"For Argument's Sake."
By: Isis @}---
isis@moonkingdom.com
Rating: G
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!
AN: Gasp! Could it be! A new love interest! Or a love
lost before it started? Oh, the plot-twist! He, he he he he he.
By the way, this is another one that if you have lost or misplaced
your sense of humor please return once you have located a new
one.
Chapter 8
*@}---*
"Ami, Greg!! Over here!" Serena waved frantically to her friends
who were just entering the café. They quickly made their way to
the table she had picked out. Serena gave her friend a hug and
gushed over how long it had been since she had seen her, even
though it was only two weeks since the old group had gotten
together for dinner.
"It hasn't been that long, but yes it is good to see you. I've been so
busy lately with schoolwork that I hardly have to time to e-mail
Lita. Have you talked to her lately?"
"Yeah, I called her up Monday. She's doing totally great and she
loves her teacher," she giggled. "I wouldn't be surprised if she
thought he looked like her old boyfriend!" There was groaning
from both of them. "So, where is Ken? Didn't he want to come?"
"No, he has a biology class during lunch. He doesn't have a break
until one o'clock," Ami explained.
"Bummer."
"Yes, it would be nice if we had more classes with him. Greg and
I were lucky that so many of our classes are the same. It makes it
very nice to study together this way."
"I bet it is," she commented evilly. The two had been 'dating' for
two years now. Although she couldn't remember the last time
she'd heard that they actually went out some place. Their
definition of a date was chips and pop during a three-hour study
session. And the worst part was that they actually STUDIED!
"So, Serena, I thought Darien would be with you. Don't you
usually have lunch together?" Greg inquired.
"Oh, we do, but he said that he'd go with Dr. Benton and his wife.
Something he needed to talk over anyway I guess. Really it was
just an excuse. I know he figured that I could use some time with
my friends alone. Besides, it's Friday, we always have a little
powwow Friday nights anyway."
"Really?" Amy seemed interested in the news. "I didn't think you
were dating."
"We're not!" she squeaked. "No, no, we're just friends. We've
just kinda made a habit of going out and doing something together
on Fridays. Purely innocent! It kind of started back when he was
working and I wasn't so I usually only saw him on the weekends.
So Fridays just kind of became our day." She laughed a little
nervously. Why she didn't know, but she really didn't want her
friends thinking something like that.
"Oh, I see," Ami said in that calm manor of hers. Greg nodded but
didn't say anything.
"So, what about you two?" she changed the subject, "Anything I
should be knowing about?" She propped her elbows on the table
and set her chin on her hands. She rather enjoyed the little
embarrassed glance they gave each other. Greg was finally the one
to answer.
"Nothing really new to report on," he said with a laugh.
"Drat! Oh, well." The conversation was kept rather light
throughout the meal. Talk of where the other group of friends
were and what news they gotten on them. But Serena still had a
card up her sleeve that she was dying to play. But it just wasn't
getting brought up.
"Um, Ami… I kind of wanted to talk to you about something,"
she started.
"What is it?"
"Well, do you know anyone in the physics department at the
University?"
"No, I don't believe so, but there may be one in some of my gen-ed
classes. Why do you ask?"
"Well, you wouldn't happen to know a Neil Arden would you?"
she asked with a hint of a smile on her face.
"No, I don't believe so." She looked to her companion who stared
back blankly at her.
"I don't know him either," he mumbled. "Should we?"
"No, no reason you should. I just wondered because… well…"
she trailed off for effect.
"Because you know him?" Ami finished.
"Or because you are involved with him?" Greg interjected.
For some reason she reflected he always had a way of knowing
things a head of time. "Well, I'm not going to say I'm involved or
anything. But I have to admit he is really cute. He works with Dr.
Benton, my boss, as an aid of some sort. I met him at that grand
opening thing I told you about. Well, I've gotten to talk to him
more since then and I really kinda like him."
She bit her lip and waited for a response. Ami giggled and Greg
looked at her with admiration. "So you just kind of picked up on
him?" he asked.
"No! We've just talked but I really do think he might be getting up
the nerve to ask me out. He's done an awful lot of asking about
Darien and I's relationship anyhow."
