Author's Notes:
Hey Hey Hey minna! Dream-chan here with another installment of DE. I am so happy that a lot of people are getting into this story and I just wanted to say thank you for the kind comments. Big shouts goes out to my new friend, Aria-chan (if you haven't read her fics, you better get a move on) and to Cyperian-chan (thanx for the offer! I'm gonna take you up on it, so watch your inbox). Before I forget, be on the lookout for the next chapter of "Close My Eyes Forever" that I writing with another great author, my girl Sere-chan.
Now, with all that said and done, I would like to dedicate this chapter to a friend that I lost this past week who loved Sailor Moon just as much as I did. Danielle, this one's for you girl! ----@
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is not mine, and neither is this song. They belong to Naoko Takeuchi and Jill Scott respectively. If this story seems anyway familiar to yours or one that you have read, please tell me so I can give credit where credit is due. Thanx minna!
'Slowly, surely'
Slowly surely I walk away from
That ole desperate and dazed love
Caught up in the maze of love
The crazy craze of love
Thought it was good
Thought it was real
Thought it was but it wasn't love
I just don't know
Where to go
So...
Slowly surely
I walk away from
Self-serving, undeserving
Constantly hurting me love, deserting me love
You said
I said
We said but...
Slowly surely I walk away from
Confusing love, abusing love, misusing love
This can't be...
Slowly surely
I walk away from
Self-serving, undeserving
Constantly hurting me love, deserting me love
You said
I said
We said but...
Slowly surely I walk away from
That ole desperate and dazed love
Caught up in the maze of love
The crazy craze of love
Thought it was good
Thought it was real
Thought it was but it wasn't love
I just don't know
Where to go
Slowly, surely
I walk away from...
You...you...you...you.
-Jill Scott
Title: Dark Epiphany
Author: Midnight Dreamer
Rating: PG-13 (some swearing)
Email: madintellect@hotmail.com
AIM: Dreamchan2001
With a bowl of lemon slices and a bottle of tequila in his hand, Darien only had one thing in mind.
To get VERY VERY drunk!
*How could this have happened?!?!? My life is starting to resemble a pile of shit!* he thought sourly, taking a swig from the bottle.
Grabbing the remote, he turned on the stereo system and put the CD player on the random setting. Sure enough, the sad voice of Sade filled the room. Leaning his head back against the leather headrest, he closed his eyes, wanting to block out every feeling and emotion.
He couldn't believe that he was having a child with a woman he detested on sight.
*Now what am I going to do? I'm not supposed to be having a child with this woman. The only mother I wanted for my children is Serena.*
He let the tears roll down his face, wishing that this nightmare would end.
Flashback
"So what is it that you want?"
"I don't really know how to tell you this..."
"C'mon cut the games Charlotte. I don't have time" he replied tiredly, cutting her off.
"Alright Darien Reece, you don't like to play games?!?! Well how about this? I'M PREGNANT!!" she yelled dropping her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with sobs.
Darien could do nothing but stare blankly at her.
*This cannot be happening...This cannot be happening* was the only thought running through his mind.
Getting control of himself, his logical brain finally kicked into action, taking over.
"How long have you known?" he asked, surprised that his voice was so calm.
"Just a little over a week. I've been trying to get up the courage to tell you..." she trailed off, not really knowing what to say.
"Is that so? Do you have proof of this pregnancy?" Darien asked in the same tone as before.
Grabbing her purse, she dug through it finally producing a large orange envelope
"I knew that you would ask that so I brought the printout of the results from the doctor's office." she said, pulling out the items in question.
She handed this to Darien, who took it quickly so he could avoid any contact with the woman. After skimming the contents of the report for a few moments, he found the information he was looking for. The date of conception. The same date his world fell apart. It was there in black and white.
Looking back up, he just regarded Charlotte with piercing blue eyes, hoping to see if there was any chance that she could be lying about this.
Charlotte, who had started to feel uncomfortable underneath his penetrating gaze, blurted out the first thing that came to her mind.
"Well what are we going to do about it?"
Snapping out of his intense concentration, Darien snapped, "What are you talking about?"
"The baby of course...." she said, trying not to wince at his caustic tone.
