A/N this is it guys!!! THE VERY LAST OF MY PRE-WRITTEN CHAPTERS!!! (GASP!!) so until I've actually finished chapter 30 this is it!! Gosh I will try my very best to get it finished and done at my usual standards but as it is I may end up having to delay the summary or, well really, sneak preview of my next story. So Please be patient, I've kept my updates pretty regular all the way through so I do hope you'll forgive me!

Chapter 29

Serenity and Darien rose together the next morning luxuriating in the feel of warm skin on skin. Serenity savored waking up in her beloved's arms, she decided as he kissed her awake that waking with his arms wrapped around her and her face pressed intimately between his neck and shoulder was really the only way to wake at all.

Darien smiled warmly down at Serenity, he adored the way she stretched like a contented kitten in sunlight, the way she blinked owlishly at him and allowed a wide sleepy smile to overcome her features slowly, like a sunrise, as she awakened. They shared long deep kisses for a time, Darien's hands planed firmly on her waist while Serenity's wound into his hair, lightly raking her fingers through his silken strands again and again. She grinned against his lips, suddenly catching a glimpse of the grandfather clock ticking away across the room.

"Darien! It's almost five o'clock, we've been lazing all day! Come along it's time to get out of bed!" Or rather that's what she could have said had Darien's lips not silenced hers every time she opened them to exclaim the hour.

Serenity finally slipped from the bed. Standing naked beside it she took Darien's hand and pulled it out full length towards her…and took a step back so that his fingers just fell short of touching her breasts, for a moment he comically tried to stretch his fingers out towards her, wriggling them in mid air and straining, however lazily from the bed.

"There, now you'll be getting out of bed my lord!" Serenity said triumphantly…. only to be tugging back into bed by Darien himself, he easily rolled her beneath him before his hands covered her breasts and massaged them to pointed and straining peaks.

They made love again, Darien taking his time to kiss every one of her toes and fingers.

Together they worked up the strength to leave the bed, Darien going to his private washroom to splash water on his face while Serenity gazed, thoughtfully, at her array of clothes set out for her. How exactly was she to get all these on without asking Darien to leave and calling a maid? She didn't want to see him leave, but she also didn't want to be leaving the room badly dressed with all of her stays ripped apart because she'd tried to tie them at the front and tug them round to her back.

"Darien?" Serenity called softly, coming to her conclusion, easier than she would have liked.

Darien poked his head out of the washroom, a drying cloth on his head and absolutely nothing else. She blushed.

"C-could you help me with…well with my clothes?" She gestured with her hands in a sweeping motion over her various petticoats and stockings, chemise and garters along with her gown and several other bits and pieces.

Darien glanced at the clothes sitting on the bed, he'd undressed women before of course, but he'd never re-dressed them, usually having gotten their maids to attend to the menial and boring task of undergarments and stays, if he stayed the night at all. But with Serenity standing there so sweetly, her arms behind her back and her ankles pressed together, she looked delightfully adorable and helpless... And completely nude which sweetened the deal endlessly. He wanted this, to help her dress, somehow it was even more intimate than lovemaking and suddenly the thought of a lowly maid getting to touch her smooth skin and see her nude were borderline enraging, never mind the fact that her maid was a female.

And yet now he was faced with the task, how he wished he'd gotten more practice!

"The chemise goes on first." Serenity pointed out lightly as Darien glared down at the pile of Serenity's things, only enough for one outfit mind, which Emily had so discretely laid out this morning whilst they were still sleeping.

"The…chemise…" Darien's hand fluttered over the neatly laid out stockings and garters, trying, in vain, to look as though he'd done this a thousand times before. His hands faltered and he glanced up at Serenity for help, albeit reluctantly.

"The one that looks like a night-rail Darien." She giggled.

Darien picked up her silky chemise, vaguely recognizing it as he pulled it up for his inspection, amused and enthralled when he realized it was so thin it was practically see-through. Serenity laughed and stood up from the bed, holding her arms over her head. He pulled the chemise over her head, kissing her nose when she finally wriggled into it and her face reappeared out of the neckline. This part he knew how to do! Darien swiftly and deftly tugged on the tiny stays at her elbows and under her bust, he undone these enough to know exactly how to re-tie them.

Serenity presented him with one arm at a time and then paused, suddenly self-conscious. Darien had yet to see her in full daylight, what would he think of her still rather girlish form?

"D-Darien, never mind me! I'll dress myself okay?" She crossed her arms under her chest, trying to turn away.

"Why? I beg your patience if I've bungled this…I've never done this before and you are so very distracting in your beauty…" He pulled her arms away from her breasts, curving his fingers under them, barely grazing her sensitive undersides.

