Hey, hey there sunshine! How's everybody doing these days? I hope you are all well and if not, I hope this puts a little light on in your dark.

Part 2 begins! Oh, man is it about to get epic folks! Thanks to Beej88, Ninjette Twitch, and Revy679 for bae-taing this for me! Go give them a look see! I hear tale that Beej will have a new chapter for Collide soon! And as always, the innovative, completely liberating, and never duplicated Hot and Heavy Chronicles on Ninjette Twitch's page! If you wanna see a bunch of super talented writers stretch their lemony legs, go give it a look.

If you are not following me on Tumblr, DO IT! I will be posting updates and new projects in the works to look out for. I will also be posting links to my playlists on Spotify for my fics for those of you who like to read and listen to music. The song I used in this chapter is "End of Love" by Florence and the Machine. It was just too hauntingly beautiful and perfect for this fic not to use. It is on the playlist as well. If you don't want to do tumblr, the name of the playlist is Customer is Right (I know so creative right?!) and it is on Spotify which is free so check it out. I LOVE it! Feel free to check out my other playlist, they have been known to get people out of their writing slump!

Okay lovelies, enjoy!


Chapter 1

With Dreams Like These...

Sitting on the couch, he flipped through the channels aimlessly. This was what it was like now, just sitting at home, watching tv. He had become an old man, lame with no life.

A throat cleared, gaining his attention, and looked to the door finding her there. She was wearing her little black teddy again and now he was more than happy to have stayed home.

Standing there for a minute, she soon walked over and stood before him. The lace of her lingerie was placed strategically and she wore nothing underneath, letting the slightest hints of her nipples show, peeking through in spots. A blush peeled on her cheeks, just as it did every time she was naked before him.

Standing, he took her in his arms, wanting nothing more than to get her down on a solid surface. He lowered them both to the ground and let his hands roam her body. He could just feel her flesh through the holes of her lace and she could feel him, writhing under his touch. Now all he wanted was to be inside her, but he didn't want to rush it. They had all night and he was more than happy to take his time….but she wasn't.

She flipped them over, pushing her hips into him and taking him inside. But she did it slowly and he nearly lost it.

Hands gripped his face, tilting him back to her as she sat on top of him, "I want you to enjoy the view…"

And oh boy did he ever.

She kept things slow, just as he had, and he had to keep reminding himself that they had all night so he didn't flip them over and take her hard. He held on as long as he could.

Flipping them both over, he took up her leg in his hand and threw it over his shoulder before finishing what she started.

They were both out of breath but waiting didn't seem like an option anymore. He lifted her up over his shoulder and headed for his room, wanting to spend all night making love to her.

He opened the door and fell down a step, his feet hitting the sand. Looking up, the ocean stretched before him and she was at the water's edge, running. It took nothing at all to catch her, but she still fought against him as he carried her deeper into the water. Once they were waist deep, he let her go, only so he could turn her around and grab her again.

"You're not getting away this time."

She looked shocked, so he kissed her, freeing himself and moving the fabric of her bikini out of the way. Before she could stop him, he pushed in as deep as he could and she moaned, taking it upon herself to ride him and taking them both to their ends quickly.

But they had barely finished when she hopped off of him and ran away to the shore. He chased after her, falling to the towel right next to her.

Sitting up, she sat at the other end of the couch, movie blaring before them. Her eyes wiggled back and forth as she watched, her cheek on her hand as her elbow rested on the arm of the couch. Her legs were next to her on the couch, little bunnies cover socks on her feet because they always got cold.

And her hair was down, falling over her lovely little t-shirt cover shoulders. She was so beautiful and he enjoyed just watching her, not caring about the movie.

The screen flashed and she stood across from him, her cheeks red with anger.

"I don't think it's funny Darien."

He couldn't stop the chuckle that released from him, glancing down at the charred remains of whatever it was she was trying to cook.

"I was trying to make you dinner…."

"Seems more like you were trying to kill us."

"You ass, I was trying to be nice!"

