Hi guys! Happy almost-Christmas to you all (and for those of you who are celebrating Chanukah, happy 8th day! And to those celebrating other holidays, warmest wishes to you!) Sorry for the two week hiatus of getting this chapter to you.. I wanted to try and give you a chapter of character, friendship, and relationship development to give them some more depth. And with that, I hope that I didn't write a chapter that's boring. I fear it might be :( But alas, sometimes you need a bridge chapter to help bring you to the next scene... which I've already begun setting up. Mwahahaha.

I hope you don't find this chapter too terrible.

Love,

MU

Taking a greedy sip into her iced tea, Serena closed her eyes in satisfaction; the sun on her shoulders, the burst of peach flavor, and the refreshing chill of the tea called for a delirious sigh. Chuckling could be heard, but she decided ignored it to savor a moment of summerlike bliss.

"Serena, it's a drink, not a dick," Lita, ever so bluntly, announced to the group. Laughter from the other two ladies followed whereas Serena let the straw fall from her lips.

"Har har," Serena replied with an eye roll. The chuckling subsided as the girls returned to their other discussion and reason for being here: Lita's wedding. Nate, Lita's long time boyfriend, finally popped the question, and of course, chaotic planning was about to ensue. Naturally, Serena, Raye and Mina were the three bridesmaids, meaning that the planning wasn't going to be just dramatic, but substantial. It was the same routine when Mina first got engaged: go to Pascarella's, order treats, and discuss the deets. The current discussion: dress shopping.

"Paolo's dresses are amazing, but really expensive," Mina said thoughtfully. "Bridal Belle is good in price, but don't expect a quick turnaround. Mine still is not in."

Serena's eyebrow raised. "Your wedding is in four months!"

"No shit," Mina said worriedly. "I call on a weekly basis. They said it should only be two more weeks. Here's hoping."

The three girls, all bridesmaids in Mina's wedding as well, nodded in hope before resuming conversation. "Have you checked out Victoria's in the Hiiro district?" Raye asked. "One of my co-workers wouldn't stop bragging about that place when she got engaged. I guess it's pretty upscale."

"I'd be willing to check it out," Lita replied.

"When should we go?" Mina asked. Serena pulled out her planner from her bag before flipping open to the month of June. A goofy grin slithered on her face when she looked at tomorrow's date, noting that she would be going out with Darien that evening. He was due home late tonight from Brussels, but with the time change, she was more than understanding to let him get some sleep before spending some time together. Besides, she needed him rested. Four days of pent up energy? She was ready to attack.

"Yo, Meatball Head!" Raye shouted, interrupting Serena's thoughts. "Stop daydreaming and start focusing!"

"Okay, okay," Serena said as she pulled out her purple pen. "Lita, start with you. What's best for you?"

"Um… I can do any weeknight really, except Tuesdays. Saturdays are hard for me… I can do two Sunday's from now at any time."

"Oh, Sunday's are good for me," Mina chimed in.

"Same here," Raye added.

"I've got a review that night, but if we can get in there early enough, I should be good to go. I need to be at the Kawaii Maid Café by 4," Serena replied.

"A MAID café?! How adorable!" Mina sighed. "I want to come!"

"Sorry, Min, I've already got someone coming with me," Serena apologized. Mina pouted.

"Darien? Come on, I'd be much better company than Darien. I can appreciate the theme, and the costumes, and the unicorns, and the parfaits, and the –"

"How about I'll ask him to rescind his offer to join me and if he says yes, I'll bring you?" Serena suggested, not really minding. Mina was always fun to bring on tastings.

"Yay!" Mina cheered, thrusting her hand into the open sun. A brief look at her watch on her slim wrist startled her. "Oh, crap girls, it's 6:30. I have to go; Mally's meeting me at the florist at 7 to finalize our pieces."

"Make sure it has roses!"

"No, Camellias!"

"Roses!"

"Camellias!"

"GIRLS!" Raye chided. "Besides, they will be Casablanca's, right Mina?"

