Sweet Surrender
Chapter 6/?
By Elisabeth James
liz221@ameritech.net
Ahh yes! Your eyes are not deceiving you, this is
another chapter of Sweet Surrender in your mailbox!
This is in honor of EMSiT Day, I actually started this fic
LAST year on EMSiT Day. This just goes to show how
long it takes me to get my act together and write!
I know a lot of people were happy to see Serena
and Darien finally hook up. Well... you'll have to read to
see what happens in this chapter. I recently went to see
the musical Les Miserables and let's just say that
listening to the song "On My Own" twenty million times
has put me in a less than stellar place.
Disclaimer: SM isn't mine
~* Chapter 6- That Fading Magic *~
Serena buried her face deeper into the crook of
Darien's neck. The spicy scent of his cologne teased her
nostrils and she let out a sigh of contentment.
"You're so warm..." She whispered, wanting to
stay in his embrace forever. The world didn't seem so
ugly when she was in his arms, everything just seemed to
melt away.
Darien's arm wrapped tighter around her slim
waist, drawing her ever closer to him. A movie blared in
the background on Darien's TV but neither of them were
really paying attention.
"I don't ever want to get up." Serena told him,
closing her eyes and listening to the rhythm of Darien's
calm breathing.
"I don't think I want to let you get up. Let's just
stay here for the rest of eternity." she giggled softly and
felt his lips gently start to tease hers.
"Whoa! What's going on in here?" Mehg's voice
cut through air like a knife and Serena quickly pulled out
of Darien's embrace and moved to the end of the bed.
"Mehg, wonderful timing. As always." Darien
grumbled as stood up. Mehg laughed as he attempted to
smooth some of the wrinkles out of his shirt.
"Well I do try, after all I have no life of my own.
I have to use yours once and awhile for entertainment
purposes." Serena smiled at her friend's sarcasm, "I
actually just came up here to tell you Darien that father
just got home."
Immediately Darien's expression turned stormy
and his eyes turned cold, "I thought he wasn't due home
until the end of the month."
Mehg's expression also turned solemn, "He
finished his work in London early. He's waiting for you
downstairs, he said he needed to talk to you about the
future." Darien nodded and started to leave the room,
"Darien, you might want to put on a different shirt." he
scowled at his sister and gently pushed her out of the
room.
"Serena, do you think-"
Serena cut him off, "Say no more, I'm going. I'll
be in Mehg's room waiting for you to return." she kissed
him quickly and left the room. Darien closed the door
behind her. He sat down on his bed, his head in his
hands.
His father was home, after six months of freedom.
And he wanted to pick up right where he had left off
before he left, talking about Darien taking control of his
company in the near future. He wasn't equipped to deal
with this right now, he didn't want to mess up the happy
state of his life. Everything was so perfect with Serena
and now his life was going to fall to pieces again.
Knowing he couldn't put off the confrontation, he
changed his shirt and charged downstairs into battle.
"I can't believe my dad's home." Mehg muttered
as she sat down on the bed.
"Darien didn't look happy when you told him."
Serena glanced up from the magazine she was reading
and saw her friend's nervous expression.
"That's because he wasn't happy, Darien wasn't
all that upset when dad left six months ago. He was
happy to finally have some breathing room, he was under
a lot of pressure." Serena put down her magazine and
turned her full attention to Mehg.
"Pressure? Why?"
Mehg grinned, "Darien is the future of this family,
he'll take over the company some day. He has to be
ready for that kind of responsibility." she said in an
austere voice. "He must never do anything that might
disgrace the family."
"I remember him mentioning something about his
father the day after we met. He told me that your dad
wanted him to take over Harrison Enterprises and that he
really didn't want to."
"Oh, he doesn't. Darien would much rather do
something else with his life. I don't think that my dad
would be so forceful about the whole thing if Darien
wasn't so good at business. He's got the mind for it and
the attitude. He even told me one time that he enjoyed it,
I think his resistance to the idea of taking over the
company is because dad pushes him so hard."
Serena nodded, completely understanding what
Mehg meant. "Has he ever explained this to your dad?"