"Are you intending to keep it?" he asked carefully, hoping that she wouldn't give him the answer that would give him the easy way out. Even though he felt it was a woman's prerogative to have an abortion, he would be damned if a child of his creation would meet that fate no matter what the circumstances surrounding its conception.
"Of course, there is no way I'm going to kill it!" she yelled, her face showing the truth behind her declaration.
Breathing a silent sigh of relief, Darien replied, "I never asked you to. I guess there is only one thing left."
"And what is that?" she said crossing her arms.
"When do you want to get married?" he said, almost choking on the words.
End Flashback
The pain he felt when Charlotte told him of her pregnancy was ten times worse than when Lita tried to use her own method of 'sterilization' on him. The fact that now any reconciliation that he could have had with Serena was gone tore at him from the inside out. He could literally see his dreams crumble to dust, only to be replaced with the harsh reality of having another woman in his life forever because now they shared something miraculous between them.
A child. A child that was his flesh and blood. A child that he was already beginning to love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Charlotte couldn't believe the success that she had in her plan to get revenge on Darien. The look on his face was priceless, but it wasn't enough for her. No, she wanted it all, and that was to be the woman in Darien's life.... the only woman. To her surprise, that is just what she got from him. A marriage proposal.
She could still remember him at university. She had wanted him then, but fate had other plans. Before she could approach him, Little Miss 'First-Year' had already claimed him, but she wasn't fazed one bit thinking that it would never last.
However she was proven wrong. So she made up her mind to move on, and move on she did, going into relationships that never lasted more than three months. After graduation, she drifted from job to job, not really feeling settled, until she was given an offer from Terra Engineering. That was when everything changed. That was when she met Darien again. First thing she did was try to gather all the information she could on him. That's when she found out about his engagement.
She was devastated to hear this, but took it in stride and bided her time. Eventually, the PCI project came to pass and she was put on the team with Darien. She couldn't believe the sheer luck.
For the next three months they worked ten-hour days, working side by side, usually going to grab something to eat before heading home. Then came the day they won the contract.
They had all come back to the office for the obligatory glass of champagne, everyone had left except for her and Darien. After preparing a special glass of champagne for Darien and herself, she gave him his flute and in a silent toast they drank once again to their success. As they were placing their respective glasses on Darien's desk, their fingers touched, causing both of them to look at the other in surprise. Taking this opportunity, she finally made her dream come true. She leaned over and kissed him with all the pent-up passion she held for him, and received so much more in return until they were interrupted by his dumb little fiancée. However, that was in the past. The only thing that mattered was the present...the glorious present.
Stepping into the hot bubble bath, she inhaled the light lavender fragrance. For a slight moment she felt guilt at the tactics she used to bring this situation to her satisfaction, but she shrugged it off.
*As the saying goes.... the end justifies the means.* she thought, a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.
Putting a hand over her still flat stomach, Charlotte smiled her eyes bright with hope of her future.... with Darien.
"Little one.....you will be my ticket to my happiness" she said gleefully to the small being within her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the week wore on, Serena began to get back in the groove of things at her job. Due to a huge media campaign by Regal Cosmetics, she was kept busy with setting up publicity events coinciding with the launch of a new product line.
She threw herself into this new assignment with abandon, hoping to exorcise the demons that haunted her day and night. Ninety five percent of the time, this technique did work, that is until she had to go back to her brand new empty apartment. That was when she let the walls down.
Sometimes she would just stand on the balcony and gaze at the stars, wondering which one represented that of her unborn baby. Other times, she would just collapse on the bed, tired from pretending to the world that she had moved on.
The one thing that really troubled her though were the feelings she still felt for Darien. It seemed that the anger and the love she had for him was threatening to tear her apart. One moment she would be so angry that she wanted to punch and kick him till he felt the pain she did. The next she would find herself looking at the one picture she didn't rip up. She traced the hard lines of his face wishing she could feel his roughened skin beneath her fingers...smell the spicy cologne he wore...kiss his lips one last time.
Hearing a knock on her door, Serena snapped out her painful reverie to see her friend breeze through the door in a whirlwind of powder blue silk, Chanel No. 5 and a big smile on her graceful features as she approached the young woman. Serena couldn't help but to smile back in response.
