Serena woke up to the feeling of someone gripping her hand. She went to adjust herself only to feel herself being held tighter. She turned over to see a sleeping Darien next to her. She turned back to look at the clock, then again turned to him. She observed his face, whatever he was dreaming about was not peaceful. He let out a few moans and mumbles she could not make out. His hand gripped hers even tighter. She could see his eyes balls moving under his closed eye lids as his hand slightly released. She took this moment to release her hands from his and she adjust her whole body to face his.
She put her hand on his face. "Darien..."she whispered.
He groaned.
"Darien, wake up." She whispered again softly stroking his face. Whatever his dream was, she wanted to bring him out of it as calmly as possible so he wouldn't make too much noise, causing her dad to come rushing in.
He mumbled a few words again and pulled her closer to him. He body started twitching.
"Darien..." she called again. "I am right here. Walk up." She said softly. She moved her hand to his shoulder and gave him a little shake.
His eyes shot opened and then shut.
"Darien, please wake up. You're going to have to sneak out before my dad sees you."
His eyes slowly opened again.
"Come on sleepy head."
"I don't want to you to go." Was the first thing Serena understood. "Please stay with me." He rolled on to his back and started to rub his face.
Serena sighed. "I am right here." Resting her head on his chest. His heart was racing. "But you need to get up. I don't need my dad killing you for sneaking into my room." She shook him again.
"Ugh..."
"Shhhh you have to be quiet." With her head still on his chest she looked at him.
He looked down at her. Blinked a few more time until the vision of her face became more clear. "Please don't let this be a dream."
Serena just smiled. Pushed herself off of Darien to get into a seated position. She looked at the clock again and stretched. She felt Darien's hand at the base of her back, just where her shirt lifted.
"What time did we fall asleep last night?" He asked still groggy.
Serena just shrugged. "But we really need to get you out before my dad sees you. I don't want him to think anything happened last night and then kill you."
"But nothing happened last night." Darien said with a little disappointment.
"Well he doesn't know that." She threw her legs over the side of the bed and got up. She ran her hands through her hair. She was going to go to her closet to grab some clothes before she went to shower, but stopped when she noticed a piece of paper on her floor. She picked it up.
"What is it?" Darien asked.
Serena just smiled. "Just a letter from my mom."
"What does it say?" He sat up.
"Came in to wake you up, but you two looked so peaceful. Don't worry I won't tell your dad. He and I are going to the store to get stuff for your last dinner here. Please invite Darien. With love, Mom." She tossed the letter on her desk and looked at Darien. "Don't worry if you have plans you don't have to come." She went to open the door.
"You aren't even going to give me a chance to answer?" He got out of bed and walk towards her.
She turned back around to him. "Darien I don't mean like that, just I know you have a lot going on an-"
She was cut off by the sensation of Darien's lips against hers and his hands on her face. The moment was only for a second but enough for her to lose her train of thought. He pulled back slowly, kissed her nose.
"Nothing is more important. I will be here."
Serena just nodded as he kissed her again.
"Are you heading over to the orphanage still?" He asked.
Serena just nodded.
He kissed her forehead. "I am going back to my hotel to get ready and then I will come get you."
"Da-"
He kissed her again cutting her off. "Yes I do have too. You don't have a car and though you live close, I would rather the love of my life not walk alone." He kissed her forehead. "I will be back." With that he opened the door to her room and headed out.
Serena listened for the sound of the front door closing. She walked over to her bed and looked out the window, watching for him. She saw as he walked across the street, then she plopped herself on her bed and exhaled the breath she felt like she was holding in for hours. She could still smell his scent on her bed. She couldn't figure out how sleeping on her twin sized bed with him pushed up against her was 1000 times more comfortable than sleeping on their king sized bed all those months before she left.
She ran her finger through her hair again. She knew she had to get ready for the day. But she wanted to bask in the moment. She thought of everything they talked about last night. Her eyes still dried from all the crying, but her cheeks hurt from all the smiling. True to his word he listened to all the things that bothered her. It was hard for her to open up at first, she didn't want to make it seem like she was taking a mental list, but when she finally started it came out. She can't remember how they ended up on her bed or how they even ended up laying down.
She vaguely remembered at one part of the night looking at the clock and thinking he should leave but he wanted to let her get out a little more. That little more resulted in going all the way to the beginning, right after he got his memory back.
*Flashback*
"How do you forget you love someone?" Serena asked with tears running her face. "If our love was so strong and we are meant to be?"
Darien used his thump to wipe her tear.
"And I am not saying it is just you, because I kinda forgot too." She looked at the top of bookshelf where a bouquet of dried up roses sat. "We hated each other and then, everything else unraveled." She looked back at him. "How do I know that you really love me for me and now because of fate and destiny?"
