Chapter Three
Afternoon Delight

Life had been surreal the moment his eyes landed on her. In the blink of an eye, Serena had walked into his life and departed just as quickly, and for months Trowa struggled to understand how someone could affect him the way she had. Serena had unknowingly left an indentation of herself on him. One he'd never be able to rid himself of because she had consumed his thoughts and even his dreams. She was a drug, one he needed like air.

Everything seemed to vanish as she stood in front of him. As if the last five, almost six months had never occurred. The pain he felt when she said goodbye to him. The pain Trowa felt when his heart ripped apart after he learned she was missing and everything else he had ever felt after not knowing if she was alive or dead.

For the first time in months, Trowa felt like he was breathing again for the first time. Serena was back, and nothing else mattered but her. He vowed, at that moment, that this time, he wouldn't let her go. Serena was extraordinary and someone worth holding onto forever. Trowa knew he'd do everything within his power to keep her from walking out of his life again as she had.

Trowa didn't know what had happened or where she was, but it was easy to see that she felt remorse for whatever had happened while she was away. The sad smile she wore. The tears gathered in her eyes. She wasn't fooling him, and Trowa could see the hurt behind her midnight blue eyes.

He understood that sometimes people needed time to deal with certain things. Trowa couldn't help but feel the stab of pain in his chest at knowing Serena hadn't come to him for help and that she chose to keep him in the dark.

Trowa would have done anything for Serena without a second thought in his mind. He loved her, plain and simple. Trowa didn't need a reason for his actions, and he slowly realized that this was what it meant to be in love. He had gone off with Heero to try and save Serena, to stop her from doing something reckless. Even though, in the end, he still hadn't been able to stop her, Trowa didn't regret his decision to go. At least he had the chance to see Serena one last time before she went off into battle.

But none of it mattered now because they could start over. Make a life for themselves, a life they could make together.

Once Serena left his office, and when he had collected himself, Trowa went straight to Une's office to ask for permission to leave early. To his surprise, Une hadn't even let him finish speaking before agreeing. Une only told him to finish up whatever else was due for the day before he could head out. Trowa had a sinking suspicion that Une knew ahead of time that he would be looking to leave early. But he wasn't about to question her.

Deciding to skip lunch to finish his reports, Trowa checked the time on his watch once he finished sending his last one for the day. It was close to two o'clock, and he was surprised to note that it had only taken him two hours to finish his work. Trowa had figured he would complete everything around three at the very least. It was another thing he had no intention of complaining about it.

Shutting down his computer, Trowa gathered his things and made for the door. He figured he would find Serena somewhere within the building, or at least he hoped to find her. Chances were Serena had returned with Heero and had either gone to visit someone or was waiting in Heero's office.

As soon as he walked into the hallway, he caught a glimpse of Heero and Serena standing outside of his office talking. Trowa couldn't help but smile. Today was turning out to be his lucky day. Then he spotted someone running in the opposite direction towards them.

"Holy shit! Rena!?" Duo yelled as he ran towards Heero and Serena. "Is that really you!?"

Serena turned herself to face Duo. A smile on her face right as Duo scooped her up, hugging her tightly to himself and spinning them both around in a circle. When Duo finally put her back down, he hugged her one last time, planting a kiss on her cheek.

Trowa watched everything play out while making his way toward the group. He was close enough to hear Heero's growl of annoyance from behind Duo. But what Trowa noticed was the shocked expression on Serena's face right before she burst into laughter. Duo turned his head towards Heero, a huge grin plastered on his face while Heero glared at him.

"It's nice to see you too, Duo," Serena said once she had calmed herself.

"Glad to see you're back! You look great!" Duo said. Serena chuckled again.

"Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself." Serena winked at him.

"How was your lunch?" Trowa asked, making his presence known as he came to stand next to Serena.

Heero and Serena exchanged looks with each other as they answered in unison. "Good."

Trowa lifted a brow as he looked between the two. "Was Relena happy to see you?"

"Yes," they said together.

"Okay, now that's just creepy," Duo shivered, "Seriously, do you guys have twin telepathy or something?" Heero and Serena narrowed their eyes at him.

"No," they said again.

"Yeah, just keep telling yourselves that," Duo said. Heero and Serena both rolled their eyes before Serena turned to face him.