She was pouting now, him coming around to pull her into his arms. "Maybe you should just stick to coffee."

"We can't live on coffee!"

"Well, we can't live on your cooking either.."

She slapped him across the chest, causing him to step away. But she followed, soon chasing him around the island. He split off, heading deeper into the apartment when he tripped.

He hit his bed, waking and opening his eyes. He was alone, alone in his dark room and empty bed. Pain filled his heart but he shrugged it off, glancing at the clock to see it was 12:37 am. He needed to go back to sleep.

Turning, he laid on his side, trying to fall back asleep again. A hand slid around his side, gently rubbing his chest and slowly working its way down. She paused, playing with his happy trail before reaching the rest of the way to grab him, finding him ready for her. He was hardly surprised, she did this many nights, waking up sometime after midnight and it was always the same.

She flipped him onto his back and disappeared under the covers, her mouth leaving a trail down and down and down of her kisses and bites. All the way down. And it never took him very long, with her mouth on him, to find bliss. This night was no exception.

Returning to lay next to him, she smirked, feeling proud of herself. She was waiting, knowing what was coming next as it always did.

He rolled over on top of her and she giggled, his kisses all over her neck and shoulders causing moans to mix in. Without hesitation, he gently entered her.

Taking her wrists, he pressed them into the mattress above their heads, reaching up to thread his fingers through hers. Then and only then, did he start to move.

Every now and then, she would wake in the middle of the night. And she would wake him in return, going under the sheet. Then, he would roll on top of her and they would proceed to have slow, patient sex. Their sex life was never lacking in desire but to him, this was truly lovemaking. It would always last over an hour and they took many breaks, never breaking apart, just stop thrusting so they could kiss, touch, laugh, or just hold one another before starting up again. And she would look at him the whole time. Save for when he hit her g-spot causing her to lift her head back and close her eyes. But he never did it multiple times in a row until they were ready to finish. He loved every way that they were together, sex, sleeping together, fucking, lovemaking, whatever mood they were in for. But this, this was always his favorite.

He paused, slowing his movements, and she stared back at him. Her hand went up to cup his cheek, stroking it in a way that told him everything about how she felt about him.

"I miss you, Serena."

She gave him a sad smile in return, "I know."

This time, he sprang up in bed. His room was dark, save for the glowing of his alarm clock. 12:37 am. And this time, his bed was, in fact, empty.

oOo

She stood inside the empty storefront. It stretched on forever it seemed. The floor had been put in and a bar for the counter. The back was still empty, lacking the needed kitchen appliances and there was yet to be a Beatrice two in the place. But it was already beginning to take shape, her new home.

Most of her time as a manager was spent training. She was splitting her time at the original Nectar and the one in Chelsea with Mina. The one in Chelsea was further along than her little Brooklyn one that she stood in now.

The front of the store was L shaped, a large window in the front that let in plenty of light. The counter sat across from it, light colored wood flooring span between the two that would eventually be a waiting area for orders. The counter was in the middle almost, taking up a quarter of the space and most of one wall. While a skinny strip led to the back sitting area and outdoor sitting in the very back. A long wall stretched from the front to the back without a blemish on it. It was a blank page.

With the place on schedule, she stepped out to head home, still staying with Mina for the moment until she got herself a new place in Brooklyn. The commute was too much and with her little blip growing more and more each day, the last thing she wanted was to spend all her time on the road away from it. She also needed a bigger place, no way she and the baby would fit in her place now. Not to mention, she just couldn't bring herself to sleep in that bed, the one that use to hold her and Darien.

It was starting to get cooler, summer having met its end. Two months since she had seen or heard from Darien, she truly felt she had finally moved on. At least, that was what she liked to tell herself and anyone else who asked. He had himself removed from their account, now it was handled by someone called Henderson. It only made sense, it wasn't really Darien's job to see things like this all the way through, especially such a small account like theirs. A zing of pain went through her heart as her mind dared to wonder over the many memories she had of him and she had to stop. She couldn't dwell. It wasn't good for her and it was pointless. He had moved on and so would she.

