I really don't have anything to say at the moment except thank you for the reviews! I never expected to get this many reviews only a few days after I posted the first chapter, but hey...who am I to complain?

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Wounded Souls

Chapter five-Much Ado About Dresses

By: crystal rose

~*****************************~

"How about this dress, Serena?" Amy asked, pointing at a red sleeveless number. Serena took one look at the dress and wrinkled her nose, indicating her dislike for it. "Red is Raye's colour, Amy, not mine."

Amy sighed wearily. She and Serena had been looking for dresses to wear to the Charity Fundraiser Ball for the hospital ever since nine o'clock that morning. By the time two o'clock rolled around and Serena still couldn't find a dress she liked, even after having looked in every store in the mall _twice_, they took to the streets, checking every little boutique they happened upon. Amy herself had found a beautiful spaghetti-strapped blue silk chiffon dress that went down to her ankles and hugged her curves softly after checking the fourth store she went into. The price was reasonable and she already had matching shoes at home so she felt no need to prolong her search. Serena however...

"Please Serena, _choose_ something already! We've been walking around forever and my feet hurt. The ball's only three nights away and at the rate you're going, you'll be wearing nothing but your bunny pajamas and matching bathrobe!"

"Oh Ames, would you quit your bitching already? Geez, you're almost as bad as Raye when you're tired. Aren't you used to being on your feet all day?" Serena asked as she rummaged through the racks.

"I'm on my feet all day _when I'm working_. You seem to forget that this is the only day off I've had in a long time and this" she said, waving her arm through the air, motioning to the multitudes of dresses that Serena had tried on and rejected, "isn't how I expected to spend it."

"I told you to wear comfortable shoes Amy."

"These shoes _are_ comfortable! You know what isn't comfortable, Sere? The pavement! No matter how comfortable your shoes are, if you've been walking for six hours straight on the streets, they're going to start feeling like horseshoes nailed on your feet. _What's_ your problem? These are all perfectly good dresses!" Amy cried.

Serena sighed. 'Why _am_ I going through all this trouble to find a dress? It's not like I'm trying to impress someone...right?' She saw that she had gone through the entire store and still hadn't found anything. "Sorry, Ames. Nothing in this store." Seeing the look of pure horror on Amy's face, she hurriedly added, "I promise, one last store."

Amy's face brightened considerably. "You promise?" she asked in a small voice, not daring to believe that her prayers were about to be answered. Serena smiled and nodded as she walked out the door, leaving an irate saleswoman to clean up the mess she made of their store. Amy breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thank God."

Serena surveyed the stores beside the one that they had just come out of. They were all high-end stores that sold dresses way out of Serena's price bracket. Looking across the street, she saw more of the same. Disappointed, she turned to Amy and was about to tell her that her wish had come true one store early, when she saw it. A small discount vintage clothing store tucked away between two other exclusive boutiques, completely overshadowed by their presence. "There!"

Amy craned her neck to see what got Serena so excited. A dubious frown made its way across her forehead. "Vintage? Doesn't that mean the clothing's already been used? I don't know Sere..."

"I have no choice, Amy. I can't afford all this designer shit and you're too tired to look any further. Besides, it's not like people walked in, donated the clothes off their backs and put price tags on them. I'm sure they've been cleaned..." Pushing all thoughts about hygiene out of her mind, Serena grabbed Amy's hand and began to pull her in the direction of the store.

Having never bought anything from a used clothing store, Serena didn't know what to expect when she walked in. What she found were racks of clothing, in every style and size imaginable. She breezed through the men's section and walked straight to the ladies'. She flipped through the dresses in stock but found nothing she liked in her size. Sighing dejectedly, Serena turned around and was startled to find that the small Chinese woman sitting behind the counter when she first came in was now standing directly in front of her. "Oh, you scared me!"

The lady smiled kindly. "Sorry about that. May I help you with something?"

Serena shook her head. "I'm afraid not. All the dresses here are either not my style or not my size."

"Is there a special occasion coming up?"

"Yeah, this charity ball that my friend's hospital is hosting," she replied, motioning to Amy, who was busily scouring through the women's leather jackets a few racks away from Serena.

The lady grinned. "Is there a special someone you wanted to impress?" she asked slyly. Serena's eyes widened and glanced at Amy, who was luckily still out of earshot. "I was right. This man, handsome, yes?"

Serena blushed and nodded. "He's not my date or anything. We're just going to be sitting at the same table."

The woman winked. "I met my husband when we sat next to each other on the bus. We've been married forty-two years."

"Oh, I'm not looking for a husband."

The petite woman raised an eyebrow. "Who's saying you are? Come, I have perfect dress for you. Just arrived today. You are size three, yes?"

Serena nodded and allowed herself to be pulled to the back room where all new arrivals are stored until they can be sorted and priced after being cleaned. She watched as the storeowner rummaged through the various articles of clothing. "AHA!" she crowed triumphantly and walked back to Serena, holding a dress in her hands.

"This dress very special. Was my own dress when I was your age. Here, try it on."