"Are you done for the day?" She asked, tilting her head towards the jacket Trowa had slung over his shoulder.

"Yeah," Trowa smiled, nodding his head. Serena smiled up at him. Moving closer, he placed a hand on the small of her back. "Care to join me for the rest of the day?"

Serena regarded Trowa for a moment before looking to Heero. Serena said something to him in Japanese. Heero said something back to her, causing Serena to scoff before she pulled her phone out of the small clutch she was carrying.

"Have fun then," Heero said, turning to Trowa, "take care of her."

Trowa didn't know what they had said other than Serena had shown Heero her phone. Whatever it was, he could ask her later. With a nod to Heero, the two said their goodbyes before making their way to the elevator.

Once Trowa and Serena disappeared from view, Duo let out a low whistle.

"Playing that card with her already?" Duo held his hands behind his head as he turned to face Heero. "Really, man? I'm pretty sure she can handle herself, and besides, Barton ain't going to let anything happen to her."

Duo had read Heero's email and waited until he ran into Serena to greet her properly. He had been excited. It had been months of them looking for her with zero leads as to where she had gone. Duo knew that no one wanted to give up hope that Serena had perished in the flames of the Ischyrós, mainly because of who Serena was. But as time passed, Duo had to start to admit, even if it was just to himself, that the chances of finding her were few and far between.

But when Heero's email came in, Duo knew the world would be right again. Because they all continued to hold out for Serena's return, and now that she was back, Duo knew that things would go back to normal. Or as normal as they were when they all first met Serena. Either way, Duo was just happy she was back. He hated seeing everyone walk around carrying this heavyweight.

While Wufei had bounced back quicker than anyone else, which didn't surprise Duo, Wufei would likely never grow out of some of his characteristics, mainly his cold demeanor toward specific individuals. But there was some hope when Serena showed up. As far as the rest of them, Heero had beaten himself up in the begging, then had slowly changed to be more accepting of the situation. Trowa, on the other hand, Duo had been worried for his friend. He had never seen Trowa fall head-over-heels for any woman. Duo had joked with Serena about her and Trowa getting bit by the lovebug but never thought it would honestly happen. Even though Duo secretly had hoped it would happen. What could he say? He was a sucker for love.

But it had, and Duo spent months watching Trowa mope around, knowing there wasn't anything he could do or say to help the other man. Duo had tried, and while Trowa had smiled and thanked him for his attempts, Duo could still see the sadness in Trowa's eyes.

"We have an agreement," Heero grunted while turning on his heel. Duo shook his head as he watched Heero walk back to his office.

"Watch out, or you'll turn into Zechs when it comes to Serena," Duo tossed out.

Duo couldn't help himself. He had seen the subtle change in Heero before Serena left, and Heero was proving once again that their relationship had changed. Heero had gone from hating Serena to being on her side and weirdly almost protective. Duo didn't fully understand the switch-up, but he was rolling with it nonetheless. It was probably for the best, and at least now, Heero and Serena weren't threatening each other lives. They were acting the way they should've from the beginning.

It was interesting, considering how Zechs took the news of Heero and Relena's engagement. Hilde had informed him that Zechs hadn't been overly enthusiastic when he learned about it. While Zechs and Heero got along, Zechs always managed to keep their rivalry going, even though they agreed on many topics. Though Duo questioned if it was a mix of both of them keeping it alive. Regardless, Duo knew he would enjoy watching how everyone's relationships played out and how Heero and Serena would fair with their newfound relationship.

"I heard that," Heero tossed over his shoulder before shutting his office door.

"Yeah, just keep telling yourself whatever you want. I have a feeling you're going to take things too far. If you haven't already. But don't worry, I'll be here to remind you!" Duo whistled as he made his way back to his own office.

Trowa drove them back to his apartment in record time. It wasn't a long drive, around twenty minutes on a good day, but Trowa was positive that he had gotten them back in about ten minutes. While he wasn't one to speed unless necessary, Trowa knew his excitement was showing when Serena looked at him when they pulled into the parking lot.

"You can't seem to get me back fast enough."

Trowa smirked as he grabbed her hand, pulling Serena towards him. He crushed his lips to hers in a heated kiss. Pulling back, Trowa watched as her dark lashes slowly opened to reveal midnight blue eyes that had been haunting his dreams.

