Yes, I know short one... but I have far too much to do. I'm a full time student working two jobs, I'm gardening, ugh... toooooo much to do. But hey, I am always happy to update when I have the time/motivation to do so. It is a fun "getaway" so to speak. :) I hope you're all enjoying this story. Let me know with a REVIEW!!! The longer and more content oriented it is the happier it make me. I'll try to respond to your reviews I really will.

Arguments

Darien closed his eyes as he leaned against the wall in the hallway. Her sobs had drawn him from the living room and now he stood in the darkened hall watching her from afar. He had done this more times than he would like to admit, watched her like this when she didn't know he was there.

She was currently lying on her side grasping her pillow and crying into it, her body shaking as she seemed to remember something. He'd watched her lay quietly at first then she had suddenly began to cry and she'd progressed from there.

He wanted to go in there and comfort her, hold her against him and tell her that everything was going to be all right. The problem was that he knew he most likely caused her current heartache. She was beginning to remember, and that meant; she would hurt all over again, her heart tearing for a second time as she struggled to regain herself. He wasn't sure if he should go in there. Maybe Amy had been right, Serena was better off without him, she was better off having a new life. There was nothing tying them together anymore, she wasn't pregnant and her lack of memories made her distance herself from him in turn causing the same for him.

She finally began to quiet, her body shaking as it tried to defy her tears. He sighed lightly and stepped into her room, walking quietly to her bed and looking down on her. Her swollen eyes fixed on him, her pain obvious to anyone who looked upon her. "I remember… that night." She squeaked weakly. "You know, the night we… I became pregnant." He felt his eyes widen. Maybe her memory wasn't as shot as previously thought. He didn't even know the night that happened.

"When was it?" He kneeled by the bed and touched his hand to her face. He couldn't help but do it, the woman in front of him was once his meatball head after all. "I didn't learn until after you left…"

"I went to Paris because that was the place. That was the place our baby was conceived and it just felt… right." She sighed and moved her eyes from his gaze. " You acted so different that night that I thought things had changed between us, I thought that you loved me and that we could finally be together. Then we had returned and all the crap happened. You distanced yourself again, gave me that weird song to work on, then missed my brother's wedding."

"Serena, I did love you. I barely remember it but I do remember saying it as I drifted off to sleep. It was when we got back that I got scared. I didn't want what happened to my dad, to happen to me. So I went back to doing what I do best, avoiding things. I avoided you, what was happening between us, I avoided everything. Then I missed the wedding and you left. It was when you left that I realized my mistake. I did love you, since the beginning and I had just walked over you like a throw rug. You were always there, always loving and supportive. I know I've been terrible and I know I said I want to change and I do but I wonder… if that's what you want." He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and bit his lip. "I'm bound to hurt you again, I can almost feel it in me. Amy told me to leave you alone, to let you go but I couldn't. I chased after you and look what good it did." He chuckled. "You'd be better off without me in your life."

"Perhaps I would have been but I'm not so sure that's true now." She said quietly and smiled. "I held onto you because I loved you. I can feel it within me, when I woke up in the hospital I was drawn to you immediately, as if you were pulling my soul towards you. It was scary because I didn't know you but now; I know that I'm starting to and I don't think it would be good to just call this off."

Darien closed his eyes and felt an odd sense of guilt well within him. He felt something coming, some type of challenge that would rear it's head soon. "I'd be lying if I said that I'm not afraid of what might happen next." He breathed and looked into her eyes. "I'm going to go sleep in the guest room now okay? The girls plan on being here tomorrow to bombard you with their lives." With that he stood and walked out of the room leaving Serena alone once again.

Darien was standing over the stove carefully nudging an omelet with a spatula when he heard the door open. Pausing for a moment he listened as whoever entered shut the door and crossed the living room, moving closer to the kitchen. Whatever this was, it wasn't good.

Stepping away from the stove he moved to where he could see Serena's drawing table. Standing in front of it was a familiar figure with long raven hair. "Hello Raye. Thought that might have been you sneaking around." He chuckled and returned to the stove. For a woman with such a fiery demeanor she could certainly be quiet at times.

"Funny you should say it like that." She mused as she appeared in the kitchen doorway. "I'm here early to talk to you about just that." He knew that tone all too well, and as he glanced at her he could see it in her eyes. She suddenly sighed and looked down at the ground. "Jed's become… distant with me. Any idea why?" Her violet eyes fixed on his making him look away.

"Maybe it's because you keep chasing me around." He snapped and shoved the spatula under the omelet and plopped it onto a plate. "Don't play coy with me Raye. I know why you're here and it's not out of concern for Jed."

"Fine, right down to business, as always I see." She straightened her spine and looked at him defiantly. "I just thought you might be interested in spending some time together seeing as how Serena's not quite the woman you want her to be." She moved across the kitchen, her hips swaying slightly as she smiled.

He inwardly smiled at the idea. Clearly Raye thought she would win this, everything about her told him that she thought Jed just didn't cut it. "Raye, I'm not interested." He said flatly as she slid her arms around his waist and hooked her hands in front of him. Her body was pressed tightly to his back allowing him to feel every curve.

"Come on Darry, just let me take care of you." She whispered into his ear then touched her lips to his neck.

He felt his jaw clench as he attempted to harden himself from her advances. She was good at seducing him, she always had been. "No Raye." He unhooked her hands and moved away from her. "Not this time, I want this to work with Serena." She tilted her head back as she placed her hands on her hips. It almost looked like she was laughing but without the sound.

