Chapter Fourteen
It's A Start

June, A.C. 204

It had been almost two months since Heero had brought Serena back to Earth. Serena had been adjusting well for the most part. Heero knew, at times, he was overbearing, but he also knew how difficult it could be to fit into a world one hadn't expected to be a part of in the first place.

Heero had been monitoring her headaches. While they were few and far between, he was on edge after the last one. Serena had called him from her office phone that day. Something she hadn't done before. Heero knew it was his fault. He had her cross-check some information to see if she could find anything relating to Edwards. While Serena had read through the reports, they were still in the same position they had been for seven months.

Heero had left his office, running to Serena's, which was on the opposite side of the building. When Heero threw the door open, the guilt came flooding back. Serena had tears streaming down her face while she held her head. He thought she had been doing better. Serena had only had two episodes of the headaches since the day she and Trowa had come to his and Relena's house for dinner. Both times they were short-lived. Serena hadn't even bothered to call him, only coming to him after to tell him what happened and talk about what she remembered.

But this time was different.

While she had called him, it took an hour for her pain to subside enough for Serena to speak. But she had refused to tell him anything. Heero tried not to press her. He knew there were things Doctor J hadn't programmed into the system. While Heero had seen a lot, more than he should have, there were time gaps and information that J hadn't handed over freely for whatever reason. It was something Heero had questioned time and time again. He began to wonder if this last episode was one of those pieces of information that were only for Serena to know and no one else. It wasn't till later that evening that Serena called him at home to tell him something.

"Edwards never stopped growing his organization."

"How do you know? I thought you said he left after you shot him?"

"He did, and you know that. But it wasn't for the reasons we once thought. I convinced myself that Edwards was hiding, so I didn't try and kill him again. But why would he put Gavin in a position of power?"

Heero hadn't looked at it that way. But his knowledge of Gavin was limited.

"Edwards knew Gavin wanted to overthrow him. I remember Gavin following him around like a lost puppy right before all the shit I pulled. But Gavin wasn't stupid either. I think that's why he kept me at bay most of the time. Gavin needed me, just like Edwards did."

"You're saying that Edwards left most of his army to Gavin?"

"Yes and no. Gavin had a decent size and seemed to be going with the original plan. I think Edwards took everyone he felt would be his key to success and left. I'm wondering if he thought that I'd do something more than just try to kill him or myself."

"Like come to Earth."

"Exactly. I wasn't supposed to go to Earth till my Gundam was fully constructed. Then I was to take Relena, and no offense."

"Yeah, I know, kill me after. Thanks for not doing that, by the way."

"You're welcome that I do have a heart, Heero."

"Do you have any idea where Edwards could've gone?"

"No, unfortunately," Serena sighed on the other end of the line. "He's smarter than I give him credit. If I had to speculate, Edwards would likely stay hidden till he has the power he needs. With or without me."

"Do you think he'll come for you?"

"I don't know. Edwards needs to rebuild a Gundam first, but even if he has blueprints, he's missing a vital component."

"And that would be?"

"The blueprint for the cockpit, including the ZERO system."

Heero knew J had been careful during the build. Serena was truthfully the one who built her suit, but after she destroyed it the first time, Doctor J convinced Edwards to split up the Gundam. Then bring all the pieces together. It was enough to buy him and Serena more time.

But it didn't mean that Edwards hadn't found a way to get a copy of the blueprints for the cockpit and system. Heero understood why Serena seemed hesitant about the possibility of Edwards coming for her. If he had what he needed, he technically wouldn't need Serena.

But it meant that Serena would always be a threat to Edwards.

"How many engineers were with you on the satellite?" Heero asked.

"Quite a few, but not all of them. All Edwards needs to do is find the right people, and he could potentially start to rebuild. As well as enough idiots to back up his ideals," Serena scoffed.

Heero knew she hated his idealism. So didn't he, but they both understood it.

"What should we do then?"

"We should keep an eye on the black market. I'm sure Duo will have fun with that. But that's how we were able to get most of our supplies. Others were sourced more ethically, minus the blood money."

