Title: Inc-Chapter 9
Author: MarshAngel
e-mail:watsonma@hotmail.com
webpage: http://www.crosswinds.net/~marshangel/angelmoon.htm

Serena felt like it had been days since she'd left San Francisco. She 
had expected to feel better once she was away from everything that had 
hurt her. Instead, she was lying on a lumpy bed in a decent hotel with a 
half tub of frozen yogurt still feeling guilty, depressed and lonely. 

She hadn't escaped anything at all. If anything she felt far worse now 
than she had originally. She felt like an immature child trying to run away 
from problems that were determined to follow her around the world.
She would feel pretty stupid if she came halfway around the world 
just to get away from her problems only to return home worse than she had 
arrived. She tossed the half finished tub of yogurt into the garbage, 
grabbed her hotel keys and her purse. There was a remedy to this 
situation.

Three hours later, shopping hadn't helped. She had a half dozen 
outfits, three different pairs of shoes and a bottle of perfume to add to her 
collection. It wasn't difficult to pinpoint the basis of all her frustration. She 
missed Darien. She sank down unto a bench on the sidewalk. 

Every time she thought about her decision in terms of him she began 
regretting. She was shocked by the almost irresistible temptation to return 
and marry him despite her feelings about her father. It was a feeling she 
was having a hard time fighting.

For what must have been the hundredth time over the past two days 
she went over the events that had led up to her being in Europe. She had 
actually quit her job by e-mail the day after she arrived in London, leaving 
her father to deal with the consequences. She'd only spent a half-day in 
London before heading to Paris, her favorite city of all the places she'd 
visited over the years.

The first day she had spent mostly in her hotel room sleeping and 
eating, two of her most favorite things.  Today she had been on the verge of 
doing the same until the sudden inspiration to shop had visited her. Now if 
only she could be inspired with a solution to her problems. What was she 
going to do with the rest of her life now that she'd quit her job, lost two 
fiancées, and traveled to a different country?

She was still pondering the answer to that question when she heard a 
sudden squeal. 

"Oh my God!" the high-pitched voice yelled startling Serena out of 
her miserable reflections. Serena looked up to see a face she had never 
expected to see again. The woman was in her twenties and she had curly 
black hair and an angular face in which were set the brightest and most 
unusual violet eyes, Serena recalled having seen. She had choker with and 
engraved full moon on it and a sleeveless deep blue summer dress. 
Physically she was the same as she had always been.

"Lulu?" Serena questioned unable to believe this coincidence. Lulu, 
short for Luan had been one of Serena's best friends in college, they'd even 
been roommates for a year. In their junior year she'd decided to spend a 
year in Europe studying fine art. She'd found she liked it and decided to 
stay and Serena hadn't seen much of her since.

Lulu had always been the strange and mysterious kind. She had an 
obsession with astrology and the effect of the moon. Serena remembered 
once she'd walked into the room they shared to find the floor littered with 
charcoal drawings on large sheets of newsprint of the moon in various 
stages. Lulu had then proceeded to give her a rather accurate palm reading 
and that had only been a small portion of her strange ways.
"I can't believe it's you Serena! What are you doing here in Paris?"
"Running away from life. How about you? I can't believe you're still 
here!"
"There's nowhere else for me. This must be destiny; us meeting like 
this! There is no such thing as a coincidence, especially not one this big!" 
Serena smiled. She hadn't changed. 

"Well the hand of destiny hasn't been dealing out the best of cards to 
me lately," Serena commented dryly.

"This must have something to do with your love life." Lulu remarked.

"What makes you say that?" Serena questioned.

"Whenever people seem truly miserable and confused, it usually has 
something to do with love."

"That and other complications." Serena soon found herself telling 
Luan the whole story. When she was done and Luna's last, 'I see' had been 
said, Serena let out a deep breath.

"So why are you here and not dragging the poor man to the altar, like 
you know you want to?"

"I told you. My dad…"

"What happened with your dad changes nothing! Why are you trying 
to convince yourself that somehow what he did made a difference? Serena 
you've always known about the situation with your father. You knew the 
situation when you got into it."