"Dad has never listened to him, he doesn't care
what Darien wants. He thinks that he knows what's best
for him. Dad is the whole reason that Darien goes to
Princeton and studies business instead of staying closer to
home and studying what he really wants to study."
Serena glanced up at the clock on Mehg's
nightstand, "Yikes! I've gotta get going, my mom is
expecting me home for dinner."
"Maybe you could eat with us tonight, I think
Darien could use some support." Mehg looked at her
friend, silently pleading with her not to go.
"I can't, mom says I spend too much time over
here as is. She'll flip if I don't come home again."
Serena rifled around in her purse for her keys, "Crap! I
forgot that Darien picked me up this afternoon, my car is
back in the shop again." Mehg handed Serena the phone.
"Call your mother, eat over here."
Serena shook her head, "You never give up do
you?"
"Okay, stay calm and don't worry. My father
might look intimidating but he's really not that bad. But
whatever you do, don't mention what you think about
Darien taking over Harrison Industries." Serena nodded
and repeated Mehg's words of caution over and over in
her head. She smoothed out the red silk skirt that Mehg
had lent her and picked a small lint ball off her sweater.
Tonight's dinner was going to be more special than
normal since they were celebrating their father's
homecoming.
Mehg pulled Serena down the stairs and lead her
into the dining room. Everything looked more
appropriate for a ball rather than just a family dinner.
Darien looked a little more than startled to see Serena
sitting down next to him at the table. She smiled
reassuringly and patted his hand under the table.
Mehg cleared her throat, "Dad, this is my best
friend Serena. She also happens to be Darien's new
girlfriend." Serena smiled nervously as she got her first
good look at Mr. Harrison. He was a tall
broad-shouldered man with dark brown hair and pircing
gray eyes. He reminded her of a teacher she had
freshman year who always made her feel intimidated and
extremely tense every day during class.
"It's nice to finally meet you Mr. Harrison." he
nodded curtly and turned to Darien.
"What happened to Rachael?"
Darien glanced at Serena, who looked sick with
anger and panic and then back to father, "She dumped me
earlier this summer."
"How long have you two been going out?" Mr.
Harrison turned his cold gaze to Serena this time.
"A- almost a month now." she felt Darien's hand
cover hers under the table, trying to pour some strength
into her.
"Well I welcome you into the Harrison household.
You do look familiar, have I met you before?"
Serena wasn't used to this kind of rapid
interrogation, "You probably have sir, my mother is the
head gardener of your estate."
Mr. Harrison's eyes narrowed as he remembered
the girl from a function a couple of summers ago. She
had been impertinent and rude while insulting all of them
for not paying her mother enough.
"Ahh yes, Mrs. Bancroft, she's a wonderful
gardener. Does a fantastic job keeping the place up. It's
a shame she isn't as good at raising well mannered
children." he raised a glass of water to his mouth,
watching her reaction over the brim.
Serena knew what he was referring to and her
mouth fell open, she could feel the anger rising up in her
system. Darien's hand gripped hers tightly, silently
urging her not to say anything disrespectful in reply.
"I have grown up since that party sir, I tend to
speak before I think at times. It's like my mouth has a
mind of it's own." she smiled sweetly at him, while
dreaming of stabbing the older man with his dinner fork.
The food arrived just then and everyone at the
table was more preoccupied with eating than making
conversation. A tense silence clung to the atmosphere,
making Serena afraid of making any kind of mistake.
She quietly observed Darien's mother who had been
completely silent all during the meal. She hadn't even
raised her eyes from her plate.
Mehg finally spoke and broke the quiet, "Serena
is a fantastic artist dad, you should see her artwork. It's
incredible."
"You enjoy painting Serena?" Mr. Harrison asked
her.
Serena genuinely smiled this time, "It's my
favorite thing to do. I hope to study art in Europe this
school year on a special scholorship I applied for at the
beginning of this summer. I want to be an artist when I
grow up."
"What a frivolous career choice, why not study
something that's useful like business or law?"
Serena narrowed her eyes at him, "I don't like
business or law, I like to paint. And I'm not the only one
who doesn't like business at this table." Darien's eyes
widened at what he knew Serena was going to say next,
"Mehg doesn't care for it either." she glanced at Darien
and watched his expression go from one of dread to one
of barely concealed amusement.