"I'll set up a meeting with Une, and we'll fill her in. Sound good?"

"Yeah, it's at least something. The only other thing I can think of is searching through more personnel files, but at this point, that might be a waste of time. We know someone will infiltrate either Preventer or ESUN again."

"Then we just need to be one step ahead of them."

"Hard to be when you don't have an inside person anymore," Serena laughed dryly. "We'll figure things out as we go. That's all we can do right now."

Heero had thought over everything he and Serena had discussed the week prior as they sat waiting in Une's office. Her meeting from earlier that morning had run later than expected. While they had a plan, it wasn't a soiled one by any means. They were basically starting from scratch. Heero was hoping Une wouldn't mind. Une hadn't pushed them to find new information or come up with anything. If anything, she had been more open to letting Serena adjust before having her dive headfirst back into anything relating to ROE or Edwards.

Serena had taken it upon herself to jump headfirst into it. Even though she wasn't even technically assigned to the case yet. Heero knew Serena had been using his passwords to get into the file. He also knew if he changed them, Serena would likely hack her way into them. Her drive to find Edwards and stop him was fueling Serena to read through every. And it was the reason Heero had her cross-reference some things which led them to where they were now.

"Lowell, Yuy," Une said as she entered her office. "Thank you both for waiting. Now, what is it that you wanted to discuss with me?" Une asked as she sat down behind her desk. Heero glanced at Serena, catching her eye. She tipped her head towards their Commander.

"Last week, Lowell was able to recover a memory," Heero started.

"That's good, but why do I need to know this?" Une lifted a brow, looking between the two of them.

"Because now we may have an idea of what Edwards might be doing," Serena said. Serena's statement seemed to perk Une up. She sat up straighter, placing her hands together on her desk.

"Tell me what you were able to remember, Lowell."

Heero didn't think Une would be interested in knowing that information. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Serena stiffen. She hadn't told him what she had remembered other than what was discussed during their phone conversation.

"Some of that isn't necessary as to why we came here, Commander," Serena said, tight-lipped. "But rather, I was able to remember something about Gavin."

"While that is good news, we all know Gavin died when you-"

"I'm well aware of my actions," Serena said, cutting Une off. "Edwards knew Gavin was looking to overthrow him."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes," Serena nodded her head. "Gavin did everything he could to be on Edwards's good side. When Gavin became second in command, I believe Gavin waited for an opportunity to strike. Which I just happened to give him."

"And that was?"

"When I self-destructed the first Gundam that was built. And a month later, I tried to kill Edwards, which sent him into hiding."

"You know this information would've been useful the first time around, Lowell," Une sat back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest.

"To be fair, it was useless at the time," Heero jumped in, receiving a questioning look from Une.

"Even though Gavin was the leader after Edwards disappeared, Edwards was still involved behind the scenes. He knew Gavin was waiting for an opportunity. Between myself and Gavin, leaving was Edwards's best option, but giving up complete control wasn't."

"How are you so sure about all of this? I was under the assumption you didn't know anything for two years," Une said.

"I didn't know that much, but from what I can remember, it makes the most sense. Gavin wanted to overthrow Edwards, but in order to do that, he needed me. Edwards also needed me to succeed in his mission. Without me, neither could obtain what they wanted," Serena said.

"And somehow Edwards knew you were here on Earth, with us, before you ran off." Une looked pointedly at Serena.

"Yes, my guess is he put two and two together. The only place I wasn't supposed to be was here. I could hide easily. And because I was being as reckless as I was…." Serena trailed off for a moment. "He knew I would end up here."

Une sighed as she brought her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. Heero and Serena exchanged glances. Heero knew she was questioning whether or not they would be in trouble for not saying something sooner. Then again, at the time, Serena was the only one who knew anything.

"I know there's more you have to say, at least point, I'll let you speak, and I'll ask questions after," Une said as she dropped her hand.

