Chapter 10: The Words of Men
Title: Heart's Pain
Author: LightningRose
A/N: I do not own sailor moon or any of the characters!
Side note for everyone who is reading this story, It will only be a few more chapters long, I'm not gonna drag this out to 30 chapters.
As for the issue some of you are having with Serena forgiving everyone too easily, this story is about growing up and forgiving in a sense. Realizing years later that perhaps you handled a situation in your past the wrong way, we have all done it! Serena and Raye's relationship will never be the same, nor will Serena and Darien's but they are older and different people now, changes are meant to happen.
Chapter 10
Everything happened so fast once they arrived at the hospital. From the moment the girls swept her up into their arms to the moment the baby was born. To an outsider it looked like a bunch of childhood friends were gathered to see one of their own give birth to a miracle. To Darien all he could see was the tension in Serena's shoulders, the strain in her face.
He could see Amy and Lita trying very hard to keep her attention, how Mina couldn't stop smiling and looking so happy. Darien watched Raye for a good part of the night, noticing how she wanted and tried on a few occasions to approach Serena, but stopped herself, too afraid. He knew this wouldn't be easy on any of them, especially on Raye and Serena, their relationship would never be the same nor anywhere near how it used to be. Darien couldn't help but feel imense guilt to that, he blamed himself for years for Serena leaving and how damaged the girls have all become due to it.
"Darien why don't we give the girls some space." Andrew found his long time friend zoned out in the hallway, this deep look in his eye.
"Yea probably for the best if they talk some things out. At least it might ease the tension." Darien gave one last look into the hospital room, his heart melting at the sight of Serena cooeing down at the newborn. He knew she would have made an excellant mother.
What he wouldn't give to take it all back, to realize what a complete ass he had been and who knows, by now he would probably be married with a child of his own. A family of his own, with the only woman he's ever truly loved. The next couple of days it was all that crossed his mind, he could barely sleep much less work.
They finally flew back to LA after spending the week back home, Darien noticed a development with the girls. Serena and Mina were back to basically being the same person, where as Lita and Amy became her shadow, not letting her out of their sight or she was constantly in contact with them. It was pretty clear by the end of the week that Raye and Serena would never have a close relationship like they once had, they would be on good terms, polite and friendly but no trust or sisterly love was shared.
"Darien I don't know where your mind is these days but you need to snap out of it! I can't do everything on this project myself, I have other clients!" Darien's head shot up at the angry woman screaming in his ear. She was so beautiful even when angry, any emotion she showed was beautiful. He watched her stomp around her office, shuffle paper on her desk, throw him evil little glares that he found adorable. Everything about this woman made him realize how much of a fool he had been years ago.
Why couldn't he see everything that he sees now? She was beautiful when they were younger, she had always been a cute and pretty little thing so he knew it wasn't just about her looks. Maybe they were just too young back then to truly understand what they shared. No, he was just a fool.
"I was a fool."
Serena stopped what she was doing to stare at him, he hadn't been paying attention to anything she said or did for an hour. He was a fool? Well yea she already knew that but she doubted it had to do with the color patterns for his restaurant.
"Excuse me? Darien I don't have time for your pity party right now, I have deadlines that need to be made." Serena stood up and began organizing papers into folders. If the man wasn't going to give her the answers she needed to speed along things then she would send him back to his hotel and work on another contract.
"I was a fool when we dated, I was a fool for what I did and I was a fool for letting you walk away. I won't be a fool again." He was standing directly behind her now, waiting for her reaction. He wanted her to turn around so badly, so he could see the look in her eyes, so he could read her emotions that she tried to hide from him.
"Please don't" He knew what she meant, don't bring up the past, don't make me feel, don't bring back the memories. But he wasn't going to listen, he knew the only way to make her see him, to see how stupid he was and how he's changed, was to open up her eyes and make her feel some old emotions.
"I was a fool Serena, I should have seen how amazing you were even back then. But I was so self absorbed, so worried about the stupidest of things, I was young and a fool." Darien took a step closer, hoping to reach out and possibly turn her around to face him. She still refused to look at him, but he needed to look into her eyes.
"I hate myself for what I did to you, how it even happened I hardly know. But I lo..." She turned around so fast he wasn't able to finish, but he could tell she knew what he was trying to say.
"Stop it Darien! Why can't you let it go, just leave it alone geez! I left so I could get away from all that. So I could get away from you! I don't want to forgive you, I don't want to remember how much of a stupid, weak, pathetic girl I was when we dated. I gave you everything, and you gave me nothing in return. Why would I want to be with a man like that?" She was finally looking at him, screaming in his face and saying hurtful things, but her eyes gave her away.
Her eyes could never lie to him.
"Don't forgive me then, you shouldn't have to forgive what I did. But please give me a second chance, let me show you I've changed, that I'm not the same foolish man I was when we were younger." The two stared at eachother, one with a look of hope in his eyes, the other with sad tears unable to hold back any longer.
