*Breathes a sigh* It's taken a while, I know. I've spent the past month completely revamping the ending of this story. I'm sorry that I've made you wait so long, but I think you'll find that it's worth it. No, this isn't the final chapter. There are about three more left. But let me know what you think of this latest pice of the plot!
Chapter 15
Darien stared in frustration at the paperwork covering his desk. He had spent the past two hours trying to finish a contract for a talented new artist down in Atlanta, Georgia, but nothing had been accomplished. A certain pair of blue eyes and a silvery laugh insisted upon intruding into his thoughts. With a groan, he pushed away from the heavy oak desk and rubbed his eyes.
He should have told Serena that he loved her. Just three little words. Not so hard to say, right? But he'd choked that night, when she had stood before him, half-naked and slightly drunk. And the words had stuck in his throat every time he'd tried to say them since.
Darien loved Serena. He'd admitted so to himself, had even told Malachite the same evening he'd failed to tell Serena. So what was wrong with him?
It wasn't that Darien didn't believe in marriage. True, his own first marriage hadn't succeeded. But he had seen too many that had, like Malachite's first, Lita and Nephrite, Luna Silvestri and her husband Artemis. His own parents had recently celebrated their fortieth year of blissful matrimony.
As if on cue, his secretary beeped in over the office intercom. "Mr. Chiba, your mother is on line two."
"Thanks, Jules, I've got it. Anything else?"
"The artist from Atlanta called. She's decided that she's satisfied with the most recent version of the contract, so you can stop working on that new one. She'd like to meet with you or a representative to sign it."
"Terrific. Let her know that I'll be in touch over the next few days." With that, he picked up the phone. "Hello, mother."
"Darien, sweetie." Just the sound of his mother's voice, cultured and slightly rough due to a brief and sordid affair with smoking, brought a smile to his face. "Your father and I simply wanted to give you a call and see how you were doing."
"I'm doing just fine. Where are you and Dad now?" Since his father had retired, the two elder Chibas had spent much of their year traveling. It baffled Darien that they could spend a week in a tent, a cell phone their only link with civilization, and call it an "absolutely fabulous experience."
"We flew into Bali a few hours ago. Lovie, I think you should take a week or two sometime to visit here. Even you would adore it. Art is practically an art-form on the island."
"That's great, Mother. Do they at least have hot water and real toilets?"
Ellise Chiba laughed, and then murmured something away from the phone. If Darien strained his ears, he could just barely hear his father's rich, deep voice replying. A moment later, his mother laughed again. The sound brought back memories of a childhood that was happier then most children could boast.
"Darien, your father wants me to mention several of the performative dances. The women don't wear much, and they are very attractive, I must say." She laughed again. "He keeps threatening to buy me one of the costumes, so I can dance for him later."
Darien laughed, and listened fondly as his parents kissed. Listening to the man and woman who had created and raised him, and thinking of the long life they'd lived together, he realized that his mind was made up. "Mom, speaking of women, I've met someone."
In the way that only a mother can, Ellise sensed the feelings underlined her son's words. "Really, dear? Does this someone have a name?"
"Her name's Serena Kyle. She's a glass artist I signed on recently. You're going to be seeing her work in every art magazine and institution across the world before long. She's beautiful," he added.
"I'm sure she is. You've always had very discerning taste, sweetie." Darien could almost hear his mother's thoughts as she paused. "How serious is this, Darien? Should your father and I cut our little trip short so we can come home and meet her?"
Darien took a deep breath. "Mother, where do you keep Grandma's wedding ring? I think the old-fashioned setting would suite Serena very well."
Ellise took a breath of her own and clutched her husband's hand. The ring was one that had been handed down through her family for generations. Darien had not used it for his first wife. "Oh, sweetie. It's in the safe-deposit box down at First Metropolitan. I believe you have signatory access to that one?"
"I do. Thanks, Mother." He started to put the phone down, and then caught his parent before she hung up. "Hurry home. I think you'll like Serena very much. Give my love to Dad."