Serena lifted the dress delicately from its owner's hands. It was a satin silver chung sam, (AN: I don't know if that's how you spell it, but it's a Chinese style dress with a mandarin collar and two side slits) with an elaborate flower pattern embroidered delicately in pink silk thread and black piping along the seams. "It's beautiful," she breathed, not daring to take her eyes off it, afraid that it would disappear. She hurried to a change room and slipped it on carefully. The dress accentuated her figure, enhancing her trim waist and flattering her ample bosom. Since the dress had a high collar, she wasn't worried about showing too much skin. Even the two slits going up the sides of the dress didn't bother her because they stopped at her knees. Serena stepped out of the tiny fitting room and saw both Amy and the saleslady waiting eagerly.

"Oh Sere! That dress is perfect! You _have_ to get it!" Amy cried. It's been years since she last saw Serena in a formal dress.

The lady agreed. "Yes. That is the dress for you."

Serena nodded happily. "How much is it?"

"For you, no charge."

"I can't...please, let me pay for it," she pleaded. The woman shook her head stubbornly.

"This dress made for you. I won't take no for answer." They quibbled about the price for another ten minutes before the woman finally let her pay twenty dollars for it. The woman watched as Amy skipped out of the store, happy that she was soon about to go home and that her friend had found the perfect dress, and placed her hand on Serena's arm.

"Good luck with your man. That dress was one I wear to my wedding." Serena blushed and nodded.

"Thank you so much for the dress," she said, giving the kind lady a hug goodbye. "But I'm not looking for a husband."

"That's what they all say."

~**********************************~

"Bye Ames! See you at the party!" Serena waved to her friend, who had just dropped her off at the Shields mansion. Amy tooted her horn in response and backed down the driveway. Serena watched until Amy was down the street before she turned and entered the house. She held the garment bag carefully so as not to step on the bottom of the dress, and proceeded to climb the stairs leading to her room.

"Hey Sere! Whatcha got there?" Serena paused mid-step upon hearing Darien's voice. She smiled, her heart starting to beat faster, and fought to maintain her look of cool composure.

"Wouldn't you like to know? It's my dress for the ball on Saturday," she replied. 'He's never going to love a woman like me. He deserves someone better.' The thought of Darien spending the rest of his life with another woman tore at her already fragile heart, causing her to flinch slightly, but not enough for Darien to notice.

Darien meanwhile, was standing at the bottom of the stairs, studying her face. 'I'm sure whatever dress she bought would look fantastic on her. Sere could wear a black garbage bag and flip flops and she would look like a goddess.' He ran up the steps two at a time, until he reached the step she was standing on. Darien glanced at the bag Serena was holding protectively against her chest, and for a moment, felt a wave of irrational jealously aimed at said bag. Shaking off his foolishness, he said, "so come on, out with it already. Let's have a look."

Serena raised an eyebrow in mock scorn. "Hell no. You'll see this dress along with everyone else at the ball, and no sooner. A girl's got to keep _some_ things to herself."

Darien pretended to pout pitifully, almost causing Serena to give in. Almost, but not quite. Seeing that she was resolute in keeping her dress a secret, Darien resorted to another tactic. "Give me a clue?"

Serena pretended to think about it as she climbed the rest of the way up the stairs with Darien following close behind. "Alright, I bought a wedding dress."

Darien stumbled in surprise. 'A wedding dress? For the ball?' "It's a charity ball, not a costume party, Serena. Does it come with a veil?"

Serena laughed, sending ripples down Darien's spine. "No, silly. I bought this dress at a vintage store. The owner sold it to me for twenty dollars and told me it was the dress she got married in."

"You bought a dress for twenty dollars? Don't we pay you enough?" Darien asked in genuine confusion. "If you didn't have enough, you should have said something-"

"_Of course_ you pay me enough! God, you guys pay me more than I've ever been paid before! I _did_ go to those designer places but I just didn't like the dresses they had. They all looked so hoity-toity I almost didn't recognize myself in them. When I looked in the mirror, I saw this unfamiliar grown-up staring back at me," she explained simply.

"No wonder you were gone all day. Girls are so picky when it comes to finding a dress," Darien said as they reached her door.

"That's where guys have it made. All they have to do is bust out the tuxedo and head out the door. They don't even have to worry about their hair! Amy and I spent _hours_ just finding the perfect dress. Granted, Amy found her dress after about an hour and since she already had the shoes, she was good to go. I, on the other hand, was harder to please. I dragged poor Amy around the entire mall twice, then dragged her eight blocks, looking in every single boutique we happened upon. By the time we got to the vintage store, Amy was cursing the day she had ever laid eyes on me with a vocabulary that would make a sailor jealous. But it was worth it. I love this dress," she said dreamily.

Darien stared at her as she clutched her dress tighter to herself. 'I'm sure that whatever it is, be it garbage bag or wedding dress, I'm going to love it because I love her.' He smiled softly at her. "You'll look great in it, Sere, as usual," he said huskily. Realizing what he'd just said and how he said it, he quickly added, "if you take out the food that's always in your mouth, that is."

"Hey!" she cried in mock indignation. She swatted his stomach, walked in her room, nose high in the air and slammed the door. A moment later, her door opened and Serena popped her head out. "Hey Dare?"

"Yes Sere?"

"See ya later for dinner?"

