Chapter Thirty-Seven
Pre-Meeting Jitters

The weekend had gone by uneventfully for the most part. Trowa had spent Saturday morning moving things around his room so Serena could move her clothes and other personal items in. While she understood why Trowa wanted her to feel more comfortable with their new living arrangements, Serena felt anything but. It wasn't her first time living with someone but this was different. Everything about them and what they were doing was different. Serena had never been in a potion like this before. The relationship, if she could call it that, wasn't forced on her. Serena had willingly agreed to it. She had even agreed to share Trowa's room with him.

Which still made Serena apprehensive, even when Trowa helped to bring things from her room into his. While Serena didn't have much, it was the fact that she was putting her clothes into Trowa's dresser, hanging a few dresses in the closet, as well as placing a few pairs of shoes in there, and putting her personal care products in his bathroom. The reality was starting to set in and it made Serena feel conflicted about everything.

Why was she doing this in the first place? What was the reason for any of it?

Trowa smiled at her once they had finished. His eyes shone with contentment even when she had only offered him a small smile in return. Serena wasn't sure if her uneasiness was due in part to the fact she was uncertain where things were going between them or if she was even going to stick around in the end. It didn't help that Monday's meeting was fast approaching and Serena knew she needed to decide on whether or not to inform Trowa regarding the real reason for the meeting.

Then again, maybe it was a little of everything that was causing her distress.

Sunday night Serena felt even more restless. The meeting was the following morning and she had yet to divulge anything to Trowa about it. After dinner, Serena cleaned up the kitchen and went to busy herself doing laundry. Trowa must've picked up on her uneasiness when he came into the bedroom where she was putting their clothes away.

"Care to tell me what's on your mind?" Trowa asked.

"What do you mean?" Serena continued to move between the bed and dresser. Trying not to look at him.

"Something's been bothering you. Yesterday and today you haven't stopped moving around the apartment." Serena stopped next to the bed looking at him. His arms were crossed over his chest while he leaned against the door frame to the room.

"Trowa," Serena started cautiously. "About tomorrow's meeting…" she trailed off.

"What about it?"

"You should have a seat," Serena sighed while motioning toward the bed. She knew she wasn't going to get out of that easy and maybe now was the best time to show him.

Trowa lifted his brow as he uncrossed his arms. Serena kept her face masked as Trowa made his way to the bed. Serena could feel his eyes on her when she went over to the dresser, grabbing his laptop before returning to sit down next to him. Opening the screen, Serena's fingers started moving furiously over the keys.

"You've hacked into my laptop?" Trowa asked. Serena nodded her head. Never meeting his gaze.

"I needed to work on something, and it needed to be untraceable."

"Serena, what do you mean by untraceable?" Serena bit her lip as she turned her head to look at Trowa. His face was masked, but his eyes were questioning her.

"I told you that I'm not who you think I am," Serena said, turning away from him.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Trowa… I…" frowning, Serena tried again. "I drew up the blueprints for my Gundam." Serena glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Trowa's eyes had gone wide so she quickly continued. "Une asked me if I could do it. Along with the blueprints on the Mobile Dolls. She's going to be showing them tomorrow at the meeting."

"Serena… I thought there weren't any?"

"I designed my Gundam... J may have built them in the past but I hold the blueprints… for all of them. I... I'm also capable of rebuilding them..." Serena sighed again as she trailed off. "I also recreated Heavyarms."

"You what!?" Trowa's voice rose slightly.

"Trowa, I told you I'm not who you think I am," Serena shook her head. "I have all of them memorized, down to every detail."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"This is all new for me. I'm not following orders. I'm free to make my own decisions. Opening up isn't natural for me. That and Une asked me to keep this a secret. She didn't want anyone knowing." Serena turned away from him. She didn't want to continue to see the shocked and confused look on his face.

"When?" Trowa asked, bringing her attention back to him.

"My first night here... when you went to take a shower, I called Une. She knew I wasn't entirely forthcoming during my interrogation. We agreed to keep this quiet. Till now…" Serena closed her eyes. "Everything will be explained tomorrow."

A moment passed by without a word from Trowa. Then Serena felt his fingers touch her chin lightly, turning her head towards him. Slowly Serena opened her eyes. Trowa was staring right at her.

