Chapter Twelve: This is it…

(Serena Pov)

For the next two weeks, Darien and his grandfather had been spending an enormous amount of time at work, and the only time I got to see him was during class. I had tried to talk to him after class two days ago, but he blew me off saying he had a meeting. I was at a loss and I was majorly nerve racked. Had I don't something wrong? I'd gone over the last day i really spent any time with him, and i couldn't think of anything. An hour after his grandfather had arrived...he'd sent me away. Ever since then, no phone calls, no conversations hardly, just longing looks and small talk...mainly about how busy he was all the time. I thought things were going to change...but...once again...i guess i was wrong.

"Serena! Hey!" Mina said, interrupting my thoughts as she and the girls came over to where I was sitting. "Hey girls! How are things going?" I asked, hoping their relationships were better than mine.

Lita and Jadeite were doing pretty well they were officially dating now, which it was about time that she even found a man that she wanted to be with for a long time. Lita was WAY to picky!

Amy and Zephrite were official, but were hiding it from everyone but us. Amy was afraid of her mother finding out…her parents weren't big on her dating.

Kunzite and Raye were "talking" as she called it. That was her excuse for being scared. Raye was very afraid of a relationship; she'd had many boyfriends, many of which had cheated on her, so she didn't want to rush things.

Mina and Malachite, were, well, dating of course, but she was in heavier than I thought she should've been. She and Malachite were already saying the "I love you's" and of course, she couldn't have been happier, I guess I was just worried that it was going to fast, and a little jealous that mine was less than hopeful already.

"We are all good sunshine, how are you? Mina said you weren't doing so well." Raye asked as we sat down at a table at the local arcade. "Well, I haven't spent any time with Darien and it's just stressing me out. I'm waiting for things to heat up again, get better, and it's not happening. He won't call me, or talk to me, or anything and when he does…its for like…5 minutes a day. I'm just tired of it, I want to know what's going on." I said frustrated. "Go and see him at work." Lita suggested.

I looked up at her, intrigued, "You don't think that's a bit stalkerish?" I asked. "No. Why would it be? You've slept together…you stayed at his house, took a bath with him…please…just say you were there to see your dad, which can't technically be a lie...he does work there." Amy interrupted. I looked over at her, shocked. She was devious, "You are being sneaky my dear." I said seeing her blush. "Well, sometimes you have to be Serena…even I know that. How do you think I keep up with Zephrite? I have to watch him because with as good looking as he is, there are bound to be other girls out there trying to snatch him up." She said making us all laugh. "You can't let your guard down." Lita agreed putting her fist up. I laughed again and decided that later on that day, I was going to visit my man at work to see what he was up to.

Later That Day…

I finally arrived at Darien's company…after the many trips and turns I'd taken trying to decide whether or not I really wanted to do this, but when I got there, his grandfather spotted me before i could even get halfway to Darien's office.

"Hello Miss Kensington!" He said greeting me. "Hello Mr. Philippe. Is Darien in today?" I asked, seeing him nod quickly afterwards. "Yes, but, may I have a word with you?" he asked as I nodded and followed him.

"Why do you call Julian, Darien?" he asked as we stepped into an elevator. "Well, that's what all his friends call him, so I figured he probably wanted to be called that." I said seeing an odd look from him. "I guess that's reasonable. I don't understand why he doesn't go by Julian though, that was his father's middle name." he said, astonishing me. I'd never really heard Darien talk about his family much.

Once inside the office, he motioned for me to sit down, and I complied, nervous about what might say. "Sir…I…" "Please, let me start." He said, stopping me. I nodded again, fearing what he had to say, Darien had warned me about him. He had a serious look on his face, and I was afraid that he was going to tell me to leave Darien alone.

"I have noticed that Julian has been avoiding you lately, and it partially…well, actually, it's ALL my fault." He started. "But…I don't understand…why would you…" "Let me finish," he commanded, and I complied, motioning for him to continue.

"Julian's father left a couple of rules for him in his will before he and Darien's mother passed away, one of which required him to be married before he takes hold of the company. Well, on the day of my arrival here, I told him he had to get married in four months because I was handing over the company to him in January. He didn't want you to have to marry him, so he has been avoiding you, trying to find a way out without hurting you…but I…my dear…think you and Julian would make a fine couple. What do you think?" he asked me.