She placed a hand on her stomach, the differences in her body still un-noticeable. She was going into her second trimester now, and soon everyone would be able to tell. So it was definitely good that Darien wasn't coming around anymore, even for work.

Guilt squeezed her heart. She knew she had been wrong not telling him; she should have. But heartbreak and the added craziness of her hormones had caused her to make a few bad choices. Now it had been so long, fear stopped her from even trying. It was too late now, she would have to live with the regret and consequences of her actions. She had screwed up; all of it was her fault. Doubt in herself and in Darien put a wedge that Michelle had attacked, breaking them apart. And she had put the wedge there. She couldn't even blame Darien for not telling her more plainly what he and Michelle were. She doubted it would have made a difference in her fractured heart. She still would have run when Michelle showed up. It was her own fault she was broken now. She did it to herself.

Lately, she tried to dress a bit more professionally for work, a blouse and dress pants or skirt. As the weather had gotten cooler, she paired it with a blazer or cardigan. But today was special. It was Halloween!

Chelsea was their training hub, all the new trainees met there at the start to learn. But now she had them meeting at Nectar for hands-on training. The place was packed, the morning very chilly, a sign that fall was steadily on its way.

Mina had on her usual black cat get up; tight black long sleeve top and black jeans with black cat ears on her head and a tail pinned to her pants. The trainees were eyeing her with a mixture of humor and lust.

"Good morning, everybody!"

"Good morning, Serena!"

There were only 7 that were hers, future baristas for Nectar, and they were all a little younger than her, mostly college students working their way through. She stored her tan trench coat in the back and emerged, ready to begin the day.

"Oh my Gosh, Serena!"

"You are just too cute!"

At 20 weeks, a tiny little belly had started to form on her, so small it was easy to hide and for it to be missed by many. But now that she wore her orange jack-o-lantern shirt, it was a little more noticeable, which she was going for anyways. More than anything, she wanted to show off her little bump as much as possible. It was just a t-shirt, but it fit tight and she wore a 'stem' on her head fixed to a headband.

Mina teared a little, placing a hand over her little bump. "You look too cute, Serena!"

She waved her off, fighting her own tears. "Stop it! You are going to make me cry!"

A few of the trainees groaned, knowing full well the terror that was her mood swings.

"That's enough of that! Time to open up! Sean, go open the door, please. Everyone, get ready! This is what you've been training for!"

Amy sauntered in among the other regulars. She exited the counter, coming around to give the girl a hug.

"Long time no see! I thought you had forgotten about us!"

Amy giggled softly, "No, I've just had a lot going on at work….and at home."

Amy held up her hand that now bolstered a huge rock on it, "What?! Wow, congratulations!"

Mina bounced around the counter, coming to the two of them in an excited flurry, "Oh my god. Amy, did you get engaged?!"

She burst into happy tears. Apparently, her boyfriend, Zack, was being distant because he couldn't lie to her. When she threatened to leave him if he didn't come clean about his affair, he surprised her with a proposal.

"I feel really bad for not trusting him. Plus I ruined his plans. He was going to ask me in front of my parents at their wedding anniversary next week. He had the whole thing planned out with them. We are still going to pretend, but I still had to tell you guys!"

Amy's bright smile was enough to brighten any mood. Then, she placed a hand on Serena's belly, having forgotten that she had yet to tell Amy anything, given the distance she had put between her and anything to do with Darien. Guess their time apart and Amy's keen eye noticed the tiny difference in her body.

"When were you going to tell me?"

She shrugged, guilt washing over her, "I don't know."

"Does he know?"

Wave after wave of guilt crashed onto her and Mina put a hand on her shoulder. "He doesn't and we are not going to tell him."

Amy frowned, looking to her for answers. "I'm sorry, Amy. I didn't want you to have this secret, but that's what it is...for now."