Luna Hyatt, who was also Serena's boss, had been extremely worried about her friend and employee when she had suddenly requested personal time off about a month ago. Then to make matters worse, when she did return to her job, she seemed to be listless and without life. Those around the office were so shocked at the change, that some had jokingly said that the world must be ending if Serena was not smiling. However, it now seemed that life was starting to flow back into her, and Luna was thankful for that.
"So, how have you been Serena?" the middle aged woman asked, as she plopped herself on the edge of the desk.
"Busy...I still have to get confirmation from the modeling agency, but they should get back to me sometime this afternoon." Serena replied airily, trying to bring some organization to the papers that were scattered on the desktop.
"That's good because the sooner we can get the photoshoot done, the better." Luna emphasized.
"Believe me I know, but don't worry Luna.... I can handle it. Besides have I ever let you down before?" Serena replied, giving Luna one of her trademark smiles.
"No you haven't. I just came by to tell you to keep up the good work!" Luna said as she flitted out of Serena's office, her silk scarf trailing behind her.
*Must be a new man in her life.... I hope this one lasts...* Serena thought bemusedly, after noticing the cheerful mood that her boss was in.
Serena began to think back to what her mother said to her a few nights ago.
Flashback
"Sweetheart, I won't pretend that I know what you are going through, but I want you to know that it will get better if you let people help you." she said as she pulled back to look her daughter in the eye.
"I know that mom.... I just think I need to come to terms with it myself." Serena stated, turning her head back to look outside again.
"I understand. The only other thing I want to know is.... are you going to tell Darien?" Ilene asked quietly, knowing that she was touching a delicate topic.
"NO!!!! He doesn't have a right!" Serena yelled, leaping off the window seat to pace around the room.
"Serena..." Ilene said, shocked by the vehemence she heard in her voice.
Lifting a hand, Serena calmly replied, "Mom...I meant what I said. I'm not going to tell him. I think that I'm going to take a nap now, if you don't mind."
End Flashback
She should have known then that she was lying. Lying to her mother and lying to herself. Of course she would tell him, but she wasn't ready then, but now things have changed whether she was ready for it or not.
Even though they had been angry as hell, Serena's friends had been hinting that maybe it was time to confront Darien and tell him what happened. Besides, it was his child that was lost as well. At first, Serena felt betrayed by her friends, thinking that they were taking Darien's side, when in retrospect they felt she shouldn't have to feel the full burden of her traumatic experience.
It was this that made Serena realize why she didn't want to tell Darien about the miscarriage. In a way, it would be creating a bond between them, and that was the last thing that she wanted to do.
However, she knew that she had to confront Darien sooner or later. She needed closure and the only way she was going to do that was to see the man that she vowed never to lay eyes on again.
Picking up the phone, she dialed a familiar number and waited for a second, before a bubbly voice answered, "Hello, Crystal Clear Private Investigators, Mina Atkinson speaking."
"Hello Mina, I need a favor....a BIG one..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Walking into the boardroom a half an hour before the meeting, Seiya tried to prepare himself for the ordeal of working alongside Darien. He just couldn't believe that he had to work with someone who he disliked on sight.
For the most part, they didn't really interact that much, but one could almost feel the palpable tension between the two men. Especially during brainstorming sessions. If Darien suggested a plan of action, Seiya would contest him on every point. On the other hand if Seiya tried to incorporate his strategies into a plan, Darien would find a way to phase them out. However this was having a detrimental effect on the project, and that could not go on much longer if this venture was to be successful. Seiya realized that his reputation was on the line and he made a decision right then and there.
To keep 'personal' issues out of the business.
True, he hated Darien and he wanted to make him pay, but he did not want to lose his job over his anger toward the other man. That was unacceptable. However there was a good thing to working at Terra Engineering. Something he liked to call 'information gathering'.
While he was chatting up the secretaries, he heard the gossip of Darien and Serena's breakup, still providing fodder for the rumor mill. As the weeks wore on, Seiya began to hear more developments and was shocked to the core at what he was told.
Darien was going to have a baby in nine months with the same bitch that Serena caught him with in his office.
Seiya's first instinct was to tell Serena, nailing the final nail in the coffin of her and Darien's relationship, but when he thought about it, he decided that it might be better for her to learn on her own. Now all he had to do was find the stupid woman and convince her to have a little talk with Serena.
