Author's Notes: Hey ya'll! Sorry I haven't updated this in awhile.....what's it been a week? Well, sorry to inform you, but I think this chapter may be a little different fromt he summary. Okay, well a LOT different....sorry

babypookie: That's going to be addressed in this chapter....the whole family thing....hehe, and Serena was never married before. Darien was....hehe

white eternity: She was busy working with Darien and her mind was preoccupied....if you know what I mean. How can it NOT be when you get to look at Darien every day for almost an entire day?! Also.....right now shes falling into a depression because Darien doesn't love her back. Well, she THINKS he doesn't love her back, hehe. Remember?

Title: Take Care

Author: KaBunny

E-mail: Alexnadra_Miyoko@yahoo.com

Rating: PG

BTW.....IDOSM

Chapter Seven: Meet the Parents (Yeah.....the title is also different! "The Truth" will be the title of the NEXT chapter!)

"So, when did you realize that you had this amnesia problem?" Darien asked, after taking a sip of his coffee.

It had been several days since Serena's break down at the hospital. Darien had invited her over the day afterward when they bumped into one another in the cafeteria again. That had been an experience in itself. They were now trying to have the required serious conversation that needed to happen. However, a few minutes of uncomfortable silence later, they hadn't started talking. Darien then offered coffee and they both wandered off into the kitchen.

After two klutz attacks and coffee grounds in the hair, the uncomfortableness (is that a word?) had disappeared and the friendliness had returned, the two finished making the coffee and poured one another their cups before walking back out into the living room to sit down and have their serious discussion.

"A couple of years ago," she muttered, sitting anxiously and wringing her hands.

"Okay.....that was a bad question. I was more looking for how did you realize that you had an amnesia problem?" he corrected, smiling as he became satisfied with his question.

"I was looking through photo albums of my brother when he was little and my family-"

"Wait, wait.....Didn't you say that you didn't have a family?" he inquired, somewhat confused now.

"Yes, I guess that is what I said, but technically the family I'm talking about isn't my real one. See, when I was sixteen I moved here with this family that is supposed to be my real family. However, everytime we talk about when I was little, they go silent or they change the subject. This only happens when I'm around. Well, I got tired of it, so I decided to see into what the problem was with my past. I couldn't find anything. The first thing I did to find out what was missing was to look into the photo albums for younger pictures. I thought maybe they were just trying to protect me from something traumatizing, but....there were no pictures of me. None....," Serena explained, still wringing her hands. "I probably confused you. I'm sorry."

"No....not at all. So, you call these parents of yours say they're your mother and father eventhough you don't believe them to be your real parents? Am I right?"

"Yes," she responded, glancing up at him and smiling.

"See, I told you I wasn't so lost," he answered, hitting her lightly in the side of the face with his fist in jest. "So, you realized you had amnesia problem when you couldn't find any pictures of yourself?"

"Not exactly. See.....I didn't really notice that I didn't remember. I was more looking for the embarrassing stories that parents always have of you when you're little though you never remember them. I realized I had an amnesia problem when my brother asked me what I did for my sixteenth birthday. He wanted to know, so he could see what was cool to do for his party. That's when I realized, I couldn't remember. Then, I tried to remember things before that and got nothing," she said, looking back down to her fiddling hands.

"Odd," Darien murmured. He then went into thought, leaving Serena to feel anxious and alone. She kept glancing up at him as he stared off into the distance thinking of things unbeknownest to her. Eventually he snapped out of it and turned to her. "I have an idea. We have to go back to the source."

"And the source is?" she asked, looking hopeful.

"Well, it appears to me that your parents may be hiding something, but I have to see for myself. So, would you mind taking me to your parents?" he questioned.

"I don't think they'll talk to you," she muttered, her face downcast.

