Author: Thanks a bunch for the reviews!! Hope you enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters in this story, except for the one's that I made up!
Serena rolled over in her bed, stretching all the while. She opened her eyes and moaned when the sun's blinding rays beamed into eyes, she quickly rolled over to the other side of the bed, seeing her baby's crib. She smiled, rising out of her bed slowly and limped her way towards the crib.
Upon peering inside, she noticed immediately that Alex wasn't in there. Panic arose and she whipped her head around widely, not seeing him in sight. As fast as she could, she made her way to her bedroom door, throwing it open and looked out into the hall frantically. The halls were empty and quiet, which didn't help her settle the panic rising with each passing second.
She made her way out of her room, and down the hall, peeking through every door she came up to. She stopped momentarily when she heard giggles, giggles that she recognized very well. She listened closely, walking up the hall a bit, hearing the laughter louder with each step.
She stood in front of the door that led to her brother's room. She opened it slightly, peeking her head into the room. A wave of relief crashed down upon her when she saw her son lying down on Heero and Lita's bed.
She watched silently with a smile on her face, seeing Heero making funny faces at her son, and watched as Alex burst out into a fit of giggles with each face his uncle made. This was a very rare moment, to catch Heero being playful…and actually laughing! Serena enjoyed every moment of it, and soon closed the door, making her way down the hall.
The scent of food invaded her nostrils and she hungrily followed the trail she was being led on. She found herself in the kitchen and saw Lita preparing breakfast. Serena hurriedly took a seat on a stool at a table, stomach grumbling all the while.
The brunette turned, spotting the werewolf practically drooling with hunger. Lita grinned, showing her the giant stack of pancakes she had on a plate. "Hungry?"
Serena nodded her head quickly, causing Lita to laugh. She placed the pancakes in front of her and watched as the girl dug in hungrily.
"You know, you could have waited for the butter and the syrup you know." Replied Lita with a grin. It always amazed her and put a sense of pride in her when everyone went crazy over her food,
She heard the girl mumble something about not needing anything and wolfed down the remainder of the food. She watched as Serena pushed her plate away from her and patted her full belly. Lita looked at her closely, eyeing the slashes upon the girl's cheek. "Wufei got you good huh?"
Serena looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "How did you--"
"Heero…he was raging about it for hours last night."
"Oh." Serena looked down at the table and brushed her hands lightly against her cheek. "Yea…he got me good…caught me off guard."
She sighed heavily thinking about Setsuna, how she acted last night. "Do you know what's up with Sets?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well…she seemed, unlike herself last night. She got really upset with Heero and I arguing last night. Very unlike her.," a small smile graced her face. "She usually smacks us upside the head and tell us to act our ages."
Lita shrugged, thinking about the werewolf. She was like a mother to all the young werewolves here. " I don't know. I think all of these battles are wearing her down…She's been through so much, lost so much…I know out of all of us, she just wants the fighting to stop."
Serena nodded in agreement. "I'm tired of the fighting honestly…but a wolf has to do what a wolf has to do."
Lita eyed Serena, and noticed the dark look that flashed over her eyes. She involuntarily sighed…this was long from over. This battle has gone far too deep for a little peace treaty…this won't end till all was gone, and that scared her.
Heero suddenly ran into the room with little Alex giggling merrily on his shoulders. Heero spun around in circles, making some rather odd noises, while running around the kitchen, unknowing to the fact that he had an audience.
When he heard some giggles that were not Alex's, he abruptly stood erect with his eyes wide. He saw his sister and girlfriend laughing hysterically. He cleared his throat, a hint of a blush at his cheeks from getting caught acting childish.
He handed his nephew off to Serena as Lita suddenly came up to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She kissed him on the cheek with a large grin. "I've never seen that side of you before," Her grin widened. "You should be like that more often, it's rather cute."
She winked at him and Serena just about fell out of her seat in laughter. Heero blushed deeply, taking a seat next to his sister. He glared at her. "Shut up!"
Serena snickered, pinching her brother's cheek. "So cute!"
Heero growled, smacking her hand away. Lita walked over to where her boyfriend was, placing a huge stack of pancakes in front of him. "Here you go!" she chirped.
A smirk formed over his face, eyeing the stack of pancakes. Just like his sister moments before he dove into the pancakes, devouring it like he'd haven't eaten in years. Lita rolled her eyes, not wanting to mention the butter and syrup. "Brother like sister." She murmured.
Serena suddenly stood to her feet, Alex resting on her hip. "Hey, I'm going to go get dressed and be out in the garden for a while."
Heero grunted and Lita rolled her eyes. "Alright Serena, I might come out there later."
Serena nodded, briskly turning away and leaving the kitchen.
The sun was high, and the air was cool. Duo walked the streets with his head held low and hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans. He wore a black cap that hooded his eyes, his long braid spouting out from the back, swaying from side to side. He wore a black jean jacket and black jeans. He wore a gold chain around his neck with a matching gold cross that too swayed from side to side with each step he took.