Serenity didn't answer, trying not to meet his amused eyes.

"Not self conscious are we? I've explored every part of this magnificent body Serenity, you can't hide from me, now be a good girl and stand still." Darien said matter-of-factly.

She laughed at his mock-stern expression, of course she couldn't hide from him, she never wanted to hide another thing from him. This was freedom she realized, freedom to know that she could say and do whatever she felt like with Darien around, she was free to stand nude before him and free to be loved and loving in his presence. She had no fear of what he thought of her, knowing deep down that he could never hurt her, he hadn't meant to before and he would never do so again.

Darien chuckled as she relaxed, he often forgot how young his dearest Bunny was, he'd do well to remember it in the future…especially when she was presented to court, both here and in London. He winced then, he could picture it now, Serenity wasn't even old enough for her first season in London…and here she was married, he sighed, the gossiping tongues would wag like crazy. He shook himself, it didn't matter, he'd wait until she was older if he had to, but he would present her as his wife proudly, she was something to be proud of and something to be celebrated.

"Something wrong?" Serenity tilted her eyes up to meet his suddenly thoughtful and somewhat stormy expression.

Darien gazed at her thoughtfully and then shrugged easily.

"Nothing, nothing that we can't handle." He kissed her nose again, chucking her under the chin.

He collected her stockings from the bed, bidding her to sit down daintily on the edge of it. He kneeled at her feet, much like he'd done last night. His fingers played up her leg, stroking as he went. He gave Serenity a wicked smile and she grinned back as he waggled his eyebrows. He picked up one of the white garters stretching it between his two hands, skimming his hands up her leg before slipping both hands from inside it and positioning it on her thigh. Serenity grinned when Darien took his own sweet time in sliding his hands back down her leg and fiddling with the position of the garter, moving it one way before replacing it back to it's original position and curving his hands under her thigh again and again.

"Enough!" She laughed batting at his hands.

He did the same to the other leg, avoiding Serenity's light kick to his chest in warning. Darien picked up her stockings, he seemed to test their weight for a moment in his hands, they were so light! He shrugged at the mystery that was women's clothing and bunched the stocking in his hand, slipping it over her toes and stretching the whole thing up her leg, he did the same to the other, kissing her toes when he was done. He placed a hot open-mouthed kiss on one knee, tied the ribbons on her garters and switched to the other knee, lingering a little longer on her knee while peering up at her through heavy lidded eyes.

"You are enjoying this far too much." Darien chuckled in response.

Serenity gazed down at her husband, filled with intimacy and love, she'd never felt so safe. His hands were warm and inviting and she knew her cheeks were flushed with colour and her eyes must have been dancing with colour. Serenity realized suddenly that she'd never been so happy.

Darien picked up the corset sitting on the bed, it was fine whale bone and comepltely and utterly stolen…Well not stolen exactly…it was borrowed…

"Nice try." He tossed it off the bed, he caught her lips in a deep kiss when it looked as if she was going to protest, her lower lip pouting shamelessly. He tugged on it light with his teeth.

"Where did you get it anyway? I haven't ordered you one and the one you came home with I had thrown into the fire." Serenity flushed.

"You threw it in the fire?!"

"It was too small for you anyway, do not change the subject sweet, where did it some from?"

"I uh…It's uh…It's Rei's! okay?" Serenity mock glared, embarrassed at having gotten caught in her own vanity, she crossed her arms under her bust.

Darien kissed her again, kissing away her embarrassed flush and replacing it with one of deep desire. He pressed her down to the bed once more, getting her to sit while he circled around to gather the next part of her dressings. What else would one call all of these layers? Layered fripperies may work.

He picked up her gown looking adorably confused when the dress came apart in three pieces. He completely missed the petticoats and Serenity laughed when he pulled the dress to his front, pressing it into his chest and looking down it like a young girl would at a dressmakers.

"I don't think I've ever seen white skirts over your gown, is it a new fashion?" Darien asked curiously, glancing at the petticoats curiously.

"That would be because, Darien sweet, those are petticoats, they go underneath the dress, how have you never noticed before?"

"I am usually somewhat preoccupied at the time dearest." Darien waggled his eye brows suggestively again.

"Oh piffle, you're teasing me!"

"'Tis sadder still that I am not dearest. Come here and let me help you into these ridiculous and superfluous layers, I'll only be taking them off later!" Serenity flushed but walked to him nonetheless.

"Piffle, that's just like saying why wash now if I'll only be dirty later? And they are not superfluous! You've never complained before, would you rather I was naked?" she asked pointedly, hand son her hips.