"That's what you always say." She finally lowered her head, her eyes challenging him. "Let me ask you, how long has it been? Let's see… she left you, then the crash and the coma… seven months. You've been without a woman's company for seven months." Her grin was dripping with female satisfaction; the effect of which was angering him. "It's a win win situation and you know it. I won't tell anyone, as always."

"No is no Raye." He took the plate in his hand and walked out of the kitchen and down the hall towards Serena's room. He knew he had to get away from the female currently in the kitchen. She was acting like a feral cat in heat and like the typical male he was, it was beginning to affect him.

Once in Serena's room he felt all of the sexual tension melt away from him. Serena lay on her side in her bed hugging a pillow with her mouth open slightly. Her golden hair was spread about her like a beautiful aura.

Stepping towards the bed he set the plate down on her nightstand and sat down next to her, his hand floating to her head where he pet her hair. "Serena, time to wake up." He cooed and she groggily opened her eyes and fixed them on him. "Morning. I made you a ham and cheese omelet, and Raye's here.

Serena's eyes darkened at the mention of Raye's name. "Why?" She whispered suspiciously. "She's here awfully early for her." She struggled to set up and finally allowed him to help her. "What does she want from you?"

"Serena, she's simply excited to get to spend time with you, that's all." He lied. There was no point in upsetting Serena. "Do you want me to go and get her for you?" He handed her the plate as she nodded. "Okay, I'll send her in with some apple juice." He chuckled and quickly walked out of the room.

She sat there, knowing damn well why Raye was there. Somewhere in her sleep she had remembered the girls' confessions of sleeping with Darien. With those confessions came a realization, one of them had to have been first. One of them had to have started the campaign because Darien wouldn't have just began sleeping with them.

Raye had always looked at Darien as if he were a piece of meat to be devoured. She had always acted more feminine and sexy around him, more alluring. Serena narrowed her eyes as she realized this. Raye had to have been the one to break that sacred covenant of friendship. Raye had seduced him, not the other way around, and it looked like she was trying to do it yet again.

How many times had Raye managed to get Darien in bed? Whatever the answer was she didn't care because it was going to end. If Darien thought that they were going to be together she was going to demand complete loyalty from him, and her friends.

Raye walked into the room with a happy smile on her face and a large glass of apple juice in her hand. "Hey Serena, I'm so glad you're awake! Really I am , I can't wait until you're one hundred percent better and we can all go back to the way it was before." She set the glass of apple juice down and sat on the bed.

"Things aren't going to go back to the way they were before." Serena heard the snap in her voice and saw Raye widen her eyes ever so slightly. "This time Darien and I will be a couple and not simply friends with benefits." Where the words were coming from, she didn't know but she let them flow from her mouth.

"Well, are you sure that's what you want? Do you remember how he was, how he is? Serena, he's just going to hurt you again. I think Seiya is a better match for you. Do you remember him?" Raye's eyes held her anger, the violet orbs almost turning black. "I say you kick Darien to the curb and let the whores of the world have him."

"I'm shocked you would say that about yourself." Serena shot angrily. Raye was playing a mind game. "I know you were the one who slept with him first, you're still trying to! I know why you're here, you're trying to get him into your bed!"

Raye sat there quietly, her mind kicking into over drive. "No, you have it all wrong Serena. I'm not trying to sleep with him. I'm trying to see if he's serious about being loyal to you. I'm trying to make sure he won't sleep with me." Raye shook her head in fake disappointment. "Serena, how could you think I would do such a terrible thing as to undermine your happiness?"

"I don't think you really care about me that's why. I think you're only interested in your bottom line. You've been riding on my coattails for a long time and you're not about to stop. You want my talent, my success, and my man." Raye's eyes widened as she shot up and off of the bed.

"For your information I had your man first and I think he's a little more interested in what I have to offer him. If he actually loved you and wanted you then he wouldn't run off with me every so often. As for your talent and success… well of course I wish it were mine! You've always been weak Serena, always. You've let everyone walk all over you and such talent shouldn't belong to such a weak, pathetic, woman!" Raye had begun to scream, her normal shouting voice was nothing in comparison to the distain flowing from her now. "You don't deserve what you have! At first, I was terrified about you possibly dying I was absolutely terrified about the possibility that the band had fallen. Then I figured something out, I don't need you. If you died, I could have had it all, Darien would be mine and you'd be six feet under so I could take all of your unfinished music and just make it on my own." Serena felt her heart stop as Raye shouted that last bit. The truth came out, Raye wanted her dead.

"I thought we were actually friends Raye." Serena felt grief wash over her. How much of her life had been a lie?

"We were friends until you fucked Darien. He may have been your best friend but he was my boyfriend first! Oh yeah, we were together for a whole month before he got you out of your prom dress. I knew he had other adventures but you crossed the line when you slept with him." Raye growled angrily. "He was mine and you took him from me."

Serena sat in the bed wondering what the hell Raye was talking about. Raye and Darien had been an item at one point? More importantly, Raye had slept with Serena's best friend and crush before she had? In what right did that make Darien Raye's property? Just because she got to the physical part first? "Raye… okay, let's both calm down. We're both adults and we don't need to act like we're in high school."

Raye seemed to relax a bit and nodded as she sat down. "I'm sorry Serena. I didn't mean what I said I just… I'm so envious of you." She breathed and looked at the floor. "God, I'm so ashamed of myself right now. I did come over to try and convince Darien to sleep with me. I really did. I'm sorry. On the other hand, he told me no." She smiled and looked at Serena hopefully.

"At least he said no." Serena nodded and began to eat the now cold omelet. "Looks like we have some things to work out huh?" Serena smiled lightly.

"No kidding." Raye nodded and watched Serena eat. At least the woman was holding her own in the argument department.