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“Hey Serena, how was your weekend?” Amy asked, joining her friend in her walk down the school hallways. Serena hugged her books close to her chest and her eyes seemed focused on nothing.

“It was fine,” Serena replied with no enthusiasm. 

“You guys went up to the mountains right?”

“Yup.”

Amy was beginning to worry at this point. Serena was not only early rather than just making it on time as she usually did, something Amy hadn’t bothered to point out, she wasn’t her usually happy self. 

“Serena is something wrong?” Serena had come into school prepared to have everyone know she was in a bad mood. She was reconsidering that right now. She couldn’t afford to have everyone questioning her mood, knowing that for every question she would be forced to lie. She just might eventually break down and admit to what had happened between her and Darien and that was something she would never wanted anyone to know. That would remain between her and Darien, always.

She took a deep breath and decided to behave as normal as possible.

“No, I’m fine. Just a little tired I guess.” That really was no lie. She was a bit tired. She smiled brilliantly. “So, did I miss anything this weekend?” 

“You know something Serena,” Lita said as she, Amy and Serena walked down the street towards Arcade after school, “You haven’t been here for a long while.

“Yes,” Amy agreed. “Don’t tell me you’ve gotten tired of playing video games?”

“Of course not Amy! As if that’s possible. I can’t wait to play the Sailor V game again.” She had successfully avoided answering the question as to why she’d been avoiding this place.

“Well did you know, Andrew installed a new game? Its way better than the Sailor V game!” Lita exclaimed. “It’s a two player. Darien and Andrew went head to head on it last week. Naturally Darien kicked Andrews ass.” 

“There is nothing natural about that,” Serena sneered. 

“Oh come on Serena,” Lita began, “even you have to admit that Darien is an excellent fighter.

“As compared to whom? Joxer the Mighty?” (If you’ve ever seen Xena you’ll understand what I’m talking about.) Amy and Lita giggled at Serena’s comparison.

For the first time Serena felt justified in her verbal abuse of Darien’s character. She felt justifiably bitter over her situation and felt a certain in release in returning to the insulting comments she usually made about him.It had been a while since she’d even spoke out loud to or about Darien and she had every intention of returning to some semblance of normality. She would not let him change the direction of her life no matter how much it hurt.

Darien knew she would arrive soon. He was still contemplating whether to leave and avoid putting on display for their friends of whatever tension and discomfort lay between them. He found himself anxiously sitting, waiting, and drinking his mocha cappuccino sporadically. 

“What’s the matter with you?” Andrew asked, watching Darien space out, wipe his sweaty palms on his pants and now and again glance at his watch. “You have a date or something? You need to stop drinking that coffee.”

“Huh?”

“Darien!” Andrew snapped. “What the hell is wrong with you? You’ve been spacing out since you got here. Did you even hear what I said before?”

“No, sorry, Drew. I just have some stuff on my mind.”

“Mind sharing?” Andrew asked, curious as to what could have unsettled the man who didn’t even shrink in the face of Serena’s scathing insults.

Darien considered for a moment, sharing his secret with Andrew but decided against it. Until he spoke to Serena, his secret would remain just that.

“Actually, Drew, this one’s going to have to wait.” Andrew raised an eyebrow his curiosity piqued. He accepted Darien’s choice although he was somewhat insulted that Darien didn’t feel comfortable talking to him about whatever was bothering him.

Andrew was suddenly distracted by the opening of the doors.In came three familiar teenage girls. They immediately came over to the counter where Darien and Andrew were conversing. 

“Hello girls,” Andrew greeted. “Long time no see, Serena.”

They all greeted Andrew and Darien. That is, Amy and Lita greeted Darien. Serena just ignored his presence all together without even a stray glance in his direction. 

“I’ve been kind of busy lately, not much time to hang out you know.” Serena said brightly. “But I think I’ll be around more now.”

“That’s great!” Andrew exclaimed in his usually cheerful tone. “Now that you’re back, I take it you’ll be having your usual?”

“Of course!” Serena said gleefully. 

“One double chocolate milk shake coming right up!”

Darien hadn’t realized how strange the sight of her would make him feel. As she had walked through the door, with her pigtails flying behind her he had suddenly had a flash of her screaming in ecstasy beneath him. The vision had made him even more flustered than he had been. He had been surprised and disappointed when she hadn’t even glanced his way or uttered a single word of acknowledgement. He had to force himself not to stare at her as she chattered away with Andrew.

“So how was your weekend girls?” Darien asked. Mina and Lita turned to answer him, but Serena merely continued sipping the milkshake Andrew had placed before her.

“We didn’t do much this weekend,” Lita began. We had a sleepover but it wasn’t much fun without Serena there. “She had to spend quality family time,” Lita said teasingly, smiling at Serena. Serena rolled her eyes.

“You never told me what you guys did at your cabin in the mountains.” Amy said.

Serena thought about whether or not she should mention that where she’d spent her weekend with Darien sitting right there. She had to admit she would love to see the look on his face when he realized how close to each other they’d been this weekend. Would there be any reaction at all? If he considered what had occurred between them to be of little consequence, as she believed he did, then he shouldn’t care at all.

“Actually, when we got there we discovered that a freak storm kind of wrecked the place. We had to spend the weekend at the Greenwood Lodge.” She looked directly at Darien waiting to see how he’d react.

Darien’s eyes widened in surprise. How could she have been there? Wouldn’t he have seen her?

“Actually I saw Darien there.”

“You did?” Amy and Lita asked at once.

“Yeah,” Serena replied still looking at Darien. “It seems he’s not such a loser after all. He had a date! And a pretty hot one too.” Serena refused to show any emotion. She returned to sipping her milkshake. 