"You recreated Heavyarms?" He asked. Serena nodded her head. Trowa's face was masked but his voice held a hint of curiosity.

"I can show you." Serena turned to the laptop. Hitting a few keys she brought up a folder. Opening it, Serena handed the laptop over to him. "This is the design I came up with based on the last update you did… before you destroyed it."

Trowa looked through all the drawings of Heavyarms along with the notes on the redesign Serena had come up with. Every detail was laid out in front of him. Every little change Serena had made even the reason as to why she changed things. Including the weapons.

Serena had kept the machine cannons that were located on the collarbone of the suit, along with the Vulcan guns that were located in the head of Heavryarms. While Vulcan guns didn't do any real damage to a mobile suit, they still provided enough power to take out smaller moving targets such as missiles and small vehicles. As well as restrict enemy movement, even if momentarily.

The homing missiles, while they did add more weight to the suit, were ideal for Heavyarms. The last upgrade Trowa did was done to allow for a total of forty-forty to be stored in the front skirts and the missile pods located on the legs. Along with the fifty-two micro missiles that were stored in the shoulders and side shirts as well. All of which Serena had kept in her design.

One of the changes Trowa noticed that Serena made was to the double-barrel beam Gatling guns. Her notes stated that she knew during the war, Heavyarms only had one which was mounted to the left arm. While Serena liked the concept, she knew the upgraded dual handheld ones worked better and the results were desirable. But Serena had changed them to be mounted with a quick-release feature for when ammunition was depleted. Trowa found the idea interesting. It wasn't something he had thought of before and as he continued to read her notes, Trowa understood why Serena did this.

Serena wanted to make it easier for him to control them without losing the effect the dual barrel beam guns provided. Having them mounted meant Trowa could focus more on the targets themselves rather than concentrating on the need to keep a steady hold on the controls. Trowa knew Serena wasn't doubting his abilities as a pilot, considering he preferred the left arm to be heavier than the right. All of which Serena had factored into her design. While both arms on the suit needed to be equal weight distribution-wise, Serena had made sure to note that the left arm should always be calculated to a heavier weight.

Trowa was blown away. Serena knew what she was doing, even down to how she needed to rework some of Heavyarms programs to allow him to pilot the suit the way she was intending it to be piloted. There were certain features Trowa loved about Heavyarms, all of which Serena kept. But there was one other thing that was throwing him off.

Two beam sabers were added to hidden compartments on each arm.

Trowa had gotten rid of the army knife that was once his melee weapon. It wasn't effective and its lack of sufficient reach only allowed enemies to get too close to him and thus potentially win when it came to hand-to-hand combat. This was one of the reasons Trowa had discarded the knife and choose to add more firepower to his suit. It wasn't that Trowa was bad at hand-to-hand, he just preferred long-range attacks.

Trowa was trying to understand Serena's reasoning for the two beam sabers, which did make some sense to him. In a worst-case scenario, he could continue to fight even when Heavyarms main weapons were no longer an option. But it wasn't until Trowa read the last note Serena had on the weapons detail page that he fully understood.

Always have a hidden backup weapon.

After Trowa was done looking at everything, he turned his head to Serena. Her eyes were downcast, staring at her hands. She had a sullen look on her face and Trowa wondered if Serena was nervous to find out his reaction.

"Serena," Trowa said. Slowly she brought her eyes up to meet his. "This is incredible."

"What?" Serena's eyes grew wide.

"Your understanding of Heavyarms is impressive." Smiling, Trowa turned back to the screen. "These adjustments are perfect for the suit itself. Not to mention for me. If you had been there when I did the last upgrade I would've let you do everything you have written here."

"You like my design?"

"Yes," Trowa said. "Your calculations on the weight distribution are perfect. And this quick release," Trowa said, pointing to the mounted double Gatling guns on the screen. "This would allow me to fight hand to hand if the situation ever arose. Everything is well thought out and compliments the suit for how it was originally designed." Trowa continued to smile as he looked over everything again.

"Do you want to see mine?" Serena asked after a few minutes of silence. Trowa turned his head sharply to her. There was the smallest hint of a smile on her face.

"Yes," Trowa said, handing the laptop back over to her. Serena quickly pulled up another folder. "It looks like the Wing Zero," he said, slightly confused. Trowa wasn't sure what to make of her suit. Serena laughed lightly next to him.

