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Hurt Before

*Mom and Dad*

*Loves her mom and her dad

The only secure that she knows*

She had just disposed of her suitcase, and got her boarding pass. She reunited with her parents. It was just her and the two of them. Years before, when it was time for Sammy to leave them, they bore the same expression. Sammy had only moved to Pennsylvania for college—Serena was going to Canada to work! Her mother smiled gently and cupped the daughter's face with her comforting, secure hands.

"You'll be fine, Sweetheart," she said with tears in her eyes, "Just don't eat too much junk food. I've bought you a copy of The Book of Cooking for Bachelorettes, just be careful when you use the oven! Call me if you need any help."

Serena smiled. She really wanted to laugh at her mother's preoccupations, but it wasn't the time.

"Mom, I'll be fine! I'll buy myself a microwave and pre done dinners."

Irene pouted a little at her daughter's comment. "You should eat healthily, Honey, we don't want you getting scurvy."

"Now, young lady, remember, that the world is a jungle, and its inhabitants are beasts! Never trust a man of the world—no matter how nice he seems."

"Yes, Daddy," she smiled facing him, "I'm the shrink around here!"

"My little girl is all grown up," he whispered bringing out his handkerchief, and pressing it just under his eyes. "You will succeed, my smart Daddy's Girl."

"Oh, Dad…" she said flying to her father's neck. Ken welcomed his daughter's embrace. "I'll be fine…" she planted a kiss on his cheek.

"United Airlines from Baltimore to Toronto via Detroit, now boarding. Passengers please report to gate A14."

"That's me, folks," she whispered breaking from her father's embrace to hug her mother. She kissed Irene good bye. "Bye Mom and Dad; I'll call you when I get there."

She took a hold of her small cabin bag and half jogged to the boarding area. She waved at her fearful parents as she handed her ticket to the guards and entered the tax free zone. She quickly walked to her gate, ready to board her plane and go to the place that she'd all home from now on.  

She looked at the seat number. C06, a window seat— how unlucky could she get. She preferred the isle; she sighed and stuck her cabin bag in the baggage hole above the seats.

Then she looked over to her seat, and suddenly she recognized him, the first stranger ever to be mean to her. She secretly, fearfully observed this handsome man, his jet black hair, with lovely killer-whale blue eyes. Darien Shields was what he introduced himself as later on… He was the coolest of the cool. He looked like a stern man, but, even so, she was feeling a slight tenderness towards him.

"Excuse me, Sir" she muttered politely, yet fearfully. She saw how his eyes slowly traveled from his newspaper to her face.

"Oh, not you again!" Darien commented gravely, letting her into her seat. He remembered her! Serena smiled and gave him a friendly wink, as Darien took a sip of the water on the arm of his chair.

He had the misfortune of sitting beside her during the whole plane ride to Toronto. He didn't seem too pleased to see her again, and his frown deepened even more when he found out that such a safety hazard was to work for him.

"I'm Serena Moone!" she exclaimed bubbly and watched Darien choke on his water.

"You're who— I had a bad feeling about this right from the start," he said gritting his teeth, giving a last cough.

"What have I done?" she asked sulkily.

"Apart from knocking me down yesterday?" Darien spoke gravely, as she nodded. "Well, I shall have to put up with you in the headquarters too. Isn't that punishment enough? Then there's the order from Diamond forcing me to help you around for a whole week."

"You don't even know me," Serena uttered feeling her heart sink, "Why are you so mean?"

"A pessimist is never disappointed," was his answer, before reopening his Wall Street Journal, and starting to read it.

Serena opened the magazine she had in her hand and started to read it, ignoring her grouchy colleague. That was the only conversation during the whole flight. To be honest, she didn't really pay attention to what she was reading, as feelings of apprehension overtook her brain. Tomorrow was her first day at work, and already had she made an enemy. This was her first enemy ever! What if everyone would hate her? She felt sick and barely ate anything when the food arrived. She noticed how Darien arched his eyebrow at her when she declined the food offered. The only thing she could to was to turn her head to the window and watch the gray sky with its white clouds.

Why did he not like her? What was wrong with her? Oh well… their interaction when from bad to worse when they landed in Toronto and Darien was to drive her to her Hotel, where she would be staying until she could move into her apartment.

"Well, I will see you around," she said relieved, as they got out of customs, at that time she didn't understand that Darien what to be kind of like her personal servant for the week.

"Where do you think you're going?" he questioned with indignation.

"To the hotel," was her calm answer, with her two pools of blue eyeing him with surprise.

"You come with me, young lady," he exclaimed grabbing her hand. "I have strict orders from Damon to escort to the hotel."

Serena groaned out loud with annoyance. "Is this some kind of punishment?" she repeated his words like a puppy.

"You stole the words right from my mouth," he gritted.

"Hey, you're the one being evil— I don't even know what I did!" she yelled at him calmly. "And if you have decided to hate me because of this escorting thing, I tell you that I'm no girl, I can get along fine by myself!"

"You look like a girl to me," he yelled back with his stony, non-emotional voice.

They walked in quiet annoyance to Darien's car, and by the looks of the vehicle Darien wasn't a simple executive at Diamond and Shields. Then, still in silence, Darien drove to the Hilton Hotel. He parked just outside the reception and helped her with her suitcase.

"I should like to see my apartment tomorrow," Serena told him, curtly when Darien had put the suitcase in the pavement.

"That can be arranged, but it would have to be after work," he answered frigidly. "I'll pick you up for work tomorrow at eight sharp. I abhor tardiness."

With that Serena walked into the hotel, as a bell boy had already taken care of her suitcase, without uttering a goodbye. Darien didn't say a word either; he just got in his car and drove away.

Serena was greatly annoyed at him, but only when he was around her. However, as she lay in her bed at night, she couldn't help but to feel a little softened. There was something about him; a mysterious something that told her that she would give in to dreadful feelings if she did not take care. She wanted to know why he felt that he needed to hide his emotions behind that stern mask, blank eyes, and foul humor.

"serena79" –I hope I didn't make you wait too long… (^_^) Thanks for all the compliments, they really made me blush.

"LovingMeForever"—hopin' you'll find this chapter a bit longer, it don't really have control over how long the chapters will be, so some will be shorter than others.

Yada, yada… (I really should stop saying that... ^-^), stay tuned for the next chapter! *does "the buddy Christ thing" (don't get it? Watch Dogma! Such a great movie… watched it for like the eleventh time on Sunday. I really should stop advertising things like that *snort*, what can I say? I like commercials!)*