"Sere..." He put both his hands on her waist. "I can't explain it and I don't know how I can word it to make any excuse plausible, but I do know that I love you, for you. Even when we fought and argued with each other, I got this feeling that I really couldn't explain. Some people may call them butterflies, and I know nobody made me feel that way." He shrugged. "When you would run in to me, I would always remember how nobody else felt so right in my arms." He hand started to stroke the bottom of her hair. He looked away from her.
"Darien you almost killed me remember that? You wanted to stab me with your sword"
"And I can tell you that was not me, whatever Beryl did to me. She controlled me."
Serena opened her mouth to speak.
"But whatever it was our love was stronger and you saved me. If we weren't meant to be, it wouldn't have happened."
Serena started to push herself off of him.
"Serena I can't explain how it all happened okay, and I don't think I will ever be able to give you the correct answer you are looking for with this. We both forgot, but we both found our way back to each other." He went to grab both her hands. "And all I can do is make sure you never have any doubt about us and how much I love you."
"Darien, if we never found out about each other and our future lives and all that mess. If we never knew all of that..." She looked down at the ground. Tears distorting the image she was trying to focus on.
He softly touched her chin and tilted her face to look at up at him. "I would have found my way to you and I believe that with everything that I have." He planted a kiss on her lips. "I love you more than anything I know. Regardless of what I remember, I always knew you were special and important to me."
*End Flashback*
She sighed, got up, and headed towards the bathroom. She needed to get ready.
Darien arrived not that much longer after she finished getting ready. They decided that since it was such a nice day, they were going to walk to the orphanage. Darien grabbed her hand the moment they walked out of her door, and held it the entire way.
They were greeted by a smiling Ma as usual. She hugged Darien first then Serena next. She held her just a little stronger than she held Darien, and continued to hold her as they walked into the building, while Darien held the door.
"Ma, can I go to the nursery before we eat?" Serena asked.
"Of course. Little Danny is still there. Maybe you can feed him." Ma said smiling and looking back at Darien. "Let's all go."
"You guys can go eat and I will be there shortly. I just want to peak in for a bit." Serena explained.
"No, I want to go in with you." Darien said abruptly.
*Flashback*
"Darien, seeing Rita made me feel even more empty. At first I chalked it up me wanting a baby so bad because you were never around and I wanted someone with me that loved me unconditionally."
"I love you unconditionally." Darien refuted.
"At the time I didn't feel it." Serena responded. "And like I said, that what I thought at first, but then I just couldn't shake the feeling. It was like everywhere I went I saw a baby and ugh I wanted to hold him them so bad." She looked off at a random spot. "I think that is kind of why I became a teacher. If I didn't have kids of my own, I was going to be around them all the time. I don't know." She sighed. "I just want-"
"You want to be a mom."
Serena just nodded at him. "Darien doing the IVF hurt so bad, but I would do it again, just to have a baby in my arms."
"I want to be a dad just as much as you. And we will have our family, and if IVF is the way we need to go, I am going to be there with you the entire time, I'll be there to hold you when you cry."
"How did you know I cried?" Serena asked. "I made sure never to do it in front of you, because you would have stopped the whole process."
"A little bird may have told me you had a hard time..."
"So you stalked me?"
"When you say it like that, it sounds bad." He scooted closer to Serena. "I like to think I was checking on you, making sure you were okay. I wanted to be there for you. I know I hadn't been."
"I don't want us to have a baby in attempts to fix our relationship Darien. I want a babies that we will love more than anything and give them the life that I grew up with, minus the over protective dad."
"Ummm. When we have a Rini I promise I will be exactly like your dad." Darien looked at Serena with a smile. "Nobody is getting near my daughter."
"You're such a dork." Serena lightly pushed his shoulder.
He wrapped his arms around her. "Yeah yours, and look Rini is going to grow up with a smile like yours, we already know that, and people are going gravitate and just fall in love when they see her." He kissed her forehead. "Just like I did with you, I just didn't know how to really say it."
*End Flashback*
"I love being in this room." Serena whispered. She looked at two of the older babies and smiled at them before reaching Danny. He was just laying there kicking around. "Ma can I?"
"Of course honey. Darien go get her a pillow to support her back." She swatted at him and he obeyed.
He tucked the pillow behind Serena as she held the little boy.
"Hi little guy..." She whispered. "I feel like you got so big."
"He just had his a bottle, so let me know if he needs a diaper change." The aid instructed as Serena nodded at her with a smile. "Also maybe prop him up just a little."
The aid adjusted Danny in Serena's arms and she patted his bottom softly. She inhaled his scent and held it in. She felt Darien's hand on her shoulder, and she released and looked up at him. He was just staring at her.
She looked back at the baby. "I hope whoever he goes with loves him so much." Serena whispered, running her finger up and down his back.
Darien squatted down so he could be at the level of Serena and Danny. He softly touched his head as it rested on her chest.
Serena's eyes locked on Danny, observing his every little feature. "He is going to make it so hard for me to leave. I could hold him all day."