Chapter Ten
A New Start

Present-day
April, A.C. 204

"So you've known for a month now that she's been alive and living on L1?" Relena arched a brow at him for the umpteenth time. It seemed whenever he opened his mouth to explain things, Relena either didn't believe him, or she was playing a cruel game.

"Yes," Heero sighed. "We've gone over this."

"Yes, but I still have questions for you."

"What questions?" Heero crossed his arms across his chest.

"Why didn't you tell me that she was still alive!" Relena all but yelled at him. "We've all been worried sick thinking she was dead! And now you tell me you've known!?"

Heero quickly dropped his arms. The last thing he had expected was for her Relena to blow up on him. Relena was rational and level-headed, even when a fire simmered in her eyes. There had only been a handful of times where she had broken down. Whether Relena needed to have, as she put it, a good cry or where she sat for hours burning holes into someone's head. Mostly his whenever he did something that angered her. And from the looks of things, today was going to be one of those days.

"Heero, you've pulled a lot of stunts over the years, but this is the worst by far!" Relena threw up her hands before her mouth opened again to speak.

Heero was vaguely aware of what Relena was saying to him. His phone had vibrated in his pocket. Taking the device out, Heero quickly read the text message before sending a reply back to the person.

"I don't understand why, of all things, this has made you upset," Heero said after Relena had stopped rambling on about whatever it was she was saying. But the second the words left his mouth. Heero knew he had said the wrong thing as he brought his eyes up to meet Relena's.

"You know damn well why I'm pissed!" Relena crossed her arms over her chest. Glaring at him. "You spent four months searching the universe for a sign. Some hint that Serena was still out there. You," Relena pointed a finger. "Lost sleep, and do we need to mention how many meals you skipped? Hmm?"

"I was doing my job."

"You were making yourself sick, Heero," Relena sighed. It seemed her anger was starting to fade. Or at least Heero was hopeful it was. "I understand you felt some obligation to Serena, and I admire that. Many people do, but the second you learned where Serena was, you became a different person. I thought maybe you were finally at your breaking point or that you were finally giving in to the fact that you may not find her. But what you did was wrong. You should've told me. I've been worrying about you."

"I didn't mean to worry you," Heero said with a frown.

"I know you didn't, but you did. So didn't Trowa, but that's a whole other story," Relena waved a hand. "I should've known something else was going on, especially when you took me to get my ring."

"I promised to do it right," Heero's frown deepened. "It had been long enough from when I first asked you."

"I was expecting it to be at least a year." The corners of Relena's lips curled up into a smirk.

Heero turned his head away sharply when Relena laughed wholeheartedly. She wasn't entirely wrong, but he had made a promise, and Heero had every intention of keeping that promise.

"Oh, c'mon," Relena said as she threw her arms around his neck. "You know I'm only joking. But I'm still mad at you for not telling me about Serena." Heero wrapped his arms around Relena, pulling her closer to him.

"Telling you or anyone would've been a risk. It was still a risk when Serena returned with me."

"I know…" Relena smiled sadly at him. "You didn't force her to come back, did you? It was her decision, right?"

"I-"

Serena had finished telling Trowa everything, at least the parts he could know. Some things Serena had decided she'd take to her grave. She knew Heero wouldn't spill her secrets. It was better if nobody knew her ugly past. Even knowing that some things would follow her for the rest of her life. Demons nobody could hide from.

Trowa had been quiet, listening to her. They had moved to the couch, but the more she spoke, the more she felt distant from herself. Serena felt like she had an out-of-body experience. Nothing felt right, and her thoughts didn't feel right. Serena knew she could have been overreacting. What reason would she have for feeling this way?

Serena had been staring at the wall for some time now. Once she was done speaking, Trowa got up and went into the kitchen. Serena stayed sitting on the couch, lost in her thoughts.

"I'm happy that you're back, Serena, but I know you're not telling me everything," he said. Serena saw the frown on his face when she glanced over her shoulder at him.

"I only remember so much. I was in a come for three months. Granted, I woke up here and there. But I have no recollection of any of it."

"What about before all that? Do you remember being on the Ischyrós?" Trowa pressed.

"Most of it. Although towards the end… it gets a little fuzzy," Serena chuckled as she turned back around, staring at the wall again.

"That's not funny."

"Oh, c'mon, it is, and you know it," she said. When Trowa didn't respond, Serena turned her head towards him. "Trowa?"

"I don't find any of it funny. You were hurt. How can you sit here and joke about it?"

"I've been through worse. I didn't-"

"You nearly killed yourself, Serena," Trowa said, cutting her off. "On top of that, you lost your memory, and you still haven't told me how you got it back."