His movement seemed mechanical, lost within his thoughts once again. Serena…the name now haunting his sleep…well, the sleep he is able to catch. He retrieved his hands from his pockets and rubbed the bags beneath his eyes. He sighed heavily and looked up towards the sky, holding his cross tightly with one hand, trying to seek some sort of comfort from it.
He continued to walk, eyes still to the sky and his hand clenched tightly around his cross. He suddenly ran into something, or rather someone hard.
"Watch where you're going!," exclaimed an old man, clenching onto his briefcase and waving his fist madly in the air. He walked off, leaving Duo with an arched brow. He shrugged his shoulders, and continued to walk, taking note of his surroundings.
He furrowed his brows acknowledging that he was in the Protectors territory. He wanted to stop, to turn around, anything….but he didn't. His legs seemed to have a mind of it's own and kept on moving. He soon found himself in what looked to be some sort of secluded park.
He crouched low upon hearing sounds and movement. He made his way behind a bush, peeking his head out slightly from behind it. He narrowed his eyes, noticing a woman within a garden, a baby on her lap. On a closer inspection, he realized that that young woman was Serena, and taking a wild guess, the baby was her son.
He looked behind her and noticed the house or rather mansion. He growled deeply within his throat, seeing that he was on the Protectors living quarters. He needed to leave; he was in great danger, especially since he was alone.
"Who's there?" asked a feather light voice.
Duo turned his head sharply, seeing that Serena was looking towards his direction. He cursed silently under his breath. 'She must have heard me growl,' he thought himself.
He looked around wildly. 'Damn…no where to hide…I guess I'll have to show myself.'
Serena clutched Alex close to her chest, scanning the area closely. She had heard something, which sounded like a growl, but she wasn't sure, and that scared her. Her brows knitted together. "I said whose there?" she replied, her voice rising demandingly.
Her eyes locked onto the area where she thought she heard the growl from. When she heard nothing, she slowly stood too her feet, holding her child closely to her. She began to walk over towards the bushes slowly.
She nearly screamed when Duo stood from his hiding spot. She took several steps back, clutching the wide-eyed Alex to her chest. Regaining her composure, she growled deeply within her throat. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Duo smiled sheepishly. "Um…taking a stroll around town?"
Serena took a step back. "Leave."
Duo cocked an eyebrow. "Is that how you're suppose to talk to a guest?"
Serena barked a bitter laugh. "Guest?" She growled deeply in her throat, voice dripping with venom. "Nothing but scum, you and you're pack.
Duo deeply frowned. He looked towards the child Serena held in her hands. "Is he yours?"
"What's it to you?"
Duo grinned at her reply, "I just wanted to know is all. Man, talk about an attitude adjustment"
Serena looked between her son and Duo. She gripped her son even tighter, making the boy shift uncomfortably and begin to wail. "Please leave, or I'll go and get my brother and the others."
Duo took a step towards her, grinning widely, causing Serena to take a step back. "I'm not going to hurt you."
Serena eyed him closely and sensed that he was telling the truth. "Why are you here?"
Duo threw his arms behind his head. "Like I said, I was taking a stroll around town…and wound up here."
She furrowed her brows, "Strolling around our territory…well aren't you brave."
Duo shrugged and eyed Alex, the child still wailing. "I think you're holding him too tight."
Serena loosened her arms, smiling sheepishly. She looked at Duo curiously, thinking about something that had been bothering her all night. "Last night…during the battle, why were you looking at me like that?"
Duo lost his grin, a light panicked look crossing his face. "What are you talking about?" He took a step back.
Serena noticed the looked and pressed onto the issue. "I mean, when Wufei hit me and you were looking at me with…so much pain in your eyes and it…looked like you were sorry from something." She looked up at him. "Why?"
The werewolf took another step back, looking around wildly. "I.…"
Lita and Heero suddenly walked outside talking casually. The both snarled, spotting Duo within their territory. Duo heard the snarl and turned his head towards them. He furrowed his brow, quickly turning and running into the direction on which he came from.
Heero and Lita began making their way into Duo's direction, Heero running after the escaping werewolf. Lita made her way to Serena, walking up to her quickly. She looked her over, "Did he hurt you?"
Serena turned to look at the tall brunette, "No, I'm fine."
Heero came back, slightly out of breath. "He got away."
He came up to his sister. "What the hell was he doing here? Did he do anything to you?"
Serena shook her head. "He didn't do anything…and I don't know why he was here." She looked up to her brother. "I'm going to go inside now."
She briskly turned around and headed inside, her mind wandering onto Duo. 'I will find out why you were looking at me the way you were…I will.'
Heero turned to his girlfriend. "We'll have to keep a close watch on her."
Lita nodded in agreement. "Yes we do."
Author: Well, I finally finished the Chapter. I hoped you enjoyed please review!