Disclaimers are to me as cheese is to pizza.

I would like to say Thank you to everyone that reviewed! I can't really comment on all individuals as I really don't have time now that school's started (I'm at the school's comp. lab, if they catch me not doing me work....).  But I'd read them all and thought about them, I'll sorry to be disappointing you with somewhat rushed chapters, and careless language, I'm doing my best to try and keep the story good.

I am bombarded by homework, and essays and what not; maybe it was a bad idea to start this story so late. But I have to finish it soon; or else my brain will never rest, so well sorry about these bad chapters (when I start something I like to finish it, leaving things hanging stress me a lot). Sorry!

Anyway to Lady Tristiana, here's the chapter there the story takes its turn. After this it all changes…heh! No more bickering and small fights that don't add up to anything! And to people asking for fluff: next chapter for sure! I swear!

Oh and WARNING: for people who hate sappy lovey dovey things, this is the last chapter that is safe to read, from next chapter on it's all pink, or at least pinkish!

Hurt Before

*Show Me*

*Show me the way,

Show me, show me how

Help me be brave for love*

Ever since her first day at work Damon had recognized that Serena was a beautiful girl. Yes, girl, not woman as she was full of innocence and child-like carefree attitude, without any determination. Because of the traits above, he never actually paid any attention to her, but she did catch his interest when she talked back to Darien at the November Conference. However, it was only when she came to him requesting her so to called promotion that he started to form serious designs (don't get me wrong, Damon Diamond was never serious about women, he was only serious about enjoying himself with them). Not to mention that he was practically blown away when he saw her that Saturday…now he sat in his office forming a plan on how to get her, and he knew that to do!

"Why not start with some counseling?" he said to himself, as Darien came into his office.

"Now, what are you planning, Damon?" Darien asked him. He knew his cousin's ways with women. "She's not your type," he assured blankly and sternly.

"What are you insinuating?" Damon replied, throwing his partner an amused glance. "As the president of the company, I have to know if she's doing a good job."

"You don't have the qualifications to judge that," the moody man remarked.

"Are you defending her, dear cousin?" the other pressed raising one of his eyebrows.

"No," Darien said calmly, and nonchalantly as ever, "I just mean that with the exception of Trista and me (who know that you are nothing but a piece of scum) every one looks up to you…"

Darien heard his cousin laugh at little. "Yes, Hutaru told me that Trista has taken up boxing, and in her practice room she has a practice sack with my picture glued to it."

"Oh, not only that, but I have the satisfaction of telling you that she's shooting at you too. She's got the bullet to go right between the eyes too! That's achievement for you," Darien informed, enjoying the faint wince his cousin made. Then his tone went all serious again, "I don't like you, but let me give you a good piece of advice. Stay away from that one, if you want to keep your good reputation in this firm. She probably knows what you are; she's a psychologist for heaven's sake! Her job is to read people."

"You're jealous," Damon told him, standing up, ready for his session.

"And you are an idiot," Darien declared him leaving some papers on Damon's desk. "I will not pity you when you go down. She may instigate crazy fantasies in your head, but just look at her; she's innocent and pure— I'm telling you, she doesn't need a dirty man like you."

Damon was now walking around his desk toward the door, he turned to Darien and spoke, "And you think you're any better?" he asked amused.

That question caused the other man to shrug carelessly, without any emotion. "I'm not after her, so it doesn't matter. But I'm telling you this, next time you try to talk another employee into resigning, don't manipulate her into saying that my intimidating ways were the reason. I'm sick of playing the role of the devil around here."

As he said this, his cousin left his office. He was sure Damon his not hear him, and honestly, he didn't care. He didn't really care what Damon did to that girl, he was just warning Damon to have the pleasure of mocking him when the time came. Over the years he had seen a lot of shrinks, he knew them— which was why he stayed away from her— they weren't stupid.

Serena was surprised to see Damon enter her office wanting to talk. She braced herself for another shocking story. From what she heard of him, it seemed as if he had problems with his girlfriends, or rather the girl that he was with at the moment, but one could never know…

"Just call me Damon," he started seductively, but she didn't catch his ball, she just nodded clasped her hands and waited for him to start. "Well, I don't really know— I figured you'd know— I mean there are so many things…"

"I know it can be hard to start sometimes," she smiled, speaking slowly and soothingly, "But take a few minutes to think about what to want to talk about, and then just start where it feels natural."

Damon grinned at her charmingly, she was beautiful, but he wanted her to lose that friendly, innocent thing. He wanted her to be bad… real bad!

"Well, I broke up with Melissa some time ago," he came up this something at last.

"Oh, I'm sorry… it must be hard," she commented gently.

"I'm not sorry, we only dated for a week or so," Damon said.

"A week? That's short, why did it end?"

"The fire burn out, I guess," he answered.

They went on talking about the women he had been with and why he did not stay with them. They did not touch the subject of Trista, though. From what Serena gathered, Damon had a real problem with commitment. Perhaps he wanted to prove to himself that he could get any woman he wanted. This was a typical problem for men (and women) in his situation of life (rich, powerful, good looking, etc), but it was funny how he always avoided the subject of a family… or rather, his family— his daughter and ex-wife.

They talked for some time, and Damon had to eventually return to work, so there he took the opportunity of asking her on a date.

"I have to continue working," he ended their conversation, "But I'm like to go on this some time soon." he saw Serena nod understandingly— it irritated him that she never took of that therapist role. "But I'm very busy during working hours, as you know, so I am wondering if we could talk on over some dinner… say on Friday night?"