"Same as you did," Serena said bitterly. Turning herself back around. "The ZERO system has a funny way of helping to jog one's memory. Since I had a file imprinted onto the system, it was the most logical thing to use," Serena sighed as she placed her hands in her lap. "None of this is some hysterical thing, but if I keep letting every bad thing that has happened to me run my life, I won't have a life to live."

Silence filled the room.

"I'm sorry," Trowa said from behind her. "You're right, and I'm sorry. It was just… hard these last few months." When she looked back at him, Trowa turned his face away from her.

"I know, but as I said, I can't let this ruin my life. It's easier to just put it in the past where it belongs and move forward." Like everything else. Serena thought bitterly. When Trowa turned his head back, she offered him a small smile. "Let's just enjoy the rest of our night."

Trowa felt a range of emotions while Serena told him everything. Sadness, anger, frustration, and happiness. He knew Serena wasn't telling him everything, but Trowa didn't know why. He thought that by now, Serena would trust him enough to tell him everything. But whatever it was, she was keeping it a secret from him. Trowa tried not to dwell on it, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't. Trying his best to push the feelings aside, Trowa tried to focus on the fact she was back.

They had been sitting on the couch talking. Trowa had gotten them some wine after Serena finished telling him everything. He figured they both could use a drink. Or a whole bottle at the rate they were going, but it seemed to do the trick. They both had loosened up. Serena seemed more relaxed and content than she had when they first arrived back at the apartment.

"So," Serena said as she placed her glass of wine down on the coffee table. "What did you do while I was gone?"

"Hmm?" Trowa raised a brow at her. "You already know."

"Yes," Serena nodded her head. "You did mention some things," she said with a smirk. "I want to know what you were doing while I was gone."

"I'm not sure I follow," Trowa frowned at her as he brought his glass to his lips, taking a sip of his wine.

"The sex, Trowa," Serena deadpanned. "I feel like you tried to make up for the time I was gone in a matter of twenty minutes." Trowa felt himself starting to choke. Swallowing what remained in his mouth, Trowa flicked his eyes to hers. Had he heard her correctly? "It's obvious you weren't looking elsewhere."

"Why would I?" He asked after a moment. Serena shrugged her shoulders.

"Your hand wasn't good enough?" She asked. Trowa felt his face flush as his mouth opened before clamping it shut. After a moment, Trowa realized she was teasing him. Her eyes were playful, and the smug smile on her lips told him so.

"It's never as good as the real thing," Trowa said as he smirked. Serena threw her head back as she laughed.

"Should I expect to be sore for the next few days?" Serena asked after she calmed herself.

"With how we were before, I would say, at minimum, the next few weeks."

"What happens when one of us is away? Do you plan for us to make up for lost time once we've returned?" Serena raised a brow at him.

"Depends," Trowa said as he leaned closer to her. "I guess if we're away together, we won't have to make up for the lost time."

"We should… probably talk about that," Serena's face fell as well as the somber mood. "I plan on staying here, in the city, but what does that mean for us?"

Trowa observed Serena. At first, he wasn't sure what she meant, but the more he studied her, the more he realized Serena needed some kind of confirmation. Whether they were going to continue their relationship or end things and move on. The latter of which he had no intention of letting happen.

"Stay here with me," Trowa said. Her eyes widened ever so slightly, but Serena didn't give any other indication of her feelings. "If that's what you want," he added.

"Is that what you want?" She countered back.

"I never wanted you to leave in the first place." Trowa reached a hand out to grasp one of hers. "I meant everything I ever said to you. I had feelings for you from the moment I laid eyes on you. Even now, that still hasn't changed. I learned who you were, what your passions are, and what you believe in, and with that-" Serena held up her other hand, stopping him from continuing.

"You still don't know me, Trowa. You only know part of my story."

"Then let me get to know all of you." Trowa squeezed her hand. "I fell in love with you then, and I'm still in love with you now."

"How can you love me?" Serena shook her head, pulling her hand away from him. "You still came after me, like an idiot," she mumbled.

"Because I care enough to risk my life to save yours." Trowa frowned at her. "Sometimes people do stupid things in the name of love. You did the same as well, don't forget."

"What do you mean?" Serena raised a brow at him.

"I saw the video."

"What video?" Serena's face paled.

"The one you recorded inside of Kibou… I sent it to myself before Une took your phone back." Trowa looked down at his hands that were in his lap. He felt shame for sharing that piece of information. It had been his secret, for when he felt lost or when he had been missing her. "I would replay it whenever I was lonely. Or when I was missing you. It was the only piece of you I had left."

"You had all my clothes and other personal belongings." Serena frowned at him when he looked back up at her. "Why was that one video so important-" Serena stopped herself. Her eyes grew wide. "I told you that I…" she trailed off, sharply turning her head away from him as her cheeks reddened.

