3 months later
"I'm glad your back Sere." Alex said sitting down at Serena's kitchen table in her new apartment.
"So am I." Serena replied quietly setting tea on the table.
"I found a teaching job at a nearby school." Serena said.
Alex had gotten used to the way her cousin spoke by now, Jordan and Annie haven been taken away from Serena had really effected her. Serena's voice held a twinge of sadness in it. Her manner was different, she was more distant to everyone, she didn't talk to many people and it was hard to catch the words she did say, the sadness in her voice softened it and the mixture of a Japanese accent and Georgian accent it was almost impossible to hear her.
"When does school start again?" Alex asked.
"2 weeks. They were really pushing it when they hired me I guess." Serena replied.
3 years later
Serena sat at her table across from Darien they were going over the invitation list for their wedding. Darien took a deep breath he had to ask this question and at this moment the words hung over the room, he knew Serena was expecting it. "Are Jordan and Annie going to be able to make it to the wedding?"
Serena stood up and walked over to the refrigerator "They can't make. Or that's what Edward said when I called and asked him." Serena looked at the pictures of the twin 9 year olds on the refrigerator; Annie wore her black hair in a short but stylish bob, she wore a white shirt with a butterfly on the front and a pair of jean shorts, Jordan wore her hair to her waist and she wore a pair of pink capris with three darker flowers going up the side of one pant leg and a white sleeveless shirt that tied at the waist.
Darien encircled his arms around her waist, Serena leaned against him for support "I miss them so much. I have missed so much of their lives. I get lots of letters from them still Darien, telling of how they would rather live with me. Edward doesn't hurt them, but he is never around and that witch of a wife he has…" Serena let her sentence trail. "Neither of them Edward or Elaine want them to have anything to do with me. But I think they realize that they can't cut off the letters, even though they have cut off any other communication. They still call me Momma though Darien. I fell terrible sometimes though, they refuse to call Edward Dad, or even Father."
"It's not your fault they choose to do that." Darien responded.
"But I think Elaine and Edward blame me for it. I'm sorry," Serena said softly "I didn't mean to do this. I didn't mean to get upset about them, I need to get used to the fact that they aren't my daughters."
Darien turned Serena around to face him "Don't say that. Those girls have been your daughters since they moved in with you and they always will be your daughters. In just that week I spent with you it was obvious how much they adore you. You mean everything to them, and one of these days you will get to be with them. I promise you that."
2 and a half years after the wedding (AN sorry I skipped the wedding…I'm not good at weddings.)
As Serena walked over to the refrigerator looking at the pictures, she placed a hand on her swollen abdomen, 'Baby, I hope you get to meet your sisters sometime' Serena thought quietly. The refrigerator held 3 main pictures, the first was of 21 month old Rini, the last 2 were of 12 year old Annie and Jordan. Annie wore flare white jeans with a blue and white halter top, Jordan in pale blue spaghetti strap dress with white daisy's decorating it. The phone rang and Serena hurried quickly to it before it could wake up the napping Rini.
"Hello?"
"Momma?"
There were only 2 people in the whole world who called Serena that. Serena sank into the closest chair, it was definitely Annie "Annie what's wrong?" Despite the fact that the girls were older now there were rarely ever phone calls exchanged by the separated mother and daughters. Serena heard a sniffle on the other end of the phone line. "Annie baby what's wrong?"
"Jordan was in a car accident." Annie said. "I wanted to tell you myself." Annie could barely choke out the words.
"Annie is your father there? Can I talk to him." Serena heard the phone being passed around. "Edward what happened to Jordan?"
"Jordan was coming home from tennis practice with a friend and the car was hit by a drunk driver." Edward's voice held no emotion.
"How bad is Jordan?" Fear clutched at Serena's heart.
"Pretty bad. They give her a 50-50 chance of living."
"I'm coming to Colorado." Serena said her voice left no room for compromise.
After hanging up with Edward she immediately called Darien "Mrs. Shields your husband is in a meeting."
"Jodi please, I need to speak to him immediately." Jodi, Darien's secretary must have picked up on the urgency in Serena's voice.
"Serena what's wrong are you OK? Is Rini OK?" Darien asked.
"Darien me and Rini are fine. But Annie called several minutes ago, Jordan as in a car accident."
Serena could hear Darien's sharp intake of breath "Listen I will make plans for us to be there. See if Rei could keep Rini while we are in Colorado."