"And you like him?" Ami asked.
"Yeah, there isn't much not to like. He's in his third year at the
University and he hopes to come to work at the Center afterwards.
He's really smart and he has a great sense of humor! Did mention
he's really cute?!" she giggled at herself.
"Well, is everyone still alive and well?" Darien asked walking into
their office.
She laughed and nodded. "Everyone but Chad, I heard that Rei
finally got really mad at him for something and killed him with her
bare hands. I think her lawyers are going to try and claim
temporary insanity!"
Darien stood with a thoughtful expression on his face then
regarded her. "Well if anyone can get away with it, it would be
Rei."
"Yeah, that's what I thought." She waited for him to sit down.
"So… what happened at your lovely luncheon with the boss guy?"
"Nothing of much importance," he shrugged. "Oh, but I am going
to spend a night with him up in the observatory. Probably not until
next week though."
"Oh, why put off the honeymoon?"
He turned in his chair to regard her with a sour expression. "Sorry
to disappoint your warped little romantic mind but he's not really
my type."
"What's wrong with him?"
"Well, he's male for one thing."
"Now you sound like Dad," she teased.
"Yeah, sue me!" He laughed at her. "Speaking of romantic
involvements, I had a rather unusual conversation with one Neil
Arden this afternoon when I came in. He seems very interested in
a certain young partner of mine."
Serena nearly jumped out of her chair at the mention of his name.
"No way! He asked about ME! Oh, what did he say?! More
importantly," she sobered, "what did you say?"
He laughed again and gave her an evil look, which on Darien could
be extremely scary. "Don't worry, I didn't mar your image. If
anything I managed to mention the fact that you were very much
available."
"No way! Oh, Darien, thank you!!" She jumped up and hugged
him as much as she could with him still seated.
"I take it you like the guy," he muttered into her hair.
"Totally!!" she said standing back from him.
"I figured you might, although I never heard you say a word about
him." He gave her a dubious expression.
"I didn't know if you'd met him or not," she said lamely.
"Uh-huh."
"OK, so I figured you'd try talking to him and starting something
and well mess everything up," she confession.
"Me! When have you ever known me to interfere in one of your
relationships?"
"You told me you'd go beat up Josh if I wanted you to."
"I meant that. The guy was a jerk the way he treated you, I still
can't believe you stayed with him as long as you did. But I mean
really interfering. I think you're getting me confused with
Andrew. He was notorious for that. I'm just the one that gets to
pick up your pieces afterwards."
"Yeah, I know that feeling all too well. But OK, I owe you an
apology. But what did he say!?" she asked excitedly.
He laughed again. "Not much really. He just asked about you.
We were talking about that observatory night and somehow you
just popped up."
"Ooooohhhh," she signed all heart eyed.
"Serena? You still in there?" he asked while waving a hand in
front of her face. She slapped at it and walked back to her desk.
"I'm here and just fine thank you."
Serena pushed open her apartment door and held it for Darien.
"Welcome to my humble abode," she said as he made an
appraising sweep around the room.
"I kind of like what you've done with the place Meatball Head."
"Thank you." She dropped her purse on the chair and turned to the
kitchen. "Do you want anything? Water, milk, juice." She
opened her refrigerator then closed it again. "Well, water," she
muttered.
Laughing he shook his head. He wondered around the room and
finally stood in front of her balcony doors admiring the view. She
took the chance to slip into her bedroom and change. Nothing
fancy for tonight they'd decided so she threw on a little red skirt
and a white sleeveless button down shirt. She tucked it in quickly
and hurried back to the living room.
Darien had disappeared. She looked around and back into the
kitchen but he was no where to be seen. She finally noticed that
the balcony door was open and her newly hung curtains were
blowing slightly. She smiled to herself and walked out after him.
"Not bad huh?" she asked coming up behind him.
"Not bad at all," he said leaning against the railing.
She stood there too and let the light breeze play with her long hair
and skirt. She thought over how many times the two of them had
lounged around on his balcony and just talked or not talking.
Much like now there was just a comfortable silence around them.