The girls turned to look at Darien with raised eyebrows.

“My date?!” Darien asked confused as to whom Serena was referring.

“Yeah,” Serena said brightly as if none of this mattered to her. “You couldn’t possibly have that many so you should remember this one. “You know, tall, blonde, cleavage.” You do remember right? Or has your brain finally turned to the mush I always assumed it to be?”

Darien suddenly realized whom she was talking about. What he didn’t understand was why she was behaving as though none of this mattered at all and as though everything was as it had always been.

“I see,” he said. “I suppose I could see how you could mistake my step-mother to be for my date. She’s certainly young enough.”

Serena almost choked on her milkshake. 

“Your step-mother!” Lita and Amy squealed.

“Not yet, and not if I can help it,” Darien said. He looked at Serena curiously. Was he imagining things or could she have been a little jealous?

Serena was suddenly very embarrassed. She had jumped to conclusions and now she was sitting here not quite knowing what to do. She had cried about this! She suddenly felt absolutely embarrassed. She felt the sudden urge to run back home and hide her face under her pillow.

“Um, guys,” Serena began suddenly and nervously, “I just remembered I forgot my mother wanted me to do something for her right after school. I have to go. See ya later!”

She grabbed her bags and raced out of the arcade. Darien stared at her back curiously, along with all the others.

“What the hell was that?” Lita asked.

“It’s not that strange,” Andrew said. “This is Serena after all."

Serena sank her face into the pillow. She was silently considering what she would do from this point on. She couldn’t possibly avoid him for the rest of the week. 

Where did things go from here? Knowing that the beautiful woman she had assumed to be his date had been his father’s fiancée, did not change anything between them. They still had not discussed how or if their relationship to change.

She knew they’d have to talk at some point, and having seen him today she was curious as to know what would happen. Would things just continue as though nothing had happened? Was he interested in her at all?

She realized she needed to ask the same question of herself. Did she really want to be in a relationship with Darien? Just a few weeks ago she had been so sure she hated him but now she wasn’t so sure.

When they’d made love she’d felt so complete. In those moments she had been one with him and for a moment and had known him more completely than she’d known anyone. In those moments she had felt something she’d never felt before. They had bared themselves to each other in every sense of the word.

For the first time since she’d known him, Serena was willing to admit that everything she had assumed about him had been completely false. Whenever she made an effort to remember the feelings she had sensed from him, she easily saw that he was not the conceited, self-absorbed, jerk she had made him out to be. He was actually intelligent, honest, and in so many ways very vulnerable. 

She realized that she was shying away from talking to him because she really did want him in her life. If he rejected her she would be even more miserable than she had been during the time she thought he had found someone else. She couldn’t bear to be rejected by a man she’d declared her mortal enemy; that would be too embarrassing. 

Serena spent more time thinking about it before finally deciding that if he said yes then the risk of embarrassment would be well worth it. After all it would only be between them. Her friends, hopefully, would never know if things went wrong. If something did happen between them however, her friends would be beyond shock. Raye might hate her for a while but she’d get over it.

Serena glanced at the cat shaped clock on her nightstand. It was still relatively early. She wondered if Darien was home as yet. She wanted to talk to him as soon as she could. In the time she had been thinking she had built up her anticipation. She wanted to know how he felt about her and she didn’t want to wait to do it.

She changed from her uniform to a comfortable casual white summer dress and sandals. She had to admit she wanted to look good when she talked to him. She began pulling and tossing the pins from her long hair, letting the long gently curling tresses down from the two buns atop her head. She brushed hair and put only half of it up in her usual ‘meatballs’ as Darien called them. The other half hung loosely falling freely to her calves.

She ran down stairs, to discover that her mother was still not home from whatever it was she did with her friends. Her brother was undoubtedly at Kenny’s a friend of his from school and her father would, as usual be working late. She was free to go without being grilled.

Mina and Raye were helping Lita bake at Lita’s tiny apartment. The truth of the matter was Lita was baking, Mina was waiting and making an enormous mess and Raye was playing with matches.

“Why aren’t Amy and Serena here?” Raye asked, lighting a match and watching it burn down almost to her fingertips before blowing it out. 

“Yes I know,” Mina agreed attempting to wipe flour off the end of her nose but succeeded only in adding more. ”I feel like I haven’t seen Serena in ages. Where has she been?”

“I guess you two haven’t seen her for a while since we haven’t had any meetings lately,” Lita said. “I guess those stupid youma can take a hint after all. Anyway I don’t know where; she didn’t really say. Today she just took off all of a sudden. As for Amy she is where she always is; in the library studying away for an exam she doesn’t have for another two weeks.”

“She just took off?” Raye asked surprised. “Didn’t you tell her we were baking?”

“Never got the chance,” Lita replied. “One minute Darien was telling us about his step-mother to be, who incidentally was mistaken by Serena for his date when she was up at the Greenwood Lodge this weekend, and the next she suddenly remembered something she had to do for her mother and was out of there like lightening.” Mina and Raye were staring at her intently. 

“I guess I have a little bit of a story to tell don’t I?”

By the time Lita was done with her story, Mina was halfway done with the cookies. The girls were on their way out of her apartment and to the comfort on their own homes when Lita stopped Mina.

“I almost forgot,” she said suddenly. “Mina could you drop of the double chocolate chip cookies at Darien’s on your way home? He made me promise to give him some this time.”

“Sure Lita!” Mina said cheerfully. “He is so obsessed with chocolate!”The girls left, Raye and Mina taking their separate routes.

Serena took a deep breath to abate the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach, as she stood in front of Darien’s apartment door preparing to ring his bell. What if he wasn’t here? What if he was? What did she say first?