I sat still, not really knowing what to say. He had to be married in four monts? FOUR MONTHS? "Sir…" I started, not finishing. "I…" I started again, but didn't know what to say. Did Darien not think I was good enough to marry him? I had good qualities! Why the hell wouldn't he want to marry me? I knew about business matters…I was already well educated…why wouldn't I be good enough? I wasn't at an illegal age...and we both seemed very interested in each other.

"Does Darien think I'm not suitable to marry?" I asked loudly becoming more agitated by the second. This was absurd! I didn't even want to go to school, all i'd ever wanted was to be a housewife to be honest. I'd be a DAMN good wife.

"No dear, he just doesn't want to push it on you. You are only 19 from what he tells me, and he figured that you might want to have a more productive life, one with more opportunities. You have barely even experienced life...you have so much time to do so many things, he just doesn't want to hold you back." He answered. "Oh my..." I said, a little embarrassed. So I was young…who cares? I'd had enough of the whole "free life." I was ready to find the one and form a life with him...have a little boy and a little girl.

"Sir, I would love to marry your grandson." I said smirking. I heard him chuckle at my confession, but, I had thought a lot about Darien's and I relationship, and knew he was the one for me. I wouldn't…couldn't think about living my life without anyone else.

"Really?" he asked, smirking at me as well. "Yes. What? You don't think I can make those kind of decisions at this age? I'm going to let you in on something sir…I grew up with Daniel Kensington…one of your WONDERFUL employees and he taught me everything that there is to know about business matters. And i grew up with a wonderful mom who taught me how to cook, clean, do all of the household chores. She brought me up like a true southern belle. Why wouldn't I make a suitable wife?" I asked, challenging him. He chuckled and smiled at me, "You my dear are perfect! Let's go talk to him right now." He said getting up. "Wait...RIGHT NOW?" i said, not really sure if it was a good idea. "Of course my dear! C'mon!" He said, motioning for me to follow. I got up, laughed, and followed suit. He approved, and enjoyed my antics…this would prove to be an interesting conversation.

Once we arrived at Darien's office, he was deep in paperwork, and i could tell by the expression on his face that he was not only frustrated, but very tired as well. He looked stressed, and i felt bad for him. Not only did he have all this work that his grandfather was giving him, but also he had to deal with the club and teaching my class as well. He was truly my hero.

"Stay here for a minute, I'll call you in the office in a second." He whispered as I quickly nodded. I was nervous about this. Marrying Julian was a big decision…but…was I ready? I just kind of jumped the gun without thinking.

No…I was ready.

"Julian my boy! I have found the perfect woman for you to marry!" he said astonishing me. "Oh really? I don't have time for this right now! We'll talk about it later! I'm swamped." He practically growled out. Wow...he had a temper.

"No, Darien, i will finish this today. You have other arrangements...particularly this woman. Now put the papers down and pay attention." He commanded. Darien sighed and did as he was told. "Please don't tell me it's another gold digger, i can't handle those type of women gee-gee." He said, making me giggle. I adored how he and Molly called their grandfather gee-gee. It definitely showed me a side of him i'd never seen before.

"Oh no, she is a fine woman. Come on in dear." He said motioning for me to come in. I smiled and walked in, seeing Darien's mouth drop, "Hey good lookin!" I said giggling at his face. He smiled and ran over to hug me, "So he told you then huh?" he asked as I nodded. "And you agreed?" he asked, "Yes. Would I be here if I didn't?" I said kissing him. He quickly pulled away and smiled again, breathless.

"I'm so sorry about these past couple of weeks, will you come have dinner with me tonight?" he asked, "Yes. Pick me up at seven and don't be late." I said seeing him nod. "See you tonight then." I finished, kissing him on the cheek and quickly exiting the office. A sense of panic entered my body, but, excitement quickly followed after…I was getting married! I couldn't wait to tell the girls!

