Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

A/N: Yes... the rating changed, as I expected it would. GASP! As fair warning, I love weird pairings very very much. I have gotten sick of the old 1x2 3x4 staples that everyone seems to write. Yes, I am guilty of it too, but there is nothing I like better than reading a really odd pairing. So expect some odd pairings here. Also, if you happen to know some writers who also like unusual pairings and write them, please leave me a note with their name so that I may go stalk... er, watch them. ; This was all written out in my notebook except for the tail end, because I finally ran out of pages. TT As always, thank you very much for the support, and I am glad you all like my torturing of Trowa. Onward!

Chapter 4: Outings and old Flames

Life at the Mars base was rather peaceful after the first night. Trowa was creating quite a bond with the young Andrea, who stuck to him like a little sister. They played games and watched movies together during their downtime. She was comfortable enough with him to reveal little bits of her nature, which she usually kept locked behind her business-like mannerisms. Outwardly, she was a very happy, yet work-oriented girl. Allegedly though, she had a rebellious side with distaste for rules, authority, and common sense. Trowa chalked this claim up to normal teenage behavior, but doubted it was even true because of her normal behavior. He did not completely write it off though, because some people just need the right circumstances and the right trigger to bring out the worst in them.

Gale seemed a little more street-savvy; yet that does not mean she lacked charm. A hint of her native accent remained despite years of being away from home, and it added to her refined manner. She was well read, and extremely analytical, but Trowa always felt she was missing something. In a lot of ways, Gale reminded him of Catherine, which made him feel a bit more at home for the first few weeks.

Sally was the same as always, and so was Wufei for the most part. Without all of the responsibility of being a Gundam pilot weighing upon him, Wufei allowed himself to take it a little easier for a change. He went back to studying and reading again, outside of his martial arts training. He still, however, remained deadly serious when upon a mission.

Trowa was beginning to become accustomed to life on the base. He was still bothered that Lucrezia's scent was still about his room, but he maintained the hope that it would go away in time.

"Hello?" Duo's voice was clear over the phone connection.

"Hey Duo." Trowa was glad to talk to him.

"Trowa, good to hear from you, how are things?"

"They are going well," Trowa smiled, "though I am getting a little stir crazy living in this hostel."

"You know that you can leave as long as you are back two hours before an assignment."

"I know, but... hey, how did you know that?"

"Trowa, do you honestly think that I would not have, at some point, researched the Preventors?"

"I can see you now Duo, in the kitchen, the phone tucked between your ear and shoulder, accusing me with your hands on your hips," Trowa couldn't help but grin, "I feel so loved."

"Trowa, I would not hesitate to knock you out if I could."

"Thanks, Ma," Trowa kept himself from laughing, "so, what his happening outside of the Mars base?"

"Well..." Duo calmed quickly from the mother comment, "Heero and I had lunch with Quatre today, unexpectedly."

"Oh."

"He wants to talk to you, Trowa." Duo sighed after a long moment.

"Well, I don't really want to talk to him," Trowa bit back, "besides, knowing my luck, Dorothy will answer the phone in that pretty voice of hers, and I end up wanting to kill myself!"

"Trowa." Duo said sternly.

"Sorry."

"I told him you needed time to get adjusted, so I doubt he will ask again for awhile."

"Well, good," Trowa's voice trailed off for a moment, "Duo, I can't even stand to look at old photos of the five of us anymore because he is in them."

"Look, I know the situation sucks right now, but," Duo tried to comfort him, "it is just something you have to get through, for God's sake, don't let this kill you." Trowa was silent for a moment.

"You're right Duo, it's just going to take time."

"And I hope it won't take too long."

"Hopefully not," Trowa responded, "I'd better get going now."

"Trowa."

"Yeah?"

"Take care of yourself, kid," Duo said, sounding a little weary, "and expect a little something in the mail soon."

"Okay, I will, goodbye Duo."

"Goodbye, Trowa." There was a heavy click, and then silence. Trowa sighed and hung up the phone before running a hand through his tousled hair. He got up soon after, suddenly thirsty. Upon entering the cafeteria, he found Andrea sitting at a table with a laptop, looking rather bored.

"What's up, kid?" He ruffled her loose hair and sat next to her, drinking the soda he just got from the machine.

"Wasting away." She smoothed out the raven-colored strands and went back to typing.

"Wasting away?" Isn't that a little dramatic?"

"Isn't calling me 'kid' a little ridiculous?" She looked at him again, becoming serious for a moment, "Besides, I have not been off base for a couple of months."