"Yes I know that Mehg hates business. She's
terrible at it anyways. Darien on the other hand is a born
business man, he'll make a fine president someday when
I retire." Mr. Harrison boasted, "I imagine that he'll be
the most eligible bachelor in America one day, if he isn't
already. He's smart, handsome and rich, isn't that right
Serena? Perfect for any girl who's just looking to do
something useless with her life."
The table fell into a state of shock, tears of
humiliation springing into Serena's eyes, "You know
what, it's getting late. I- I should probably get going. I'll
just go call my mom and have her come pick me up."
With her body shaking, she stood up and pushed in her
chair, "Thank you for the lovely meal, everything was
wonderful Mrs. Harrison. Good night Mehg, Darien."
She walked calmly into the kitchen and picked up
the receiver before a large hand gently placed it back in
it's cradle. "I'll take you home Serena, there's no need to
make your mother come all the way out here." Darien's
soft voice immediately made Serena's resistance crack
and she felt the tears start to stream down her cheeks.
Darien lead her outside and sat her down on a
bench on the back porch. "Please don't cry darling."
H- how can he say such mean, hateful things like
that? How can you live with him, how can you stand
him?" Darien's weight settled next to her on the bench
and his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Her head fell
onto his shoulder and she buried her hot face in the crick
of his neck.
"He says those things because he's Richard
Harrison. The most important thing to him is power;
power in the business world and power over the people
around him. He lives to hurt and crush people, it makes
him feel validated, better about himself. Even when it is
just hurting the feelings of a teenaged girl who his son
loves."
"Does he always say things like that?"
Darien chuckled, "All the time, I'm usually his
main punching bag. Tonight he was just trying to
convince himself that you were a gold digger, someone
only after me because of my wealth and power. He
thinks that my mom is the same way. I think that in her
younger days she was probably like that and my dad
realized too late. He knew what kind of scandal a
divorce would cause so he just continued to stay married
to her. He's convinced himself that that is the only
reason anyone would love me. The only exception I've
found was with Rachael because she was already rich."
Serena turned her head up to look at him, "You
know that I love you because of you, not because of your
money right?" she was so serious that Darien didn't dare
laugh at her question.
"Of course I know that, I knew that my money
didn't mean anything to you the moment I met you. You
were never in a rush to get into a relationship with me, I
was the one trying to rush you into one. The whole
reason I started to fall for you in the first place was
because you were so unaffected by my family's place in
society. When I talk to my dad tonight I'm going to
explain that to him and make him see that you're not like
anyone else I've ever met." he brushed a stray tear from
her cheek with his thumb and kissed her forehead. "Now
let's get you home."
He helped Serena to her feet and escorted her to
his car and opened the door for her. She climbed
carefully into the car and watched Darien walk around
and get in. A few seconds later, they were on the way
back to Serena's house.
Mehg crouched outside the door of her father's
study, her knees curled up to her chest, her chin propped
up on top of them. There had been a shouting match
going on behind the thick oak door for the last two hours.
Darien had come home from driving Serena home and
had immediately confronted his father.
Mehg had parked herself in the dark corner, still
within earshot of the conversation, right after the door
slammed shut. Their father, as always, didn't care what
Darien wanted or who he loved and for the last two hours
had insisted that he was right about Serena and Darien's
future.
A silent suddenly fell over the room and Mehg
strained her ears for any sound or movement. Without
warning the door suddenly flew open and Darien charged
out. There was a cold glint in his eyes and every inch of
his muscular frame screamed of someone about to lose
his sanity.
"Darien if you would just grow up and listen to
what I'm saying. I'm your father and I know what's best
for you. If it hadn't have been for my help and insistence
you would be a no one. You're poised to take over the
greatest industrial empire man has ever built and you
want to throw everything away! What is wrong with you?
I leave for six months and suddenly you've become
someone I barely recognize." Richard Harrison's voice
turned cold, "You start seeing the gardener's daughter-"
Darien spun around and took a step toward his
father, his fists bawled up, "Leave Serena out of this!" he
said in a low, menacing tone, "You can attack me all you
want but leave my girlfriend alone." the color abruptly
left Darien's face and his shoulders drooped with
exhaustion, "Dad, you didn't listen to a word I said in
that study did you? I don't want your life! I'm not you! I
never wanted the company or even the Harrison name.