Face to Face.
*I'm only doing this in your best interest Serena...you'll understand.* Seiya thought confidently, a smile spreading across his face as he imagined a bright future with Serena by his side...as his wife.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been another long day for Darien, and he was no where near done the initial analysis that was due by next week. Between sparring with Seiya and tolerating Charlotte, he was worn out, both physically and mentally. Stepping out of the lift, he sluggishly made his way towards his apartment.
Entering the door, he dropped his briefcase by the door, shrugged out of his jacket and went along to the kitchen to get a glass of ice water. Leaning against the small counter, he let the coldness seep through his body, feeling somewhat refreshed from the hellish day in the office.
Hearing a knock at the door, Darien just rolled his eyes.
*Who in the hell is this....it's almost ten o'clock at night* he thought, upset at sudden disruption.
"I'm coming....I'm coming" he muttered, his irritation growing by the minute. When he heard the knock again, his patience evaporated like fog in sunshine.
"I said I was coming...goodness Drew, I'm not deaf you know....." he yelled, sarcasm laced through his words.
When he opened the door the rest of his little tirade flew from his head as soon as he recognized the person that stood in his doorway.
"Hello Darien" quiet voice said one that had haunted his mind during the day and his dreams at night.
Finding his voice, Darien finally replied, "Hello Serena...what can I do for you?"
to be continued...........
Okay...that brings another chapter to a close. *ducking flying objects*
Well, it looks like our favorite couple is about to have a serious conversation. What's going to happen? Will Serena tell Darien about what happened in Jamaica? Will Darien tell Serena about his plans to marry another? What does Seiya have up his sleeve? You just gonna have to wait and see!! Seriously though, I know that I broached the delicate topic of abortion, but I would just like to say that I hope I portrayed it tastefully and graciously.
Alright, now I'm gonna shut up and start working on the next chapter before Kel-chan tells the troops on my front lawn to advance *even though the one with the bazooka is kinda cute* ^_~
REMEMBER!!! Email and Reviews are an author's BEST muse!!!!
ja ne
Dream-chan
Hey Hey Hey minna! Dream-chan here with another installment of DE. I am so happy that a lot of people are getting into this story and I just wanted to say thank you for the kind comments. Big shouts goes out to my new friend, Aria-chan (if you haven't read her fics, you better get a move on) and to Cyperian-chan (thanx for the offer! I'm gonna take you up on it, so watch your inbox). Before I forget, be on the lookout for the next chapter of "Close My Eyes Forever" that I writing with another great author, my girl Sere-chan.
Now, with all that said and done, I would like to dedicate this chapter to a friend that I lost this past week who loved Sailor Moon just as much as I did. Danielle, this one's for you girl! ----@
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is not mine, and neither is this song. They belong to Naoko Takeuchi and Jill Scott respectively. If this story seems anyway familiar to yours or one that you have read, please tell me so I can give credit where credit is due. Thanx minna!
'Slowly, surely'
Slowly surely I walk away from
That ole desperate and dazed love
Caught up in the maze of love
The crazy craze of love
Thought it was good
Thought it was real
Thought it was but it wasn't love
I just don't know
Where to go
So...
Slowly surely
I walk away from
Self-serving, undeserving
Constantly hurting me love, deserting me love
You said
I said
We said but...
Slowly surely I walk away from
Confusing love, abusing love, misusing love
This can't be...
Slowly surely
I walk away from
Self-serving, undeserving
Constantly hurting me love, deserting me love
You said
I said
We said but...
Slowly surely I walk away from
That ole desperate and dazed love
Caught up in the maze of love
The crazy craze of love
Thought it was good
Thought it was real
Thought it was but it wasn't love
I just don't know
Where to go
Slowly, surely
I walk away from...
You...you...you...you.
-Jill Scott
Title: Dark Epiphany
Author: Midnight Dreamer
Rating: PG-13 (some swearing)
Email: madintellect@hotmail.com
AIM: Dreamchan2001
With a bowl of lemon slices and a bottle of tequila in his hand, Darien only had one thing in mind.
To get VERY VERY drunk!