On a whim she wrapped her arm through his and leaned her head
against him. He seemed surprised at first but relaxed again
quickly. She smiled to herself. She understood why so many
people believed there was something more to them than just an
average friendship. They were most certainly not average. But
she couldn't describe it either. It was just him, and that comfort
that she always felt with him.
"Darien?"
"Yeah."
"Do you think we're too close to be just friends?" she asked.
"Too close to be friends and too argumentative to be in love," he
commented simply.
She laughed at the joke then sobered again. "So what does that
make us?" she asked looking up at him.
He continued to stare out at the city for a minute before answering.
"I don't know. But I don't think I mind where we're at," he added
looking down at her.
She looked into his eyes and realized that that was the only answer
she would probably ever get. But it was also the one she had
wanted. She smiled at him before leaning her head back on his
arm. Yes, this was what she needed.
"OK, so I still don't get it. If the killer was her husband, why
didn't she know it again?" she asked as they once again walked
back into her apartment.
"Well, I doubt he advertised the fact by bringing it up at the dinner
table. 'Well, honey, what did you do today?' 'I shot and killed a
nineteen-year-old girl with long blond ponytails and buried her in
our basement. What did you do?'" He swatted at her hair for
emphasis.
"Oh stop! I just mean if my husband was a serial killer and trying
to kill me I think I'd find out about it before he finally pointed a
gun at me."
"Serena, it was movie. Chill out," he commented. "It was all for
effect anyway."
"Yeah, well, I didn't like it."
"Neither did I. For once I'd like to see a movie where the killer
was halfway intelligent. They always make the heroines seem so
helpless and defeated until the guy screws up and then they get to
kill him." He walked over to her couch while she threw her purse
on her desk and grabbed a bag of cookies that her mother had sent
over.
"I know. All she did was cry and whine and fall down all the time.
I'd like to see a movie were the heroin was halfway intelligent,"
she muttered.
"Sounds just like you doesn't it? But agreed, next time we go to
see a—OOOOUUCH!!"
"Darien!" she rushed over to him. He stood now staring down at
the couch he had just jumped up from still rubbing his lower back.
"That thing just stabbed me!" he said still staring at it like it was
possessed. She couldn't help but try to hold in the laughter. But
she failed miserably. "Oh, and I suppose you think this is funny,"
he growled at her.
"No! I" giggle, "don't either." Laugh, laugh, "I know, it" giggles,
"did that to me too." She finally broke into all out laughter. "I'm
sorry, I forgot to warn you."
"Yeah, yeah, just keep laughing," he grumbled still rubbing his
back. "I'm bleeding and you're just having a grand ol' time."
"I'm sorry," she said sobering completely now. She didn't want
him to be hurt. She walked around behind him. "Here, let me
see," she said intent on helping him.
"No way!" He spun around again. "I mean, I'm fine. Really."
"You just said you were bleeding. Now let me make sure you're
OK."
"I was just overreacting. I'm fine," he said taking a step away
from her.
"No you're not. What is it?" she asked giving him an extremely
funny look.
"I'm not letting a women who thinks a have a 'cute backside'
anywhere near that region of my body!"
He took another step back. And she exploded into laughter. She
couldn't stop for anything. She could feel the tears coming to her
eyes and she realized that she couldn't even catch her breath. If
she didn't stop she was going to die of suffocation!
"You realize you can stop anytime here right?" he asked glancing
at his watch in contempt.
It only served to make her laugh harder and she doubled over still
unable to breathe. She ended up kneeling on the floor in front of
the couch holding her midsection with both arms.
"You do know you're giving me a phobia about being laughed at
here right?" he asked walking up to stand above her. She
vigorously shook her head back and forth to make him stop so that
she could calm down and breathe. "Don't shake your head at me
young lady!" he commented.
"Stop!" she gasped between laughs. "Can't… breath!" she
choked.
"Good! You deserve it! Laughing at me like a hyena."
She completely collapsed as she laid her head on the floor with her
arms still wrapped around her waist so that she was curled into a
ball. Racking laughter still came from her but she was trying
desperately to breathe. All she could get were small gasps and her
sides hurt horribly.