"You bet your ass you will," he replied, then groaned inwardly. 'Don't think about her ass. Don't think about her ass,' Darien chanted as he walked back into his room, pictures of Serena's ass flashing through his mind. Throwing his suit jacket on a chair, he reached out and dialed his friend's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey Drew. You got a minute?"

A rustling of papers could be heard before his friend spoke. "Sure Dare. What's up?"

Darien exhaled gloomily. "I'm in love."

"Excuse me?" his friend asked dryly.

"You heard me. I'm in love."

"Who's the flavour of the week _this_ time?" his friend mocked.

"I'll have you know that my Sere isn't just another conquest for me. She's...she's a goddess. She's perfect-the most beautiful creature in the whole world. Sere's the one Drew, I just know it," Darien babbled.

On the other end of the line, Drew raised his eyebrow. "So I take it your bachelor days are over? Will wonders never cease? Darien Shields, consummate bachelor, in love with a woman?"

Darien flopped on his bed and stared at the ceiling. "Yes, I'm in love. I'm so in love I can't think straight. I see her in everything around me. I look at the sun and see her golden hair. I hear her laugh and I do everything in my power to prolong that moment. I look at the sky and find myself comparing its colour to her eyes. I've been in love with her from the moment I saw her."

"This _is_ serious. I've never heard you act this way before Darien, and frankly, it's about time. It's high time a woman strung you along instead of it being the other way around," Drew said as he looked at a few files on his desk. "Have you asked her out yet?"

"That's the thing. I don't think she's interested. She's mentioned before that she's not in a relationship at the moment and she's not looking for one either. Take the hospital ball, for instance. She's not going with anyone, I'm not going with anyone and we're sitting at the same table. Now, if you were in her position, wouldn't you just naturally turn to me and call it a date between us? But no, she's insisting that she's not looking for a date-no matter how casual-for that night and I highly suspect for a long while."

At hearing that Darien was going to the ball, Drew straightened up. "_You're_ going to the ball? You must be _really_ hung up on this girl. I remember how much you bitched off for days because all those women were stalking you that night and how you practically bit their heads off five years ago. She must really be something."

"She's everything..." Darien sighed, picturing Serena in his arms beside him.

Drew was fighting the urge to gag over the phone. 'Oh geez. Darien's gone head over heels for this Sere. I wonder why she won't go out with him?'

"So Drew, you and Rita going to the ball? Maybe I can introduce you to Sere."

"Nah, I can think of better things to do on a Saturday night than hang around pretentious money-bags trying to beat each other out in the philanthropy department. I'm taking Rita out for a romantic evening involving a lot of wine, a tub of bubbles and very little clothing," Drew replied.

"Aw geez Drew, cut it out. Too much info...I don't know how Rita puts up with your ass day in and day out," he said, flipping on the TV and channel surfing.

"Hey, _you_ called me, not the other way around. I've had to listen to you extol the many virtues of this mysterious Sere for the duration of this call and the one time I mention my plans, you get all 'oh no, Drew...shut up Drew...'" he replied, half seriously, half in jest.

"I think you need to see a therapist, your work is beginning to take its toll," Darien said dryly, tossing the remote away after finding nothing good to watch.

"Very funny. Hold on, I've got another call," he said, putting Darien on hold. After a few seconds, Drew returned on the line. "Listen Dare, sorry to cut this short, but my last appointment of the day is here. We'll continue this some other time, okay?"

"Sure, no prob. Later," he said and hung up the phone. 'Hmm. I need to wind down and _not_ think of Sere and the various things she could be doing in there, all alone in the privacy of her room. The various, naughty things she could be doing in there...' Darien shook his head vigorously and smiled to himself. 'I need to cool off. I know! I'll go for a swim downstairs.' He grabbed his trunks from the dresser drawer and pulled them on before tying his robe around himself and making his way out the door.

Darien dove into the heated waters of the indoor pool and began to swim laps, thinking of everything but the beautiful nymph that had captured his heart. He sliced through the water with the grace of a dolphin. Darien had been swimming for a few minutes when he thought he heard a voice that stopped him mid-stroke.

He treaded water to stay afloat and watched as Serena carefully led Walter down the steps into the shallow end of the pool. She wore a modest one-piece suit that did nothing to hide her figure. Serena's golden hair shimmered down to her waist, covering her bare back, and Darien longed to run his fingers through it. He watched unnoticed as Serena showed his father how to do water aerobics. Even from where he was, Darien could hear his father uttering complaint after complaint about Serena's 'newfangled notions.'

"Listen girlie, I feel like a damn fool waving my arms about like some frou-frou ballerina. I demand you release me at once!" he grumbled.

Serena chuckled softly but not unkindly. "But Mr. Shields, water aerobics is a very good way of doing low-impact exercises. Besides, it's better than sweating it out in the gym everyday. If you stop now, you'll just undo all the hard work you've been doing for the past month and you don't want to do that, do you?" she asked gently.

Darien called out Serena's name, causing her to swivel around in surprise. He began swimming towards them quickly and smoothly, and stopped when he sensed someone's presence close by. "I was swimming in the deep end of the pool when I heard you guys come in and couldn't help overhearing your conversation. Dad, Serena's right. You've made so much progress ever since your stroke that it would be such a shame to let all that go to waste just because you feel ridiculous."