That taken care of, Darien rose and grabbed his coat from the hook on the inside of his door. He stopped by his secretary's desk on his way out. "I should be back in about an hour, Julie. Hold my calls." He turned, but stopped. "Miss Kyle should be delivering another shipment sometime today. If she comes in while I'm out, please ask her to wait for me."
* * *
Serena slid out and paid the cabbie driver before reaching into the back seat for the heavy crate she'd packed so carefully. As she hefted the box and stepped up onto the curb, the thought occurred to her that it wouldn't be such a bad idea to buy herself a car. After all, she did have the money now. Perhaps she'd ask Darien for a little help in finding something to suit her.
A man leaving the Fantasy building was kind enough to stop and hold the door for her; Serena flashed him a bright smile n thanks before heading towards the back and Darien's office, but Jadeite's familiar voice changed her course. She found him over to one side, directing the hanging of some new work. Absorbed in the flash of pearlescent paint and shining metal, she placed her burden on a nearby sofa and sat on its arm to study the lumpy canvases being hung.
"Serena, love!" Once his task was finished, Jad turned and came to her, clasping her hands between his smooth ones and kissing each cheek. He looked back over his shoulder at the new art. "What do you think? Just came in today. I love the use of colors, but I'm afraid they really remind me too much of some odd half-metal monster trying to tear its way into our dimension.
Serena laughed at his all-too-accurate description. "They're certainly eye-catching." She reached over and gently thumped her crate. "I brought the latest. Is Darien around?"
"'Fraid not, love. You just missed him. He ran out of here about five minutes ago, and I'm not sure when he'll be back. Do you want to wait for him?"
"No, just tell him I came by. Actually, I'm going to jog up and see Lita. I brought her a gift." She removed a gaily-wrapped box from her oversized shoulder bag and held it up. "I'll just give this to her and head home."
"You know the way. Lovely to see you, dear."
Upon stepping out of the elevator, Serena was thankful to see that Lita didn't have an appointment. Instead, the tall brunette was standing in front of the make-up counter, staring as she ran a hand over her belly.
"Hey there, Mommy."
"Serena!" Lita dropped her hand and blushed slightly. "You must think I'm silly, that all of those hormones are already heading toward my brain. But doesn't it look like I'm showing? Just a bit?"
Serena stared at her flat stomach and bit her cheek. She remembered standing in front of her bathroom mirror and doing the exact same thing. "Sure. Looks a little rounder to me." Since it was such a perfect opening, she held out the gift she'd brought with her. "This is for you. I would have finished it sooner, but I've never been very good at figurines, and I wanted it to be perfect."
With a smile of pleasure, Lita tore off the bright wrapping paper and carefully lifted the lid. "Everything you make is gorgeous, Serena- oh!" She held up the glass piece with a sigh. "It really is perfect."
Serena had crafted a stork, perched on one leg with a bundled blanket hanging from its beak. It was just possible to see a baby's face peaking sleepily from within the blanket. The glass was an all-over swirl of soft yellow, blue, and cotton candy pink. Lita sniffled and reached out to draw the smaller blond into an embrace.
"My first mommy present. This means so much1"
Serena returned the hug and stepped back. "I'm glad. The idea came to mind the same night you told us you were pregnant. You looked so radiant. You still do." She sniffled a bit in response to Lita's own glistening eyes. "Now, as much as I'd like to stay and chat, I left the paper and ribbon out and Loki can be a fiend. I'll see you later, okay?"
"All right. Bye, Serena. And thanks."
* * *
Twenty minutes of standing by the curb and waving for a cab decided Serena's mind quite definitively. "This weekend," she muttered. "A few hours of looking around, and I'll never have to wait for another stupid cab again."
Eventually however, a cab painted bright green pulled up, and she jumped in and gave her address.
"Well, you're certainly looking smug, Miss. If you don't mind my saying so." The driver met her eyes in the rearview mirror as he pulled out into traffic. "Lovely woman on a lovely day; there's nothing better."
His slight accent made Serena's ears perk up even as she narrowed her eyes to deliver a quelling glare. "Where are you from? Florence?" Only an Italian could speak so familiarly to a complete stranger and still come off as charming. "When did you move to America?" She spoke Italian, and the romance language was a bit rusty on her lips, but it felt good.