"Darien...I...I want.." A loud knock came right at that moment, shaking the two out of their own little world. Serena was relieved to be interrrupted, Dariend however was boiling on the inside. She was about to tell him something important he could tell, but now who knows if he wiil ever get that chance again.
"Serena? Sorry for barging in, I thought we might be able to grab dinner tonight?" Diamond walked into Serena's office like he owned the place, which didn't help the boiling inferno building inside Darien.
This man not only just interrupted a very important moment between him and Serena, but was dating the women he loved. He didn't even want to think about any of the other reasons he had to hate the man.
"Diamond, it's so good to see you. Darien and I were just finishing up our meeting, so yes dinner sounds lovely." He couldn't stand watching her smile at another man, the same smile she used to beam at him years back. Her eyes lit up, and her smile warmed the room. How he missed that look, he should have never taken her for granted.
"Great! So i'll pick you up for dinner at your apartment around 7?" Diamond shot Darien a look, one only another man would recognize. But Darien refused to back down, if he had to he would play dirty, he had no qualms about doing whatever it took to get what he wanted.
"7 sounds great, I'll just finish up some things here then hurry home. See you in a few hours." They hugged and Diamond even went as far as kissing her in front of him, to his relief he could tell it made Serena uncomfortable. The way she shifted so he caught her cheek instead of her lips, the apologetic smile she gave him.
"Alright, see you then. Darien, pleasure seeing you. Since your heading out why don't we walk out together? Give Serena time to work in peace?" It was clearly a challenging statement more than a friendly question, but Serena didn't seem to notice.
The walk to the parking lot was a quiet one, neither saying a word. Both men stood at full height, however Darien was slightly taller than the paler man. Every woman through the office and building stopped in her tracks to watch the two men walk out. To all the women they looked like two handsome, confident men striding through, but on the inside they were fueled and tense.
They made it to Darien's car first, but it was Diamond who made the first move.
"I think you should let Andrew handle your business from now on with Serena, I don't want you around her more than necessary." So he felt challenged by his presence, smart man, Darien thought.
"I would, but I just can't seem to stay away...know what I mean?" Darien saw Diamonds jaw clench.
"Look Darien, your just hurting yourself here. Serena is with me now, whatever you two shared is gone, you made sure of that when you threw her away, so do everyone a favor and back off before this gets ugly." Diamond took a step closer, his calm and friendly presence turning into a threatening and dominant one. If Darien were a lesser man he probably would have stepped back in reaction.
Darien wasn't a lesser man though, in fact he was a domineering one. He stood tall, and took a step forward himself, bringing the two men even closer, possibly less than a food away from each other.
"Play nice all you want Diamond, I'm not buying it. I'm sure you have a nasty past if one looks hard enough, So don't bring up mine and Serena's. I'm not backing down and I'm not going away, even when this project is over. Serena has been mine since high school and I'm not letting her go again. So if you wanna challeng me, then go on right ahead but believe that I'll just step up my game, and I already have the higher advantage here." What he said was true, he could already see the struggle in Serena when it came to him, and while she may have feelings for Diamond, they would never be as strong as the ones she has for him. It didn't matter how hard she tried to hide them, eventually her emotions would best her.
Diamond struggled to reign in his anger, he had waited far too long to get this chance. Having seen Serena in the same circles but never getting the chance to approach her. He finally found an in when the idea to expand arose. Who better to design his new building than the woman he had his eye on for years now.
What Darien and Serena didn't know, was that Diamond knew who Serena was even when she was dating Darien. He knew her father and saw her around the dinners and parties that she tagged along too. He knows she a different woman now, but he didn't care, her beauty was something he wanted for his own. Now he finally had her, nothing was taking her away from him.
"We will see about that Darien...just remember while you share a deep dark history with her, I share her bed. So who has the advantage now?"
Darien looked at Diamond with shock, he had never wanted to beat someone so badly. He had assumed that Serena slept with Diamond, assumed but thought she was just trying to hurt him. For Diamond to confirm that suspicion was a hard slap to the face, it was one thing to see them be friendly in front of him, completely different to imagine them being intimate.
He finally understood how she felt years ago when he and Raye sat there and told her they had been sleeping together. How tormented her eyes looked, how much pain she must have felt. He was only feeling a small fraction of that now, maybe because he was expecting it but it still hurt.
"She will be mine again, I promise you that." Darien took one last look at the smirking man in front of him, wishing he could swing and knock that cocky look off his face. He had to plan his next move, no more games, it was down to the end of the line. It was either take what was his or hand her over to another man.
A/N: There ya go, another chapter but in Darien's point of view. Little bit more insight to Diamond and next up is the juicy chapters! SOOO REVIEW! let me know what you liked and didn't like and what you might want to happen next.