"Kind of. Heero had a theory and I put that theory to the test. If he had more time I'm sure he would've been able to accomplish the same," Serena said as she leaned against his shoulder, resting her head.

"What do you mean?" Trowa looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"Click to the next screen," Serena said. Trowa did as he was told. "See the wings? Heero had adapted them to add more speed and agility to the suit."

"Yes, I remember him doing that."

"I took it a step further. The thrusters are more powerful than they were before. And, you see here," Serena pointed to a section on the screen with some of her notes. "The feathers themselves serve more than one purpose. Speed is necessary but I've enhanced their strength. I can use them to better protect myself against missiles and when entering Earth's atmosphere. I also added cartridges to them."

"Cartridges?"

"Exploding ones," Serena smiled brightly at Trowa as she turned her head up towards him. "I can pretty much bomb anything just by flying over it."

"So you're like Duo in the never-ending quest to blow shit up?" Trowa lifted a brow at her. A smile tugged at his lips as Serena erupted into laughter.

"I've been known to blow up a thing or two," Serena said after she calmed herself. Trowa could only shake his head as a sense of familiarity passed through him.

"Clever," he said. "What else can you tell me?"

The two had spent the better part of an hour discussing Serena's design of her suit along with what she had come up with for everyone else's. Trowa was not only fascinated by Serena's creativity but also her knowledge when it came to the Gundams themselves. Serena's understanding and view of how a Gundam should perform was something he couldn't question. Even her understanding of the ZERO system surpassed his own.

Serena had admitted that she had the program installed in her suit and had been training with it since day one. But the one thing that hadn't gone unnoticed by Trowa was the pride Serena had shown for her work. It was obvious that Serena had spent a great deal of time learning, whether it was from training or simply for pleasure, Serena had worked hard to understand the information.

Trowa had moved to lay on one of his arms when Serena closed down the laptop.

"I hope you're not mad at me. I didn't go through anything on your hard drive," Serena said.

"I'm not mad," Trowa said. Serena swung her head around to face him.

"You're not?"

"No," Trowa shook his head. "I understand why you did it. I also appreciate you telling me."

"You took it better than I expected," Serena confessed with a small smile. Trowa laughed as he sat up.

"I'm not going to lie, I was taken aback at first. I wasn't expecting you to tell me you were capable of something like this." Reaching a hand up to her face, Trowa rubbed his thumb against her lower lip. "You truly are incredible, Serena."

"That remains to be seen," Serena said.

"I think you are." Leaning down, Trowa brushed his lips against her in a gentle kiss. "We should probably go to bed, can't miss the meeting tomorrow."

"Don't remind me," Serena groaned as she fell backward onto the bed. Trowa chuckled as he moved his laptop back to the dresser before making his way back to the bed.

"Everything will be fine," Trowa said as he crawled on top of her. Serena adjusted herself, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"We'll find out won't we?" The corners of her mouth curled up.

"Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?"

"No, other than I can't contain my excitement for tomorrow."

"Excitement can be contagious," Trowa smirked.

"Oh really now?" Serena's eyes sparkled up at Trowa as he lowered his head to capture her lips again.

The next morning Serena had returned to being quiet again. She barely made any eye contact with him and any time Trowa tried to engage in some kind of conversation with her, Serena would mutter something before walking away from him. Even when they showered Serena had kept to herself. Which wasn't normal.

Trowa had thought after the previous night everything was fine. Serena had been content with the fact he wasn't upset with her. It wasn't like it was the first time someone had kept information from him. It came with the territory of the job. Une had told Serena to keep everything a secret but it seemed like it was continuing to eat at her.

If that wasn't the case, Trowa was left to wonder what was distracting Serena so much.

The whole ride to HQ was spent in complete silence. Serena had been staring out the window the entire drive, not once turning to look at him. When they arrived at Preventers, Trowa glanced over at Serena and for the first time, she was looking at him.

Her features were soft but once again Serena's eyes held him captive. They were questioning, watching his every move. Turning his body, Trowa foolishly leaned over the armrest thinking maybe she needed more reassurance from him. Their lips were mere inches apart when he felt her hand press against his chest.