"Even this situation with Andrew has changed nothing for you really. 
The only thing stopping you from going back home and marrying the man, 
that it's plainly obvious you've fallen head over heels with, is you!"
"What do you mean?" Serena asked.

"I mean that it's obvious to me that you're running scared and this 
thing with Andrew is what finally pushed you over the edge." She paused 
for emphasis before continuing. "Having Andrew tell you that he loves you 
reminded you that you were throwing away a secure relationship with a 
man you've known for most of your life for the dream guy you never even 
expected to find.

" It scares you that you've fallen so hard, so quickly and you're so 
afraid that it's a fleeting kind of happiness so you ran away from it before it 
could disappear on you."

Serena was stunned. How could Lulu know so much? She'd summed 
up Serena's entire situation and found the root of her problem in just a few 
minutes. 

"Wow!" was all she could say.

"You need to go find that man before you lose him. I'd love to meet 
the man that has you this stirred up."

"He's incredible," Serena whispered. "Just the sight of him makes 
me weak. He's so perfect that sometimes I can't believe he's real."

"A soul mate?"

"It certainly feels that way when we…" She trailed off but the red hue 
that colored her cheeks gave away the direction of her thoughts.

"That good huh?" Luan said smiling.

"Enough about my love life," Serena switched subjects. "What about 
you?"

Luan sighed. "I'm still waiting for the one. I have it on good authority 
he should arrive in the next year or so though?"

"What authority would that be?"

"My horoscope of course!" Luan stated as though it were the most 
normal thing in the world. Serena shook her head and smiled. 

"Well before you go off to find that man, come have dinner with me?"

"Sure. I'd love to." Serena replied, genuinely happy for the 
opportunity to spend time with her friend.


"You know, Darien, I never liked you but I certainly never took you for 
a lazy man. I guess I'll have to reform my opinion," Alex said mockingly to 
the prone figure of Darien relaxing in the sun. He was on a lounging chair 
on a patio that looked out over a cliff to the ocean. The estate he'd just 
inherited lay by the Mediterranean Sea outside Arles.

"That's 'my lord' to you, Alex." Darien muttered. He should have 
been more annoyed with her for disrupting the only rest he was likely to get 
for a while and the first he'd had ina few days but he wasn't really able to 
rest anyway. Yesterday he'd officially become Earl de Morny and he'd 
decided to spend the next few days taking a little vacation. He certainly felt 
like he deserved one.

Rest wasn't coming easy to him, however. It seemed whenever he 
closed his eyes Serena's face appeared as if somehow she had embedded 
herself on the insides of his eyelids. Most of his thoughts revolved around 
where she was and what she was doing. 

For the moment however his thoughts were occupied with just what 
Alex wanted from him now. He'd been spared her presence on the flight; 
the drugs he'd taken had knocked him out for most of the flight. Saturday, 
the day of the funeral, both she and Michelle had found themselves 
comforting Charles' fifteen year old daughter Helena, who seemed to think 
Alex was some kind of goddess. 

The poor girl was so pale and thin and had just returned from the 
boarding school she had just recently begun attending, having left her last 
one behind only a year ago. Darien was now the legal guardian of a 
teenager he'd never even met, who from the looks of her pale skin, jet-black 
hair, and delicate form, needed a lot of attention. Just three years before, 
the young girl had lost her mother and now here she was mourning the loss 
of her father. Darien and Michelle were now her closest living family. 
Perhaps it was selfish of him but despite all the things that had 
occurred in the past few days all he could think about was her.  His visions 
of Serena were so vivid that he could almost smell her peach shampoo.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Alex asked, inviting herself to sit in 
the chair next to him.

"Nothing. I'm tired and I was trying to get some rest." 

 Alex purposefully ignored his hint that he wanted to be alone. 
"Michelle told me you lost your fiancée. How ever did you sucker a sweet 
girl like Serena into becoming your fiancée anyway? You never struck me as 
the one woman type man."

"I'm really getting tired of hearing what 'type' of man I 'supposedly' 
am. What did you expect me to be single forever?"