"Yeahhh okay bye ladies!" Mina said as she hustled away from the patio table, leaving the three girls to argue which flower was better for the better part of ten minutes. It wasn't until the waitress strolled by and asked them if they needed anything further did they finally cease fire.

"Can I get the grilled chicken salad to go?" Serena asked the server, who nodded and moved along.

Raye raised an eyebrow. "Salad?"

"Their house dressing is addictive. It's a mustard vinaigrette, made with vinegar—"

"Ok, ok, no need to Serena the dressing," Raye snickered at her. It was a running joke with her friends; to "Serena" the food item means overly describe it.

"Psh, your loss," Serena dismissed. The waitress soon returned, her salad in a Styrofoam takeout container. "Mmm, dinner."

"Alright ladies, I'll call and set up the appointment for two Sunday's from now. But I'll see you guys Monday, right?"

Raye and Serena groaned. "Must you ruin the evening with talk about fitness?"

Lita grinned. "Gotta keep you guys fit for your men!" Serena rolled her eyes whilst Raye began to flush. "See you then!"

"Yeah, yeah," Serena said as she packed up her bag. "Anything planned for tonight, Raye?"

"I have to go work on a case study. You?"

"Need to finish up my piece on the Hibachi restaurant in Juuban."

"Well, aren't we fun?" Raye chuckled.

"Nothing wrong with us kicking ass out in this world," Serena emphasized with a grunt as she slung her bags over her shoulders. "Alrighty, see you Monday, yes?"

"Yeah, I'll be there," Raye groaned as she followed Serena out of the café, briefcase in hand. The June evening was inviting, the warmth of the day still lingering into the evening.

"I think I'm going to walk home," Serena decided as Raye stuck her hand out in the air for a cab.

"Okay, be safe," Raye waved as the cab pulled up to the curb.

"See ya!" Serena shouted before spinning on her heel to make her descent down the road. Her apartment wasn't too far from the place, but it was a decent enough walk where it would take her about 15 minutes to get home. She didn't mind; if anything, it allowed her to further get excited about tomorrow's plans with Darien.

Would they stay in? Would they go out? She sighed in anticipation thinking about their time together. Truthfully, she'd much rather order in than go out, primarily because one thing was on her mind, and it did not involve food.

Four long, beyond horny days of waiting for him to come home. Four days of craving his touch, his kiss. It was maddening! God, if she knew loathing someone would transform into lusting this badly, she would have reacted on it much sooner.

They had texted on occasion, but with the time change and their busy schedules, it didn't leave much room for true conversation. It bummed her out a bit, but she did give him the benefit that he did make an effort to talk to her on a daily basis. He could have easily blown her off.

With renewed vigor, she sped up her walk to her apartment. She needed to not be her own worst enemy and overthink it. Her mouth already got her in trouble once, she didn't need her mind stepping in as well. The walk was shorter than she had anticipated, and once she made her way up the stairwell to her apartment. Once she shuffled her bags and self through the doorway of her home, she dropped them unceremoniously by the doorway, but not before placing the delicate Styrofoam container on her kitchen countertop. Kicking off her flats, she stepped over the discarded bags and grabbed the maroon plate off of the drying rack. Opening the container, she dumped the salad on to the plate, heaps of romaine, chicken, slaw, and dressing tumbling graciously.

Serena licked her lips; it wasn't many times a salad brought her tastebuds to life, but this one was one that was especially addictive. Unable to resist making her way to the table first, she grabbed her clean chopsticks and grasped a generous balance in between the purple sticks. As the salad made its way to her mouth, she could smell the honey mustard invading her senses. Yum!

She chewed, and as she continued to masticate the leafy dish, a growing dissatisfaction appeared.

"What the hell?" Serena muttered to no one, "why is it so salty?"

Sighing in disappointment, she brought the plate over to her desk, giving the mouse a quick shake to wake up her machine. She placed the salad next to her, intent on eating at least some of it, while she focused on her article. As she typed at the keys, she managed a few more bites of the dinner before grimacing. She shook her head; too much salt completely ruined that dish. Sighing once again, she removed the foul dish, dumping its remnants into the trash.