Serena turned around and blushed, for Darien was standing directly behind her. He was so close that all she had to do was take half a step backwards to lean against his chest. 'Does he know how he affects me, all glistening with water and oh so stud-muffinly? Does he know what he does to my insides when he's standing so close to me? Why does he have to be so gorgeous? Why does he have to have the complete package: the height, the smile-oh god the smile-the eyes, the charm and that damned hair that just makes me itch to run my fingers through it. Why couldn't he have _some_ flaw in him, like a beer belly, or a hideously hairy chest? Not just a typical hairy chest-that I could somehow deal with-but I mean _HAIRY_ all over, like a thick shag rug. You couldn't tell where the beard ended and the chest hair began, it's so thick. Why does he have to be so perfect while I'm so flawed?' Not realizing her actions, Serena turned to Darien and jabbed an accusing finger against his chest. "WHY?"

Darien almost fell backwards from the force of Serena's jab. "Why what?"

Serena, realizing for the first time what it is that she had done, turned as red as a tomato. She looked past his shoulder at the deep end, longing to sit out her embarrassment at the bottom of the pool. "Why...why...did you...sneak up on us like that? You scared me half to death!" Serena mentally slapped her forehead at her lame excuse.

"I didn't sneak up on you, Serena. Didn't you hear me calling your name from the other end? I could've sworn I saw you turn around and saw me heading your way," he replied.

"No, I most certainly did not. I was...showing your father how to...stretch his neck and back muscles," Serena said, begging Walter in her mind to agree with her for once.

Apparently, Walter had a death wish because instead of covering for her, he smiled evilly. Serena watched in trepidation as the gears in Walter's mind turned. "But girlie, you said, and I quote: 'look Mr. Shields, it's Darien.' Why are you pretending you didn't see him before?" he asked with as much innocence as he could muster.

Serena glared at him as Darien turned his attention back to her. "Stretches, huh?" he asked sardonically, arching his eyebrow at her.

Serena thought fast. She had to get both of them to focus on something else and forget their little exchange ever occurred. Turning to Walter, she uttered the first phrase that came to mind. "Puppy-kicker."

Serena watched Walter's face in smug satisfaction as Darien's own face paled. "Darien Beauford Bennett Shields! Is nothing sacred in this family? How could you tell girlie about that?" Walter roared, his face purple and his eyes bulging. Darien gulped nervously and waded farther away from his enraged father.

"Calm down, dad. You don't want to suffer another stroke, do you?"

"I'll show you _stroke_!" he replied, advancing towards his son before he felt Serena restraining him. "Let me go, girlie. I have a lesson to teach my _son_ about family loyalty," he threatened, struggling against her hold.

"Just a sec, Mr. Shields. I just want to clear the air of something. Are you telling me that Darien's middle name is Beauford?" she asked.

Again, that evil smile made its way across Walter's face as he nodded. "His mother wanted to name him after her grandfather. I told the Candace that the boy would be crushed to a pulp in school if she named him Beauford so we compromised. I would name the boy something more suitable, and she would get to keep _Beauford_ as his middle name. Never could resist that woman," he mused, more to himself than to the others. "So don't say I never did anything for you boy. If I didn't put my foot down, you wouldn't be alive to hear girlie over here laughing her fool head off about you being a Beauford."

Sure enough, Serena was laughing so hard tears were rolling down her face. What was it about the Shields men that made her laugh in a way she hadn't laughed in ten years? Walter and Darien smiled indulgently at her, reveling in the sound of her joyous laughter. Darien tried to look peeved at Serena, but one look at her shaking form threw all his resolve out the window. Darien signaled to his father when Serena wasn't looking and in one quick move, dunked her head underneath the water.

She came up sputtering and yelling obscenities at him, causing Darien and Walter to laugh at her good-naturedly. "You look like a drowned rat, girlie. Here, have some water to cool you off," Walter said as he splashed some water at her, causing a water fight between the three that lasted for ten minutes until Candace came looking for them when none of them showed up for dinner.

~************************************~

It was the night of the ball (AN: bet you thought I'd never get there, huh?) and Serena was putting the last touches of her outfit together. She wore her "new-old" dress and borrowed a pair of silver high heels from Candace. She wore a dangly pair of small, teardrop-shaped crystal earrings wrought in white gold which had been passed down to every first-born girl in their family for five generations and given to her by her mother when she turned eighteen. She kept her makeup to a minimum, opting for a strawberry coloured lip gloss instead of lipstick, and just a sweep of blush on her cheeks. Her hair was arrayed in a low bun, with a few loose tendrils framing her face. As a final touch, Serena tucked a single pink lily to the right side of the base of the bun. 'There, simple and elegant.'

She made her way down the hallway and started down the stairs where the Shields family had just begun to gather. The light reflected off her earrings, causing Darien to turn in her direction as she descended the stairs carefully. His breath caught in his throat as he watched her intently, committing her image to memory. Darien cleared his throat, causing Candace and Walter, who had been fussing about Walter's bow tie, to look up. What they saw was a vision gliding down the stairs bashfully.