My wishes haven't changed from when you left, you
finally opened your eyes to see my opposition to your
plan for my life. I'm sorry that you can see or accept that
but I don't want to live in your shadow anymore."
Mehg leaned forward to watch her father's
reaction to Darien's confession. The older man seemed
to age five years before her eyes, there was a tiredness
that had suddenly permeated his aura of power and
control.
"I'm sorry if I've made you feel like that Darien.
I guess I only saw so much potential in you to be a great
business that I didn't want to see you waste it on
something that wasn't worthy of your genius." he paused
to study his son's face for a moment, "A man always
wants what's best for his family and I wanted to give you
and Mehg the world when you two were born. I've
worked my entire life to reach the point where I am now.
I didn't want to accept that you didn't want what I
worked so hard to give you. I'll try to be better from now
on, more accepting of what you want for your life. And
I'll apologize to your lovely girlfriend tomorrow when
she comes over, I said some very nasty things tonight that
I'm not proud of. I'm sorry I've made such a mess of
things."
"It's never too late to fix mistakes and change the
future, if that's what you really want." Darien's level
gaze followed his father's nodding head. He then turned
his face to the dark corner where his sister was huddled,
watching everything unfold with rapt attention. "Well it's
late and I need to get some sleep. Mehg, the show's over
for the evening." Mehg cursed under her breath before
standing up.
"Night Daddy." she pressed a kiss on the older
man's cheek and raced up the stairs before Darien could
catch her.
As Darien trudged up the stairs to his bedroom,
things finally felt right to him. Tomorrow he would have
Serena come over and his father could set right the
wrongs he had committed. He tumbled into bed and fell
into a blissful sleep.
Of course things always do look brightest before
the darkness falls.
~* To be continued... *~
A special thanks to Meredith for her editing skills
and Mehg for all her advice. With all the help she gives
me with this fic, she should probably be a co-author!
Liz
Chapter 6/?
By Elisabeth James
liz221@ameritech.net
Ahh yes! Your eyes are not deceiving you, this is
another chapter of Sweet Surrender in your mailbox!
This is in honor of EMSiT Day, I actually started this fic
LAST year on EMSiT Day. This just goes to show how
long it takes me to get my act together and write!
I know a lot of people were happy to see Serena
and Darien finally hook up. Well... you'll have to read to
see what happens in this chapter. I recently went to see
the musical Les Miserables and let's just say that
listening to the song "On My Own" twenty million times
has put me in a less than stellar place.
Disclaimer: SM isn't mine
~* Chapter 6- That Fading Magic *~
Serena buried her face deeper into the crook of
Darien's neck. The spicy scent of his cologne teased her
nostrils and she let out a sigh of contentment.
"You're so warm..." She whispered, wanting to
stay in his embrace forever. The world didn't seem so
ugly when she was in his arms, everything just seemed to
melt away.
Darien's arm wrapped tighter around her slim
waist, drawing her ever closer to him. A movie blared in
the background on Darien's TV but neither of them were
really paying attention.
"I don't ever want to get up." Serena told him,
closing her eyes and listening to the rhythm of Darien's
calm breathing.
"I don't think I want to let you get up. Let's just
stay here for the rest of eternity." she giggled softly and
felt his lips gently start to tease hers.
"Whoa! What's going on in here?" Mehg's voice
cut through air like a knife and Serena quickly pulled out
of Darien's embrace and moved to the end of the bed.
"Mehg, wonderful timing. As always." Darien
grumbled as stood up. Mehg laughed as he attempted to
smooth some of the wrinkles out of his shirt.
"Well I do try, after all I have no life of my own.
I have to use yours once and awhile for entertainment
purposes." Serena smiled at her friend's sarcasm, "I
actually just came up here to tell you Darien that father
just got home."
Immediately Darien's expression turned stormy
and his eyes turned cold, "I thought he wasn't due home
until the end of the month."