She was still frowning, but she nodded just the same, silently agreeing to keep her secret, "Well I need to go, got work to do. But I'll stop by after? We can catch up and maybe you guys can help me with wedding plans?"

"We'd love to!" She and Mina spoke and bounced at the same time, truly happy and excited for their friend.

oOo

The rock on Amy's finger was hard to miss. "Congratulations."

She glanced up, smiling sweetly with a small blush on her face, "Thank you. You will come to the wedding, won't you?"

He tried his best to keep his smile on his face, "I don't know. You really want your boss at something like that?"

"Of course!"

"Alright then."

She giggled, happy. He would find a way out of it later, but for now, he would let her have her happiness.

The elevators dinged and they both looked up. He let out a not so soft groan as Michelle sauntered off, heading over towards him. He had to give her credit for being persistent, her calls were never-ending as were her fake apologies.

"What are you doing here, Michelle?"

She tilted her chin, looking away from him, "I am here to see your father, we are going to lunch."

"What can't get the Shields you want so now any will do?"

She gawked at his little blue-haired assistant, but he just beamed proudly. Amy was Serena's friend after all, and a good one if she was willing to talk in such a way in front of him and Michelle.

Then she leaned in, trying to whisper, "Look, Darien, as your friend…."

He huffed, "We are not and never have been friends, Michelle…."

"As someone who genuinely cares about you, I should tell you that you need to move on. She has."

"What would you know?!"

She shrugged, putting on her innocent face. "Check it out for yourself. Go to that dinky little coffee shop and you'll see that I know all."

He didn't know what the hell he was doing here or why he was even listening to Michelle. He had moved on, so she was already wrong about him, about the whole damned thing. And yet, here he was, crossing the street, on his way to Nectar.

It was late, the sun already setting on its fall schedule, but he knew she would still be there. It was a Monday. She would be in the middle of her set by now, or close to finished actually. He had gone months without seeing her and he had been fine with it, great actually. But now as he entered the place they had spent so much time fooling around in, his heart started to race.

He wished he could say he forgot what she looked like, but he had yet to do that, her face still imprinted in his mind and his dreams of her not helping. All of them were just repeats, memories of their time together. The last time they were together playing the most often, her on top of him in that teddy and him taking her to the bedroom to make love to her all night.

He shook his head, trying to clear it before walking inside. Heat, light, and noise hit him as soon as he swung open the door. It was standing room only. Serena must have gained even more popularity since they split.

He found a small space in the very back, leaning against the wall. Her voice filtered over the crowd; she was asking for requests, as usual. Taking ones from all over and filling the place with her voice. He couldn't see much of her through the crowd, and even though he told himself he was fine with that, his heart still made him sway and lift trying to get a better look at her.

She was as beautiful as ever, his heart crushing at the sight and sound of her. Her golden hair falling around her shoulders as she swayed over her keyboard. This had been a mistake.

He tried to leave, the crowd being so thick was no easy task. Then the crowd settled, getting quiet. He glanced back, finding Serena alone on the stage, still sitting at her piano. It had come to the time in the evening for her latest work.

I feel nervous in a way that can't be named

I dreamt last night of a sign that read, "the end of love"

And I remember thinking

Even in my dreaming, it was a good line for a song

We're a family pulled from the flood

You tore the floorboards up

And let the river rush in

Not wash away, wash away

We were reaching in the dark

That summer in New York

And it was so far to fall?

But it didn't hurt at all

And let it wash away, wash away

And in a moment of joy and fury I threw myself

In the balcony like my grandmother so many years before me

I've always been in love with you

Could you tell it from the moment that I met you?

And we're a family pulled from the flood

You tore the floorboards up

And let the river rush in

Not wash away, wash away

We were reaching in the dark

That summer in New York

And was it so far to fall?

You said it didn't hurt at all

And let it wash away, wash away

He felt like he couldn't breathe, her voice and her words reaching deep inside him and ripping out all he had left inside of him for a heart. His eyes glued to her now as she finished her song, he vaguely registered the tear that fell down his cheek. There was no doubt, she had written it for him. It was their song, her love song about them.