"I believe Edwards is still growing his organization. With or without me. When I returned to Gavin, several engineers were missing. Not to mention the number of people that weren't on the satellite. Once my Gundam had been reconstructed, I believe Edwards moved certain people he knew he would need and let Gavin's plans crumble." Serena paused, taking a breath. Heero knew he could step in, but he felt at this point that it was better to have Serena speak than himself. "Edwards will likely rebuild a Gundam, along with other mobile suits. He'll likely find others to join him. It's just a matter of when."

"How long do you think this will take him? Especially if the blueprints to his plans are currently sitting in front of me."

"While that is true, there's a possibility Edwards's able to rebuild everything minus the cockpit. When I destroyed the first suit, Doctor J convinced Edwards to separate the parts, which meant J had to draw up the design for each component. But he refused to give up the cockpit and system to anyone. If anything, Edwards has those blueprints."

"But he'll still need the main one," Une tightened her eyes. "Along with a pilot."

"Yes," Serena nodded her head as she looked down.

"Ser- Lowell believes we have time, though. Without her or Doctor J's aid, it will take Edwards longer to rebuild. And he'll still need to obtain the supplies needed to do so," Heero said.

He felt angry for a moment as he fumbled on Serena's name. He knew the minute she looked away from Une that her confidence was fading. Heero wondered why Serena didn't tell Une what she had told him. He knew he could question Serena later about it. But the truth was, Edwards wouldn't stop until Serena was in his possession again. Dead or alive. Serena would either be the key to his success or his downfall, and Heero knew Edwards didn't want the latter to happen.

"How long?" Une asked.

"It could be years," Serena said, lifting her head back up. "It'll depend on how long it takes him to acquire things."

"Are you saying we have time? Or are you being hopeful, Lowell?"

"Both," Serena said, tightening her eyes. "I highly doubt he thinks I'm dead, but Edwards isn't foolish enough to come to get me, yet. It gives us some time. But not being around him, I can't tell you how fast or slow he'll move."

"I'm going to assume that you two have a plan?" Une asked. Heero caught Serena's eyes out of the corner of his eyes.

"We do," Heero said after a moment. "We believe the best place to start looking would be the black market."

"Would Edwards go the same route he did the first time, Lowell?"

"Yes," Serena nodded. "His connections run deep in the black market. And he likely still has connections to others who could offer him resources. The more conventional way. If we start tracking certain shipments within the black market, we might be able to find where he's hiding or where he's shipping things. Granted, I don't think he'll be going after Gundanium any time soon, considering how risky it would be to do so."

Heero chanced another glance at Serena. The ball was in Une's court now. She could either agree, and they could move forward, or she would deny them, which meant going behind her back. Heero knew if Une told them no, Serena would accept it before going alone.

"While it isn't much," Une said, looking between them. "It's a start. Lowell, I'll officially add you to the case. But under the guidance that you will take no action, such as abandoning your post should a lead come to light."

"Understood," Serena nodded. Heero smirked when Une lifted a brow at her. He knew Serena never used sir or ma'am when addressing those who ranked above her. "Ma'am," Serena said after a moment.

"Very well. I'll set up another meeting in three weeks when Maxwell and Barton return from L2. And once Maxwell is done with his reports," Une said. Heero caught Serena rolling her eyes, and so didn't Une. "Is there an issue with that, Lowell?"

"No," Serena smiled at Une. "I'm sure Maxwell will have his reports in on time after his visit to L2."

"For once, I'm not going to ask, but if the two of you can light a fire under his ass, I'll take it. For now, if you think of anything else, or remember anything, Lowell, please come see me," Une said. Both Heero and Serena nodded their heads. "Then you're both dismissed."

Heero walked back to her office with her after they left Une's. They got the green light to proceed with their plan, but it didn't feel like a win to Serena.

"You know it's going to take longer when you have to do things the right way," Heero said as he closed the door behind them.

"Yeah, I know," Serena sighed as she sat down in her chair. "Regardless, it's going to take a while, even if we did it the old fashion way."

Heero chuckled as he leaned against the door. The old fashion way was to get the job done yourself, ignoring laws to get the information you needed to complete the mission. But times were different. Heero was different now, and so wasn't she.