Back in The Office…

(Darien Pov)

"Thank you." I whispered to my grandfather. He truly was an amazing man, i'd just always been to blind and stubborn to see it. "You're welcome. She is a good girl. Her father, Daniel Kensington, is a good man right?" he asked. Smart man, "Yes sir." I answered. "Well, hopefully that'll go over well." he said softly.

"I still can't believe you hit on your student. That's not your style." He said laughing. I chuckled too; it was something that I would never regret though. I had told my grandfather about teaching, and then about my club too. It had been time for me to stand up for what I wanted.

"Well, she is a fireball." He finished, leaving the office. "Grandfather? Can you schedule a meeting for me with Daniel at 4? I want to ask him properly for Serena's hand in marriage." I said seeing my grandfather's smile widen, "Of course. Don't be late." He added leaving. I smiled and gathered my stuff, I had to go and buy a ring.

I went downtown to Tiffany's; which I had heard had the best rings to choose from.

"Hello sir, is there anything I can help you with?" a woman said coming up to me. I nodded, feeling a little lost, "I want to get an engagement ring for my fiancé. She is really special and I don't have any limitations on prices." I said seeing her eyes light up. "Can I marry you?" she whispered. I laughed and followed her over to a case filled full of their most elegant rings.

I looked through the many rings they had, seeing ones i liked and ones i hated, but long last, i found one, "I want that one." I said pointing to a simple, yet elegant ring at the very end of the case. It was a 24 karat gold ring with a heart shaped diamond on top and then 3 diamonds on both sides of that. The wedding band that came along with it had diamonds embedded around the whole band.

"Are you sure?" she asked. I nodded, "Yes. It's perfect." I said seeing her eye widen. She pulled it out, and handed it to me. I admired it's beauty, knowing Sere would love it. "It's a size seven...one of our most expensive rings. what do you think?" she asked. "How much will it cost to have it sized down today by six o'clock along with the regular price?" I asked seeing her eyes get bigger.

"Um, well, it'll cost about $500 to do it today because we'll have to do it here at the store, and then the ring is $7,500 sir…" she said hesitantly. "I'll take it." I said hearing her gasp. "Are you ok? You look a little pale?" I asked. Her face looked deathly white and she looked as if she was about to pass out, "No I'm fine. Um…I'll take you over there sir." She said going over to the register on the right.

"Now, I need the ring to be ready by six. My fiancé and I are going out tonight and I need to have it perfect. She wears a size 4 ½." I finished seeing her nod and write it down on a piece of paper. "They will be ready at six sir." She said handing it to a man behind the counter. "Ok, do you take checks?" I asked seeing her nod. "Yes, but we have automatic transactions now. It'll go right through the bank." She added. "All right, then it'll be $8,100 right?" I asked seeing her face pale again. I wrote the check and handed it to her, seeing her instantly pass out.

"Oh god, ma'am are you ok? Sir…um, she passed out…is she ok?" I asked seeing him nod. "She has never sold anything like this before sir. It's her first time seeing such big money. I'm sorry Mr. Philippe." He said fanning the girl. "Carrie! Come ring Mr. Philippe up! Laney passed out!" he said motioning another girl over. "Sorry about that sir! She um…is new. $8000…oh goodness. Wow…she must be a lucky girl." She said putting my check through the machine. "Yes she is." I answered. She finished ringing me up so I thanked her and left, making sure the girl was ok. Serena was going to be so surprised.

When I got back to the company, Daniel was sitting in my conference room waiting for me. "I think I'm early." He said, chuckling at me. "Oh no, well…only by like, 5 minutes." I said sitting down next to him. "Um, Daniel…well, you see…wow, this is hard for me to say." I said starting to get more and more nervous.

"Julian? Is everything ok?" he asked worriedly. "Yes! Everything is fine! Um, ok, here it goes. I have been given the opportunity to take over the company, but the catch is that I have to get married, by January." I started, seeing him gasp, "And let me guess, you want to marry my daughter? Or try to force her to marry you?" he asked getting aggravated. I sighed, this wasn't going as well as I had hoped.