She raised her hand and pressed the small button beside his door. She heard the muffled ringing sound inside the apartment. She waited a while but got no response. She rang again and waited, still nothing. She considered leaving but decided to ring one more time. Once again there was no response. She turned to leave here heart sinking with the weight of her disappointment. 

Suddenly she heard the door opening and did a quick turn to face Darien. She let out a small gasp and her cheeks reddened as she realized he was wet and wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. She could see that he was extremely surprised to see her.

“Serena!” Darien gasped. She was certainly not the person he had expected to see. He especially didn’t expect to see her like this. She looked angelic. He had never seen her like this, or if he had he had been too concentrated on not liking her to notice.

Her golden curls hung loose around her bare shoulders. She wore a white embroidered, thin-strapped, short, summer dress. The white was a beautiful contrast to her lightly tanned skin and brilliant blue eyes. In short, she looked absolutely beautiful.

Serena found herself fascinated with Darien’s muscled skin. It’s smoothness emphasized by the droplets of water still running over it. His hair was a wet mess than made him look adorable.

“I’m sorry,” Serena apologized. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your shower.”

It was like a strange dream that she spoke so softly and gently to him of all people. He couldn’t recall ever hearing nice things coming from her lips directed at him. It was refreshing.

“It’s ok,” Darien reassured her, smiling. “Why don’t you come in.”? He stepped aside to allow her entrance.

Serena couldn’t ever remember Darien smiling at her, a real smile that is; not one of the mocking ones or smirks he usually reserved for her. He had a spectacular smile. It felt wonderful to have it directed at her for the first time.

As she stepped past him, her shoulder brushed against his bare chest. The sensation sent tingles down her spine. She desperately needed to get a hold of herself. 

Serena glanced around Darien’s luxurious apartment. Unlike the other girls who stopped by on a regular basis, this was Serena’s first visit. She was very impressed. It was neat and well-decorated, not to mention enormous. 

An entire wall of his living room was glass and had an amazing view of the city. Everything else was painstakingly decorated in a rather minimalist combination of black, white, and blue. He had few personal effects about besides a three-color abstract painting against one wall and a glass sculpture beside his black leather couch.

“It’s beautiful,” Serena whispered. She did a quick turn, not realizing how close behind her he was, and found herself up close and personal with the niche of his neck. She blushed and took a step back.

“What is?” Darien asked quietly, disappointed that she had stepped away from him.

“Your apartment,” Serena replied.

“Oh. Thanks.”

“Would you like anything to drink, eat?” Darien asked. He wasn’t quite sure how to handle her being there.

“No thanks. You probably want to get dressed anyway right?”

“Uh, yeah,” Darien answered grinning. He had completely forgotten that he was half naked.

Serena didn’t really want him to get dressed. She knew however, that she would have a hard time having a serious conversation with him standing there half naked. It would be far too distracting. 

When Darien came out he was wearing a black pants and a dark blue shirt. Serena stared at him for a moment unsure as to where she should begin.

“Darien,” She began, “I…” She froze. She’d walked all the way to his place and she found herself unable to say anything. 

“I can’t…” She began again but was too embarrassed to continue. She turned around and headed for the door rather quickly. She felt like a coward and a loser. She’d come here with so much purpose and expectations and yet she could find nothing to say.

As her hand reached for the doorknob she felt his large hands grab her arm and her small waist and pull her to him.

“Don’t go,” he whispered. She found herself staring in his eyes as he held her close to him. They stood like that for a while.

Darien wasn’t quite sure what he was doing. He hadn’t expected her to come to him but now that she was here he knew that he didn’t want her to go. He felt overcome by her beauty, and her innocence. He was intensely aware of how close they were as well as how badly he wanted to kiss her.

Just looking at her lips he could already feel their softness. There was no denying how much he wanted her. It was a feeling that he didn’t really understand. What had turned his intense dislike for her into this unequivocal lust? He couldn’t seem to help wanting to touch her, kiss every inch of her perfect body, and make love to her endlessly.

Serena had never been so tremendously aware of anyone before, physically or emotionally. She had come here to discuss their relationship, but talking was currently the furthest thing from her mind. She knew she wanted him and it was all she wanted.

Darien wrapped his fingers in her silky curls and brought his lips down passionately on hers. He traced her lips with his tongue, suggesting to her that she open her mouth to his explorations, which she did readily. Their tongues danced together as their idle hands found work exploring each other’s bodies. 

Unable to wait much longer, and foreseeing the outcome of their explorations, he lifted her off her feet and brought her into his bedroom. He placed her gently on his bed and removed the shirt he had put on just moments before. He helped her unzip her dress and removed her underwear, tossing the clothing aside harshly as though their very presence offended him. Once again she lay naked beneath him, her hair spread beneath her as though each strand had been perfectly placed for his viewing pleasure.

This time around, as he settled over her, he took the time to explore every crevice of her curvy figure. He kissed the curve of her neck, feeling her pulse beating fast against his lips, caressed her perfect breasts with his mouth and hands, and made his way down to the mysteries below her flat stomach.

Serena gasped as she felt his mouth against her, his expert tongue tasting and caressing her womanhood. The feelings of pleasure were so intense as to be completely overwhelming. She wrapped her fingers in his wet hair, pressing him to her. Darien enjoyed the undeniably sensuous taste of her on his tongue. He felt her suddenly go still as she came against his mouth.

He settled his body over hers once again, slowly pushing his hard length into her. Serena wrapped her long legs around his hips bringing him deeper inside her. Together they built up a rhythm, intensifying in pleasure as he moved within her. 