*How could this have happened?!?!? My life is starting to resemble a pile of shit!* he thought sourly, taking a swig from the bottle.
Grabbing the remote, he turned on the stereo system and put the CD player on the random setting. Sure enough, the sad voice of Sade filled the room. Leaning his head back against the leather headrest, he closed his eyes, wanting to block out every feeling and emotion.
He couldn't believe that he was having a child with a woman he detested on sight.
*Now what am I going to do? I'm not supposed to be having a child with this woman. The only mother I wanted for my children is Serena.*
He let the tears roll down his face, wishing that this nightmare would end.
Flashback
"So what is it that you want?"
"I don't really know how to tell you this..."
"C'mon cut the games Charlotte. I don't have time" he replied tiredly, cutting her off.
"Alright Darien Reece, you don't like to play games?!?! Well how about this? I'M PREGNANT!!" she yelled dropping her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with sobs.
Darien could do nothing but stare blankly at her.
*This cannot be happening...This cannot be happening* was the only thought running through his mind.
Getting control of himself, his logical brain finally kicked into action, taking over.
"How long have you known?" he asked, surprised that his voice was so calm.
"Just a little over a week. I've been trying to get up the courage to tell you..." she trailed off, not really knowing what to say.
"Is that so? Do you have proof of this pregnancy?" Darien asked in the same tone as before.
Grabbing her purse, she dug through it finally producing a large orange envelope
"I knew that you would ask that so I brought the printout of the results from the doctor's office." she said, pulling out the items in question.
She handed this to Darien, who took it quickly so he could avoid any contact with the woman. After skimming the contents of the report for a few moments, he found the information he was looking for. The date of conception. The same date his world fell apart. It was there in black and white.
Looking back up, he just regarded Charlotte with piercing blue eyes, hoping to see if there was any chance that she could be lying about this.
Charlotte, who had started to feel uncomfortable underneath his penetrating gaze, blurted out the first thing that came to her mind.
"Well what are we going to do about it?"
Snapping out of his intense concentration, Darien snapped, "What are you talking about?"
"The baby of course...." she said, trying not to wince at his caustic tone.
"Are you intending to keep it?" he asked carefully, hoping that she wouldn't give him the answer that would give him the easy way out. Even though he felt it was a woman's prerogative to have an abortion, he would be damned if a child of his creation would meet that fate no matter what the circumstances surrounding its conception.
"Of course, there is no way I'm going to kill it!" she yelled, her face showing the truth behind her declaration.
Breathing a silent sigh of relief, Darien replied, "I never asked you to. I guess there is only one thing left."
"And what is that?" she said crossing her arms.
"When do you want to get married?" he said, almost choking on the words.
End Flashback
The pain he felt when Charlotte told him of her pregnancy was ten times worse than when Lita tried to use her own method of 'sterilization' on him. The fact that now any reconciliation that he could have had with Serena was gone tore at him from the inside out. He could literally see his dreams crumble to dust, only to be replaced with the harsh reality of having another woman in his life forever because now they shared something miraculous between them.
A child. A child that was his flesh and blood. A child that he was already beginning to love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Charlotte couldn't believe the success that she had in her plan to get revenge on Darien. The look on his face was priceless, but it wasn't enough for her. No, she wanted it all, and that was to be the woman in Darien's life.... the only woman. To her surprise, that is just what she got from him. A marriage proposal.
She could still remember him at university. She had wanted him then, but fate had other plans. Before she could approach him, Little Miss 'First-Year' had already claimed him, but she wasn't fazed one bit thinking that it would never last.
However she was proven wrong. So she made up her mind to move on, and move on she did, going into relationships that never lasted more than three months. After graduation, she drifted from job to job, not really feeling settled, until she was given an offer from Terra Engineering. That was when everything changed. That was when she met Darien again. First thing she did was try to gather all the information she could on him. That's when she found out about his engagement.
She was devastated to hear this, but took it in stride and bided her time. Eventually, the PCI project came to pass and she was put on the team with Darien. She couldn't believe the sheer luck.
For the next three months they worked ten-hour days, working side by side, usually going to grab something to eat before heading home. Then came the day they won the contract.