"One could only hope," Alex commented. No female should have to 
endure a relationship with you."

"Just what is it about me that you find so distasteful Alex?"

"You are an arrogant misogynist bastard."

"And exactly how did you come up with that ridiculous idea?"

"I don't know." Alex said sarcastically. "Maybe it has something to 
do with the fact that every other week you have a new woman on your arm, 
never the same one in a row mind you. You use them and then move one. 
In fact, less than two weeks before you got engaged, something no one 
expected, you were out with another woman."

Darien smiled. "Why are you so concerned with what I do? Has it ever 
occurred to you that just maybe those women actually enjoy being with me? 
Even if they didn't it's their job to show up at events with someone of 
importance. They are models! They do publicity for the designers, whose 
outfits they happen to be wearing at the time. It improves the company's 
public image when I am seen with models that also happen to be big 
participants in charity events that I sponsor. 

"You don't even have a logical reason for disliking me do you Alex? 
Serena informed me that the only reason you don't like me is because 
you're as arrogant and overbearing as I am. I am suddenly inclined to 
believe she's right."

"That's the worse insult I have ever received." Alex mumbled. "How 
did you and Serena get together anyway?"

"That's a long story."

"You're on vacation, you have time."

By the time he was done Alex was looking at him incredulously. 
"I thought you were more intelligent than this?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well first I'm surprised she didn't run away because of you. Then of 
course there's the fact that you're here relaxing while the woman you love 
is somewhere you're not doing God knows what with God only knows who. 
Don't tell me you've given up already?"

"I just thought maybe she needed some time alone until she sorted 
things out."

"Well while you're being so considerate she's probably as miserable 
as you are, pining away without you." Alex groaned and almost choked on 
the bitter taste welling up inside her mouth. "Oh god, I sound like some 
romantic loser with nothing better to do than interfere with other people's 
love lives. It's nauseating. I need a beer!" With that she got up leaving him 
alone once again.

"So how long are you going to stay before you run off to find that 
man of yours?"  Luan asked.

"I don't know. I suppose I should probably go home really soon. I 
really do miss him." 

Luan nodded in understanding. "Maybe you want to visit your old 
school while you're here. I'm sure the nuns you used to tell me about would 
love to see you."

"I hadn't thought much about it," Serena replied, "but now that you 
say so I believe I just might."

 Serena recalled things she hadn't thought 
about in a long while. After taking the obligatory rich kid trip to Europe with 
her friends, Serena had fallen in love with France, and had spent her high 
school junior year in a private high school for girls as an exchange student. 
She had given the nuns hell with the aid of some of her new and even 
more mischievous friends. It had been a great time in her life and when 
she'd gotten to college she'd regaled her friends with stories of her time in 
school and the silly things she'd done. She didn't doubt Sister Marie 
Celeste missed her deeply. Who else would dare to read romance novels in 
her history class?

"Mind if I join you? I never forgot all those stories you told me. I can't 
wait to see for myself what this school's like."

"I'd enjoy the company." Serena replied honestly.


"Charles' housekeeper Amelia came to Darien as he was going 
through all the documents and files his uncle had kept in his office. The 
man had at least the good sense to leave his daughter the majority of his 
money.

Helena was now his responsibility and Amelia had come to remind 
him of it. Was she going back to school or would she be returning to the 
United States with him? He hadn't thought too much on what to do with the 
young girl. Amelia suggested he visited her school and make a decision 
then. He suspected that she didn't believe it was a good idea for the girl to 
be away at school but she didn't feel it her place to say so. 

Well if he was going to see to the girl's welfare he may as well check 
out where she'd spent her time. If he were going to sign her out of her 
school he'd have to do it in person anyway. He wouldn't waste a trip 
coming back here. The school was closer to Paris and since most of 
Helena's things were at school anyway, if he decided to take her with him, 
he'd simply have her pick her things up on her way. He frowned. The 
realization that he was going to have to give up that bachelor pad of his 
was beginning to dawn on him.

The old school was a rather old and not very attractive yet somehow 
appealing collection of buildings that had been built so very long ago it was 
amazing they hadn't yet crumbled. The paint had long since peeled off 
sections of the walls and whole wall faces were covered in deep green ivy 
vines. 