"Ugh, Luna, remind me to wait a couple of weeks before I get that again. What a waste!" Serena pouted. It was the first time Pascarella's ever let her down like that. Perhaps a new employee did the measurements wrong? She shrugged and reached for a package of Oreos instead, stuffing her face with the crème filled cookies while continuing to pout over her dinner.

A ding redirected her thoughts, and over on her computer screen she saw her iMessaging was activated. Taking the Oreo packaging with her, she sat in front of the computer and grinned.

Only 4 more hours until this misery of a travel day is over.

I can't imagine. Sounds like it was a long day.

Built-in WiFi on planes is genius, let me tell you.

Are you on one of those super cool double decker planes?

No, a 777. But the first class seating on this plane is nice.

Do you usually travel first class? Isn't it like, ridiculously expensive?

It's worth it when you're traveling a 19 hour day with as many time zone changes as I've had. I've actually been able to get a lot of work done, actually.

That's good!

How about your day?

Just trying to finish up some work. Had a crappy salad for dinner, which is bumming me out.

I am, however, really looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.

That's what I was just about to ask you … any requests for tomorrow evening?

Surprise me ;)

Surprise you? I think I can handle that. 7:00?

Sounds great :)

The two of them continued to chat until Darien had to get back to his work, to which Serena followed suit. When her stomach gurgled slightly, she frowned. Too many Oreos, she quickly deemed, as she added the finishing touches on her first draft. Dragging and dropping the document into an open message box, she sent the article off to her editor, relieved to have another article crossed off of her to-do list. She stood up and turned off the light, the gurgling in her stomach still nagging at her.

"Ugh, need Tums," she grumbled as she shifted over to the bathroom. After locating the Tums, she pulled out four of the multi-flavored anti-acids and popped them in her mouth. Trusting in the power of the meds, she shuffled over to her bedroom and collapsed onto her bed, letting sleep succumb her thoughts.

It wasn't for long, however.

Her eyes snapped open an hour later, a cold sweat caking her body. Her stomach felt as if it were an ocean, waves of nausea ripping through her body. She took in a couple of deep breaths, but it was for naught.

Fuck.

She bolted into the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet as she emptied her stomach. Her body continued to heave, as if it was reaching from the bottom of her toes, as she emptied herself into the porcelain bowl. She gasped for breath as soon as the episode was over, but no sooner did it return, a wave stronger than the other that she cried out in pain, grasping onto the edge of the bowl in agony.

She didn't know how long it had lasted, it felt like at least hours, when she laid her head down on the cool bathroom floor, too terrified to move away. Her body was screaming in pain, her bangs damp from sweat, her stomach twisted in knots. Darkness soon consumed her once more, but if only for a brief moment in time.

#

Darien knocked on the door once more, a slight irritation brimming in him. He had been standing outside at least five minutes, which, for him, was much longer than he ever would have for someone else. Glancing at his watch once more, he saw it was now 7:10. She had no idea where they were even going, so why wouldn't she be here? He had even confirmed he would be by her place to get her around 7, so what gives?

He checked his phone again to make sure she didn't text him a reason or an excuse, but his home screen continued to show the generic wallpaper. Sighing, he decided to phone her rather than stand and knock once more, as it was beginning to become a moot point. He had text her to let her know he was on his way, but when she didn't respond, he didn't think much about it. But now, he wasn't sure if he was being ignored or dismissed.

The phone began to ring, and to his surprise, he could hear it clear as day on the other side of the door. A sudden pang of worry engulfed him. Sure, he hadn't heard from her all day, but he had been asleep for most of it. He knocked again at the door, banging his knuckles strongly against the whitewashed door. "Serena, are you in there?" he called through the door, now hoping she wasn't in there. "Is everything okay?" He redialed her phone, hoping maybe she was napping or something, but the phone continued to ring, the melody straining the air between them.

"Is everything okay?" Darien turned around to see an older woman, no taller than Serena, perched in between her doorway and the slightly ajar door.