"Then why not go tonight, it's not like it's late." Trowa looked at his watch, which ready 6:30p.m. Their group did not have a mission until three the next day. He looked back up at Andrea just in time to see her wicked little smile sneak across her face.

"Come to think of it, there is a party tonight," she leaned toward him as if telling him a secret, "but I can't go unless I have a 21 year old guardian."

"Let me guess, you've already asked Gale, and she said no."

"I know for a fact that she won't go, so I didn't waste my breath on her." Her dark eyes glimmered at him.

"And what makes you think I'll go?" Trowa asked, pointing his thumb into his chest in a casual manner as his right eyebrow arched a bit.

"Because you love me," she teased in a childish way, "besides, I know that you are getting a little stir-crazy being cooped up here, too." Trowa thought about it for a moment. Truly, what harm would it be to attend the party? He could keep an eye on Andrea easily enough, and it was probably taking place in one of the nearby colonies.

"Well, I guess we can go." He answered after his silent deliberation. Andrea hugged him tight before shutting her laptop. Before long, they were dressed in civilian clothes and were on a quick shuttle to L2. It crossed Trowa's mind more than once on the flight that he should go visit Heero and Duo, but figured he should just go to the party and try to have a good time. After all, he was responsible for Andrea. Once docked at L2, they boarded a bus, which took them into the heart of the orbiting city.

"So what is this party?" Trowa asked Andrea, who was already excited to be off base.

"There is a club here, called Nightshade," she explained, "they are celebrating their 10th anniversary tonight."

"And you think we can get in?" Trowa had heard of the Nightshade, and he knew it to be one of the trendiest clubs in the colony.

"I am friends with the Manager, he called to make sure I was going, so I doubt we will have a problem." She seemed dauntless in her words. They got off the bus a short time later to see a long line down the sidewalk outside of the club.

"Come on!" She took his arm and led him down to the entrance. Sure enough, as they approached, the Manager called out to them and opened the velvet ropes in one fluid motion. The air inside seemed thick, but the energy was up and the music loud. Still, there was something about the place that bothered Trowa. To his surprise, he lost Andrea almost instantly in the huge crowd. He told himself that he would find her later; after all, Andrea was 18, and she was a responsible adult. It was 8:30, and Trowa felt lost. He treated himself to the bar in order to numb himself a bit to the warning sirens in his head.

On his second, and last, scotch, he felt as if someone was breathing down his neck. He spun around in his seat but found nobody around in his general area. He shrugged his shoulders as a chill ran down his spine. There was definitely something wrong at the Nightshade. He got up and left to the dance floor to find Andrea, the urge to flee the club scraping at him. He pushed past a few feverish dancers before someone caught his eye. It was Lucrezia.

Normally, he would have never taken a second look, but there she was like he had never seen her before. She wore a black dress cut to her upper thigh, simple, but it hugged each curve upon her body in just the right way. The neckline was a halter; her back was exposed about midway. With the wave she moved and the expression on her face, he could tell that she was searching for something, and the men dancing around here were not cutting it. Their eyes locked, and she slowed for a moment. He watched her brush the hair from her eyes as they studied him. He could not pull his eyes away, and something about her partially open, pouting mouth sparked him. He took a step forward only to be knocked off balance by Andrea, who had obviously been drinking.

"Trowa! I'm so glad I've found you!" She steadied herself as he kept her from falling, "Come here, I've got something to tell you." She didn't wait for him though, and she threw her arms in a cumbersome way around his neck and started to kiss him roughly. He managed to slip from her vodka-tasting kiss, and her damaging grip, but the motion set her off-balance and she fell to the ground. Without a second thought, Trowa picked her up and took her to a nearby booth. Her Manager friend had seen the incident and hurried over.

"Is she okay?" He asked, exasperated.

"Fine, she just needs to get some rest."

"No problem," the young Manager smiled, "she can stay at my family's place here in the colony. I'll have my private driver take her, and my wife will look after her."

"That is kind of you," Trowa was still concerned, "but we have a mission tomorrow, and she should really go back to the base."

"Nonsense, she will be on the fastest shuttle home in the morning, after she gets a good meal and spends some time with us," he beamed, "besides, we hardly get to see her anymore, what with her being a Preventer and all." Trowa opened his mouth to protest, but one look from the Manager shut him up. They went around to the side of the building where a short limousine was parked. Trowa placed Andrea carefully in the backseat, and started to climb in himself, but he was stopped with a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey!"

"Don't worry about it, stay here and have a good time!" The Manager again beamed at him, "Besides, I already said my wife will look after her, she is a nurse at the hospital after all."

"But I really should stay with her."