She heard Darien laugh from above her and she felt him reach
around her waist and pull her over so she wasn't in a ball any
longer. He had knelt down beside her and brought her up so that
she lay against his chest. She still laughed but not nearly as much.
Her breathing slowly recovered and she simply laid there in his
arms.
When the pain in her sides dissipated she slowly sat up and moved
out of his grasp. "You realize you nearly killed me don't you?"
she asked with venom dripping in her voice.
He chucked again at her and simply shrugged. "Sorry," he
muttered.
"Sorry! I'll show you Sorry!" She punched him rather hard in the
ribs and managed to only make her hand hurt for the trouble. "I'll
find a way to make you pay for that!" she said instead.
He laughed again and snagged her while she was attempting to
stand up. She fell again into his embrace and he held there. He sat
back against the low coffee table and leaned her against him. She
rather ungracefully pulled her skirt down as far as she could.
Sitting on the floor was not the most ladylike place to be wearing a
skirt like that.
"I'm sorry," he whispered to her quietly. "I didn't mean to giggle
you to death."
"Well, you almost killed me," she grumbled.
"Actually no. You would have run out of air and passed out. You
wouldn't have died, you would have just looked like it for a
while."
"Oh what a happy thought! And you find this amusing."
"Well you certainly found mine amusing."
She laughed again at the memory. "Yours was amusing. Do you
really think I would try something to you?"
"I don't know. But I don't want to find out."
"What?!" She pushed away from him and looked up into his eyes.
"I wouldn't even want to try something like that and you know it!"
"Do I?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You give the man one compliment and he doesn't trust you
anymore! And you said you'd always trust me," she said with a
pout.
"First off, that was not meant as a compliment and you know it.
And second of all, I will always trust you. Just not where certain
things are involved."
"Oh, so this is a conditional type of trust. I see."
He smiled at her and pulled her closer again. "My heart and my
soul I trust you with, it's the rest of me that I have a harder time
turning over to you."
"Usually it's the other way around," she smiled.
"I know. But you've already taken those two without my consent
so I'm trying very hard to hang on to the rest." He wrapped his
arms tighter around her and placed his chin over the top of one of
her 'meatballs'. She easily slid into his embrace and stayed there.
"Anything I've taken from you is just in retaliation for what
you've stolen from me."
"Not stolen. Borrowed."
"Borrowed?" she repeated a little confused by the statement.
"Yes. Without the intention of returning."
She laughed easily with him. "Isn't that the same as steeling?"
"No, because some day you may want them back and I'll be forced
to give them to you." He sounded just a little softer and more
serious.
"I won't ask for them back," she said easily. "Because I want a
promise from you."
"A promise?"
"Yes, I want you to promise me that twenty years from now you'll
still be on my couch, or floor in this case, and you'll still be mean
and cruel to me."
There was a short pause. "Twenty years is a long time to keep this
up—"
"No." She pushed herself away from him just enough to look at
him. "I want us to always be close. I mean if we're going to work
together all the time it's bound to happen anyway."
"And what happens when Mr. Right comes along, sweeps you off
your feet, and decides he'd rather have this beauty locked away at
home with his children? Not to mention frowning on someone
who berates his wife on her own sofa. Where do I fit in then?"
She was off balanced by his words. Something in them carried a
knife right through her heart. For a minute she felt fear. Real and
emotional fear. "It'll never happen," she breathed.
"Yes it will. You're too young, beautiful, and full of life to not
have it happen. Sure some of those things won't. But we will
grow apart."
"No! I—"
"Nothing you can do to stop it. Change can't change, remember?"
he asked looking straight into her eyes. This was not something
new to him. He had probably thought this all through many times
before. But it was new to her and she didn't like it at all.
"I don't want us to split apart. Darien, I need you…" She stopped
not knowing how to say what she felt.
"No, you won't someday. Until then, I'll be here." He gently
pulled her back to him. "Until then, just let me hold you close."
_____________
@}--- "Nothing is so strong as gentleness; Nothing so
gentle as real strength." -Francis de Sales.