"That's fine with me," Serena agreed, not really aware that Damon had just trapped her into going with him on a date. That thought would only enter her head later in the week, making her feel slightly guilty.

Somehow, Serena felt relief after he left. She wasn't conscious of it, but he did sigh and drink up the full glass of water that was on her desk. She did detect the complex tension between them, as if he wanted to convey something that she couldn't decode. Subconsciously, however, she didn't want to decode it.

On Friday, Damon took Serena to a very expensive, romantic, Italian restaurant. Observing all this actions towards her on their way to the restaurant— how he took great pains to find situations to touch her, or the way he talked to her, and she subject he chose (ahem), and above all, how he looked at her: as if she was a piece of meat! — She understood that he was trying to seduce her. Serena had hypothesized this earlier in the day, but now she was pretty sure of his intentions, needless to say she was frightened! For a moment she preferred Darien's rough and truly evil ways infinitely compared to the man who had seduction down to an art. She figured that she was his latest conquest, and knowing this she felt all respect that she held for him sink.

They had chosen their meals, and the wine had arrived. Serena couldn't risk losing any control; or else he might capture her, so she politely declined all alcoholic beverages.

"So," Damon spoke," let's talk a little about you…"

"No," Serena stopped him firmly, making him startle; "We're here to talk about you. I've decided that tonight we should talk about your ex-wife."

As she said this, she saw Damon stiffen. "I'd rather not," he refused.

"Why not?" she pressed with a rather annoyed tone.

"Because it's none of your business."

Serena rolled her eyes. "You made it my business when you came asking for a session, now you have a session, so talk! Or are you going to make me waste a perfectly good evening?"

"You sound like Darien now," he commented.

Serena smiled a little— yes, short temper and stubbornness were some of the few things they had in common.

"I'm on to you, Damon," she let him know with a freezing voice, "So now you better talk and be honest, or else you won't find me in your bed any time soon." She could also play dirty, she thought. Not that she was planning on sleeping with him— he was sexy and all, but his character was dishonest and that wasn't much of a turn on— but she was interested to know why he never talked about Trista, for professional interest, of course.

Damon looked at her startled. Darien was right when he said that she'd be able to see right through him. But she didn't reject me, he noted, which means that she wants me too.

"Okay," he started slowly, "What do you want to know about her?"

"Why did you divorce?"

"Because Trista couldn't forgive me for making a mistake: I had a mistress… but it wasn't for long…"

"Why did you get a mistress? You were married."

"I don't know, I guess I just wanted to see what her reaction would be."

"Her reaction? Couldn't you just buy her gifts or something a little more pleasant?"

"I tried all that. You know, no matter what I did, I couldn't seem to make her happy. I mean she'd smile and so, but she never went crazy! I don't think she ever loved me. You don't know how hard it is to love a woman who is never happy."

"And you never talked it over?"

"No… what was there to talk about?"

"So you just ran into the arms of another because she wasn't praising you like a god?"

"It's not like that— I wish she could have kissed me when she came home, or just come home a little earlier, I wanted her to tell me that she loved me more often… you know the little things."

"You could always ask," Serena defended Trista. She knew how much Trista loved that piece of garbage. "You could go; "Honey, I miss your kisses" or "It's been a long time since you last said that you loved me". Or you could go making deals: like you could do the dishes for a hug or whatever."

"I guess I could've done that, but I didn't! That never entered my head," he told her. Then he leaned back on his chair and continued to talk. "How I admired her! I loved her like a madman, and then she just goes and files for divorce. She didn't even hear me out!

"It hurt, you know. I'd wake up in the morning and think that she was still sleeping, then I'd turn over and find the bed empty— then I'd remember that she wasn't my wife anymore. Without her I felt empty, and lost, so I thought I'd be over her if I dated another woman. And it worked… at least for some time, but then now and again I wake up with her on my mind. I realize that the person in my bed isn't her, and then I feel as if I'm cheating. I break up and promise never to sleep with anyone again, and I'm back to square one. It never ends; it's like she's a ghost, haunting me."

"She isn't a ghost," Serena corrected him, "because she's not dead."

"I know that, but we're over, so she's as good as dead," he said unhappily. "Hotaru told me about how much she hates me— she has a picture of me on her boxing sack. Darien tells me that my picture is also glued to her shooting target— she shoots as a hobby— and that she had become so good that she was shoot me between the eyes. That's not only telling me that it's over for good, but it's scary too. She hates me so much that she's taking Hotaru to the Alps over Christmas instead of spending it at my parents' house, as we always did."

"Maybe, instead of seducing innocent people," Serena remarked, "You can try to seduce her back to you."

"No way, she wouldn't fall for it—" then he checked himself: "I mean, I'm totally over her."

"I don't think so, Stud Boy," she played, and watched his eyes go dark with desire. That scared her, it made her brain shiver with alarm, so she added a bit shaky, "I don't sleep with men on the first date, and today was just a session, so don't go wishing too much."

The next week she tried to avoid Damon as much as possible, as she saw that when they met he'd shoot her glances that suggested that they had a common understanding of some sort. She especially avoided being in the presence of both Trista and Damon at the same time. But that didn't discourage him at all; he even had the audacity to come to her office trying to get a date out of her. She had to invent excuses for the whole week, and was relieved when she told him that she'd be going home for Christmas and New Year. So he decided that their next date would be when they returned from the holidays. Serena let that slide, thinking that she would deal with it when she got back.

Heeee! What do you think is going to happen next? What do you think? Is Darien jealous, as Damon suggested? *smirk* none of my pathetic advertising this time, aren't you happy?!