"No, now why don't we take this inside?" Trowa asked. The smirk on Serena's lips was all he needed.

The heated kiss in the car was just the beginning. Trowa couldn't help himself as they made their way to the apartment. Taking the elevator instead of the stairs, Trowa cornered Serena, kissing her deeply while letting his hands roam over the material of her dress. When they arrived on his floor, Trowa pulled Serena along without breaking their kiss. Fumbling down the hallway, Trowa tried to keep their bodies together as they walked but ended up tripping as they neared the door to the apartment. Serena laughed as she buried her face into his chest.

Trowa smiled as he leaned them against the wall outside of the door. Taking a deep breath, Trowa tried to calm himself. There was no reason for them to rush. They could spend the rest of the day lazing about in bed. But his body and mind were doing anything but agreeing with each other. It didn't help that Serena had slipped her hand into his pocket, pulling his keys out. His mouth found hers again after she unlocked the door.

Once they were in the bedroom, Trowa informed Serena that he would be controlling how their lovemaking went. While he enjoyed it when she took over, Trowa wanted to shower her with affection while selfishly relishing his need to trace every inch of her body.

Her body was still perfect in his eyes, even with the new scars adorning her skin. They told a story, one Trowa hoped Serena would share with him one day, but he wasn't in a hurry. And neither was she. Trowa traced his fingers, hands, and mouth over every surface of her, drinking in everything that was Serena. As he looked down at her, she was everything he ever wanted in life, and this time, Trowa wouldn't let her go. Dipping his head, Trowa captured Serena's lips in a passionate kiss as he joined them together for the first time in months.

Trowa wanted to show Serena how much she meant and how much he had missed her. Their lovemaking was filled with passion as they worked through the familiar motions. Trowa had been missing how her body fit perfectly against his as she raised her hips to meet his. The way she said his name when pleasure washed over her. Even when her nails dug into him, leaving long scratches down his back. He had missed it all.

No one would ever be her. No one could ever be her.

Laying together in his bed, Trowa pulled Serena closer to him. Breathing her in, Trowa could still smell her perfume lingering on her skin. It was a floral scent with a hint of something sweet that reminded him of their first date. It was the same perfume she had worn that night. A night he'd never forget.

Their breathing was still labored from their excursion. Serena rested her head on his shoulder while her arm laid over his chest.

"I've missed you," he breathed.

"I know," Serena said. Trowa lifted his hand, stroking the contours of her cheek. His eyes searched hers for what he wasn't sure of, but she was different, almost like Serena was guarding herself.

It reminded him of when they had first met. Serena watched him, and in return, he watched her. While he had been more open to interaction, Serena had always held back on some level. Even at the end when she had said goodbye to him.

Trowa had questioned why she had done it, but the answer was never straightforward. Trowa had guessed part of it was due to the chip, which he hoped was gone for good this time, and some of it had to do with her interactions with others. But Serena wasn't always guarded. There were times when she'd let herself be vulnerable around others. Little hints into what she was feeling or thinking at any given moment. It was one of the reasons why everyone had been accepting of her. Serena had shown them kindness and understanding for every one of their differences, along with respect. While from the outside, most would view her as being definite, especially when it came to Heero, not once had Serena done anything to jeopardize anyone's safety.

Unless Trowa counted her running off to destroy a whole organization by herself, even though Serena was acting on the premise that she was doing everything she could to protect those she cared about the most.

"You're staring at me," Serena spoke softly. She untangled herself from him before shifting to the edge of the bed.

"Hard not to when I haven't seen you in so long," Trowa said, pushing himself up onto his forearm.

"You're looking at me like I'm some mystical creature." Serena looked at him from over her shoulder with a brow lifted ever so slightly. "Trowa, I'm not a figment of your imagination. There's no reason why you should be acting as such."

"Serena," Trowa started to say as he sat up, running a hand through his bangs. "I'm trying not to make this awkward between us, for your sake and mine."

"It's a little late for that," Serena smirked at him, "We already slept together. Again."

"That's not-"

"Don't. There's no need to explain yourself." She waved a hand in the air. "Besides, you're hungry. Come, I'll make you something to eat."

Trowa opened his mouth to say something when his stomach decided to speak for him. Food had been the last thing on his mind, and if he was being honest, he was still craving her.