By: Isis @}---
isis@moonkingdom.com
Rating: G
Disclaimers: Don't sue and don't copy!
AN: Gasp! Could it be! A new love interest! Or a love
lost before it started? Oh, the plot-twist! He, he he he he he.
By the way, this is another one that if you have lost or misplaced
your sense of humor please return once you have located a new
one.
Chapter 8
*@}---*
"Ami, Greg!! Over here!" Serena waved frantically to her friends
who were just entering the café. They quickly made their way to
the table she had picked out. Serena gave her friend a hug and
gushed over how long it had been since she had seen her, even
though it was only two weeks since the old group had gotten
together for dinner.
"It hasn't been that long, but yes it is good to see you. I've been so
busy lately with schoolwork that I hardly have to time to e-mail
Lita. Have you talked to her lately?"
"Yeah, I called her up Monday. She's doing totally great and she
loves her teacher," she giggled. "I wouldn't be surprised if she
thought he looked like her old boyfriend!" There was groaning
from both of them. "So, where is Ken? Didn't he want to come?"
"No, he has a biology class during lunch. He doesn't have a break
until one o'clock," Ami explained.
"Bummer."
"Yes, it would be nice if we had more classes with him. Greg and
I were lucky that so many of our classes are the same. It makes it
very nice to study together this way."
"I bet it is," she commented evilly. The two had been 'dating' for
two years now. Although she couldn't remember the last time
she'd heard that they actually went out some place. Their
definition of a date was chips and pop during a three-hour study
session. And the worst part was that they actually STUDIED!
"So, Serena, I thought Darien would be with you. Don't you
usually have lunch together?" Greg inquired.
"Oh, we do, but he said that he'd go with Dr. Benton and his wife.
Something he needed to talk over anyway I guess. Really it was
just an excuse. I know he figured that I could use some time with
my friends alone. Besides, it's Friday, we always have a little
powwow Friday nights anyway."
"Really?" Amy seemed interested in the news. "I didn't think you
were dating."
"We're not!" she squeaked. "No, no, we're just friends. We've
just kinda made a habit of going out and doing something together
on Fridays. Purely innocent! It kind of started back when he was
working and I wasn't so I usually only saw him on the weekends.
So Fridays just kind of became our day." She laughed a little
nervously. Why she didn't know, but she really didn't want her
friends thinking something like that.
"Oh, I see," Ami said in that calm manor of hers. Greg nodded but
didn't say anything.
"So, what about you two?" she changed the subject, "Anything I
should be knowing about?" She propped her elbows on the table
and set her chin on her hands. She rather enjoyed the little
embarrassed glance they gave each other. Greg was finally the one
to answer.
"Nothing really new to report on," he said with a laugh.
"Drat! Oh, well." The conversation was kept rather light
throughout the meal. Talk of where the other group of friends
were and what news they gotten on them. But Serena still had a
card up her sleeve that she was dying to play. But it just wasn't
getting brought up.
"Um, Ami… I kind of wanted to talk to you about something,"
she started.
"What is it?"
"Well, do you know anyone in the physics department at the
University?"
"No, I don't believe so, but there may be one in some of my gen-ed
classes. Why do you ask?"
"Well, you wouldn't happen to know a Neil Arden would you?"
she asked with a hint of a smile on her face.
"No, I don't believe so." She looked to her companion who stared
back blankly at her.
"I don't know him either," he mumbled. "Should we?"
"No, no reason you should. I just wondered because… well…"
she trailed off for effect.
"Because you know him?" Ami finished.
"Or because you are involved with him?" Greg interjected.
For some reason she reflected he always had a way of knowing
things a head of time. "Well, I'm not going to say I'm involved or
anything. But I have to admit he is really cute. He works with Dr.
Benton, my boss, as an aid of some sort. I met him at that grand
opening thing I told you about. Well, I've gotten to talk to him
more since then and I really kinda like him."
She bit her lip and waited for a response. Ami giggled and Greg
looked at her with admiration. "So you just kind of picked up on
him?" he asked.
"No! We've just talked but I really do think he might be getting up
the nerve to ask me out. He's done an awful lot of asking about
Darien and I's relationship anyhow."
