him, only to come to his room where he pushed her boundaries, and that had resulted in her running away from him.

The worst part was, that Trowa still didn't know why. But given her more recent flirting, he was starting to wonder if she was truly looking for more. If he tried, would he be overstepping her boundaries again? Was it even worth the risk?

Trowa's thoughts from the previous days faded as a new one came to mind. Standing from the bed, his lips curled up as he headed towards his bedroom door.

There's no reward without risks.

Serena was standing next to the counter pouring a cup of coffee when she caught sight of Trowa out of the corner of her eye. He was walking out of his room and heading towards the kitchen, shirtless.

Serena tried to keep her attention on pouring her coffee as she felt him behind her. She glanced at Trowa's arm as he reached into the cabinet grabbing a cup, brushing against her as he did so. It was the first time since they had kissed that Trowa had made any kind of physical contact with her.

Trowa had spent a few days giving her space, but if she were, to be honest, it was nice for a day or two before Serena realized she wanted things back to the way they were before that night happened.

Serena had spent time thinking things over, trying to understand and come to terms with what she was experiencing. In the end, Serena decided that she needed to explore these new feelings more.

Serena wanted Trowa in a way she had never felt towards anyone else before. In her previous encounters with others, things had been different. They had always been forced upon her. Serena had never willingly, at least not a hundred percent, been a willing participant. But this time was different. She had the choice. The freedom she had was liberating. Scary, but liberating.

Pushing the coffee pot towards him, Serena brought her cup to her lips. Taking a sip she glanced at the rest of his body as Trowa stepped around her. Her eyes went from his torso down to his pajama pants and noticed how low they were sitting around his waist.

Serena knew she should turn away but she kept letting her eyes roam over his body. It was hard not to. She had, after all, been purposely dressing in a way that would gain his attention again.

"You're staring," he said. Serena's eyes darted up to his. Trowa was looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"Hm?"

"Like what you see?" Trowa smirked as he turned his body to face her. Serena shrugged as she started to turn away from him. But she didn't get far when she felt his hand grab her elbow, stopping her. Serena felt Trowa move closer to her.

"I'm going to take a shower if you'd like to join me," he whispered against her ear.

Letting go of her arm, Trowa walked past her and back into his room. Leaving the door open. Slowly Serena's lips curled up into a smile. She was enjoying this.

"Challenge accepted," she said as she brought her cup up to her lips.

In the shower, Trowa knew half of him meant what he had said to Serena. The other half knew that nothing was going to come of it. Even if he wanted her to walk in and join him. Trowa knew his bold move was enough for Serena to know he was catching on to what she had been doing. He was half tempted to kiss her again in the kitchen, but Trowa didn't want to push his luck or rush things.

As Trowa finished lathering himself up, his mind wandered to what they would have done if Serena had taken him up on his offer. He imagined it would've taken much longer to shower, though if he were being honest, that wouldn't have been an issue at all.

Quickly, Trowa tried to dispel the thoughts. He knew he needed to get ready and head off to work soon. Once he was done rinsing off, he shut off the shower. When he opened the glass shower door, greeting him was a hand holding a towel out.

"Guess I missed my invitation," Serena said as she moved to stand in front of him. It didn't take him long to notice that she was completely naked. "You want this?" She asked, still holding the towel in her hand.

Instead of taking the towel from her, he grabbed her wrist pulling her towards him. The towel became the only barrier separating them.

"You're playing with fire," he said in a low voice.

"Good thing I know how to scream," Serena smirked at him as she dropped the towel. Pulling her arm out of his grasp, she lowered her hand in between them, her fingers grazing him lightly before she turned away.

His eyes followed her as she headed towards the bathroom door, Serena stopped, glancing over her shoulder at him.

"Better get ready for work, Barton," she said before shutting the door behind her.

Trowa rushed to get dressed after Serena's little visit. His desire for her had grown and along with that came the need to relieve the tension that was building inside of him. It didn't help any when she ever-so-kindly rubbed her hand over him. Not to mention the lingering image of her naked body standing before him. He knew those thoughts were going to torture him all day.

Trowa sighed as he buttoned his pants, knowing he was going to be late for work. Grabbing his jacket, he left his room only to find Serena standing in the kitchen. In nothing but a robe that barely covered her.

"You're going to be late," Serena said, picking up the travel mug that was on the island. The robe fell from her shoulder as she turned to face him.