Serena stood from the bed, looking around on the floor for what he presumed to be her clothes. There was only one problem. Their clothes had come off long before they were even in the bedroom.

"I should've grabbed my clothes from the hotel," Serena murmured.

"Your clothes are still in the dresser," Trowa said. "I kept everything as you left it."

"Why?" Serena stared at him with questioning eyes.

"In hopes, you'd come back."

Trowa's eyes followed her as she slowly walked over to the dresser. Opening the top left drawer, she pulled out a pair of underwear. Shutting the draw, she moved to open the second draw on the left side, her hand hovering over her t-shirts. After a moment, Serena closed the drawer, moving to his t-shirt drawer instead. Trowa couldn't help the small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth as she pulled the shirt over her head.

"You didn't have to keep them," Serena quietly said as she turned to face him.

"What else was I supposed to do?"

"Get rid of them?" Serena shrugged as she walked past the bed to the door. "Logically, it only makes sense to rid yourself of useless things."

Trowa frowned as he watched her retreat. Her comment wasn't sitting well with him. After a moment, he shook his head and followed suit as he got out of bed. He didn't want to take Serena's comment to heart.

Going to the dresser, Trowa grabbed a pair of boxers out of the drawer. Pulling them on, he walked out of the bedroom. Their clothes were still scattered on the floor while he walked into the kitchen. Serena stood at the refrigerator, bent forward slightly, causing the shirt she was wearing to ride up in the back. Trowa wondered if she was using her attraction to distract him from asking any further questions about what had happened to her or why she was acting strange.

But then again, Serena's appearance wasn't anything out of the ordinary. She had dressed like this often before, especially after they had sex.

"You don't have any food," Serena said as she stood straight before closing the fridge door.

"Haven't gone shopping in a while."

"I see that, but you have plenty of coffee," Serena gestured towards the countertop where three bags of coffee grounds sat next to the coffee maker.

"Can't live without java," Trowa smirked. Serena sighed as she moved over to the coffee pot and started to brew them some coffee.

She stayed quiet as she took two coffee cups out of the cabinet. Trowa continued to watch Serena as she poured the coffee, debating on what he could say to her. He didn't want to say anything that would scare her. Causing her to shut down and not discuss whatever was bothering her.

"Would you like to go out tonight for dinner?" Trowa asked as he accepted the offered mug Serena held out to him.

"No, I-" Serena's words died on her lips from a knock from the front door. Serena lifted her brow at Trowa. "Catherine isn't coming to do another surprise visit, is she?"

"No," Trowa shook his head. "She was here a month ago." Serena turned quickly from him, making her way towards the door. "Serena, wait-"

Serena didn't stop, unlocking the door and throwing it open. Heero stood on the other side, suitcase and duffel bag in hand, staring at her with wide eyes.

Heero knocked on the door, hoping neither of them happened to be busy doing anything. He had waited two hours before attempting to bring Serena her things. Heero had gone to the hotel before he met Relena for one of the more boring meetings she had with a few of her colleagues. After, Heero brought Relena back to her office and decided enough time had passed that he could safely bring Serena's things to her. But he wasn't expecting what he saw when the door to Trowa's apartment opened.

"Should've known," Serena mumbled.

"What are you-" Heero stood rigid as he took in her appearance. The shirt Serena was wearing was lifted on one side, the same side that her hand was resting on her hip, revealing more skin than he cared to see.

"Did you call me?" Serena asked, anger starting to seep into her voice.

"No, I just figured you'd want your things." Heero glanced at Trowa. He was standing behind the island shirtless with a cup of coffee and a surprised look on his face as he stared back at Heero.

"Oh," Serena said. All the anger she once held seemly disappear into thin air. Serena moved to the side, allowing Heero in. Heero didn't hesitate before stepping into the apartment, almost as if his body was moving on autopilot.

Dropping the suitcase next to him, Heero didn't exactly know what he was doing there. He had simply been trying to bring Serena's things to her, but now Heero wished he had called before showing up.

"Don't look so out of place," Serena said as she took the duffel bag from him. "It's not like you've never seen me like this before."

"What?" Heero swung his head towards her.

"At least I have a shirt on this time." Serena walked past him. Duffel bag slung over her shoulder with the suitcase in her other hand. Heero watched as she brought everything into the bedroom, disappearing from view.