"And you like him?" Ami asked.
"Yeah, there isn't much not to like. He's in his third year at the
University and he hopes to come to work at the Center afterwards.
He's really smart and he has a great sense of humor! Did mention
he's really cute?!" she giggled at herself.
"Well, is everyone still alive and well?" Darien asked walking into
their office.
She laughed and nodded. "Everyone but Chad, I heard that Rei
finally got really mad at him for something and killed him with her
bare hands. I think her lawyers are going to try and claim
temporary insanity!"
Darien stood with a thoughtful expression on his face then
regarded her. "Well if anyone can get away with it, it would be
Rei."
"Yeah, that's what I thought." She waited for him to sit down.
"So… what happened at your lovely luncheon with the boss guy?"
"Nothing of much importance," he shrugged. "Oh, but I am going
to spend a night with him up in the observatory. Probably not until
next week though."
"Oh, why put off the honeymoon?"
He turned in his chair to regard her with a sour expression. "Sorry
to disappoint your warped little romantic mind but he's not really
my type."
"What's wrong with him?"
"Well, he's male for one thing."
"Now you sound like Dad," she teased.
"Yeah, sue me!" He laughed at her. "Speaking of romantic
involvements, I had a rather unusual conversation with one Neil
Arden this afternoon when I came in. He seems very interested in
a certain young partner of mine."
Serena nearly jumped out of her chair at the mention of his name.
"No way! He asked about ME! Oh, what did he say?! More
importantly," she sobered, "what did you say?"
He laughed again and gave her an evil look, which on Darien could
be extremely scary. "Don't worry, I didn't mar your image. If
anything I managed to mention the fact that you were very much
available."
"No way! Oh, Darien, thank you!!" She jumped up and hugged
him as much as she could with him still seated.
"I take it you like the guy," he muttered into her hair.
"Totally!!" she said standing back from him.
"I figured you might, although I never heard you say a word about
him." He gave her a dubious expression.
"I didn't know if you'd met him or not," she said lamely.
"Uh-huh."
"OK, so I figured you'd try talking to him and starting something
and well mess everything up," she confession.
"Me! When have you ever known me to interfere in one of your
relationships?"
"You told me you'd go beat up Josh if I wanted you to."
"I meant that. The guy was a jerk the way he treated you, I still
can't believe you stayed with him as long as you did. But I mean
really interfering. I think you're getting me confused with
Andrew. He was notorious for that. I'm just the one that gets to
pick up your pieces afterwards."
"Yeah, I know that feeling all too well. But OK, I owe you an
apology. But what did he say!?" she asked excitedly.
He laughed again. "Not much really. He just asked about you.
We were talking about that observatory night and somehow you
just popped up."
"Ooooohhhh," she signed all heart eyed.
"Serena? You still in there?" he asked while waving a hand in
front of her face. She slapped at it and walked back to her desk.
"I'm here and just fine thank you."
Serena pushed open her apartment door and held it for Darien.
"Welcome to my humble abode," she said as he made an
appraising sweep around the room.
"I kind of like what you've done with the place Meatball Head."
"Thank you." She dropped her purse on the chair and turned to the
kitchen. "Do you want anything? Water, milk, juice." She
opened her refrigerator then closed it again. "Well, water," she
muttered.
Laughing he shook his head. He wondered around the room and
finally stood in front of her balcony doors admiring the view. She
took the chance to slip into her bedroom and change. Nothing
fancy for tonight they'd decided so she threw on a little red skirt
and a white sleeveless button down shirt. She tucked it in quickly
and hurried back to the living room.
Darien had disappeared. She looked around and back into the
kitchen but he was no where to be seen. She finally noticed that
the balcony door was open and her newly hung curtains were
blowing slightly. She smiled to herself and walked out after him.
"Not bad huh?" she asked coming up behind him.
"Not bad at all," he said leaning against the railing.
She stood there too and let the light breeze play with her long hair
and skirt. She thought over how many times the two of them had
lounged around on his balcony and just talked or not talking.
Much like now there was just a comfortable silence around them.