They were both too busy enjoying the pleasures of each other’s bodies to hear the doorbell ring. Mina, realizing the door had been unsafely left open stepped inside, Darien’s apartment. She looked around curiously seeing no one. 

She heard strange sounds coming from Darien’s bedroom and prepared herself for the possibility of an intruder. In one hand she held a bag of cookies and in the other her transformation wand. She stepped towards Darien’s bedroom the strange sounds getting louder as she went. 

As Mina came before Darien’s doorway, she heard a woman scream and the muffled sound of a man’s voice. Her battle honed nerves sent he racing towards the door. What she saw caused her jaws to drop in shock.

A man, she instantly recognized as Darien by his hair and build and the fact that it was his bedroom in his apartment, lay completely nude between the two long legs of a woman whose face was hidden from her by Darien’s body. She was completely frozen as she watched Darien, still completely unaware of her presence, roll off the body of the woman in his bed. As he moved aside, she first blushed at his nudity before enduring further shock when she realized that the woman was none other than Serena. She barely prevented herself from fainting in shock.

“Mina!” Darien yelled, suddenly aware of her presence in his doorway. He grabbed a pillow held it in his lap to cover himself. His face instantly turned a brilliant shade of red. 

“Mina!” Serena suddenly sat up screeching. She tried covering her breasts with her hands before grabbing one of Darien’s pillows to cover her nude form. 

“What are you doing here?” Darien asked.

“I uh…” Mina was in still in a state of wide-eyed shock. She stared back and forth, first at Serena and then at Darien. Weren’t these two the same ones who were always fighting, sharing bitter insults?How long had they been together? And so close together at that.

“I just came to drop these cookies off,” Mina began finding her voice again, “and you didn’t answer your doorbell but your door was open and I thought that maybe there was an intruder. I heard weird noises so I came in here and…”

The couple on the bed flushed brightly at Mina’s mention of ‘weird noises’.

“How long have you two been keeping this secret? Are all those fights you have just staged for our benefit? I can’t wait to tell the girls!” Mina squealed. “This is the greatest gossip of the century!” She began giggling and chattering endlessly. “This is soooooo romantic: a secret romance while you pretend to be enemies!”

Serena groaned. The last thing she wanted was for everyone to make a big deal out of this before she and Darien had the opportunity to sort out their own feelings.

Darien suddenly realized that he’d once again given into his lust and made love to the under aged girl again. It wouldn’t do to have Mina telling the world that she’d caught the two in bed together. Being arrested for statutory rape was not on his list of things to do in life. In addition, they wouldn’t exactly have much of a relationship if he were locked away in a prison cell. 

He conceded that he was being slightly paranoid. It was unlikely that the fact that he’d made love to Serena would ever find its way to the police unless of course her parents found out and decided to press charges. Once again he was seized by the vision of his head on the chopping block while her father grinned, wielding the axe as though he was born to do it.

“Mina, please! Is it too much to ask for you to keep this one thing to yourself?” Darien pleaded with the energetic blonde who seemed on the verge of jumping for joy. 

Mina suddenly ceased her antics. “You can’t possibly be serious Darien! This is the biggest news all year! How do you expect me to keep quiet about this?” Looking intently at her, Darien was almost sure he could see tears welling up in her big baby blue eyes at the idea that she should keep the information to herself.

“Mina,” Serena pleaded. “Can’t you just please not say anything for a while? We need to work out a few things first.”

Oh come on you guys, Can’t I tell just one person? Someone, anyone, my cat?” She pleaded desperately. 

“Mina!” Serena began threatening to whine the girl into submission.” It must have been the cat thing that upset her. Artemis was an even bigger gossip than she.

Mina, seeing the pleading look on Serena’s face and hearing a whine threatening, finally gave in.

“Oh alright!” She muttered, sorely disappointed. She finally had gossip worth telling and she was being denied the opportunity.

“Could you let us get dressed now?” Darien asked.

Mina blushed brightly realizing for the first time that she was intruding on the couple’s privacy. Darien did look rather amusing, naked except for the pillow between his thighs. Serena was achieved a Venus de Milo effect with her hands across her breasts, a barely successful venture and her hair floating around her, and a pillow in her lap. 

“Oh, sorry. I have to go home now anyway.” She rushed out of the room and through the front door, all the time wondering how Serena and Darien had managed to keep up the appearance of enmity.

Serena rolled off the bed and began putting on her clothes as Darien did the same. When they were finally clothed. Darien simply sat on the bed and looked at her for a while. She was standing before him, once again dressed in her white dress. All her hair hung loose around her. For a moment she looked too much like a little girl.

“We need to talk.” He said simply.

“I know,” she said softly.

“I don’t know what keeps happening between us,” Darien began. “All I know is I can’t stop wanting you.” He took her hands in his, rubbing her small soft fingers. “When I make love to you, I know that I feel complete. I feel as though I’ve known you all my life.”

She was staring intently at his handsome face and he felt his heart breaking inside him. “I know that I’m falling in love with you, and I know I can’t let that happen. We can’t…” He found himself unable to say more.

She pulled her hands from his as if she’d been bitten. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She had opened herself up to him so completely, preparing to tell him how she had fallen in love with him. She had wanted to tell him that she had felt their souls bonding. 

Her eyes welled up with tears and she felt very angry. She refused to let him see her cry. He was rejecting her after all. She should have known better than to come here and put so much trust in him as to allow him to make love to her again.

There were many things she was tempted to say to him but she knew she wouldn’t be able to say the words without letting him see her cry and she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. She turned on her heels and ran out of the apartment, slamming the door loudly on her way out.
Darien sat silently on the bed, angry with himself. Who was he kidding? He asked himself, as a tear ran down his cheek. He was already in love.