Mehg's expression also turned solemn, "He
finished his work in London early. He's waiting for you
downstairs, he said he needed to talk to you about the
future." Darien nodded and started to leave the room,
"Darien, you might want to put on a different shirt." he
scowled at his sister and gently pushed her out of the
room.
"Serena, do you think-"
Serena cut him off, "Say no more, I'm going. I'll
be in Mehg's room waiting for you to return." she kissed
him quickly and left the room. Darien closed the door
behind her. He sat down on his bed, his head in his
hands.
His father was home, after six months of freedom.
And he wanted to pick up right where he had left off
before he left, talking about Darien taking control of his
company in the near future. He wasn't equipped to deal
with this right now, he didn't want to mess up the happy
state of his life. Everything was so perfect with Serena
and now his life was going to fall to pieces again.
Knowing he couldn't put off the confrontation, he
changed his shirt and charged downstairs into battle.
"I can't believe my dad's home." Mehg muttered
as she sat down on the bed.
"Darien didn't look happy when you told him."
Serena glanced up from the magazine she was reading
and saw her friend's nervous expression.
"That's because he wasn't happy, Darien wasn't
all that upset when dad left six months ago. He was
happy to finally have some breathing room, he was under
a lot of pressure." Serena put down her magazine and
turned her full attention to Mehg.
"Pressure? Why?"
Mehg grinned, "Darien is the future of this family,
he'll take over the company some day. He has to be
ready for that kind of responsibility." she said in an
austere voice. "He must never do anything that might
disgrace the family."
"I remember him mentioning something about his
father the day after we met. He told me that your dad
wanted him to take over Harrison Enterprises and that he
really didn't want to."
"Oh, he doesn't. Darien would much rather do
something else with his life. I don't think that my dad
would be so forceful about the whole thing if Darien
wasn't so good at business. He's got the mind for it and
the attitude. He even told me one time that he enjoyed it,
I think his resistance to the idea of taking over the
company is because dad pushes him so hard."
Serena nodded, completely understanding what
Mehg meant. "Has he ever explained this to your dad?"
"Dad has never listened to him, he doesn't care
what Darien wants. He thinks that he knows what's best
for him. Dad is the whole reason that Darien goes to
Princeton and studies business instead of staying closer to
home and studying what he really wants to study."
Serena glanced up at the clock on Mehg's
nightstand, "Yikes! I've gotta get going, my mom is
expecting me home for dinner."
"Maybe you could eat with us tonight, I think
Darien could use some support." Mehg looked at her
friend, silently pleading with her not to go.
"I can't, mom says I spend too much time over
here as is. She'll flip if I don't come home again."
Serena rifled around in her purse for her keys, "Crap! I
forgot that Darien picked me up this afternoon, my car is
back in the shop again." Mehg handed Serena the phone.
"Call your mother, eat over here."
Serena shook her head, "You never give up do
you?"
"Okay, stay calm and don't worry. My father
might look intimidating but he's really not that bad. But
whatever you do, don't mention what you think about
Darien taking over Harrison Industries." Serena nodded
and repeated Mehg's words of caution over and over in
her head. She smoothed out the red silk skirt that Mehg
had lent her and picked a small lint ball off her sweater.
Tonight's dinner was going to be more special than
normal since they were celebrating their father's
homecoming.
Mehg pulled Serena down the stairs and lead her
into the dining room. Everything looked more
appropriate for a ball rather than just a family dinner.
Darien looked a little more than startled to see Serena
sitting down next to him at the table. She smiled
reassuringly and patted his hand under the table.
Mehg cleared her throat, "Dad, this is my best
friend Serena. She also happens to be Darien's new
girlfriend." Serena smiled nervously as she got her first
good look at Mr. Harrison. He was a tall
broad-shouldered man with dark brown hair and pircing
gray eyes. He reminded her of a teacher she had
freshman year who always made her feel intimidated and
extremely tense every day during class.
"It's nice to finally meet you Mr. Harrison." he
nodded curtly and turned to Darien.
"What happened to Rachael?"
Darien glanced at Serena, who looked sick with
anger and panic and then back to father, "She dumped me
earlier this summer."
"How long have you two been going out?" Mr.
Harrison turned his cold gaze to Serena this time.