The look he shot her then made colour fairly sprint to her cheeks and burn.

"Hush you and help me." Serenity playfully slapped his shoulder, it was like slapping rock. A warm, masculine rock that smelt of freshly cut roses.

Serenity got Darien to kneel while she slipped into three varying petticoats, she requested her dress and Darien was once again confounded when it came apart in three pieces, each of them held ever so delicately together with wine colored ribbons to match the rest of the dress and spencer.

Darien looked at Serenity in askance, silently holding up the gown with a helpless expression, holding it out to her like a child would with a particularly confounding book.

"The main dress…the uh…biggest bit goes on first, pull it over my head if you please and then tie the stays at the back." She directed easily, grinning while she considered that her husband, the alpha wolf of the biggest and most powerful Pack in the world, who made hard decisions and discussed war tactics and troop movements could be so easily thwarted by a simple, if stylish, evening gown.

Darien did as he was directed, putting the dress on backwards and then blushing himself when Serenity had to point it out and swish it around her body, thoroughly tangling the petticoats and hiking them up higher than any decent woman would allow.

"Sorry." He mumbled as he watched her right herself.

He circled around to her back and then laced her back, tying the stays lightly and allowing her chemise to show through.

"There we are." He said triumphantly, circling to her front and smiling in satisfaction.

"No we're not. They must be tight Darien, otherwise the line of the gown is ruined." She crossed her arms when a stubborn look crossed Darien's handsome features.

"I don't want to hurt you Serenity."

"You won't, come along then, I'm going to wrap my arms around the bedpost and you need to tug until there is no space between the stays and you can no longer see my chemise, okay?" Serenity walked serenely over to the bed, holding on to the post and glancing over her shoulder as if she did this everyday…and Darien realized, that she did, she was forced into these sorts of dresses everyday. He suddenly felt ashamed for every time he'd drooled over a woman in a complicated and taught dress.

"Women seem to glorify in pain do they not?"

"We like being beautiful Darien, and I suppose the layers and layers are supposed to discourage blackguards such as yourself, from ravishing us in the gardens. Besides, who needs to breath when one can be glorious?" She quipped lightly smiling prettily.

"Well at least I know why four poster beds were invented, hold on dear… and I resent being called a blackguard. I'm far more charming than that."

"A rake then perhaps if you do not chase maidens for money." She giggled when Darien grinned back at her, this easy banter made her feel so comfortable, she wondered how she could have forgiven herself if she'd thrown this all away for the sake of some falsely wounded pride.

Serenity faced the front, wrapping her arms around the post and holding on. Darien took the stays within his hands, batting away the last two pieces of the gown hanging at her sides. He pulled and pulled, stopping again and again when Serenity gasped.

"If I can breath you're not pulling hard enough, come now Darien don't be a dandy, one last pull…yes there we go, tie it off please." Serenity smoothed her hand down the front of the gown, facing Darien.

"W…wow…"

Serenity's gown was a dark wine red, empire waisted and cut in such a fashion that it accentuated her breasts, pushing them up past the frilly edge of her chemise underneath and manipulating them into rounded half-moons of silvery flesh. Her waist looked absolutely tiny and all together she looked like a striking temptress.

"You have a little drool there darling. Rouse yourself my lord, we still have the rest of my outfit." Serenity said, flapping the last two pieces at him.

"O-Okay." Darien stepped forward, somewhat numbly as his eyes stayed glued to his wife's considerable cleavage.

"These are sleeves, help me get my arms through them, they then tie at my shoulders, little bows if you please my lord."

"Sleeves..?" He furrowed his brow in confusion but stepped forward nonetheless.

Darien helped her, distracted none too lightly by her breasts bulging from her chemise every time she took a breath, Serenity slapped his chest more than once, flailing her arms in his face to distract him from her low cut bodice. Darien was disappointed when the long wine colored sleeves hid her elegant silvery arms, but he did concede that they showed off her dainty wrists to perfection.

"And finally the second to last piece of my laborious outfit, Darien if you please." Serenity waved vaguely at the bed.

"You need only your slippers do you not?" he pointed to one of her trunks, upon which sat a pair of equally deep wine colored slippers with little embroidered roses on the toes.

"I am indecent Darien!" Serenity mock-glared, hands on her hips. She joked with him, stunned to realize she'd never joked and played, really played with anyone else but him, with the slight exception of Molly Elliot, but even then Serenity had constantly been reminded of her station.

"I'll say so, but I find I'm quite enjoying it."

"Very funny, my spencer please…the uh…vest looking thing I suppose." Serenity waved vaguely to the bed again.