“Hey Serena, how was your weekend?” Amy asked, joining her friend in her walk down the school hallways. Serena hugged her books close to her chest and her eyes seemed focused on nothing.

“It was fine,” Serena replied with no enthusiasm. 

“You guys went up to the mountains right?”

“Yup.”

Amy was beginning to worry at this point. Serena was not only early rather than just making it on time as she usually did, something Amy hadn’t bothered to point out, she wasn’t her usually happy self. 

“Serena is something wrong?” Serena had come into school prepared to have everyone know she was in a bad mood. She was reconsidering that right now. She couldn’t afford to have everyone questioning her mood, knowing that for every question she would be forced to lie. She just might eventually break down and admit to what had happened between her and Darien and that was something she would never wanted anyone to know. That would remain between her and Darien, always.

She took a deep breath and decided to behave as normal as possible.

“No, I’m fine. Just a little tired I guess.” That really was no lie. She was a bit tired. She smiled brilliantly. “So, did I miss anything this weekend?” 

“You know something Serena,” Lita said as she, Amy and Serena walked down the street towards Arcade after school, “You haven’t been here for a long while.

“Yes,” Amy agreed. “Don’t tell me you’ve gotten tired of playing video games?”

“Of course not Amy! As if that’s possible. I can’t wait to play the Sailor V game again.” She had successfully avoided answering the question as to why she’d been avoiding this place.

“Well did you know, Andrew installed a new game? Its way better than the Sailor V game!” Lita exclaimed. “It’s a two player. Darien and Andrew went head to head on it last week. Naturally Darien kicked Andrews ass.” 

“There is nothing natural about that,” Serena sneered. 

“Oh come on Serena,” Lita began, “even you have to admit that Darien is an excellent fighter.

“As compared to whom? Joxer the Mighty?” (If you’ve ever seen Xena you’ll understand what I’m talking about.) Amy and Lita giggled at Serena’s comparison.

For the first time Serena felt justified in her verbal abuse of Darien’s character. She felt justifiably bitter over her situation and felt a certain in release in returning to the insulting comments she usually made about him.It had been a while since she’d even spoke out loud to or about Darien and she had every intention of returning to some semblance of normality. She would not let him change the direction of her life no matter how much it hurt.

Darien knew she would arrive soon. He was still contemplating whether to leave and avoid putting on display for their friends of whatever tension and discomfort lay between them. He found himself anxiously sitting, waiting, and drinking his mocha cappuccino sporadically. 

“What’s the matter with you?” Andrew asked, watching Darien space out, wipe his sweaty palms on his pants and now and again glance at his watch. “You have a date or something? You need to stop drinking that coffee.”

“Huh?”

“Darien!” Andrew snapped. “What the hell is wrong with you? You’ve been spacing out since you got here. Did you even hear what I said before?”

“No, sorry, Drew. I just have some stuff on my mind.”

“Mind sharing?” Andrew asked, curious as to what could have unsettled the man who didn’t even shrink in the face of Serena’s scathing insults.

Darien considered for a moment, sharing his secret with Andrew but decided against it. Until he spoke to Serena, his secret would remain just that.

“Actually, Drew, this one’s going to have to wait.” Andrew raised an eyebrow his curiosity piqued. He accepted Darien’s choice although he was somewhat insulted that Darien didn’t feel comfortable talking to him about whatever was bothering him.

Andrew was suddenly distracted by the opening of the doors.In came three familiar teenage girls. They immediately came over to the counter where Darien and Andrew were conversing. 

“Hello girls,” Andrew greeted. “Long time no see, Serena.”

They all greeted Andrew and Darien. That is, Amy and Lita greeted Darien. Serena just ignored his presence all together without even a stray glance in his direction. 

“I’ve been kind of busy lately, not much time to hang out you know.” Serena said brightly. “But I think I’ll be around more now.”

“That’s great!” Andrew exclaimed in his usually cheerful tone. “Now that you’re back, I take it you’ll be having your usual?”

“Of course!” Serena said gleefully. 

“One double chocolate milk shake coming right up!”

Darien hadn’t realized how strange the sight of her would make him feel. As she had walked through the door, with her pigtails flying behind her he had suddenly had a flash of her screaming in ecstasy beneath him. The vision had made him even more flustered than he had been. He had been surprised and disappointed when she hadn’t even glanced his way or uttered a single word of acknowledgement. He had to force himself not to stare at her as she chattered away with Andrew.

“So how was your weekend girls?” Darien asked. Mina and Lita turned to answer him, but Serena merely continued sipping the milkshake Andrew had placed before her.

“We didn’t do much this weekend,” Lita began. We had a sleepover but it wasn’t much fun without Serena there. “She had to spend quality family time,” Lita said teasingly, smiling at Serena. Serena rolled her eyes.

“You never told me what you guys did at your cabin in the mountains.” Amy said.

Serena thought about whether or not she should mention that where she’d spent her weekend with Darien sitting right there. She had to admit she would love to see the look on his face when he realized how close to each other they’d been this weekend. Would there be any reaction at all? If he considered what had occurred between them to be of little consequence, as she believed he did, then he shouldn’t care at all.

“Actually, when we got there we discovered that a freak storm kind of wrecked the place. We had to spend the weekend at the Greenwood Lodge.” She looked directly at Darien waiting to see how he’d react.

Darien’s eyes widened in surprise. How could she have been there? Wouldn’t he have seen her?

“Actually I saw Darien there.”

“You did?” Amy and Lita asked at once.