"I'm glad your back Sere." Alex said sitting down at Serena's kitchen table in her new apartment.
"So am I." Serena replied quietly setting tea on the table.
"I found a teaching job at a nearby school." Serena said.
Alex had gotten used to the way her cousin spoke by now, Jordan and Annie haven been taken away from Serena had really effected her. Serena's voice held a twinge of sadness in it. Her manner was different, she was more distant to everyone, she didn't talk to many people and it was hard to catch the words she did say, the sadness in her voice softened it and the mixture of a Japanese accent and Georgian accent it was almost impossible to hear her.
"When does school start again?" Alex asked.
"2 weeks. They were really pushing it when they hired me I guess." Serena replied.
3 years later
Serena sat at her table across from Darien they were going over the invitation list for their wedding. Darien took a deep breath he had to ask this question and at this moment the words hung over the room, he knew Serena was expecting it. "Are Jordan and Annie going to be able to make it to the wedding?"
Serena stood up and walked over to the refrigerator "They can't make. Or that's what Edward said when I called and asked him." Serena looked at the pictures of the twin 9 year olds on the refrigerator; Annie wore her black hair in a short but stylish bob, she wore a white shirt with a butterfly on the front and a pair of jean shorts, Jordan wore her hair to her waist and she wore a pair of pink capris with three darker flowers going up the side of one pant leg and a white sleeveless shirt that tied at the waist.
Darien encircled his arms around her waist, Serena leaned against him for support "I miss them so much. I have missed so much of their lives. I get lots of letters from them still Darien, telling of how they would rather live with me. Edward doesn't hurt them, but he is never around and that witch of a wife he has…" Serena let her sentence trail. "Neither of them Edward or Elaine want them to have anything to do with me. But I think they realize that they can't cut off the letters, even though they have cut off any other communication. They still call me Momma though Darien. I fell terrible sometimes though, they refuse to call Edward Dad, or even Father."
"It's not your fault they choose to do that." Darien responded.
"But I think Elaine and Edward blame me for it. I'm sorry," Serena said softly "I didn't mean to do this. I didn't mean to get upset about them, I need to get used to the fact that they aren't my daughters."
Darien turned Serena around to face him "Don't say that. Those girls have been your daughters since they moved in with you and they always will be your daughters. In just that week I spent with you it was obvious how much they adore you. You mean everything to them, and one of these days you will get to be with them. I promise you that."
2 and a half years after the wedding (AN sorry I skipped the wedding…I'm not good at weddings.)
As Serena walked over to the refrigerator looking at the pictures, she placed a hand on her swollen abdomen, 'Baby, I hope you get to meet your sisters sometime' Serena thought quietly. The refrigerator held 3 main pictures, the first was of 21 month old Rini, the last 2 were of 12 year old Annie and Jordan. Annie wore flare white jeans with a blue and white halter top, Jordan in pale blue spaghetti strap dress with white daisy's decorating it. The phone rang and Serena hurried quickly to it before it could wake up the napping Rini.
"Hello?"
"Momma?"
There were only 2 people in the whole world who called Serena that. Serena sank into the closest chair, it was definitely Annie "Annie what's wrong?" Despite the fact that the girls were older now there were rarely ever phone calls exchanged by the separated mother and daughters. Serena heard a sniffle on the other end of the phone line. "Annie baby what's wrong?"
"Jordan was in a car accident." Annie said. "I wanted to tell you myself." Annie could barely choke out the words.
"Annie is your father there? Can I talk to him." Serena heard the phone being passed around. "Edward what happened to Jordan?"
"Jordan was coming home from tennis practice with a friend and the car was hit by a drunk driver." Edward's voice held no emotion.
"How bad is Jordan?" Fear clutched at Serena's heart.
"Pretty bad. They give her a 50-50 chance of living."
"I'm coming to Colorado." Serena said her voice left no room for compromise.
After hanging up with Edward she immediately called Darien "Mrs. Shields your husband is in a meeting."
"Jodi please, I need to speak to him immediately." Jodi, Darien's secretary must have picked up on the urgency in Serena's voice.
"Serena what's wrong are you OK? Is Rini OK?" Darien asked.
"Darien me and Rini are fine. But Annie called several minutes ago, Jordan as in a car accident."
Serena could hear Darien's sharp intake of breath "Listen I will make plans for us to be there. See if Rei could keep Rini while we are in Colorado."