"Oh Serena dear, you look wonderful!" Candace exclaimed. "Doesn't she, Walter?"

Walter scrutinized her from top to bottom before shrugging carelessly. "You clean up real well, girlie. Almost didn't recognize you."

Serena glanced at Darien out of the corner of her eye, waiting for his reaction. He was, after all, the reason she went to all that trouble to find the perfect dress. Serena blushed. 'Why doesn't he say anything?'

Darien, in the meanwhile, had to struggle to pick his jaw off the floor and push his bulging eyes back into their sockets. He gulped, searching for the perfect words that would complement his perfect Serena. "Who would have known a twenty dollar dress would end up making you look like a million bucks?"

Serena blushed even deeper as Candace and Walter watched the display that was playing out before them. "Thanks, Dare. You don't look so bad yourself." Indeed, he didn't. Darien looked even more dashing in his simple black tuxedo, complete with a white rose in his lapel.

"Uh, honey bear, I think I forgot to make some last-minute arrangements about the...food tonight. I have to go and make a phone call in the other room," Candace said, urging Walter to follow her lead by squeezing his hand rather painfully.

Walter sighed in surrender. 'Never could say no to this woman. That's why I finally agreed to go out with her when she was chasing me around in our teen years.' Looking at his lovely wife, who was glaring at him pointedly, he said, "why don't you two go on ahead without us in your car, son? You know your mother; this will probably take a while. We'll just have Thomas drive us there."

"Oh that's okay, Mr. Shields. We don't mind waiting for Candace," Serena replied innocently as Darien agreed with her.

Walter resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the clueless couple before him. "What makes you two think that I want you to wait for us? You're not the only Casanova in this house, Darien. For all you know, I could be waiting for you to leave us the hell alone so that I could have my way with my knock-out of a wife," he said, smacking Candace soundly on the ass, causing her to jump about three feet in the air.

Candace groaned in embarrassment. This was not what she had in mind when she asked her husband to stall. Darien grimaced, trying to block out the mental pictures that just popped up unwillingly in his head. 'Oh god, I think I'm going to throw up.'

Serena, however, smiled that huge smile of hers and winked saucily at Walter. "Ohh, you sly devil, you. I always knew you were just a softie at heart, and now I have the proof. All right, go ahead Candace. Make all the 'phone calls' you want. Darien and I'll just head to the ball on our own. See ya later," she said, waving coyly at the older couple behind her.

~**************************~

Darien and Serena stepped into the elegantly decorated ballroom and headed towards the table that they were assigned to sit at the door. Serena gazed around in wonder, taking in the beauty of the place. Palatial windows stretched from floor to ceiling throughout the room, giving a splendid view of the city below. Tiny white lights were strung on the topiaries that lined the walls and multitudes of votive candles and white roses made up the table centrepieces in the dimly lit ballroom. Soft music played over the loud speakers and Serena could see that there was a large dance floor in the centre of the room. She also saw a podium on the stage from which a runway jutted out onto the floor.

"Hey Dare, what's with the runway?" she asked, pointing to it.

"Oh that. Mom told me that apart from the ball itself acting as a fundraiser, there's also going to be a fashion show before the dinner to showcase the young designers in the city. The guests could purchase the clothes that are being modeled later on in the evening and the proceeds would go to the Cancer Fund," Darien explained.

"What would the designers get out of it if all the proceeds are being donated to charity?" she asked.

"Well, they'd get notoriety and have their works displayed in front of a crowd of people who hold a lot of influence in this town. They're really going for advertisement tonight, not profit, although that will come eventually if their work is any good." Darien spotted Amy sitting at a table with a strawberry blond haired man he assumed must have been her fiancé Zachary. "Look, there's Amy at our table already."

Serena followed Darien's gaze and saw the familiar blue-black head chatting animatedly with Zachary, whom she had seen in pictures Amy had sent her. "Ames!"

Hearing her name being called, Amy turned in her seat and saw Darien and Serena walking towards them. The couple stood up and the introductions began. "Serena, this is Zachary Harris. Zach, this is Serena Mathis, one of my best friends in the whole world, and Darien Shields, her friend," Amy said. Zachary, Serena and Darien all shook hands.

Darien frowned at Zach, trying to remember where he had seen him. "Pardon me, Zach, but have we met before?"

Zachary studied Darien's face before erupting into a smile. "Did you go to Harvard and stay in Camden Hall?" (AN: doesn't exist; just made it up)

"You're 'Zach the Mack,' aren't you?" Darien asked excitedly.

"And you're 'Bed-buster Shields!' How've you been?" Zach said.

Amy and Serena exchanged amused looks as Darien and Zach began to reminisce about old times in their old college dorm. Amy turned to her fiancé with a raised eyebrow. "'Zach the Mack?' I wasn't aware that you were a ladies' man back in college days, if you ever were," she asked with a hint of steel in her voice.

Zach gulped nervously. "Um, you see...er...it was the early nineties and I was far from home...don't be mad..."

Darien laughed. "It's not what you think Amy. Zach was the guy to call when it came time to move heavy objects around in our dorm because he used to lift weights and was the strongest guy there. Pretty soon, everyone started calling him 'Zach the Mack' after those eighteen-wheeler Mack trucks."