“Yeah,” Serena replied still looking at Darien. “It seems he’s not such a loser after all. He had a date! And a pretty hot one too.” Serena refused to show any emotion. She returned to sipping her milkshake. 

The girls turned to look at Darien with raised eyebrows.

“My date?!” Darien asked confused as to whom Serena was referring.

“Yeah,” Serena said brightly as if none of this mattered to her. “You couldn’t possibly have that many so you should remember this one. “You know, tall, blonde, cleavage.” You do remember right? Or has your brain finally turned to the mush I always assumed it to be?”

Darien suddenly realized whom she was talking about. What he didn’t understand was why she was behaving as though none of this mattered at all and as though everything was as it had always been.

“I see,” he said. “I suppose I could see how you could mistake my step-mother to be for my date. She’s certainly young enough.”

Serena almost choked on her milkshake. 

“Your step-mother!” Lita and Amy squealed.

“Not yet, and not if I can help it,” Darien said. He looked at Serena curiously. Was he imagining things or could she have been a little jealous?

Serena was suddenly very embarrassed. She had jumped to conclusions and now she was sitting here not quite knowing what to do. She had cried about this! She suddenly felt absolutely embarrassed. She felt the sudden urge to run back home and hide her face under her pillow.

“Um, guys,” Serena began suddenly and nervously, “I just remembered I forgot my mother wanted me to do something for her right after school. I have to go. See ya later!”

She grabbed her bags and raced out of the arcade. Darien stared at her back curiously, along with all the others.

“What the hell was that?” Lita asked.

“It’s not that strange,” Andrew said. “This is Serena after all."

Serena sank her face into the pillow. She was silently considering what she would do from this point on. She couldn’t possibly avoid him for the rest of the week. 

Where did things go from here? Knowing that the beautiful woman she had assumed to be his date had been his father’s fiancée, did not change anything between them. They still had not discussed how or if their relationship to change.

She knew they’d have to talk at some point, and having seen him today she was curious as to know what would happen. Would things just continue as though nothing had happened? Was he interested in her at all?

She realized she needed to ask the same question of herself. Did she really want to be in a relationship with Darien? Just a few weeks ago she had been so sure she hated him but now she wasn’t so sure.

When they’d made love she’d felt so complete. In those moments she had been one with him and for a moment and had known him more completely than she’d known anyone. In those moments she had felt something she’d never felt before. They had bared themselves to each other in every sense of the word.

For the first time since she’d known him, Serena was willing to admit that everything she had assumed about him had been completely false. Whenever she made an effort to remember the feelings she had sensed from him, she easily saw that he was not the conceited, self-absorbed, jerk she had made him out to be. He was actually intelligent, honest, and in so many ways very vulnerable. 

She realized that she was shying away from talking to him because she really did want him in her life. If he rejected her she would be even more miserable than she had been during the time she thought he had found someone else. She couldn’t bear to be rejected by a man she’d declared her mortal enemy; that would be too embarrassing. 

Serena spent more time thinking about it before finally deciding that if he said yes then the risk of embarrassment would be well worth it. After all it would only be between them. Her friends, hopefully, would never know if things went wrong. If something did happen between them however, her friends would be beyond shock. Raye might hate her for a while but she’d get over it.

Serena glanced at the cat shaped clock on her nightstand. It was still relatively early. She wondered if Darien was home as yet. She wanted to talk to him as soon as she could. In the time she had been thinking she had built up her anticipation. She wanted to know how he felt about her and she didn’t want to wait to do it.

She changed from her uniform to a comfortable casual white summer dress and sandals. She had to admit she wanted to look good when she talked to him. She began pulling and tossing the pins from her long hair, letting the long gently curling tresses down from the two buns atop her head. She brushed hair and put only half of it up in her usual ‘meatballs’ as Darien called them. The other half hung loosely falling freely to her calves.

She ran down stairs, to discover that her mother was still not home from whatever it was she did with her friends. Her brother was undoubtedly at Kenny’s a friend of his from school and her father would, as usual be working late. She was free to go without being grilled.

Mina and Raye were helping Lita bake at Lita’s tiny apartment. The truth of the matter was Lita was baking, Mina was waiting and making an enormous mess and Raye was playing with matches.

“Why aren’t Amy and Serena here?” Raye asked, lighting a match and watching it burn down almost to her fingertips before blowing it out. 

“Yes I know,” Mina agreed attempting to wipe flour off the end of her nose but succeeded only in adding more. ”I feel like I haven’t seen Serena in ages. Where has she been?”

“I guess you two haven’t seen her for a while since we haven’t had any meetings lately,” Lita said. “I guess those stupid youma can take a hint after all. Anyway I don’t know where; she didn’t really say. Today she just took off all of a sudden. As for Amy she is where she always is; in the library studying away for an exam she doesn’t have for another two weeks.”

“She just took off?” Raye asked surprised. “Didn’t you tell her we were baking?”

“Never got the chance,” Lita replied. “One minute Darien was telling us about his step-mother to be, who incidentally was mistaken by Serena for his date when she was up at the Greenwood Lodge this weekend, and the next she suddenly remembered something she had to do for her mother and was out of there like lightening.” Mina and Raye were staring at her intently. 

“I guess I have a little bit of a story to tell don’t I?”

By the time Lita was done with her story, Mina was halfway done with the cookies. The girls were on their way out of her apartment and to the comfort on their own homes when Lita stopped Mina.

“I almost forgot,” she said suddenly. “Mina could you drop of the double chocolate chip cookies at Darien’s on your way home? He made me promise to give him some this time.”

“Sure Lita!” Mina said cheerfully. “He is so obsessed with chocolate!”The girls left, Raye and Mina taking their separate routes.