"We need to wait till Duo and Trowa return. Then I'm sure Duo will be all hands on deck for this."

"You're not going to tell him, are you?" Serena asked.

"No," Heero shook his head. "We don't need to listen to him bitch about not being able to start it."

"Good," Serena smiled.

"Speaking of which," Heero said, pushing himself off the door. "Are you going to be okay when Trowa leaves?"

"Other than being bored, yeah," Serena frowned. She should've known this conversation was coming. Trowa had told her last week that he would be leaving for, hopefully, only a week with Duo. Trowa was already feeling guilty enough about leaving her, but Serena could handle him. Heero, on the other hand, was a different story.

"If you want, you can stay with Relena and me."

"And have you policed me from inside your own home? No, thank you," Serena shook her head. "Heero, I'll be fine. And I know you'll be checking on me. Constantly." Serena looked at him pointedly. "Nothing is going to happen. I'll be here all day, and then I'll be at home."

"I know, it's just," Heero sighed. "You'll call me if something is wrong, right?" Serena looked at him. Was he worried about her being alone for a week? Or was it something else that was bothering him?

"Yeah, of course," Serena said.

"Good," Heero nodded his head. "I'll let you get back to work then."

"Okay."

Serena waited for her door to close before she sat back in her chair. She wondered what had made Heero's attitude change so quickly. Then it hit her. While they had just talked about everything regarding Edwards, that was his biggest fear. Her being alone meant she was at a higher risk. But Serena was surprised Heero didn't push the issue of her staying with him. She had been sure that when Trowa and Duo got closer to leaving, Heero would hound her about spending the week with him and Relena. Serena knew she needed to convince Heero that she'd be okay and that Edwards wouldn't be coming for her any time soon.

At least, she hoped he wouldn't.

For the first time in Serena's life, she was starting to feel a sense of normalcy. She had a routine that worked for her, and if Serena were, to be honest, she was finally starting to become happy with her new life. It wasn't easy at times. Serena still struggled with demons within her own mind. But she kept trying to remind herself that things would take time. And slowly, there was hope those wounds would heal. After all, she had a reason to push forward now.

But was she even deserving of any of it?

Once Heero was back in his office, he sat in front of his computer before pulling up Relena's schedule for the day. He needed to plan ahead if he was going to make time to stop by and see Relena. He still had work he needed to do. But it didn't mean he couldn't take a break.

Even though they lived together now, Heero would sneak out of the office or place himself on guard duty to spend some time with Relena. More often than not, Heero would help Relena with her own work. Especially if she was frustrated over something. Between speeches and bills, Heero had helped Relena clarify her words and help make the numbers work so a spending budget would pass without issue.

Checking over his and Relena's schedule for the day, Heero found that there wasn't anything of importance happening. It meant he could leave Preventers, head to the ESUN for the day, and work remotely. Making the decision, Heero packed his things before sending a message to one of the two agents currently at ESUN. Letting them know that he was on his way and that they could return to HQ once he arrived.

It didn't take Heero long before he arrived at ESUN. Relena had been surprised to see him walk through her office door. But she smiled brightly at him after he dropped his laptop bag onto the loveseat before making his way over to her.

Kissing her on the cheek, Relena smiled up at him. "I wasn't expecting to see you until you later."

"Figured I could work here today," Heero smirked before moving back to the loveseat.

"How did your meeting go?" Relena asked once Heero had set up his laptop.

"Serena's been officially assigned to the ROE case."

"Hasn't she been working on it already?" Relena placed her chin in the palm of her hand, giving him a look of amusement. "From what you've told me, she started working on it before her first day of work."

"Changing my passwords wasn't going to stop her," Heero said as she logged into his laptop. "Serena was going to do whatever she needed to do."

"Is that such a bad thing? Doesn't it get results?" Heero looked back up at Relena. "In this case, I mean."

"It does, but I wanted her to adjust before taking on this again."

"I know," Relena smiled. "Because she's just like you. Serena wasn't going to wait. I hope that she'll follow protocol."