"I'm a friend of Serena's," Darien quickly said, "and we were supposed to go out tonight. I can hear her phone on the other side of the door and I'm starting to grow concerned."

"Oh dear, that's not like her at all. So responsible, always having her phone," she said with worry as she closed her door. Within a moment she reemerged, shuffling in between Darien and the doorway holding on to a bronze key. She knocked. "Serena? It's Mrs. Kingsley, I'm just coming in to make sure you're okay, dear." She turned to Darien. "Let me check on her. I'll call for you if it's okay to come in."

Darien nodded, his hands starting to sweat with nerves. If she wasn't home, he'd have one hell of an ear to bend for putting him through this. He watched as the neighbor, Mrs. Kingsley, made her way into the dark apartment, leaving the door slightly ajar. He peeked in to see her purse on the countertop. Okay, now I'm really getting concerned.

"Serena? Serena!" he heard the woman's voice cry. His eyes widened immediately, his body busting through the doorframe and making his way to the woman's voice in great stride. Mrs. Kingsley was down beside her in the bathroom, Serena's peach-kissed skin looking pale. He immediately summoned his phone and began to dial 911 as the neighbor reached for a glass on Serena's sink, filling it up with water as she woke Serena up. As he spoke to the dispatcher, he felt his body flood with relief as he watched her limbs move.

"She's awake," he said to the dispatcher, who indicated that an ambulance was enroute.

"Good. Keep her awake and her head level until we know exactly what happened to her. Paramedics should be there momentarily, Sir."

"They say to keep her awake, keep her talking," he relayed to Mrs. Kingsley, who was assisting Serena with drinking some water.

"What happened, dear," he overheard her ask once he disconnected with the emergency services.

"I think I have food poisoning," he heard Serena rapidly reply. He grimaced; he had food poisoning once when he was a kid, and his body ached for days. For her to be unconscious in the bathroom after food poisoning, he could only suspect one thing: severe dehydration. A knock at the door pleasantly startled him; the paramedics had arrived.

"The paramedics are here," Darien announced as he opened the door. Two men in navy uniforms entered the tiny doorframe, as well as a yellow stretcher and medical equipment. He led them to the bathroom, to which they promptly ushered the nurse out, and knelt down beside Serena.

As the paramedics checked over Serena, Mrs. Kingsley patted him on the arm. "Thank goodness you were so insistent on knocking on her door, young man. She needs fluids," the kind woman said thankfully.

"Of course. It's not like Serena to ignore people," Darien said matter-of-factly. Even in the short time they knew one another, one thing was certain: Serena was fiercely loyal, and would never abandon anyone. Even in the times of their arguing, or their spats, she had no problem confronting him. She wasn't one to hide or lurk in the shadows, and someone like that certainly wouldn't start suddenly avoiding him. He smiled at the small revelation, but soon refocused his thoughts as he watched Serena be gently lifted onto the stretcher.

"Darien?" He made his way next to her when she focused her eyes on him, sunken and red. He could see in her face that she was embarrassed, but he ignored it. "What are—"

"How are you feeling? Are you alright?" he immediately asked.

"Excuse me, Sir, we need you to move aside so we can wheel her out," the paramedic interrupted, putting himself in between the couple.

"Can I come with?" he asked.

"Ma'am?" the paramedic asked.

"Um, yeah, sure… " Serena replied hesitantly as she was wheeled out. Darien followed out behind them, to the small elevator and into the awaiting ambulance. The ride was short as he sat next to her, watching with guarded eyes as they poked her pale skin with needles, administering fluids to help bring her levels back to normal.

"I'm sorry," Serena finally said after a few moments had passed. Darien raised an eyebrow.

"For what?" he asked, leaning over her as to not strain her voice.

"Tonight," she said in a raspy speech.

"Shh, don't worry," he said as he grasped her hand, which was unusually cold. "I'm just glad you're okay." She nodded in response before closing her eyes. The rest of the drive he stayed motionless, holding her hand, the chill against his palm subsiding with every second passing by.