Serena took a deep breath to abate the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach, as she stood in front of Darien’s apartment door preparing to ring his bell. What if he wasn’t here? What if he was? What did she say first?

She raised her hand and pressed the small button beside his door. She heard the muffled ringing sound inside the apartment. She waited a while but got no response. She rang again and waited, still nothing. She considered leaving but decided to ring one more time. Once again there was no response. She turned to leave here heart sinking with the weight of her disappointment. 

Suddenly she heard the door opening and did a quick turn to face Darien. She let out a small gasp and her cheeks reddened as she realized he was wet and wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. She could see that he was extremely surprised to see her.

“Serena!” Darien gasped. She was certainly not the person he had expected to see. He especially didn’t expect to see her like this. She looked angelic. He had never seen her like this, or if he had he had been too concentrated on not liking her to notice.

Her golden curls hung loose around her bare shoulders. She wore a white embroidered, thin-strapped, short, summer dress. The white was a beautiful contrast to her lightly tanned skin and brilliant blue eyes. In short, she looked absolutely beautiful.

Serena found herself fascinated with Darien’s muscled skin. It’s smoothness emphasized by the droplets of water still running over it. His hair was a wet mess than made him look adorable.

“I’m sorry,” Serena apologized. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your shower.”

It was like a strange dream that she spoke so softly and gently to him of all people. He couldn’t recall ever hearing nice things coming from her lips directed at him. It was refreshing.

“It’s ok,” Darien reassured her, smiling. “Why don’t you come in.”? He stepped aside to allow her entrance.

Serena couldn’t ever remember Darien smiling at her, a real smile that is; not one of the mocking ones or smirks he usually reserved for her. He had a spectacular smile. It felt wonderful to have it directed at her for the first time.

As she stepped past him, her shoulder brushed against his bare chest. The sensation sent tingles down her spine. She desperately needed to get a hold of herself. 

Serena glanced around Darien’s luxurious apartment. Unlike the other girls who stopped by on a regular basis, this was Serena’s first visit. She was very impressed. It was neat and well-decorated, not to mention enormous. 

An entire wall of his living room was glass and had an amazing view of the city. Everything else was painstakingly decorated in a rather minimalist combination of black, white, and blue. He had few personal effects about besides a three-color abstract painting against one wall and a glass sculpture beside his black leather couch.

“It’s beautiful,” Serena whispered. She did a quick turn, not realizing how close behind her he was, and found herself up close and personal with the niche of his neck. She blushed and took a step back.

“What is?” Darien asked quietly, disappointed that she had stepped away from him.

“Your apartment,” Serena replied.

“Oh. Thanks.”

“Would you like anything to drink, eat?” Darien asked. He wasn’t quite sure how to handle her being there.

“No thanks. You probably want to get dressed anyway right?”

“Uh, yeah,” Darien answered grinning. He had completely forgotten that he was half naked.

Serena didn’t really want him to get dressed. She knew however, that she would have a hard time having a serious conversation with him standing there half naked. It would be far too distracting. 

When Darien came out he was wearing a black pants and a dark blue shirt. Serena stared at him for a moment unsure as to where she should begin.

“Darien,” She began, “I…” She froze. She’d walked all the way to his place and she found herself unable to say anything. 

“I can’t…” She began again but was too embarrassed to continue. She turned around and headed for the door rather quickly. She felt like a coward and a loser. She’d come here with so much purpose and expectations and yet she could find nothing to say.

As her hand reached for the doorknob she felt his large hands grab her arm and her small waist and pull her to him.

“Don’t go,” he whispered. She found herself staring in his eyes as he held her close to him. They stood like that for a while.

Darien wasn’t quite sure what he was doing. He hadn’t expected her to come to him but now that she was here he knew that he didn’t want her to go. He felt overcome by her beauty, and her innocence. He was intensely aware of how close they were as well as how badly he wanted to kiss her.

Just looking at her lips he could already feel their softness. There was no denying how much he wanted her. It was a feeling that he didn’t really understand. What had turned his intense dislike for her into this unequivocal lust? He couldn’t seem to help wanting to touch her, kiss every inch of her perfect body, and make love to her endlessly.

Serena had never been so tremendously aware of anyone before, physically or emotionally. She had come here to discuss their relationship, but talking was currently the furthest thing from her mind. She knew she wanted him and it was all she wanted.

Darien wrapped his fingers in her silky curls and brought his lips down passionately on hers. He traced her lips with his tongue, suggesting to her that she open her mouth to his explorations, which she did readily. Their tongues danced together as their idle hands found work exploring each other’s bodies. 

Unable to wait much longer, and foreseeing the outcome of their explorations, he lifted her off her feet and brought her into his bedroom. He placed her gently on his bed and removed the shirt he had put on just moments before. He helped her unzip her dress and removed her underwear, tossing the clothing aside harshly as though their very presence offended him. Once again she lay naked beneath him, her hair spread beneath her as though each strand had been perfectly placed for his viewing pleasure.

This time around, as he settled over her, he took the time to explore every crevice of her curvy figure. He kissed the curve of her neck, feeling her pulse beating fast against his lips, caressed her perfect breasts with his mouth and hands, and made his way down to the mysteries below her flat stomach.

Serena gasped as she felt his mouth against her, his expert tongue tasting and caressing her womanhood. The feelings of pleasure were so intense as to be completely overwhelming. She wrapped her fingers in his wet hair, pressing him to her. Darien enjoyed the undeniably sensuous taste of her on his tongue. He felt her suddenly go still as she came against his mouth.

He settled his body over hers once again, slowly pushing his hard length into her. Serena wrapped her long legs around his hips bringing him deeper inside her. Together they built up a rhythm, intensifying in pleasure as he moved within her. 