Putting his jacket on, Trowa walked over to Serena. Taking the mug from her hand and set it back down on the island. Her eyes questioned him as he placed both of his hands on either side of her, pinning her in place against the countertop.

"I wonder why?" He asked in a low voice as he leaned closer to her. "It wouldn't be because someone was making it very difficult for me to get ready on time?"

"I could truly make you late."

"How so?" Trowa asked, tilting his head to the side as he brought his mouth closer to hers. Serena's eyes fluttered close as his lips ghosted over hers.

"By giving you what you want," Serena whispered.

Trowa pulled away from her abruptly. Grabbing his travel mug of java, he turned away from her. Walking towards the door Trowa stopped to quickly put his boots on and grab his keys. Glancing over his shoulder, Trowa saw Serena staring at him. Her face was masked but he let a small smirk show on his face.

"I'll see you later," Trowa said before he opened the door. This is going to be fun. He thought to himself.

It was early afternoon and Serena had been steadily working on her second assignment. She decided to take a break from going through the personnel files manually. Instead, opting to use a program she created to help expedite the search.

Serena discovered a pattern within the people she had already found. She knew she'd probably miss some, but was hoping that maybe they'd get scared off after hearing of the arrests and leave the agency to save themselves.

While it wasn't the ideal solution, so long as Preventer apprehended as many members as possible, the few that might get away would hopefully not return to ROE.

The program she had designed was currently looking at when someone was hired, what their work status was prior, and if they had fought in the wars.

While most of the people had changed their names, Serena was able to see that most were honest with their background and when they were hired.

Four years ago was the target goal.

The forty she had found so far had all been hired within that four-year time frame, which made sense. Most recently more had come in over the past two years. The two years ROE had spent rapidly putting their plan into action.

All of it made sense. Her training had changed and along with what missions she was sent on had changed. Serena had spent less and less time at what was once called their headquarters.

They had moved her to a resource satellite along with J and a few engineers to finish the completion of the cockpit. That was when she was left in the dark about any further plans. Any time Serena tried to gather information, she had been pushed aside and reminded of her place within the organization.

A shudder ran through Serena's body as she remembered one occasion that had occurred. Serena hated the fact that she remembered some things. But she also knew that remembering these details, regardless of how brutal they were, meant that she still held onto some critical information.

As Serena was working away on her laptop her phone buzzed next to her on the island top. Checking the time to make sure she wasn't late for check-in, she realized it was only two-thirty. Looking down at her phone she saw a text from Trowa.

Opening the message she read through it before setting her phone back down. Serena had completely forgotten about what had happened that morning. Once Trowa left for work, she had dived right into her work. Trying to push aside any of the thoughts she had about him.

Trowa had been bold, and she couldn't deny that it was a turn-on. Serena had never met anyone like him. When he left her that morning, her desire for him only grew. Serena thought she had the upper hand till he stopped short of kissing her. It was probably for the best as she would've given in, letting him have his way with her.

Serena stopped typing as she realized what she had thought about. Serena knew she was pushing it with Trowa. Her actions were only teasing him further and it was only a matter of time before one of them gave in. But wasn't that what she wanted? To give in completely to her wants and needs?

It still scared Serena that she was thinking this way. It was uncharted territory for her, never having been in this position before where she could decide on her own how to proceed with things. Especially with how she perceived Trowa.

Serena's phone buzzed again, breaking her through her thoughts. Glancing at the screen, she saw a second message from Trowa. It seemed as though he was having difficulty focusing on his work as she read the message.

Her lips curled up as she finally sent him a message back.

Heero finally stepped out of Relena's office for the first time since they had arrived that morning.

She had been going crazy wanting to make a phone call all morning. But unfortunately making that call when Heero was around wasn't possible.

Relena had begged him to get her a coffee from the cafe next door. Heero had asked why she couldn't just get one from the cafeteria, but she had been quick to remind him of how much she loved the cafe mocha they made. After a few minutes of going back and forth, she finally got him to agree to leave.

Once Heero left, locking the door behind him, Relena quickly picked up her phone. Locating the number she wanted, she pressed the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Serena. How are you?" Relena smiled to herself.

"I'm fine. Is everything okay? Do you need something?"

Relena laughed lightly, "Everything is fine. I just wanted to talk to you about something."

Every time they spoke, Serena would always ask if everything was fine or if she needed something. Serena was so much like Heero. Which was why Relena was calling her.