Darien picked it up and slipped it over her arms somewhat dismayed when it covered some of her glorious cleavage.

"The same tight lacing please, although it should not be so difficult this time, it has only to go over my dress."

Serenity was right, the spencer did up easily and finally She slipped on her shoes. Darien dressed himself much easier, tan breeches, stockings and boots, topping off his outfit with a white linen shirt.

"You will noticed what took us almost a half hour took me but a few minutes." He said smugly.

"Well I must inform you then that we are, as of yet, not done!" Serenity plunked herself down on her vanity, picking up the brush and humming as she began brushing her hair.

"That reminds me, will you excuse me for a moment Serenity? I shall be back in but a moment, you wouldn't want my clumsy hands in your hair, I would imagine I'd tug your knots horribly." Darien begged off and closed the bedroom door behind him, blowing her a kiss before slipping away.

Serenity gazed into the mirror with a grin on her face, she pulled the brush through her hair over and over, claming herself with the repetitive motion and the graze of the bristles on her scalp. She had to calm herself after Darien's hands had been all over her, nothing was a simple touch, everything brought back memories of last night and the night before.

She grinned, so happy now with her husband, a family and a place to belong.

She was just finished pinning up her hair at the crown of her head with little rose hair clips, each tiny flower a ruby with a single emerald next to it for the leaf. She'd let little curls down around her forehead and allowed her hair to curl as it was wont to do. Darien walked through the door a silver box in his hands.

"What is that?" Serenity nodded to it, putting her last earring in her ear. They matched her hair clips and the pretty necklace that had a beautiful little pendant resembling the rose with the emerald leaf as well. All of which Darien had bought for her.

"You left so quickly after our wedding, and well I'm supposed to wear one too. But I couldn't bear to wear it without you by my side…Here." He thrust the box at her, suddenly nervous as to her reaction.

Serenity smiled charmingly up at him, she opened the box…and tears flooded her eyes.

"You hate it, I'll take it back." Darien reached out to sweep the box from her hands.

Serenity pulled it to her chest and smiled again up at him, the beautiful delicate tiara sat on a bed of navy silk. This was the symbol she had to prove that she belonged to Darien, with Darien. She was his Queen, his partner and by giving her this symbol of her status he was welcoming her into his family, his Pack and his life.

"Help me put it on, please?" Serenity faced her vanity mirror and Darien took the little tiara from the box, situating it atop her curls, using one of two of the pins to pin it in place.

"Oh it's beautiful! What is the occasion my lord?" Serenity preened, turning from side to side to glance it in all directions, admiring the way the silver sparkled.

"Well, after our wedding we never did get our celebration. There is a feast tonight in your honor my dear, the return of our queen and the people's lady. Please say you'll wear it tonight…for me?" Darien rested his big warm hands on her shoulders and Serenity rested one of her own atop his, squeezing lightly.

"I never want to take it off, thank you so much Darien!" Serenity turned and threw herself into his arms.

Darien clutched her tightly, stroking her back.

"Oh silly me! We can't go downstairs with you looking so…dashingly informal. Where do you keep your waistcoats? Oh! And your over coats?" She didn't wait for an answer, rushing about the room in sudden excitement, she flitted from place to place, bringing out new breeches and silken stockings and instead of boots she pulled out buckled loafers.

Darien allowed her to dress him, chuckling as she agonized over his cravat colour.

"The wine one, that way we'll match." He said dryly.

"Brilliant idea!" She hurried over and tied the cravat easily.

"And now for the finishing touch!" Serenity shuffled Darien over to her vanity stool, suddenly the tiny stool seemed infinitely delicate beneath her large muscled husband. Serenity opened a matching silver box and pulled his ceremonial crown from within it, she placed it atop his head fiddling with it until it sat perfectly at the crown of his head.

"Wonderful!"

Finally the stunning couple walked hand in hand down the grand staircase, Serenity's eyes firmly on Darien and his own glowing in pride as he looked towards…

The empty entrance hall.

No one was there.

"What on earth?" Darien shrugged, mayhap they had taken so long that the guests had been forced to the ballroom for refreshments.

He relaxed again, tucking Serenity's arm through his he led her to the ballroom, growing uneasy when he couldn't pick up on any voices or music.

He threw open the ballroom doors, angered and annoyed that none of his footmen where there to do their jobs. Cautiously he pushed Serenity behind him…

"Well, well, well. It would appear the little Queen didn't know what was good for her after all." Seiya stood directly in front of them, a long claymore in his hand and three score of warriors behind him, most stationed around the dandy colored and very frightened party guests.