"No! No, nothing like that Daniel. I was actually going to break up with her. I didn't want to ask her to take such a big step at such a young age. She has so much more to do with her life and I wanted her to have that opportunity." I said, trying to calm him down. He sighed and motioned for me to continue, "But your daughter isn't so easy to get rid of." I said again, seeing his confused look. This was getting crazier by the second.

"My grandfather had a talk with her and when he told her about the situation, and well…she agreed to marry me." I said seeing his eyes widen. "What?" he whispered. "I know it's a lot to swallow…trust me, i couldn't even believe it, but, I wanted to ask you for her hand. I know she agreed to it already, but I wanted you and your wife's approval first. I know Serena loves you both and I want you most of all to approve. You have become my friend and confidant as of lately Daniel, my best friend, and I don't want that to change." I said seeing his face soften. "May I have your approval? Mr. Kensington, can I please marry your daughter? I promise to love and take care of her for the rest of her life. I will give Serena everything she wants, needs, and deserves. I promise." I said seeing tears start to form in his eyes.

I suddenly thought about what I was asking. I was asking a man whom I had come to love and trust, a man who had become my best friend, if I could marry his baby girl. "Daniel, I feel terrible about this, i didn't even think about…" "No Darien, let me say something." He started, taking his glasses off. It was strange but Serena was a carbon copy of him. His blonde hair matched hers along with his blue eyes and tan skin.

"You are a good boy Julian. My daughter has talked about how sweet and kind you have been to her, and I have to say that I would love nothing more than for her to be secure for the rest of her life with you. I've told you that all I want is for my baby girl not to get hurt. If you hurt her, I'll kill you." He said chuckling. "My wife would love you, so yes, you have our approval." He said smiling. Relief washed over me from his words. I was not only getting my dream job, but also my dream wife.

"Now, did you get her a ring?" he asked making me laugh. Of course he would think about that. "Yes, want to see it?" I asked, seeing him nod quickly. I took out a magazine that they'd had at Tiffany's and showed it to him, his eyes bulging at the sight, "Wow…Serena better be thankful or I'm going to have to spank her; which is something I haven't done…ever!" he said laughing.

It was set now, I was going to marry Serena…

That Night…

Later on, I picked Serena up from her house in the limo, meeting her mother in the process. Her mother was also a beautiful woman. She was about 5'3, tan, brown hair, and brown eyes. She was toned like Serena too. You could definitely tell that these were Serena's parents. Even her younger brother Sammy looked like her. But he and his mom shared the same characteristics…except his eyes were blue, he was around 13, and he was around 4'8.

"Well, you kids have fun! Congratulations dear!" Serena's mother said hugging both of us. "Thanks mom! Bye Sammy, dad! Love you!" Serena said as she and I left, heading to the restaurant. "Thank goodness! Geez, my mom and dad were ridiculous." She said laying her purse on the seat. "They just worry about you sweetie." I said seeing her eyes light up at the use of the pet name.

"I adore you." She whispered softly. I smiled and leaned down to kiss her, capturing those sweet lips of hers. She moaned into the kiss, straddling me and wrapping her arms around my neck. "I like kissing you this way." She whispered, breaking the kiss. I chuckled and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her in for another kiss. She giggled and pulled away again, "I think we're here." I smiled and kissed her quickly, then put her back in the seat.

"Sir?" Bosley said rolling down the front window. "Yes? Are we here?" I asked, seeing him nod. "All right. I'll call you when we are ready." I said opening the door and helping Serena out. She gasped at the sight. Tu Amore was said to be a very romantic restaurant, and I wanted nothing but the best for my fiancé.

"Darien…this is…beautiful." She gasped squealing in excitement. "Nothing but the best for you." I whispered in her ear leading her in.

"Hi, I have a reservation for Philippe." I said to the desk clerk. "Yes, right this way sir." She said blushing. She led us to a quaint table in the back of the restaurant next to a window, candles surrounding us.

"Oh Darien, this is absolutely beautiful! I can't imagine anything more perfect! What's the occasion? Our engagement?" she asked. "Of course. I want to treat my charming future wife. You deserve nothing but the best." I said seeing her eyes widen. "Thank you." She whispered lovingly.