"What is it?"

"Well..." Relena trailed off for a moment. "Heero and I were talking last night because our anniversary is tomorrow and… well marriage and children came up," Relena paused thinking over her words. "He said maybe down the line, but not now."

Serena had become her confidant in some ways. Whenever they spoke, they talked about anything and everything.

"Okay… and you're questioning this, why?" Relena could tell that Serena was confused by the tone of her voice. Taking a chance…

"Serena, have you ever been in love?"

"No," Serena said after a long pause.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know that and I just thought maybe because you know Heero so well, you could perhaps help me figure this out," Relena quickly said.

"It's alright… I'm probably not the best person for this conversation. But what I can tell you is that I don't recommend asking Duo."

"Maybe, but he's not that bad. I'm guessing Duo's tried to give you some of his advice?" Relena chuckled.

"Yup, sure has," Serena said, causing Relena to laugh more. "If you want my advice…" Serena sighed as she paused. "I don't know what love is. I don't know how it's supposed to feel, but Heero has always felt something for you. A feeling he can't explain. Something that pulls him to you. It's the need or want to be with you. Maybe he knows what that feeling is now."

Relena held her breath as she listened to Serena speak.

"Zero had once shown him numerous outcomes of his future. What sort of life may be beyond the battlefield. Both good and bad. I believe he chose the right path. The one with a future worth fighting for. One worth living for. He chose the path that showed you in his life. The one that leads to what could be described as happiness. If Heero said down the line, then I would believe him, Relena. He may not always express himself fully but that's just who he is. It doesn't mean he doesn't think about these things or wishes for them. He's human. And I know deep down… this is the life he wants. A life with you."

Relena thought she would cry at any moment. Serena's words were spoken so softly and so passionately.

"How do you know all this?" Relena asked.

"First, please don't ever tell him I told you this. Second, I've spent more time trying to understand the person I was created from than I care to truly admit. Heero can be… rough around the edges, but you know him better than I do. Relena… I wouldn't worry. I wouldn't pressure him either, it could drive him away. He's living a life he never thought he would have. You need to understand that anyone in his position might be frightened. All of this is new to Heero. Just give him time. Besides, you're only twenty-three. There's no need to rush. You have all the time in the world."

Relena smiled to herself as she thanked Serena for helping her. After ending the call, Relena sat back in her chair, replaying the conversation over.

"You have all the time in the world."

Those words echoed in Relena's head. Maybe Serena was right. They were still young. Even if they had lived for almost a lifetime already.

Relena's smile widened when Heero walked back into her office. He offered her a small smile in return as he walked over to her with her mocha. Relena thanked him and was surprised when Heero bent down, brushing a soft kiss on her lips before moving to sit down in front of his laptop again.

Relena watched him for a few moments as he returned to his work. Relena knew she needed to do the same. Serena's words were still lingering in her mind. Serena had shared something special with her. A true glimpse into who Heero Yuy was. And for that, Relena was grateful.

Grateful for the opportunity and grateful for the bond she now truly shared with Serena.

A/N

Happy Wednesday! (I didn't know how long this chapter was till I uploaded it. I'm not sorry, just enjoy these longer ones... there are more to come.)

This chapter starts out with the real reason Duo went to pay Trowa and Serena a visit. Heero isn't stupid, he knows something is going on. But what I honestly want to talk about is the shower scene. I couldn't let go of it from the original version, so I decided to change it up a little. OR a lot if you remember the first version. The dialogue makes me die every time I read it. The other day I was laughing so hard at my own bad jokes, but those two lines hands down are some of my favorite from this story. I hope you can appreciate those lines and how they mean so many different things.

After, you get to learn what Serena has been up to. While she has been working very hard at finding members of ROE, she's also been busy redesigning Heavyarms. For what reason? Honestly... cause she can and why wouldn't she? Then the chapter ends with Relena and Serena having a lovely bonding moment. The point wasn't just Relena learning some things about Heero, but also you the reader learning a little more about how Serena has viewed Heero's perspective while she was training with J. Serena doesn't fully understand some things, on a personal level, she does understand Heero on a deeper level because she had access to the ZERO system. She's just horrible at expressing herself, even though she will continue to try to express herself to Heero. I will say she learned a bad habit from him, but Serena has never really had anyone other than J to speak to about how she was feeling or thinking. I'm getting ahead of myself here. That's chapters away.

I will see you all on Friday!

-MM