"Close. Artimino. It's a tiny little village up in the hills outside of Firenze. You have been to Italia, yes? Your accent is very good." He flashed sparking black eyes at her.
"I should say so, yes. I spent my apprenticeship between Florence, Venice and Milan. Lived there for three years. The entire country is wonderful."
"Indeed. I moved here eight years ago, hoping to make a better life for my family." The driver lifted a hand from the wheel to flip down the passenger side sun shield. Serena chuckled at the several pictures stuck there. The man had evidently followed the Italian tradition of large families.
"And is life better?'
The driver laughed. "My Lucrezia, she works in a grocery store at the corner, and tells me she loves me every night. My oldest is going to be a doctor. The rest are growing up as thoughtless, happy American children. It could not be better."
The simple satisfaction in his voice stayed with Serena even after he had left her outside her building. As simple as that, she thought to herself as she leaned against the elevator wall. Happiness could be obtained with so little effort, really. She had her art, her friends, family, and Darien. And she was happy.
"Well, it's about bloody time! Do you know how long I've been waiting outside this door of yours?"
The voice, with its crisp British accent, had not been heard for over a year. But the tall man leaning against the door of her apartment, with his unmanageable cap of blond hair and sharp blue eyes, was unforgettable. As Serena stared in shock, he straightened and tugged comfortably at the lapel of his coal gray suit jacket.
"Well, love, isn't there a kiss for me hiding somewhere behind that funny face?"
"Zoi-boy!" With a laugh, Serena leapt joyfully into the man's arms.
* * *
Darien growled in frustration as he slammed out of his convertible and practically ran into his building. The First Union Bank of New York prided itself on its untarnished reputation for absolute security. As a result, the rounds of identification checks and whatnot to gain access to the safe deposit box had taken up nearly an hour. Far, far too long.
He tossed off greetings as he hurried back to his office. "Has Miss Kyle come by yet?" he asked Julie.
The secretary looked up from her computer and shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Mr. Chiba."
Darien ground his teeth in frustration. "Well, get her in my office as soon as she does." Without another word, he entered his office. A recognizable box stood near the corner of his desk. With an oath, he checked the label, just to make sure; he swore again.
"Julie?" The woman looked up, and he smiled grimly at her. "If Miss Kyle hasn't been here, can you please explain how her box of glass is sitting plain as daylight in the next room?"
Julie shook her head again. "I'm sorry, sir. Jad brought that in about twenty minutes ago. I wasn't aware that it came from Miss Kyle."
"I see." Darien deliberately refrained from clenching his knuckles. "And where is Jadeite?"
"Upstairs, sir."
"Serena?" When found and asked, Jadeite shrugged elegantly. "She came and asked for you. I didn't know you were waiting for her. Sorry, but she's already gone. Back to her apartment, I believe." With that intuition for romance that only the French posses, he raised an eyebrow. "I'm guessing there's a link between our lovely artist and the reason you rushed out of here so quickly, hmm?"
Darien took a breath and pulled the small box from his jacket pocket. "You could say that."
A wide smile crept over Jadeite's lips. "That's wonderful! My congratulations. Then you'd better hurry after her, hadn't you?"
The Frenchman's salute restored the good mood that wasted time had stolen, and Darien laughed. "I suppose so. I don't think I'll be back in this afternoon, Jad. Be a good man and unpack Serena's new pieces, okay?" And he turned to run back out to his car.
For a wonder, rush-hour traffic wasn't its usual tangle, and he reached Serena's apartment building in less than ten minutes. In the elevator, he popped open the tiny box and admired the sparkle of gem, the shine of heirloom platinum. He imagined how it would look on his love's slender hand, and almost danced a jig, right there.
"Serena?" As soon as the doors opened onto her hall, he was calling out for her. The door was closed, but he grabbed the knob and let himself in, too much in a hurry to be with her to wait for her to open the door. "Serena-" He froze. He stared.
Before him, Serena was wrapped in the long arms of a tall blond stranger. A look of absolute joy was on her face.
* * *