They had all come back to the office for the obligatory glass of champagne, everyone had left except for her and Darien. After preparing a special glass of champagne for Darien and herself, she gave him his flute and in a silent toast they drank once again to their success. As they were placing their respective glasses on Darien's desk, their fingers touched, causing both of them to look at the other in surprise. Taking this opportunity, she finally made her dream come true. She leaned over and kissed him with all the pent-up passion she held for him, and received so much more in return until they were interrupted by his dumb little fiancée. However, that was in the past. The only thing that mattered was the present...the glorious present.
Stepping into the hot bubble bath, she inhaled the light lavender fragrance. For a slight moment she felt guilt at the tactics she used to bring this situation to her satisfaction, but she shrugged it off.
*As the saying goes.... the end justifies the means.* she thought, a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.
Putting a hand over her still flat stomach, Charlotte smiled her eyes bright with hope of her future.... with Darien.
"Little one.....you will be my ticket to my happiness" she said gleefully to the small being within her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the week wore on, Serena began to get back in the groove of things at her job. Due to a huge media campaign by Regal Cosmetics, she was kept busy with setting up publicity events coinciding with the launch of a new product line.
She threw herself into this new assignment with abandon, hoping to exorcise the demons that haunted her day and night. Ninety five percent of the time, this technique did work, that is until she had to go back to her brand new empty apartment. That was when she let the walls down.
Sometimes she would just stand on the balcony and gaze at the stars, wondering which one represented that of her unborn baby. Other times, she would just collapse on the bed, tired from pretending to the world that she had moved on.
The one thing that really troubled her though were the feelings she still felt for Darien. It seemed that the anger and the love she had for him was threatening to tear her apart. One moment she would be so angry that she wanted to punch and kick him till he felt the pain she did. The next she would find herself looking at the one picture she didn't rip up. She traced the hard lines of his face wishing she could feel his roughened skin beneath her fingers...smell the spicy cologne he wore...kiss his lips one last time.
Hearing a knock on her door, Serena snapped out her painful reverie to see her friend breeze through the door in a whirlwind of powder blue silk, Chanel No. 5 and a big smile on her graceful features as she approached the young woman. Serena couldn't help but to smile back in response.
Luna Hyatt, who was also Serena's boss, had been extremely worried about her friend and employee when she had suddenly requested personal time off about a month ago. Then to make matters worse, when she did return to her job, she seemed to be listless and without life. Those around the office were so shocked at the change, that some had jokingly said that the world must be ending if Serena was not smiling. However, it now seemed that life was starting to flow back into her, and Luna was thankful for that.
"So, how have you been Serena?" the middle aged woman asked, as she plopped herself on the edge of the desk.
"Busy...I still have to get confirmation from the modeling agency, but they should get back to me sometime this afternoon." Serena replied airily, trying to bring some organization to the papers that were scattered on the desktop.
"That's good because the sooner we can get the photoshoot done, the better." Luna emphasized.
"Believe me I know, but don't worry Luna.... I can handle it. Besides have I ever let you down before?" Serena replied, giving Luna one of her trademark smiles.
"No you haven't. I just came by to tell you to keep up the good work!" Luna said as she flitted out of Serena's office, her silk scarf trailing behind her.
*Must be a new man in her life.... I hope this one lasts...* Serena thought bemusedly, after noticing the cheerful mood that her boss was in.
Serena began to think back to what her mother said to her a few nights ago.
Flashback
"Sweetheart, I won't pretend that I know what you are going through, but I want you to know that it will get better if you let people help you." she said as she pulled back to look her daughter in the eye.
"I know that mom.... I just think I need to come to terms with it myself." Serena stated, turning her head back to look outside again.
"I understand. The only other thing I want to know is.... are you going to tell Darien?" Ilene asked quietly, knowing that she was touching a delicate topic.
"NO!!!! He doesn't have a right!" Serena yelled, leaping off the window seat to pace around the room.
"Serena..." Ilene said, shocked by the vehemence she heard in her voice.
Lifting a hand, Serena calmly replied, "Mom...I meant what I said. I'm not going to tell him. I think that I'm going to take a nap now, if you don't mind."
End Flashback
She should have known then that she was lying. Lying to her mother and lying to herself. Of course she would tell him, but she wasn't ready then, but now things have changed whether she was ready for it or not.