On a whim she wrapped her arm through his and leaned her head
against him. He seemed surprised at first but relaxed again
quickly. She smiled to herself. She understood why so many
people believed there was something more to them than just an
average friendship. They were most certainly not average. But
she couldn't describe it either. It was just him, and that comfort
that she always felt with him.
"Darien?"
"Yeah."
"Do you think we're too close to be just friends?" she asked.
"Too close to be friends and too argumentative to be in love," he
commented simply.
She laughed at the joke then sobered again. "So what does that
make us?" she asked looking up at him.
He continued to stare out at the city for a minute before answering.
"I don't know. But I don't think I mind where we're at," he added
looking down at her.
She looked into his eyes and realized that that was the only answer
she would probably ever get. But it was also the one she had
wanted. She smiled at him before leaning her head back on his
arm. Yes, this was what she needed.
"OK, so I still don't get it. If the killer was her husband, why
didn't she know it again?" she asked as they once again walked
back into her apartment.
"Well, I doubt he advertised the fact by bringing it up at the dinner
table. 'Well, honey, what did you do today?' 'I shot and killed a
nineteen-year-old girl with long blond ponytails and buried her in
our basement. What did you do?'" He swatted at her hair for
emphasis.
"Oh stop! I just mean if my husband was a serial killer and trying
to kill me I think I'd find out about it before he finally pointed a
gun at me."
"Serena, it was movie. Chill out," he commented. "It was all for
effect anyway."
"Yeah, well, I didn't like it."
"Neither did I. For once I'd like to see a movie where the killer
was halfway intelligent. They always make the heroines seem so
helpless and defeated until the guy screws up and then they get to
kill him." He walked over to her couch while she threw her purse
on her desk and grabbed a bag of cookies that her mother had sent
over.
"I know. All she did was cry and whine and fall down all the time.
I'd like to see a movie were the heroin was halfway intelligent,"
she muttered.
"Sounds just like you doesn't it? But agreed, next time we go to
see a—OOOOUUCH!!"
"Darien!" she rushed over to him. He stood now staring down at
the couch he had just jumped up from still rubbing his lower back.
"That thing just stabbed me!" he said still staring at it like it was
possessed. She couldn't help but try to hold in the laughter. But
she failed miserably. "Oh, and I suppose you think this is funny,"
he growled at her.
"No! I" giggle, "don't either." Laugh, laugh, "I know, it" giggles,
"did that to me too." She finally broke into all out laughter. "I'm
sorry, I forgot to warn you."
"Yeah, yeah, just keep laughing," he grumbled still rubbing his
back. "I'm bleeding and you're just having a grand ol' time."
"I'm sorry," she said sobering completely now. She didn't want
him to be hurt. She walked around behind him. "Here, let me
see," she said intent on helping him.
"No way!" He spun around again. "I mean, I'm fine. Really."
"You just said you were bleeding. Now let me make sure you're
OK."
"I was just overreacting. I'm fine," he said taking a step away
from her.
"No you're not. What is it?" she asked giving him an extremely
funny look.
"I'm not letting a women who thinks a have a 'cute backside'
anywhere near that region of my body!"
He took another step back. And she exploded into laughter. She
couldn't stop for anything. She could feel the tears coming to her
eyes and she realized that she couldn't even catch her breath. If
she didn't stop she was going to die of suffocation!
"You realize you can stop anytime here right?" he asked glancing
at his watch in contempt.
It only served to make her laugh harder and she doubled over still
unable to breathe. She ended up kneeling on the floor in front of
the couch holding her midsection with both arms.
"You do know you're giving me a phobia about being laughed at
here right?" he asked walking up to stand above her. She
vigorously shook her head back and forth to make him stop so that
she could calm down and breathe. "Don't shake your head at me
young lady!" he commented.
"Stop!" she gasped between laughs. "Can't… breath!" she
choked.
"Good! You deserve it! Laughing at me like a hyena."
She completely collapsed as she laid her head on the floor with her
arms still wrapped around her waist so that she was curled into a
ball. Racking laughter still came from her but she was trying
desperately to breathe. All she could get were small gasps and her
sides hurt horribly.