"You didn't come out and say it, but I understood the meaning behind your words."

"I meant what I said," Serena said, turning her head back towards him. "I never meant to hurt you, Trowa, and for that, I'm truly sorry." Trowa shook his head lightly, dismissing it. "You can't brush it off. What I did was-"

"You thought it was the best course of action at the time. You were thinking of others," Trowa cut her off. "I don't fault you for that. I may have been angry with you at the time, but once I realized that you were only trying to protect us, none of it mattered."

"You're too forgiving and misguided when it comes to me."

"That may be," Trowa said. "And you still fell for me."

"I did, didn't I?" Serena smirked.

"Yes, you did."

"What am I going to do with you, Barton?" Serena playfully rolled her eyes.

"I have a few ideas," Trowa smirked at her.

"And what are those?"

"If you meant what you said, why don't you tell me how you feel about me?" Trowa asked.

"You know I can't bring myself to say those words."

"Then I'll wait until you're ready." Trowa smiled at her.

"What if I'm never ready?" Serena countered back.

"Then I'll just replay the video as a reminder."

"Remind me to delete it," Serena groaned. Trowa laughed as he stood from the couch, offering Serena his hand.

Serena had been staring at the ceiling for some time now. She couldn't sleep, and Trowa had gone to bed hours ago. After all the wine they had, Trowa had brought her back into the bedroom, claiming they should go to bed. It had only been around ten, and while she thought it was odd, it didn't take Serena long to gather what Trowa's intentions were.

It seemed as though Trowa was planning on staying true to his words that she'd likely be sore for a few weeks. Serena didn't mind. It made her feel good knowing he still wanted her in that way. But it was everything else that was bothering her.

"You should tell Trowa the truth."

"Why? He doesn't need to know any of that."

"I think you would feel better if he knew, Serena."

"Just like you've told Relena everything about your past?"

"I'm not telling you to tell Trowa about every person you've ever killed. I'm talking about what happened between you and Edwards."

"Why? So he can judge me?"

"He's not going to judge you. Did I judge you?"

"You yelled at me for not telling you in the first place."

"You know damn well what I'm talking about."

"And you're the one that thinks it's a brilliant idea to tell Trowa my secrets."

Serena had replayed the conversation between her and Heero a hundred times. It had taken place one night when he came to her hotel room. Serena knew Heero had good intentions that evening. He had questioned her if she was ready to come back into everyone's lives. Mainly Trowa's. Serena assumed, at the time, that their deal about waiting two weeks would fall through. That Heero would throw her back into the public eye, so to speak. But that wasn't the case. Heero adhered to his promise of two weeks, but that didn't stop Serena's mind from running with ramped thoughts.

But one thing Serena knew, she couldn't tell Trowa the truth.

She had questioned herself over whether what she was doing was the right thing. Serena knew she wanted to return to Earth, but doing so meant facing new fears she had. Mainly the man who was currently sleeping peacefully next to her.

Heero had reassured her that Trowa would be happy to see her. He hadn't been wrong, but it didn't mean that Serena didn't question whether or not their relationship would continue as it once was. So many things had changed since she had said goodbye to him.

Serena wasn't the person she once had been. Her views changed, and the things she wanted in life also changed. But wasn't that why Serena had agreed to return to Earth with Heero? To return to what she had wanted so desperately and now had the opportunity to have?

Sighing to herself, Serena quietly got out of bed. Grabbing her phone, she made her way into the living room. Unlocking her phone, Serena searched for a phone number before bringing the phone to her ear.

Heero sat in the study, cradling his phone against his shoulder while he crossed his arms over his chest. It was two-thirty in the morning, and this wasn't what Heero wanted to be doing, but he couldn't ignore the person who had called him. Even in the early morning hours.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No, I just couldn't sleep," Serena said. Heero wanted to sigh out loud. He knew Serena was lying, but Heero didn't see the point in arguing with her.

"Then why did you call me?"

"Because I knew you'd answer if I did." Heero could hear her smirk through the phone. "How did it go with Relena?"

"I got yelled at."

"You knew that was going to happen," Serena laughed. "I think we both knew that."

"Yeah," Heero said, deciding to change the subject. "How did it go with Trowa?"

There was a long pause before Serena spoke. Heero had sensed this was the reason Serena had called him.

"It went as expected."

"Was Trowa upset with you?" Heero questioned as he reached a hand up to hold his cell phone against his ear with his hand.

"Not really," Serena sighed. "But I think he knows I didn't tell him everything."

"You left out-"

"Yes, Heero," Serena said, cutting him off. "Part of our agreement may have been broken, but I'm not telling anyone what happened after we used the ZERO system. You really think I would do that?"

"No," Heero said slowly. "Just making sure.".