"Trowa…"

"What?" He asked, grasping Serena's hand when she started to pull away. "What's wrong?" Her eyes shifted, looking at something behind him.

"Sally's watching us…"

Trowa pulled away, snapping his head around he saw Sally standing not far away from where they were parked. Sally's hands were on her hips with a look of 'you better tell me what's going on,' written across her face.

Trowa glanced back at Serena, her face was masked before she turned away, reaching for the door handle. Serena waited for him while he locked the vehicle before the two of them made their way over to where Sally was waiting.

"Want to tell me what that was all about?" Sally's brow lifted.

"It was nothing," Trowa said calmly.

"Oh? I'm pretty sure it's nothing when two people kiss." Sally looked pointedly at them. "I know what I saw. Whatever is going on, I wouldn't let anyone else find out."

"Nothing is going on," Serena said coldly. "We need to go, we're already late." Serena turned on her heel, heading for the door.

Trowa frowned at her retreating back. Serena had betrayed nothing when she spoke, even though she was covering for them as well. It made Trowa wonder if that was how Serena truly felt towards him and their relationship? But as quickly as the thought came, Trowa banished it from his mind. He knew deep down that wasn't how Serena felt.

"I won't say anything, but maybe this isn't the best idea. It's a big risk you're taking, Trowa," Sally said as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Too late," Trowa said before stepping away from Sally.

A/N

Happy Wednesday!

So now you all know what's going to happen during this meeting. I think Serena has every right to be nervous. She's been doing some stuff behind people's backs and not to mention she's now in a confusing relationship with someone. At least from her perspective, it's confusing, but it still seems as though Serena's curious enough to keep moving forward, at least for now. Serena really needs some more time to figure things out, but unfortunately, she doesn't really have that at the moment. Nor will she for a little bit, sadly she's going to be busy dealing with other things. (Though the cute moment after when they're talking and Trowa's reaction was nice and maybe Serena will remember that and not focus on other things too much.)

Serena finally tells Trowa what she's been doing, or rather shows him. We got a glimpse into her ideas for a redesign of Heavyarms. I originally had that bit of information in another scene that I took out but brought back. (It was pulled from the Date Night chapter if you're wondering.) I wanted to add that I only added certain information and there's a reason for that. If you've read this story before, you may or may not know why. Depends on your detective skills and what you figured out the first time. That being said, I hope you enjoyed the fact that Serena opened up to Trowa a little more and that Serena is trying, as best as she can, to be normal? Also, more firepower is never a bad thing. All the firepower...

Moving on to her Gundam. If none of you saw that coming, then I'm doing a bad job over here. Don't forget who Serena is created and modeled after. Also... I have a basis for Wing Zero... Anyway, Serena took ideas Heero had and threw her own spin on them. I thought her idea of flying over anything and just bombing it was funny. But that's just me. Trowa seemed to like it too. As far as other information about her Gundam, you'll have to wait for Friday's chapter. I will let you in on this one little secret. All the drawings Serena did were done in black and white... so is it really a copy of Wing Zero? I didn't add that to the story because once again... there's a reason behind almost everything I do/write in my stories. Minus a few things that Editor Friend asked about and I realized I didn't have a reason for something. It was just random. *shrugs*

Before I jump into a little more information on Friday's chapter, I want to touch on the fact that once again Trowa and Serena are doing a FANTASTIC job at hiding this budding relationship. A+ guys, A+! Though for a moment Trowa did question things but he's quick to get rid of those thoughts. Smart man. He's not stupid, and I'm not being sarcastic here. Trowa is very intelligent and for the most part, he has Serena figured out. Are his feelings at times clouding his judgment? Maybe a little. But then again maybe they're full-blown clouding any real warning signs he should be seeing? Nah, Trowa's got more figured out than he lets on.

A little about Friday's chapter. It's titled Monday Meeting Blues and that's a statement in itself. You're going to learn some more information and something will happen. I will explain in a little more in detail the reason behind what happens in my notes on Friday. I will say to pay attention to the dialogue. I can't stress that enough. There's a lot going on and it all happens during the meeting. That's all I will say so I'm not ruining things, but I want to highlight the importance of this.

With that being said, I'll see you all on Friday!
-MM

(Editor Friend... I've found a name for you, and you will remain Editor Friend. Haha! ILY)