"Me too," Heero said. "As much as I'd love-" Heero stopped thinking over what he was about to say. He couldn't tell Relena the truth, and if he slipped up, Relena would ask questions. "I'd love to do it the old-fashion way. But we're bound to rules set forth by Preventers."

Heero wasn't sure Relena was buying everything he had been telling her. He had been more open with her, telling her more about his day-to-day life outside of being her bodyguard. And on occasion, Heero would tell Relena more about himself.

But the look Relena was giving indicated she knew he wanted to say something other than what he had said.

"What is the plan now?"

"Once Duo and Trowa return from L2, Duo will be working on tracking some underground shipments."

"The black market?" Relena raised a brow. "Duo is going to have a field day with that."

"Yeah, which is why we're going to wait to tell him," Heero's lips turned up.

"When do they leave?"

"Next week."

"How long will they be gone?"

"A week, hopefully. Depends on Maxwell."

"Is Serena okay with Trowa leaving?" Heero hadn't been expecting Relena to voice the question. But then again, it wasn't unlike her to not worry about someone.

"She said she'd be fine."

"You don't believe that," Relena said as she stood before making her way toward him. "I'm going to take a wild guess here. You offered for her to stay with us."

"I did…" Heero slowly said as Relena sank down onto the loveseat with him.

"And she said no," Relena smiled at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Yeah, why are you asking?"

"Because I know you," Relena said before kissing him. "You know Serena's going to be fine. She'll either be at the office or at home. Unless you put her on my security detail."

"Have you been talking to her?"

"I haven't, but I know what her routine is. I want Serena on my security detail, and I know she would appreciate leaving the office more."

"You two have been talking. Serena isn't ready to be on your detail yet."

"We do talk, but we haven't talked about Trowa being away for a week," Relena said as she stood, making her way toward the door.

"What are you doing?" Heero asked before he heard the click of the lock.

"I'm going to convince you to add Serena to my detail," Relena smiled as she made her way back to him.

"Relena, it's only a little after nine." Heero was confused, to say the least. This wasn't how he thought the conversation would go from the beginning. And now Heero wasn't sure what to say or do.

"So?" Relena asked as she dropped back down on the loveseat, throwing her arms around his neck again. "Has that ever stopped us?"

Heero's hands went to her waist without thinking. He had ignored her first advance, but now the thought of them having some fun before truly starting their work day-

"You have a meeting in twenty minutes," Heero said as his brain supplied him with that information.

"And you don't think we can do it in twenty minutes?" Relena lifted a brow at him. "We've done in it less time… in the back of your SUV. I'm sure we can manage."

Heero knew they shouldn't, but he took two seconds before banishing the thought. They had twenty minutes. They could make it work. After all, Relena was right. They had sex in less time. In the back of his SUV before. Not to mention the few times they had found an empty room while traveling while Relena's schedule had been packed with meetings all day and late into the night.

Relena giggled as Heero pushed her down on the loveseat before claiming her lips with his. Whatever conversation they were having before that moment flew out the window as Relena moaned as Heero's hand moved to her chest. Kneading one breast as his other hand worked to undo the buttons of her blouse.

A/N

Happy Chapter Fourteen!

If anyone is angry at the end here where I just cut that scene way too short... just know they got it on before Relena's meeting and I may or may not have a scene in the works where we're going to see so much more... lots of love and passion from these two. (Said scene has been written and approved by a few friends. Said scene is its own whole ass chapter! You're welcome... just have to wait for it.) I had to add some Heero and Relena. I want you guys to know I haven't forgotten about them and don't forget they will have their time to shine.

Other than that, I'm going to keep powering through with getting some more chapters ready. I have several to edit, copy & paste here, including the author's note, and away we go! It's NaNo and I need to write like a crazy person and start getting fully into my favorite parts of this story.

(My laptop still hates me and we're on day six of NaNo of me double-checking this chapter to go up on day seven of NaNo, but I'm finding a way to make this work!)

Until next week, take care!
-MM