Trowa cleared his throat, trying to overcome the embarrassment he was likely feeling himself. Heero and Trowa locked eyes for a moment before they averted their gaze. It was obvious neither of them knew what to say or do.

Heero was kicking himself for not calling ahead of time. If Serena and Trowa had known he was stopping by, they could've avoided the awkwardness that was currently happening. He also didn't want to start another fight with his comrade. They had argued enough over what had transpired between him and Serena and what had happened after Ischyrós.

"So why did you really bring my things?" Serena asked in English as she came back into the kitchen. Still only dressed in the t-shirt she had been wearing.

"Can you put on some damn clothes!?" Heero replied to Serena in Japanese. Serena rolled her eyes before walking back into the bedroom. She emerged a moment later with a pair of sweatpants on and carrying a shirt and shorts. Serena handed the items to Trowa before returning her attention to Heero.

"Happy?" Serena lifted a brow at him while Trowa threw the clothes she had given him. Keeping himself hidden behind the kitchen island as he did so. "Why are you here?"

"As I said, I figured you'd want your things. You were planning on staying here, right?"

Serena stared at him. They hadn't discussed where she'd be living. The hotel had only been a temporary situation. And after Duo and Hilde bought a house, Heero didn't renew the lease for his old apartment after they left. He didn't need the space, and Heero never thought to keep it if Serena returned.

"Um," Serena said as she chewed on her lip.

Heero could see Serena struggling with whether or not she had planned on staying at Trowa's. While Heero had been up in the air about it, he knew deep down that she'd end up back at Trowa's regardless of what he had to say. It was one of the reasons why Heero hadn't brought it up to her. After a few minutes of silence, Heero decided to make the decision for her.

"Call me if you need anything," he said. Serena sent him one of her looks before he made a hasty retreat to the door.

Without another word, Heero opened the apartment door, leaving them to discuss things. At this point, none of this was any of his business. Serena needed to talk to Trowa herself, but he'd be there if she needed anything or needed to talk.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Heero made his way to the elevator. He needed to return to Relena, and Heero was hoping that Relena would be finished with her work for the day once he was back in her office.

"Serena?" Trowa stood watching her. She hadn't moved from where she had been standing next to the island. Her shoulders were rigid, and the faint furrow of her brow told him enough.

"Huh?"

"Does Thai sound good for dinner?"

Serena stared wide-eyed at him. The moment after their lovemaking concluded, Trowa knew she had become uncomfortable around him again. It only made the signs clearer when Heero had assumed that she'd be staying with him and her reaction was anything but reassuring. It didn't help that Heero and Serena had spoken in English, allowing him to hear and understand the conversation.

Serena seemed to have been caught off guard by Heero's question about whether or not she

had planned to stay with him. Maybe it was because of her insecurities about their relationship, considering they hadn't discussed where they stood yet. But the darkness Trowa had seen earlier had crept back into her eyes. Whatever Serena was thinking about, Trowa knew he needed to give her more time. Pushing her would only send her running from him.

"If you're not up to going out, we can order in," Trowa elaborated.

"Thai sounds fine," Serena said after a moment, a tiny frown forming on her lips as she looked at him.

A/N

First, I want to apologize. I know that I confused some people with the last chapter and my explanation in my notes didn't help clarify anything. Just know from here on out it's been almost, ALMOST 6 months since the last story. Five months and some odd days. Dates will be listed at the top of chapters, months, and years. I promise things will make more sense timeline-wise starting in chapter five when we jump back in time. There are going to be actual flashbacks within chapters and there will also be chapters dedicated to periods that happen before the current timeline. This is why the dates are so important.

Anyways, Happy chapter three!

I added some stuff to this chapter, and I'm sorry for any of my smut-lovers out there... I still kept this sex scene PG-13? Lmao, that's not right but hopefully, you got the joke. I was tempted to go into more details because technically, the prologue is the "first" sex scene, but I wanted to keep the focus on other things. We'll toy around with things as the story progresses.

For now, I'll leave you for another week because my editing software is yelling at me and there's nothing wrong with having a space between words but it feels the need to highlight and tell me I'm wrong for having a single space between words... it's just as confused as I am when I read my damn notes. Haha. I'll see you all next Monday with chapter four, Don't Be Afraid.

-MM