They were both too busy enjoying the pleasures of each other’s bodies to hear the doorbell ring. Mina, realizing the door had been unsafely left open stepped inside, Darien’s apartment. She looked around curiously seeing no one. 

She heard strange sounds coming from Darien’s bedroom and prepared herself for the possibility of an intruder. In one hand she held a bag of cookies and in the other her transformation wand. She stepped towards Darien’s bedroom the strange sounds getting louder as she went. 

As Mina came before Darien’s doorway, she heard a woman scream and the muffled sound of a man’s voice. Her battle honed nerves sent he racing towards the door. What she saw caused her jaws to drop in shock.

A man, she instantly recognized as Darien by his hair and build and the fact that it was his bedroom in his apartment, lay completely nude between the two long legs of a woman whose face was hidden from her by Darien’s body. She was completely frozen as she watched Darien, still completely unaware of her presence, roll off the body of the woman in his bed. As he moved aside, she first blushed at his nudity before enduring further shock when she realized that the woman was none other than Serena. She barely prevented herself from fainting in shock.

“Mina!” Darien yelled, suddenly aware of her presence in his doorway. He grabbed a pillow held it in his lap to cover himself. His face instantly turned a brilliant shade of red. 

“Mina!” Serena suddenly sat up screeching. She tried covering her breasts with her hands before grabbing one of Darien’s pillows to cover her nude form. 

“What are you doing here?” Darien asked.

“I uh…” Mina was in still in a state of wide-eyed shock. She stared back and forth, first at Serena and then at Darien. Weren’t these two the same ones who were always fighting, sharing bitter insults?How long had they been together? And so close together at that.

“I just came to drop these cookies off,” Mina began finding her voice again, “and you didn’t answer your doorbell but your door was open and I thought that maybe there was an intruder. I heard weird noises so I came in here and…”

The couple on the bed flushed brightly at Mina’s mention of ‘weird noises’.

“How long have you two been keeping this secret? Are all those fights you have just staged for our benefit? I can’t wait to tell the girls!” Mina squealed. “This is the greatest gossip of the century!” She began giggling and chattering endlessly. “This is soooooo romantic: a secret romance while you pretend to be enemies!”

Serena groaned. The last thing she wanted was for everyone to make a big deal out of this before she and Darien had the opportunity to sort out their own feelings.

Darien suddenly realized that he’d once again given into his lust and made love to the under aged girl again. It wouldn’t do to have Mina telling the world that she’d caught the two in bed together. Being arrested for statutory rape was not on his list of things to do in life. In addition, they wouldn’t exactly have much of a relationship if he were locked away in a prison cell. 

He conceded that he was being slightly paranoid. It was unlikely that the fact that he’d made love to Serena would ever find its way to the police unless of course her parents found out and decided to press charges. Once again he was seized by the vision of his head on the chopping block while her father grinned, wielding the axe as though he was born to do it.

“Mina, please! Is it too much to ask for you to keep this one thing to yourself?” Darien pleaded with the energetic blonde who seemed on the verge of jumping for joy. 

Mina suddenly ceased her antics. “You can’t possibly be serious Darien! This is the biggest news all year! How do you expect me to keep quiet about this?” Looking intently at her, Darien was almost sure he could see tears welling up in her big baby blue eyes at the idea that she should keep the information to herself.

“Mina,” Serena pleaded. “Can’t you just please not say anything for a while? We need to work out a few things first.”

Oh come on you guys, Can’t I tell just one person? Someone, anyone, my cat?” She pleaded desperately. 

“Mina!” Serena began threatening to whine the girl into submission.” It must have been the cat thing that upset her. Artemis was an even bigger gossip than she.

Mina, seeing the pleading look on Serena’s face and hearing a whine threatening, finally gave in.

“Oh alright!” She muttered, sorely disappointed. She finally had gossip worth telling and she was being denied the opportunity.

“Could you let us get dressed now?” Darien asked.

Mina blushed brightly realizing for the first time that she was intruding on the couple’s privacy. Darien did look rather amusing, naked except for the pillow between his thighs. Serena was achieved a Venus de Milo effect with her hands across her breasts, a barely successful venture and her hair floating around her, and a pillow in her lap. 

“Oh, sorry. I have to go home now anyway.” She rushed out of the room and through the front door, all the time wondering how Serena and Darien had managed to keep up the appearance of enmity.

Serena rolled off the bed and began putting on her clothes as Darien did the same. When they were finally clothed. Darien simply sat on the bed and looked at her for a while. She was standing before him, once again dressed in her white dress. All her hair hung loose around her. For a moment she looked too much like a little girl.

“We need to talk.” He said simply.

“I know,” she said softly.

“I don’t know what keeps happening between us,” Darien began. “All I know is I can’t stop wanting you.” He took her hands in his, rubbing her small soft fingers. “When I make love to you, I know that I feel complete. I feel as though I’ve known you all my life.”

She was staring intently at his handsome face and he felt his heart breaking inside him. “I know that I’m falling in love with you, and I know I can’t let that happen. We can’t…” He found himself unable to say more.

She pulled her hands from his as if she’d been bitten. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She had opened herself up to him so completely, preparing to tell him how she had fallen in love with him. She had wanted to tell him that she had felt their souls bonding. 

Her eyes welled up with tears and she felt very angry. She refused to let him see her cry. He was rejecting her after all. She should have known better than to come here and put so much trust in him as to allow him to make love to her again.

There were many things she was tempted to say to him but she knew she wouldn’t be able to say the words without letting him see her cry and she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. She turned on her heels and ran out of the apartment, slamming the door loudly on her way out.