"Are you ready to order?" the waitress asked, still blushing. "Sere?" I said, gesturing for her to order first. "Um, I want a large grilled chicken salad with a coke, then I want the Caramel Delight for dessert." She said smiling. "And you sir?" the girl asked, "Um, I'd like the Steak dinner with a baked potato and sweet tea please. Then I want the chocolate layer cake for dessert." I finished. The girl walked away and I turned back to see Serena watching an older couple on the dance floor.

"You ok?" I asked, seeing her turn to look at me, tears dancing in her eyes. "Yes. I just hope we can be like that in a couple of years Darien. I've always wanted to grow old with the love of my life." She said, her smile fading a bit.

"Serena, if you don't want to do this then…" "NO! I want to marry you. Darien…this is going to sound strange, but…I feel like we are kind of meant for each other. I feel so connected to you. I didn't have any problem deciding that I wanted to marry you." She finished, her smile widening and the tears disappearing. "Neither did I." I said standing up.

"Would you like to dance?" I asked, extending my hand to her. She nodded excitedly and then took my hand, following me out to the dance floor. Once there, I grabbed her hand and spun her around and into my arms, feeling her sigh in contentment. "You look beautiful tonight." I said, remembering how shocked I had been when she walked down the stairs. She was wearing a light blue skirt with a white sweater and a blue tank top under that. She had on white heels that had feathers on the top at the end. "Thank you." She said giggling.

As we danced around the floor, I noticed a couple sitting in the corner and chuckled at the sight. Beryl and Damon were in the back of the room, watching us.

"Don't look right now but Beryl and her man of the week, Damon, are sitting in the back of the room watching us." I whispered hearing her giggle again. "What a loser." She scoffed, turning to look Beryl straight in the face. "Ok, quit staring…" I said laughing. She laughed and laid her head back on my chest, her scent invading my senses. She had always smelled of strawberries and cream. "Our food is ready." She said pointing to our table. I led her from the floor back to our table, and dug in.

After we ate, Serena's and I dessert came. She excused herself to the bathroom and I took this as a time to prepare. It was time that I properly ask her to marry me. I already knew she was going to say, but the suspense was killing me. Would she like the ring?

"Are you ok?" she asked, sitting back down. "Yes, of course." I said, playing it off nicely. "I was just thinking about how lucky I am to marry such a wonderful woman." I said seeing her blush. "Well, I think I'm a lucky woman. I'm marrying the most wanted bachelor around. Am I going to have to worry?" she joked, eating a bite of her caramel dessert. I chuckled, "No Ma'am." She had no idea how loyal I was to my girlfriends. There was NO way that I was going to be unfaithful…she would keep my thoughts for the rest of our life.

"Good. Same here. I won't ever be unfaithful to you." She promised with her eyes. I trusted her…I knew she wasn't like that. "Serena." I started, getting her attention again. "I won't ever leave you. I won't cheat on you. I'll tell you what I told your father, I'm going to give you everything you want, need, and deserve." I said seeing her eyes tear up.

"I know you agreed at the office, but, I wanted to ask you properly." I said getting on one knee in front of her, "Will you marry me?" I asked, taking out the ring box and opening it. "Darien…" she gasped, tears running down her face. "Yes…oh goodness…YES!" she screamed getting up and hugging me. I kissed her and spun her around, hearing her squeal from happiness. My heart was soaring from the knowledge that I had made her this happy. I would never get tired of her, she was truly everything I wanted and needed in life. Nothing was going to get in the way.

(Beryl Pov)

"Beryl, you are really into that ponce? C'mon, he is a douche bag! And look at his new "fiancé," she looks like a slut!" Damon said to me, trying to calm my anger. That skank had taken my man! Julian was mine! "Shut up you idiot! He is the richest man in the city!" I fussed, taking a bite of my chicken. "So? I'm the second richest." He said. Yes I knew that! That's why I had settled with him. Damon truly was an idiot.

"I know, but he is the richest!" I said again. "Why don't you love me like that? I give you everything you want!" he fussed. I smirked, "I'm sorry baby. You're right, he is nothing to me. I love you." I said kissing him. But he wasn't, Julian would be mine, and I would do everything in my power to make sure of that.