#

It had been a few hours, but Darien could see her normal glow begin to return as the fluids pumped through her system, and only another hour when her eyes opened up and had returned to their beautiful, bright state. He yawned into his fist as he listened to her recount as to what happened – the salad was salty tasting – concluding that an item in the salad had been contaminated with a bacteria. The doctor jotted down the name of the restaurant and checked her vitals once more before leaving them in the dim light of the hospital room.

"You don't have to stay," she said softly to him as he yawned again into his fist.

"Nonsense," he dismissed.

"You're exhausted," she reasoned. When he didn't reply, she spoke again into the night. "So, what was the surprise supposed to be?" He smiled.

"I'll omit the meal, because that would be just rude of me, but it definitely involved you not leaving my bedroom for at least 48 hours," he said smugly, a smile stretching out as she laughed lightly.

"Damn it," she replied softly, her voice starting to come back to its normal pitch.

"We'll make up for it, I'm sure," he suggested, to which she responded with a generous 'mmhmm.' He nodded at that; yes, yes they certainly would.

They sat in silence for a little while longer, but when he recognized a soft breathing, he knew she had fallen back asleep. Damn, for her to be in and out like this, how sick had she been? Food poisoning was a finicky illness. He suddenly found himself counting his blessings that he had only had to throw up throughout the night when he had it and was back to his normal self about 24 hours later. To be so severely dehydrated to need medical attention? An involuntary shiver ran up his arms.

Standing up gingerly, he stretched his legs and exited the room, stepping into the harsh, bright lights of the hospital hallway. It was 5:30 now, and while he originally had a 7:00 meeting this morning he was going to attend, he now needed to have his Manager meet with the client. Opening up his contacts, he scrolled and dialed the number, the phone call connecting after a few brief rings.

"Hello, Darien," the soft feminine voice replied almost immediately on the phone, a smile instantly brought to his face.

"Ami, where's Zach?" he asked his sister.

"In the shower. What's going on for you to be calling so early?"

"I need him to take the meeting for me today," Darien replied. "I can't make it."

"Oh, dear, is everything okay?" she asked worryingly.

"It's okay now; I'm with a friend who was ill and needed medical attention," he summarized, suddenly wishing he didn't reveal so much information when he heard Ami respond in interest.

"Is she okay?" she inquired first and foremost. When he replied yes, she continued. "This friend wouldn't happen to be someone that recently wrote an article that's being published, would it?" When he didn't reply, slightly baffled how she guessed her of all people, she continued. "Oh, I just knew it! The way you two looked at each other a few weeks ago, I knew you guys would connect! Oh, Darien, she's just lovely! Please tell me you're bringing her to the Heart Charity Ball next Saturday?"

"Oh, uhm," he stammered, still caught off-guard at his sister's perception. "I'll ask her?" he finally conceded.

"Good, good!" Ami responded happily. "Ok, Zach is getting out of the shower now. I'll have him give you a call back in about 20 minutes or so?"

"That would be great, thanks Ames."

"Of course. Will I be seeing you downtown this week?"

"Monday I planned on dropping by."

"Ok. See you then. And don't forget to ask her. Have a wonderful day, Dare!"

Darien stared at the idle phone, still startled by his sister's correct guess as to who he was seeing, but it immediately shifted over to the ball next weekend. He had forgotten all about it, truthfully; another charity event he routinely attended. This one, however, Ami was the treasurer for, so of course he would attend and donate to. The thought of having Serena dressed in satins or silk in his arms for the evening wasn't such a bad one, he mentally concluded, and would certainly be a pleasant change from all the dull, plastic girls he frequently brought as his plus one.

Yes, he'd ask her to attend, he quickly decided with a smile. Stuffing the phone back into his pocket, he made his way over to the cheap corner chair and leaned back, resting his head against his propped arm before lightly dozing off to images of Serena clad in silver, the ball gown slipping down her gorgeous body before ravaging her in the penthouse suite of the Hilton.

Oh men, always thinking about nekkid ladies XD

If I don't get another chapter in before the new year (I hope to!), I wish you all a wonderful holiday and a safe, exciting New Year!

(And once again, Go Bills! Hehehe.)