"What about you, 'Bed-buster?'" Serena asked.

Darien flushed and soon it was Zach's turn to laugh. "Oh he got that name when this obnoxious guy loosened the screws on his bed as an April Fool's Day prank. Darien and his roommate were standing on it because they were trying to change a light bulb when the bed fell apart, resulting a very noisy crash. Everyone that heard it and their screams of agony rushed into their room and found Darien and his roommate in a _very_ compromising position. Someone took a picture and the results were a front-page article entitled 'How many Fools does it take to screw in a light bulb?' and a very fitting nickname."

Serena and Amy laughed until they were blue in the face while Darien cursed Zach for bringing up that horrible name that took him five years to live down. After a few minutes of idle chitchat, the girls excused themselves to freshen up in the ladies' room.

Once they were in front of the mirror, Amy looked around to make sure that they were alone and turned to Serena expectantly. "What?"

"Well?"

"Well what?"

Amy sighed exaggeratedly at Serena. "What do you think about Zach?"

"He seems like a great guy, Ames. You two are perfect for each other. I couldn't be happier for you, Ames," she replied sincerely.

Amy beamed, glad that her fiancé had passed the quality control test. "I just wish that you could find someone like him."

Serena smiled sadly as she reapplied her lip-gloss. "You know I'm not looking, Ames." 'Not anymore now that I've found Darien.'

"What about Darien? He seems to really like you and the feeling is mutual, right? I've never seen you happier than when you're with him," Amy said.

Serena bit the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from crying. "Ames, you know my past. Even if we felt something for each other, it would never work out. Darien deserves someone better than a slut like me."

Amy shook her head firmly. "No Serena. Your past is the past. Don't blame yourself for what happened that night because it wasn't your fault. You didn't cause your father's death, Jake did."

At the mention of the night her father died, Serena paled and her stomach lurched. "Please Ames, can we not talk about this now? If I talk about that night, I'll never be able to go back out there and then Darien will insist on knowing what's going on. Please just drop it."

"You're right, Sere. I'm sorry for bringing it up. Are you okay now?" Amy asked gently, stroking Serena's back as she leaned on the sink for support. Serena took a few calming breaths and nodded her head. "Good. Let's go back to the table before the guys wonder what happened to us."

They had not gotten past the washroom door more than a few steps when a tall black-haired woman collided with Serena, knocking her against the wall. "Oh I'm really sorry!" she exclaimed, helping Serena on her feet again. "Please excuse me!"

"That's okay, no harm done. It was my fault too; I wasn't watching where I was going," Serena replied.

The woman took one look at Serena and gasped. "You're just the person I'm looking for!" she said, pulling on Serena's hand.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry, how rude of me. My name's Luna Farrington and I'm the organizer of the fashion show. One of my models is a no-show tonight and there's no one to fill in for her at such short notice. You're about her body size, even if you are a few inches shorter. Never mind, we'll just pin the hems up a bit so you won't trip."

"What makes you think I'm willing to fill in for your model?" Serena asked.

To her surprise, Luna clasped her hands together and furrowed her brows. "Please, please, please do this for me, Ms..."

"Serena Mathis."

"Ms. Mathis. You're my only hope. Damn Emerald was supposed to model three outfits tonight, including the showpiece of the Trista Meiou, one of the nurses who work at the hospital. It's always been her dream to become a fashion designer, and tonight's her debut. Please don't kill her dream by saying no," Luna begged.

Serena turned pleading eyes to Amy and silently begged her to get her out of this. "She'll do it, Ms. Farrington. Serena here used to do a bit of modeling before she entered middle school. Besides, it's for charity, right Sere?"

Serena sighed, defeated. "Alright Ms. Farrington, show me the way."

Luna breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Ms. Mathis. You don't know what this means to me. This way."

Serena followed Luna wearily behind the stage, leaving Amy to return by herself to the table, where Candace and Walter had already joined Darien and Zach. She sat down beside Serena's empty chair and Zach and greeted Darien's parents.

Seeing that Amy came back alone, Darien turned to her; concerned that Serena had found someone else to spend the evening with. "Where's Serena, Amy?" he asked as evenly as he could.

Amy waved her hand dismissively and smiled. "Oh, Luna Farrington's got her claws into her. (AN: get it? Luna...claws?) It seems that a model backed out at the last minute and she asked Serena to fill in for her. At first, she refused, but I managed to convince her to do it after a pretty decent guilt trip from Luna." As she said this, the lights dimmed and Luna stepped out onto the stage and behind the podium. She squinted against the spotlight focused on her and adjusted her microphone.

"Attention ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Cedars-Sinai 12th annual Hospital Charity Fundraiser Ball. I'm your host and fashion show emcee for this evening, Luna Farrington. Who's ready to see gorgeous people modeling gorgeous clothes?" she asked, getting applause from the crowd.

'There's only one gorgeous woman I want to see,' Darien thought as he listened to Luna introducing the first models walking down the runway. The show went on for about ten minutes and Darien was starting to get bored. He snapped to attention when he saw Serena step out shyly in a light pink dress that went down to her thighs.