"A- almost a month now." she felt Darien's hand
cover hers under the table, trying to pour some strength
into her.
"Well I welcome you into the Harrison household.
You do look familiar, have I met you before?"
Serena wasn't used to this kind of rapid
interrogation, "You probably have sir, my mother is the
head gardener of your estate."
Mr. Harrison's eyes narrowed as he remembered
the girl from a function a couple of summers ago. She
had been impertinent and rude while insulting all of them
for not paying her mother enough.
"Ahh yes, Mrs. Bancroft, she's a wonderful
gardener. Does a fantastic job keeping the place up. It's
a shame she isn't as good at raising well mannered
children." he raised a glass of water to his mouth,
watching her reaction over the brim.
Serena knew what he was referring to and her
mouth fell open, she could feel the anger rising up in her
system. Darien's hand gripped hers tightly, silently
urging her not to say anything disrespectful in reply.
"I have grown up since that party sir, I tend to
speak before I think at times. It's like my mouth has a
mind of it's own." she smiled sweetly at him, while
dreaming of stabbing the older man with his dinner fork.
The food arrived just then and everyone at the
table was more preoccupied with eating than making
conversation. A tense silence clung to the atmosphere,
making Serena afraid of making any kind of mistake.
She quietly observed Darien's mother who had been
completely silent all during the meal. She hadn't even
raised her eyes from her plate.
Mehg finally spoke and broke the quiet, "Serena
is a fantastic artist dad, you should see her artwork. It's
incredible."
"You enjoy painting Serena?" Mr. Harrison asked
her.
Serena genuinely smiled this time, "It's my
favorite thing to do. I hope to study art in Europe this
school year on a special scholorship I applied for at the
beginning of this summer. I want to be an artist when I
grow up."
"What a frivolous career choice, why not study
something that's useful like business or law?"
Serena narrowed her eyes at him, "I don't like
business or law, I like to paint. And I'm not the only one
who doesn't like business at this table." Darien's eyes
widened at what he knew Serena was going to say next,
"Mehg doesn't care for it either." she glanced at Darien
and watched his expression go from one of dread to one
of barely concealed amusement.
"Yes I know that Mehg hates business. She's
terrible at it anyways. Darien on the other hand is a born
business man, he'll make a fine president someday when
I retire." Mr. Harrison boasted, "I imagine that he'll be
the most eligible bachelor in America one day, if he isn't
already. He's smart, handsome and rich, isn't that right
Serena? Perfect for any girl who's just looking to do
something useless with her life."
The table fell into a state of shock, tears of
humiliation springing into Serena's eyes, "You know
what, it's getting late. I- I should probably get going. I'll
just go call my mom and have her come pick me up."
With her body shaking, she stood up and pushed in her
chair, "Thank you for the lovely meal, everything was
wonderful Mrs. Harrison. Good night Mehg, Darien."
She walked calmly into the kitchen and picked up
the receiver before a large hand gently placed it back in
it's cradle. "I'll take you home Serena, there's no need to
make your mother come all the way out here." Darien's
soft voice immediately made Serena's resistance crack
and she felt the tears start to stream down her cheeks.
Darien lead her outside and sat her down on a
bench on the back porch. "Please don't cry darling."
H- how can he say such mean, hateful things like
that? How can you live with him, how can you stand
him?" Darien's weight settled next to her on the bench
and his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Her head fell
onto his shoulder and she buried her hot face in the crick
of his neck.
"He says those things because he's Richard
Harrison. The most important thing to him is power;
power in the business world and power over the people
around him. He lives to hurt and crush people, it makes
him feel validated, better about himself. Even when it is
just hurting the feelings of a teenaged girl who his son
loves."
"Does he always say things like that?"
Darien chuckled, "All the time, I'm usually his
main punching bag. Tonight he was just trying to
convince himself that you were a gold digger, someone
only after me because of my wealth and power. He
thinks that my mom is the same way. I think that in her
younger days she was probably like that and my dad
realized too late. He knew what kind of scandal a
divorce would cause so he just continued to stay married
to her. He's convinced himself that that is the only
reason anyone would love me. The only exception I've
found was with Rachael because she was already rich."