Serena and Luan walked into the entrance hall of the main building. 
Despite it's exterior the inside of the building had always been beautiful. It 
was still as beautiful as ever with its dark wooden panels and warm orange 
lamps. There was something different though. It didn't seem as welcoming 
as it used to. There was an element of what could only be described as 
decay.

A young nun, with whom Serena wasn't familiar greeted them, 
inquiring as to whether they were relatives of anyone currently attendance. 
They asked to see Sister Marie Celeste but were surprised to find she was 
no longer there.

The young nun, whose name was Sister Louise, led them to the office 
of Mother Therese, the headmistress. Serena was uncomfortable and 
disappointed that she wouldn't be able to introduce Luan to the wonderful 
woman she'd known. 

Mother Therese was a stern-looking older woman who had replaced 
the former headmistress. She informed them that Marie Celeste had 
actually been released of her vows and had moved to the London a few 
years ago. Everything had changed so much since she'd been there.


Darien was concerned about Helena. There was little that seemed to 
excite the girl at all. He hadn't heard more than two words leave her lips 
since he'd first met her. She always seemed so intent on receding into the 
background. 

He had never had any experience with children, certainly not any 
teenagers. He had no idea what to say to her to comfort her. Fortunately, at 
least for the time being the girl seemed to be finding some sort of comfort 
with Alex and his sister. He wondered if she spoke any English, he would 
have to ask his sister later.

The limo he had rented to bring them back to Paris finally pulled up 
to what amounted to a charming building, that he guessed was the main 
building of her school. Helena didn't look particularly excited to be 
returning. After the meeting with her headmistress, Michelle had promised 
to ask if she'd like to stay here or return with them to San Francisco. At the 
moment she seemed to be intimidated by him and he doubted she'd 
answer him if he were to ask anyway.

Currently it seemed all the students were in their classes, as no one 
seemed to be around. Already he could sense a feeling of oppressiveness in 
the atmosphere. He'd never understood how parents could send their 
children off to boarding schools for most of the year. Especially to places 
like this. 

The oppressive feeling was intensified as he and his 'entourage' 
entered the main hall. The inside was significantly more attractive than the 
outside but it also had a subtle atmosphere of decay as though the joy had 
been sucked out of the air. 

A tiny little nun, Sister Louise, wimpled and gowned, informed them 
that the headmistress was currently with guests but would be with them 
shortly. She expressed her condolences to them all before departing to 
wherever it was nuns went to do whatever they did. Helena didn't so much 
as nod.

As they waited in the hall, the three women sat down while Darien 
paced impatiently, taking in the curiosities of the room. He wasn't used to 
waiting.  He had an inexplicable sensation of anxiety and it was actually 
building. Just as he thought he might burst from the strange feeling the 
headmistress's door opened but instead of a nun, a dark-haired woman 
came out. The woman following was the one that caught his attention 
however. He froze, mid step when he saw her. 

Serena bid the stern and forbidding Mother Therese goodbye, 
realizing that everyone she'd known here had long since moved on. This 
place wasn't anything like it had been when she was here. She was 
disappointed, but strangely she couldn't help this building unnamable 
sensation. It was as though her whole body as suddenly on edge. 
"Is something the matter?" Luan asked, turning her head back 
towards Serena as she opened the office door.

Serena shook her head as if trying to get rid of the feeling and Luan 
continued out the door. Luan stepped aside, allowing her to get into the 
hallway and Serena's eyes opened wide in shock as she saw the amazing 
sight before her. She'd known she missed him, but certainly not so much 
as to hallucinate!

He certainly seemed more real than any other vision she'd ever had. 
He seemed to be in the midst of pacing the hall impatiently. His black hair 
still hung into his eyes and his hands were held together behind his back. 
He was too beautiful to be just her imagination. Her mind could never do 
him justice.  

"Darien," she whispered even as she heard him say her name.
Within moments he was across the room and before her.  She 
seemed to be frozen, staring at him as if in awe. 