"And here we have Serena Mathis modeling a Trista Meiou design. Please note the hand-beaded design..." Luna droned but Darien was far too busy ogling Serena to pay attention to the outfit's features. He watched Serena walk confidently down the runway and execute a few turns that would have made Cindy Crawford proud. Their eyes met all of a sudden, and Serena smiled at him before turning away.

Candace saw Darien staring slack-jawed at Serena and elbowed Walter in the ribs. "What is it, Candace?" he asked irritated. She pointed her chin across the table at Darien, who seemed to have gone into a catatonic state. "I see. Hey boy, snap out of it."

Darien was vaguely aware that his father had spoken to him. When Serena came out, the world seemed to go into slow motion and all he could see was she. He noted every step that she took, the way the dress moved as she walked and the electricity that flowed between them when they made eye contact. Darien was sitting on pins and needles, waiting for Serena's next turn down the catwalk. He was not disappointed as Serena made her way down in a skimpy gold bikini after having been seemingly pushed from behind. Darien noted that Serena walked with less confidence than before and she practically ran back behind the curtain after making one turn instead of the regulation three. 'Well, I could sort of understand that. Who wants to parade around in front of a bunch of strangers wearing nothing but a bikini? But _damn, what_ a bikini it is.'

"And now, for our final outfit for this evening, we have Serena once again modeling this Grecian-inspired evening gown by Cedars-Sinai's own, Trista Meiou..."

Serena stepped out on the catwalk wearing a strapless white floor-length silk and chiffon gown with an empire waist and gold crescents around the bust-line. The soft fabric fluttered in the breeze created when she walked, showing off her curves. As she turned around and modeled the dress from behind, Darien saw that the dress was backless, exposing Serena's smooth, creamy skin once more. Darien smiled in appreciation as she once again made her way to the back, amidst thunderous applause. A few seconds later, Serena walked back out again, this time followed by her fellow models and the designers and took their bows. The designers were handed bouquets of flowers while the models walked down the runway once more in single file and headed back stage, signifying the end of the fashion show.

~**************************~

"You wanted to see me about something, Trista?" asked Serena, who had changed back to her silver dress. Trista nodded her head and smiled.

"First of all, I just wanted to thank you for stepping in when you did and bailing me out like that. Because of you, my designs were a big hit tonight. Second of all, to show my appreciation, I want to give you the 'Princess' dress you modeled," Trista replied.

Serena gasped. "I can't take it, Trista! It's much too extravagant!"

"I want you to have it. It means so much to me that my dream is finally coming true and it was all thanks to you. If I couldn't find a model for tonight, I would have been forced to withdraw those three dresses that you wore because nobody else had the right size and look to pull them off. I think you agree with me that the last dress was the best one of them all. If nobody saw it, I'd probably just be labeled as just another mediocre designer trying to scratch a living," she replied and smiled. "I won't take no for an answer, Serena. Besides, I've already made plans to ship it to the Shields mansion where you're living."

Serena hugged Trista tightly. "Thank you Trista. I felt every inch a princess in that dress and for me to get to keep it, well...I guess you made one of my dreams come true too. Good luck with your career. I'll be watching the fashion magazines for you."

Trista watched Serena walk away and sighed. 'My dreams are finally coming true.'

"So, did you do it?" a deep voice asked from the shadows. Trista nodded and watched Darien Shields step into the light. "You didn't tell her who it was from, did you?"

"No Mr. Shields, I didn't. I told her that it was a 'thank-you' gift from me and that I wouldn't take no for an answer," Trista replied. A few minutes after the fashion show ended, she got a message from Luna that a Darien Shields wanted a word with her. Trista wasn't stupid; she knew all about the wealthy Shields family and the influence they had so of course she met with him. He told her that he wanted to buy the dress for Serena and that she mustn't know whom it's from. He paid her a whopping twenty thousand dollars, more than ten times the amount of the dress, to ensure that Serena would be it's exclusive owner. Trista promised to keep his secret and wished him luck in achieving _his_ dream of capturing Serena's heart.

Darien smiled at her, causing Trista's heart to flutter excitedly before remembering that his heart was already spoken for. "Thanks. I have a feeling that I'll need it."

~**********************************~

Dessert was just being cleared away as Amy turned to Serena. "Oh, I almost forgot. I was going to tell you earlier this evening before Luna whisked you off that Zach and I have decided to move the wedding up from September to July 15 because we couldn't get time off during that month. I already spoke to Raye and she said that she'll definitely be there with Kayla, with or without Justin if she has to. I've already mailed out the invitations. Mr. and Mrs. Shields, your invitations should be arriving soon, including Darien's."

"Oh, thank you Amy dear. We'd love to go," replied Candace before Walter could stick his two cents in.

"Yay! I get to be a bridesmaid, I get to be a bridesmaid, I get to be a bridesmaid," Serena sang, oblivious to the stares she got from people in other tables.

Walter groaned loudly. "It's too bad girlie over here can't sing as well as she can model." Just then, soft music began playing again and the lights dimmed until only the lights on the dance floor were on. "Come on Candy, I love this song."

"It's a good thing these heels have a steel toe, otherwise I'd never be able to walk again," Candace joked.