"I'm your doctor and this is affecting your health. They'll have to talk to me," he replied, a reassuring smile on his face.

~~~~~~

"So, um, where did you live before you moved here?" Darien questioned, turning onto the highway.

"On a beach.....I don't remember the name," she responded, placing a hand on her head as her head started to ache. 'Why can't I remember? I lived there didn't I?' she thought, glancing at Darien. 'Why did I suddenly start thinking about this? Does it have something to do with Darien?'

"-okay?" Darien had been saying. Serena snapped to attention.

"I'm sorry.....I was thinking. What did you say?" she inquired, turning her attention to Darien and off her thoughts. She had a strange feeling.

"I asked if you were okay. You look pale," he answered, glancing at her from the corner of his eyes.

"I-I'm....," she started to lie. Suddenly, she felt that she couldn't lie to him. 'What's wrong with me? Something's....something's come over me,' she thought, tears coming to her eyes. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Darien pulled his car over into the break down lane. As soon as it had stopped, Serena opened the door and puked out the side of the car. Her body shuddered with chills and the sobs she was holding in. Tears streamed down the sides of her face silently. Her eyes widened as someone wiped a tear slipping down her cheek.

Darien had slipped out of the car and wandered to the other side of the car unnoticed by Serena. She now found herself in his arms and out of the car. He had picked her up, carried her away from the car to get fresh air, and when he saw that she hadn't stopped crying, took her into his arms.

"I used to hate it when Serenity cried. You look so much like her," Darien murmured into her hair as she cried into his chest. He could feel her gasp and he just smiled serenely. "You smell, smile, and act like her too. If I didn't know any better, I would say that you were her twin sister, but I know that she had no sister just like she had no living family left."

Serena gripped Darien's shirt as her tears subsided. 'Why is her talking about her? He's never talked about her before. Not seriously with me anyway,' she thought, her eyes closed as she inhaled his scent. Something was there.....in him.

"I don't care if.....if you don't feel the same about me. I think....I think I've fallen in love with you and I need you to know it. You seem to need someone that loves you right now and I think I can give you that. So.....please let me," he said, his eyes closed and his face in her hair.

"O-......okay....," was all she managed to say. 'Why can't I tell him?! I love you!!' she thought, her heart crying out, but her mouth not working.

~It's not the time......wait....~ some voice echoed.

~~~~~~

Serena sat fidgeting, her hand in Darien's. They both sat before her parents, whom didn't seem to have a clue as to what they had come to do. Coffee had been served to everyone by Ilene, Serena's mother, and friendly greetings had been given out by Ken, Serena's father.

"So, why are you here again?" Ilene questioned, taking a sip of her coffee.

Serena went to go mutter her lie again, but Darien stopped her by putting his hand up. "I'm concerned about Serena's health. I'm her new doctor and her friend. I'll need old records of hers in order to determine and analysis."

"I'm sorry.....but do you have something signifying that you absolutely need these records?" Ken inquired, suddenly interested and slightly agitated. From Darien holding his daughter's hand or the question, none will know.

"Recently.....I have discovered a deep depression in Serena. After many inquiries, she has told me something very interesting. I believe that this is affecting her health....so, perhaps you should tell your daughter what you have been hiding," Darien replied, quite calm for all the fire roaring up inside of him. He felt Serena's grip tighten on his hand.

"We haven't been hiding anything from our daughter!" Ken yelled, standing up. Ilene placed a hand on his arm that caused his to look back at her. Her head was down and her face was hidden by her hair. Ken sat back down.

"It was six years ago. We were on vacation at the old beach house that my late father used to own. As Ken and I were wandering the beaches, we found a girl. At first.....we thought it was something else. I don't remember exactly what, but....we thought she was dead. When Ken took her pulse to make sure, we found out we were wrong. So, what else could we do, but take her in. Ken, being a doctor, took care of her and nursed her back to health. It took four weeks before she actually woke up. When she did, she couldn't remember anything. We sat around for hours, tossing out names to see if anything sounded familiar to her. She responded to Serena," Ilene explained, never taking her eyes off her lap. "In a couple months, she didn't seem to remember the fact that we found her, and she started calling us mom and dad. What else were we to do? We accepted her as our daughter and never mentioned the incident again. A fear years later, she started asking questions. We couldn't bring ourselves to tell her."

"So....even you don't know who she is?" Darien questioned, glancing over at Serena, who hadn't looked up or said anything.

"No.....we never did," Ken muttered, giving his crying wife a hug.

"Will you excuse me? I'm going to my room," Serena stated, getting up and leaving the room. Darien looked after her until she left, then he turned back to her parents, who looked frail and pale.

"You said you name was Dr. Darien Shields, correct?" Ilene asked, glancing up at him. The tears were still sitting there.

Darien nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"There is a guest room upstairs that you can use. I don't think Serena will want to get in a car tonight and we can talk about this more in the morning," Ilene said, smiling prettily. Darien was pretty sure that she looked as though she had lost twenty years of her life.

"Yes, ma'am."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well......that depressing chapter is overwith. I tried to make a little more happy by having Darien telling Serena that he loved her, but I think it makes it a little bit more depressing. Well, this story is almost with....maybe one or two more chapters and then we're through! Yay!

Stay Tuned for Chapter Eight: Serenity and Serena.......The truth is revealed. Who really is Serena and why does she look like Serenity? And is that.....is that CELIA?!!!

Ja ne! ~KaBunny