She heard Darien laugh from above her and she felt him reach
around her waist and pull her over so she wasn't in a ball any
longer. He had knelt down beside her and brought her up so that
she lay against his chest. She still laughed but not nearly as much.
Her breathing slowly recovered and she simply laid there in his
arms.
When the pain in her sides dissipated she slowly sat up and moved
out of his grasp. "You realize you nearly killed me don't you?"
she asked with venom dripping in her voice.
He chucked again at her and simply shrugged. "Sorry," he
muttered.
"Sorry! I'll show you Sorry!" She punched him rather hard in the
ribs and managed to only make her hand hurt for the trouble. "I'll
find a way to make you pay for that!" she said instead.
He laughed again and snagged her while she was attempting to
stand up. She fell again into his embrace and he held there. He sat
back against the low coffee table and leaned her against him. She
rather ungracefully pulled her skirt down as far as she could.
Sitting on the floor was not the most ladylike place to be wearing a
skirt like that.
"I'm sorry," he whispered to her quietly. "I didn't mean to giggle
you to death."
"Well, you almost killed me," she grumbled.
"Actually no. You would have run out of air and passed out. You
wouldn't have died, you would have just looked like it for a
while."
"Oh what a happy thought! And you find this amusing."
"Well you certainly found mine amusing."
She laughed again at the memory. "Yours was amusing. Do you
really think I would try something to you?"
"I don't know. But I don't want to find out."
"What?!" She pushed away from him and looked up into his eyes.
"I wouldn't even want to try something like that and you know it!"
"Do I?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You give the man one compliment and he doesn't trust you
anymore! And you said you'd always trust me," she said with a
pout.
"First off, that was not meant as a compliment and you know it.
And second of all, I will always trust you. Just not where certain
things are involved."
"Oh, so this is a conditional type of trust. I see."
He smiled at her and pulled her closer again. "My heart and my
soul I trust you with, it's the rest of me that I have a harder time
turning over to you."
"Usually it's the other way around," she smiled.
"I know. But you've already taken those two without my consent
so I'm trying very hard to hang on to the rest." He wrapped his
arms tighter around her and placed his chin over the top of one of
her 'meatballs'. She easily slid into his embrace and stayed there.
"Anything I've taken from you is just in retaliation for what
you've stolen from me."
"Not stolen. Borrowed."
"Borrowed?" she repeated a little confused by the statement.
"Yes. Without the intention of returning."
She laughed easily with him. "Isn't that the same as steeling?"
"No, because some day you may want them back and I'll be forced
to give them to you." He sounded just a little softer and more
serious.
"I won't ask for them back," she said easily. "Because I want a
promise from you."
"A promise?"
"Yes, I want you to promise me that twenty years from now you'll
still be on my couch, or floor in this case, and you'll still be mean
and cruel to me."
There was a short pause. "Twenty years is a long time to keep this
up—"
"No." She pushed herself away from him just enough to look at
him. "I want us to always be close. I mean if we're going to work
together all the time it's bound to happen anyway."
"And what happens when Mr. Right comes along, sweeps you off
your feet, and decides he'd rather have this beauty locked away at
home with his children? Not to mention frowning on someone
who berates his wife on her own sofa. Where do I fit in then?"
She was off balanced by his words. Something in them carried a
knife right through her heart. For a minute she felt fear. Real and
emotional fear. "It'll never happen," she breathed.
"Yes it will. You're too young, beautiful, and full of life to not
have it happen. Sure some of those things won't. But we will
grow apart."
"No! I—"
"Nothing you can do to stop it. Change can't change, remember?"
he asked looking straight into her eyes. This was not something
new to him. He had probably thought this all through many times
before. But it was new to her and she didn't like it at all.
"I don't want us to split apart. Darien, I need you…" She stopped
not knowing how to say what she felt.
"No, you won't someday. Until then, I'll be here." He gently
pulled her back to him. "Until then, just let me hold you close."
_____________
@}--- "Nothing is so strong as gentleness; Nothing so
gentle as real strength." -Francis de Sales.