Serena turned her head up to look at him, "You
know that I love you because of you, not because of your
money right?" she was so serious that Darien didn't dare
laugh at her question.
"Of course I know that, I knew that my money
didn't mean anything to you the moment I met you. You
were never in a rush to get into a relationship with me, I
was the one trying to rush you into one. The whole
reason I started to fall for you in the first place was
because you were so unaffected by my family's place in
society. When I talk to my dad tonight I'm going to
explain that to him and make him see that you're not like
anyone else I've ever met." he brushed a stray tear from
her cheek with his thumb and kissed her forehead. "Now
let's get you home."
He helped Serena to her feet and escorted her to
his car and opened the door for her. She climbed
carefully into the car and watched Darien walk around
and get in. A few seconds later, they were on the way
back to Serena's house.
Mehg crouched outside the door of her father's
study, her knees curled up to her chest, her chin propped
up on top of them. There had been a shouting match
going on behind the thick oak door for the last two hours.
Darien had come home from driving Serena home and
had immediately confronted his father.
Mehg had parked herself in the dark corner, still
within earshot of the conversation, right after the door
slammed shut. Their father, as always, didn't care what
Darien wanted or who he loved and for the last two hours
had insisted that he was right about Serena and Darien's
future.
A silent suddenly fell over the room and Mehg
strained her ears for any sound or movement. Without
warning the door suddenly flew open and Darien charged
out. There was a cold glint in his eyes and every inch of
his muscular frame screamed of someone about to lose
his sanity.
"Darien if you would just grow up and listen to
what I'm saying. I'm your father and I know what's best
for you. If it hadn't have been for my help and insistence
you would be a no one. You're poised to take over the
greatest industrial empire man has ever built and you
want to throw everything away! What is wrong with you?
I leave for six months and suddenly you've become
someone I barely recognize." Richard Harrison's voice
turned cold, "You start seeing the gardener's daughter-"
Darien spun around and took a step toward his
father, his fists bawled up, "Leave Serena out of this!" he
said in a low, menacing tone, "You can attack me all you
want but leave my girlfriend alone." the color abruptly
left Darien's face and his shoulders drooped with
exhaustion, "Dad, you didn't listen to a word I said in
that study did you? I don't want your life! I'm not you! I
never wanted the company or even the Harrison name.
My wishes haven't changed from when you left, you
finally opened your eyes to see my opposition to your
plan for my life. I'm sorry that you can see or accept that
but I don't want to live in your shadow anymore."
Mehg leaned forward to watch her father's
reaction to Darien's confession. The older man seemed
to age five years before her eyes, there was a tiredness
that had suddenly permeated his aura of power and
control.
"I'm sorry if I've made you feel like that Darien.
I guess I only saw so much potential in you to be a great
business that I didn't want to see you waste it on
something that wasn't worthy of your genius." he paused
to study his son's face for a moment, "A man always
wants what's best for his family and I wanted to give you
and Mehg the world when you two were born. I've
worked my entire life to reach the point where I am now.
I didn't want to accept that you didn't want what I
worked so hard to give you. I'll try to be better from now
on, more accepting of what you want for your life. And
I'll apologize to your lovely girlfriend tomorrow when
she comes over, I said some very nasty things tonight that
I'm not proud of. I'm sorry I've made such a mess of
things."
"It's never too late to fix mistakes and change the
future, if that's what you really want." Darien's level
gaze followed his father's nodding head. He then turned
his face to the dark corner where his sister was huddled,
watching everything unfold with rapt attention. "Well it's
late and I need to get some sleep. Mehg, the show's over
for the evening." Mehg cursed under her breath before
standing up.
"Night Daddy." she pressed a kiss on the older
man's cheek and raced up the stairs before Darien could
catch her.
As Darien trudged up the stairs to his bedroom,
things finally felt right to him. Tomorrow he would have
Serena come over and his father could set right the
wrongs he had committed. He tumbled into bed and fell
into a blissful sleep.
Of course things always do look brightest before
the darkness falls.
~* To be continued... *~
A special thanks to Meredith for her editing skills
and Mehg for all her advice. With all the help she gives
me with this fic, she should probably be a co-author!
Liz