"I can see why you missed him so much!" Luan whispered 
mischievously but loud enough for them both to hear. 

"You missed me?" Darien asked, a smile spreading across his face 
and lighting up his eyes that were staring intently into hers." Serena 
nodded rather than risking speech in what she was sure would be a croak 
of a voice.

To her surprise, but utter satisfaction, he covered her lips with his 
own. It wasn't a chaste kiss, nor was it a normal kiss. It was filled with all 
the passion and longing that they had endured for each other over the past 
few days. It certainly wasn't an appropriate display for a catholic school 
and definitely not something you wanted to do before Mother Superior who 
was standing behind them clearing her throat. She done it about three 
times before they both heard her.

They pulled away from each other and at least one of them was very 
embarrassed. Darien was amused and apparently Michelle and Alex were 
too as they were smiling intently at the couple and the headmistress who'd 
just taken her place beside them. Helena was showing the first emotional 
reaction they'd seen out of her all day. She still stared wide-eyed in shock 
at the rather passionate display before her. 

"I take it you two know each other," the stern old nun commented 
sardonically. 

Serena blushed intensely but said nothing. Darien didn't seem to feel 
obliged to say anything either, nor did he have the grace to at least appear 
embarrassed. He seemed to have forgotten his purpose for being there in 
the first place. He was content holding Serena close to him. He was merely 
protecting his interests, making sure she didn't run off without him ever 
again.

Michelle walked up to the headmistress and introduced herself and 
Darien as the Earl de Morny, which made Serena stare up at him in shock. 
She was hearing all these things suddenly and none of them were making 
any sense. 

"Since my brother seems a bit preoccupied at the moment, it seems 
I'll be the one to inform you that we're withdrawing Helena from the school. 
My brother is now her legal guardian and we feel its best for her to be with 
her family at this time." Darien didn't doubt that the decision had been 
made before they even left the house and he'd either been so preoccupied 
he hadn't heard it, or they hadn't bothered to tell him. Both were plausible 
explanations.

The nun frowned but nodded. Serena had the distinct sensation that 
she didn't approve, of the guardian or the decision. It was probably due to 
the fact that she'd be losing funds as a result. Darien seemed to have 
picked up on that an immediately offered a 'small' donation, in the area of 
several thousand dollars, which put the first smile Serena had seen since 
she arrived on the nun's face.

The nun then turned to Serena and glanced down at her hand. 
"If you two intend to carry on such sordid public displays, I suggest 
you put a ring on that finger as soon as possible," She snapped at Darien 
with a decidedly sour look on her face.

 "She must have misplaced it, Mother. Fortunately I recovered it." He 
pulled out the ring he'd been carrying around with him for days and began 
sliding it unto her finger as everyone looked on in combined amusement 
and awe at the making of a great romance before their eyes. 

"Well," Mother Therese began, turning to Michelle and Alex, "I 
suppose you ladies would like to help Helena collect her things. I'll just 
need Lord Derencourt's signature on a few papers. "Helena why don't you 
take your cousin up to your room and get your things?"

It didn't take long to sign the papers while Alex and Michelle helped 
Helena pack; it was the only time Darien deemed it allowable to leave 
Serena's side. During that time, Serena introduced him to Luan who still 
seemed to be amused by their earlier display and Darien managed a short 
but thorough explanation of everything that had happened over the last few 
days. Just as they finished signing the papers, Mother Therese glared them 
down once more.

"I take it you two are recently engaged?" She didn't pause for a reply 
but continued with her lecture. "I suggest you put a more permanent band 
on her finger. It is inappropriate to raise a young girl in a house of sinful 
concubinage. I'm sure you can understand the benefit of setting a good 
example, my lord." She directed at Darien.

"Please, either call me Darien, or Mr. Derencourt, I'm and American; 
this my lord business makes me sound like a stuffy old man."

"Besides, his ego doesn't need any boosts," Serena added teasingly.
"I assure you, Mother," I have every intention of being married as 
soon as possible. I don't suppose you'd happen to have a priest in 
attendance do you?

 "Darien!" Serena squealed wide-eyed unable to believe what he was 
suggesting.