"She will be fine, it is not like she is staying with strangers." After another couple minutes of arguing, Trowa found himself watching the limo leave and then got escorted back into the club that he was previously trying to escape. It took him a moment, but as he walked around inside for a moment, his mind wandered back to Lucrezia. She looked so different, and she moved with a fluid ferocity. The worst of it all was that he liked it. The strange feeling of fight-or-flight had not yet left him either. He walked past a row of booths when he heard his name called.

"That was a nice thing you did." Came shortly after. He turned to find Lucrezia, head resting upon her folded hands with two glasses of wine at the table, "Join me?" Trowa slipped into the booth and thanked her before taking a sip from his glass. They began talking about little bits of everything; current events, jobs, old memories, the conversation flowed between them easily. After they finished their drinks she pulled him out to dance. A Latin song played, and she taught him some of the basic points of the tango, which he picked up easily.

"You would make a great dancer, Trowa." She smiled up at him.

"I'm a better circus clown," he smirked a bit, "you would make the better dancer." Trowa was finding it hard to resist touching her, and the little things she noticed about the woman were making him a bit hot under the collar. Her eyes never seemed more true or sad, her hair smelled of roses, and her mouth would return to the same pout that he first saw her sporting. He spun her gently, and she came back flush against him, one hand tangling in his hair, the other grasping his arm, and her face was inches from his.

"I'm lonely, Trowa." Her eyes were still sad, but a hunger had been uncovered.

"Why would you want me?" He asked, his breath suddenly shallow, and a barely noticeable flush flicked across his face.

"When I saw you come to the Preventers, you weren't a boy anymore," she almost seemed to be sighing the words, "I saw you as a man." At that moment, he did not know what to do. An incredible woman was practically begging to give herself to him, and there was still that strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something caught his eye, and he looked up for a moment, into the balcony. There was Quatre, dressed in slick blacks leaning against the guardrail with a glass of champagne. Trowa locked eyes with his former lover, and Quatre paled greatly. Trowa just stared up at Quatre until he felt the sharp nips of Lucrezia biting at his neck. His eyes fell shut for a moment, and he forced them open again.

"Why the fuck not?" He mumbled as his pleasure-filled eyes met with Quatre's again. He felt the wicked grin overtake his features as he brought his lips, and full attention, to Lucrezia. He took her hand and led her outside after a few more kisses.

"Come with me," she said as she ransacked her purse for her keys, "you can stay at my apartment, if you'd like." They had reached her car, and he pushed her up against the driver's side door, trailing kisses down her neck.

"As long as you'll be in the same room," his breath was hot on her pulse, and his mouth curled into that same little smirk, "otherwise, I'll have to decline."

"Just let me get us there." She grinned as he reluctantly released her.

The door to her apartment was barely opened before she was kissing him, pulling off his jacket. He smiled and pulled away, shutting and locking the door.

"Now, don't you want to take things slow?" He teased as he turned back around.

"I don't know," a blush rose into her cheeks as she headed down a hallway toward her bedroom, "it seems like you were ready to go." A wolfish grin crossed Trowa's face as he hurried down the hallway and into her bedroom where she was already lying on white sheets seductively.

"Well, I was, and I still am," he countered, "I just believe a woman of your caliber deserves romance."

"We talked, we danced, we drank, we enjoyed one-another's company," she looked up at him while removing her black high-heeled shoes, "perhaps we enjoy one-another's company a little more, eh?" Trowa could not pull his eyes away from the woman upon the bed. She looked up at him from the sheets with such clear purpose and objective, while still retaining such grace. He wondered why he didn't meet women like this more often, because if he did, he probably would be completely straight again. Thoughts of Quatre suddenly came back into his mind, but instead of them torturing him, he just remembered how mortified Quatre looked to see Lucrezia all over him. He grinned and pulled off his shirt quickly, and captured Lucrezia in a kiss. She bit back hungrily at him, so he obliged and removed her dress in a painfully slow manner.

"You certainly take your time." She teased as he held her.

"I'm just making sure I will claim every bit of you." He grinned as the dress fell further, he kisses along every part of her exposed flesh, finally laying her down on the bed and tossing the garment aside. He took her beauty in for a moment, how gentle her curves were, the color of her skin, her strong muscles underneath that smooth skin, and her scent that still haunted his room. Her eyes were heavy now, but more calmed from her fevered look at the club. Her touch still beckoned him to fulfill her, and she moaned sincerely as his hands studied the length of her body.

"Trowa." She said in a breathy gasp.

"Hmm?"

"Take me."

"With pleasure."