Without knowing what he was doing, the crowd started breaking apart and he started making his way to her. He wasn't even sure what he was going to do or say when he got to her but he knew he had to get to her.

She was packing up her things, her back to him as he pushed through the crowd. Another man made it to her first, young, looked about Serena's age if he was guessing. He watched as the man tapped her on the shoulder, Serena turning and smiling wide to the man before throwing herself into his arms.

Everything cracked, breaking away what little had been built back up by her song. He backed away, almost tripping over a chair as he fled. He couldn't breathe, now more than anything he had to get out of there.

Once on the street, he breathed deep, the cold air doing wonders to his heated skin. It took all he had not to turn around and rip the guy to shreds, touching her and holding her when he couldn't. Instead, he forced himself to walk away, heading towards home. When he finally calmed down some, he pulled out his phone, dialing the number he wished he never knew to begin with.

"I knew you'd call soon."

"What are you doing now?"

oOo

She struggled to get her guitar in its case, her tears blinding her. Her last song, the most recent of her creations, had hit too close to home that night. She shouldn't have played it...ever... but Mina begged her, telling her it was her best ever. And of course it was, it was chalked to the brim with her emotions. Pregnancy hormones were only agitating her already frayed nerves from her broken heart.

Someone tapped on her shoulder and she turned to find Sean, one of her little trainees, arguably her favorite and also the youngest of the bunch. A little high schooler hoping to save up for college in case his basketball career didn't go as planned. Even for 17, he was tall and broad as if he were 22 or 24. And his shaggy dark hair reminded her of Darien, but the comparison stopped there. Still a young man, he had yet to fill out like Darien was, tall and lean where Darien was muscular. She hated that she still thought so much about him, but she did just play the song she wrote about the two of them.

Sean pulled her in for a hug, the sweet boy clearly had a crush on her but knew it was a hard no-go given their age difference and, hello, baby. But he was still sweet on her and she returned it in kind.

"You are amazing you know that?"

She blushed, "Thank you, Sean."

"What are you up to now? Mina is taking us out to celebrate the end of training. Are you in?"

She patted her bump, "No, I think the two of us are going to go home and eat a tub of ice cream in my PJs. Rain check?"

He nodded, walking away and mixing back into the crowd. She liked her new position, she really did. And the pay was great. Along with the benefits, she could give a baby a lovely life. But it felt like giving up as she would never have the music career she always dreamed of. But it was hard to imagine such a life, now with the one she had growing inside her. That dream was over and she had to be more responsible. She would still perform for Nectar, it would be her guilty pleasure. But her dream of going pro had to die now.

Andrew appeared, packing up his things alongside her, moving to take the heavy equipment from her hands, "Hey hey now! No heavy lifting for you, young lady!"

She let him take it away from her. "Thank you."

"That new song, Serena. I mean, wow. You should send it to some record company or something."

She laughed, "Even if it did work that way, I think that time has passed for me now, Andrew."

He gave her a sad smile, but forced it away quickly, "By the way, I need you tomorrow for the walkthrough."

"Walk through?"

"Yeah a couple of execs or something are going to be stopping by and I want to show them the Brooklyn location. Since that is your baby, no pun intended, I want you there," he took one look at her face and quickly calmed her, "He isn't going to be there. Trust me, I asked. He is completely off our project. He doesn't even get any reports anymore. At least, that's what Amy told me. It will be fine."

She nodded, silent and still shaking. Suddenly, tomorrow was looking a little less bright.

oOo

Michelle jiggled and danced in front of him, the two of them in the living room. He dared not take her to his bedroom. He had called her over, hoping for a distraction. But even as she did her best striptease in front of him, all he saw was red.

He took a long swig of his beer, his third and he was almost ready for his fourth. All the alcohol was doing though was mixing up his mind. Even as Michelle climbed on top of him, all he could do was compare every bit of her to Serena. His mind in overload, it kept playing images of Serena over and over in his mind, her laugh, her smile, the way she threw her head back as she came, and the way she looked at him.