"We usually don't but Father Morley has been visiting with us. He's 
originally from Ireland."

"You can't possibly be suggesting we get married now!" Serena 
screeched.

"Give me one good reason why not?"

"Because… because…" Serna couldn't really find a decent reason. 
She really did want to marry him. "My mother is going to be very upset with 
you."

"Then don't tell her!"

"Fine then! Let's get married."

"I wasn't suggesting you actually get married exactly at the 
moment!" Mother Therese snapped.

"Well I can't guarantee my ability to keep us both out of sin until we 
can get back to San Francisco Mother. I'd hate to set a bad example for 
Helena." He seemed charmingly innocent for a moment, belying the 
devilish bend of his thoughts. 

Mother Therese was either annoyed or charmed by Darien because 
she merely huffed and called for Louise to get the priest.

When Alex and Michelle came downstairs, they were surprised to find 
Serena and Luan holding flowers that Louise had found for them in the 
garden and they were conversing with a short bald man dressed in a 
priest's robes.

"What's going on here?" Alex asked in a rather bold manner that 
made Mother Therese frown up at her tall figure in a disapproving way that 
might have served as intimidating to the girls she supervised. Alex however, 
quite used to being far more intimidating, was hardly phased.

"Your compatriots have decided to tie the proverbial knot," Mother 
Therese said. She was attempting to sound displeased but it wasn't 
difficult to see she was quite satisfied with the situation. 

"Here? Now?" Michelle asked.

Darien grinned like a teenager, something she hadn't seen him do in 
a long while, not like that anyway. He certainly didn't look a day over 
twenty-one when he was smiling like a Cheshire cat on acid. 

"Yes my dear," the priest answered in a rather thick Irish brogue. "I've been 
called upon to perform this ceremony on rather short notice. Normally I 
wouldn't do this sort of thing but it seems your brother's soul might be in 
some trouble if we don't do this soon. I'd hate to see such a handsome 
young couple fall into the way of sin." It was quite obvious the priest was 
teasing. The man had probably married couples on their way to the 
maternity ward.

"What soul?" Alex questioned, managing to look quite serious. If 
Darien's soul wasn't already half way to hell, then she was a bloody saint 
too!

Darien glared at Alex and Serena suppressed a childish urge to 
giggle. 

The group was led out to the chapel that lay behind the main 
building. It was actually quite charming. It had a narrow arched stone 
entrance and the old wooden doors were now protected by a second glass 
one. Inside the church, were two aisles on either side that led up to the 
beautifully altar area. The whole place seemed to be touched by golden 
light. Statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary flanked the altar. Even Alex 
couldn't be irreverent in a place like this.

 Michelle had returned to the car to get the violin she never went 
anywhere without. Alex was playing best woman, Luan, maid of Honor and 
Helena, a charming bridesmaid. Michelle stood in a corner playing a lovely 
violin piece that would serve as a wedding march. Serena had changed into 
a dress she'd bought earlier that day and she proceeded to walk down the 
aisle, having been preceded by Helena wearing the only dress she could 
find, a lilac dress, that made her look about ten years old.  

Serena's dress had been one she'd fallen in love with on sight in the 
store. By pure coincidence it was actually white and strangely enough she 
hadn't really had any idea where she would have worn it to if this hadn't 
happened. It was a thin-strapped Nicole Miller creation, cut straight across 
the chest in tube fashion. The knee length dress had tiny brick red 
starburst flowers evenly dispersed over it's surface and she was a vision 
that made Darien smile, as she walked down the aisle, with a mismatched 
bunch of flowers in her hand and her brand new black-strapped heels that 
didn't match anything else. 

There was no weeping in the church when they both said their vows 
and were proclaimed man and wife. Everyone smiled happily as Darien 
kissed his bride, although Alex did check her watch when they began to 
approach the thirty-second mark. They just might have continued for the 
whole minute if Mother Therese hadn't seen it fit to put and end to their 
overzealous romantic display by clearing her throat strongly, again. Father 
Morley didn't seem to mind, but he seemed to be a romantic at heart.

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