"I thought that was why we agreed to only speak Japanese to each other when discussing related topics?"

"We did."

"And are we currently speaking in Japanese right now?"

"We are," Heero said.

"Then why do I feel like you're going to lecture me about this topic?"

"I'm not," Heero said. Only to hear Serena snort. "I know you only called because you're feeling uneasy about being at Trowa's."

"I'm not uneasy about being here, Heero. I'm unsure if I made the right decision. I want to be here… but something doesn't feel right."

"What do you mean something doesn't feel right?" Heero questioned. He didn't like the tone Serena used. His mind raced, thinking over the possibilities.

"I don't know…" Serena sighed again. "I told Trowa that if I let every bad thing that happens to me ruin my life, I won't have a life to live."

"You're not wrong."

"Then why does it feel wrong?"

Heero understood what Serena was feeling, but there wasn't just one answer that would solve her problems. If she didn't want to share with Trowa what had happened to her, Heero knew he had to respect Serena on that. But deep down, Heero knew these thoughts would linger in the back of her mind.

"Maybe you're just overwhelmed. A lot has happened, and you're still processing everything," Heero said after a moment.

"Maybe."

"I told you to give everything some time. If you're still unhappy after a couple of weeks or months, we'll figure out what to do next."

"I don't want to leave, Heero. I just," Serena sighed. "Maybe I'm just overthinking everything."

"It's a possibility. This is why I keep reminding you that things will take time."

"I know," Serena sighed. "I'm sorry I bothered you so late."

"It's fine. I told you to call me whenever you needed me," Heero said. "Why don't you get some rest? If you want, I can call you tomorrow when I have some downtime?"

"You don't have to call me. I'm sure I'll be the same tomorrow or bored out of my mind."

"You cannot come to work. Not until Monday, Serena," Heero said sternly.

"I don't see why I can't come in tomorrow. What difference does it make?"

"Because I want you to get settled back with Trowa."

"He still has to work-"

"You need time to settle back into your home life before coming into the office," Heero said, cutting her off.

"You're a pain in the ass, you know that?"

"Yeah," Heero said as the corner of his lips tipped up. "Same to you."

"Goodnight, Heero," Serena said.

"Goodnight," Heero said before pulling the phone away from his ear.

While Heero was happy that Serena called him, he made a mental note to call her at some point the following day and see how she was doing. He had spent the last two weeks trying to talk to Serena about some issues she had, even if it meant breaking their agreement. Heero had hoped that she would tell Trowa everything. But Heero knew it would take time for Serena to be ready to share certain things about herself with Trowa.

Heero just hoped it wouldn't take her years like it did for him to share his past with Relena.

Standing, Heero walked out of the study, heading back to the bedroom. At least Relena hadn't woken up when his phone started ringing. At first, Heero thought there was some emergency, but as soon as his eyes saw who was calling him, Heero was worried something else was wrong. While Serena hadn't called him out of the blue since they returned to Earth, Heero had told her to call him whenever she needed him. Regardless of the time. It didn't mean the early morning call didn't have him on high alert.

His fears were eased once he answered his phone and learned that Serena was okay. Only to find out she was only struggling with some feelings she was having. Which he should've expected, given their past conversations. But Heero had told himself not to call her. That he'd let Serena be the one to reach out to him.

This was only after Serena had complained to him for being over-barring when it came to his check-ins.

As Heero laid back in bed, he reminded himself that everything would take time. Not just Serena and her recovery, but how they would handle things moving forward. They were navigating new territory, one neither of them knew how to deal with. At least they could speak to one another without arguing too much. That was an improvement, considering how they used to act around each other.

Heero knew he just needed to keep trying his best to be there for Serena at the end of the day. And hopefully, one day, Serena could live her life the way she should've from the beginning. There would be bumps along the way, but neither of them could give in and give up hope. They would use the time they had now and figure things out, and then they could dive head first into the most pressing matter.

Edwards.

Whether Heero was happy or not about Serena being on the case for Edwards, he knew it would take everyone to bring Edwards and ROE down. While there would likely be other threats lurking in the shadows, Edwards and ROE were priority number one for Preventers. Heero could only hope they would have enough time before the head of the organization showed himself again. But time wasn't always a luxury in the world they lived in.

Pushing the thoughts aside, Heero focused on the fact he needed to sleep. Things could be dealt with at a later time. At this moment, the main goal was to take everything one day at a time.

A/N

Happy Chapter Ten!

I'm not going to leave a long note, as this chapter is long and after battling my laptop not working properly for over a week now (I think I finally fixed it), I would like to just post this chapter.

I'll see you all next week with chapter eleven... not sure of the name at the moment because I may change it, but just know that someone may have broken some rules and may get into a little trouble. Until then, take care!

-MM