"You cut me to the quick, Mistress Candace. Come, let us partake of the merrymaking with light hearts and most importantly, light feet," Walter said, leading Candace to the floor where they swayed gracefully in each other's arms. 'Now I know where I got my dramatic flair from,' Darien thought. He watched as Amy and Zach followed suit and started dancing, leaving him alone with Serena. They sat there for a few awkward minutes before a woman stepped up to Darien.

"Excuse me? Would you like to dance?" she asked.

Serena watched jealously as Darien smiled up at her. "No thanks. I've got two left feet and you're too beautiful to walk around with a cane because I kept stepping on you while we danced." Serena sighed with relief as the woman nodded her head and walked away.

It was Darien's turn to see red a few minutes later when a man asked Serena for a dance. He breathed a sigh of relief when she turned him down, citing fatigue. He turned to her with a mischievous smile upon his lips. "Why don't we just dance together to get these people off our backs?"

Serena smiled and allowed herself to be led on the dance floor. 'This is a very big step for me. I haven't danced with a man since mom caught me with Mr. Henderson. I wonder if his wife ever found out about us?' Shaking her head to clear such thoughts out of her mind, she placed her arms around Darien's neck as he placed his around her narrow waist. The familiar strains of Tony Bennett's 'The Way You Look Tonight' started playing as Serena nestled her head against Darien's hard chest.

**Someday, when I'm awfully low

When the world is cold

I will feel a glow just thinking of you

And the way you look tonight.**

Darien started humming along softly and Serena could feel his chest vibrating with each sound he made. His rich voice started to lull her into a sense of peace and she closed her eyes to savour it. She felt his arms tighten around her as he pulled her even closer to him.

**Oh, but you're lovely

With your smile so warm,

And your cheek so soft,

There is nothing for me but to love you

And the way you look tonight**

'She's perfect,' Darien thought, as he nuzzled the top of her head. He heard her sigh in contentment before he felt her fingers start to inch up his neck and play with his hair, sending ripples down his spine.

**With each word, you tenderness grows

Tearing my fear apart

And that laugh that wrinkles your nose

Touches my foolish heart

'I've never felt safer than I have right now,' thought Serena. She thought back to the times with her previous boyfriends and lovers. 'Not even close.'

**Lovely, never ever change,

Keep that breathless charm

Won't you please arrange it,

Cause I love you

Just the way you look tonight...**

'He has to know how I feel...'

'I have to tell her I love her...'

"Darien I-"

"Serena-"

They laughed nervously. "You go ahead," they said at the same time.

"Go ahead, Darien," Serena urged.

Darien took a deep breath. Just as he opened his mouth, his cell phone rang. 'God dammit! Of all the worse times to call a person...' He smiled sheepishly down at Serena, who was still in his arms. "I'm sorry Serena, but I have to take this. The Tokyo office has been having problems all week with this deal..."

"It's okay, Darien. Why don't we go sit down while you talk?"

At the table, Serena watched Darien's face scrunched up with concern. "What do you mean they want to pull out of the deal? They signed the contract; there's no backing out now."

'It's a good thing I didn't tell him anything yet. It looks like he's having major problems...'

"NO! That's impossible!...Can't you tell them that?...Listen to me..."

'If I had told him how I felt now and he got this phone call, he wouldn't be able to concentrate on his work. I'll just tell him another time...'

Darien disconnected the phone angrily and raked his finger through his hair. "I'm sorry Sere, but I'm going to have to go home now and pack. I have to be in Tokyo ASAP so I'm leaving tonight on the company jet. If you want, you can stay here and go home with my parents..."

"That's okay, Dare. If you don't mind, could you take me back to the house too? I'm pretty tired after having strutted my stuff on the catwalk," she replied, disappointed that their talk would have to be delayed until he got back.

"Sure." They got up to say goodbye to the dancing couples and told them their reason for leaving. Candace had been watching them dance, thinking that they would finally confess their feelings for each other and saw the frustration in their faces when Darien got the call.

"Take care, son. Come home soon."

~***************************~

"Sere...Sere, we're here," Darien whispered softly, trying to wake a sleeping Serena up. 'She looks like an angel when she's asleep.' Hating to disturb her, Darien got out of the car and walked over to her side. Gently, he picked her up and carried her inside the house. Darien ascended the stairs with ease and soon reached her bedroom door. He laid her down on her bed, removed her shoes and undid her hair. Lastly, he pulled the covers up to her shoulders and smoothed her hair back from her face. 'I love you, Sere,' he thought.

He bent down and brushed his lips gently over hers in an achingly slow kiss. He had to force himself to stop lest he wake her up and gazed upon her face once more. The moon spilled in from the windows, highlighting the contours of her face and giving her an ethereal glow. He made his way softly to her door and back to his own room to pack for his trip.

In his haste to get out of Serena's room before he did something he regretted, namely waking her up just to see her eyes gazing into his, he missed hearing the words that would have made his heart soar to the heavens.

"I love you too, Darien," Serena mumbled in her sleep, as if she heard his thoughts, and went back to dreaming of her dark-haired prince charming and their future together, "with all my heart."

**************************************************************

Don't you just hate me? Reviews please!