Even in the haze of lust, her eyes looked through him in a way that had him weak in the knees.

Michelle had her hands on his belt, trying to get his pants undone. He took a moment, looking at her eyes which were just clouded.

This was supposed to be making him feel better, a distraction, a way to get his lust out, but it wasn't working. It was just making him angry. Angry at Michelle for chasing Serena away, angry at Serena for letting her, and angry at himself for not ripping her out of that man's arm and carrying her back here where she belonged.

Michelle had her hands on him, attempting to pull him out but he stopped her. "I need to get a condom."

She gave him a small smile. "That's okay. We don't need one."

He stared at her and her smile just widened, going back to work of pulling him out. But he stopped her again, throwing her off of him and to the empty couch next to him, "What?! What's wrong?"

"I think you should leave….now!"

"What?!"

"I said get out!"

She started pulling her clothes back on, fuming, "Is this still about her? What, you'll fuck her bare but not me? At least with me, you wouldn't have to worry!"

"I never worried with Serena. And I had to beg her to let me 'fuck her bare', you stupid bitch."

She held her shirt in her hands, not caring in the least that her breast were bare and hanging out in front of him, yet another difference. "You are drunk, so I'm going to let your language go this time. But you need to realize something, Darien. Serena is gone and she is not coming back. Not to you."

The front door slammed behind her after he pushed her out of it again and he swaggered around on drunk legs. He pulled out his phone, not paying attention to the time, and found the number he was looking for.

"Henderson? Sorry for the late call."

oOo

Her boobs were bigger. She could tell because they threatened to spill out of the cups of her bras. No matter which one she put on. So she put on a sports bra instead. It pressed hard on her breast, still way too small, but they felt a bit more contained than in her push-ups.

She tucked her black collared shirt into a dark grey pencil skirt. The waist of it came up high, covering her bump tightly. It made it a little obvious, which made her both happy and worried, not sure what to expect with this walkthrough. Would any of them report back to Darien about the pregnant manager? She couldn't worry about that. It wasn't what mattered right now anyways.

She pulled on a long, loose cable cardigan to fight off the inevitable chill and forced herself into putting on her big girl shoes.

She was standing in front of Mina's full-length mirror when Mina appeared in the reflection behind her. "Wow, you look great, Serena! You are going to knock their socks off!"

She curled her hair in a bun on top of her head. "Thanks but all I really care about is making sure Andrew looks good."

Mina glanced at her watch, "Well then you better hurry up or you will be late, which will not look good at all."

She patted her little bump, looking at Mina. "Is it super obvious?"

"To me, yes. But anyone who didn't know you would just think you just ate a big meal. Or that you are fat!"

She slapped her shoulder. "Gee thanks!"

"Don't worry. You look great. Beautiful."

She arrived at Nectar 3 with 15 minutes to spare. Andrew was waiting outside for her. "Sorry, I'm here!"

"No worries."

Unlocking the door, they pushed inside. Andrew took it all in slowly, not having been by in a while. A lot of things had changed. The place was almost completely ready to go. The kitchen equipment sat in the back, waiting to be set up, and a large espresso machine sat on the counter, still wrapped in protective plastic.

But what she really wanted to show him was the once blank wall. It now was half finished, the moral she had been working on for weeks taking shape. Andrew stared at it in full amazement.

"What do you think?"

"What do I think? I think I want you to do one at every location. This is beautiful, Serena."

"It's not finished yet, but it will be before we open. I promise!"

"I have no doubt."

The front door swung open, a small bell attached to the top signaling the arrival of their 'guest'. Andrew quickly scooted around her to hold the door for the rest of them, Henderson bringing up the rear. Andrew was in the middle of shutting the door when a hand flew out from outside, stopping him and her heart. Standing in the middle of her mess of a coffee house was none other than Darien Shields.


I know, I suck. Next chapter up soon!