Even though they had been angry as hell, Serena's friends had been hinting that maybe it was time to confront Darien and tell him what happened. Besides, it was his child that was lost as well. At first, Serena felt betrayed by her friends, thinking that they were taking Darien's side, when in retrospect they felt she shouldn't have to feel the full burden of her traumatic experience.
It was this that made Serena realize why she didn't want to tell Darien about the miscarriage. In a way, it would be creating a bond between them, and that was the last thing that she wanted to do.
However, she knew that she had to confront Darien sooner or later. She needed closure and the only way she was going to do that was to see the man that she vowed never to lay eyes on again.
Picking up the phone, she dialed a familiar number and waited for a second, before a bubbly voice answered, "Hello, Crystal Clear Private Investigators, Mina Atkinson speaking."
"Hello Mina, I need a favor....a BIG one..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Walking into the boardroom a half an hour before the meeting, Seiya tried to prepare himself for the ordeal of working alongside Darien. He just couldn't believe that he had to work with someone who he disliked on sight.
For the most part, they didn't really interact that much, but one could almost feel the palpable tension between the two men. Especially during brainstorming sessions. If Darien suggested a plan of action, Seiya would contest him on every point. On the other hand if Seiya tried to incorporate his strategies into a plan, Darien would find a way to phase them out. However this was having a detrimental effect on the project, and that could not go on much longer if this venture was to be successful. Seiya realized that his reputation was on the line and he made a decision right then and there.
To keep 'personal' issues out of the business.
True, he hated Darien and he wanted to make him pay, but he did not want to lose his job over his anger toward the other man. That was unacceptable. However there was a good thing to working at Terra Engineering. Something he liked to call 'information gathering'.
While he was chatting up the secretaries, he heard the gossip of Darien and Serena's breakup, still providing fodder for the rumor mill. As the weeks wore on, Seiya began to hear more developments and was shocked to the core at what he was told.
Darien was going to have a baby in nine months with the same bitch that Serena caught him with in his office.
Seiya's first instinct was to tell Serena, nailing the final nail in the coffin of her and Darien's relationship, but when he thought about it, he decided that it might be better for her to learn on her own. Now all he had to do was find the stupid woman and convince her to have a little talk with Serena.
Face to Face.
*I'm only doing this in your best interest Serena...you'll understand.* Seiya thought confidently, a smile spreading across his face as he imagined a bright future with Serena by his side...as his wife.
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It had been another long day for Darien, and he was no where near done the initial analysis that was due by next week. Between sparring with Seiya and tolerating Charlotte, he was worn out, both physically and mentally. Stepping out of the lift, he sluggishly made his way towards his apartment.
Entering the door, he dropped his briefcase by the door, shrugged out of his jacket and went along to the kitchen to get a glass of ice water. Leaning against the small counter, he let the coldness seep through his body, feeling somewhat refreshed from the hellish day in the office.
Hearing a knock at the door, Darien just rolled his eyes.
*Who in the hell is this....it's almost ten o'clock at night* he thought, upset at sudden disruption.
"I'm coming....I'm coming" he muttered, his irritation growing by the minute. When he heard the knock again, his patience evaporated like fog in sunshine.
"I said I was coming...goodness Drew, I'm not deaf you know....." he yelled, sarcasm laced through his words.
When he opened the door the rest of his little tirade flew from his head as soon as he recognized the person that stood in his doorway.
"Hello Darien" quiet voice said one that had haunted his mind during the day and his dreams at night.
Finding his voice, Darien finally replied, "Hello Serena...what can I do for you?"
to be continued...........
Okay...that brings another chapter to a close. *ducking flying objects*
Well, it looks like our favorite couple is about to have a serious conversation. What's going to happen? Will Serena tell Darien about what happened in Jamaica? Will Darien tell Serena about his plans to marry another? What does Seiya have up his sleeve? You just gonna have to wait and see!! Seriously though, I know that I broached the delicate topic of abortion, but I would just like to say that I hope I portrayed it tastefully and graciously.
Alright, now I'm gonna shut up and start working on the next chapter before Kel-chan tells the troops on my front lawn to advance *even though the one with the bazooka is kinda cute* ^_~
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ja ne
Dream-chan